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| Swedish TV turns lens on West Side man |
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| Written by John Saiz / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 26 January 2008 | |
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Swedish television viewers will be catching images of the West Side in the coming months, thanks to the antics of Patterson resident Mike Mattos. The Korean War U.S. Army veteran and his collection of military vehicles will be featured on the Swedish show, loosely translated as “America’s Special Talent,” as soon as the production crew puts the final touches on the segment. Mattos and the fleet are no strangers to media attention, though this marks the first time he has gone international. “When you consider there’s millions of people in America, it’s quite an honor to be recognized,” Mattos said. Anyone who’s been in the area for a while is probably familiar with Mattos and his toys. He’s been collecting the vehicles for close to 30 years and has now amassed about 40 pieces. “I just got turned on (to the Weasel,)” Mattos said of an old World War II all-terrain vehicle. “I bought one and liked it so much I got another, and another. Now, I got the largest collection of Weasels in the United States.” Newer residents might know him from the annual Apricot Fiesta parade, where he loads an old tank with candy and fires the sweets to onlookers. “I’m like the Pied-Piper of Patterson with those kids following me around,” Mattos said. Mattos revels in the attention his collection brings and is always willing to play it up for the cameras, though his vehicles are not available for public viewing. During the Jan. 11 taping, Mattos donned a makeshift uniform that included a polished silver helmet. He had a member of his “Portuguese Rat Patrol” — the name Mattos has given his fleet and a few of the people who help him maintain it — in camouflage fatigues and armed with a bayonet-equipped rifle. “I gave him the M-1 with a bayonet, and boy did he get excited,” Mattos said. To announce to his public that the TV crew had filmed him, he typed out a press release. Mattos has also hung onto the clippings from the handful of publications that have featured him. He has a copy of Fortune magazine that contains an image of him in his tank, and he is more than happy to share it with anyone who has an interest. He has hung onto an old copy of the tabloid the Sun, which also featured him and his tanks. “I’m the only page with color,” Mattos said, as he showed off the photo spread. Even the Queen of England’s photos in that issue were in black and white. Mattos said the call from the TV crew was unexpected.  West Side resident Mike Mattos talks with a Swedish television crew the weekend of Jan. 4 at his home. Photo courtesy of Mike Mattos “They interviewed me over the phone and liked what they heard,” he said. The Stanislaus County Film Commission had given the TV crew the heads up on Mattos. To welcome the crew, Mattos lined up about six vehicles in front of his property a few miles outside of Patterson. “We got about half a dozen vehicles ready for them, put American flags on them and had music going,” Mattos said. “They went ga-ga. They spent, like, 20 minutes photographing everything.” Mattos has also has rented out his equipment for commercials and movies. About 1½ years ago, Coca-Cola shot a commercial in Gustine using one of his tanks, though Mattos said that was “the worst commercial I ever worked on,” because the director made them do more than a dozen takes. The plan was for the commercial to air during the Super Bowl, but it did not run until later. Give him enough time and Mattos will recount some of his more pleasant memories from movie sets. For example, Francis Ford Coppola, the director of “The Godfather” trilogy, used a Mattos tank in his film “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.” Mattos remembered Coppola wanting to take a ride in the tank, but a tight shooting schedule prevented it. “I told him, 'Maybe another time,'” Mattos said. Who knows? It could happen. Mattos has no plans of retiring the fleet any time soon. “Most people have real boring lives,” Mattos said. “I like to have fun while I live. "Sometimes I tell chicks I got the actions and mannerisms of a young adult and the wisdom and knowledge of a mature adult.”
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