Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century. In recent years because of the ban on smoking in pubs in most European Union countries, the practice of snuff taking has increased somewhat.

It is generally insufflated (inhaled) or "snuffed" through the nose either directly from the fingers or by using specially made "snuffing" devices.

In the English speaking world it traditionally refers to dry, fine, nasal snuff; however in Scandinavia it more often refers to snus which is moist and somewhat coarse. Scandinavian snus is applied to the gums in the mouth. In the United States and Canada, "snuff" can also refer to dipping tobacco, which is applied to the gums behind the bottom lip rather than insufflated.

History

Snuff taking by the native peoples of modern-day Haiti was observed by a spanish monk named Ramon Pane on Columbus' second journey to the Americas during 1493-1496.

In 1561 Jean Nicot, the French ambassador in Lisbon, Portugal, sent snuff to Catherine de' Medici to treat her son's persistent migraines. Her belief in its curative properties helped to popularise snuff among the elite.

By the 17th century some prominent objectors to snuff taking arose. Pope Urban VIII threatened to excommunicate snuff takers. In Russia in 1643, Tsar Michael instituted the punishment of removing of the nose of those who used snuff. Despite this, use persisted elsewhere; King Louis XIII of France was a devout snufftaker, and by 1638, snuff use had been reported to be spreading in China.

By the 18th century, snuff had become the tobacco product of choice among the elite, prominent users including Napoleon, King George III's wife Queen Charlotte, and Pope Benedict XIII. The taking of snuff helped to distinguish the elite members of society from the common populace, which generally smoked its tobacco. Snuff's image as an aristocratic luxury attracted the first U.S. federal tax on tobacco, created in 1794.

In 18th-century Britain, the ''Gentlewoman's Magazine'' advised readers with ailing sight to use the correct type of Portuguese snuff, "whereby many eminent people had cured themselves so that they could read without spectacles after having used them for many years."

In certain areas of Africa, snuff reached native Africans before white Europeans did. A fictional representation of this is in Chinua Achebe's novel ''Things Fall Apart'', where the Igbo villagers are regular snuff-takers long before they ever encounter the first British missionaries. In some African countries, such as South Africa and Nigeria, snuff is still popular with the older generation, though its use is slowly declining, with cigarette smoking becoming the dominant form of tobacco use.

Accessories

When snuff taking was fashionable, the manufacture of snuff accessories was a lucrative industry in several cultures. In Europe, snuff boxes ranged from those made in very basic materials, such as horn, to highly ornate designs featuring precious materials made using state of the art techniques. Since prolonged exposure to air causes snuff to dry out and lose its quality, pocket snuff boxes were designed to be airtight containers with strong hinges, generally with enough space for a day's worth of snuff only. Large snuff containers, called ''mulls'' (made from a variety of materials, notably including rams horns decorated with silver), were usually kept on the table.

A floral-scented snuff called "English Rose" is provided for members of the British House of Commons at public expense due to smoking in the House being banned since 1693. A famous silver communal snuff box kept at the entrance of the House was destroyed in an air raid during World War II with a replacement being subsequently presented to the House by Winston Churchill. Very few members are said to take snuff nowadays.

In China, snuff bottles were used, usually available in two forms. Glass bottles are decorated on the inside to protect the design. Another type used layered multi-coloured glass; parts of the layers were removed to create a picture.

Sneezing

When sniffed, snuff often causes a sneeze. The tendency to sneeze varies with the person and the particular snuff. Generally, drier snuffs are more likely to do this. For this reason, sellers of snuff often sell handkerchiefs. Slapstick comedy and cartoons have often made use of snuff's sneeze-inducing properties.

Health risks

Users of smokeless tobacco products including snuff face no known cancer risk to the lungs but more of a risk in the oral region than smokers, and have a greater cancer risk than people who do not use any tobacco products. As the primary harm from smoking comes from the smoke itself, snuff has been proposed as a way of reducing harm from tobacco.

An article from the British Medical Journal examining ''Nicotine intake by snuff users'' concluded thus:

Unlike tobacco smoke, snuff is free of tar and harmful gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. Since it cannot be inhaled into the lungs, there is no risk of lung cancer, bronchitis, and emphysema ... Though we are not aware of any direct evidence, prolonged heavy use of dry snuff might well carry a slight risk of nasopharyngeal cancer ... The position with coronary heart disease is not clear. It is not known whether nicotine or carbon monoxide is the major culprit responsible for cigarette-induced coronary heart disease. If it is carbon monoxide a switch to snuff would reduce the risk substantially, but even if nicotine plays a part our results show that the intake from snuff is no greater than from smoking.In conclusion, the rapid absorption of nicotine from snuff confirms its potential as an acceptable substitute for smoking. Switching from cigarettes to snuff would substantially reduce the risk of lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema, and possibly coronary heart disease as well, at the cost of a slight increase in the risk of cancer of the nasopharynx (or oral cavity in the case of wet snuff). Another advantage of snuff is that it does not contaminate the atmosphere for non-users.

Legal issues

Snuff is readily available over the counter in most European tobacco shops. In Britain, tobacco duty is not charged on snuff, although it is subject to the same limitations as other tobacco products for duty free purposes.

The production and sale of nasal snuff was illegal in Poland between 1996 and 2000.

Oral snuff in the form of dipping tobacco and snus is banned from all countries of the European Union except Sweden, whose agreement of admittance to the EU included an exception from the EU ban on oral tobacco products. The sale of snus is also legal in Norway.

Types

European (dry) snuff

Dry snuff is usually scented or flavoured and is intended to be sniffed through the nose. Typical flavours are floral, mentholated (also called 'medicated'), fruit, and spice, either pure or in blends. Other common flavours include Camphor, Cinnamon, Rose and Spearmint. Modern flavours include Bourbon, Cherry, Cola and Whisky.

Dry snuff comes in a range of texture and moistness, from very fine to coarse, and from toast (very dry) to very moist. Often drier snuffs are ground finer.

Moist

Moist snuff (often called ''dip'') in the US is applied to the gums, rather than sniffed. Called dipping tobacco, it is similar to snus, a Scandinavian tobacco product, and it is possible that this type of snuff originated in Scandinavia. Dipping tobacco comes in many varieties, with flavours including peach, mint, and licorice. It is distinct from chewing tobacco.

In India, creamy snuff is a paste consisting of tobacco, clove oil, glycerin, spearmint, menthol, and camphor sold in a toothpaste tube. It is marketed mainly to women in India and is known by the brand names Ipco, Denobac, Tona, Ganesh.

Notable manufacturers

Swedish Match (Sweden)

Wilsons of Sharrow (United Kingdom)

Swisher (United States)

American Snuff Company (Formerly Conwood) (United States)

Toque Tobacco (United Kingdom)

Samuel Gawith (United Kingdom)

Gawith Hoggarth (United Kingdom)

McChrystals (United Kingdom)

Poschl Tabak (Germany)

Bernard Gebrueder (Germany)

Sternecker (Germany)

Dholakia (India)

Six Photo Snuff (India)

Vartaki (India)

See also

Anatomical snuff box

Gradan

''Jack and His Golden Snuff-Box,'' a fairy tale

Marengo

Snuff Bottles

Snuff boxes

Artisans

* Adolf Frederick of Sweden

* The Blarenberghe brothers

* Rosalba Carriera

* Daniel Macnee

* Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier

* George Michael Moser, 18th century snuff-box maker

* James Sandy, inventor of airtight "Laurencekirk hinge".

References

Further reading

Ursula Bourne, ''Snuff.'' Shire Publications, 1990. ISBN 978-0-7478-0089-7

John D. Hinds, "The Use of Tobacco." 1882. Medicolegal.tripod.com

Hazen Edward, "The panorama of professions and trades" 1836

Introduction to snuff

Category:Tobacco Category:Dosage forms

als:Schnupftabak be-x-old:Табака bar:Schmei cs:Šňupací tabák da:Snuff de:Schnupftabak et:Nuusktubakas es:Rapé eo:Snuftabako fa:انفیه fr:Tabac à priser hr:Burmut is:Neftóbak he:טבק הרחה lv:Šņaucamā tabaka lb:Schnauftubak lt:Uostomasis tabakas li:Sjnoeftoebak nl:Snuiftabak no:Snuff pl:Tabaka pt:Rapé ru:Снафф (табак) simple:Snuff fi:Nenänuuska sv:Luktsnus te:నశ్యము th:ยานัตถุ์ tr:Enfiye zh:鼻烟

name	Corey Taylor
background	solo_singer
birth name	Corey Todd Taylor
born	December 08, 1973
origin	Des Moines, Iowa,
alias	#8, The Great Big Mouth, Faith, The Sickness,
genre	Alternative metal, nu metal, heavy metal, post-grunge, hard rock, alternative rock
occupation	Musician, songwriter, author
years active	1990–present
instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, banjo
voice type	Baritone
label	Roadrunner, Great Big Mouth
associated acts	Slipknot, Stone Sour,
website	Slipknot Official WebsiteStone Sour Official Website }}

Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) sometimes known by the number 8, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Taylor was raised by his single mother. He developed a fond feeling toward classic rock after his grandmother introduced him to it. Taylor first met his father on March 28, 2005, and the two have developed a strong relationship. He currently has a wife, an ex-wife, and two children. By the release of Stone Sour's ''Come What(ever) May'', he was sober. On August 3, 2009 and July 29, 2010 he co-hosted the Kerrang! Awards alongside Scott Ian of Anthrax and The Damned Things.

Corey Taylor is a founding member of Stone Sour, and has released three studio albums with the band. Taylor joined Slipknot in 1997 to replace their original singer Anders Colsefni. He has released four studio albums with the band. Taylor constantly alternates between bands, as seen in 2001, after the release of ''Iowa'', where he reformed Stone Sour immediately after touring. He has worked with several bands, including Junk Beer Kidnap Band, Apocalyptica, Anthrax and Soulfly. Taylor writes and sings in styles that vary by genre. He is well known for his four octave Baritone vocal range. Taylor was ranked number 86 in Hit Parader's ''Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time''.

Personal life

Corey Taylor was born in Des Moines, Iowa on December 8, 1973, the first of three children. He lived in Orlando briefly with his uncle, George Robson though Taylor was mostly raised by his mother in Waterloo, Iowa, a place described by Taylor as a "hole in the ground with buildings around it."

In 1979, Taylor and his mother saw the science fiction series ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century''. Before the series, there was a trailer for the 1978 horror film ''Halloween''. Taylor said this "developed some sense of Slipknot in [himself]." While ''Halloween'' introduced Taylor to masks and horror themes, Taylor's grandmother introduced him to rock music, showing him a collection of Elvis Presley records from the mid-fifties to late seventies. He especially found some songs like "Teddy Bear", "In the Ghetto", and "Suspicious Minds", to appeal to his interests the most, describing them as "good times." Taylor also began listening to Black Sabbath at a young age, beginning with their early work.

Taylor, along with his mother and sister, lived in an "old dilapidated farmhouse," which on days in late autumn would "look like Black Sabbath album covers." By age fifteen, Taylor had developed a drug addiction and had overdosed on cocaine twice. By this time, Taylor was living in Waterloo, Iowa, but later set out on his own and ended up at his grandmother's trailer in Ohio. She took legal custody of him and helped him buy musical equipment. When Taylor was eighteen, he left his grandmother's trailer and went to various places, Des Moines being a place he commonly went back to.

Taylor and his father first met when Taylor was an adult, and now have a strong relationship. On September 17, 2002, Corey's then-fiancée, Scarlett Stone, gave birth to their son Griffin Parker. Taylor also has a daughter named Angie, born on October 29, 1992 from an earlier relationship.

Taylor has also had alcohol abuse problems, which his ex-wife, Scarlett, helped him through as well as keeping him from committing suicide. In 2006, Taylor told MTV that he had attempted to jump off a balcony of the eighth floor of the Hyatt on Sunset Boulevard in 2003, but "somehow [Scarlett] stopped me". Scarlett then told him that either he would have to get sober or she would annul their marriage. Before Stone Sour started recording ''Come What(ever) May'' in January 2006, Taylor was sober. On August 3, 2009, he co-hosted the 2009 Kerrang! Awards alongside Scott Ian of Anthrax. The following year, they both once again co-hosted The Kerrang Awards, where Corey collected the K! Services to Metal award on behalf of Paul Gray who died after an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl, and had also shown signs of "significant heart disease". In early September, 2010, Taylor announced that his book, ''Seven Deadly Sins: Settling The Argument Between Born Bad And Damaged Good'' and was released on July 12, 2011 through Da Capo Press.

Music career

Slipknot

In Des Moines, Iowa, Joey Jordison, Shawn Crahan, and Mick Thomson approached him asking him to join Slipknot. He agreeably went to one of their practices, and ended up singing in front of them. They asked him to join the band because of his melodic vocals. While Taylor was positioned as lead vocalist for the band, their previous vocalist, Anders Colsefni, was moved to backing vocals and percussion. Unhappy with the position, Colsefni later left the band. thumb|left|250px||alt=A man wearing a mask while singing into a microphone.|Taylor performing with Slipknot in 2005 Feeling he could expand more in Slipknot than in Stone Sour, Taylor temporarily quit Stone Sour, even though they were recording an album with Sean McMahon. Taylor's first gig with Slipknot was on August 22, 1997, which according to band members did not go well. During his first gig, Taylor did not perform wearing a mask; however, for his second show nearly a month later, Corey wore a mask that resembles his debut album mask. Taylor's current mask was described by MTV's Chris Harris as looking "as though it were made of dried, human flesh—like Leatherface, if only he used moisturizer." One of the old dreadlocked masks is now in the possession of Dom Howard of British rock band Muse, after the two bands both played MetalFest. He was apparently subjected to Taylor's "sit the fuck down!" routine face-to-face during Slipknot's set and can be seen reliving the experience (wearing the mask) on Muse's Hullabaloo DVD. Despite rumours that Howard had stolen the mask, he in fact received it from a fan afterwards.

Taylor has recorded with Slipknot since the release of their second demo album, a self-titled demo used to promote the band to prospective labels and producers. As permanent vocalist, he recorded with Slipknot at Indigo Ranch in Malibu, California and released ''Slipknot'', the band's debut album that peaked number one on the Top Heatseekers chart, went 2× Platinum in the United States, and was included in the 2006 book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''. Taylor was accused of copyright infringement, regarding the lyrics of the song "Purity". Taylor began recording for their second studio album, ''Iowa'', in 2001 at Sound City and Sound Image in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California. It was released August 28, 2001 and peaked number one on the UK Albums Chart, as well as number three on the ''Billboard'' 200. While writing ''Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)'', Taylor decided to write lyrics that would not warrant an explicit label. It peaked number two on the ''Billboard'' 200. ''All Hope Is Gone'' was the first Slipknot album to peak number one on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Stone Sour

Taylor is a founding member of the American hard rock band Stone Sour. After forming the band with drummer Joel Ekman, Shawn Economaki joined filling in the bass position, leaving the electric guitar position to be filled by Josh Rand. Stone Sour recorded a demo album in 1992, and another in 1994. In 1997, Taylor was approached by the metal band, Slipknot, resulting in him abandoning Stone Sour while they were recording a demo album with Sean McMahon at SR studios. Taylor did not return until five years later to record their debut album, ''Stone Sour'' in 2002. Both Taylor and guitarist Josh Rand contacted Jim Root, Slipknot's guitarist, and Shawn Economaki, Stone Sour's original bassist, to begin writing songs for their debut album. Drummer Joel Ekman came back on board as well. This "reformation" later resulted in Stone Sour recording at Catamount Studios in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Their self-titled debut album was released August 27, 2002, and it debuted at number 46 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Their second album, ''Come What(ever) May'' debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. It was released August 1, 2006, and charted on several different charts. ''Live in Moscow'' is currently their only album specifically released only for music download. During the recording of the album, drummer Joel Ekman left the band for personal reasons. As a result, drummer Roy Mayorga was recruited, taking his place. The group released their third studio album, ''Audio Secrecy'', on September 7, 2010.

Other work

Taylor has appeared as a guest musician on albums by Soulfly, Apocalyptica and Damageplan. At one point, he was heavily involved in the recording of thrash metal band Anthrax's album, ''Worship Music'', but the sessions remain unreleased. He also contributed to the ''Roadrunner United'' all-star album in 2005, providing vocals for the song "Rich Man". Taylor has also made a brief appearance in Steel Panther's singles "Death to All but Metal", "Eyes of a Panther", and "Asian Hooker". In 2006, Taylor founded the record company Great Big Mouth Records. Taylor has produced two albums: Face Cage's self-titled album and Walls of Jericho's ''Redemption''. Taylor provided guest narration on the track "Repentance" for Dream Theater's 2007 album ''Systematic Chaos''. In an interview with ''Billboard magazine'', Taylor confirmed that on January 13, 2009, he was planning on making a solo album, as well as returning to his side project Stone Sour after Slipknot's All Hope Is Gone World Tour. Taylor has stated that he is currently been writing songs that states "don't fit either of his main bands." He describes them as a cross between Foo Fighters, Johnny Cash, and Social Distortion, saying that there's "a country background that comes built-in with living in Iowa".

On the March 30, 2009, it was confirmed that Taylor and the Junk Beer Kidnap Band would be performing at Rockfest in 2009. The group performed on April 24, 2009 at People's Court in Des Moines, Iowa, marking Taylor's first official solo show. Taylor constantly performs with his band the Dum Fux, who make covers for 1970s punk rock and 1980s hair metal. Taylor also performs with Audacious P, a band that is primarily a Tenacious D covers band. Rapper Tech N9ne confirmed that Taylor was to perform on his album ''K.O.D.'', but was removed because Taylor did not submit his vocals in time. Taylor recently admitted that he tried out for the vacant singer spot in the band Velvet Revolver, but said that it just did not work out. However, according to a recent ''Billboard'' article, it seems likely that he may in fact become the vocalist for Velvet Revolver, though no official confirmation has been made. Duff McKagan added that they can neither "confirm or deny" Taylor's membership in the band but believes that Taylor is the "real deal". Slash has since ruled Corey out as the possible new vocalist explaining that "[it] just wasn't right" although he does love him. He however, has recorded 10 new songs with the band, drummer Matt Sorum stated it's unlikely it will ever be released. Taylor explained to Mark Hoppus on Hoppus on Music that McKagan and him were writing new music for a possible new supergroup.

As a solo artist he recently recorded a new song, "X-M@$", for The Teenage Cancer Trust. The video itself is dedicated to those who hate Christmas. The single was made available to digital retailers on December 12, 2010. It debuted at number thirty-seven in the UK.

In 2011, Taylor collaborated with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker on Barker's solo album Give The Drummer Some on the song "On My Own".

Style and influence

The first two Slipknot albums that Taylor performed vocals on, ''Slipknot'' and ''Iowa'', both contain gratuitous explicit content, and many critics claimed Taylor relied on the profanity, which is why Slipknot's third album, ''Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)'' is profanity free and did not warrant the explicit label. Unlike the previous vocalist for Slipknot, Ander Colsefini, Taylor has a vocal style that was characterized by drummer Joey Jordison as "really good melodic singing". Taylor's vocal style led him to getting placed at number 86 on the Hit Parader’s ''Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time''.

Taylor is currently involved in two major projects which have moods and genres considered to be different. Slipknot is considered to be heavy metal and alternative metal, and express moods such as hostility, anger, and rebellion. Stone Sour is considered to be hard rock, alternative metal, heavy metal, and post-grunge, and express moods such as bleakness, somberness, and anger. Taylor cites Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Dokken, Misfits, Black Flag, Slayer, Def Leppard, Sex Pistols, The Damned, The Cramps, Journey and Bob Dylan as influences.

Discography

Stone Sour

style="background:#dde; width:50px;"	Year	Name	Ref
2002	''Stone Sour (album)>Stone Sour''
2006	''Come What(ever) May''
2007	''Live in Moscow (album)>Live in Moscow''
2010	''Audio Secrecy''

Slipknot

style="background:#dde; width:50px;"	Year	Name	Ref
1998	''Slipknot Demo''
1999	''Slipknot (album)>Slipknot''
2001	''Iowa (album)>Iowa''
2004	''Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)''
2005	''9.0: Live''
2008	''All Hope Is Gone''

Other works

''Soularium'' SmakdabTons (band)Soulfly Slitheryn Slitheryn Black Flag (band)Anthrax (band)DamageplanRoadrunner UnitedKorn FaceCageApocalypticaDream TheaterWalls of Jericho (band)Steel Panther Corey Taylor Travis Barker, Corey Taylor

style="background:#dde; width:50px;"	Year	Artist	Album	Track(s)	Position	Ref
1998	Sister Soleil	|	"Liar"	Singing>Backing vocals
1998	|	''Smakdab (album)''	"Shadowed"	Vocals
2000	Snot ||	''Strait Up''	"Requiem"	Vocals
2000	|	Primitive (album)>Primitive''	"Jumpdafuckup"	Vocals
2001	|	''Slitheryn''	"Lost"	Backing Vocals
2001	|	''Slitheryn''	"Get Up"	Backing Vocals
2002	Black Flag ||	Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three>Rise Above''	"Room 13"	Vocals
2003	Anthrax ||	''With Full Force Festival in Germany''	"Bring the Noise"	Vocals
2004	|	''New Found Power''	"Fuck You"	Vocals
2005	|	''The All-Star Sessions''	"The Rich Man"	Vocals
2006	|	Family Values Tour 2006 CD>Family Values Tour 2006''	"Freak on a Leash (Live)"	Backing vocals
2006	|	''III''	—	Producer
2007	|	''Worlds Collide''	"I'm Not Jesus"	Vocals
2007	|	''Systematic Chaos''	"Repentance"	Spoken word>Spoken word contribution
2008	Walls of Jericho ||	Redemption (EP)>Redemption''	"Ember Drive", "My Last Stand", "Addicted"	Record producer>producer
2009	|	''Feel the Steel''	"Death to All But Metal", "Asian Hooker", "Eyes of a Panther"	Vocals
2010	|	''X-M@$''	X-M@$	Record producer>producer
2010	|	''Give the Drummer Some	"On My Own"	Vocals

Solo singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions	Album
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"
2010	"X-M@$"				Non-album single

Filmography

rowspan="9" ''We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll'' ''Rollerball (2002 film) ''Disasterpieces'' ''Cable TV'' (Episode four, season two) ''Voliminal: Inside the Nine''

style="background:#dde; width:50px;"	Year	Film	Character	Director	Ref
1999	''Welcome to Our Neighborhood''	Self ||	Thomas Mignone
2001	|	Penelope Spheeris
2002	Rollerball'' ||	John McTiernan
2002	|	Matthew Amos
2003	|	Stuart Cable
2005	|	Shawn Crahan
2009	Slipknot (album)>Of the (sic): Your Nightmares, Our Dreams''

Book

On July 12, 2011 Corey released his first book titled Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good. In the book Taylor explains his view on each of the seven deadly sins and shares experiences he has had with them.

Equipment

style="background:#dde; width:175px;"	Instrument	Years used	Ref
Audio-Technica AEW-T6100#Wireless Handheld Microphone	2000–present
Shure#Wireless microphones	Shure Wireless system		2004–2005
Ibanez	Ibanez Voice Chorus		1999–2000
Gibson Guitars	2009–present
Ibanez Custom Artcore Talman Semi-Hollow Body	2003–2005

References

;Literature ;Cited

External links

Corey Taylor Official Website

Corey Taylor Fansite

Slipknot website

Stone Sour website

Corey Taylor interview

Metal Underground: interview

NY rock: article

IGN: article

Duff McKagan on Corey Taylor in Seattle Weekly

Category:1973 births Category:American baritones Category:American heavy metal singers Category:American male singers Category:American rock singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from Iowa Category:Living people Category:People from Des Moines, Iowa Category:People from Waterloo, Iowa Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:Roadrunner Records artists Category:Slipknot members Category:Stone Sour members

bg:Кори Тейлър cs:Corey Taylor da:Corey Taylor de:Corey Taylor et:Corey Taylor es:Corey Taylor fa:کوری تیلور fr:Corey Taylor id:Corey Taylor it:Corey Taylor he:קורי טיילור lb:Corey Taylor lt:Corey Taylor hu:Corey Taylor nl:Corey Taylor ja:コリィ・テイラー no:Corey Taylor pl:Corey Taylor pt:Corey Todd Taylor ro:Corey Taylor ru:Тейлор, Кори simple:Corey Taylor sk:Corey Taylor fi:Corey Taylor sv:Corey Taylor tr:Corey Taylor uk:Корі Тейлор

name	Matt Berry
birth date	May 02, 1974
birth place	Bromham, Bedfordshire, England
occupation	Actor, writer, comedian and musician
website	}}

Matthew Charles "Matt" Berry (born 2 May 1974) is an English actor, writer, comedian and musician. Berry is perhaps best known for his appearances in ''The IT Crowd'', ''Garth Marenghi's Darkplace'' and ''The Mighty Boosh''; he also had his own series ''Snuff Box''. He is renowned for his deep, rich voice, which is often enhanced for voiceover work and comic effect on screen, though reverting to his regular voice during interviews. He has lent his voice to several advertisements, most notably Volvic and The Natural Confectionery Company, as well as Absolute Radio and Australian employment website, Career One.

Life and career

Berry was born in Bromham, Bedfordshire to Pauline (née Acreman) and Charles Berry. Matt has one older sister, Johanna. He attended Nottingham Trent University where he received a BA in Contemporary Arts in 1997. He began his career as a runner before appearing in the videogame magazine show ''Game Over'' on BSkyB's computer & technology channel .tv, between 1998 and 1999. Though commissioned as an editorial show on the subject matter, episodes contained a large number of comedy sketches, with Berry as the main performer. They showcased a wide range of characters, one of which was a sketch about ''The Exorcist'' named 'Fear Pushed Through The Ring.' It was this sketch and others like it that resulted in Berry, Rik Henderson and Richard Pitt (the producers) being fired from the show.

Berry's first prominent TV role was playing actor "Todd Rivers" playing Dr Lucien Sanchez in the cult 2004 comedy series ''Garth Marenghi's Darkplace''. In October/November 2006, Berry joined his Garth Marenghi colleagues in the Garth Marenghi spin-off ''Man to Man with Dean Learner'' for three out of the six episodes in the series.

He later appeared as the eccentric and sinister tycoon/explorer Dixon Bainbridge in ''The Mighty Boosh''. Berry first met ''The Mighty Boosh'' duo while performing at the Hen and Chickens Theatre, where they were resident in 2000. He can be seen in a small cameo performance in the ''The Mighty Boosh Live'' DVD.

Berry wrote and starred in the comedy show ''Snuff Box'' on BBC Three with Rich Fulcher, whom he met during the filming of the first series of ''The Mighty Boosh''. Fulcher co-starred as Bainbridge's lackey, Bob Fossil. The Series 1 DVD of ''Snuff Box'' was released on 16 June 2008.

Berry has starred as Douglas Reynholm since the second series of ''The IT Crowd''. He was nominated as Best Male Comedy Newcomer in the 2007 British Comedy Awards for this role, but lost out to James Corden for ''Gavin and Stacey''.

On 5 November 2007 he starred alongside Simon Farnaby and Boosh regular Rich Fulcher in ''The Golf War'' on E4. Film appearances include the horror film ''The Devil's Chair'', released in 2006 and in the 2009 science fiction film ''Moon'' directed by Duncan Jones.

In 2008 he became the face of Adult Swim's spoof charity appeal "Save the Workers". Berry featured in Season 3, episode 9 of the ''Sarah Silverman Program'', filmed in Los Angeles for Comedy Central. Berry stars in the video (directed by Richard Ayoade) for the 2007 Super Furry Animals song "Runaway," from their album ''Hey Venus''! He also appeared as an "antiques expert" in the ITV sketch show ''Monkey Trousers'' with Vic and Bob and Steve Coogan.

Berry has provided many voiceovers for both radio and television advertising, most notably for Absolute Radio. Currently, he lends his voice to the voice of George the Volcano in Volvic mineral water's April/May 2007 UK adverts, Muller Corner adverts and characters on several adverts for The Natural Confectionery Company.

He has also been in the sketch show ''The Wrong Door'' as a recurring bit part character, who runs into a snooker hall and shouts "Stop playing snooker!" then whispers an implied impossible wager to one of the players, and completes an unfeasible trick shot.

He played the part of Overmeyers, a ruthless corporate executive, in the critically acclaimed 2009 British science fiction thriller ''Moon''. In 2010 Berry played journalist Michael Duffy in the BBC production ''Five Daughters'' relating to the Ipswich prostitute murders of 2006.

He also provides the voiceover for the instructions in the DSA Driving Theory Test in the UK and starred in a short film called ''The Search'', about "a lonely man's search for the existence of life outside our universe takes a remarkable turn when he connects with a recently bereaved family".

In 2011, he played the voice of Allen in ''Aqua Unit Patrol Squad'''s "Allen Part 2".

He appeared as a contestant in the British comedy panel game Shooting Stars, claiming to be Vangelis.

Matt Berry appears in the film adaptation of the '' David Nicholls'' novel ''One Day''. He plays the role of Aaron, Dexter's agent.

Music

As a musician, he composed all the music for ''Snuff Box'' as well the music for ''AD/BC: A Rock Opera'', which he co-wrote with Richard Ayoade. ''AD/BC'' was a half-hour parody of overblown musicals in general and ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' in particular, telling the story of the innkeeper who allowed Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus to sleep in his manger. ''AD/BC'' was broadcast in December 2004 and featured Fulcher and ''The Mighty Boosh'' stars Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. The DVD was released in the UK on 19 November 2007. He also performed a song for an episode of ''Garth Marenghi's Darkplace'' entitled ''One Track Lover'', a spoof of cheesy romantic 80s songs.

Berry also composed music for the BBC 2 Steve Coogan comedy ''Saxondale'' and appeared in the first and third episodes of the second series of the show. He composed the theme song for the Channel 4 sketch show ''Blunder''. He is also credited on ''The Peter Serafinowicz Show''.

He has released three albums: ''Jackpot'' in 1995, ''Opium'' which was a limited edition self-released record in 2008 and ''Witchazel'' in March 2009 as a download, later released on CD and vinyl by Acid Jazz Records in March 2011. He toured with Jonas 3 several times in 2006 and 2007. He stated in the first issue of ''Bearded Magazine'' that he was producing and collaborating on new material with 1960s soul singer Geno Washington and was to record a new album. This album turned out to be 'Witchazel', which Berry released online for a limited time free download on 11 March 2009 only. The album has now been officially released and is available to buy on CD and as a paid-for digital download.

His touring band is composed of members of Brighton-based experimental rock group 'Jonas 3'. They are George Baldwin (bass), his brother Charlie (drums) and Andy Vickery (guitar). Fulcher has joined Berry on stage for several appearances. Geno Washington has also joined Berry onstage at London gigs for encores of the ''Snuff Box'' theme.

In October 2007, he provided a brand new track "Cream Pie" to ''Bearded Magazine'' for readers to download for free, followed by a cover of Blur's ''Sing'' in November 2007. 'Cream Pie' is still available to supporters of Beardaid.

Berry voiced his appreciation of the television themes of Ronnie Hazlehurst in an episode of ''Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe'', and his Band played out the ''Screenwipe'' Christmas special with a rendition of Hazlehurst's theme tune for 1980s British sitcom ''Sorry!''.

In 2010 Berry played a South African record executive in the internet music biz satire series Svengali written by Dean Cavanagh. Cavanagh gave an interview in The Guardian later saying that Berry was one of the greatest British comedy actors of all time.

Berry presents a show on Absolute Radio where he also performs various voice overs and is described as "the voice of Absolute Radio". His podcasts can be downloaded from the Absolute radio website or from iTunes. The Matt Berry Podcast regularly features in the Top Ten of the iTunes podcast chart and its producer Vince Lynch has been nominated for Best Online Producer at the Radio Academy Production award.

References

External links

BBC Biography

Matt Berry Fanzone

Interview with Matt Berry on Liberation Frequency (now with updated audio interview 2011)

Category:1974 births Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:Garth Marenghi's Darkplace Category:Soap opera producers Category:English television writers Category:Living people Category:English television producers Category:English soap opera writers Category:People from Bedford (district)

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