On Jan 31st, exactly two weeks ago, a reporter from World Journal Chinese Newspaper called me up interview me about my occupation. The editor Lily wanted to know how I got into this occupation. She ended up doing a half page spread on my variety entertainment and magic career. I you want to read the entire article in full click on the link above.
Below are a few images from online and the newspaper itself. Below is the English translation of the article.
What do you consider to be your most impressive trick? Pick-pocketing, Bian Lian & Bullet Catch
Pick pocketing because people are smart and I have to pull it off all the time. I've pick-pocketed lawyers, doctors and even police officers!
Bian Lian I had to travel to Asia, twice to learn this secret.
The bullet catch because there is real danger performing it. 12 people have died performing it.
Which trick do you consider to be the most difficult to perform? Juggling because if you don't practice it every day you will loose what you already can do! Learning two diabolos / chinese yo-yos took many months. Now I'm learning three and it is very time consuming.
How many different magic tricks can you perform? That's a difficult question to answer as I take things in and out of the show regularly. I don't count the number of tricks. I try to polish each one to perfection.
How did you get started in this business? I started by twisting balloons and doing small magic tricks. Now my wife does the balloons and I stick to what I do best the magic.
Houdini was considered the King of Magic. Do you try to model yourself after any great magicians, such as Houdini? I enjoy many magicians too many to number. You can learn from everybody. Most of the people I admire are not well known.
How competitive is it amongst practicing magicians in the business? It is very competitive that's why you don't see many full time magicians like myself. Most people do it part time only and have a day / desk job. I've been doing this over 10 years!
How do you judge the quality of a magician, and what determines success? There are many ways to judge a magicians success. When watching another act my specific criteria is routining, surprise, originality, charisma, comedic element and over all appeal. I judge my success in the fact I have met many people doing what I love and can raise my family. I've travelled all around the world because of our performance. We've performed in Japan 4 times, Baltimore 3 times, Las Vegas, and many other places. My audience really shows appreciation after every show. I have people hire me every year, year after year. That tells me I'm doing it right. I give my clients what they want. If you can perform for a larger crowd more people will know you and possibly book you for entertainment. For example my latest trick I've added to the show is not magic. It's a stunt. Something most audience have never seen before. I stuff myself inside a 6 ft balloon. It's very visually appealing and people can see it on the largest of stages.
How many Chinese magicians do you know in the US? As far I know there are less than a dozen full time Chinese performers.
When you perform the act of catching a bullet, how real is the danger to yourself, and how long have you been practicing this act? I've performed it live five times. The danger is real but we mitigate the danger by precautions. As recently as 2007 a person died performing it, a total of 12 people have died performing it in the history of the trick. Even Houdini himself refused to perform it although he contemplated it.
Compared to many Chinese Americans, your chosen career path is highly unique. How do your parents view you as a magician, and do they support your decision? At first they were very hesitant but they saw that I could make a living at it. My mom tells all her friend and even people she just met that I'm a magician. She now record every television show I'm on and clips out every newspaper and magazine I'm in.
When you perform to high school students and children, do you try to convey a message beyond entertainment? I create custom messages for trade-show and corporate entertainment. For schools and libraries I add an inspirational message to the performance to let people know nothing is impossible.
Where do you see yourself in five to ten years? Perhaps with my own magic theater show or on television more often. I hope to teach my son James and daughter Grace some of my talents
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