Larry Wilson "Famous Magician School" Bonus Show #109

Comic/Magician Larry Wilson shares how he used "Famous Magician School" as the foundation of the comedy in his magic show. It is very funny and the theme weaves its way throughout his magic presentation. Very funny!

Larry Wilson's Podcast: "How to Talk to Humans"

Larry Wilson is a world-class magician acclaimed for his unique blend of comedy and magic, earning him the prestigious title of Magician of the Year. With a dynamic career that includes television, stage, and large concerts, he has had the honor of opening for legendary acts like Sammy Davis Junior. Wilson believes that comedic magicians bring a unique and entertaining element to their performances by blending humor with magic, drawing inspiration from legendary figures like Carl Ballantine. By infusing comedy into his magic, Wilson creates dynamic and engaging performances that captivate audiences, emphasizing the importance of authentic communication and vivid presentations to enhance the comedic experience.

(00:03:00) Supernatural Powers Parodied in Magician School

(00:05:15) Humor-infused Communication in Magical Performances

(00:06:36) Supernatural Humor in Magical Performances

Transcript

Announcer: 0:03

This is another episode of stand up comedy. Your host and emcee celebrating 40 plus years on the fringe of show business. Stories, interviews and comedy sets from the famous and not so famous. Here's your host, NMCE Scott Edwards.

R. Scott Edwards: 0:20

Hi, and welcome back to the show, man. We have some fun stuff for you today. A guy you've heard several times on my podcast. In fact, he's a regular. And the reason, and we put together the Magic Hat podcast. If you get a chance, go check it out. It's on all the platforms. The Magic Hat podcast. We can hear all about magicians talking about performing, and he has his own communications expertise shared through a podcast called how to talk to humans. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Back with us is the one and only Larry Wilson.

Larry Wilson: 0:58

Oh, thank you. Please, please sit down, Larry.

R. Scott Edwards: 1:03

Larry, so good to have you here. You know, we've talked before about this in long version, I wanted to kind of give the audience the short, upbeat version of it. You're a world class magician. You've been chosen magician of the year. You've performed on television, on stage, in huge concerts, opening up for people like Sammy Davis Junior and other huge names. But when it comes to your show, you make it so fun. You're a comic magician. We can all name some straight magicians. You make it fun, and you did it through famous magician school, which I think is just such a great premise. But can you share with the audience how as a magician, you decided to bring in comedy? And where did famous magician school come from?

Larry Wilson: 1:57

Well, these are crazy for so many reasons. I have a teenage son, and he had to go someplace to another state or another city. And a friend of mine who lived there, who's known me forever was kind enough to put him up for a couple nights. And so my son is texting me all the stuff about, hey, you know, Kent showed me this video of famous magician school. I, of course, never thought anything about it. My son thought that was so funny and so crazy. Famous magician school was a parody. I mean, this is, it was already ancient by the time I started doing this, but I never saw myself, but I would see old examples of magazines and stuff. There was some, like, famous writers school that I think, I'm just guessing now, but I think it was like after World War two, gis coming home and on the GI Bill and stuff.

R. Scott Edwards: 3:00

So in the fifties, yeah, I think.

Larry Wilson: 3:01

In the fifties where they got like, people who were recognized and famous authors formed some kind of, I don't know if it was a correspondence school. I think it was. And sometimes you'd see ads, like in magazines, and there'd be, like, a picture of several famous authors and say, we're looking for people who like to write. And if I remember correctly, I mean, this is how we're going back into the annals of antediluvian times, where I can only barely remember. But I think you would, if you signed up for a famous writer school, they would send you in the mail lessons, and you would write stuff, and then they would critique it and send it back to you or something like that.

R. Scott Edwards: 3:50

No, I actually think I saw it. And there was even ads on the back of comic books and stuff. Yeah, it was, it was a, and they were really expensive. But if they felt like you get a few million people sending them $5 each, they're going to be doing pretty good. What I loved about it was the way you introduced it. And I know you can do this on cue because you have it down. So if I was to, you know, say, ladies and gentlemen, here's famous magician Larry Wilson, you would have, I would say, good evening.

Larry Wilson: 4:21

I am Larry Wilson. Those of you who don't recognize me as a world famous magician, I've traveled all over the world, slept in the finest restaurants, eaten in the best hotels. No doubt many of you have wondered what it must be like to leave this wild, devil, make air, madcap, jet set sort of existence. Well, now, at last, you can. Yes, thanks to famous magician school. That's right, famous magician school. We're looking for people who like to turn tricks.

R. Scott Edwards: 4:53

That is such a great introduction. And then later on, you would elaborate in, you take food stamps and whatever you want to send in, it becomes.

Larry Wilson: 5:03

A running gag where the length of instruction keeps changing. And eventually, I'm saying, one short, intensive afternoon, you could become a world famous prestidigitate, you know?

R. Scott Edwards: 5:15

But what was great, though, was you were also honest, because we're not saying you'll be able to do this exactly the way I do, but through famous magician school, I just, it was something that I wanted to share with the audience, because you have always been a tremendous magician. There's no doubt about that. But comedically speaking, you held the same level as a lot of other comics people that made a living just doing standup comedy. And what I always appreciated as a producer was the ability to be a magician, which I worked with a lot of magicians because I like the variety arts. But you also were so funny in how you presented the magic, and it kind of has its roots in what you do on your podcast, how to talk to humans, is that it's all about communicating and painting a picture of what you're selling. And that was what I think made it so funny for me and for the audience. Washington, it sounds like you're this early style medicine man selling an elixir. Yeah, yeah, yeah. In famous magician school, what I would.

Larry Wilson: 6:36

Call a flim flam man.

R. Scott Edwards: 6:37

Yeah.

Larry Wilson: 6:38

And what's so funny about it, Scott, is you're quite right about it being involved with communication, because it's not like I'm some genius of any sort. I was just really communicating authentically what I felt about it. And to me, the idea of being a magician, you're saying I have supernatural powers. Well, that's already hysterically funny to me. All right, you're here on stage saying you have supernatural powers. If you had supernatural powers, you wouldn't be wasting your time here entertaining 50.

R. Scott Edwards: 7:22

People on a Tuesday night, right?

Larry Wilson: 7:26

You'd be off doing some extraordinary things with your supernatural powers. So then it becomes even funnier, because I'm here claiming to have supernatural powers. I'm going to demonstrate them by changing this red scarf into a green one. Well, this is a little anticlimactic. Yeah, that's a demonstration of your suit. So to me, it was always hysterically funny that you would present yourself and, you know, I have to say, the godfather of all comedy magicians, I think, was the great Ballantyne.

R. Scott Edwards: 8:11

Right?

Larry Wilson: 8:11

Carl Ballantyne, who.

R. Scott Edwards: 8:13

You go to the Googler. Carl Ballanty.

Larry Wilson: 8:15

Go to Googler. Carl Ballantyne started out as legitimate magician, could do all this great magic, but nobody cared. So for whatever reason, I met Carl a couple times. He was so nice and so complimentary, such a lovely, lovely guy, and his daughter Saratoga, who's an instrumental member of the Magic castle, the Academy of magical Arts in Hollywood. But Carl Ballentine started doing this, and I guess I should ask Sarah, because she probably could tell me better than someone else how he came to come up with this idea of doing a satire of what we think of as the traditional.

R. Scott Edwards: 8:56

Yeah. And I think that's what took him to fame, was that when he was doing early tv shows and stuff, that they would introduce him kind of like you introduced yourself, you know, as this famous magician.

Larry Wilson: 9:08

Right.

R. Scott Edwards: 9:08

And then he was actually performing the tricks, but he was doing it like it was an accident. And he would be as surprised as the audience when something worked.

Larry Wilson: 9:17

You know, he. And of course, he had a sign that said, the great Valentine and his hyperbolic manner. As I'm saying this to you, it's pretty clear that this is where my performance comes from, is I'm emulating that hyperbolic manner of speech and behavior of the great Ballantyne. When you just said that about he's, I just remember this thing where he puts on a blindfold and he's always narrating, I'll put on this blindfold now I cannot see, you know, and then he lays out across his outstretched arm a deck of cards, and he's describing this incredible thing he's going to do. And he interrupts himself, says, this is so great. I got to see it myself, and rips off the blindfold, you know, so he, or he's, he's got a hat and he's showing you it's empty. It's empty. It's empty. And he sets it on this table. He says, I'm going to reach into this hat and pull out a live rabbit. And then you see him lean over the hat and say, get ready, buddy. I'm coming down.

R. Scott Edwards: 10:23

You know, I mean, it was that over the top presentation.

Larry Wilson: 10:28

Yeah, that's so funny.

R. Scott Edwards: 10:30

Well, I just wanted to share with the audience that when you get a chance to see Larry Wilson live and he's still performing all over the country, if you get a chance, go to the podcast the Magic hat. You'll hear a lot of his story. Or if you're interested in how he communicates with the audience on such a succinct and successful way, he has his own podcast, how to talk to humans. Larry, we didn't have a lot of time, but I'm glad that we got to get this out. Thanks for joining us. My pleasure, ladies and gentlemen. Stay tuned. Next week we'll have another great show. Bye.

Announcer: 11:04

We hope you enjoyed this episode of stand up comedy. Your host and Mc. For information on the show, merchandise and our sponsors, or to send comments to Scott, visit our website at www.standupyourhostandmc.com. look for more episodes soon and enjoy the world of stand up comedy. Visit a comedy showroom near.