“Oh man, that’s a good question,” Sperry says, which I will leave in to show I ask pretty good questions. “I don’t know if I should answer this because I don’t want to give away too much. Psychologically, just in the sense of how much can go right past an average person and they don’t notice it. And it can be big things too, like when you’re walking down the street, someone might say, ‘Oh my god, did you see that billboard?’ or really just anything – can you tell me the colour of the shirt your boss wore today?
“Probably not – these are bad examples – but there’s so much that is hidden in plain sight of people. The more I got into illusion and misdirection and staging things for shows, I would find stuff right in front of people without even really trying.”
Sperry’s gothic presentation often leads to comparisons to Marilyn Manson, and many of his most famous tricks, such as removing a Lifesaver inside his mouth via his neck using dental floss, make you gasp and cringe uncomfortably. However, there is this brilliant, subtle humour to Sperry’s illusionism, which is vital to offset his edgy style.
“I don’t intentionally emphasise it but I do see it lacking in modern magic, and magic as a performance genre in general,” he says about comedy. “Back in the day, you could say, ‘This box I got in my travels to India contains mysteries of whatever’ wank wank story, but back in the day, people would probably believe that. Whereas now, with internet – like that’s all bullshit. You can’t say that anymore without looking like an asshole, you look like an idiot. Like what do you take these people for? I’m more interested, not just in performing but in real life, in ‘let’s just be real about it’.
“Entertainment and humour, I put into my show in a very dark and twisted way…in my particular style, it would be very off-putting to try be gory and edgy and shocking without being able to balance it and allow the audience to laugh at you and with you about it, to show that it’s not necessarily malicious. Things that make you grossed out or uncomfortable, or ‘look at all these amazing sleight of hand, unexplainable illusions that I’m doing, and now I want you to applaud for me’ – I don’t like that aspect of magic where it’s about me, where I’m on the pedestal. I just think it’s very pompous, and arrogant.”
There is a real affection lacing Sperry’s tone when talking about magic as an art form, and the worldwide demand for his talents is reflective of his passion for illusionism.
“The Illusionists is a great show. It’s got such a solid track record of ticket sales, and while it’s nothing to sneeze at, I’ve also done a couple of the talent franchises. I just did one in Germany last year where I was in the top three – the only American to ever do that, the only magician to ever do that. I got the most air time out of any personality in the history of the network of any show – they weren’t cutting to commercials, they just kept letting me do what I do – I’m very proud of that. And my off-Broadway show that I did for two years in the heart of Times Square. A whole venue and a whole theatre, bar, restaurant – the whole thing was built around my persona and my style.”
Sperry will be touring Australia as part of the critically-acclaimed show The Illusionists, starring up to seven brilliant magicians. The Illusionists has toured through Asia, South America, Europe and even Australia a couple of years ago, boasting $3 million worth of ticket sales at the Sydney Opera House in about eight days.
“We’ve definitely toured some places with The Illusionists where some cultures and countries were not cool with what I do at all,” laughs Sperry. “They were not feeling it. With the show in Korea, they wanted me on the show really bad and everything got settled. When I got there, the network was into spiritual culture, and the producers were like, ‘You can’t do any of that’ so the stuff I did on the Korean show was modified or I had to try and wing it once I was there.
“I was just told one of the routines I do is very illegal in Dubai in every shape and form. Usually when I’m travelling with The Illusionists, I have like a whole dedicated back-up material I can rotate should anything arise regarding things going too far.”
And what was this trick that is so illegal in Dubai?
“I think I’ll be doing it in Australia,” he says with a cheeky chuckle, “so I’ll let that be a surprise.”
BY NICK TARAS
