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Through a Mirror Magically

Today’s Press and Sun-Bulletin from Binghampton (NY)
proves our case. Although it is not a paper that normally covers Magic
News like Quinlan’s Inside Magic or our newsletter Today’s Magic News,
it does cover real news.

We sound like a broken record, or whatever the modern-day equivalent
of our anachronistic reference would be — perhaps an ever-looping
mp3. But here we cannot help it. (Or we can help it but don’t want
to).

David Copperfield works the press better than anyone in the magic
biz. Why might he be better at it than say Criss Angel or David
Blaine? Arguably, Mr. Blaine had the best of all possible access to
the press during his 44 day performance art piece in which he portrayed
a starving, despondent artist with no-known porta-pottie.

While we like to watch depressed, self-indulgent, rich people
starving themselves as much as the next guy (assuming we’re not sitting
next to normal people), hasn’t that market niche already been filled
with Kate Moss and Paris Hilton? We note that of the three performers,
only Paris Hilton actually did tricks while publicly starving.

Plus, it is our theory built upon our own insecurities and jealousy
that Mr. Blaine doesn’t like to talk too much. This cuts down
significantly on interview opportunities. Guy Tussle wrote, “He is a
man of few words and he likes to save them for his shows.” True
enough. We recall his last special in which he offered the following
set-up, delivery, and punch-line for an effect. We can’t recall what
trick it was, but the patter is the same for each.

Hey, wait, look. Look here. Seriously, look at this.
Can you see what that is? Right, now look, look, look closer. Do you
see . . . Right! Wait, look at … Cool, you can have this back.
Right. Thanks.

Criss Angel deserves more press but perhaps his handlers at A&E
Networks wanted to carefully work his development and help craft the
right image. In our book, though, anyone who shoves steel hooks
through back muscles, gets hoisted above some canyon floor by a
helicopter, can pretty much handle anything the press can toss his
way.

We hope they let him loose — not literally or at least not he’s doing the meat-hook hanging dealie.

So David Copperfield remains top of the list for Press Craft.
Before entering any town in the world, he gives an interview with the
local paper. He’ll work his advance-man magic no matter the size of
the market or the sophistication of the paper. We’ve seen interviews
given to weekly news rags offered with the same excitement and energy
as those given to the major metropolitan dailies.

Mr. Copperfield performs his real magic in those interviews. He
gives autobiographical details as if he is revealing a true exclusive
to the reporter. He builds excitement…

Through a Mirror Magically

Hey, wait, look. Look here. Seriously, look at this.
Can you see what that is? Right, now look, look, look closer. Do you
see . . . Right! Wait, look at … Cool, you can have this back.
Right. Thanks.

We hope they let him loose — not literally or at least not he’s doing the meat-hook hanging dealie.

Mr. Copperfield performs his real magic in those interviews. He
gives autobiographical details as if he is revealing a true exclusive
to the reporter. He builds excitement about the upcoming appearances
with local references causing readers to think the entire tour has been
building up to the show in their town.

The man is good. Plus he knows how to relate to real people through
the press. They don’t teach you those talents in one-hour lectures at
your local magic convention.

Nope.

We suspect Mr. Copperfield is a driven man who wants to continue
performing around the world. His press relations are more than a
necessary evil of being a star — he clearly believes it is essential
to him being a star.

A friend of ours covered Mr. Copperfield’s press conference years
ago. The magician was announcing his plans to walk through The Great
Wall of China.

In addition to being a fine magician, our buddy is also one of the
top news photographers in the world. He’s covered wars, presidents,
impeachments, auto accidents, assassinations, riots, and more wars.

He told us Mr. Copperfield worked the room better than the best
politician. He took time to talk with the photographers before and
after the conference. He didn’t offer any advice to them. Just talked
with them, got to know them.

No one talks to the press photographers at a news conference. To
most, it doesn’t seem necessary. They’re just taking pictures to be
used with the story. The story is written by someone else.

But Mr. Copperfield knew he would receive more flattering pictures
from photographers who liked (or at least didn’t feel contempt for)
him. It worked well back then, and Mr. Copperfield sticks with the
stuff that works.

Compare the shots you’ve seen of Mr. Copperfield with those snapped
of David Blaine. We can’t recall any horribly embarrassing shots of
the former but saw dozens of published images of the latter.

Good for you, Mr. Copperfield. We’re watching and learning from you always.

Check out the lead in Sarah D’esti Miller’s interview piece with Mr. Copperfield as published in today’s Press & Sun-Bulletin.

When you are arguably the most famous magician
in the world, sometimes scheduling an interview can be a feat of magic
in itself. So we initiated an e-mail conversation with David
Copperfield, who will bring his Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion show
to The Forum on Wednesday.

Copperfield (born David Seth Kotkin) graciously agreed to respond
through cyberspace, because sometimes he just can’t be two places at
once? at least not yet.

Here are some snippets from the master:

Sarah D’esti Miller: What was your first feat of magic?

David Copperfield: I became interested in magic at an early
age. Though I did ventriloquism first with my dummy VEN (yes, I know,
not the most original name) … I quickly moved on to magic, which I
was much better at. I learned a card trick from my grandfather when I
was 7 involving four aces. As a matter of fact the illusion is in my
current show. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away before he ever
got to see me do it in public. Each night’s performance of that magic
is a special tribute to his memory.

***

Sarah D’esti Miller: Yours is perhaps one of the oldest
careers there is, and yet the scientific age has changed it. Of course,
one of the good things to come out of this is people in your profession
are no longer burned at the stake, but how do you sustain a sense of
wonder in a cynical society? In what other ways do you feel the role of
magic has changed and what do you see as its role in the future?

David Copperfield: New science and technology have often been
used by the magician before they came into the marketplace on mass
basis. For example, prior to the moving picture going into theater,
magicians were using images in motion as illusions in their shows. At
that time the process was so new, an audience perceived it as magic.
Also in the early stages of holograms, magicians would use these images
to baffle and mystify their fans.

It’s interesting that you made the “burning at the stake” comment.
In my vast collection of magic housed in a secret location in the
Nevada desert (The International Museum and Library of the Conjuring
Arts), one of the books I own dates back to the late 15th century. It
is one of the oldest printed books on magic in the world today and it
was actually written to EXPLAIN how tricks of that age were done to
STOP others from being burned at the stake as “witches.” Apparently it
wasn’t very effective, since witch burning continued for nearly another
200 years.

***

Sarah D’esti Miller: I imagine you need the strictest of nondisclosure agreements with your crew…

David Copperfield: Yes, everyone in my entourage and the stagehand crews at every venue around the world sign a secrecy agreement.

It is the unspoken ethic of all magicians to not reveal the secrets.
… I find revealing the secrets of magic quite reprehensible. I am
fortunate to have the resources to have many methods to do each of my
illusions.

If someone makes a guess that is in the correct ballpark as to how I
perform my magic, I keep the illusion but change the method. So, to me,
the simplistic guesses in TV shows and books that aim to expose are
like blanks fired from a gun. But there are thousands of magicians with
families who are less fortunate.

They are hard-working entertainers who cannot afford to have multiple methods for their illusions.

***

Sarah D’esti Miller: I saw an interview with you once where
you recounted one of the most hilarious stories I had heard in a long
time. A protester at one of your shows said you were in league with the
devil and you took a photo of him …

David Copperfield: Yes, you remember the story well! I saved
the photo and years later when he showed up at another performance with
the same sign, I was prepared. I took the photo from the archives and
placed it in my pocket. Then, I went out to meet him and asked him if I
could take a Polaroid of the two of us.

I turned around as the photo came out of the camera and switched it
with the photo of just him from years ago and handed it to him.

You should have seen the look on his face, when he saw the image of (only) himself!”