“Hilarious! Reads like James Bond on acid, with freaky costumes, police chases, jet-set intrigue and kick-ass sense of justice.” So says pop chick Pink of Dan Mathews’ memoir Committed, published in Australia this month. The celebrity praise doesn’t stop there, either – Brit singer Morrissey, rock legend Chrissie Hynde and Pamela Anderson’s former hubby Tommy Lee fall over themselves to lavish compliments on Mathews and his work with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Mathews started working with the organisation in 1985 as a receptionist, gradually moving his way up to vice-president after he displayed a flair for getting celebrities interested in stopping animal cruelty. Whether it’s Chrissie Hynde getting arrested or Pamela Anderson stripping off, chances are it was Mathews who put them up to it.
In Committed, he recounts his journey from a teen punk rocker who was bullied, his days as a model and hustler in Italy to his many adventures in promoting animal rights.
It’s fair to say that Mathews brought a sense of fun to an otherwise sombre subject: he was responsible for the renowned ‘I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’ campaign, has dressed up as a priest to infiltrate a fashion show and as a carrot to talk to kids, and has been arrested so many times at protests that he was commissioned to write a book called Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Jails. “I’ve always seen life as a black comedy and wrote Committed to make sense of it to myself,” he tells Cherrie.
Activism doesn’t have to always be serious, Mathews espouses. “Lighten up so you don’t burn out! Try to see fighting for justice as an adventure rather than a drama.”
It’s Mathews sense of humour that’s led to PETA becoming arguably the coolest animal rights group in the world with its quirky and tongue-in-cheek ads mixed in with more full-on, confrontational messages. For those people who are wary of the organisation, Mathews urges them to visit the website to find out more. “Everyone loves animals and if they checked out PETA.org would see that even if they aren’t vegetarian they’d find they had much more in common with us than differences.”
Regardless of whether you’re passionate about animal rights or not, Committed is a highly entertaining memoir of someone who loves dressing up and looking silly for a good cause. What’s not to like about that?
Committed is published by Simon & Schuster. Dan Mathews will be making a series of public appearances across Australia. Details on his Myspace site www.myspace.com/dismalswampthing .
“Hilarious! Reads like James Bond on acid, with freaky costumes, police chases, jet-set intrigue and kick-ass sense of justice.” So says pop chick Pink of Dan Mathews’ memoir Committed, published in Australia this month. The celebrity praise doesn’t stop there, either – Brit singer Morrissey, rock legend Chrissie Hynde and Pamela Anderson’s former hubby Tommy Lee fall over themselves to lavish compliments on Mathews and his work with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). 
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