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Matt the Knife | |
|---|---|
 Matt on stage reading an audience member's mind | |
| Born | Rhode Island |
| Occupation(s) | Mentalist, magician, speaker, comedian, escapologist, former con artist |
| Website | Matt The Knife.com |
Matt the Knife (also called MTK) is a magician and mentalist. He has broken a number of Guinness World Records. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] He began his career as a professional con man. [1] [3] [8] [9]
Sometime around 2000 he began to perform magic. Since then, he has performed in 21 countries across 4 continents (including television shows in the United States, China, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom and several others). [1] [3] [4] [5] [8] [9] [10] [11]
He has probably best known for his feats of mentalism, but also often mixes sword swallowing, stunts, escapes, magic and his unique brand of humor in to his stage performances. [1] [2] [3] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]
As of 2021 [update] he has broken 12 Guinness records. They include records for things such as escapes, sword swallowing, fire manipulation, feats of strength, and card manipulation. He usually performs these stunts for publicity or as the climax of his television specials. [1] [2] [3] [5] [8] [9] [10] [11] [14] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]
He also founded a consulting firm that specializes in the prevention of fraud and cheating within the gaming industry. He also works with corporations, security & police forces, as well as the film, literary, theatrical and television industries to create realistic characters and help develop more accurate depictions of topics involving criminal activity, the occult, the allied arts, the magical arts and mentalism. [1] [3] [4] [5] [8]
A séance-based performance entitled "Epitaph" debuted in Rhode Island and toured in several major cities including Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC and New Orleans. [1] [6] [22] It was eventually renamed "Possessions" and was adapted into a large scale stage version in 2017. Despite his claims that it was only intended for entertainment it has occasionally come under fire by some religious groups in the US. [1] [22]
Matt The Knife has been featured in The New York Post, [19] The New York Times, ESPN Magazine, Philadelphia City Paper, [2] PLAY Magazine, [8] The "METRO" Paper, Road King Magazine, Escape Masters Magazine, Amusement Business Magazine, [14] and The Wall Street Journal; as well as being on The Discovery Channel, [11] NBC, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, CNN, The History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Adult Swim on The Cartoon Network, Guinness World Records, Sirius Satellite Radio, [1] CCTV (China), Rai Tre [10] (Italy) and the BBC (United Kingdom).
The following outline provides an overview of and topical guide to entertainment and the entertainment industry:
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Alex Tomaini is a sideshow performer. At the age of 14, he officially became the youngest confirmed sword swallower in the United States. He swallowed his first sword at the 2003 Sword Swallowers Convention in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania before an audience of his peers and international media, only four hours after swallowing his first coat hanger as practice. He later joined a record attempt called "The Big Swallow" in which a group of sword swallowers try to simultaneously swallow as many swords as possible.
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Impalement arts are a type of performing art in which a performer plays the role of human target for a fellow performer who demonstrates accuracy skills in disciplines such as knife throwing and archery. Impalement is actually what the performers endeavor to avoid – the thrower or marksman aims near the target rather than at them. The objective is to land the throw or shot as close as possible to the assistant's body without causing injury.
"The Story of My Life" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was published in 1957. It was recorded by Marty Robbins and reached number one on Billboard's country chart in 1958, and it became a number one hit song for Michael Holliday in the UK.
"It Goes Like It Goes" is a song written by David Shire and Norman Gimbel. Jennifer Warnes sang the vocals for the Norma Rae soundtrack in 1979. "It Goes Like It Goes" won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1979, defeating such fellow nominees as "Through the Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles and "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie, to the consternation of some critics.
Todd Robbins is an American magician, lecturer, actor, and author.
A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with intersex variations, those with extraordinary diseases and conditions, and others with performances expected to be shocking to viewers. Heavily tattooed or pierced people have sometimes been seen in freak shows, as have attention-getting physical performers such as fire-eating and sword-swallowing acts.
Dean Alan Carnegie is an American stage magician, escape artist and painter. He has appeared on numerous television programs and has performed for three different US Presidents. He is called 'The Artist of Mystery'.
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Aerial Manx. is an Amsterdam-based Australian sideshow entertainer who has pioneered the field of acrobatic sword swallowing. Aerial Manx was born on 18 March 1986 in Melbourne, Australia.