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Matt the Knife

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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
WebsiteMatt 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]

Career

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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 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).

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "American Voices". American Voices. October 12, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d Amorosi, A.D. (January 18–25, 2007). "Just Do It". Philadelphia Citypaper. p. 63.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Schwartz, Dan (August 2007). "From Grifter To Guinness". Providence Monthly: 14.
  4. ^ a b c DeLuca, Sharon (September 2007). "It's Magic!". QUAD Angles: 35.
  5. ^ a b c d Bozigian, Terri (June 2007). "Prestidigitation Plus". Your Smithfield Magazine: 4–6, 68.
  6. ^ a b Gabrie, Ptah (October 25 – November 1, 2007). "Haunted Fun for Everyone". Philadelphia Citypaper. p. 66.
  7. ^ Martin, Dick (September 9, 2004). "Not A Hard Act To Swallow". The Observer. pp. 1B, 3B, 20B.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Perry, Rachel (January 17, 2007). "Matt The Knife: Fire-Teething Never Looked So Good". Play (Philadelphia Edition): 10–12.
  9. ^ a b c d e Jones, J.W. (October 25, 2006). "Guinness Book record holder comes to J&W". The Wildcat Chronicle. p. 4.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Circo Massimo". Circo Massimo. Season 8. September 2007.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Daily Planet". Daily Planet. July 18, 2007.
  12. ^ Stout, Alan K. (August 30, 2006). "'Sideshow Gathering' celebrates tradition". Weekender. p. 43.
  13. ^ Martin, Leslie (August 31, 2005). "Talking tattoos". The Weekender. p. 44.
  14. ^ a b c O'Brien, Tim (October 2005). "Oohs, ouches and the odd". Amusement Business: 8.
  15. ^ Bishop, Bruce (April 27, 2007). "Bound But Determined". The Chronicle-Telegram. p. 1.
  16. ^ Guinness World Records. United Kingdom: Guinness. 2005. pp. 177. ISBN 1904994024.
  17. ^ Guinness World Records. United Kingdom: Guinness. 2006. pp. 177. ISBN 978-1-904994-02-2.
  18. ^ Guinness World Records. United Kingdom: Guinness. 2008. pp. 102 and 175. ISBN 978-1-904994-37-4.
  19. ^ a b Scheck, Frank (June 27, 2005). "Knife flinger". New York Post. p. 38.
  20. ^ Ryan-Herndon, Lisa L.; Manzanero, Paula (2007). Guinness World Records To The Extreme. United States: Scholastic Reference. pp. 33. ISBN 978-0-439-86562-3.
  21. ^ Brown, Seth (September 2007). Rhode Island Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Globe Pequot. pp. 279–281. ISBN 978-0-7627-4338-4.
  22. ^ a b Robinson, Dorothy; Boutin, HaLeigh (October 26–28, 2007). "Tricks or treats". Metro. p. 17.

Sources

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