I am a professional magician who was on last night's season 3 premiere of "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" on The CW. Ask me anything!

Since this is a well known prop trick, and you were certain going in that they wouldn't be fooled, why did you choose to do it?

Do you have anything in your repertoire which you think might have a chance of stumping them, but chose not to try?

I pitched an original routine to them and they liked it, but the producers went on my YouTube channel and wouldn't stop talking about how great the bottles would look on the show. They wanted the energy that this trick creates. So I decided to do it, knowing that 99.9999% of their audience are not magicians. Most of the magic that Fools P&T ends up being sort of procedural, lots of steps, instructions, exposition and can have a tendency to appear less energetic and flashy.

The original trick that I first pitched - I believe it may have fooled them. It's an original handling, method and a pretty original plot.

The other bonus for me is that the bottles are something I have performed more than anything else. So I knew I would rock it without shaky hands.

EDIT: I just want to reiterate - it was my choice ultimately to do the routine I did. I chose it because I thought it would make better television than my original choice.

Who is your favorite fictional magician outside of Gob Bluth who is obviously king of that mountain?

Criss Angel

Honestly, I've never met Criss Angel and I don't have an opinion on him or his show. We have mutual friends who really like the guy and I know people who don't. I just couldn't resist the perfect set up.

I saw Chris Angel in 2001(?). I was in NYC walking past the WWE Restaurant with my wife and he asked us to come see his show. We were looking for something to do so we did. Didn't know him as he hadn't become famous yet.

Show was in the basement and there was seating for about 50. I got to go onstage and help do some card trick. He wore a giant cod piece. Show was awesome.

Before the show started the server said when they lights go out, cover your drink. Lights went out, we covered out beverages, and Chris appeared standing on our table.

After the very entertaining show, he stood at the door and shook everyone's hand and said thank you.

He gets shit on, but my one intersection was nothing but positive.

That's great!

Criss Angel's show in Vegas was very "Meh". I was disappointed, really wish I'd gone to see P&T instead. Lots of "I'm over here! AHA, now I'm over here!" And it's like, "Dude, we already saw that trick. Do a new one."

I'd like to see it some time.

When Penn asked about the wine labels, was that him communicating to you that he knew the trick?

Yes.

Do you see other magicians' tricks, and know pretty easily how they are doing them?

For the most part, yes. That said, there are so many amazing magicians that still fool the pants off of me. Card guys like Juan Tamariz and Dani Daortiz are able to blow my mind. Copperfield makes a freaking spaceship float over your head in his new show and I have NO clue how.

What did Alyson smell like?

Apple Pie

Do you someday hope to get on the cover of Poof Magazine?

Yes. I demand to be taken seriously.

What was the first trick you mastered and how many hours would you say you spent on it. Also what amazing YouTube magic trick should we look at that's not well known?

I'm super excited to answer this one. The first answer is kind of boring. My mom taught me a trick where a spectator pushes a card into the deck and then their card turns over. I actually teach this one for people who sign up for my email newsletter.(http://eepurl.com/drnKb) It's SUPER easy to learn, but I still fool people with it to this day.

One of the most difficult things I remember learning was a trick called "Osmosis." I don't know why it was so hard for me to learn. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjE_nn9p1pk

Okay - here's the one. THIS video isn't well known, but it's one of the best stage illusions I've seen. Hang with it until the end. This is Hans Moretti performing his sword box. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH-PFecys6Y

That osmosis trick is super cool. Enjoyed the video.

Thank you!

Wow. Do you have any idea how the cardbox illusion was done?

Yes, and I don't care. It's fantastic!

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It's pretty honest. It's a much more honest show than I thought it would be. The edit you saw of my segment last night is almost 100% how I remember it. They cut out one of my jokes and a little bit of my conversation with Alyson, but other than that, it's WYSIWYG.

As far as Penn & Teller being fooled, I've heard some magicians claim that they SAID they were fooled but really weren't and that they SAID they weren't fooled but really were. I don't believe any of that. I think if they're fooled, they're fooled and if they're not they're not. So, to answer your question, not much bullshit.

What was your joke?

After the audience chanted "Make them go back," i had them chanting it 3 times and then I said "Whoa, I feel like I'm at a Trump rally."

They probably cut it because it was politically edgy and they want to stay safe. They left the Obama joke though.

Hey Michael! Congratulations on your performance. You did a fantastic job.

I've seen you perform the bottles many times for many years. During the beginning of the routine when the bottles did not change places, you did a joke, "Unless you're cross eyed, then that's awesome." Typically your joke is, "Unless you're dyslexic, then that's awesome."

Question: Is there a particular reason you avoided that joke on P&T? Or have you actually changed it in your live show?

GREAT question - and this borders on broaching the censorship/PC topic that we've discussed on many occasions.

I HAVE actually started changing the joke in my live show. The previous joke was "Unless you're dyslexic, then that was awesome.....you're probably like 'HOLY CARP.' I've been doing the cross-eyed line about 75% of the time instead.

I never had anyone tell me they were offended, but I have several close friends for whom dyslexia is a pretty frustrating problem and I didn't like the idea of making fun of them. Whereas I have no cross-eyed friends. I know that's illogical, but honestly, I felt a little shitty and vulnerable making fun of people who I know are in the audience.

I miss the CARP joke and the "cross eyed" line doesn't "sting" the audience quite as much. I plan on trying new substitutes for that line.

Meanwhile, my FAVORITE new joke in the routine is one that they cut out in the edit. After the audience is yelling "Make them go back!" I make them chant that like three times and say "Whoa. I feel like I'm at a Trump rally." They cut that. argh.

I came here to specifically ask if there was a Trump joke cut and if it was cut by you or the editors. It's such a good setup, and I was honestly surprised when the punchline didn't come up on the show. I don't suppose they tell you, but do you know if it was it cut for time, or some kind of political neutrality?

Yeah, I have no clue. I would guess for neutrality, which is kind of dumb because the best part about that joke is that it's neutral. Same with the Obama joke. It doesn't offend one side or the other until I do the redneck voice "MAKE EM GO BACK" in a mocking tone. lol The joke has been killing on the road. The other thing was that I remember it not getting a huge reaction during the taping - people are a bit uneasy about politics when they're on camera like that.

Can you do a magic trick where you export your video with two audio channels?

haha - I reuploaded the fixed version. Working on putting up an annotation on the old video but it won't let me annotate for some reason.

What's the best magic trick you've ever seen beside your own?

This is difficult to answer, because for me, the BEST magic trick isn't necessarily one that fooled me. I think one of my all-time favorites is David Copperfield's Walking Through a Fan. I think there's a video on youtube of him doing it on the Opera show. And Penn & Teller's flag/constitution trick is SO good because of its message. If you've ever seen Teller's Shadow Rose piece, it's both artistic AND impossible. I have no idea how it works. But some of the best magic I've ever seen in terms of fooling me are card guys who appear to use chaos and coincidence. Lennart Green, Juan Tamariz, Dani Daortiz.

Someone managed to figure out the shadow rose illusion and steal it. Teller successfully sued the magician. It surprised me that they would sue over an illusion because they pay so much tribute to past magicians they borrow from.

But Teller seems to take that one really personally.

Teller copywrote (copywrited? copywrought?) the shadow rose as a theatrical piece to help protect it. It's beautiful and it deserves to be ONLY his.

Was it nerve racking performing for those two?

Very much so. I had met them both before, but doing your act in front of them is different. The thing that made it okay was the audience. We taped the show in front of 600 live audience members who helped me act like it was just another show. What was MUCH more nerve-wracking (and I think it shows when I watch the video) was the post-performance segment with Alyson and Penn. You've got a well-known celebrity asking you questions while, 20 feet from you, you can HEAR Penn & Teller talking about your trick. Really difficult to concentrate in that circumstance.

Your contract rider is really quite sane ("sliced apples and celery are fine.") If you could demand anything you wanted (and you were an asshole), what would your rider include?

This is a fun question. Love it.

I would ask for a meditation area and bed backstage so I could sleep before the show. I'd also probably ask for my favorite tea (Hippie Ginseng Tea from The Spice and Tea exchange) and local honey.

It's a fun thought, but I could never do it. I really don't need much. The only reason I ask for apples and celery is because it's the only healthy food I eat sometimes that day. The sugars in the apples give me a nice boost and the celery is for nervous eating.

Don't know if you are still on reddit or will ever get this, but you should totally have a rider that has an OR clause, the first bit should be something like the above, and it is seperated with a great big "OR" on the line then the "slice apples and celery are fine" on the second line.

That's pretty funny and I may do it.

Transportation from the airport: a) a brand new Cherry Red 2016 Shelby GT350 in my name or b) a hotel shuttle

Just wanted to say great presentation in that clip. I remember being showed an old Tommy Cooper video which actually started my road into magic, where he did an awesome routine of this and kept topping up his tubes too, leaving probably 30 bottles scattered around. Were you inspired by his routine at all?

Absolutely I was. It's one of the best versions of this trick. And I considered doing an homage to Cooper for this performance. If the show were JUST for Penn & Teller, I would have. But the show is for 99.9999% non magicians who haven't seen that and don't know how the trick works. And Tommy's routine didn't really sell the illusion - his routine sort of gives it away toward the end. This was FINE for Cooper, but wouldn't have been for this show.

Does Tommy Cooper get much love state side?

He's a national treasure in the UK.

By all accounts he was one of the sweetest, nicest, gentleman going but behind the scenes a troubled life of alcoholism but also one hell of a magician. There is some good docus out there about him.

No. Not nearly enough. He was a huge inspiration for me. Sad that most Americans have never heard of him.

Since you are a comedy magician, have you ever been shorted 5 dollars?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5c9sktMB1s

This is one of my all-time favorite jokes about magic.

I saw you perform in college and still remember a trick you did with the bottles! What's it like being on the road so much? What types of things do you do while traveling to keep yourself sane?

Awesome! Thanks for remembering me. Being on the road is....well, you have to like it. You have to be okay with being alone a lot of the time. I've struggled with it off and on through the years. One of the things I've learned to keep myself sane is to establish routines. I'm anal about how routine things are. When I get to the hotel, I unplug the alarm clock and put everything that's on the tables in the drawer. That way I know the time on my phone is the right time and everything I put on the tables/nightstands are mine. Usually I'm leaving the hotel early in the morning and I don't have the clearest mind.

Sleep is important, and sometimes I have to medicate to sleep. Sucks, but it helps. Doing a show gives me a few hours of endorphins that would otherwise keep me awake.

I listen to podcasts and I watch a lot of netflix. I also use meditation.

Have you ever screwed up a trick?

Yep. But usually in magic, the audience doesn't know what's supposed to happen next, so you're afforded opportunities to get out of it.

I once performed a trick called the "Mismade Lady" illusion with an ex girlfriend. The premise is that she gets in a box, I stick half a dozen blades through her, separate the boxes and stack them in the wrong order. So I open the boxes and her head is down at the bottom, feet up at the top, etc. She went outside and got high before the show, missed her cue in the box. I ended up slamming her in the back of the head with a blade. It wasn't pretty. Somehow, I saved the routine, but nothing went as planned. We broke up soon after.

What's been your approach to combing comedy and magic -- two singularly difficult forms that can easily slip into camp or self-parody -- in a way that's original and fresh and allows both to shine while still feeling like a complete performance? How do you strike that balance?

Well first off, I don't have a problem with self parody as long as the audience is familiar with the parody. The audience has to feel like they're in on the joke. Camp is harder to avoid with magic. Magic has a campy stigma. I feel like if I perform as myself and don't try to be someone else onstage, the performance comes across as genuine and balanced. Then, the way I talk, dress, act, the music I use, etc. can all help me speak for myself. The number one thing I always come back to is trying to determine whether or not the routine or the writing fits ME.

I feel like magic's inherent camp is its advantage in comedy.

It's also what makes it difficult to present seriously. Not impossible, but it really requires a lot of imagination to come up with strong serious presentations.

I wouldn't disagree. But I like irreverence better than camp.

I think some people break past the wall and are able to present something seriously if the audience believes the entertainer. Lighting, set design, music, etc are all a part. Most entertainers can't pull this off. I know I can't. If I tried to be serious, they would laugh.

What opinion do you have of the tv shows that show the secrets behind the illusions? I enjoy being fooled, but I think I honestly enjoy seeing the secrets and the skill required to pull them off more. Everyone (too broad?) knows that magic isn't real, but the amount of intense training and practice that goes into these illusions has to be respected.

I've never really minded those shows. I don't think people really remember the secrets they show. And half of the secrets they show are made up anyway. They once showed a magician using a forklift to levitate a person. I've never heard of that. I'm of the opinion that any time magic is on TV, it's good for magic.

What got you started in magic and the entertainment business?

I was interested in magic from the time I was 6. I think I did magic as a tool to connect with peers and get attention from friends. I actually worked in marketing full-time before magic. The magic business sort of took over my calendar and made itself my job.

So my son is 10 and does a magic routine with things like Hipity Hop bunnies and magic coloring book. We are looking for something large and showy to add to the routine but at a small cost... Preferably something I could make for him fairly cheap. Any suggestions or directions to look into?

Yes! In the back of the "Mark Wilson Complete Course of Magic" book, there are some large illusions you can build out of cardboard. Some of them are really great.

[Serious] Has your inability to decipher a certain trick ever been a source of professional embarrassment to you?

I don't mean an inability to perform a trick successfully — but any situation where you presumed (or have been presumed) you could figure out someone else's trick, but just couldn't?

And I don't mean to overemphasize the "embarrassment" part — no need to answer with a mortifying story. I just mean enough embarrassment to justify giving it (the deciphering effort) your very best shot.

No - it's quite the opposite actually. I LOVE being fooled by good magic. It makes me laugh. When you study magic, you lose the ability to suspend your disbelief. I would argue this extends beyond magic. It's made me a skeptic is MANY areas of life. I would love to have a little bit of that wonder back. So whenever I witness something that I can't explain, I'm thrilled.

How'd you do it?

with liquor

Is this your favorite routine to perform? If not, what is?

Also I believe I've seen you write the story about being bitten on /r/Magic a couple of months ago, funny to hear you say it in front of an audience.

I had no idea I'd be telling that story in front of millions. That reminds me, I should call the promoter from that show and make sure he saw me tell the story.

In my live show, whatever the newest routine is will always be my favorite. In the 2015 tour, it was the Thought Gun, which is sort of a mind-reading comedy routine. This year, it's been the new "Mixtape" routine which is a crazy thing with cassette tapes and nostalgia. The bottles is ALWAYS fun to perform and I always look forward to that spot in the show because there's so much god damn energy.

Just how big of a man is Penn, really?

He's very big and intimidating, but not nearly as much as the first time I met him before he lost his 110 lbs.

What magicians initially inspired you to get into magic? Were there any books in particular that you would define as perspective-changing when it comes to magic?

Great questions. I was influenced heavily by Copperfield when I was young. Doug Henning and David Copperfield were the first magicians I saw as a boy. But Harry Anderson on SNL and Night Court was a big influence too. I think most of my stylistic influences came from comedy rather than magic. Bill Murray and Steve Martin.

As for your second question, the Fitzkee Trilogy was game changing for me. I've also gotten a LOT of great theory out of Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber, who has turned into a friend of mine.

Is magic real? Do bunnies really exist inside top hats?

No. Yes. Every one of them.

What is the best and most annoying thing about being a magician?

Best thing, the creative process that it allows. Coming up with an idea and trying it onstage.

Worst thing, some of the statements and questions that people ask without really thinking like "Can you make me disappear?" "My 5 year old would love you" etc.

If Penn and Teller are fooled does the magician explain it to them after the show?

That's up to the magician. I'm curious myself as to which magicians have explained it to them. As part of the show rules, you actually have to explain it to the magicians that are consultants on the show, so that someone knows if you're being honest or not about the method.

Good morning Mr. Mike, have you ever used your talents for anything other than a show? Like to get out of a fight/get a girl to talk to you?

I've never used magic to get out of a fight or to steal anything. But I did used to do magic a lot when I was in college to get the attention of girls. Most of the time, that doesn't really work though. I remember the first date with my wife - I tried to show her magic and she wasn't into it. And that was super exciting to me.

Why didn't you turn "Make em go back" into a Trump joke? The set up was prefect.

I did. They cut it.

Have you ever been in a situation like Spencer Horseman before where he got trapped underwater in his Vegas show? If so what thoughts went through your head? That was really terrifying.

No, the scariest situation I've been in was getting dropped off at the wrong spot when I was in tour in South Korea. I was performing a show at the DMZ and the Korean bus driver dropped my friend and I off in the woods nowhere near where we were supposed to be.

How much of your magic is actual real magic and how much is just showmanship and slight of hand?

0% actual real magic.

"I hope they can look past the bottle"

This was the biggest understatement. Did you feel that having the alcohol bottles gave you an advantage or not?

I think it played no role. I just wanted to mention it for the irony factor that P&T are known teetotalers.

About the old 'lets make them switch and then make switch back without showing that they switched' - joke:

Is this part a necessity for the trick so you have to do something like this or do enough people still laugh about this old joke that you want to do this?

To be honest, it makes me kind of angry because it is so overdone, but I would understand if it helps you with your performance.

So - this does something. It's not necessary for the trick, no. And it's not incredibly funny on it's own. But this trick requires a slow start. If there isn't a bunch of bad crap in the beginning, it's not half as amazing later. So it's like a boulder rolling downhill. That joke is part of the top of the mountain where the boulder isn't doing anything impressive. But all of that crap is imperative in my opinion.

Shitcats unite!

What was your favorite part of being on the show? Do you think it will have a significant impact on your career?

What's your least favorite part of your job?

Shitcats! Yes! For awhile, that was what we were calling my fans at Miami of Ohio!

My favorite part of being on the show was how awesome the production crew was. Everyone treated the magicians like royalty. Found out that my father's cousin worked on the show and he and I got to have drinks after my shoot day!

It's hard to say if it will have an impact. It will definitely improve things, if nothing else from the amazing footage and celebrity power of Alyson and P&T. But one 6 minute appearance on a CW show isn't going to change a life. In his book "Born Standing Up," Steve Martin talks about how hardly anyone noticed the first 10 times he was on Carson.

Least favorite part of my job is being away from home so much. Other than that, there's this time after every show when the audience has left. I'm there in the theater, usually alone or with 2-3 other people packing up my gear. I swear it feels like the movie Groundhog Day (one of my favs) and it sucks the soul out of me. It's like the antithesis to all the excitement that happens when the audience is there.

How much can a road magician make in a year?

Depends on the market, how hard you work and how good you are. You can make $30,000 and you can make $300,000. There is no "standard salary."

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I did not.

Most magicians have a smoking hot assistant. Do you have one and if so, how did you meet?

Yes, but she stays at home and the way she assists me is by telling me if my outfit matches and if my hair looks good. We met through mutual friends.

do you believe in the magic of friendship?

Yes. Magic IS friendship.

That was awesomely entertaining. Now I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon YouTubing your stuff instead of working.

So traveling is tough being away a lot. Do you have a significant other or kids? If not, do you have any plans to do so?

Thank you very much. Yes, traveling is tough.

Yes, I am married but have no kids. Just dogs and horses!

Ok here's another what do you think of the movies with magic in them such as Now you see me 1&2 and The Illusionist? Do they portray your passion and craft in a good light to you? And has any illusion shown in a movie ever really pissed you off thinking that's not possible

I don't know why, but I just don't enjoy magic movies. The only one I've actually ever enjoyed was The Prestige. I think that to make magic accessible in a movie format, you have to appeal to all of the most cliche stereotypes in magic. In the first now you see me, when they started pulling the silk scarves out of the back of that truck, I was done.

As for the second part - not really, but I do get mad every time movies show Houdini dying in the water torture cell.

Does a secret magic club with actual magical powers exist?

Only to Alex Jones.

I feel like perhaps you wanted to say more on the show, like maybe you did fool them. Did you feel as though just by Penn saying "slight of hand" you deserved a bit more of a guess?

No, Penn told me everything I needed to know. I performed a classic of magic that they're very familiar with.

Any advice for an up and coming Ohio magician who is looking to expand to the surrounding states and cruise lines as well?

Get as much performance time as possible at as many different places possible. The only way to get good is to do it a LOT. And don't start approaching the big agents, venues, clients until you do. You don't want to burn a bridge by not being ready. I've seen it happen too often.

Who is more respected in the magic community, GOB Bluth or The Amazing Randi?

The Amazing Randi, but only because Gob revealed the secret of the Aztec Tomb. Before that, he was fine.

If you haven't seen Randi's recent documentary, go watch it. It's very real, very sad, but honest. Randi's Educational Foundation (JREF) is one of the things in our society that we can point to as being significant. If you're not familiar, James Randi has, for decades, offered HUGE sums of money to anyone who can prove paranormal ability in test conditions. No one has won the prize.

Say you were stopped by the police and you had something illegal like drugs on you. What do you think your chances would be at making them 'dissapear'?

Probably not very good. But I think if you REALLY wanted to get away with something like that, it would have a lot more to do with your behavior than what you did with the drugs.

How much practice went into that routine? I know the basic principle of that illusion, but the execution was so insane I started questioning myself mid-way.

I've been doing the routine for at least 15 years. Over the years, it's gotten faster and changed here and there. But the basic building blocks are the same and patterned off of the original routine that made it famous. I'd say I put 10-20 hours of rehearsal into before the very first performance way back when.

How did you do your illusion?

with liquor

Do you know why Jonathan Ross wasn't the host? Just new season switchups? Alyson Hannigan seemed very uncomfortable, unsure.

I have no idea. I think Alyson has done a great job.

I went to gvsu and loved having you come to campus. I was on the organization that scheduled acts. You were always one of the best. Professional, fun, and seemed to truly enjoy your job. You would hang out w us after the show.

I'm glad to see you getting even more deserved attention. Wishing you all the best!

(this got removed bc I didn't ask a question) Was/is GVSU your favorite college campus to perform on?

Thank you! I used to LOVE performing at GVSU! I still have photos of when all the program board held up "We love Michael Kent" signs! And a small group even traveled to see me at other shows. I remember having an audience of 400 there one year. Then the entire programming board left and no one knew who I was. I haven't been asked back after that!

If you had to choose only one magic book to read for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Does Tarbell count as one book? If not, maybe the Henry Hay book, which was my very first magic book.

Is it true that the greatest trick that the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he doesn't exist?

No.

Is Alyson Hannigan desperate for a job or something?

I don't think so at all. HIMYM was huge for her. I think that she was already in The CW family, so this was a nice, natural fit. She's not as smooth at being a "host" as Jonathan was, but she's very warm and fits really well on the show. During our pre-interview before taping, her and I talked like old friends. Really nice woman.

What happened to the other host, Jeffrey Ross?

He's currently making jokes at comedy central roasts and being famous for nothing else.

Is magic real?

No.

Why do you call yourself a "magician" when you are not? You are an illusionist if anything.

That's a fair enough question. The term magician is used because people know what it is. I would hope most people realize I am not an actual wizard. And despite what Gob Bluth might have you believe, calling myself an illusionist and doing the style of magic I would do would just make me seem pretentious.