He ripped a phonebook in half and then stabbed a predetermined page, number 520, with a sword as it fluttered through the air. It鈥檚 a trick that successfully fooled a couple of today鈥檚 most iconic magicians and earned him a coveted trophy on Penn & Teller: Fool Us - a magic competition television program.
Magician Wes Barker spoke with The 51暗网鈥檚 Nicolle Hodges about life at the intersection of magic and comedy, and how he plans to bring a big dose of both to Jasper in January.
51暗网: I saw your show in Vancouver and absolutely loved it, but that was many years ago. Has it evolved?
Wes: It has evolved. It's a lot less on the stunt side of things. My Instagram and Twitter handles are @stuntmagician, but other than that, and a title on my website, it鈥檚 less stunt-based.
Fitz [jokingly]: Just so we鈥檙e clear, your social handles and website say 鈥渟tunt magician鈥� but that is entirely false and misleading?
Wes: Haha! Okay. Yes. I see your point. The problem is that I used to do these big stunts but I鈥檓 always going for a laugh. I couldn鈥檛 convince people that the stunts were real because I was making jokes the whole time, and then when I would do the stunts and not make jokes, it wouldn鈥檛 have the same impact.
No one wants to see a guy walk on broken glass or nail something into his hand. I still do a couple of impossible stunts but everything is more comedy-based.
My show is magician meets standup comic. I鈥檒l do tricks that involve the audience, some hard-hitting magic to hilarious over-the-top gags, mixed with unbelievable stories of my life.
If you love magic, you鈥檒l love the show. If you like comedy but aren鈥檛 sure about magic, you鈥檒l also love it. I鈥檓 a magician, but cooler. I don鈥檛 take myself seriously. The goal is about everyone having a good time rather than a perfectly smooth magic show with a smoke machine and chest hair.
Fitz: I was going to ask you to describe your act in as few words as possible but I feel like you鈥檝e done a good job explaining it in as many words as possible.
Wes: I鈥檝e been fighting with this my entire career. The shorter you can describe your act, the more you will get booked. I鈥檓 a comedy magician. I鈥檓 a standup comic who knows magic tricks.
Fitz: The word magician kind of puts you at the mercy of whatever that person鈥檚 interpretation or experience has been, which could range from a massive Vegas show with the aforementioned chest hair-type to a birthday party from childhood with bunny-in-the-hat tricks. So, 鈥渟tandup comic who knows magic tricks鈥� eliminates room for misinterpretation, at least.
Wes: That鈥檚 the best way!
Fitz: What鈥檚 one of the greatest compliments you have received about your show?
Wes: When I did Penn and Teller: Fool Us, and I fooled them, that was a great compliment when they said: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know how you did it, here鈥檚 a trophy.鈥�
After the cameras turned off, Penn and Teller chased me down and asked me how I did it. Teller stopped the elevator door and he was like, 鈥淲es, that鈥檚 great.鈥� I said thanks and he said, 鈥淣o, that鈥檚 really great.鈥� He really stopped me and made sure I heard what he was saying. It was a simple thing to do but from a magic icon, that was the best.
Fitz: He slowed down the moment so you could fully feel and accept the compliment.
Wes: Once the elevator doors closed, I started crying.
Fitz: How will your show brighten the dark and cold winter month of January?
Wes: I did this show in Jasper last year and we blew the roof off the place. My show is a party and you can鈥檛 help but have fun. You can be a grumpy person, and even if you don鈥檛 react, I might invite you onstage. You have to participate in the fun and I鈥檓 good at getting that out of people.
It鈥檚 more interactive than most shows. I鈥檓 only bringing a few people onstage but the smaller the community, the more likely they are to see their friends.
I have so many people who will be like: 鈥淚 was famous for the next five days!鈥� The show lasts beyond the night. Magic does that inherently.
