If you’re at all familiar with the Grateful Dead, you probably know that the subculture that surrounds the band goes far, far beyond IRL jamming with the psychedelic legends. See: a nearly unbelievable vintage market of T-shirts, records, and memorabilia.
For our video series, “Curated”—where we ask celebrities to show off their most prized goods—chef Matty Matheson gave us a brilliant intro to Deadhead life. In the interview with the Internet-and-food-world-famous chef, he showed us his vintage collection of T-shirts, as well as an enviable collection of knives. (What a combo.) In between the shirts and cutlery? Matheson shares a story about Iggy Pop, the just-as-eclectic frontman of the Stooges.
“I was eating at this restaurant in Parkdale and Iggy Pop walks in, wearing sandals, cargo shorts, like the funniest version of Iggy Pop—which I guess is him being completely normal,” Matheson said. “It was the first time that I geeked out and saw a real celebrity, ever, in my life. And I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s fucking Iggy Pop.’”
You might be disappointed to know that Matheson followed the golden rule: Never meet your heroes, resigning to admiring the legend from afar. Check out the rest of the video, where Matheson takes us through his collection of rare Japanese knives—which were all forged by hand, right down to the wooden sheaths.
“To own these knives and to use these knives is very special—because every single one is just one of a kind,” he said. “I think it’s just a beautiful story and to use them, I think, is what really matters.”
