Master of Escape – Michael Griffin – Inside Magic InterviewInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

Chains, Ropes, Boxes and Bags – None Can Hold Him

Michael Griffin has guts and skill. For those of us who perform silk acts, or close-up routines, doing death-defying escapes seems, well, unnecessarily dangerous. Michael doesn’t seem bothered by the very real danger presented by the escapes he undertakes.

One of the most interesting things about Michael — and the reason we hassled him for this interview — was his willingness to perform “Challenge Escapes.”

There aren’t many escape artists that still perform the Challenge Escape — willing to take on all comers and their innovative and allegedly unescapeable devices.

We’re honored that Michael would take the time to conduct this interview and wish him the best of luck and safe performances in the years ahead.

Read On . . .

Michael Griffin to be Nailed into Packing Case

Inside Magic: How did you get started in magic? How old are you now and where do you call home? Who were the influences in your life – positive or negative – that helped form the performer you are today?

Michael Griffin: I got started in magic watching shows like Wild Wild West (which is still my favorite) watching magicians whenever the opportunity came up. My babysitter at the time showed me a cool trick where he vanished…

Chains, Ropes, Boxes and Bags – None Can Hold Him

One of the most interesting things about Michael — and the reason we hassled him for this interview — was his willingness to perform “Challenge Escapes.”

There aren’t many escape artists that still perform the Challenge Escape — willing to take on all comers and their innovative and allegedly unescapeable devices.

We’re honored that Michael would take the time to conduct this interview and wish him the best of luck and safe performances in the years ahead.

Read On . . .

Michael Griffin to be Nailed into Packing Case

The greatest influence in my life was my Dad — he was the greatest man I ever knew, my biggest regret was not getting the chance to get old myself and be able to talk with him as more of an adult and let him meet my daughter.

I knew he was a very well respected psychiatrist but, until his death and until I had a chance to read his curriculum vitae,I had no clue as to his far-reaching accomplishments. I have often dreamed of being able to rise to similar heights in magic by making my escapes embraced by fellow magicians and not looked down upon.

That is why it’s taken so long for me to start reaching out to the Magic community. I always got the feeling (justified or not) that magicians didn’t care for me or my style of presentation.

In terms of non-magic professional influences I would have to say John Wayne, Elvis, Evil Knievel , Daniel Boone. In terms of magic influences — and this may surprise you — I would have to say Dai Vernon, Theo Anneman, Kreskin

Inside Magic: Did you perform magic before attempting escapes? Were there skills learned in your development as a magician that assisted in your presentation of escapes today?

Michael Griffin: Yes and no.

As I recall the very first magic trick I performed were the kind you got from cereal boxes and mail-ins things like the sliding coin changer. I really loved those. At about the same time with the TV shows like Wild Wild West and cartoons like Superman, Batman and others my brother and I would tie each other up with rope.

I could always escape but, He never could — we still feed him twice a day.

Inside Magic: Ha!

Michael Griffin: Yes, the skills learned as a magician were paramount in development of escapes. The biggest influence in terms of actually learning magic was a copy I got of the Amateur Magicians Handbook by Henry Hay. I would devour that book at school during recess any time I could play with coins and cards, in fact a couple of my friends and I would practice sleights and tricks on each other. I still have that first copy with me; still beat up beyond belief and still held together with duct tape.

I do not believe I would be able to present escapes or approach them without the background I have in general magic. I am constantly amazed and saddened by the guys who come up to me or my assistants after the show and want to know where did I buy the escape thing or what book did I learn it in. I have to tell them it is not a store bought item or a copy of something in a book. You have to synthesize all you learn and experience in magic and let it brew in you and come out as something that is yours: in my case, the escapes seem to fit my personality and their performance seems to have come to life; being born in me of the magic influences.

To put it in to perspective, I like to use the analogy that several people have recorded Hound Dog; each of them different, but the one who was sincere was Elvis. It’s like that. It’s just something inside of you that you have to let out.

Chair Tie Escape

Inside Magic: How did you get interested in escapes? What kind of influence was Houdini on your development?

Michael Griffin: As I mentioned earlier it was shows like the Wild Wild West, Batman, Superman, Green Hornet — all those shows.

Inside Magic: And Houdini?

Michael Griffin: Surprisingly he wasn’t that big of an influence on development. I got off more on the concert scene and the acting scene and how entertainers are treated in that milieu as opposed to the way magicians are treated. I believe in show business perception is reality.

I have always tried to position myself when performing as a concert act so that I get a different vibe from the audience. I am saddened when I see magicians not positioning themselves in a different light. They pay for it because in the end, the audience looks down on them as a cheap act.

Inside Magic: You’re quoted as saying you want to “perform original and true escapes.” What would you describe as “original and true” as opposed to some other type?

Michael Griffin: I have to admit that I’m having trouble with this question. I don’t recall the context of my statement or if it was recorded accurately.

I like to perform original escapes but I also enjoy taking some classic escapes and tweaking them to fit my personality and hopefully get a better audience reaction. An example is our presentation of the German Transporkette which is essentially the old Siberian Chain Escape. We have so totally tweaked it that now it is a historically based item to make use audience interaction to produce a very visual — in front of your eyes — escape.

Inside Magic: Do you perform a pure escape act?

Michael Griffin: By performing a “pure escape act” I interpret that to be a self-contained single presentation, e.g., a straitjacket escape and in that regard yes, the escapes that are part of the show are in themselves pure escape, however the rest of the show is edgy magic.

I have always enjoyed the comments we get after the show from people that were surprised to learn that the show is not 100% escapes. Remember even in the biggest Rock concerts there is a flow of fast and not fast songs.

Inside Magic: What was your first public performance of an escape? When was you first “death-defying” escape?

Michael Griffin: My first public performance was in a church on Halloween — kind of ironic. I remember doing magic and then my first escape from a regulation straitjacket. I was so excited when my dad, a psychiatrist, came up to help the two gentlemen apply it to me. I really felt at home doing it because I could use my body and wiggle and jiggle to effect the escape.

I remember that some older magicians taught me to use the Tony Curtis approach: make it mysterious and slow. While I think that is a good idea I just ended up going with my instincts and the people really seemed to get into it.

My first Death Defying escape? I think that is kind of a silly way to put it but the media sure enjoys using it to capture the reader’s eyes. I would say it was in Lake Arrowhead. I was 18 and had my hand in a splint because of a broken finger that required surgery the next day. So there I am getting wrapped up in 40 feet of chains and locks by the editor of the Mountain News Paper (I grew up in Lake Arrowhead,CA — the mountains) freezing in the cold and fog knowing that if I made it I was going down the hill immediately to get prepped for the surgery the next morning.

Escape from Bag in Record Time

Inside Magic: Let’s talk about some of the escapes you do: Why in the world would you attempt something so dangerous as an escape from a hangman’s noose while sitting on a galloping horse? There are, as you know, many escape artists who have refused just this escape because even with all of the precautions built in, there was still too much risk. So why?

Michael Griffin: I was 20 years old, I figured I could do it. My manager asked me are you sure? You wouldn’t believe the look I got from the cops when they saw me trying to practice it in the park hanging by my neck.

Please note: this escape was done without a stuntman’s protected rigged noose — this was just a case of accepting the pain and working through it. Of course I couldn’t have done it without Kellar’s input (my wrists were tied behind my back) and that’s where the magic training coming to the front.

Inside Magic: How does one learn to do escape magic? How does one

learn to do the type of escape magic you perform?

Michael Griffin: Hard knocks. I have, on occasion, had magicians ask who taught me and how did I learn to do it the way I do. My answer has been and will remain: you have to be willing to get hurt, really hurt and play through it. If you can’t do that, you’re wrong for this type of work.

Inside Magic: I haven’t seen anyone recently perform a “challenge act” (actually, I only saw it once and it was a dreadful failure at a magic convention – the poor guy couldn’t get out of this straw basket that was fastened on stage around him). What caused you to bring this type of escape back?

Michael Griffin: This is part of Houdini that I really dug, he invented professional wrestling before it was professional wrestling in the sense that he started to catch on to the idea of sport-entertainment. I also really enjoy it because it can be a real battle of wits — not to imply that I’m smarter than the other guy. I meant there is some serious psychology involved in dealing with different challengers both on-stage and off and conveying the idea to the audience.

Inside Magic: What do you offer if you fail the challenge?

Michael Griffin: $100,000.00

Inside Magic: What sort of challenges have you had?

Michael Griffin: The challenges have run the gamut from being tied up in barbwire sealed and twisted by soldering shut – being incarcerated in a outerlocking airtight steel coffin.

Inside Magic: What conditions do you have for a challenge?

Michael Griffin: Do you mean medical? kidding. Really the challenge dictates the conditions from safety precautions to other needs.

Inside Magic: With the ever-growing sophistication of television audiences, is it harder to convince people that these are not tricks of either the camera or of some gimmick?

Michael Griffin: Not at all. Sincerity and honesty is the key.

Houdini Performs the Impossible Milk Can Escape

Inside Magic: Have you ever performed a milk can escape? What is your impression of the escape’s impact on a live audience?

Michael Griffin: I have not performed a milk can escape. I have performed a water filled 85 gallon oil drum to the same effect on the audience. The response is very strong but it depends again on how you sell something. Are you selling it as a “look how clever I am” puzzle or a “oh my god, I’m glad he made it” type of escape.

Inside Magic: Okay, here’s a pet peeve of mine that I’m trying to force into some type of question: I have noted that a number of recent escape effects are really nothing more than a vanish and appearance. The magician is locked in the box, tank of water, under spikes, over fire, or put in a barrel.

The audience sees that before the escape is accomplished, the box, tank, spike, fire, or barrel are destroyed and the magician is gone only to appear somewhere else. Doesn’t this blur the line between magic and escape to the degradation of escape acts generally? Isn’t there something special about seeing the magician actually emerge from behind the curtain leaving the box, bag, tank, milk can intact?

Michael Griffin: I have to agree with you 100% but, I also have to eat some crow because I had to perform a couple of silly TV eye candy escapes that were set up just like you describe. I can’t tell you how hard we fought against doing that on the 1999 World Magic Awards but in the end, both my team and the producer were making concessions.

I was pleased, however, that in 1993 on the International Magic Awards I got to perform a real escape from underwater complete with a 65 pound ball and chain locked around my neck hanging by my ankles at the bottom of a lagoon.

Inside Magic: Do you think Houdini could hold audiences’ attention today? How is your performance different from earlier escape artists in terms of timing or visual appearance?

Michael Griffin: Yes, I do. I believe that any great entertainer will always be able to hold an audience. The methods may change, but the effect of the personality does not change.

My performance may differ in the sense that I don’t take myself as seriously on stage as I understand the vaudeville acts did.

Inside Magic: What about timing? Do you need to speed up or slow down to catch the attention of today’s audiences?

Michael Griffin: I don’t agree with most magicians that say you can’t hold an audience when the escape artist is covered from view — it is simply not true. The presentation is everything, goes back to psychology and other magic principles.

Inside Magic: Are there golden rules you live by in preparing for and performing a dangerous stunt or escape?

Michael Griffin: I never smoked, drank alcohol or did drugs. I can’t start the day without stretching exercises and simple dislocations — I jog, ride my bike and just do whatever comes up at the moment: football, baseball, volleyball, etc.

Inside Magic: If you weren’t a magician, what would you do?

Michael Griffin: PR or Sales

Inside Magic: Where will you be appearing? How can Inside Magic’s readers see you or learn more about you?

Michael Griffin: We are performing a lot of corporate shows. Inside Magic readers can learn more by visiting our site: http://www.masterofescape.com/. It is constantly getting better — I hope.

Inside Magic: Thank you, Michael, for taking time out of your very busy (and dangerous) schedule to talk with us. We really appreciate it.

Michael Griffin: I want to thank you for inviting me to chat. I have put off for way to long getting my name out into the magic community. I hope to hear from the readers both good and bad about my views. Thanks again.