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==Early years==
==Early years==
From the ages of approximately 14 through 21, he worked as a con artist, ran a card cheating ring, a shoplifting ring and a pick-pocketing ring who famously bilked dozens of casinos, corporations and even at least one Mafia family (in spite of, or possibly due to, being tied to at least two criminal families himself) out of untold sums.<ref name=AmericanVoices/><ref name=providence/><ref name=Play/><ref name=jw/>
From the ages of approximately 14 through 21, he worked as a con artist, ran a card cheating ring, a shoplifting ring and a pick-pocketing ring who famously bilked dozens of casinos, corporations and even at least one Mafia family (in spite of, or possibly due to, being tied to at least two criminal families himself) out of untold sums.<ref name=AmericanVoices/><ref name=providence/><ref name=Play/><ref name=jw/>

However it is widely believed that most of these claims are false and are merely part of
Matts 'image' if for no other reason that few people would be skilled enough to pull off the cons that Matt claims to have done and even fewer would be stupid enough to boast about ripping off the mafia and then publicilly boast about it, let alone the lack of legal claims against him.


==Transition into the magical arts==
==Transition into the magical arts==

Revision as of 22:32, 10 March 2010

Matt "the Knife"
Born1981
Boston, Massachusetts
Occupation(s)Mentalist, Con artist, Sideshow Performer, Escape Artist, Comedian, Lecturer, Magician
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
WebsiteMatt The Knife

"Matt the Knife" (born 1981, also called MTK) was born in Massachusetts and grew up in Boston, but now resides in Rhode Island. He is a highly regarded magician and mentalist as well as the breaker of a multitude of Guinness World Records.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] but began his career as a professional Con Man. [1][3][8][9]

Early years

From the ages of approximately 14 through 21, he worked as a con artist, ran a card cheating ring, a shoplifting ring and a pick-pocketing ring who famously bilked dozens of casinos, corporations and even at least one Mafia family (in spite of, or possibly due to, being tied to at least two criminal families himself) out of untold sums.[1][3][8][9]

However it is widely believed that most of these claims are false and are merely part of Matts 'image' if for no other reason that few people would be skilled enough to pull off the cons that Matt claims to have done and even fewer would be stupid enough to boast about ripping off the mafia and then publicilly boast about it, let alone the lack of legal claims against him.

Transition into the magical arts

Sometime around 2000 he began to adapt his talents from that of a criminal to the skills of a conjurer and slowly transitioned out of an illegal lifestyle over the next couple of years. Since then his magic has taken him on to perform in 10 countries across 3 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’s probably best known for his feats of mentalism but also often mixes sword swallowing, stunts, escapes, magic and his irreverent brand of humor in to his stage shows. [1][2][3][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]

Guinness World Records

As of 2009 he broke 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 either for publicity or for the climax of his various television specials. [1][2][3][5][8][9][10][11][14][16][17][18][19][20][21] Several of matts records have now been broken and several more are under intense scrutiny after claims of falsifying his attempts, although thus far nothing has been proven. Matt still claims on his website to have world records for handcuff escapes although they were broken several months ago http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/arts_and_media/stunts_and_special_effects/fastest_handcuff_escape.aspx

Lecturing

Since his transition from a grifter to a performer he's also gone on to be an anti-fraud expert. The stories from his early years along with tips on how to protect yourself, information about fraudulent activities, and demonstrations of many of these feats were put together for his keynote speaking engagements. The lecture has been featured at theaters, colleges and corporate events.[1][2][7][8]

Consulting

In 2003 he went on to found a successful consulting firm that specializes in fraud and the prevention of cheating within the gaming industry. It supplies knowledge to corporations, casino personnel, as well as security & police forces. He also works with the film industry, the literary industry, theaters and the television industry 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]

Spiritualism and séances

Sometime between 2001 to 2004 he began to occasionally perform a very different style show than what he'd become known for. It's a séance based performance entitled "Epitaph". It debuted somewhere in Rhode Island and it's toured in several major cities including Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC and New Orleans. [1][6][22]

But in spite of his claims that it was only intended for entertainment and that the theatrical community and critics gave very strong reviews it has come under fire by some right-wing religious groups in the US. This hasn't seemed to stop him from touring with it. But he only seems to do so on occasion and remains being known mostly for his work in con-games and magic. [1][22]

Media credits

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, Adult Swim on The Cartoon Network, Guinness World Records, Sirius Satellite Radio [1], CCTV (China), Rai Tre[10] (Italy) and The BBC (United Kingdom).

He was also a question on the American game show Jeopardy!. [23]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "American Voices". American Voices. October 12, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e Amorosi, A.D. (January 18 – 25, 2007). "Just Do It". Philadelphia Citypaper. p. 63. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Schwartz, Dan (August 2007). "From Grifter To Guinness". Providence Monthly. p. 14.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. ^ a b c DeLuca, Sharon (September 2007). "It's Magic!". QUAD angles. p. 35.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  5. ^ a b c d Bozigian, Terri (June, 2007). "Prestidigitation Plus". Your Smithfield Magazine. pp. 4–6, 68. {{cite magazine}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ^ a b Gabrie, Ptah (October 25 – November 1, 2007). "Haunted Fun for Everyone". Philadelphia Citypaper. p. 66.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ a b Martin, Dick (September 9, 2004). "Not A Hard Act To Swallow". The Observer. pp. 1B, 3B, 20B.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Perry, Rachel (January 17, 2007). "Matt The Knife: Fire-Teething Never Looked So Good". Play (Philadelphia Edition). pp. 10–12.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ^ a b c d e f Jones, J.W. (October 25, 2006). "Guinness Book record holder comes to J&W". The Wildcat Chronicle. p. 4.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. ^ a b c d e "Circo Massimo". Circo Massimo. Season 8. September 2007. {{cite episode}}: Check |serieslink= value (help); External link in |serieslink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b c d e "Daily Planet". Daily Planet. July 18, 2007. {{cite episode}}: Check |serieslink= value (help); External link in |serieslink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Stout, Alan K. (August 30, 2006). "'Sideshow Gathering' celebrates tradition". Weekender. p. 43.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  13. ^ Martin, Leslie (August 31, 2005). "Talking tattoos". The Weekender. p. 44.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  14. ^ a b c O’Brien, Tim (October 2005). "Oohs, ouches and the odd". Amusement Business. p. 8.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ >Bishop, Bruce (April 27, 2007). "Bound But Determined". The Chronicle-Telegram). p. 1.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  16. ^ Guinness World Records. United Kingdom: Guinness. 2005. p. 177. ISBN 1-904994-02-04. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
  17. ^ Guinness World Records. United Kingdom: Guinness. 2006. p. 177. ISBN 978-1904994022.
  18. ^ Guinness World Records. United Kingdom: Guinness. 2008. pp. 102 and 175. ISBN 978-1904994374.
  19. ^ a b Scheck, Frank (June 27, 2005). "Knife flinger". New York Post. p. 38.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  20. ^ Ryan-Herndon, Lisa L. (2007). Guinness World Records To The Extreme. United States: Scholastic Reference. p. 33. ISBN 978-0439865623. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Brown, Seth (2007). Rhode Island Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Globe Pequot. pp. 279–281. ISBN 978-0762743384. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  22. ^ a b Robinson, Dorothy; Boutin, HaLeigh (October 26 – 28, 2007). "Tricks or treats". Metro. p. 17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  23. ^ "Jeopardy!". Jeopardy. Season 25. Episode 5592. 23 December 2008. {{cite episode}}: Check |serieslink= value (help); External link in |serieslink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
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