Dan Mathews: Like Crazy

Species Unite

elizabeth novogratz

Philosophy, Society & Culture

5.0 • 911 Ratings

🗓️ 29 October 2020

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"When I moved my mom in, I certainly felt, okay, now I'm off the market. I've got a broken-down house, a crazy mother, a high-pressure job being a vegan activist at PETA… this is not really a good resume for finding Mr. Right." – Dan Mathews

Dan Mathews is the Director of Campaigns at PETA. He's been there since the 80s when he was hired as a receptionist right after college. Dan's responsible for PETAs most controversial and outlandish campaigns including the "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" ads. He's been arrested more than 20 times, but all for good reason - having changed the world for millions of animals.

He is also the author of two books, Committed and most recently, Like Crazy: Life with My Mother and Her Invisible Friends, a darkly funny memoir about the hardships and rewards of taking in a mentally and physically fragile parent. It shows the spectacular amount of expansion and growth that result from to choosing to do the right thing over the easy thing, from choosing the more beautiful life. Dan is brilliant, extremely funny, and a gift to humans and animals everywhere.

Transcript

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0:00.0	But when I moved my mom in, I certainly felt, okay, now I'm off the market. I've got a broken down house, a crazy mother, a high-pressure job being a vegan activist at PETA. This is not really a good resume for finding Mr. Wright. Hi, I'm Elizabeth Novigrats. This is Species Unite. We have a favor to ask. If you like today's episode and you have a spare minute, could you please
0:35.0	rate and review Species Unite on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts?
0:41.0	It really helps people to find the show.
0:47.1	Today's conversation is with Dan Matthews.
0:50.4	Dan is Senior Vice President at PETA. He started working there in the 80s right
0:55.2	when he graduated from college. He was a receptionist. These days 35 years
0:59.7	later he is the director of campaigns and known for some of the most controversial
1:05.3	attention getting campaigns anyone's ever seen including the I'd rather go
1:10.0	naked than wear fur ads. He just came out with a second book. It's called Like Crazy, Life with
1:17.0	My Mother and her invisible friends. The Dan, thank you so much for being here.
1:37.0	I'm really happy to have you on the show.
1:39.0	Sure.
1:40.0	So I want to talk about Like Crazy and the years that you write about in the book. But before we get there,
1:45.3	I want to talk about the decision that you made to move your mom in and how that all went down.
1:51.4	Yeah, I mean I should start by saying that I really don't consider myself much of a family man.
1:55.7	I moved away from California right after high school, saved up a thousand bucks, lived in Italy,
2:01.9	always volunteered for animal rights until I finished college, started at PETA in Washington.
2:06.0	I would see my family, my mom and dad split when I was about seven.
2:10.0	My brothers remained on the West Coast, and my mom was very kooky. She growing up she was always involving us in every
2:17.2	whatever cause whether it was marching with immigrants or the great pickers just you name it you know she was tear-gassed
2:24.9	marching against the K K K and when animals animal rights became my thing she
2:29.6	totally embraced it and she was really champion of that and even when I was gay in the 70s in junior high school,
	...

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