These guys are something else. I remember seeing them on Scooby Doo when I was a kid growing up. Their Vegas show is great. I’ve seen several magic shows and specials on TV, but the way they ran the whole thing and let you inspect the stage was super cool.
After 50 years, The Magic Circle finally inducts Penn and Teller
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Re: After 50 years, The Magic Circle finally inducts Penn and Teller
#12I'm having trouble getting my head around an interview with Teller. We all know he doesn't speak. :)
Here's a talk he did at Google where he talks at length:
Re: After 50 years, The Magic Circle finally inducts Penn and Teller
#13Penn and Teller: Fool Us is amazing. I went on a binge a year or so ago, watching everything there was to watch on YouTube (which is a lot).
I love how genuinely enthusiastic and encouraging of lesser known magicians they are. Always willing to celebrate their strengths instead of mocking them for their failures.
And they are excellent magicians, too.
My respect for Penn also went up after he realized his hardcore libertarian position was untenable. It was nice seeing him grow out of it.
Re: After 50 years, The Magic Circle finally inducts Penn and Teller
#14Good to see. I never got their act, so I never really watched them, but my relatives thought they were great. Anyway, I did like and enjoy their performance in Babylon 5.
The balls and cups with transparent cups is stunning.
Re: After 50 years, The Magic Circle finally inducts Penn and Teller
#15The show Fool Us is wonderful…and this clip in particular is my favorite: https://youtu.be/5_KcQt0z-eE?si=xO5gTByzV0spzS2e
Re: After 50 years, The Magic Circle finally inducts Penn and Teller
#16Penn and Teller: Fool Us is amazing. I went on a binge a year or so ago, watching everything there was to watch on YouTube (which is a lot). I love how genuinely enthusiastic and encouraging of lesser known magicians they are. Always willing to celebrate their strengths instead of mocking them for their failures. And they are excellent magicians, too. My respect for Penn also went up after he realized his hardcore li…
My favorite episode had a magician do a great act about reading the paper, and all these terrible things spilled out and then he closed it, reopened it and good things spilled out. Penn and Teller of course recognized a zombie and a twilight seance but went out of their way to say how moving and entertaining they found the act.
Re: After 50 years, The Magic Circle finally inducts Penn and Teller
#17The show Fool Us is wonderful…and this clip in particular is my favorite: https://youtu.be/5_KcQt0z-eE?si=xO5gTByzV0spzS2e
Even if you never want to practice magic, I highly recommend buying a few Dani DaOrtiz lectures. The way his mind works is phenomenal, and the things he talks about (psychology, how people think, crafting experiences) are applicable across the board.
(I rarely perform his tricks... they're brilliant, but they're so perfectly suited for his style that I can't even come close to pulling them off without seeming like a confused idiot. But I love watching him explain what goes into each trick. This specific trick is available on Vanishing.)
Re: After 50 years, The Magic Circle finally inducts Penn and Teller
#18Great to hear. I'll never forget running into Teller in the lobby of a small show I went to that he was also in the audience for. I sheepishly asked for an autograph and he was very friendly and gracious (and spoke!).
Re: After 50 years, The Magic Circle finally inducts Penn and Teller
#19I am not sure why they even bother...they are at the top of their fields and they are household names in America that are synonymous with magic. Not since Houdini has there been such famous magicians in show biz. The professional organizations should be naming prizes after them instead of them begging to be part of the in-group. You don't see Bill Gates, Jobs, or Torvalds begging to join the IEEE.
Re: After 50 years, The Magic Circle finally inducts Penn and Teller
#20I am not sure why they even bother...they are at the top of their fields and they are household names in America that are synonymous with magic. Not since Houdini has there been such famous magicians in show biz. The professional organizations should be naming prizes after them instead of them begging to be part of the in-group. You don't see Bill Gates, Jobs, or Torvalds begging to join the IEEE.
I think the difference here is that Penn and Teller are just as much historians of magic as they are magicians themselves. Accepting the honor is also accepting that the history is still relevant and worth celebrating. Making this into an ego thing misses the point a bit, I think.