Jaunted

Jaunted: Just to clarify, your presentation at the EG conference about the "Where the Hell is Matt" videos being fake was just a joke. These videos are real, right?

Matt Harding: Yep. The videos are entirely real in the sense that I really did travel to all those places. Pretty much every claim I made in the EG talk was pure make-believe.

Jaunted: Why do you think so many people think your videos are fake? Do you alter the video in any way aside from a basic edit?

Matt Harding: I think there are a number of things at work there. I think some folks are gun shy because there really are a lot of hoaxes on the internet. And I think it's caused people to build up a defense mechanism where they immediately declare things to be fake so as not to risk seeming foolish or gullible. It's generally easier to believe something is fake than to believe it's real.

And I think there are some people--and I'd stress the word some--who are driven by insecurity and would prefer not to be reminded of the larger world they're a part of and its vast possibilities.

For the EG talk I kind of drew from those most cynical speculations and then ran with it until it became absurd.

As for altering the video, yes. I messed with the colors a fair bit, increasing the saturation and contrast to give it a celluloid look. I also played around with the sound mix to enhance the laughter and hollering from the dancers. And I did, in fact, use Photoshop to cover over some corporate logos that appeared in a few of the backgrounds.

Jaunted: Are you a one-take Matt or do you dance several times to get the right take?

Matt Harding: The third time is often the charm. That's when people get comfortable enough to be their most silly, and then after that their energy starts to dwindle.

Jaunted: Which country has the best dancers?

Matt Harding: Antarctica. Hands down.

Jaunted: You have no plans to make another dancing video, is that true? If so, how come?

Matt Harding: I haven't closed that door, but I'm not pursuing it at the moment. I think people have had enough of me for a while, and I'm not in any hurry. If a good idea comes along and I believe it's worth the time and energy to make one more, we'll see. But it takes, like, a year, and I'm still kinda tired from the last one.

Jaunted: Were you upset that FunnyOrDie.com didn't ask you to star in this video?

Matt Harding: I'm just glad they got someone skinny to portray me.

Jaunted: Your bio says you play a lot of Rock Band. Can you play "I think I'm Paranoid" on the expert setting? We can't.

Matt Harding: Today I played "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" on guitar and sang it at the same time. That's how awesome I am.

Jaunted: Have you ever taken a dancing lesson?

Matt Harding: I took tap for a few months last year. It didn't stick, but I'm gonna pick it up again at some point.