Matt Lydon

Philadelphia, PA

I have a tattoo of William Shakespeare on my back. After years of working jobs that got me nowhere, I went back to school to become an English teacher, something I had considered at the end of high school but never followed through on. During my time back in the classroom as an education and English double major, I began reading Shakespeare again, and falling in love with the brilliance of that work.
On top of teaching, I do improvisational theater, and 2 years ago, our main group ComedySportz Philadelphia formed an offshoot group now called The Incomplete Works of Shakespeare, where we take a suggestion from the audience, and improvise an hour-long play in the style of the Bard. The time was right and I was itching for another tattoo, so back in February 2011 at the Philadelphia Tattoo convention, I got inked by area artist John Pohl.
Out of the 9 I have, Shakespeare is my favorite, and I love showing it, especially to people who don't believe me when I say I have a William Shakespeare tattoo. I can always tell the non-literary types who look at it and say, "Hey, that's awesome. Edgar Allen Poe?"
Close, but no cigar, thou hundred pound, worsted stocking knave.