Whiskey Ginger with Andrew Santino - Justin Willman
Episode Date: December 15, 2023Ta Daaa! It's Justin Willman. From his mesmerizing Netflix series "Magic for Humans" to his jaw-dropping live performances, Justin Willman has been wowing audiences with his unique blend of magic and ...humor. While they sip the sauce, we get up close and personal with the man behind the magic, exploring the inspirations, challenges, and behind-the-scenes stories that have shaped his remarkable career. Be sure to check him out live while he's on tour! https://justinwillman.com #andrewsantino #whiskeyginger #JustinWillman #MagicInterview #ComedyMagic #MagicForHumans ===================================== FOLLOW OUR SPONSORS BETTER HELP Get the help you need from a licensed professional 10% off your first month https://betterhelp.com/whiskey ME UNDIES Get 25% Off & Free Shipping! https://www.meundies.com/whiskey RABBIT HOLE $5 OFF with Promo Code: WHISKEY https://rabbitholedistillery.com/drizly ===================================== Follow Andrew Santino: https://www.instagram.com/cheetosantino/ https://twitter.com/CheetoSantino Follow Whiskey Ginger: https://www.instagram.com/whiskeyging... https://twitter.com/whiskeyginger_ Produced and edited by Joe Faria IG: @itsjoefaria Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcript
Discussion (0)
What up, Whiskey Ginger fans? Welcome back to the show. It's your first time joining the show.
Welcome to the show. We got a good one for you today. Like my man Steve Harvey done say,
it's Justin Willman, the magic man with the magic hands and the magic brain. What a great,
cool, intriguing dude. I really love this guy. So talented. Go to justinwillman.com and go check
him out. He is on tour. He's all over the place bringing his comedic style of trickery to you,
wherever you are. He's going to be there in 2024. Go to justinwillman.com and check him out. Also,
me and Bob released a bunch of new dates. Me and Bobby Lee are doing Bad Friends Tour,
where we do stand-up and stuff from the show. You get a couple hours of stand-up and live
podcast events. And we're not going to be sitting down doing the podcast.
We do live podcasts, like events, fan interactions,
all sorts of fun stuff.
Go to badfriendspod.com for those tickets.
Badfriendspod.com.
We're going to be everywhere.
We start in Atlantic City, then we go to Salt Lake City,
then we go to Long Beach and Sacramento and Temecula and Reno, Tucson,
and then we end this whole thing in Las Vegas, Nevada on 420
before we go down on the night.
So go to badfriendspod.com for those tickets,
badfriendspod.com.
Enough rambling from me.
Let's go to the episode.
In here, we pour whiskey, whiskey, whiskey, whiskey, whiskey.
You're that creature in the ginger beard.
Sturdy and ginger.
Like vampires, the ginger gene is a curse.
Gingers are beautiful
You owe me $5 for the whiskey and $75 for the horse
Gingers are hell no
This whiskey is excellent
Ginger, I like gingers
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Whiskey Ginger
My guest today is one of my favorite people on earth
I say that for all my guests, but I mean it once again
Today, it's Justin Wilman!
Yeah!
Dude, cheers to you, Thank you for coming by Cheers
Thank you. This is long overdue. I know seriously. We've been trying
Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah good sauce do listeners get to know what time of day this is happening
Yeah, this is at 830 in the morning. Yeah Monday show Monday 830. Oh, that's right
I've had guys on here that you know, most of my friends
Are sober now
And some of them needed to be
Is it because of this podcast?
Yeah probably because of the show
Yeah this has taken down a lot of people
But
I've had guys come in here
That do drink that are like
You want to crack one?
I'm like
It's 7.30
Not really
It's 7.30 but then I have to
This podcast is like an airport bar.
This is.
Any time of day, it is okay to have a Bloody Mary.
Do you feel that way, truly?
Adler's Club, 6.01 a.m., LAX.
Oh, you're a big American guy.
That's what it is, huh?
Yeah.
I was a Delta cat, but the Delta lounge is...
Honestly, it's out of control.
I was at JFK two days ago,
and there was no less than 10,000 people inside the Delta lounge. Yeah, you need to know a guy to get in there. There's a line out of control. I was at JFK two days ago, and there was no less than 10,000 people inside the Delta Lounge.
Yeah, you need to know a guy to get in there.
There's a line out the door.
I'm the guy.
But Delta Lounge's spread is by far superior to American Airlines.
It is, but you know, they're changing everything.
This is inside nonsense.
Actually, this is useful.
This is privileged guy nonsense.
I would say this is what people will learn once they hit a million miles.
You used to be able to get in with American Express Platinum cards.
Some people that weren't flying in first class
or weren't a part of the lounge, you could get in.
Now they said you got to spend 70 grand a year on an Amex to do it.
And a lot of people got super mad about it.
And then I said, well, then why don't they just divide up these lounges?
Why wouldn't you just make like one for people that are card holders,
one for people that are frequent flyers?
You know what I mean? Segment, dude.
Class system it up. You mean within the lounge, basically.
Like flagship and Admiral's Club.
Yeah, multiple lounges. You ever go on that flagship?
Flagship is really sexy. Oh my god.
There's nobody there. That's right.
Admiral's Lounge is... But you and Wolfgang Puck.
It is. It's him.
It's always, like, a famous chef
and then a celebrity
that's been famous
for 40 years
yes
where you're like
is that Arsenio Hall
is that
is that Arsenio Hall
where's he going
and it is
where is he going dude
um
you're on tour a lot
by the way
uh
I see your schedule
and it is funny
you're one of these guys
that I don't know
if you stop
but if you do
you'd have to tell me
because I feel like
you're
you live on the road
don't you travel a ton I'm um I think, you'd have to tell me because I feel like you live on the road.
Don't you travel a ton?
I'm, um, I think I'm,
I always say like I'm on a perpetual tour and that it never really starts or stops.
Yeah.
But when I'm on tour, it's never like,
uh, it's like two, three days
and then back home to Studio City for a couple of days
and then Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
and then back home.
Yeah.
So it's kind of, uh, manageable.
Are you a single man?
Are you a single man?
No, I'm not. No. So that makes it a that makes a little bit more of a wife and two children do
you love both of them the same both of my wives both of my children well you
could have the wives and children two wives and two children no that would be
there's no time for that I love I love my wife and I love my children was the
same but it was easier to do maybe a week or a week and a half away from my wife, no offense to her, than your children. My wife is not going to acquire
new quirks and personality traits while I'm gone, hopefully. But the child, the child,
you know, they grow up so fast. Yeah. But it's so funny to say that because I feel like every
time I come home, my wife has a lot of new guys working on the house. A lot of them.
Uh-huh. Cask rabbits? Yeah, I think we've got, how many, he knows, we've got like six
pool guys now. And we don't even have a pool. I mean, we're thinking about building one,
but. I don't know, something might be going on. I doubt it, dude. Maybe she's planning
a surprise 41st birthday. Maybe that's what all the secrets. Maybe she's surprising. That
could be what it is. Uh-huh. What do these guys look like? Really good looking.
Young, handsome, like 22 to 28.
Good looking guys, fresh out of college.
Interesting.
Can they throw a hammer?
Can they ever.
Wow.
They can put it down.
And they're building a lot of stuff back there.
I don't know.
She won't let me see what it is.
So maybe you're right.
It is a surprise.
You mean...
They're always in the backyard.
Under a tarp?
They always have their shirts off in the backyard.
They're doing push-ups and sit-ups.
It's hot out.
It is very hot. And I do think you need to in the backyard and they're doing push-ups and sit-ups. It's hot out. It is very hot
and I do think you need
to stay limber
when you're doing manual labor.
Uh-huh.
And they're very good looking,
all tan.
None of them are like me.
Actually, none of them
look like me at all.
They're all really good
looking tan young guys.
I think you're describing
the Chippendales.
Are they doing a live show
in my backyard?
They might be.
Surprise.
Surprise!
Well, that's a birthday present.
You got me a Chippendale.
You share an iCal with your wife
where she's aware of your travel plans,
your goings, your comings and goings.
This is funny because we bought,
here's how we initially started.
Calendar sharing was like the original way,
but I don't put everything in my calendar.
So she got frustrated at that.
So then,
a lot of times I just put it in the memory bank
that I'm like,
I know where I'm going then, then, and then, and I just put it in the memory bank that I'm like, I know where I'm going then,
then, and then,
and I just kind of,
I have so many plates I feel like I'm spinning
that sometimes I just log it in
and then I don't,
I forget to communicate it.
Like, oh,
I forgot that day I'm XYZ.
So now,
she bought one of these big boards
and I have to write in the calendar
what I'm doing and where I'm going.
By hand?
On paper?
I do it by hand because then I'll physically do it
because I'll just ignore it if it's...
At home on the wall?
Yeah, it's in the laundry room.
What if she wants to know where you are, but she's not at home?
Good luck.
She has to go home and look at the wall.
Yeah, she has to go home.
Or she calls someone inside of the house and says...
What if the many construction workers could maybe FaceTime her the schedule?
Yeah, and none of them speak English, so that's even harder.
I guess that's even more difficult for her to communicate,
but she seems to do just fine with those guys.
Okay, nice.
Yeah.
But I put up a board, and I started doing it pretty good,
and then I have since stopped.
I just don't do it anymore.
Now, this is pathetic and awful, but I just say,
just look at the site, look at the website.
Check my tourist schedule, babe. Check and awful, but I just say, you gotta, just look at the site. Look at the website. Oh, check my tourist schedule, babe.
Check the schedule.
Oh, yeah.
Check the schedule, dude.
But she comes a lot now.
Well, she hasn't come in years, but she comes on the road with me now.
Uh-huh.
If it's A-Markets.
If it's A-Markets.
If she can get there in a nonstop flight.
100%.
Okay.
By the way, I'm not going there.
So no Louisville.
Louisville, she's not gonna swing by. No. Not gonna make her trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, probably. not going there. So no Louisville. Louisville, she's not going to swing by.
No.
Not going to make her trip to Lincoln, Nebraska probably.
Oh, no.
My wife will never see Omaha.
No.
Oklahoma City.
And by the way, beautiful places.
She'll just never know.
You have to say that.
I do.
Because I've checked your tour schedule.
Yeah, you do.
I do.
I'm going there.
No, dude.
She'll only go to cities where we either have friends or she has something to do.
People always say, do you bring your kids?
Do you bring your wife?
Like, you know, maybe I'm in Joliet, Illinois, where I was recently.
There you go.
And I was like, lady, I got up at 6 a.m. to get here,
and I'm getting up at 6 a.m. tomorrow to get the hell out of here.
You think my wife wants any part of this?
Right, no.
In Joliet?
Unless they want to go to that great steakhouse in Joliet.
Which one's that?
Mikey's.
Mikey's Steak and Mikey's Chop.
Mikey's Chop House.
Is that still there?
You know what?
I made it up.
I honestly, I made that up.
I was just hoping you'd run with it.
You familiar with Louie's?
It's basically a ripoff of Denny's.
No, is that a real thing?
Yeah, it's a long story.
It's a long story.
Yeah, but no, my wife, yeah.
Wives don't want to come unless there's non-performing happening.
Right, unless we can go to a show or go out to a place or
if we know someone in that city.
Like, where are you born?
St. Louis. Oh, wow.
I know. I forgot. That's right.
You're a Missouri boy. Apologies. But you don't look like
a Missouri kid. What does that look like?
You know what it looks like. Just bring up a picture
of a child in Missouri.
You'll know right away. When you see
these guys, you'll know right away
what a Missouri child is.
Google automatically suggested
Missouri child support,
by the way.
Well, look at the third kid.
I mean, that's kind of
what most kids look like
in Missouri.
Missouri child,
what's the caption?
13 dies from coronavirus
at Missouri hospital.
So this is the kind of stuff
that you guys are pumping out.
This is my roots.
Wow.
Very sad.
Can't say anything about that
at all because there's
a face to it.
You've done, before I
move on too much into the world of
We've started. Well, we always start without
you knowing. Good. You know, that's kind of how life is.
You're really surprised. Starts without you knowing, baby.
I pull a magic trick on you. And it's over before
I know it. It's done. Thank you so much
for watching the show. That's been Justin.
I'll say multiple things right now. I really
appreciate you.
I respect you. I think say multiple things right now. I really appreciate you. I respect you.
I think you're very talented
and I've seen you
kind of from afar
and watched
what you've been doing
and I think it's weird
to say that you're a magician
because you are
but you're a comedian to me.
Do you know what I mean?
Mm-hmm.
It's funny because you are a magician
but you're a comedian.
Wow.
But you're...
It's hard because if somebody said... Because I think some... You know, my buddy was like, is he a comedian? I mean? It's funny because you are a magician, but you're a comedian. Wow. But you're, it's hard because if somebody said,
because I think some, you know, my buddy was like,
is he a comedian?
I say he's a magician, but he's a comedian.
But is that insulting to say?
No, that's like my, that is,
you have just completed the search of my lifelong dream
of identity of wanting to be a comedian.
But you are a comedian.
You don't fancy yourself a comedian?
I do.
Yeah.
I mean, I don't do comedy without magic being involved.
Okay.
And I don't do comedy without saying the F word.
I mean, it's like that's my magic trick.
There you go.
That's your rabbit from the hat.
Right.
Right.
But thank you.
That's my, that is, that makes me very proud.
Because I certainly wasn't all i was a magician
for a long time before i was like funny yeah for the right reasons you know right but magic is i
think what put me in front of people to get that like that that feeling of like wow getting a laugh
feels really good but you guys go through the same stuff like when you you've helped me out
there's a place here in los ang Angeles that people may not know called the Magic
Castle. It's actually world-renowned.
If you're not familiar, I understand, but it's
probably one of the most,
it's hard to describe,
one of the most fascinating places to go to
as a comedian, even as a, just
a spectator is great, but as a comic
it's impressive because I watch,
you know, seven different comics a night,
magicians a night,
and some of them have such comedic instinct, and they lay it in there pretty well.
Some people aren't that funny.
Some guys are straight magic.
But as a comic, it's cool to watch who's developing their comedy with the magic simultaneously
and who's just kind of a straight magician.
the magic simultaneously and who's just kind of a straight magician.
I mean, some of the up-close guys, I always felt like the up-close guys are less showy and jokey and more just performative of like, watch how good I am at showing you this.
Right.
And then some of the bigger shows that you, in that big room, like in the parlor or whatever,
some of those shows, it's great to watch people like go through what we go through.
And you know both sides of it.
But it's so interesting to see them work out jokes that bomb.
And I fucking love it.
It fills me up because I'm like, that's us.
That's our pain.
Because if a trick doesn't work, there's a way for a magician to kind of massage their way through it.
If it doesn't go as smoothly as they want it to.
You think so?
Yeah.
I mean, that's what I see as an outsider.
You know inside. You're too inside baseball. Like if a joke. I mean, that's what I see as an outsider, right? You know inside,
you're too inside baseball.
Well, if a trick,
like if a joke doesn't work,
that's a part of a trick.
Or if you're doing a bit
and you do a long lead up
and you fuck up the punchline
and then,
so basically two minutes
was just kind of tanked.
Lead up.
And it's not like
you're going to tell the joke
again from the beginning.
It's kind of like,
all right, fuck that.
You can move on and salvage it.
It's a little awkward.
Right.
But I think if a trick,
like if the audience clearly sees how you just did what you were about to do
or how now you can't, why you can't now do what you were promising to do.
You know, like if I vanished your bill and then all of a sudden like out of my sleeve falls a bill
and I don't notice it, everyone's kind of like, oh my God.
It's like your dick came out in the middle of your sack.
Which is part of your show.
That's why it's called misdirection.
If you don't look there, look here.
You call your dick misdirection?
Misdirection.
Oh, interesting.
Mister.
Oh, Mr. Rection.
Mr. Rection.
Mine is misdirection.
I have a female penis, yes.
I see.
It's a new world, dog.
But I found that there's, you know, when you're at the castle,
I think the Magic castle is kind of
like the comedy store if the comedy store was like a fancy place that had a nice restaurant and you
had to wear a suit to get in and the idea of a car and a tie yeah uh but the idea of the comic
store it's like varying size rooms and it's just shows all night right and you can go there and
spend the whole night and get hammered and you know see maybe the some of the best comedians
in the country but at the magic castle you know if you're you can tell that somebody may be uh like when you know you're in
good hands there's no better thing than to relax and know this guy's a pro he's gonna fucking blow
our minds but when someone is maybe trying out a new bit and you're like oh god i hope oh my god i
hope he figures this out you like it i like the anxiety of them maybe failing like the last time
we went when i texted you when we went to the Magic Castle with my wife and
my sister and some friends,
this
couple in the main room was doing, and I'm
not, and I'm not,
I'm not putting them down. They were
doing buckets, like buckets.
I don't know if you know, maybe you know these people, but
it was husband and wife, and they were doing like
bucket tricks. What were they doing to these buckets? Well, they
would stack and change them.
And it was also, it was very physical.
And it was less magic involved and more showy.
But there was also magic moments of them utilizing the buckets to whatever.
Wow.
But they dropped a lot of buckets.
She dropped many of the buckets.
And the gist of the bit is, wow, how are they not dropping the buckets?
Yeah, and they're dropping the buckets. And the gist of the bit is, wow, how are they not dropping the buckets? Yeah, and they're dropping the buckets.
But the difference is you,
when you do drop a bucket,
he made a joke every time.
And that's why I was like,
this is great.
And he was doing it the right way.
And I could feel her anxiety
was growing heavier
because she didn't know how to like
laugh it off, throw it away.
Which I think is the same thing
we utilize as comics.
When a joke doesn't work,
you have to acknowledge it in a way
and wrap it around into something else.
Because if it just dies on its own, the weight is tremendous.
You need to, like, spin it a little bit off
so people forget how blech that just was.
So this guy, like, I was at the Magic Castle last night
for the first time in a while,
and brilliant juggler David Diebel.
A couple drops that I could tell weren't, like,
he probably would have preferred to do that catch. But each time it was a new zinger, right? and brilliant juggler David Diebel, a couple drops that I could tell weren't like,
he probably would have preferred to do that catch.
But each time it was a new zinger, right?
So you almost look forward to like, wow, if he catches it, amazing.
If he drops it, can't wait to hear what he's going to say next.
But if someone is not that skilled,
and they essentially do the magic equivalent of dropping it,
and then you're kind of like, you're Schadenfreude, right?
It's like, oh, what's he going to do?
He's going to squirm. And then if he catches that ball, you're Schadenfreude, right? It's like, oh, what's he going to do? He's going to squirm.
And then if he catches that ball and he, like, you would feel so proud of this guy.
Wow, you just turned, just made lemons out of, lemonade out of lemons.
But if someone really, like, drops the ball, fails that chance as well, it is cringy.
A little bit, yeah.
And I feel bad because I know, like, people see magic so infrequently versus how much they see comedy. comedy they're kind of at the magic castle seeing live magic many of them for the first time ever
and maybe the last time they are judging my art form based on what they see in three hours at the
magic castle so I get really uh protective and I get print I get I my spidey sense goes up when I
feel like oh god they're laughing at him not know? Oh, that you don't like it.
We love it.
In the comedy world, it's like our favorite thing.
But that's why you've made this kind of,
this dual world where you love magic so much.
That is your first love.
That's the thing, right?
Like, people say to me,
if I could quit comedy or acting,
I'd quit acting tomorrow.
I'd do comedy until I die.
I'd do stand-up until I die.
If you had to quit,
if someone was like, dude, you gotta be a stand-up or a magician.
If that was the case, and they put a gun
to your head and was like, you gotta do it, what would you do?
To me? I would say...
Oh, gosh.
I might say a stand-up. You would quit magic?
Well, here's the thing.
You're a fantastic magician. But are you saying that I can't
be funny if I'm doing magic, if I had to
pick one of those two things? I mean, it's obviously
not a clear divide, but it would be more like, dude you got to stick more to magic and stop doing some
of this I get more gratification from making people laugh than I do from blowing their minds
I do love blowing their minds and I do take it for granted because it is a profound thing and
you know like I I see it all the time on audiences faces and I I kind of maybe desensitize a little
bit to it because I know they net wow Wow. People so rarely have their minds blow.
Right.
So that is special.
But man, just hearing maybe it's because I've always, you know, I got into magic because
of Johnny Carson and because of like, because I love Steve Martin and Johnny Carson and
just the way that these comedians carried themselves.
I was like, I want to do that thing.
Magic was how they got there.
Let me start with magic.
Right.
So now it's kind of like i did magic
i fell in love with magic with the goal of being you know like a johnny carson kind of guy that
kind of entertainer yeah and uh and you know i feel like kind of in that in that place now where
i can kind of juggle the two but so you wanted to be a comedian through true magic true yeah
because that is what steve did i you know Steve, in his book, which I highly recommend,
talked heavily about performing at Universal Studios, right?
Isn't that where it was?
Disneyland.
Disney, Disney, yeah, Disney.
And the pains of that, I guess, is why it's so relative to stand-up that we go through when you're bombing in an open mic,
performing at Disneyland as people are passing by,
but you catch one out of ten, and they're like,
oh, that's pretty good.
And that feels just as good as one guy
in a coffee shop laughing,
but nine other, you know, waiting to go on stage.
But it's interesting you say that,
because I was a big Johnny Carson fan as a kid,
and when I was a kid,
I'd love to sneak into the living room and watch him,
and the magic part of it, for me,
never registered.
I never got it as a kid.
I was like...
Well, he rarely came up.
I know, but he would do magic sometimes.
He would occasionally do magic.
But I, of course, like, you know,
who do you want to write a book report on in fourth grade?
Johnny Carson.
So then very quickly I learned,
oh, he started as a magician, you know.
Arsenio Hall started as a magician.
Steve Martin, all these people.
Arsenio Hall started as a magician?
No.
Yeah.
So then what was your kickoff into actually getting the balls to do it?
Like, what was the shift of being like, well, I guess I'm going to actually try to be a magician?
Well, I think, I don't know if I calculated it that much.
Because eventually, I broke both of my arms when I was a kid riding my bike.
I can see that the way you sit.
With rollerblades on.
They're very strange.
Wait a minute.
Hold on.
Slow down.
Yeah.
Rollerblades?
Rollerblades, man.
No pads?
No helmet?
You know, I don't know if pads would have helped me.
I don't even...
Probably no pads, honestly.
So no pads, no helmet.
This is probably 92 or 3.
Yeah.
And on a bike.
So riding a bike while wearing rollerblades.
Oh, dude.
I love that.
See, this is why I'm like, don't go over that so fast.
That's a great...
Give me the world.
Is it summer?
This is probably fall. This is in my neighborhood in Cre Kreef Corps off Spady Road. Probably me and three girls.
And you know, these were my friends, but I was so nervous to talk to girls. Just you and three babes?
Just me and three, three babes. This is probably in sixth grade or maybe the beginning of seventh.
Yeah. And I'm the guy. And you're the guy on the rollerblades and on a bike.
And the purpose of this was you were taking the bike to a friend's
house and you needed both of these modes
of transportation. I don't even know if the...
I think we were just tooting around.
Having fun. In the cul-de-sac, you know?
And give it to me, how would you crack your arms?
And I was at the top of a hill and I was going down
and I was kind of pedaling
so wheels on pedals
and then I kind of tried to stabilize and then I was going too fast and then I went to hit a brake and I hit kind of pedaling, so wheels on pedals, and then I kind of went to stabilize,
and then I was going too fast,
and then I went to hit a brake,
and I hit the front brake.
So then I flew, went flying over it.
And then I caught myself with my hands.
Both arms broken.
Both arms broken.
You get up.
Arms dangling, and you say...
I didn't even get up.
Ta-da!
How great is that, dude?
In here, we pour whiskey.
This episode of Whiskey Ginger is brought to you by BetterHelp.
I have talked about BetterHelp for quite a long time.
I'm a big fan of therapy, big fan of speaking to someone about your issues.
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Both arms crack simultaneously.
Now, none of these babes ever slept with you after that.
Or before. Right.
You know. Were you a ladies guy?
No, no.
I was a safe friend.
I was like, I was a friend's own buddy.
I was a friend's own kid to those four ladies.
And I still am, unfortunately.
Oh, really?
Uh-huh.
I don't mean this in an offensive way, obviously, because it's not.
But did they think you might be gay?
And they were like, he's our good boy buddy.
Yeah, maybe.
Because I was at that age.
I didn't have a lot of,
well, they might not have thought he's gay,
but they thought he's kind of close to us.
Yeah, I was late to develop.
I was late to have pubes.
I was late to have armpit hair,
which was always noticed in the locker room.
Big point of contention for you.
Wow, Justin has no armpit hair.
So I was kind of like this, you know,
and I got into magic after that accident
because my doctor recommended card tricks to get my dexterity back from my broken arms.
Oh, wow.
So that's how I became a magician.
So then I doubled down on the magic, having already been a fan of, you know, Carson and everybody.
And then, but it wasn't like deliberate because of it.
It was almost like a practical thing.
And then I got obsessed.
You were like, how do I get laid less?
How do I get laid less?
Magic.
I can't. I've got casts't even i can't even touch myself
no it's just funny because i it's like every comic has a story of why you know it's similar
to that where they get into it because they're like well i needed a release from you know broken
home bullying or feeling uncomfortable and the only thing that most of us knew was,
I'm pretty weird.
And if I'm weird and I talk about how weird things are,
people laugh every time.
I mean, that was kind of the thing I learned fast was,
I said weird shit about what was going on.
At what age?
I mean, when I was a kid, I mean, when I was a kid kid,
my humor was a huge part of coping with sadness.
So, like, as my family, a bunch part of coping with sadness so like as my family a bunch of you
know irish slugs section 8 housing on the north side of chicago you know it too well yeah well
that was that was even that was when it was just me and my mother but even as a kid going to family
parties when i was a kid kid like i remember like six seven eight years old you know my mother's
family never never had a lot of money you know they weren't like we weren't
homeless but you know they were just working class and so we joked about everything and my
grandfather was big on kind of teasing about the world because you know the haves and the
have-nots it's easy just to be like you think rolls royces are comfortable you see how dumb
they look sitting in those fucking things he loved poking the bear at you know the swells is what he used to call them all the fucking swells you know and i think
that like that anything was popular punch it punching up you gotta punch it as hard as making
fun of anything that people thought think is well if it was exclusive especially if it was exclusive
and if it was if it was fancy or nice the reason we didn't know how much it cost to fill up that
yacht yeah you know that kind of stuff yeah it... You know how much it costs to fill up that yacht? Yeah, it's stupid.
Yeah, it's a waste.
You know what the mortgage is on that mansion?
You know how many maids need to clean that house?
You got to deal with all those people.
I think the way to deal with the stuff of the haves
was for people in our family to mock them.
Not...
It wasn't...
We don't have...
It's like, we don't have that
not because we're poor or broke.
We don't have that because that's stupid to have.
We choose not to.
Right, exactly.
And I think that influenced my comedic take of the world.
As I grew, I start to understand like,
oh, it's because anything that's uncomfortable,
you can, it's funny.
If it's, if it makes you go, oh, I feel stupid.
Well, it's gotta be funny.
There's something underneath that that's funny
because it's all your mind making you feel
a type of way about the situation.
So for me, it was that it was you know mocking the fact that i got made fun of for being a redheaded kid or you know um just growing up with just my mom and then the kind of a weird tumultuous
you know not having a dad when i was a kid and having you know and then having a stepfather
years later and us leaving the city and i think just not understanding where I belong a little bit,
especially looking as orange and bright as you are.
Very orange.
So orange.
So it just made me have to, I had to have it.
Yeah, you had to have it.
Being funny is your shield.
And so you, post-broken arm, you got good.
Well, I got, it was the first thing i was like uh better than average at you know like
i was fine at sport whatever fine at sports what was your sport i mean i was golf do you golf still
occasionally yeah but i was on the golf team like in high school so i was okay who the kid can play
wrestling in high school but i was okay i was not great at anything like grades, you know, B, B minus, you know, same, um, music.
I mean, I played the saxophone at the time.
Meh.
You know, not just jack of all trades, whatever.
But there was no other, when I got into magic, there was no other magician in my school.
So instantly I was like the only kid in the school who did this thing.
And, and then when I would do this thing, when I came out of the closet as a magician,
like maybe at show and tell in seventh grade or something, did that first trick, like people, like, can't believe it, you know?
It's like, you know, those early David Blaine specials
where it's just, you know, him on the street doing a trick
and then people just erupt and run in different directions, you know?
Like I would do that, you know, in between classes and stuff in seventh grade
and people, even just, you know, simple card tricks.
And I'd be so nervous because I was never a you know performer i was very shy never even like would go out of my way to you
know be that center of attention but magic gave me kind of like the um the training wheels a little
bit and i couldn't believe like how people would freak out and and some through magic i discovered
that i was funny right right but did you use the funny as a crutch? Like I talked to you about
when a trick doesn't go
kind of the way you want,
you make a joke about it?
Or were you just interjecting
comedy while you were doing magic?
No, I think I was,
I was trying to be funny
because I loved like,
then once I started doing magic,
Harry Anderson
became my hero.
Harry Anderson.
Harry Anderson,
who was the actor,
the star of Night Court,
great TV show.
Yeah.
Like 80-40.
A lot of our audiences
do not know what that is or who that is.
Look it up, Harry Anderson.
So he was, like, a comedy magician prior to that show.
And, you know, his whole persona is, like,
he's working out of a suitcase, pack small, play big, funny.
Yeah.
You know, Penn and Teller, just funny.
So I kind of, I mean, most magicians start by just lifting jokes left and right right either from the instructions on the trick you bought it from or
The magician you saw do that trick you just start doing their material
So I would like like Robert Orban joke books that would go through those and like add those jokes into my bed sure
Like I'm in the eighth grade talking about like my wife this or whatever you know just made no sense
You're like a cover your cover act you cover act, you know? And then...
And that's widely accepted in the magic community.
I wouldn't say it's why, I mean, this is, I was a kid.
But even when you're in your amateur period,
are people still okay with it?
Well, I mean, I would say once I like knew what I was doing,
like I would say that I had killer jokes
that people who knew, knew those were hacky jokes.
But for the most part, audiences don't know.
Can you give me one? Do you remember?
Do you remember one from your young ages?
You know,
I mean, the original,
the oldest one is like,
because I was a kid's party magician,
it'd be like, how you doing?
Hold out your hand.
Oh, no, the clean one.
Oh, no, that was the clean one.
All right.
Stand right here on the trap door, you know.
I do this trick in front of the mirror, and I laugh for hours, you know, like, just, like, kind of...
Small, quick.
I would say here, sign your name on this bill, use this pen they were giving away at the bank,
and I pull out a pen with a chain on it, you know, like, that I probably saw some other magician do,
and it killed that, and I'm like, I just need a pen and a chain. I'm going to do that. You know, and I that I probably saw some other magician do, and it killed that,
and I'm like, I just need a pen and a chain, I'm gonna do that, you know, and I'm 15, I don't know better, but you get, you learn, like, wow, laughs interspersed with magic,
it's kind of a nice...
Oh, it's so rhythmic, man, when it's working, it's unbelievable.
That's funny you say that, I remember that's on the Tonight Show, Why Am I Dumb, I'm So
Dumb, there is a famous comic that did the pen with the chain on it on the night show
Was it Gary Shanley did it shandling it? Yeah, I was late giving away free pen. Yes. I think that's what it was
Yeah, exactly. I've been a local bank. You know, they give away free pens. That's what it was
But the chain was hilariously long. Yeah, I think was longer than a normal like problem
It wasn't like the one that's a foot at the bank
It was like a three-foot chain or something
But I think there was no funny is that I didn't even know that it was a shame if it is but then because I probably saw some local magician do it
I probably saw thought like that's hilarious. Nobody else has ever seen that I'm gonna do that too little
I know that like it was lifted from you know, right the greatest comedians
Magicians can get away with that for a while until you come until you can tell you in pro
Yeah, or you just won't even get to
that pro part but until you maybe start to get eyeballs and then it's like oh is this this guy
worth you know like it's almost just a public opinion is this guy worth proceeding in their
ascent or is it kind of like all right we get you know well that's the that's what i'm really
curious about the breaking point of a comic to become a pro comic right right? There's a lot of like, you know,
a lot of inconsistency
in who becomes a professional comedian, right?
Because some would say the first time you get paid,
you're a professional, right?
But for us, a lot of it is validity through the business,
whether it's you're given a shot on television,
you're passed at a major club,
you become some sort of a name in some regard.
Is there kind of a, hey man, now you're, you become some sort of a name in some regard. Is there kind of a,
Hey man, you're now you're a pro magician. Like what's the, what's the, what's kind of the intro
into that world to say where somebody goes, Oh, you know, Justin. Yeah. Yeah. No, he's a,
he's a pro. You know what I mean? When you're young, what's the, how do people know? I mean,
I would say I, I thought I was a professional magician as soon as I had a business card,
you know, which is probably 14.
Yeah.
Business card.
Vistaprint, baby.
Briefcase.
I mean, this is before Vistaprint.
This would be me at Kinko's.
You doing it yourself?
And this is before there was any, like, software.
I would literally, like, I think I would type the words on Microsoft Word, print it out,
and then, like, cut out the words and put them over an actual picture and then make copies of that.
Oh, that's cool.
You know, like, felt like gutenberg up in there you know
uh i would say and i would i would do some kids birthday parties here and there i i thought like
i'm a professional like i felt like an entrepreneur you know which was a new feeling of worth for me
but i think um uh you can't be a professional until you are fully supporting you know like i
was living under my parents roof like i wasn professional. I was making an extra couple hundred bucks a month,
but I certainly couldn't support myself.
So I would say it's probably not until like in college,
I set up my birthday party business again at Emerson in Boston.
What a school.
Smart guy.
What a school.
B's and C's got you into Emerson?
Yeah.
Wow.
It was before.
It was the good old days.
Selective.
You're not getting in the house, dude. This is... Before it was the good old days. Selective. You're not getting in
now, dude. This is back when it was kind of
Tish's waiting list. They were
letting in regular white guys to Emerson back then?
That's not happening anymore. Me and Dan
Levy, you know? Oh, you've seen Emerson Kid?
Mm-hmm. Wow. I didn't know that.
I'd say, I mean, I'd be remiss
if we're talking about the path
from magician to comedian.
The Dan Levy, uh... Uh, Le Levy not Levy, by the way.
That's right.
Not Schitt's Creek.
That's right.
Dan Levy, stand-up comedian, father of three.
He and I were buddies at Emerson.
He was a year younger than me.
And I was like gigging around town as Justin Credible, you know, kind of doing my act,
sexual innuendos, like basically my kid's birthday party act, but like the comedy club version of it was just a little more like edgy, you know, kind of doing my act, sexual innuendos, like basically my kid's birthday party act,
but like the comedy club version of it
was just a little more like edgy, you know?
Sure.
With a bunch of hacky jokes interspersed here and there
that would kill.
You'd do the hand joke and you'd go,
that one has jizz on it.
Exactly, you know, exactly.
You just have to put a little bit of spin on it.
And, you know, like, and I thought I was hot shit.
And then Dan came along
and he was just a straight up comedian
and had been doing it as long as I've been doing magic.
And he would just like destroy with jokes about being a college freshman.
And I was like, I can't, but like I'm doing jokes that were written by a guy who's died
of old age.
Dan's over here writing new bits about something happened last week.
It blew my mind.
So he changed my mentality about, about magic, which historically magicians can get away
with doing the same act and polishing
it and honing it over the course of a career, you know, and that's their act versus Dan
who would, you know, versus Dan and also who he introduced me just the idea that comedians,
you know, once it's not funny to you anymore, you don't, you know, you may not even want
to do it anymore.
Or once, once it's out there, once it's a thing, like constantly ditching the old,
kind of pruning and evolving.
So that was like really inspiring to me.
So I started doing magic in comedy venues
and that's what forced me
to kind of ditch the hack stuff.
When did you get rid of
Just Incredible?
What a name, by the way.
Were you signed to
Cash Money Records back then?
Just Incredible in the building.
In the house.
In the building.
That's when DJ Khaled was my neighbor, was my manager.
You ever had mayonnaise?
That guy is the funniest dude on planet Earth.
Just Incredible does.
Just Incredible knows about mayonnaise.
God, dude.
You know about this watch?
And he's got those big teeth.
He is the funniest comedian that's not a comedian I've ever seen in my life.
Oh, my God.
He rips.
He kills me.
You seen that prop bit he does where he's playing Bob Marley's guitar? in my life. Oh, my God. He rips. He kills me. You've seen that prop bit he does
where he's playing Bob Marley's guitar?
Yeah, dude.
Oh, my gosh.
So good.
He is...
And his face looks cartoonish in and of itself,
so it's already...
Like, that's...
We had a discussion.
I can't remember what comic was on the show,
and I said,
if you really boil it down,
comedy...
Anybody can...
A lot of people can write funny jokes.
A lot of people can write a funny
quippy joke that's that's a thing that many people could do but it's how funny does it sound coming
out of your face and that's kind of a big piece of it like you you can write great shit but if it
doesn't look fun coming out of your face people just don't attach themselves to it and i feel the
same way with magic by the way it like, I find myself liking magicians
when I go see them
more when I look like it fits who they are.
It's almost like when I see a magician sometimes,
I'm prejudiced now because I've seen a lot,
you know, over the years and gone,
this guy's vibe, it doesn't fit the show
or his show, his act or whatever.
And then you see people that it fits their
their their shit to a tee and it's almost like I
Know that guy's better from an internal perspective just because it looks like it's you're supposed
It's supposed to be coming from you. It's almost like Chappelle is a genius
But if someone else told the jokes, I don't know if you'd like him as much but coming out of his face
it's because it embodies his world so well
or Chris Rock who doesn't even have to get to the punchline
right I'm already laughing
because of the way it's oozing from him
not just your physical delivery
but the way that you are emitting the energy
from it as you know
dorky as it is
you can feel their physical
emitting of something and immediately go Dorky as it is you can you can feel their physical
Emitting of something and immediately go god I know that's that's just that's no one else does that like him or her or whatever you know
But what you said about magic that was odd to me that we share the same thing comics had acts
So we had that too. I mean comics up until
Arguably, I would say the late 80s were doing acts i mean most guys and girls were
doing an act and the old phrase was what's your act can i have you you know that's why when somebody
says to me after how much time you got how much time you got what's your act you know right or
they say good sketch good skit they don't know what to say you're like oh it's a set and they go
whatever you know because i think the beginnings of time were similar with with magic that it's like well you gotta have an act i can't put you out there without having an
act absolutely it's like well it's changing with the time it's like no no no we need to know what
you're doing which still exists a little bit today but the newer generation has kind of pushed that
away and that must be the same with magic right well it's not as much the act it's about the
person the presence and then you just me being here doesn't matter what i do you know you're that todd berry is he doing crowd work is he doing who cares right todd berry
on stage right exactly he's in the moment but magic is the same way now right um where a lot
of you like you have a vibe there is a little bit more um i mean you have to maybe it takes a while
to earn it maybe longer to sure to coast on your presence than than trick. You know, like,
if there's a certain trick that people love,
it's kind of like,
no, we're booking you,
but we're kind of booking you
to do that trick.
You know?
Right.
Like, you know,
I'm sure with Gaffigan,
it's like,
are you going to do the Hot Pockets?
If he was doing the Tonight Show,
how are you going to do
that Hot Pockets bit?
Because they kind of really want to
and they're like,
oh, okay.
But you have to.
That's why we paid you to be here.
Or whatever, you know?
And you emerge from that. But, oh, okay. But you have to. We are hoping. That's why we paid you to be here. Or whatever, you know, like, and you emerge from that.
But, yeah, I would say the trick, you know, the act, like, I do certain bits that I've
done maybe 10 years right now in my show, maybe like the oldest bit 10 years old, you
know, but I haven't put it in a special or anything because I haven't had a real special.
But, uh, when I have a special on Netflix, I've got, well, I've got a, I've got a series.
Yeah.
But that's a special.
It's about, it is special.
It's six, six little specials.
You're being diminished.
But I'm not on stage doing magic.
So I'm, I'm out in the world doing stuff that, uh, was kind of written and created for humans,
but for, for that show, right.
You know, versus my act.
No, I'm not, I'm not burning my act for that
right right but was that a part of that you were like i don't i don't want to do you know i'll
tell you why it's because like um magic on stage filmed and then watched is harder to be as engrossed
and amazed by as the people in the audience versus street magic or, you know, out in the real world in situ magic filmed and put in front of people.
Because there's something about, like, you know, like comedy,
I want to watch it and experience it like as the audience would, right?
But with magic, it's kind of like I really need to be there.
You know, you can watch it at home and laugh and the people on the screen laugh.
But with magic, it's kind of like, you know, I wasn't there.
How many takes was there? Like, I want to be there.
So if I can clearly experience it through
a person who I'm watching, like,
you know, doing magic on the street to somebody
who I feel they're real, they're not a part of this thing,
it just hits harder. It's harder to get that
onstage magic special.
I'm finding it harder not to crack.
Well, I mean, because I've only seen
I've seen yours, and then I've never really, you're, because I've only seen, I've seen yours and then I've never really,
you're right, I've never seen like a magic special on TV.
Like if you, if one of the best magic shows
you saw at the Magic Castle was filmed
and then put up on Netflix as a special,
when you watched it back later,
like if you weren't actually there,
I'm sure you would feel a much bigger detachment
than if you're just listening to the funny ideas
that a comic is saying.
But I feel like specials do that too for stand-up.
You're like, who are all these people?
Are they in on this?
Did they tell her to say that?
Yeah, but specials for stand-up do that too sometimes.
You're like, man, I always think stand-up or performance,
live is unbeatable.
You can't be live.
Can't be it.
It's just, even the best specials,
I'm still like, I'd rather see this live.
I'd much rather see this in person
because I know that part of that experience
is feeling the other people's emotions.
That's part of the vibe of how good a joke is.
You can pass around a good clip on the internet,
but there's nothing better than live.
That's why Leno never did a special.
He said, I just want you to come see me live.
Wow, maybe I should start saying that.
Just come see me live.
You know why I haven't had a live special?
Because you just got to come see me live.
You got to see me live.
Robbie Pratt, you know why? Yeah, you know why? I'm not going to work. No, people need to see me live You know why I haven't had a live special? Because you just gotta come see me live You gotta see me live Robbie Pratt
You know why?
Yeah, you know why?
I'm not gonna work with
No, people need to see me live
Because they need to see me live, baby
But you're
Who's your
But in order for them to see you live
They need to see you on stage
Right
It's all one hand beats the other
But you're already doing it
So it's
You're humming along, man
No one's worried about you
It's been a blast
Yeah, you're good
You know what's been interesting
Is going from
Honing my skills as a comedian in comedy clubs where it's just
adults to now it's like a full circle i started doing kids birthday parties right and then
how old are we talking 10 12 when i when i was oh the kids yeah five six seven eight and then
their parents so it's almost like the gig is kind of there's the audience but then there's the back
of the room you know the parents are the comedy it's like a the gig is kind of, there's the audience, but then there's the back of the room. You know, the parents are the comics.
It's like a Disney movie.
And I'm just like, I'm obsessed with just making them laugh.
Obviously, I got to make them laugh and make them go crazy, the kids.
But the people in the back, the parents need to be like, I need everyone, every adult to
know that this is not what I'm, I'm not just here to entertain the kids.
I'm here to entertain you.
And then I would do, you know, comedy clubs where it was just us adults.
And now where I'm doing these theater shows because of Magic for Humans,
I'm getting lots of people, like entire families.
So it's like a lot of kids again.
It's all ages.
It's all ages.
Now, is that a hindrance for you?
Do you feel like you want to be dirty, but you're like,
you know, there's a lot of kids in there.
I mean, I do.
There are moments I censor myself.
Like I, you know, like I would, I mean,
maybe would occasionally cuss in a comedy club, but I don't feel any need to cuss on stage now.
But I just sometimes feel a little, you know, like I'm just thinking about the implications of what I'm doing.
Sure.
I'm not going to drink a beer on stage like I would in a comedy club.
I don't want to drink a beer on stage when I know that there's kids watching thinking, I want to drink a beer.
My dad does that, then he yells at me.
Yeah, or just that like, oh my God, I love his thinking, I want to drink a beer. My dad does that then he yells at me. Yeah, or just that
like, oh my god, I love his magic.
I want to drink a beer like him. Like, that's what I
maybe would have thought as a 10-year-old if my parents brought me
to a show. Sure. And I thought that cool magician
drinks beer. Well, I'm going to drink beer.
Like, I remember how impressionable I was. Like, I don't
need to get into that. So I'm always thinking about it.
That's right. But it's just interesting. That's nice that you're
conscious of it. Well, it's also like, I'm also conscious
of how people who didn't even think that you could bring your kids to this show feel when they walk in.
And they're like, there are, you know, maybe it's a thousand seat theater, but there are 80 kids under 10 here.
That's not our date night in my mind, right?
So I'm trying to like cater to multiple audiences.
That's very nice of you, too.
We don't do that at all.
When we do the Bad Friends with me and Bobby,
sometimes people will bring their, like, 14-year-olds.
Yeah.
And multiple times.
You pretend like they don't exist
or you roast them?
No, no, I always say,
why would you bring your child to this?
I can't believe,
I'm always like,
dude, you know Bobby shows his butthole
at some point in the show.
Yeah, that,
well, then it makes the rest
of the audience uncomfortable.
So I'm always looking out for,
like, even if they're not your kids,
if I do something risque,
you're like, oh, Justin, there's kids it's in you it's in your head you're thinking
about it I'm thinking about it a club is way more free so I'm trying to make
everyone feel comfortable let me see this tattoo on the inside of your arm I
can't stop seeing it mm-hmm now is it now are you happy that you did this or
is this like one of those where you're like maybe I didn't wish I did it never
regretted it good we've never been happy about it can i see it it's a hand holding a
hand holding a jack of spades now what's the what's the um well my name is justin it starts
with the letter j i told you his name was justin so when i when i was thinking what's my favorite
card which is a thing magicians do i was like yeah i don't want to be the jack of hearts or
the diamonds or the spades is cool because the hell? It's just a cool design.
So Jack of Spades from a teenager was just like my favorite card.
So I thought at some point.
Was it a feature of your act ever?
No.
Was it like, no.
But you just love Jack of Spades.
Yeah.
And I always knew I need to get a tattoo of something.
What am I going to get?
Jack of Spades.
I mean, I love, I want to get something magical, but I'm not going to get a magic tattoo.
That sounds like a big mistake.
Well, Jack of Spades, it's a car.
You know, like this was all just immature thinking.
How old were you?
I was 41.
Yeah, good.
I was 21, and I just moved to L.A.,
finished my college second semester of senior year with Dan
and then stuck around and
Started making bad decisions and that was one of them. Are you guys still close you and Dan? Yeah, one of my arch nemeses by the way, is he oh we hate each other wholeheartedly. Has he been on here?
No, no, I love him so much. No, he's a great dude. He doesn't hate anybody. I don't even hates anything
No, he's the nicest guy like too nice. He's like a good-looking guy
He accuses me of you know, like we're just yeah, we're good nice.'re close in a nice way, but I know something's a little bit darker inside of you.
It is.
Yeah, with Dan it's not that dark. Something's darker inside of you.
No, Dan doesn't have... Dan is the last guy to know that his best friend's got a problem of some sort.
You know, because he just doesn't see it. He sees the best in people.
I just thought you liked coke. I had no idea you were an addict.
Yeah, I thought you just wanted me to pee in that cup for funsies.
I didn't know you were trying to pass a test.
Where are you going with all that pee, Dan?
Yeah.
Don't worry about it, buddy.
Daddy will be back.
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Ginger.
I like gingers.
Now, what is your little dark deep inside you?
What do you think it is?
Did you have childhood trauma?
You got to have something.
I can always feel it on them.
I can always smell it on somebody.
What's funny is like people,
childhood trauma doesn't always lead to like magic
like people think.
Comedy does?
Comedy does.
Yeah.
Like whereas comedy is a defense mechanism.
But did you have any heartbreak as a kid
that really kind of lead?
Because look, here's the deal. You're a good guy. Nice guy have any heartbreak as a kid that really kind of le- because look here's the deal
You're a good guy. Nice guy. Smart guy. Mm-hmm. I know there's something in there
I feel like a therapist right now
But we all have a thing. We all have a thing. Do you have anything? Well, I mean I've always had a bit of a
You know an issue with
Moderation. Sure. Whatever the substance of the day is. You want a new drink?
You want me to pour you another one?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
I'm a little too moderated right now.
Okay.
Where's the moderator?
No, I, you know, I could have another one.
But, but yeah, moderation over the years and control of that has been something, but that's
not the darkness.
That's the symptom of it, right?
Could be.
It depends.
I mean, I'm not here to break it down.
I just want you to tell me you.
I will say it's, you know,
there's a little bit of a, you know,
I think what draws you to magic
is it's kind of like,
I know something people don't know, right?
So you're kind of naturally,
because of your art form,
drawn to secrets and secret keeping
and kind of like
manipulating people's heads you know like so um do you think that's a part of sociopathy like do
you think you have some sociopathic tendencies i mean i don't know if if i had those you would
think i that i would have had those ideas before and i became a magician or maybe maybe being a
magician draws them out of you i think where you're just kind of you enjoy like magicians have to naturally be a little bit of a sociopath in
that you need to lie in earnest like you need to make I need to tell you I need to spin a yarn
that's total bs but if you smell it's bs this trick won't land so I really need to be good at
yeah lying and you know being sincere sincere and telling you something is true.
And, yeah, that is I broke both of my arms while riding my bike with a rollerblades, right?
Who knows?
I need to make it sound like that really happened.
Right.
But it didn't.
It did.
I know.
It did.
I'm pretty sure.
I know.
But sometimes you tell yourself a lot.
Like, sometimes I'll tell a story just to set up a bit, and it's total BS.
But I convinced myself that, you know, like, here's a game I used to play with my dad when we were kids and blah, blah, blah.
It might be a way I set up a trick and I have.
But that's all.
I never played that game with my dad as a kid.
Do you ever believe it yourself sometimes?
But yes, I believe it myself because you get so – you get a little good and you have to –
It's such a method acting thing of not like i'm you're
not playing another person but you're playing yourself if you're being totally honest yeah and
as a magician i'm constantly have to how do i what is justin when he's really just being sincere
look and sound like and i try to emulate that when i'm not and i fool myself see this is i like i
like how honest this is because this is a big part of comedy as well. Like most comedians, even if you're telling your own depiction of something,
all stories in comedy are going to have to have some semblance of pulling from air.
It's impossible to have lived such a, you know, I'm not Forrest Gump.
You know what I mean?
I can't have all of these amazing stories.
So we do have to take from the reality, blend our own.
A good friend of ours, you know,
was writing a bit and said,
I don't want to make this about the person it's about
because then they'll know it's about them.
And I said, do you have a brother?
And she said, no. And I said, well, then it's about your brother.
You know, and that's a thing that we do
a lot in comedy, where it's like
To make the bit work, you invented a brother
that doesn't exist. Yeah, because then it puts
the onus on a thing that isn't real
So who's gonna get mad about it if they found out it was about them?
Hmm, you know what I mean?
And we do that stuff a lot and I helped her do this bit because it was a great bit and I was like she's like
I'm embarrassed if they find out about it and I said well they've don't if it's not to them if you you know
It's kind of like the first one of the first bits. I ever got landed on TV
I
referenced my dad, but it wasn't about my my
My stepfather was about my biological father
but a piece of the other story has a story from my stepdad in it, so I just blended the two worlds and
You know both of them know but nobody knows
But it doesn't matter because it's not it's helping the bits progression instead of me
I can't break it down to go well You know that parts about about my dad but the other one's about my stepdad but it
is something my stepdad used to do in fact his best friend used to do that that's why i got
influenced it's a waste of people's time so we all have this story spinning element to us that does
yes convince you sometimes what piece of this is well i've had my dad in the audience when I'm telling the story about a game that we never actually played.
And he believed it, too.
He thought it happened.
Yeah, he would say, man, I remember playing that game with you.
So I fooled him.
So he'll now perpetuate the bullshit of like, yeah, you know, let me tell you the story about this thing I used to do with Justin.
Because he was so proud that it inspired a bit that he can enjoy as an adult and that it apparently left such a whimsical mark
on my childhood when I just made it up.
So it's kind of like retroactively
bringing back happy childhood.
Yeah, you're making your,
well, because what is the truth of a story anyway
when it's monotonous like that?
Your version is just as valid as somebody else's, right?
It's your version, their version,
and then the 10,000 feet reality
that somebody else can put together.
I don't really know.
So if it's like,
I remember going to that place when we were a kid
and your mom going,
I don't, did we ever go there?
I don't know.
But if it makes you feel a type of way,
then sure, fine, who cares?
Your memory is fleeting regardless.
You're holding on to things that you care,
that you actually care about.
And then other stuff, it's hard to fit into that space. I mean, do you feel like as you're getting older, your memory is fleeting regardless. You're holding on to things that you actually care about.
And then other stuff, it's hard to fit into that space.
I mean, do you feel like as you're getting older,
you'll go, God, what was that thing?
And I forget and I go, well, I guess there's not a lot of room unless it really meant something to me.
But some people surprisingly remember all of it.
But I think if you're able to put it in a way
where it's a great story, a great bit, a great piece,
I don't know, isn't that a part of the art, I guess?
I think it is.
A little bit, you know?
Especially, I'm an entertainer.
As long as it's, you know,
it's like, as long as the trick works.
Well, it's not like I was robbed at gunpoint.
If the trick doesn't work,
and it's like, wow, hey, buddy,
it's pretty obvious to everyone
you're talking out of your ass here.
Yeah, you're right.
I Googled you, you don't have a brother.
You know, like, whatever it is, then you you're screwed but if it works it works he died in
the war as long as it doesn't you know the fibs don't hurt somebody or well that's right yeah if
it's if it's innocuous if it's not to do with world events that are right well i mean you were in the
cult you you fought in you fought i fought in vietnam you were in Vietnam, right? I was in the Cupcake War, Andrew.
You were in Little Cupcake Wars.
Yeah, you were on Netflix right now.
Nine tours of duty.
Did you ever get to go to the Playboy Mansion when it was around?
I did.
You did?
Did you do magic there?
Yeah, I think he was there.
Tell me you performed.
You performed at the Playboy Mansion?
Yeah.
Give it to me, baby.
Gosh, let me think back on this time.
I used to do, you know...
I used to have magic on my pockets all the time. I would be busting out tricks left and right, you know, I used to have magic on my pockets all the time.
I would be busting out tricks left and right, you know?
You never left home without having something prepared.
Something, because before you've made it, it's kind of like,
who are you?
What do you do?
I'm a magician.
Oh, okay, let's see.
Show me.
Show me, you know?
Oh, say something funny.
Do something funny.
Tell me a joke, right?
But that's hard for us to do.
Magic, you're like, fine.
I'll give you some magic.
What do you do?
You just tell people you're a magician?
Yeah.
I meet all these Uber drivers who are like,
you ever met this asshole red magician?
He just doesn't do a trick.
I go, come see me live.
Uh-huh.
Yeah, I love, come see me live.
Come see me live.
But, yeah, went to the Playboy Mansion
for some thing, and I think I was there to do magic. But, yeah, went to the Playboy Mansion for something.
And I think I was there to do magic.
I would do walk-around magic.
Strolling magic is a whole genre of magic.
You were like an appetizer.
Yeah, I was like, you know, like a cocktail party, icebreaker conversation starter.
Does this pay well to do this? Not that gig necessarily.
That was more exposure.
I get that.
But other gigs, yeah, I would do bar mitzvahs, I would do
strolling magic at. So cocktail hour,
I would basically, you know,
no table. I'm wearing
a suit. My pockets are packed.
I've got 30 minutes on me.
So I'd go up to groups, break the ice,
do about 10 minutes of tricks. Thank you go up to groups break the ice do about 10 minutes the tricks
Thank you guys so much. Enjoy the party go to find a dark corner reset all my shit and then go do it again
Yeah, strolling mad how many hours you have to be there for these things an hour or two. That's okay
Yeah, I think at this Playboy Mansion party. I walked up to
Paris Hilton and
Kim Kardashian and this was probably like 2009.
And I was like, hey, how you guys doing?
I'm Justin Credible.
I'm the magician here.
Can I show you a trick?
And they were like, no.
And I waddled away.
Well, one day you're both going to be bigger than ever.
Yeah.
And I'll be Justin, not Justin Credible.
Yeah.
Few people have
denied magic from me
and all of them
are billionaires now
who else denied magic
from you?
Elon Musk
what did he say?
he's like I'm sorry
this does not compute
I have not
I've not seen him
but yeah
strolling magic
is the way to
I mean as a
no better reason
to hand out
your business card
than
you like what you saw
come see me come see me like what you saw come see me
come see me live
I saw you live yeah but I mean different place
where chairs are pointed at
where you're sitting
but Playboy Mansion doing magic had to be kind of
kind of sexy kind of fun
also a little bit of a let down because when you go there
you're like this place is really nasty
it was very much like
I don't know what the event was,
but it wasn't like a Playboy party.
It was some party at the Playboy Mansion.
So you realize at the time,
like,
oh,
it's just a,
it's a venue.
It's like a place,
it's a facade,
it's a,
it's a,
it's a lifestyle that a company can rent out for the evening.
Totally.
You know,
and you could feel like you're at the Playboy Mansion.
I went once for one of those movie nights.
I don't know what night it used to be.
Maybe it was Tuesday or Monday.
He would,
he would watch a movie with everybody,
you know? And, uh, boy, oh boy, was I on. Nothing weird about that. It was movie nights. I don't know what night it used to be. Maybe it was Tuesday or whatever. He would watch a movie with everybody, you know?
And boy, oh boy, was I on. Nothing weird about that.
It was so disgusting.
I don't even remember.
We didn't stay.
We didn't watch the movie.
Schindler's List?
It was that or it was American History X.
It was one of those.
Oh, wow.
Yeah.
And they just looped the curb-stopping scene.
Wow.
That's the whole night.
Wow.
Yeah.
No, it just, I don't remember.
I genuinely don't remember.
It was something like, I want to say 16 Candles.
It was something in that era.
It was like Molly Ringwald era.
Okay.
Well, that's fine.
Yeah, but I didn't stay because I was like, I don't want to watch a movie with this old
guy and all these people that I'm-
I want to make a movie.
That's right.
With all these people.
Come on.
Where's the grotto?
It was disgusting, honestly.
They took us for a tour and this poor girl walked us around and in like a very like shitty tattered
Bikini, you know, it reminded me of one time. I went to a house party. I
Think I was in Vegas and some billionaire
We were out doing shows and some dude had us over at his house
And there were a bunch of young beautiful women and he was like who wants to get in the pool
And I was like, I'll get in the hot tub
I kind of really feel like getting cool
You know, I mean like I'm getting the hot tub and he was like you just wear your underwear and I was like, who wants to get in the pool? And I was like, I'll get in the hot tub. I don't really feel like getting in the pool. You know what I mean?
I'll get in the hot tub.
And he was like, you just wear your underwear.
And I was like, all right.
I don't know.
I was like, I don't know.
Do I want to do this at this party?
And he was like, ladies, come here.
And he opened up a cabinet that, or I mean a door that should have been a pantry for food in his kitchen.
And it was filled with swimsuits.
Filled.
Top to brim with bikinis.
Any for Santino?
I wore the bottoms, not the top.
I see. And I fell out both sides.
Oh, you did? One ball on one side, one ball
on the other. It was a good bit, man.
People really liked it. But to see two balls
floating and then your penis tucked... It hurt. After a while
you had to stop, you know? Wow. But
he had bikinis in there and I thought, man, how gross
and weird and sad. But some of
them put them on and got in the pool
and that felt the same way
I felt about
the girl that gave us the tour
at the Playboy Mansion.
This was a bikini
that looked like it was
in a room of bikinis.
It wasn't hers.
You know what I mean?
It was like...
She gets there in the morning,
clocks in,
takes off bikini she wore in.
Right, because you have to.
The bikini that they have.
Yeah, the work bikini.
And she toured us around
and it was like miserably sad.
Just everything about it bummed me out. And I remember feeling bikini that they have and she toured us around and it was like miserably sad i just everything
about it bummed me out and i remember feeling um not let down i didn't care i didn't think
anything was going to happen there i just was excited to see something like that and immediately
with my buddy i was like we we we should probably leave like this is you know what i mean i was like
what are we gonna it was like rich cool people that well you're probably like do i want to do
we want to get drunk here no no you definitely don't want to say i've been here and then get out yeah yeah
that's it was a say i did a thing and you did and yeah like i went to burning man once which is uh
way better than the mansion to perform or to live oh i went there no for like to attend for a week
right with my girlfriend at the time and a couple buddies.
And I took a bunch of magic thinking I'm going to be like the wizard of the playa.
And I was so fucked up the whole time I never did a trick for a week.
No, not once.
No, never opened up.
It was because like to do a trick, like I'm sure it's like say a joke.
You kind of have to switch from being a normal person in their day to be like, okay, oh shit.
All right, all right.
I have to do it. Let me go on. Let me get on let me get on right and it's you know it's not vacation mode you did burning
men one time and that's it one time and you'll never go again i would i mean it's a whole to do
yeah can't you know now kids things gigs i mean this sincerely i have absolutely no interest in
it whatsoever even for a say you did it whatsoever. Even for a say you did it?
That is my, I love say you did it's. I do love saying you did it's.
But boy, oh boy, are you talking, he knows. That is an Andrew Santino nightmare.
Huge groups of people where I'm just mixed in with these people without proper identification.
Vaccination proofs?
Yes, well that's not, how many boosters do you have?
No, where's the pisser? Where do I sleep? Will it be comissaries everywhere? Yes
Yeah, I don't I just I need to know I like to be set up
I like to be said well you can be set up you can do a proper you can do it
You can take a tour of us there
But then I feel like I just don't want to ever feel vulnerable in a huge group
And that's what I feel like happens there particularly when I'm on drugs me on drugs
I'm at my couch and my house with people I like,
or I'm in a very secure location with a small group of humans.
Put me at the beach with a couple of good friends and a little bit of mushrooms.
Oh, yeah.
Heaven on earth.
Right.
A cabin in the woods.
Oh, my God.
With five people.
I don't care what they see me do.
Don't care.
See me pass out, whatever.
But 17,000 people heavily on drugs, wandering through the desert,
that's a big pass for your old red boy.
Wow.
I can't do that.
I respect that the spiritual connection
people make out there.
Well, you're not seeing 17,000 of them at once.
You know, for the most part,
your experience, you're like,
I'm around a couple hundred people.
But then don't you just roam through,
don't you roam for hours?
What did you take?
You feel free to discuss.
I took a 10 to the
yeah 25 i took uh i think some mushrooms up there yeah and then maybe ever acid no never acid did
you ever do acid never have did you ever get into drugs when you were a child i uh well i would i
would take my dad's bottle of wild turkey that was on a cart like that in the basement and i would occasionally sip it and replace water to make the difference smart yeah until i realized my dad is
never touching this this is the horrible this is horrible liquor and it's probably
20 years old already right he's not going to check this so i drank that and then i realized
uh so i would i would experiment with the booze around that i knew my dad would notice
huffed a little bit here and there.
A huffer.
A huffer.
What are we talking, computer?
Scotchgard.
Like computer spray?
Oh, wow.
Buddy.
Yeah.
We're talking like age 14.
You were huffing at 14?
Yeah.
Computer duster was big back then.
You know, I don't remember.
Scotchgard.
I don't think those have been invented yet.
Well, any side of.
Computers were so new.
There was nothing to dust.
Sure, but any of those compressed air.
Yeah, you're getting.
That's fun.
Wow.
Whippets?
Yeah.
Yeah, whippets too.
But whippets, I would get spins, get dizzy, and it was unpleasant.
Love the spins.
But the huffing, it's like, it reminded me of like salvia.
Yes.
Do you do salvia?
Love salvia.
It's like, I can't believe this is a thing.
I just bought this at a store on the corner that also sells gasoline, and this is legal.
And then you hear, oh, it's legal weed, and then you take a little hit of that salvia stuff, and you're on another planet.
Yeah.
For, like, two minutes.
Right.
That's kind of what huffing was.
Anyway, I have a family audience now.
Let me tell you something, dude.
Families do drugs too.
They do.
Families definitely do drugs.
They do.
But in the desert,
did you find at this Burning Man
that you opened up a piece
of your creativity out there as well?
Did it help?
Did it help you?
I would say I saw,
I had my mind blown over and over again.
Your mind is blown at the expanse, the quantity of people, the art, the things.
Like, you know, you'll see like a double-decker London buses that are transformed into giant butterflies with like 300-foot-wide wings and flapping.
And it's like got 300 people on it.
It's going through the middle of the desert.
Excuse me.
Cough button.
Going through the desert at 3am and you're like,
how did this get here? You feel like you're on
another planet. Right.
I mean, I'm a magician. I like to blow
people's minds. It's nice to have your mind blown.
Right? You're just kind of like, how?
What is life? Like, this is crazy.
I wonder how to...
And did you get into the communal thing where you're trading food for other yeah i thought i'm gonna trade i'm gonna trade magic you were gonna
trade magic yeah yeah yeah just brought my own food didn't have to do any tricks for anybody
but see people do that though right they go everyone comes to the thing for a sandwich yeah
a gift to their own personal another another big no for me yeah i just want to know where all that
stuff's coming from i mean it was and i remember at the time, like, it was, like, it was the period of time where my ex-girlfriend and I, like, had the most, like, it was the most crazy, just, like, sexual energy.
Like, it was, like, the prime of the relationship was that week.
Perfect.
So that was, it was great.
And you left her there out at Burning Man.
Yeah.
Rest in peace.
No, she's doing great.
She's killing it.
She's still fine. Exactly. She is Kim Kardashian. She's killing it. She's still fine.
Exactly.
She is Kim Kardashian.
Oh my God.
That's what happens
when you deny magic.
That's so wild
how life comes around.
Well, I'm curious about the,
maybe I'll try it.
I don't know.
I feel like.
Huffing?
Burning Man.
Huffing, I'm done.
Burning Man, I feel like maybe.
Why not?
Burning Huff.
I don't know.
I mean, listen,
the opportunity might present itself and then you're like, wow, people have offered. Burning Man, I feel like maybe. Why not? Burning Huff. I don't know. I mean, listen, the opportunity might present itself,
and then you're like, wow.
People have offered.
This is supposed to be the thing.
But it's a very, you know, the things that are the, you know,
can't believe I did that, can never do that again,
are really special.
Like, I saw The Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia.
That's rad.
Like, two months before he died, and I often think back,
like, I mean, I was a poser. I think it was the first time I heard their music. But I remember thinking, like, I really he died. And I often think back, like, I mean, I was a poser.
I think it was the first time I heard their music.
But I remember thinking, like, I really love this.
Yeah.
I've been wearing their shirts for years,
and now I'm finally seeing, I'm hearing their music.
Yeah, I love it.
Have you seen Dead Company?
No, I really need to.
Have you?
No, I need to, too.
It's funny.
It's one of those things.
17,000 people just roaming in the desert.
See, not roaming.
No, sitting in one place.
Very high, sitting down. Yeah. That's seated very high, sitting down.
Yeah.
That I like.
And I know where the bathrooms are.
Big thing for me.
Because I've been too high at stuff when I was a child,
meaning like a teen getting stoned or getting ripped on something,
and being like, God, I don't know where the bathrooms are.
What are you doing in the bathroom?
You know what I'm doing in the bathroom.
I see what you mean.
I guess it's like, yeah, you need your private place just need to feel like i everything i need to feel a little bit
safe and when i'm letting loot when i'm when i'm unhinged and i'm like i'm letting myself fly free
i don't want to also be like oh man and i didn't i didn't know it was going to be cold
you know what i mean like i just don't want to i've been high at a place being like
yeah are we gonna leave soon i'm freezing coach. Have you been to Coachella? Yeah, I went to like
the third Coachella
that ever happened.
With VIP bands?
That's right.
See?
And then I never went again.
Because once you've done it
with the bands,
you're kind of like,
oh man.
I can't do it out.
Yeah.
I can't do it out, yeah.
I was able to find,
you know,
a LaCroix whenever I wanted.
Yes, whenever I needed a Perrier.
No, I was never fancy.
I just wanted safety.
I think I feel like
if I'm on drugs,
I want to feel safe.
I don't want to feel like, just let it go, man. It's like, no, man, because then I was never fancy. I just wanted safety. I think I feel like if I'm on drugs, I want to feel safe. I don't want to feel like, just let it go, man.
It's like, no, man, because then I'm stuck somewhere,
and then my high gets killed.
And I like to be a little organized and then let the brain run as fast as it can.
Is there someone in the magic world you have beef with?
Please tell me you got some drama with somebody out there.
Call them out, dude.
Call them out on this show if you're going to call them out, dude, let it rip.
Magicians love beef.
They do, huh?
Yeah.
It's funny because, you know, it runs in the world of comedy.
Is this a promo for your other show, Beef?
Yeah, for Beef I did on Netflix.
Please watch them in four episodes.
That's right.
And there's a new spinoff coming soon, Magician Beef.
Magician Beef, yeah.
It's a little bit more rare.
Oh, that's right.
Well, I don't know. No, it's actually pretty well done. It's overdone, to be honest with you. It's a little bit more rare. I don't know.
It's pretty well done. It's over done.
It's over easy.
I'll say this.
I have beef with magicians.
I don't. I find
keeping grudges to be exhausting.
There's so much to remember already
in life and
keeping up with
my own convictions and you know my point
of view or opinion changing about things as I
get older and evolve and learn like
that you know like that's a lot of work
just but to also remember the
people that are that I have
wronged me it's like what good is that
going to do me like I will often times
sometimes be like oh there's so and so let's go say hi
and Jill's like you hate
him and I'm like oh I do hate thatand-so let's go say hi and Jill's like you hate you hate him and
I'm like oh I do hate that guy shit that's right I hate that guy uh let's still say let's still go
say hi like I love nice place to be you can just let it but in your community it's such a small
community it's kind of like we're all we're all we're all the same little you know like micro
subculture you know why beat each other up I will say magicians though, uh, because it is such a small community, like,
and we were talking about, you know, lifting material here and there.
And, oh, I did that first.
Like there's only so many tricks that are out there.
Sure.
But there are hundreds of years of magical literature and this and that,
and there's so much independent creation.
And there's also so much like, uh, plagiarism and this and that,
like magicians can very easily get hung up
on
thinking that someone else
doing a thing vaguely similar to what
they did is the
thing that's keeping them from
making it you know what I mean
comedy same thing I'm sure
same exact thing it's like
he took that joke from my
YouTube special you know or they'll just like, oh, he took that joke from my YouTube special, you know.
Or they'll just say like, oh, the only reason that they made it is because of this thing that they do.
And then it's like, well, I could have done that thing.
I would do that thing.
I just don't.
I don't do that thing.
And it's like, well.
And same for musicians, too.
Like the sampling of this and that.
It's like.
Yeah.
You know, like Ed Sheeran.
Normally I can hear it.
Stole almost all my music, by the way.
Yes, he has.
Yeah.
And your jokes.
Yeah.
It's a whole, he's got them on pedals.
He's got everything.
And let me say this.
I've said this before, and this is very rude,
and I don't have a lot of ground to stand on,
but that guy makes me feel good as a redhead.
Oh.
I never thought about that.
And I don't mean this to be mean, but I feel good.
I feel good.
Yeah. this to be mean but i feel good i feel good yeah you know what ellen was to uh the lgbtq community
in the 90s and early 2000s ed ed sheeran ed's for me ed's for us he's letting everyone know
that it's safe to be safe to be a ginge to be it to be you and i'm a little bit better looking
i will say he look at me yes i will agree better looking. I will say he...
Look at me.
Yes, I will agree.
I'm a little bit better looking.
You are, you're right.
Yeah.
You're right.
So somebody goes,
oh, you're redhead.
I don't really know
if I like redheads.
I go, look at me.
Yeah.
Not bad.
No.
For a redhead, not bad.
It's true.
I mean, it's like,
but it's like me saying
I'm pretty funny for a magician.
You are.
I know.
That's a fact.
But for a magician.
No, but you are.
For a redhead, you know. Not bad. There are subcultures that we're talking about. Well, dude, we're thrown into the woods. I mean, I know. That's a fact. But for a magician. No, but you are. For a redhead,
you know,
there are subcultures that we're talking about.
Well, dude,
we're thrown into the woods.
I mean,
people don't like us at all.
They can't wait.
I mean,
people want to,
people just.
Way to go
for him to pull up
the most unattractive edge
here in GIFs.
Oh, there you go.
That's,
all right.
That's a little Snowden
creeping in.
Great hair, though.
He's got great hair.
All right,
tell me something.
But as far as beef goes,
by the way,
yeah, there's magicians, I think,
that have beef with me.
With you.
They don't like you.
Right.
Well, I mean, you know,
I've had with...
There are squabbles,
and then there's hatchets...
Any physical fights?
...that are bear...
Uh, no.
That would be sexy.
That would be great.
A magic duel.
Yeah.
Like the Anchorman alley brawl,
you know, like to have...
But pulling out weapons,
you're like,
God, this guy is good.
Yeah.
In the middle of a fight. Like, let's... Hey, you got a problem with me, Bl you're like, God, this guy is good. Yeah. In the middle of a fight.
Hey, you got a problem with me, Blaine?
Let's do the bullet catch, for real.
Now, do people like him?
They like David Blaine.
Yeah, you know, it's funny. Blaine,
magicians hated David Blaine at first. Why?
Because they'd never heard of him.
He was so popular. He was so famous. How is he so famous so quick?
Yeah. And then most important
is that he's doing the same tricks I do.
He's doing tricks that you can buy from a magic shop.
Why is everyone freaking out?
He's biting a quarter and spitting it back.
He's like, I do that stuff.
And I was one of those magicians who would be like,
how is this guy so famous?
I do the same thing.
But we didn't.
We're so deluded. It's like, no, he was famous like i i do the same thing but we we didn't we're so deluded it's
like no he was the first magician but to do that trick and people actually believed it the first
person to do to do that material and like get it get it to get the reaction that it deserves you
know it's the reaction was it man it's the reaction was it man you go to a bad neighborhood you get
some good magic right and he kind of looks like he's got power.
He does look a little...
He owned that whole thing.
But magicians,
man,
real tough love
relationships at first.
Magicians
love to hate you.
Until it's undeniable.
Penn and Teller
are magicians hated.
Magicians would pick it.
Magicians would say
they are
not magicians
because they're revealing
the secrets.
They're, you know...
Really?
Yeah.
Yeah, but they're revealing
the secrets of someone else's trick.
Well, revealing the secrets of their own tricks.
But also, I mean, Penn and Teller were very careful to often invent the methods that they would reveal and say that, you know, like.
But the fact that they were exposing anything at all, magicians just, they're blind to the brilliance that they're doing and just focusing on one thing, you know.
Right.
But then Penn and Tell Taylor are around long enough
and magicians are like, oh, yeah.
David Blaine, people are like, oh, wow, he's pretty great.
It's like, I must be dumb because I've seen those guys.
I thought they were unbelievable.
I was like, God, they're fucking good.
And it's also, again, does it sound funny coming out of your face?
Does it look good coming from you from a- and f- from a visual standpoint.
It's kinda like Carrot Top, right?
Yeah.
Got so much shit for so many years until eventually,
you know, just-
Doing his own thing.
He's an institution. People are like,
you know, he is kinda the best Sean Vakes.
Couldn't be- couldn't be a nicer, cooler dude.
Why couldn't you- why weren't you nicer to him earlier?
Like, we take so- it takes us so long.
Cause we're awful people.
We're such assholes.
We really are.
We're such assholes, dude.
Yeah.
Well, if you, at home, wanna go see this asshole, Um- Wait, we started? Yeah, We're such assholes. We really are. We're such assholes, dude. Yeah. Well, if you at home want to go see this asshole.
Wait, we started?
Yeah, we just started.
Please go see him on tour.
Is your website, what is it?
JustinWillman.com.
It's just JustinWillman.com.
That's it.
Nothing more.
Isn't yours Andrew Santino?
Yeah, but you know, some people couldn't find those.
A lot of people, there's like, you know.
You have to buy.
It's like Andrew Santino does comedy.com. You own that, huh? Yeah, Icom roll that yeah, I do I do that alone just incredible you do. Mm-hmm. You don't utilize it
Well, it goes to Justin woman. No, did you should make it its own separate page?
And I had to buy Justin Williams calm as well. Who's that? I don't know
But why'd you have to buy that because people think you're Justin Williams Williams. Oh, wow
Well, ladies and gentlemen go see Justin Williams live, please. Oh, no credible with a K just incredible my Williams. Oh, wow. Well, ladies and gentlemen, go see Justin Williams live.
Oh, no, Credible with a K.
Just Incredible, my friend. Yeah, come on.
Like someone would?
Yeah, I should probably look into that.
Just Incredible with a K.
I'm on tour.
There we go.
I'm in a bunch of places.
Go see Justin Willman live.
He's on tour everywhere.
By the way, playing in Boston, which we just got back from,
Wilbur Theater, one of my favorite places.
Did you just do the Wilbur?
No, we did the MGM Music Hall at Fenway.
Oh, that sounds pretty cool.
It was phenomenal, and they brought
us around. It's attached to Fenway,
and you walk through the stadium,
and they treated us so well
in Boston. I love them, but
he's got a bunch of dates coming up all
the way through the end of the year. Go to JustinWillman.com
to go check him out. It's a pleasure
seeing you. I really appreciate you. I think you're
so talented. Is that one of your kids?
That is my son, Jack. Yeah. He's got his
son on his, he's selling his kids on the internet already.
I love, yeah. I love milking a kid for a video.
Honestly, when you look at what works.
Yeah. Kids. Kids. Gotta have.
Yeah. Well, I have one right there. He's 24.
That's the problem.
We end the show the same way, with one word or
one phrase. You can choose, but you look inside of that camera, you're single,
and you do one word or one phrase to end this episode forever.
This will be embedded in history.
This is your keep it crispy.
All right, let me think.
One word or one phrase to just kind of really define you in this episode
and that camera whenever you're ready.
Find me.
Magician beef is rare.
In here, we pour whiskey, whiskey, whiskey, whiskey, whiskey.
You are that creature in the ginger beard.
Sturdy and ginger.
Like vampires, the ginger gene is a curse.
Gingers are beautiful.
You owe me $5 for the whiskey and $75 for the horse.
Gingers are hell no.
This whiskey is excellent.
Ginger.
I like gingers.