Hugo Matthysen (Ekeren, January the 30th 1956) is a Belgian singer, columnist, writer, graduated philosopher and actor. In 1978 he played in the cover band Beri Beri, together with Bart Peeters and Jan Leyers. In 1984 he appeared frequently in Bart Peeters’s program Villa Tempo, together with Bart Peeters and Marcel Vanthilt, as “De Hermannen”. De Hermannen were three men with sunglasses, blond wigs, black coats and white sweaters. They played absurd sketches. Matthysen started writing for Humo, a Belgian weekly magazine. He started the humoristic rock band “Hugo Matthysen & De Bomen” (Hugo Matthysen and the trees). In 1989 he worked together with Kamagurka and Herr Seele with their weekly, absurd program “Lava”. Later that year, together with Bart Peeters, he created the radio program “Het Leugenpaleis” (the palace of lies). Later on it got a version for television “Het Peulengaleis” (an anagram of its radio version’s name). Furthermore he also created the well known children series “Kulderzipken” and “Dag Sinterklaas”, the play “Frankenstein of Smrntwsk” (1989) and the lyrics for the Belgian group “De Nieuwe Snaar”. In 1990 he presented, together with Guy Mortier the main acts at the festival Torhout-Werchter (now known as Werchter). His alter ego Clement Peerens and his band The Clement Peerens Explosition (CPeX) became very popular and known amongst everyone. The trial from the woman of the fair (“Foorwijven”) because of his song “Foorwijf” only made him more known