"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 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 life[link]

From the ages of approximately 14 through 21, he worked as a con artist, operated a card-cheating ring, a shoplifting ring and a pick-pocketing ring who 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]

Transition into the magical arts[link]

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 15 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’s 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 shows.^{[1][2][3][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]}

Guinness World Records[link]

As of 2010^[update] he's 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 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]}

Lecturing[link]

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[link]

In 2003 he founded a consulting firm that specializes in the prevention of fraud and cheating within the gaming industry and their personnel, 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]}

Spiritualism and séances[link]

Some time between 2001 to 2004 he began to occasionally perform a very different style show than what he'd become known for. It is a séance based performance entitled "Epitaph". It debuted in Rhode Island and it has 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 it has come under fire by some right-wing religious groups in the US.^[1][22]

Media credits[link]

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).

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

References[link]

• Living Sword Swallowers
• MTK on dating advice from an impalement artist's perspective
• Sword Swallower’s Association press release on record attempt
• Sideshow World Interview
• Review of MTK’s past show “Art On The Side: A Midway Menagerie”
• “Alternative Book of Records” online notation
• Detroit show review

External links[link]

• The Official Matt the Knife Website
• The Official Matt the Knife Facebook Page
• The Official Matt the Knife MySpace Page
• The Official Matt the Knife YouTube Page

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)

The Knife
Olof Dreijer of The Knife performing at Sónar 2006 in Barcelona, Spain
Background information
Origin	Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden
Genres	electronica, Electropop, synthpop,[1] experimental, dark ambient, minimal techno, trip hop, trance
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Rabid, Brille, Mute, V2
Website	theknife.net
Members
Karin Dreijer Andersson Olof Dreijer

The Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999.^[2] The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by José González, appeared in a commercial by Sony. Subsequent songs have appeared on a number of television shows. Their first tour took place in 2006, as well as the release of their critically acclaimed album Silent Shout. They have won a number of Swedish Grammis, but refuse to attend awards ceremonies. They have appeared in public wearing Venetian masks. Andersson released a solo album under the name Fever Ray in 2009, while her brother released several EPs as Oni Ayhun in late 2009 and early 2010.

History[link]

Formed in 1999, the group first gained international recognition when José González covered their song "Heartbeats" on his 2003 album, Veneer. The cover was used by Sony in a commercial for BRAVIA television sets, and released as a single in 2006. The group commented on this in a Dagens Nyheter article, claiming that Sony paid a large sum of money to use the song. Despite the group's anti-commercial views, they justified the transaction by citing their need for money to establish a record company.

Having never before performed live, The Knife went on tour in 2006, and after selling out shows worldwide, a DVD of the tour was announced. The DVD was released in Sweden on 8 November 2006, and is titled Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience.

On 4 August 2009, the band announced that, in collaboration with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock, they would be writing an opera for the Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma. The opera, titled Tomorrow, In a Year, is based on Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. In January 2010, the band announced that they would release a studio version on 1 March.^[3]

In a post on the official Fever Ray website in September 2010, Karin stated that she and Olof "have started playing together again", hinting that new material may be on the way.^[4] On 18 April 2011, as part of a post on their website concerning discrimination against Romani people in Europe, The Knife announced that they were recording a new album to be released in 2012.^[5] The Knife has been casting people for their next video which was shot in late april.

Relationship with the media[link]

The Knife rarely cooperate with the media or the mainstream music scene. Until 2006, they did not perform live concerts. The group rarely makes public appearances; most of their promotional photos feature the members wearing masks with birds' beaks, similar to the traditional Venetian Medico Della Peste (plague doctor) masks worn during Carnival.

The Knife won a Grammis award as best pop group of the year 2003, but they boycotted the ceremony by sending two representatives of the Guerrilla Girls, with the number 50 written on their costumes, as a protest against male dominance in the music industry.^[6] Their album Deep Cuts was also nominated for a Grammis as the best record of the year 2003, although that award went to The Cardigans. At the Grammis awards in January 2007, The Knife won in all six categories that they were nominated in: Composer of the Year, Music DVD of the Year, Producer of the Year, Pop Group of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. Again, they did not attend the award ceremony. On another occasion, they did not come to collect the award but sent a manipulated video that muffled their voices and made them look very elderly.

Silent Shout was named the best album of 2006 by Pitchfork Media.^[7] The song "We Share Our Mothers' Health" from the album was made available for free as the iTunes Store's Single of the Week in late 2006. This song was also featured in the ABC series Ugly Betty, as well as an episode of CSI: NY. In August 2007, "Heartbeats" was featured in an episode of the HBO series Entourage.^[8]

Their song "Pass This On" was used in the 2010 drama film Les amours imaginaires by Quebec director Xavier Dolan.^[9] The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Influences[link]

In a 2006 interview with Pitchfork Media, The Knife cited David Lynch, Aki Kaurismäki, Korean cinema, Trailer Park Boys, Donnie Darko and Doom as inspirations for their work.^[10] In addition, Karin named Sonic Youth, Kate Bush, Le Tigre and Siouxsie and the Banshees, while Olof cited techno, grime and Southern hip hop.^[6]

Members' solo projects[link]

In 2008, Karin announced that she would release a solo album under the name Fever Ray in March 2009. The eponymous album was digitally released (on iTunes and via other outlets) in advance of this date.

Olof performs as both DJ Coolof and Oni Ayhun.

Discography[link]

• The Knife (2001)
• Deep Cuts (2003)
• Hannah med H Soundtrack (2003)
• Silent Shout (2006)
• TBA (2012)^[5]

With Mt. Sims and Planningtorock[link]

• Tomorrow, In a Year (2010)

Awards[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2010)

See also[link]

• Honey Is Cool

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• The Knife at Allmusic
• "The Knife Carve Their Own Niche". Exclaim!. August 2006. http://exclaim.ca/Interviews/FromTheMagazine/knife_carve_their_own_niche. 
• "Interview with OLOF DREIJER, one half of electro duo The Knife, and manager ERIC HäRLE". HitQuarters. 2 February 2004. http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview/opar/intrview_The_Knife_Interview.html. 

Matt Mays
Matt Mays at the 2008 Ottawa Bluesfest
Background information
Born	(1979-08-10) August 10, 1979 (age 32) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Origin	Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada
Genres	Indie rock, folk rock, electronic
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica, tenor saxophone, keyboards
Years active	1990s–present
Labels	Sonic
Associated acts	Matt Mays & El Torpedo, The Guthries, Sam Roberts Band
Website	MattMays.com
Members
Matt Mays Adam Baldwin Jay Smith Dale Murray Serge Sampson Damien Moynihan
Past members
Jarrett Murphy Tim Jim Baker Andy Patil Rob Crowell
Notable instruments
Gibson SG Gretsch White Falcon Fender Telecaster Red 1972 Gretsch Nashville Fender Telecaster Thinline

Matt Mays (born August 10, 1979) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and was the lead singer of Matt Mays & El Torpedo, a rock music group based in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia and New York City. Previously, Mays was a member of a Canadian indie band The Guthries. Mays was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and grew up in Nova Scotia.

Career[link]

Matt Mays[link]

At the 2005 Juno Awards, Mays presented an award, and was himself nominated for New Artist of the Year and Adult Alternative Album of the Year for his self-titled album.

In February 2006, Mays appeared with the Symphony Nova Scotia in their Rising Star series on the Dalhousie University campus.

In April 2006, fellow Canadian rocker Sam Roberts released his new album titled Chemical City. Mays performed on the track "Uprising Down Under".

Matt Mays & El Torpedo[link]

Matt Mays & El Torpedo consisted of Jay Smith (guitar, vocals), Andy Patil (bass, vocals), Tim Baker (drums), and Adam Baldwin (keyboard). Previously, Mays toured with the Atlantic Canadian group The Guthries.

"Cocaine Cowgirl" received saturation airplay on Canadian rock radio in 2005, and its video heavy rotation on MuchMusic. At the 2006 East Coast Music Awards, MM&ET were nominated for entertainer of the year, group of the year, radio rock recording of the year, album of the year, and single of the year (for "Cocaine Cowgirl"), and won all of these but entertainer of the year award. They closed out the national broadcast of the event with "Cocaine Cowgirl". As he introduced the band, host Mike Smith (Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys) said that they were one of his favourite bands. In Maclean's magazine, Ron MacLean of Hockey Night in Canada listed Matt Mays & El Torpedo among the artists whose music he "never leaves home without."

In 2006 Matt Mays and El Torpedo released a music video for their single "Time of Your Life ('til You're Dead)", directed by Drew Lightfoot. The video was filmed in Kensington Market, Toronto. This particular video features the card manipulations of American comedian and magician Erik Tait. This video received notice in the magic world after it was pointed out that the card manipulation with the box is physically impossible. This particular manipulation was achieved by filming Erik's hands then playing the footage backward. The card work is also acclaimed in this video as members of the band perform some of the manipulations.

Matt Mays & El Torpedo performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in December 2006.^[1]

When the Angels Make Contact[link]

Matt Mays' project When the Angels Make Contact, released on November 7, 2006, is a soundtrack to Mays' unfinished film of the same name. Regarding the origin of the idea, Mays stated: "I had this album that was based on the theme of an all-nighter. It started when the sun went down and ended when the sun came up. Then I thought, 'That would make a good movie.'"^[1] The album flows with the themes of the movie, following the character J.J. Carver, a motorcyclist on a quest.^[2] The music video for the title track and the "movie trailer" were both directed by Drew Lightfoot. Although much of the movie was shot in early 2006, production then stalled due to lack of financing.^[1] Sam Roberts has a cameo role as an Australian surfer. The album features Buck 65, Skratch Bastid, and Rose Cousins, among others.

Terminal Romance[link]

The last album, Terminal Romance, was released on July 8, 2008. Singles, "Tall Trees" and "Building a Boat" have received heavy airplay on Canadian radio, including CBC Radio 3.

Throughout July 2008, Matt Mays and El Torpedo toured with Kid Rock in support of their new album.^[3]

On December 12, 2008 Matt Mays & El Torpedo received 5 East Coast Music Association Nominations including Group Recording Of The Year and Songwriter Of The Year.

Disbanding of El Torpedo[link]

Matt Mays & El Torpedo officially disbanded in June 2009 with the departure of Andy Patil and Tim Baker, however Adam Baldwin and Jay Smith have remained with Mays. The band added three new members, including drummer Damien Moynihan and former The Guthries members Serge Samson and Dale Murray. In addition to playing in The Guthries, Murray has played guitar and pedal steel on each previous Matt Mays album.^[4]

Discography[link]

• Matt Mays (2002)
• Matt Mays + El Torpedo (2005)
• When the Angels Make Contact (2006)
• Terminal Romance (2008)
• iTunes Session (2011)

Singles[link]

• "City of Lakes" (2002)
• "Cocaine Cowgirl" (2005)
• "On the Hood" (2005)
• "Time of your Life" (2005)
• "When the Angels Make Contact" feat. Buck 65 (2006)
• "850 Commando" (2006)
• "Wasn't Meant To Be" (2007)
• "Tall Trees" (2008)
• "Building a Boat" (2008)
• "Terminal Romance" (2009)
• "Queen of Portland Street" (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• MattMays.com, Matt Mays official site
• Matt Mays & El Torpedo at New Music Canada (includes sample music)
• Official website for the "…When The Angels Make Contact" project (samples, videos)
• 49music, fansite
• Sonic Records media sheet
• The Mod Club, Toronto 2007.01.20: Matt Mays - When The Angels Make Contact (Live Video),Photos, Review, by CanadaJams.ca

A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (December 2010)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011)

Michael Williams (born December 22, 1962), better known by his stage name Sister Roma, is an American drag queen and art director of gay pornography. He is a twenty-year member of San Francisco's Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.^[2]

She has been nominated to be a community grand marshal at San Francisco's Pride parade.

Career[link]

Roma is the art director at gay pornography studio Hot House Entertainment and co-hosts an online live-format talk show about the adult pornography industry, The Tim and Roma Show with various guests and discussing film projects as well as events in the LGBT community and gay pornographic industry. Roma has worked as a presenter at the GayVN Awards.^[3]

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence's 28th Anniversary Celebration and community fundraiser held in San Francisco's Dolores Park includes the popular "Hunky Jesus competition" shown here emceeded by Sister Dana Van Iquity and Sister Roma - There's No Place Like Rome! photo: Jere

Roma has served as an emcee and celebrity judge for community and charity events like the San Francisco Drag King Contest,^[4] the 2005 benefit Porn Idol;^[5] and at the BDSM/leather event the Folsom Street Fair;^[6]

In 2003 Roma's "merely adequate" drag act was incorporated into Ronnie Larsen's play Sleeping With Straight Men with Mink Stole in San Francisco.^[7][8] In 2006 Roma was nominated for Best Nonsexual Performance Gay Adult Video News (GAYVN) award for her portrayal of Mona Lott, the maid of Wet Palms which is a ten episode gay porn soap opera series.^[9] She also has performed at San Francisco's longest running drag show Trannyshack.^[10]

References[link]

Matt Diskin

Personal information
Full name	Matthew Diskin
Born	(1982-01-27) 27 January 1982 (age 30) Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	97 kg (15 st 4 lb) [1]
Playing information
Position	Hooker
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2001–10	Leeds Rhinos	264	44	0	0	176
2011–	Bradford Bulls	41	8	0	0	32
	Total	305	52	0	0	208
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2004	Great Britain	1	0	0	0	0
	England
As of 27 May 2012
Source: Rugby League Project

Matt Diskin is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Bradford Bulls of Super League. A Great Britain and England international representative hooker, he played ten years with Leeds Rhinos, having won four Super League championships with the club, before moving to the Bulls for the 2011 season.

Diskin is a product of amateur rugby league club Dewsbury Moor ARLFC and growing up he attended St. John Fisher High School in Dewsbury, as did former Leeds star Francis Cummins who is now the Bradford Bulls Assistant Coach. Another former Leeds star and fellow hooker, Ryan Sheridan, also attended the same school and amateur club.

Diskin made his debut first-team appearance for Leeds Rhinos in 2001 against Castleford. His man-of-the-match performance in the 2004 Super League Grand Final saw him selected to represent Great Bitain in the 2004 Tri-nations tournament.^[2]

He played in the 2008 Super League Grand Final victory over St Helens.^[3] He played again and scored a try in the record-breaking third consecutive Grand Final victory over St. Helens in 2009.

2010 saw Diskin celebrate his testimonial year at Leeds having given 10 years of service to the most successful club of recent years. Diskin had been instrumental in all of Leeds' championship winning campaigns.

Bradford Bulls[link]

On 19 October 2010, it was announced that Diskin had agreed a move to Bradford Bulls on a three-year contract, and is expected to push for the starting Hooker position in the Bulls line-up.

2011 - 2011 Season

Diskin appeared in two of the four pre-season game. He played against Dewsbury Rams and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

Matt featured in 23 consecutive games from Round 1 (Leeds Rhinos) to Round 23 (Warrington Wolves). He also appeared in the Challenge Cup game against Wigan Warriors. He scored against Leeds Rhinos, Crusaders RL and Harlequins RL. A shoulder injury kept him out for the rest of the season.

2012 - 2012 Season

Matt and Heath L'Estrange were appointed joint captains for the upcoming season.

Diskin featured in two of the four pre-season games. He played against Dewsbury Rams and Hull FC.

Matt featured in 15 consecutive games from Round 1 (Catalan Dragons) to Round 15 (Leeds Rhinos). He also featured in the Challenge Cup against Doncaster RLFC and Warrington Wolves. Diskin scored tries against Warrington Wolves (1 try), Hull Kingston Rovers (1 try), Doncaster RLFC (2 tries) and Leeds Rhinos (1 try).

References[link]

External links[link]

• Leeds Rhinos profile