I recently had the opportunity to see MURRAY SAWCHUK perform live at Monday Night Magic here in NYC. Murray’s command of the stage is unique. From the moment he steps into view he’s got every audience member’s attention focused on him and him alone. Some would say it’s because of his signature look—the shocking blonde hair, thick framed glasses and his height. But it goes way beyond that—Murray has a charisma that instantly engages you. His sense of humor disarms you, while his magic leaves you breathless.
Born in Vancouver, Canada, Murray spent his early childhood in his birthplace as well as Burnaby, British Columbia before he began touring the U.S. and around the world at the tender age of 18!
Murray was very gracious to compliment me on my questions, and the manner in which I asked them, but I have to say, it’s Murray’s answers that make this interview a true learning experience and a joy to read!
Born in Vancouver, Canada, Murray spent his early childhood in his birthplace as well as Burnaby, British Columbia before he began touring the U.S. and around the world at the tender age of 18!
Murray was very gracious to compliment me on my questions, and the manner in which I asked them, but I have to say, it’s Murray’s answers that make this interview a true learning experience and a joy to read!
MK: What first drew you into the magical arts?
MS: I loved entertainment as a kid... my parents had me when they were older so I watched a lot of programs they enjoyed watching... Lucille Ball, Dean Martin show (re-runs), Johnny Carson... REAL TALENT! I danced professionally for 11 years as well as played musical instruments for about the same time. Then when I was about 7 years old I got a magic kit for a birthday present and after that the rest is history! I already love performing in front of people now this was just a different element.
MK: Who were your inspirations when you first started, and if they have now changed, who are they, and why have they changed?
MS: My first inspirations as ENTERTAINERS would be Dean Martin, Fred Astaire, Danny Kaye, Johnny Carson... as magicians I would have to say watching David Copperfield vanish the Statue of Liberty... I thought it was just amazing and how he fooled my eyes to NOT TO SEE IT anymore... Have they changed... YES... my inspirations now are Jim Carrey, Conan O'Brien, Oprah... I am still a HUGE fan of the legends from the past... but these are the new ones that I have added to the list! I have added to my LIST because I not ONLY want to be a magician but I want to be an ENTERTAINER and a PERSONALITY. I am making a move to being a personality and host of various shows so people like Conan and Oprah really appeal to me along with the old school people like the late Dean Martin who was such a strong personality.
MK: Did you join any magic clubs when you first started?
MS: Yes, I joined the Vancouver Magic Circle, then became a member of the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians... It was great because it got me involved with old magicians that would show me new ideas and sleights that I could work on at home and it wouldn't cost me much as a young kid.
MK: Did you have a mentor? As we are always constantly learning, do you still have mentors or trusted eyes when trying out new material?
MS: Of course my LIFE mentors are my parents Arlene and John Sawchuk who have been married now for 47 years! When I first started a gentleman named Shawn Farquhar helped me out and I would consider him my first magical mentor... then Marvyn and Carol Roy came a long and I have considered them my mentors... without them I would not have seen the success I have seen in this business. Jack and Mary Kodell have helped me out considerably as well.
When I try out new material I always show EVERYONE... and EVERY AGE and EXPERIENCE... cause that is your audience and by doing that, you understand how well your tricks work for the different types of people from magicians, to kids, laymen and young adults.
MK: Do you remember your first act? What was the lineup of illusions you presented in that act?
MS: Yes my first act... it was all store bought with original routining... I tried to be different when I was younger but I was more worried about doing the tricks correctly than being original... If you can't do the tricks right, it's pretty hard to take it to the next level! My first act consisted of cards, 2 parakeets (and I thought I was different using parakeets instead of DOVES because eveyone was using Doves and I didn't want to be like them... I thought I was the first... HA... then I met Jack Kodell years later... FUNNY)... I did some mulitiplying candles, appearing candles and cans with a top hat and nice table... I was all dressed in a fitted black tuxedo. My dirty blonde hair at the time was nice at trimmed and combed over looking nice and neat... HA.... how things have changed!
MK: It was great to see you perform at Monday Night Magic. To say you have a unique style is an understatement. You’ve created a definitive character, but what I’d like to know is how much of the character and the look of your character is you, and how much is the stage persona, and how did you first go about creating your character?
MS: Wow... where do I start! First off thank you for coming to see me perform at Monday Night Magic - My first time performing in New York City! I have performed in all the states around New York but never IN New York! It makes me feel so great that you can see my unique style along with my look... because creating a Uniqueness isn't just about LOOK... it's about LOOK and equaling your look with your performance so it becomes a marriage! How much of the character and look are me??? Ha... more than I'd like to admit... ha... You know indirectly I am a very shy person... most people would NEVER believe that or understand that... but I HIDE behind my wild blonde hair, thick black framed glasses (and my blue suit - when I used to wear it as my signature)... It was my mask and it's kinda like the superman or spiderman theory... once my hair is done, glasses are on and I am in my outfit I can conquer the world! It's funny, that when I arrive somewhere alot of the time I am very casual... wearing a baseball cap, jeans etc... then I go to my dressing room and change and get ready for my show, and its funny to see the people that have booked you and working with you, when you walk out and their eyes light up and you can see then thinking.... YES... that is the GUY we are paying for!!! Now I match the POSTER!
If you catch me at home... I am in my robe, unshaved face, baseball cap on sideways, with a cup of coffee on my desk before ha... just like right now as I type these answers to the questions! If you could see me now! But if I were to meet you outside... then you'd see the MURRAY you're writing about... I think my real character inside me... is the same on stage... just a little more eccentric when I am on stage along with MY LOOK... I never take myself seriously and really love having a great time onstage and I want to be the performer on stage at the same time the audience member... I think that is why I adapt to an audience so quickly and have them accept me faster than most because some of the things I say in my comedy monologues, are EXACTLY what they are thinking!
How did I go about creating my stage persona... It's has developed over many years... little by little... ummmmm.... Back in the day ... I wanted to look different and NOTHING like your typical magician.... so the Black Suit was out for me... I realized that Electric Blue would look great with my blonde hair... so I went for it and it became my signature look... then I needed a HOOK... so I developed my act with the CD's - another thing that distanced me from a normal magician! Then I went to Japan for 6 months and I had just been developing my CD act and one of my dancers had this gorgeous goldilock blonde hair... she colored every 3 weeks... so one day I said "do you mind if I use the rest of your coloring solution for my hair... I want to make it really blonde..." (it was already dirty blonde... and I was in Japan so if it didn't look that great... I was away from my peers in Canada and the USA) So, the electric blonde look was IN... I loved it and the Japanese thought I was an alien from Canada!!! Ha... At that time I had long hair parted that just hung down the side... very Brad Pitt style at that time... then...the Caesar hair cut came into style, so I changed my hair style to that and just kept going with that.... and what really did it... Is that I saw Rod Stewart on an MTV awards show and realized that his hairstyle is timeless and HIM... I realized that NO ONE in magic had that kind of hairstyle and that is when I COMMITTED and messed up my hair and colored it platinium blonde as a LOOK! With the blonde messy hair, blue suit, and CD's... I had my look and hook!!! Now that I have moved to television I have wanted to keep my look but the Blue Suit is great for live shows but on TV can get a little cheesy looking... and I'd like to dress trendy... I have stopped wearing the Blue Suit... I ONLY wear that when I do my CD ACT - as a package.... and when I do TV or other shows... I style my hair and wear the thick black framed glasses! You always have to be HONEST with yourself and CHANGE... I see so many magicians LOCK in with their LOOK but don't want to budge.... to become more trendy or HIP... and You have to do it!!! Now I see a lot of magicians copying the messed up hair style look... on some of them.... it looks pretty funny! People always ask me... how do you describe yourself NOW??? I tell them... I am the Dennis the Menace of Magic and Comedy!
MK: Was the character you now perform as the first character you chose? If not, what were some of the other characters you tried first?
MS: Great question... My 'character' evolved... Its not something that I chose... it kinda chose me... As I performed I 'listened' to the audience and THEY told me what they wanted to see from me and would except... Audiences are VERY honest and as a perform we should listen to them... I see so many magicians that want to be the SLICK SEXY magician but the way they look and act... the AUDIENCE won't allow them to be that and accept them for that... I think I made a very strong decision at a young age with my BLUE SUIT, HAIR and stuck with it as well as with my CD's and I am a firm believer that to be a 'star' you have to be LOVED or HATED... an example is Howard Stern, Dr. Phil, Rosie O'Donnell... You either LOVE them or HATE THEM! So I have tried to be myself in that category... either you LOVE ME or HATE me... no one wants to be hated but I think you get the idea. Example I get is... Why would he EVER do something like that with his hair... it's so messy and UNCLASSY... then on the other side... I get people that want a picture of me not always for what I have done but because they LOVE my look... and want to capture it... almost like what Andy Warhol had...
MK: To see you perform your CD FX act is a mind-blowing experience. What inspired you to come up with the idea of CD manipulation?
MS: Thank you for the compliment on the act... I was always an entrepreneur when I was young making flyers for raking leaves for people or shoveling snow and I would deliver them along with the papers on my paper route when I was 11 or 12 years of age... I have worked about 21 other jobs before I did magic full time at 18... I was a lifeguard, bus boy, telemarketer, pumped gas, fixed bikes, sold stuff, etc... but one of my jobs was working in the Department Store of the Hudson's Bay Company (similar to a Dillards)... and I worked in the Electronics and Toy section... This is where they sold tapes and CD's which were just coming in... they had maybe 1 row of CD's at 30.00 each... and the rest were cassette tapes! It was a slow Wednesday night on a 4 hour shift and I was playing with one of the returned CD's doing classic jumbo coin moves and vanishes and I showed one of the moves where I vanished the CD in a Tenki palm and he was blown away wondering where it went...And that was the beginning! The rest of my shift at work I wrote down all the classic effects of magic that I could do with CD's... 2 years later I entered it in my first international 'adult' competition and took 2nd place out of 15 acts from around the world... I knew I had something! I had a long ways to go... but I had something!
MK: The choice of music plays such an integral part of your CD act, how did you choose the music, and was it always that lineup of songs/music?
MS: The music is constantly evolving…I was looking for a six minute piece and then I saw Michael Jackson performing Smooth Criminal at Radio City Music Hall and thought it was amazing how he used sound effects to convey the meaning of his act. So that’s when I started to experiment with adding the sound effects. But there are times I will hear a piece of music or sound effect and think…wow…that would be great to drop right in here…so it’s always evolving.
But it’s important to understand this is a very carefully choreographed piece. People often think it’s sound effects I create on my body with a button but its' not... it's all on the CD and I do my act like a dancer does a dance... so if I stop the music continues to play... But everything is timed to an eight count…even where the music “skips” it’s two counts of four!
MS: I loved entertainment as a kid... my parents had me when they were older so I watched a lot of programs they enjoyed watching... Lucille Ball, Dean Martin show (re-runs), Johnny Carson... REAL TALENT! I danced professionally for 11 years as well as played musical instruments for about the same time. Then when I was about 7 years old I got a magic kit for a birthday present and after that the rest is history! I already love performing in front of people now this was just a different element.
MK: Who were your inspirations when you first started, and if they have now changed, who are they, and why have they changed?
MS: My first inspirations as ENTERTAINERS would be Dean Martin, Fred Astaire, Danny Kaye, Johnny Carson... as magicians I would have to say watching David Copperfield vanish the Statue of Liberty... I thought it was just amazing and how he fooled my eyes to NOT TO SEE IT anymore... Have they changed... YES... my inspirations now are Jim Carrey, Conan O'Brien, Oprah... I am still a HUGE fan of the legends from the past... but these are the new ones that I have added to the list! I have added to my LIST because I not ONLY want to be a magician but I want to be an ENTERTAINER and a PERSONALITY. I am making a move to being a personality and host of various shows so people like Conan and Oprah really appeal to me along with the old school people like the late Dean Martin who was such a strong personality.
MK: Did you join any magic clubs when you first started?
MS: Yes, I joined the Vancouver Magic Circle, then became a member of the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians... It was great because it got me involved with old magicians that would show me new ideas and sleights that I could work on at home and it wouldn't cost me much as a young kid.
MK: Did you have a mentor? As we are always constantly learning, do you still have mentors or trusted eyes when trying out new material?
MS: Of course my LIFE mentors are my parents Arlene and John Sawchuk who have been married now for 47 years! When I first started a gentleman named Shawn Farquhar helped me out and I would consider him my first magical mentor... then Marvyn and Carol Roy came a long and I have considered them my mentors... without them I would not have seen the success I have seen in this business. Jack and Mary Kodell have helped me out considerably as well.
When I try out new material I always show EVERYONE... and EVERY AGE and EXPERIENCE... cause that is your audience and by doing that, you understand how well your tricks work for the different types of people from magicians, to kids, laymen and young adults.
MK: Do you remember your first act? What was the lineup of illusions you presented in that act?
MS: Yes my first act... it was all store bought with original routining... I tried to be different when I was younger but I was more worried about doing the tricks correctly than being original... If you can't do the tricks right, it's pretty hard to take it to the next level! My first act consisted of cards, 2 parakeets (and I thought I was different using parakeets instead of DOVES because eveyone was using Doves and I didn't want to be like them... I thought I was the first... HA... then I met Jack Kodell years later... FUNNY)... I did some mulitiplying candles, appearing candles and cans with a top hat and nice table... I was all dressed in a fitted black tuxedo. My dirty blonde hair at the time was nice at trimmed and combed over looking nice and neat... HA.... how things have changed!
MK: It was great to see you perform at Monday Night Magic. To say you have a unique style is an understatement. You’ve created a definitive character, but what I’d like to know is how much of the character and the look of your character is you, and how much is the stage persona, and how did you first go about creating your character?
MS: Wow... where do I start! First off thank you for coming to see me perform at Monday Night Magic - My first time performing in New York City! I have performed in all the states around New York but never IN New York! It makes me feel so great that you can see my unique style along with my look... because creating a Uniqueness isn't just about LOOK... it's about LOOK and equaling your look with your performance so it becomes a marriage! How much of the character and look are me??? Ha... more than I'd like to admit... ha... You know indirectly I am a very shy person... most people would NEVER believe that or understand that... but I HIDE behind my wild blonde hair, thick black framed glasses (and my blue suit - when I used to wear it as my signature)... It was my mask and it's kinda like the superman or spiderman theory... once my hair is done, glasses are on and I am in my outfit I can conquer the world! It's funny, that when I arrive somewhere alot of the time I am very casual... wearing a baseball cap, jeans etc... then I go to my dressing room and change and get ready for my show, and its funny to see the people that have booked you and working with you, when you walk out and their eyes light up and you can see then thinking.... YES... that is the GUY we are paying for!!! Now I match the POSTER!
If you catch me at home... I am in my robe, unshaved face, baseball cap on sideways, with a cup of coffee on my desk before ha... just like right now as I type these answers to the questions! If you could see me now! But if I were to meet you outside... then you'd see the MURRAY you're writing about... I think my real character inside me... is the same on stage... just a little more eccentric when I am on stage along with MY LOOK... I never take myself seriously and really love having a great time onstage and I want to be the performer on stage at the same time the audience member... I think that is why I adapt to an audience so quickly and have them accept me faster than most because some of the things I say in my comedy monologues, are EXACTLY what they are thinking!
How did I go about creating my stage persona... It's has developed over many years... little by little... ummmmm.... Back in the day ... I wanted to look different and NOTHING like your typical magician.... so the Black Suit was out for me... I realized that Electric Blue would look great with my blonde hair... so I went for it and it became my signature look... then I needed a HOOK... so I developed my act with the CD's - another thing that distanced me from a normal magician! Then I went to Japan for 6 months and I had just been developing my CD act and one of my dancers had this gorgeous goldilock blonde hair... she colored every 3 weeks... so one day I said "do you mind if I use the rest of your coloring solution for my hair... I want to make it really blonde..." (it was already dirty blonde... and I was in Japan so if it didn't look that great... I was away from my peers in Canada and the USA) So, the electric blonde look was IN... I loved it and the Japanese thought I was an alien from Canada!!! Ha... At that time I had long hair parted that just hung down the side... very Brad Pitt style at that time... then...the Caesar hair cut came into style, so I changed my hair style to that and just kept going with that.... and what really did it... Is that I saw Rod Stewart on an MTV awards show and realized that his hairstyle is timeless and HIM... I realized that NO ONE in magic had that kind of hairstyle and that is when I COMMITTED and messed up my hair and colored it platinium blonde as a LOOK! With the blonde messy hair, blue suit, and CD's... I had my look and hook!!! Now that I have moved to television I have wanted to keep my look but the Blue Suit is great for live shows but on TV can get a little cheesy looking... and I'd like to dress trendy... I have stopped wearing the Blue Suit... I ONLY wear that when I do my CD ACT - as a package.... and when I do TV or other shows... I style my hair and wear the thick black framed glasses! You always have to be HONEST with yourself and CHANGE... I see so many magicians LOCK in with their LOOK but don't want to budge.... to become more trendy or HIP... and You have to do it!!! Now I see a lot of magicians copying the messed up hair style look... on some of them.... it looks pretty funny! People always ask me... how do you describe yourself NOW??? I tell them... I am the Dennis the Menace of Magic and Comedy!
MK: Was the character you now perform as the first character you chose? If not, what were some of the other characters you tried first?
MS: Great question... My 'character' evolved... Its not something that I chose... it kinda chose me... As I performed I 'listened' to the audience and THEY told me what they wanted to see from me and would except... Audiences are VERY honest and as a perform we should listen to them... I see so many magicians that want to be the SLICK SEXY magician but the way they look and act... the AUDIENCE won't allow them to be that and accept them for that... I think I made a very strong decision at a young age with my BLUE SUIT, HAIR and stuck with it as well as with my CD's and I am a firm believer that to be a 'star' you have to be LOVED or HATED... an example is Howard Stern, Dr. Phil, Rosie O'Donnell... You either LOVE them or HATE THEM! So I have tried to be myself in that category... either you LOVE ME or HATE me... no one wants to be hated but I think you get the idea. Example I get is... Why would he EVER do something like that with his hair... it's so messy and UNCLASSY... then on the other side... I get people that want a picture of me not always for what I have done but because they LOVE my look... and want to capture it... almost like what Andy Warhol had...
MK: To see you perform your CD FX act is a mind-blowing experience. What inspired you to come up with the idea of CD manipulation?
MS: Thank you for the compliment on the act... I was always an entrepreneur when I was young making flyers for raking leaves for people or shoveling snow and I would deliver them along with the papers on my paper route when I was 11 or 12 years of age... I have worked about 21 other jobs before I did magic full time at 18... I was a lifeguard, bus boy, telemarketer, pumped gas, fixed bikes, sold stuff, etc... but one of my jobs was working in the Department Store of the Hudson's Bay Company (similar to a Dillards)... and I worked in the Electronics and Toy section... This is where they sold tapes and CD's which were just coming in... they had maybe 1 row of CD's at 30.00 each... and the rest were cassette tapes! It was a slow Wednesday night on a 4 hour shift and I was playing with one of the returned CD's doing classic jumbo coin moves and vanishes and I showed one of the moves where I vanished the CD in a Tenki palm and he was blown away wondering where it went...And that was the beginning! The rest of my shift at work I wrote down all the classic effects of magic that I could do with CD's... 2 years later I entered it in my first international 'adult' competition and took 2nd place out of 15 acts from around the world... I knew I had something! I had a long ways to go... but I had something!
MK: The choice of music plays such an integral part of your CD act, how did you choose the music, and was it always that lineup of songs/music?
MS: The music is constantly evolving…I was looking for a six minute piece and then I saw Michael Jackson performing Smooth Criminal at Radio City Music Hall and thought it was amazing how he used sound effects to convey the meaning of his act. So that’s when I started to experiment with adding the sound effects. But there are times I will hear a piece of music or sound effect and think…wow…that would be great to drop right in here…so it’s always evolving.
But it’s important to understand this is a very carefully choreographed piece. People often think it’s sound effects I create on my body with a button but its' not... it's all on the CD and I do my act like a dancer does a dance... so if I stop the music continues to play... But everything is timed to an eight count…even where the music “skips” it’s two counts of four!
MK: How important is it to you for magicians to perform original material as opposed to performing proven material with their own presentation? Or is it important at all?
MS: Wow... you have some GREAT questions... I have never been asked these questions in such a way... Don Wayne said something to me as we sat at an IHOP restaurant on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood years ago... he said, 'Murray just remember when you are creating magic and ideas... DIFFERENT doesn't mean BETTER... it just means DIFFERENT!' I have lived by those words... I think being 'original' is the difference between being a 'star' and just another magician... it separates you from the PACK! It gives reason for more press, people talk about you, and you get more work cause you aren't competing against ANYONE because you're the ONLY one doing 'your thing!' I also think doing something completely PROVEN with an ORIGINAL persentation makes a PROVEN trick ORIGINAL... A perfect example is my friend Jeff Hobson... he does the Egg Bag but in my opinion is the BEST presentation of it because of his character... HE SELLS IT... so it has NOTHING to do with the EGG BAG... it's about JEFF! Also Johnny Thompson's Egg Bag is great too with his character... It's about Johnny not the Egg Bag!
MK: How do you go about creating an original effect?
MS: You think of the unthinkable and try to attain it! When I created my CD act... so many people told me it would never work because I am producing mirrors! So... I HAD to do it... cause I know, not many people would do it!
MK: Can you please tell us about your new TV project, and how did your involvement with it begin?
MS: My new TV series is called 'Celebracadabra' on VH1 premiering early March 2008. I was contacted by VH1 directly and on my way back from a performance in Cyprus in the Mediterranean I stopped over in New York and met with the three Executive producers of the then IDEA of the show... then 2 months later got a call to film the 'pilot' early this year 2007... then 3 months after the pilot I heard it got picked up and we just rapped shooting the 8th episode in Las Vegas last month... So I am very excited to see it air early next year! It's basically like Dancing with the Stars but with magic! Every episode is sure to be exciting and dramatic in every way! Makes you realize how hard magic is to do! (Unfortunately I can't release any of the stars names yet that are on the series).
MK: If you could have a conversation with any magician who has now passed away, who would you choose, and what would you ask them?
MS: Cardini... and the question would be...'Where do you put yourself mentally when you do your act every night... to be surprised when the 'cards' reappear... out of know where... you are just as surprised as US and we believe you EVERYTIME!?
MK: Do you have a favorite magic book?
MS: Mark Wilson Complete Book of Magic (It's great.. if you can't understand the wording you can look at the GREAT drawings and understand how the effect works).
MK: Do you feel with the direction both magicians and magic dealers are taking with the fry your audience with one trick at a time, the art of building a routine is dying? And how do you think this will impact magic in the future?
MS: Yes... I think the ART of building an act will be strictly EUROPEAN... There aren't many places for an act in the USA today anymore... Magic Castle? Monday Night Magic? Houston - Comedy and Magic Club? Yet in Germany there are many great venues to perform as well as in France and other great European countries! Well.. I think it's EASY to fry people with ONE trick on TV... cause you can cut and edit it... Look at Criss Angel half the tricks he's doing on TV he's never done until 1 hour before he tapes... Copperfield would tour for one year at least peforming his new effect every night before he'd put it on TV... that is why he is still one of the greats! So if we are doing this one trick to fry your brain... then you better have an amazing personality because in LIVE performing that is what will hold the audience...
MK: How has performing at The Magic Castle changed or helped your career?
MS: Performing at the Magic Castle is a Mile Stone... I can be 80 now and go 'Back in the Day!' I performed in Hollywood at one of the greatest venues for 'magic' in the world... so personally it give you great confidence and acceptance. It helped my career because now I can put Hollywood on my resume which looks great... when bookers see it, they realize if you have played the Magic Castle you must be at a certain level and will look at your DVD... Also I love it becasue now that I am making my move to Television... every time I perform at the Magic Castle I invite casting directors and producers to watch me perform for any possibilities they might have for me on Television.
MK: You’ve won many, many awards very early on in your career. How did winning those awards impact your career?
MS: I have won 24 national and international awards that titled me a 'World Champion'.... They impacted my career because when I was young... the big question was... from any booker...'Why should we pay you $5000.00 for a show when you're only 19 years old?' And my answer was... we sir/madame... I just finished winning my 12th award for my performance and I am the ONLY one that does this type of magic because I invented it. I'd be happy to refer you another magician much cheaper but you'll be seeing standard tricks... but I don't mind doing that if your budget doesn't allow it.... Next line would be... 'So are you available on.....?' This doesn't happen always... but if you have the fire power and to answer with an intelligent answer and back it up... you'll get the gig if they have the money.
MK: How much ribbing did you take from your appearance on BLIND DATE, and did that have any impact on your bookings, or more importantly on your dating life?
MS: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Blind Date the TV show... It's amazing... I have done over 100 TV shows and this is the one that most people talk about... Honestly... the ONLY reason I did this show because it is so ridiculous is for the PRESS and GOSSIP factor and it worked more than I ever planned... At the end of the day... after a live show... some people will come up to me and want a picture with me because I was on THAT SHOW... 'Weren't you on Blind Date!?' They are taking the photo with me... because I made the decision to 'make an ass out of myself really!' HA!!! but honestly... because I was on TV... and thats' the reason I did it... they don't remember how much fun was made of me... all they realize is that WOW the guy we just saw LIVE... we saw him sitting at home in Oklahoma in our living room... and now I want a photo to prove that I met this guy... and that's the ONLY reason I did the show... My dating life... I got more dates because I was on TV... bookings... it gave me more credit being on TV.
MK: Are you performing magic full time? If so, what was your last non-magical gig? If not, what is your daytime gig?
MS: Yes I have been performing magic full time for 11 years since I was 18... doing magic for 22 years in total! My last non-magical gig was being a lifeguard in Burnaby, British Columbia where I taught swimming lesson and watched over the pools and beaches.
MK: What’s the one piece of advice you have for a person starting out in magic?
MS: Go to SCHOOL! Get a degree! If you want to do magic and be successful... Do it like it is your ONLY source for survival... that you need it to pay ALL your bills and WORK, WORK, WORK... now this is advice for someone wanting to do it professional... if you are really starting out... join a magic club, get some great books from the library, find a mentor in your local club and learn from them and cherish them... and bottom line... Do magic because you LOVE IT... not because you want to be famous!!!
MK: Any closing thoughts?
MS: 'Dream like you will live forever... and Live like you will die tomorrow!' That is my favorite quote from James Dean!
MS: Wow... you have some GREAT questions... I have never been asked these questions in such a way... Don Wayne said something to me as we sat at an IHOP restaurant on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood years ago... he said, 'Murray just remember when you are creating magic and ideas... DIFFERENT doesn't mean BETTER... it just means DIFFERENT!' I have lived by those words... I think being 'original' is the difference between being a 'star' and just another magician... it separates you from the PACK! It gives reason for more press, people talk about you, and you get more work cause you aren't competing against ANYONE because you're the ONLY one doing 'your thing!' I also think doing something completely PROVEN with an ORIGINAL persentation makes a PROVEN trick ORIGINAL... A perfect example is my friend Jeff Hobson... he does the Egg Bag but in my opinion is the BEST presentation of it because of his character... HE SELLS IT... so it has NOTHING to do with the EGG BAG... it's about JEFF! Also Johnny Thompson's Egg Bag is great too with his character... It's about Johnny not the Egg Bag!
MK: How do you go about creating an original effect?
MS: You think of the unthinkable and try to attain it! When I created my CD act... so many people told me it would never work because I am producing mirrors! So... I HAD to do it... cause I know, not many people would do it!
MK: Can you please tell us about your new TV project, and how did your involvement with it begin?
MS: My new TV series is called 'Celebracadabra' on VH1 premiering early March 2008. I was contacted by VH1 directly and on my way back from a performance in Cyprus in the Mediterranean I stopped over in New York and met with the three Executive producers of the then IDEA of the show... then 2 months later got a call to film the 'pilot' early this year 2007... then 3 months after the pilot I heard it got picked up and we just rapped shooting the 8th episode in Las Vegas last month... So I am very excited to see it air early next year! It's basically like Dancing with the Stars but with magic! Every episode is sure to be exciting and dramatic in every way! Makes you realize how hard magic is to do! (Unfortunately I can't release any of the stars names yet that are on the series).
MK: If you could have a conversation with any magician who has now passed away, who would you choose, and what would you ask them?
MS: Cardini... and the question would be...'Where do you put yourself mentally when you do your act every night... to be surprised when the 'cards' reappear... out of know where... you are just as surprised as US and we believe you EVERYTIME!?
MK: Do you have a favorite magic book?
MS: Mark Wilson Complete Book of Magic (It's great.. if you can't understand the wording you can look at the GREAT drawings and understand how the effect works).
MK: Do you feel with the direction both magicians and magic dealers are taking with the fry your audience with one trick at a time, the art of building a routine is dying? And how do you think this will impact magic in the future?
MS: Yes... I think the ART of building an act will be strictly EUROPEAN... There aren't many places for an act in the USA today anymore... Magic Castle? Monday Night Magic? Houston - Comedy and Magic Club? Yet in Germany there are many great venues to perform as well as in France and other great European countries! Well.. I think it's EASY to fry people with ONE trick on TV... cause you can cut and edit it... Look at Criss Angel half the tricks he's doing on TV he's never done until 1 hour before he tapes... Copperfield would tour for one year at least peforming his new effect every night before he'd put it on TV... that is why he is still one of the greats! So if we are doing this one trick to fry your brain... then you better have an amazing personality because in LIVE performing that is what will hold the audience...
MK: How has performing at The Magic Castle changed or helped your career?
MS: Performing at the Magic Castle is a Mile Stone... I can be 80 now and go 'Back in the Day!' I performed in Hollywood at one of the greatest venues for 'magic' in the world... so personally it give you great confidence and acceptance. It helped my career because now I can put Hollywood on my resume which looks great... when bookers see it, they realize if you have played the Magic Castle you must be at a certain level and will look at your DVD... Also I love it becasue now that I am making my move to Television... every time I perform at the Magic Castle I invite casting directors and producers to watch me perform for any possibilities they might have for me on Television.
MK: You’ve won many, many awards very early on in your career. How did winning those awards impact your career?
MS: I have won 24 national and international awards that titled me a 'World Champion'.... They impacted my career because when I was young... the big question was... from any booker...'Why should we pay you $5000.00 for a show when you're only 19 years old?' And my answer was... we sir/madame... I just finished winning my 12th award for my performance and I am the ONLY one that does this type of magic because I invented it. I'd be happy to refer you another magician much cheaper but you'll be seeing standard tricks... but I don't mind doing that if your budget doesn't allow it.... Next line would be... 'So are you available on.....?' This doesn't happen always... but if you have the fire power and to answer with an intelligent answer and back it up... you'll get the gig if they have the money.
MK: How much ribbing did you take from your appearance on BLIND DATE, and did that have any impact on your bookings, or more importantly on your dating life?
MS: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Blind Date the TV show... It's amazing... I have done over 100 TV shows and this is the one that most people talk about... Honestly... the ONLY reason I did this show because it is so ridiculous is for the PRESS and GOSSIP factor and it worked more than I ever planned... At the end of the day... after a live show... some people will come up to me and want a picture with me because I was on THAT SHOW... 'Weren't you on Blind Date!?' They are taking the photo with me... because I made the decision to 'make an ass out of myself really!' HA!!! but honestly... because I was on TV... and thats' the reason I did it... they don't remember how much fun was made of me... all they realize is that WOW the guy we just saw LIVE... we saw him sitting at home in Oklahoma in our living room... and now I want a photo to prove that I met this guy... and that's the ONLY reason I did the show... My dating life... I got more dates because I was on TV... bookings... it gave me more credit being on TV.
MK: Are you performing magic full time? If so, what was your last non-magical gig? If not, what is your daytime gig?
MS: Yes I have been performing magic full time for 11 years since I was 18... doing magic for 22 years in total! My last non-magical gig was being a lifeguard in Burnaby, British Columbia where I taught swimming lesson and watched over the pools and beaches.
MK: What’s the one piece of advice you have for a person starting out in magic?
MS: Go to SCHOOL! Get a degree! If you want to do magic and be successful... Do it like it is your ONLY source for survival... that you need it to pay ALL your bills and WORK, WORK, WORK... now this is advice for someone wanting to do it professional... if you are really starting out... join a magic club, get some great books from the library, find a mentor in your local club and learn from them and cherish them... and bottom line... Do magic because you LOVE IT... not because you want to be famous!!!
MK: Any closing thoughts?
MS: 'Dream like you will live forever... and Live like you will die tomorrow!' That is my favorite quote from James Dean!
Check out this video of Murray on YOUTUBE:
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