Criss Angel, a new master of illusion
Date: August 02, 2005
Source: USA TODAY by Ann Oldenburg
Poof! Criss Angel has turned into the
magician of the moment. With Marilyn Manson looks and
Harry Houdini abilities, Angel has caught buzz with
his new A&E show, Mindfreak (Wednesday, 10 ET/PT).
In its first two weeks Mindfreak has drawn
1.7 million viewers, easily improving on the cable network's
average prime-time audience of 1.1 million. More important,
it's drawing young viewers: The median age is 34, well
below A&E's usual 49.
"He is on track to be the next superstar in our
field," says Richard Kaufman, editor of Genii:
The Conjurors' Magazine. Criss is "a hungry guy.
You have to be hungry to be a star. It only comes to
those who are willing to do almost anything, and, as
you can see from the series, he's willing to do just
about anything."
In the premiere, he lit himself on fire. This week,
Angel flies suspended from a helicopter, hanging with
four 8-gauge fish hooks stuck into his back. "You
have to put them in the flesh just right. Too shallow
and they will rip right out, too deep can be permanent
muscle damage. It was excruciatingly painful, yet one
of the most beautiful things I've ever done."
It's part of his artistry, says the musician and magician,
who also calls himself a mentalist, a hypnotist and
an illusionist. And if you ask him about comparisons
to David Blaine, who has done such stunts as freezing
himself in ice and burying himself alive, Angel says:
"Who?"
Although it seems as if Angel — who took his stage
name when fellow magician and famous debunker The Amazing
Randi told him he looked nothing like an angel —
just burst on the scene, he has been performing since
he was 6.
"My Aunt Stella did a card trick," says Angel,
who grew up on Long Island in a Greek-American family.
"It boggled my mind. Once she shared it with me,
I felt this incredible sense of power, that an adult
didn't understand how it worked. It was very enticing."
Angel is now his real name, he says. He doesn't want
to give his family name or age or other information.
"I don't talk about my age, my personal life, my
religion, my politics. And here's why: I want people
to experience my art from the purist form." Besides,
he adds, "I have a lot of people showing up at
my mother's doorstep."
He has made TV appearances and done several specials,
including ones on the Sci Fi Channel and ABC Family.
But magicians don't typically get series. That only
happened after he signed with powerhouse agency The
Firm. Dave Baram, the president, is an amateur magician,
and Angel is the firm's first magician client.
A&E, he says, has been supportive, but he's concerned
that executives might not air one of his episodes.
"I did something that is a famous effect that
12 magicians have tried to do and died — to catch
a bullet in your teeth. I wanted to devise a way to
really try to do it. I had a ballistics expert fabricate
a metal cup for my mouth designed to absorb the .223
bullet. And I had a sharpshooter, a guy who is an incredible
shot — Jon Davis from the band Korn. And we were
successful in doing it. We did it and I didn't kill
myself! I want to show people."
He says A&E is worried about copycats trying it.
In a statement, the network said it hasn't made a decision
on the bullet-catch stunt: "With the enormous success
of Criss Angel: Mindfreak with the younger audience,
we are carefully reviewing each episode."
In the meantime, Angel is working on a book and has
a tour planned for fall. "The goal is to become
a household name."
You can read the article here.
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