Robert you are loved.

My Dad, Robert Matheu, passed away on September 21, 2018. We are still all at loss of words as this was very unexpected. There are so many great memories that we all shared with him and he will forever be remembered for the many amazing things he accomplished in his life. He was an amazing photographer, writer, jokester, and more but most importantly he was an amazing dad and husband. My sisters and I will never forget all the great times we shared with him and we hope you don’t either. You will forever be missed and our lives will never be the same without you. I love you Daddy. Rest easy. ❤️

Love,
Ruby

The Perfect View: Robert Matheu 1955-2018

By Brian J. Bowe

When I met Robert Matheu in 2001, my world grew instantly larger. It would be hard to quantify the ways our friendship changed my life. He died unexpectedly on Sept. 22 at the age of 63.

Roxy Music’s “Editions of You” was one of Robert’s main musical touchstones. As a photographer, the line about “waiting for the perfect view” was professionally resonant. But it the line “stay cool is still the main rule” gave him a mission statement and personal mantra.

Robert operated with a seductive audacity and swagger. Like Shakespeare’s Puck, he brought memorable mischief into every situation. He relished winding people up, and his charm made him often — though not always — able to get away with it.

Robert’s outsized persona often obscured the fact that he was a breathtakingly talented photographer. He began his photo career as a teenager coming up in the late 1960s Detroit scene. His early photos of the Stooges and the MC5 showed a raw talent that, once honed, would make him an in-demand shooter. So many of the images he made in his career have become iconic: Les Paul hugging his namesake guitar; Scott Asheton shaking a fist; Ian McLagan lighting a cigarette from a candle atop his piano; and too many others to mention. Watching him in action, I was always amazed by the way his talent made the craft look effortless.

Working together, we had some decent successes and flamboyant failures. We spent five years on an attempted (and ultimately doomed) online resurrection of CREEM. I was happy to contribute an essay to his Stooges book. For a long time, we spoke just about every day, often for hours at a time. As brothers often do, we had some tense times. He could be frustrating. We lost contact for a while for reasons that are, at this point, irrelevant.

In our many conversations, I discovered parts of Robert that weren’t for public consumption. He loved deeply and easily — especially his daughters, who were the center of his world. He was generous with his time and knowledge and contacts. He loved championing new talent and bringing people together. In later years, our talks often turned to more personal matters like family and spirituality.

But we never grew tired of obsessing over rock ’n’ roll. A few months before his death, he called me from a rehearsal of Wayne Kramer’s MC50 project that he was shooting. He let me listen in on the phone for a few minutes, as if such a thing was completely normal. Our last text message exchange was the day before he died, about the new MC5 box set (which he helped out with). In the end, it always came back to our shared love of music, because we both understood how much that stuff matters.

Goodbye and godspeed, Bob. Your absence makes my world feel quite a bit smaller.

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Robert Matheu - Photographer Extraordinaire Collections
Curriculum Vitae
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Robert Matheu
Alice Cooper The Runaways - Joan Jett J. Geils Band Prince Black Keys - Dan Auerbach Brian Wilson P - Gibby Haynes & Johnny Depp George Harrison David Bowie The Doors - Jim Morrison Robert Plant & Jimmy Page MC5 Sex Pistols Clem Burke Madonna Megadeth - Dave Mustaine DEVO - Mark Mothersbaugh Patti Smith Jeff Beck Neil Young Chrissie Hynde Tom Petty & Bob Dylan Jack White Bob Dylan Bruce Springsteen The Rolling Stones - Mick Jagger & Mick Taylor Iggy & the Stooges Stevie Ray Vaughan Keith Richards Pretenders - Martin Chambers The Clash - Mick Jones Johnny Ramone Roxy Music - Bryan Ferry Stray Cats - Slim Jim McDonnell Eurythmics - Annie Lennox Tina Turner Cheap Trick - Rick Nielsen The Who - Roger Daltrey & Pete Townshend Dave Edmunds Bryan Ferry Steve Jones Texas - Sharleen Spiteri Billy Idol Adam Ant Red Hot Chili Peppers Brian Wilson Gang of Four Cheap Trick Pretenders - Chrissie Hynde Iggy Pop Shriekback The Kinks - Ray Davies Steve Earle Lita Ford Rod Stewart Lords of the New Church Beastie Boys Soundgarden Ramones Candy Dulfer Les Paul DEVO Pretenders - James Honeyman Scott Megadeth - Dave Mustaine Carlene Carter Johnny Cash MC5 - Wayne Kramer Stevie Ray Vaughan George Harrison Hunt & Tony Sales Blondie - Clem Burke Henry Rollins BR5-49 Stray Cats - Brian Setzer Patti Smith Replacements Dave Edmunds Red Kross Black Crowes - Rich & Chris Robinson Talking Heads - David Byrne Iggy - Hammersmith, London - 2010 Iggy Pop - Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor - 1979 Iggy Pop - Chapman Market, Los Angeles - 1990 Iggy - Grande Ballroom, Detroit - 1969 Scott Asheton - Second Chance, Ann Arbor - 1978 Iggy - Ford Auditorium, Detroit - 1973 Iggy Pop - Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor- 1979 Stooges - Hammersmith, London - 2005 Ron Asheton - Second Chance, Ann Arbor - 1978 Iggy - Ford Auditorium, Detroit - 1973 Tommy & Johnny Ramone, Fred Smith, Ron & Scott Asheton - Ann Arbor - 1977 Scott Asheton, Iggy Pop & Ron Asheton - Second Chance, Ann Arbor - 1981 Sonic's Rendezvous Band & Iggy Pop - New Miami, Detroit - 1979 Iggy Pop - Scream @ Park Plaza, Los Angeles - 1988 Stooges - Ford Auditorium, Detroit - 1973 Ron Asheton - Ann Arbor - 1977 Iggy Pop - Viper Room, Hollywood - 1999 Iggy Pop - Cobo Arena, Detroit - 1977 Ron Asheton - Second Chance, Ann Arbor - 1978 Iggy Pop - Scream @ Park Plaza, Los Angeles - 1988 Iggy Pop - Whisky A Go Go, Hollywood - 1988 Ron Asheton - Ford Auditorium, Detroit - 1973 Duff McKagan, Iggy Pop, Matt Sorum, Slash - Chapman Market, Los Angeles - 1990 Scott Asheton - Massey Hall, Toronto - 2008 Don Was & Iggy Pop - Viper Room, Hollywood - 1999 Stooges - Coachella, Indio - 2003 Stooges - All Tomorrow's Parties, Minehead - 2010 Iggy Pop - Chapman Market, Los Angeles - 1990 Stooges - Ford Auditorium, Detroit - 1973 Steve Jones & Iggy Pop - Whisky A Go Go, Hollywood - 1988 James Williamson - All Tomorrow's Parties, Minehead - 2010 James Williamson - Hollywood - 2009 Iggy Pop - Royal Oak Theater, Michigan - 1981 Ron Asheton - Massey Hall, Toronto - 2008 Mike Watt & Rock Action - All Tomorrow's Parties, Minehead - 2010 Iggy - Ford Auditorium, Detroit - 1973 Iggy - All Tomorrow's Parties, Minehead - 2010