An Interview with Las Vegas Magician Dan Sperry

Recently making his way onto the popular variety show "America's Got Talent" (season 5, week 11) is the macabre "Shock Illusionist" Dan Sperry. Dan Sperry is best described as a Tim Burton character come to life - so move over Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands - there's a new guy in town. This Las Vegas based magician and "Anti-Conjurer" puts a dark and gothic twist on the world of magic and illusions creating a spellbinding allure that even David Copperfield couldn't compare to. You can't help but be drawn to the dark side, where, as Dan Sperry says: "Magic No Longer Sucks". If you dare, visit the official website of illusionist Dan Sperry at http://www.dansperry.com/.

Pandora Suicide: Hey Dan. How's it going?

Dan Sperry: Good thanks, how are you doing?

PS: I'm doing quite well. Thanks. Do you have time to do the interview?

DS: Yep, lets do it up!

PS: Ok. Here we go.... How and when did you first become interested in the world of magic and illusions?

DS: When I was 4 years old my grandparents took me to see David Copperfield perform live. I had no idea who he was or what he did - 4 year olds don't quite understand what magic is at that age. A clown and magician kind of blend together as the same thing. Back then David would open his show with an escape called the Death Saw where he had to escape before a giant 6 foot spinning saw comes and cuts him in half - the escape goes wrong and you visually see him get cut in half like out of a movie. At 4 years old I didn't get what was going on and thought it was real - totally flipped out and freaked out - so we had to leave the theater, never seeing that it was just a trick and get gets put back together, etc. So as some kind of home therapy I was given magic kits to sort of illustrate to me that its all a trick. It wasn't until I was like 8 or 9 did I start to want to get more into it by getting books, etc.

PS: Tell me about some of your favorite magic kits from what your Grandparents gave you as a child?

DS: I don't remember much about what they were - it was your typical set from the toy store, but I never looked at the instructions - so I'd learn what the trick did through trial and error just evaluating the little plastic trick and whatnot. I remember I had this mini plastic gillotine that was meant for someone's finger to go in and the plastic blade would "magically" pass through your victim's finger - I thought that one was pretty cool.

PS: Wow! That's pretty amazing stuff. I couldn't imagine having seen something like that as a child. Did seeing David Copperfield being cut in half give you nightmares?

DS: Yes, it totally did. For some reason I associated the shower with the saw escape - so I hated having to close the curtain to take showers...I ended up getting over it...

PS: Who were your other role models growing up?

DS: I had lots - not so much magicians - but characters... I loved Captain Hook and for a long time as a kid wanted to grow up to be Captain Hook and even tried to cut my left hand off in grade 1 with my safety scissors - it didn't work. But I always admired more "vilan" type characters like Beetlejuice, etc.

PS: So are your parents supportive of your choice of career?

DS: They are now...but it took awhile, I think they've accepted my choice now where as for a long time they would try to steer me away from magic professionally by trying to say I can always do it on the side as a hobby and to try to get a more steady job but what they didn't really know was that IF I was to go take any other job it woudn't be any more steady.

PS: So would you say that your career is presently becoming more successful?

DS: Yeah, slowly but surely...I mean it is by no means sky rocketing - the best way I can compare it to is like being in a band and trying to make it. You could be an underground band and have tons of fans but no agency will give you the time of day - its all about timing. I have a great fan base and I know that through them I am being able to grow more and more.

PS: Speaking of fans, what was the most unusual fan encounter you have ever had?

DS: [laughs] I'm not sure - there have been so many...ummm... One of the craziest ones happened a few months ago when I was on tour in Canada...there was a kid and his dad who came to like 3 shows in a row, and I had just trashed my boots on that tour. And I was going to throw them away, but he said he wanted them (I had run into them in the hallway after the show). So I said if you want them you have to earn them, I got out my flip video camera and had his dad tape me putting lipstick and make up all on this kid in order to earn the boots to prove he's a fan - there's an edited version on youtube - that was kind of fun. But there are a lot of ones that aren't so much fun but more awkward and can even get scary at times.

PS: I actually saw that video - on youtube. lol You even tried to put eye makeup on him against his will Hell ya!

DS: [laughs] Yeah he was a good sport about it, and his dad was laughing the whole time - good ol' fashion family fun!

PS: Those were some nice boots though...Demonia?

DS: Yup, Demonia - but the bottoms had started to come off and the zipper was broken.

PS: Oh, so they were pretty much talking?

DS: Yeah basically. They were like 4 years old and just on their last thread.

PS: You have a unique look, do you have any of your clothing made for you? Or where do you shop?

DS: Yeah its kind of a combination of everything - some I make, some is made for me, others I buy. I like to head down to Melrose Blvd. anytime I'm in LA and usually waste a lot of money in stores down there [laughs] I've also gotten a lot of stuff in Toronto and a few places online from Europe.

PS: Which do you consider yourself to be, Dan: an "Illusionist" or a "Magician"?

DS: That's tough - both those "titles" are basically the same thing, it is all dependant on marketing, I'd prefer not to go by either of them, but when I've had to choose I've gone by "Shock Illusionist"

PS: Good answer. Typically America does categorize everything, which is unfortunate I do agree.

DS: Yeah but I understand it is necessary sometimes - when I've gone to a few places I'm often asked a lot what kind of music my band plays...can get a little frustrating.

PS: Who was the biggest name you have had the pleasure of performing with?

DS: Um, again that's kind of a tough one - I haven't been able to play with anybody I've like gotten to share the bill with that I'm totally like psyched about - but moreso having people in the audience, one time I got to perform at Jonny Depp's kid's birthday party in LA... that was pretty cool.

PS: That is REALLY cool. What were some of the favorite magic tricks that evening?

DS: I did the lifesaver for them (the one where I threw the floss at Howie Mandel on AGT - actually that was back when I was first working it into my show, so they were one of the test audiences.

PS: You were one of the lucky few magicians to make it onto the popular talent show "America's Got Talent" through your Youtube.com submission... What was it like to perform your "Lifesaver" trick live with tens of thousands of people watching?

DS: It was cool - but I'm really used to only performing for live audiences, it was hard trying to have to play to a camera - I just naturally went into playing to the live audience - the director kept having to remind me to play to the camera so even though there were tens of thousands of people watching it didn't feel like it! [laughs]

PS: Do you ever get stage fright?

DS: Not until I actually walked out on stage for the live taping - then I was like "Oh. Shit."

PS: The camera loves you, but even better Judge Sharon Osbourne, wife of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, was left speechless. What was it like to get such a reaction by such an icon of our times?

DS: Um, it was great really, but all I was concerned with at the time was that I knew they had to cut to a commercial soon and the less they talked about me the better because I believe sometimes no reaction - in the sense of speechless, etc is better than a verbal reaction - if that makes sense?

PS: Of course. Remain an enigma.

DS: Exactly...

PS: Since appearing on the show "America's Got Talent", have many people been stopping you on the street because they recognize you from television?

DS: Quite a few actually - even when I go out quick to like grab a coffee or something and I have like a hat or bandanna on and my glasses people have still been able to spot me - its a lot to take in and I'll be honest I'm not 100% used to it yet. Before I left LA I stopped in a Barnes and Noble and out of nowhere before I could get to the door 3 paparazzi guys ran up, one with a video camera and 2 with photo cameras and just started shooting away and machine gunning me with random questions it was like wtf is going on here, it was really weird - I eventually said I just want to grab a book and a coffee and go about my way I'm not that interesting haha, they didn't agree but eventually left me alone.

PS: So do you think the fame and lack of privacy that goes with it is something you could get used to?

DS: I dunno - I guess I think so? Like as long as they're not hanging from trees outside my house, but like I said I don't think I'm that interesting so to run up and try to take photos of me drinking a starbucks and asking how I take my coffee seems lame as opposed to maybe tracking what star is cheating on the other on movie sets.

PS: That is true. But what you do is different - you gravitate to the darker side of magic, which can sometimes lead the less intellectual members of the public to wonder. What do you say to those individuals who label what you do as "witchcraft" or "evil"?

DS: Haha yeah those people...if anything I try to encourage it - I mean it is completely 100% not true, but that kind of stuff I find funny so I try to encourage the legend.

PS: Would you say that you actually possess ESP or some kind of psychic abillity?

DS: No, none whatsoever - if I did I wouldn't be doing magic shows [laughs] I'd be helping police find missing persons, murderers, kidnappers, etc ...if i did have that ability.

PS: Just HAD to ask. You know how it goes?

DS: Yeah I know.

PS: Tell me a little bit about your body modifications? How many piercings do you have? How many tattoos?

DS: Tattoos is hard to say, some of them kind of blend together [laughs] - but I'd say around 12 tattoos (but like I said they blend so maybe more like 12 sittings) and 11 piercings.

PS: Can you describe a few of your favorite tattoos? And do any of them have special meanings to you?

DS: Yeah I have a zipper around my left wrist - that is my captain hook tattoo to metaphorically represent his left hand hook and how I wanted to cut my hand off! [laughs] I have a baretta based off the guns in the Romeo and Juliet movie on my lower right waist so it looks like its tucked into my pants and above it on my right chest is praying hands - its a good and evil kind of thing. The praying hands also represent my spiritual faith in what I believe in.

PS: So what is it that you believe in?

DS: Too long to go into - its a Christianity belief. I don't really go to a Church or have a denomination.

PS: Do you believe in God and the Devil?

DS: Yep. I believe and have had what I think to be a spiritual encounter with evil/demonic things which kind of helped lead me to believe in a Christian based belief so I totally believe there is a good/evil, Holy/UnHoly thing that is around us.

PS: I agree. I've had too many unexplained encounters to mention but there is something definately out there.

DS: I had fucked up encounters in my early teens with things happening at 3am - feeling things happening to my body, not being able to speak, weird shit, paralization... And when I was young my mom and I lived in a house with a polgergeist or some people might call it a ghost and I saw and heard things there that were fucked up. It's real. That's for sure.

PS: My sister has the piano still but it doesn't play anymore. I try not to think about it because that's when stuff starts to happen.

DS: Exactly. That's why I never like try to talk about it out loud especially.

PS: So do you have any big plans for Halloween you'd like to take this opportunity to talk about?

DS: Yeah I'm headlining at this place called Fright Dome - which is in Las Vegas at the Circus Circus hotel/casino. They have a giant indoor theme park called Adventure Dome and every October for the whole month it is transformed to one of the top 5 Haunted Attractions in the US. So I'll be doing nightly shows at Fright Dome here in Las Vegas.

PS: What time do shows normally start? And should people reserve their seats in advance?

DS: Shows run 3 times a night starting at 7pm - admission to the shows is free with purchase of Fright Dome admission.

PS: Do you have anything special planned for that event?

DS: Umm, yeah I guess - I have a few new things I've been working on that haven't been on youtube or tv yet but that's about all I'll say about them!

Dark magician Dan Sperry is giving the world of magic and illusions a new and unsettling twist. If you're craving a haunting good time at Halloween then check out Dan Sperry at one of his many performances at Fright Dome in the Las Vegas area. You can also catch his 2 performances on America's Got Talent featuring his "Lifesaver" trick that will leave you speechless. The world of magic and illusions is back and it's kicking some major ass!