‘I deliberately made Mike Tyson scream at me’ says Welwyn Garden City comedian

By Helen Wright, Reporter Friday, February 15, 2013
3:42 PM

HAVING boxing legend Mike Tyson screaming at you is not a position many would chose to be in – but a Welwyn Garden City hypnotist has raised eyebrows by doing exactly that.

Comedian Matthew Hale, who went to Monk’s Walk School, travels the world promoting his unusual show, and is set to make his UK debut in his hometown on Saturday.

The show at Gosling Sports Park comes after a successful stint in Las Vegas, where he spontaneously hypnotised boxing legend Tyson.

He said: “While I was in Vegas there was an opportunity to meet Mike Tyson, and when it was my turn I hypnotised him.

“I used a couple of hypnotic techniques on him to make him feel great to the point that after roaring in my face he ended up shouting crazily ‘You are amazing, you’re gonna take over the world’ at the top of his voice.

“He was also joking afterwards ‘that’s some Jedi mind s**t’ – he certainly seemed to enjoy the experience!

“It was quite a sensation to have him screaming at me while he was hypnotised – he was really friendly, but quite frightening!”

He said he took up his hobby after hiring a hypnotist for his 21st birthday, and quit his job as a radio presenter to pursue his passion.

Matthew, 42, left the UK for Perth, western Australia, when he was 24.

“It was a bit unusual,” he said. “But really interesting.”

Among the tricks Matthew has learned, he likes to convince volunteers they are driving a car or going into space.

He said: “In the past people would find shows a bit embarrassing for the volunteers taking part, but I want the people taking part to have the most fun.

“I want them to go away and talk about it to others and for those people to want to volunteer next time.

“It’s a fun routine, I hypnotise audience members into thinking they are driving their dream car or taking a trip to space – I always say it is 100 per cent no chicken.”

Despite now being based in Perth, Matthew has family in WGC, and said there were things he missed about his hometown.

“My life at home [in Australia] revolves around surfing and hypnotising people so it is nice to come home and go to the village pub – there are lots of nice things I miss about WGC when I’m away.”

* Get Hypnotised! is on at Collingwood Suite, Gosling Sports Park on Saturday.

Tickets are £10 and available from www.MatthewHale.com.au or call Gosling on 01707 384303.