Mat Fraser
Encyclopedia
Mat Fraser is an English
rock music
ian, actor
and performance art
ist. Between 1980 and 1995 he was a drummer
with several rock bands including Fear of Sex, The Reasonable Strollers, Joyride, The Grateful Dub, and Living in Texas, the latter of which had a number one single in Italy
.
of both arms, due to his mother being prescribed thalidomide
during her pregnancy. As a live artist he was a member of the performance art group The DHSS in the early 1990s. He was included in Manuel Vason's book "Exposures" and has performed at numerous internationally renowned venues. He received considerable critical acclaim for his one-man show "Seal Boy". In 1999 he worked with the Hydra Collective on an event known as "Wrong Bodies" at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
. As an actor he has performed with the "Graeae Theatre Company
", Europe's leading disabled theatre company. He is the creator and main performer in a new play called Thalidomide!! A Musical
. He also co-hosts the BBC
's Ouch! Podcast.
Fraser has appeared on television both as a presenter
and as an actor, in a number of productions including Metrosexuality
and Every Time You Look at Me. He is also a martial artist
having studied hapkido
, taekwondo
, Karate
.
Fraser coined the use of term 'blacking up
' to describe when an able-bodied actor plays the part of a disabled person rather than the part going to a disabled actor. The term was originally used to describe the controversial practice where non-black actors take on the characters of black people. Fraser illustrates his point in his song 'Blacking Up', which can be heard at his website.
His new film Kung Fu Flid was released in 2009, starring Faye Tozer
formerly of pop group Steps, Frank Harper
and Terry Stone
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
ian, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
ist. Between 1980 and 1995 he was a drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
with several rock bands including Fear of Sex, The Reasonable Strollers, Joyride, The Grateful Dub, and Living in Texas, the latter of which had a number one single in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Life
Fraser was born with phocomeliaPhocomelia
Phocomelia is an extremely rare congenital disorder involving the limbs . Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire coined the term in 1836....
of both arms, due to his mother being prescribed thalidomide
Thalidomide
Thalidomide was introduced as a sedative drug in the late 1950s that was typically used to cure morning sickness. In 1961, it was withdrawn due to teratogenicity and neuropathy. There is now a growing clinical interest in thalidomide, and it is introduced as an immunomodulatory agent used...
during her pregnancy. As a live artist he was a member of the performance art group The DHSS in the early 1990s. He was included in Manuel Vason's book "Exposures" and has performed at numerous internationally renowned venues. He received considerable critical acclaim for his one-man show "Seal Boy". In 1999 he worked with the Hydra Collective on an event known as "Wrong Bodies" at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
. As an actor he has performed with the "Graeae Theatre Company
Graeae Theatre Company
Graeae Theatre Company is a British organisation composed of artists and managers with physical and sensory disabilities. It was founded in 1980 by Nabil Shaban and Richard Tomlinson and named after the Graeae of Greek mythology...
", Europe's leading disabled theatre company. He is the creator and main performer in a new play called Thalidomide!! A Musical
Thalidomide!! A Musical
Thalidomide!! A Musical is a British musical written and composed by Mat Fraser, who was born with phocomelia as a result of the drug thalidomide being taken during his mother's pregnancy...
. He also co-hosts the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Ouch! Podcast.
Fraser has appeared on television both as a presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
and as an actor, in a number of productions including Metrosexuality
Metrosexuality
Metrosexuality is a British television drama, which aired on Channel 4 in 2001 as a short-run series of six episodes. It was later re-edited into a single feature for DVD release...
and Every Time You Look at Me. He is also a martial artist
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
having studied hapkido
Hapkido
Hapkido is a dynamic and also eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks...
, taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
.
Fraser coined the use of term 'blacking up
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
' to describe when an able-bodied actor plays the part of a disabled person rather than the part going to a disabled actor. The term was originally used to describe the controversial practice where non-black actors take on the characters of black people. Fraser illustrates his point in his song 'Blacking Up', which can be heard at his website.
His new film Kung Fu Flid was released in 2009, starring Faye Tozer
Faye Tozer
Faye Louise Tozer is an English singer, songwriter and actress; famous for being a member of pop group Steps.-Music:Steps were a pop group that achieved a series of charted singles between 1997 and 2001...
formerly of pop group Steps, Frank Harper
Frank Harper
Frank Harper is a British actor and film producer. He is best known for his "Hard Man" roles, such as Billy Bright in The Football Factory , Dog in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels .-Career:...
and Terry Stone
Terry Stone
Terry Stone , also known as Terry Turbo, is a British actor and film producer. Before a career in film, Stone was a rave promoter, and is co-founder of Garage Nation and Rave Nation with Jason Kaye. He is most notable for his role as Tony Tucker, in the 2007 film Rise of the Footsoldier...
.
Film and TV
- The FadesThe FadesThe Fades are a British indie rock band from London comprising Dave Lightfoot on guitar and vocals, James Lightfoot on bass, Jonathan "Jonny" Barnard on guitar and Alastair "Flash" Thorpe on drums.-History:...
- (TV Series) Shopkeeper (2011) - Fair CityFair CityFair City is an award-winning Irish television soap opera on RTÉ One. Produced by Radio Telefís Éireann, it was first broadcast on Monday, September 18, 1989...
(Irish TV Series) - David Osborne (2011) - Cast OffsCast OffsCast Offs is a BAFTA nominated dramedy mockumentary that follows a group of six disabled people sent to a remote British Island for a fictional reality show.The series is made up of six episodes, with each episode concentrating on one of the six characters...
(TV series) - Will (2009) - Holby CityHolby CityHolby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
(TV Series) - Gary Davids (2009) - MetrosexualityMetrosexualityMetrosexuality is a British television drama, which aired on Channel 4 in 2001 as a short-run series of six episodes. It was later re-edited into a single feature for DVD release...
(TV Series) - Marlon - Chemical Wedding (film)Chemical Wedding (film)Chemical Wedding is a British supernatural horror/science fiction film produced by Bill&Ben Productions in conjunction with the London-based Focus Films. It is directed by Julian Doyle, who edited Terry Gilliam's Brazil and Time Bandits, Life of Brian and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life...
- Anton Le Fay (2008) - Kung Fu Flid (film) - Jimmy (2009)
- Freak Out (TV series) - Host
- Happy Birthday Thalidomide (TV series) - Presenter
- Unarmed and Dangerous (TV series) - Documentary showing Mat as a disabled cage fighter.
- Every Time You Look At Me (TV series) - Chris
- The Culture ShowThe Culture ShowThe Culture Show is a weekly BBC Two Arts magazine programme. It is broadcast in the UK on Thursday nights at 7pm, focusing on the best of the week's arts and culture news, covering books, art, film, architecture, music, visual fashion and the performing arts...
(TV series) - Contributor - Helen of Troy (film) - Calchas
- Sunday Morning LiveSunday Morning LiveSunday Morning Live may refer to:*Sunday Morning Live , a religious discussion programme on BBC One in the United Kingdom*CNN Sunday Morning, a programme on CNN sometimes referred to as Sunday Morning Live-See also:...
(TV series) - Contributor - TV DinnersTV Dinners"TV Dinners" is a song by Texas rock band ZZ Top, taken from their eighth studio album, 1983's diamond Eliminator.It is a simple, beat-driven tune with humorous lyrics about pre-packaged, microwavable meals...
(TV Series) - Contributor (1998) - Right To ReplyRight to ReplyRight to Reply was a British television series shown on Channel 4 from 1982 until 2001, which allowed viewers to voice their complaints or concerns about TV programmes...
(TV Series) - (Viewer Contributor)