Criss Angel Interview

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"Love passed, the muse appeared, the weather
of mind got clarity newfound;
now free, I once more weaved together
emotion, thought, and magic sound."
- Alexander Pushkin

Clouds of smoke cascade from a dimly lit stage as a lone figure sits in a meditative state. As the lights come up, it appears as if the figure's ethereal form rises out of the figure on stage. This incorporeal form levitates slowly up and out over the audience slowly, randomly touching an audience member's hand. Stunned, the unsuspecting person begins to float out of their seat. As the floating figure releases his grip, the audience member safely floats back to their seat.

Is this moment of otherworldly visitation a scene from the latest Hollywood sci-fi movie? Could it be possible for this imagery to take place before the unaided, and often all too critical eye of a live studio audience? Can those people in the audience ever trust what it is they think they're seeing? The answer to all of these questions and more can be summed up in a single name: Criss Angel and Angeldust. Criss Angel is an accomplished illusionist, vocalist, songwriter, and performance artist who, along with his musical partner, Klay Scott, is set to take the world by storm. Angeldust's impact will, very soon, make a very big noise in the entertainment medium. It's safe to say that Criss Angel and company will force the world at large to redefine the terms "magic," "illusionist," and "performance" and reassess what it is that these things are capable of. This is all but the tip of the iceberg as far as what Angeldust is and what Angel's vision will bring. Imagine the most feverish imaginings of William Gibson set to a gothic industrial soundtrack and you've only just begun to get a handle on the grandeur that is Angeldust. Angeldust is, simply put, an awe-inspiring presentation that simply must be seen to be believed.

Let's get some basic background on you. When you were a kid, were you a gregarious sort and always performing, or did you pretty much keep to yourself?
I got involved with music and magic when I was pretty young. I guess I was a loner because I was obsessed with them. If I wasn't practicing the drums or magic, I was thinking about it.

So, do you still play drums?
Not like I did, but it's still a part of everything I do.

It seems as if Houdini was a pretty big figure in your life as a magician.
He broke the mold - the man really was a pioneer. Houdini's magic went beyond illusions and escapes. He personified the art and his name is still synonymous with it today. What's even more intriguing is that 71 years after his death, he's still the biggest name in magic.

You've are quoted as saying that, in the past, that you had some movement training, mime, gymnastics and martial arts. Can you tell me a little bit more about what you feel you came away with from those disciplines?
I'm able to communicate my vision through movement and choreography. Also, it gave me the discipline and dedication to achieve whatever I set my mind to. I'm a firm believer that your body is a slave to your mind. When I was in my teens, I experimented with movement quite a bit. I trained in gymnastics and did a lot of popping and locking on the streets and in clubs. I also dabbled in kung fu and karate. I went on to have more serious training and personal instruction in gosoku ryu with World Champion and 7th degree blackbelt Shihan Grant Campbell who has been inducted into the Karate Hall of Fame. I still practice and I'm always eager to learn more.
When I turned 18, I got my explosives license after studying with famed pyro designer Peter Cappadocia. I was seduced by so many things I can't remember them all. I was like a sponge, absorbing as much as I could about everything that visually stimulated me. Thank God I met such generous people who were willing to share their talent and time for free with me 'cause I didn't have much money!

Who were some of the big influences on you as far as magic?
I guess one of my biggest influences was Richiardi. Not necessarily because of the magic, but because of his unparalleled style. My parents took me to see his show at the Felt Forum when I was a kid. Although he was getting up there in age, he still managed to blow me away. To this day, I have never seen a magician who could command the stage and your attention so effectively. He was just pure energy, dynamics and everything that magic lacks today. Unfortunately, like Houdini, he passed on. Most of my inspiration comes from outside magic, though. It comes from music and from people who change the face of their profession. Also, my father has had a profound effect on my life.

Growing up, I'd seen the Tony Curtis film they had done on him and thought he was so cool and thought to try to learn magic, but since I have hands like bricks...
Actually, that movie wasn't completely accurate. It depicted Houdini dying as a result of his attempt to escape from the water torture cell. That wasn't true, but I guess they were going for drama….

Since some of the people who are reading this have not had an opportunity to see you perform, can you describe, in your own words, a Criss Angel performance?
Angeldust is the New Breed of Entertainment. It's a concept that fuses a plethora of art forms in a fully interactive world set one hundred years in the future. The entire theater is the stage as it mutates around you. It couples revolutionary illusions that have more in common with movie magic, an original music score played live, extreme sports, a variety of avant-garde creatures, state-of-the-art pyrotechnics, projection and lighting. There are so many facets to it and it is unlike anything out there, so it's hard for me to describe what it's like. I'm not trying to hype you, it's just something you have to experience for yourself.

How did you come up with concept of combining music and magic and when did you first attempt it?
That's a lengthy answer that I'll try to keep short. Two things happened - I got frustrated being stuck behind a drum kit in someone else's band and felt restrained within the norms of the magic community. It was a lot more difficult attempting what had never been done before, but at the same time it was very exciting. When I was about 16, I started experimenting on the music and magic concept. I stopped studying the drums, began doing vocals and soon after put my own band together. We played out constantly in all the clubs and eventually built up one of the biggest followings in New York. I spent a lot of time writing and recording. I guess it was this process of developing that became the infrastructure for what I'm doing today.

The first time I saw your work was on the Discovery Channel special and after sitting through a good portion of the show where it was your traditional magician doing standard acts we've all seen, you pop up and it was so different and the vision of it seemed so epic that it was a strange counter balance to the rest of the "guy in the tuxedo and sequin-clad assistant doing the Harry Blackstone, Jr. inspired act. One of the things you performed on that show was piece entitled "The Metamorphosis" [wherein Criss, having been chained and locked in a box, exchange places with someone standing on top of the box in literally a blink of an eye -ed] Number one: truly amazing. Number 2: I had seen something like that done before, but you move it to another level by doing it so quickly. How difficult was that to pull together?
Actually, that illusion is a classic in magic. It dates back even before Houdini. Since then, countless magicians have performed it. I wanted to do it differently both in its execution and obviously, conceptually. I accomplish the Metamorphosis at a world record speed which is literally under a second and with a major twist. The switch is performed without a curtain - none of these things have ever been done before in the history of magic. I guess that's why magicians are stumped by it. Not that I care what magicians think, but it is sweet to shake up the magic world. Klay and I spent some time with Siegfried of Siegfried & Roy who is a really good guy. He was absolutely blown away by the whole performance of the Metamorphosis. It was a tremendous compliment coming from someone who is a pioneer in his own right. I guess we did pretty good!

The whole piece seems to build to a crescendo and release just like any good musical presentation, theater, or even comedy. So, I think it just works so effectively. Now, you mentioned that your show is post apocalyptic in tone. Is that purely an aesthetic choice or was that a statement by you about where mankind is heading?
Interpretation is something that's sacred. I don't want to spoil what it may mean to someone else. I can't tell you how many times people come up to Klay and me commenting on what they thought our songs meant. It's interesting how art affects everyone and how it could be dissected to mean multiple things to different people. What I can tell you is that there is more to this project than meets the eye. Or ear! (laughs).

You've stated that you are "reinventing magic for the new millennium." Can you elaborate on that statement?
Magic has not kept up with technology. The way it's presented and perceived is a total cliché. It doesn't garner the respect music, theater or the cinema has. I think part of the reason is that most magicians are a hybrid of each other. They all think like magicians and it seems like there are very few outside influences in their creative process. We're heading into the new millennium and most magicians are still performing the same mundane, shove-the-girl-in-the-box trick with their hokey presentations, corny jokes and bland prerecorded music. And the sad thing is, is that they think it's the "New Wave of Magic." I think it's time that somebody challenges tradition and really pushes the envelope. I want to catapult the art of illusion into the 21st century as Houdini did in the 20th. It's exciting and difficult because on one hand I'm able to combine so many different elements and utilize technology with this age old art form. On the other, I'm traveling in uncharted territory. I think the bottom line is that my concept will appeal to a more sophisticated audience, and a new audience such as the MTV viewers. And whether it's loved or hated, the gratifying thing is that it will be the antithesis of any other magic show, ever.

You're right. So many people, in, as you say, the MTV generation, will roll their eyes the minute you mention magicians or illusionists. "Oh, god...this is like something my mom would drag me to." And, again, that's what is so different about what you are doing. Your performance seems so in tune with those sensibilities. Seeing you one stage is exactly like something you would see in a Nine Inch Nails video or a James Cameron film and they are doing it all by cinematic trickery,but you're doing it all right there, up close and personal. You very well could bring that audience into the fold.
Thanks! But I wouldn't say it's like what they're doing conceptually or visually, although it does have that level of excitement and intensity and it is live.

When we first saw you perform, my twelve year old son, who is pretty hip to how things are done in the entertainment world, and he was immediately captivated by your performance. I mean, I saw that look in his eye that you used to see when kids saw an illusionist perform, whereas before in the Discovery Channel special, up till then, he was just sort of watching with one eye and being apathetic. Once you started with your piece, he immediately perked up and that is the key.
Thanks again!

Now, on the flip side of all of that is the question of how is your show received by the traditional magic audience?
I don't worry about it. I worry about pleasing myself artistically and I believe there is an audience who will appreciate my work. You can't please everyone and trying to is the kiss of death. I don't care about Wayne Newton's demographics. When I do, I'll know that it's time to quit.

I think that's so intelligent on two levels. One, there is an entire demographic there that no one is addressing so, from an exposure and from a financial standpoint, that's good. Secondly, since no one is approaching that audience, your competition is less, so it's easier to get noticed. I'm not so sure you could satisfy both audiences; the older audience and the younger one.
You're right. But I believe that when something is good, people will acknowledge it, and eventually it will be very successful. For example, take Cirque du Soleil which is the furthest thing from a traditional, commercial circus. Yet, when it's on something like Jay Leno, it crosses over and is accepted by a larger demographic, even though the show is true to it's original concept.

You've mentioned several times the relationship between your music and performance. I'm wondering if they work in simpatico with one another? I mean, does one feed off the other and therefore feed itself?
Yeah. Merging music into the illusion and the illusion into the music was not easy. I've spent about 10 years developing and evolving this concept in clubs. One of the major challenges was to create the kind of illusions, music and peripherals that would fuse seamlessly and make sense in the world they live.The components work together, yet it's completely unpredictable. You never know what to expect or for that matter, what's real and what is illusion. I think that's what keeps people on the edge of their seats.

Now, you had sent me a copy of the Winter 1997-1998 issue of Dance & the Arts magazine and I'm curious because there is one quote that really stood out. In the article the writer says, "Angels' appearance is indicative of the Generation X/MTV genre, with a face and physique comparable to that of a Greek god."
How can I answer that? What would you answer? I mean, I appreciate the kind words….

I was also curious about the photo that ran with the article of you duplicating the famous Houdini photo. Was that just something you were doing as a homage to him?
Yes. It was a tribute to an inspiration.

I'd like to talk a little bit about your relationship with Klay Scott. Where did that begin and what's going on there? Is there talk of record deals and that kind of thing?
When I first started producing, writing, recording and laying down the vocal tracks to my own stuff, I knew that the music had to drive the concept and that the songs and score had to be strong enough in and of themselves. I didn't want the music to be overshadowed by the visuals, I wanted it to define them. That's when I started to explore the electronic world and came across Klay Scott. He's a very talented and dedicated computer brainiac and is able to create magic out of pure sound. And then I brainwashed him into getting involved with my project. (laughs) Since then, we've written, produced and performed more than three CDs worth of material. A record deal is absolutely part of the plan, it just hasn't been the main focus up to this point.

When Cirque du Soleil was traveling around, suddenly you started to see soundtracks and such. When your show premieres and it's a success, then all of that stuff like CDs and tours would all fall into line.
I really don't know whether the CD will be released before or after the show opens. What I do know is that whenever it comes out the songs will stand on their own.

As more and more people become exposed to your work, and the revenue is rolling in and you are able to do bigger and bigger things, is that where you want to go. I mean, David Copperfield comes to mind. His shows began fairly small and they've gotten bigger and bigger as time has gone on. Is that where your interest lies or as you are redefining your "genre," do you also plan to become more elaborate?
Elaborate enough for that name not to come to your mind! Well, every day brings new goals and challenges. I know my obsessive/compulsive nature and I know that what is pleasing to me this very moment will change three minutes from now because I won't be satisfied. I never am - I'm a perfectionist. Besides, Klay and I eat, live and breathe our profession so I think it's safe to say that there will be much growth, change and refinement in the years to come for the entire production.

What about film?
Absolutely. It's funny that you should ask that. Dee Snyder called me this morning and asked if we'd be interested in being part of the soundtrack and tour for his upcoming movie, Strangeland. It's produced by The Shooting Gallery who did Sling Blade.
Actually, film is a medium I'm fascinated with. I took acting classes in Manhattan when I was a kid and I still keep a notebook to throw down script ideas. Hopefully, someday I'll do something with it. But there's mountains to conquer with the live show so it'll be awhile before I have the time to focus on it.
You seem to infuse your performances with a great deal of personal emotion. When a new facet of your act is introduced, do you insist that it always "feel right" before you will perform it for an audience?
It has to feel right even in its embryonic form. Obviously, something can be either under or overworked at times. That's why it's imperative to have someone like Klay who you can trust, a video camera and your own instincts to know when it's right for an audience. Most of the time it means working without much sleep, sometimes not accepting the gig at all if the time frame doesn't seem feasible.

Your performances seem very much a team effort with the musicians and dancers all actively contributing. Is their involvement just a means to an end or is it a completely collaborative effort?
The final result is the most important aspect and that is to make the project the best it can be, no matter what it takes. Although the inception of it begins in my mind, it certainly takes a team effort to bring it to fruition. For me, it's a creative process of brainstorming, miming multiple roles, writing and refining as much as I can. This gives me a clearer picture of what it should look and sound like. Klay plays an integral role when we are writing and arranging the music, which can in turn, dictate or inspire the visuals. By the time the illusion is completed in its construction, I've had enough time to outline how it should be directed, staged and choreographed. I will also have a concept for the pyro and lighting designs.
It's at this point that we get into a warehouse, bring the band and cast in and start the painstaking task of intense rehearsals. I'm pretty brutal. It's a love/hate period with the production, but everybody is incredibly talented and truly committed to achieving the pinnacle in what we do as a team and individually.

I had also read that you had a role in this upcoming World's Greatest Magic V show on NBC to be shown sometime in 1998?
I said, "yes," then he shook my hand and said, "It's a deal." But I haven't signed anything yet. Gary Pudney is the executive producer and was the one who had asked me to close the show and to perform segments from Angeldust. It's a two-hour special that airs the evening before Thanksgiving. I know that if we do it, we'll definitely stand out from everyone else. We're looking forward to being a part of it.

The industrial look of your shows seem like they would go over huge in places like Japan or Germany. Are there any plans for the show your mounting now to be a world tour type thing?
Absolutely, the goal is to conquer the world. We're ready to go.

Is there any dialogue in the show?
No, but I think I did the vocals in English.

Yeah, I was just thinking that without any on-going dialogue, the show could, quite literally, translate to any country.
One hundred percent. The show is universal. It's a 90 minute interactive journey that surrounds your senses and seduces all of your emotions from the moment you set foot into the theater. It transcends time and transforms your wildest fantasies into a world of reality. There's no language barriers - it's meant to be an incredible experience that speaks to your soul.

The Science of Magic will be rebroadcast on Saturday, April 25th on the Discovery Channel at 9pm Eastern Time.