Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Criss Angel On His Most Terrifying Illusions & Why He Says Anyone Can Do Magic

Episode Date: November 8, 2022

Criss Angel (@crissangel) is a magician and illusionist. His Las Vegas stage show MINDFREAK is live 5 nights a week at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and his new television show "Magic With The Stars" airs on The CW Network on Saturdays at 8pm ET. He joins Chris Van Vliet to talk about his earliest memory of magic, how Vince McMahon helped him get his big break by allowing him to perform at WWF New York in Time Square, the illusion that put him on the map, what his biggest fear is, the difference between an illusion and a magic trick, why he says "life is death without change" and much more! For more information about Criss Angel and "Magic With The Stars" visit: http://crissangel.com If you enjoyed this episode, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast/iTunes? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests. For more information about Chris Van Vliet and INSIGHT go to: https://podcast.chrisvanvliet.com Follow CVV on social media:  Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All systems are going. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Bleas! It is so good to see you, my friends. Welcome back to another audio adventure on Insight. I'm CVV, Chris Van Fleet. If you haven't yet, please hit follow or subscribe wherever you're listening to this. If it happens to be Apple Podcasts, oh man, it'd be amazing if you could leave a rating on there, a review on there that'd be even better.

And it's because of you. we just hit a thousand ratings on Spotify. Crazy. So I don't know. What's next? Like, is it 2000? I mean, that'd be big. Let's do it.

2,000 ratings on Spotify. Let's make it happen. But so grateful that you're here with us. So grateful to sit down with the legendary Chris Angel. What an honor to be able to share a conversation with him. I mean, when you think of the all-time great magicians, he is on that list for sure. And I'm sure it's the case with you, but I first found out about Chris through his TV show, Mind Freak, where he did some insane things like levitating, hanging from a helicopter with fish hooks in his back, walking on water.

And his live Vegas show at Planet Hollywood, which is also called Mind Freak, highlights a lot of that incredible magic, illusions, stunts, performances, whatever you want to call it. He also has a new TV show called Magic with the Stars. He tells us a little bit more about it during this conversation. But it's Saturday nights, 8 o'clock on the CW, and he teaches celebrities to perform some of these massive illusions on stage, like the ones that he does in his own show. He teaches celebrities to do this, and then they compete against each other. So good. Take a screenshot. Please share this with somebody who loves Chris Angel and tag us.

Chris is just at Chris Angel. I'm at Chris Van Vleet, and let's do this. Ladies and gentlemen, the one, the only, Chris Angel. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I've never met a Chris that I don't like. Although I don't know if I've met anyone that spells it the way that you do. What was the idea behind spelling it like that? Well, just to be a little different. And, you know, I just always wanted to spell my name a little different. Always practiced my signature when I was a kid. Always wanted to be successful in the world of entertainment. And, you know, it was innate in me since I can remember.

That's all I ever did was magic in music since I was six years old. Do you remember the first time that you were introduced to magic and what your reaction was when you saw it? Yeah, my aunt Stella, when I was six, taught me my first car. I saw her do it and I didn't understand how it worked, drove her crazy to teach it to me. Eventually she did. And then I drove everybody crazy in my house doing the same trick over and over and over again until a little later in life when I was 10 or 11. I got a magic sun on the Christmas tree.

And then I really got bit with the bug. And I started really taking it seriously and started performing for birthday parties, private events when I was 12. and perform that bar starting at 14. So it was quick. And we have something in common other than our amazing first name. I'm a big WWE fan. We interview a lot of pro wrestlers on the show. And I know that you really got your first big break at,

it was WWF, New York at the time. That's true, the McMahon's. Still good friends to this day and gave me an opportunity to take their banquet room in the basement of, of the, what was the WWF, then he got the F out, and it was WWE. And, you know, eventually I was supposed to do like a few weeks there. It ended up turning into, I did over a year.

I think I did 14 months there, did 600 performances, Broadway and 43rd in the basement there, in a makeshift theater that I created. And it was the real start of all of these other things to follow, which was my, first television special on a network then and then another one. And then I went to Japan and did one. And then I finally sold Mind Freaks. So it all kind of evolved and escalated from the WW. They kind of gave me my first break, thanks to the McMan's. So were you in that like whole Times Square hustle of like trying to get people to come into your show? Yeah, I used to, I used to, I had really, really long hair at the time down to my thigh and I used to tuck it up in a hat and go out and

hand out flyers as somebody else and, you know, how to get people there. But the show was, was very successful considering it was a small room and really help create the foundation. And the McMan's really supported me in the way of, you know, giving me coverage through the WWE and also having their wrestlers come see some of the demonstrations that I did. whether it was being underwater for 24 hours in the middle of Times Square or hanging by six fish hooks for six hours. They always had wrestlers come by and support me, the big show, Hulk Hogan, you name it.

Everybody, I always had the pleasure of meeting back then. I love how you rhyme off these performances like they're nothing. I was just hanging from fish hooks for six hours. No big deal. It's just the day in the office. You know, I perform Mind Freak at Plano Hollywood, which thankfully to all of your viewers is the number one bestselling show in Las Vegas. And, you know, I've been performing here since 2005 and I've been doing thousands of shows. And, you know, I created an experience that is immersive, is revolutionary, and literally puts my life on the line because it's a very physical show.

And what I try to do is to create an experience that you can't have anywhere else in the world, not just in Las Vegas. And I think that's really why people have gravitated towards the show, you know, because I do all these kind of crazy things over their head. It happens behind them. There's a tornado in the show. And I think that was able to kind of manifest itself and translate into magic with the stars now. And now I have celebrities performing my material that I teach them. and Emmy Award-winning comedian Lonnie Love, Master Magistian Lance Burton, and myself, Judge them, hosted by the hilarious Eddie Griffin.

So it's something completely different on television, something completely different live when you see my show. So it's kind of my world. So what's so interesting about that is it's this fine balance of like being a great student, learning the ins and outs of how the illusion is done, and then also being great at showmanship on stage and pulling it off. So where's the balance there? Well, I mean, for me, I've been doing this for so long.

You know, it's all about creating experiences that are completely unique and original. But for me, it's about reverse engineering. What do I want to see as a fan? What do I want to see that would be a visual feast? And then I reverse engineer whatever that is, how to do it. And that's how I create it in my 60,000 square, studio out here. And that's why, you know, when you come see mind freak or you watch magic with the stars, you see things that you've never seen before. You see the greatest levitation or what

has been named the greatest levitation of all time because I was able to evolve that for over 20 years in my studios and on stage and really make something that's completely unique from any other illusion in the world and something that really garners a tremendous respect from the community worldwide. So when a celebrity comes to you on Magic with the Stars, where do you even begin? Well, we break it down to three different categories. So there's close up magic or mentalism, parlor or stage. And then we have grand illusion or grand escape.

So we take three different categories and we take the two celebrities and teach them basically the same three categories, but different effects. Sometimes the A demonstration, which is our grand illusion or escape, would be the same. And we want to see what they're going to bring to the presentation so that the audience, the home audience can see the difference of who presented this better, the same illusion, who can do it better. But then we have different close-up effects that they perform, bringing their own style and presentation and personality and character to it.

So it's about really breaking it down to, what are they learning and how do I teach it to them in a way that they can really grasp and that can be the quickest way for them to learn. And so what I do is look at their discipline. If they're an actor, they used to learning lines. They're used to, you know, taking and doing, you know, hitting marks and dealing and interacting with props and people and facial expressions and costumes. So I do layer, I do like a layer approach when I teach it to them so that I just teach it. the base and then build on from there. And it's really fascinating when you get different celebrities,

whether it's two UFC fighters like Randy Kittor and Frank Mayer, Hall of Famers, champions, and what their discipline is and how to teach them magic and let them do what they do in their arena, but also take them out of their wheelhouse and have them do something that they might not be comfortable in. And so for me, it's fascinating to see people like that, or Olympians like, you know, a gold medalist Tara Lipinski, you know, brought home the gold for us. And Johnny, we are competing against each other, ice skaters, figure skaters.

And then you take Frankie Munez and Lolo Jones, an Olympian versus an actor. And how does that work? Male and female competing in two different disciplines. So to me, it's just fascinating to see. And it's really something that gives a tremendous amount of hope to the viewer. they see that these people are not invincible. They have fears. They have to overcome certain challenges like we all do in our regular lives.

So besides seeing the most revolutionary magic in it and seeing like eye candy galore, you're really going to get something at it as personally that you can apply to your own life and be able to see that the impossible is certainly possible. I love that because I'm such a big proponent of the idea that like anyone can learn to do anything. It's just like you've got to get over that fixed mindset. that. And I love that on your show, you can show that like, I think anyone watches anything that you've ever done, any of the performances you've ever done and go, I don't know, how does you do that? That's incredible. I think there's something about seeing an actor, a musician,

a celebrity, whoever it happens to be, that's not part of that magic world pulling it off that makes you go, if they can do that, maybe I can do this other thing in my life. 100%. And what you're seeing them do is not like old, you know, they're doing magic and illusions and escapes that headlining magicians in Vegas or throughout the world are not capable of doing. It's the most sophisticated, you know, illusions escapes that you can possibly do in the world. There's stuff that I created in my laboratory and there's nothing out there like it. Are there things that you're developing now or perhaps you've, been developing for 10 or 15 or 20 years that you just need a little bit more until you can put it

on stage? I'm always evolving and transforming and creating. That's why I have a 60,000 square foot laboratory, my studio, which is unlike anything in the world for my art form and we're able to do things at a much higher technologically sophisticated level. And that's why people come to trust my brand when they come see my show or watch it on TV, they know they're going to see things that you can never see any other practitioner in my field do, because it's stuff that I evolve and transform with my full team for decades. And so, you know, in my mind freak show, I have a tornado in there that I'm evolving right now and just taking it to the next level. I have a snow blizzard in that are doing the same thing.

I have a guy that's on fire that interacts in the beginning of a show that I'm working with. So I'm really doing things that are not only immersive, not only is the audience completely surrounded and in the movie as opposed to watching it, but it's things that, you know, you've never seen before unless you're watching a movie with CGI or special effects, but this is live. This is stuff that I wanted to do not only live. but then wanted other people, actors and athletes, to be able to take what I've learned and what I've created

and be able to celebrate this art forum with the viewers and show people. Because, you know, we live in such a divided country right now. It doesn't matter if you're a liberal or a conservative. You know, it's so divided. And to me, it's all about light, love, and positivity, about engaging somebody and giving them hope and showing them that anything is possible. And I think Magic with the Stars does so much, but the underscore, it does that. Since you mentioned movies, I know that you're a big movie fan.

What is the best movie about Magic ever made? I'm not that big of a movie buff. I mean, there's been several. I mean, if you go classic, it's obviously the Houdini Tony Curtis movie, which is not true. That's not how Houdini died at the end, but it's an interesting movie. You know, you have lots of prestige. You have a variety of movies. But, you know, they're always presented for me in a little bit more of a bubble.

You know, Bert Wonderstone was done, which had the opportunity to be something really special and really funny. and it kind of lost or missed its mark. And I think it's because you have people that don't really create magic or not doing what I do every night. And so they don't really understand, you know, how to translate that in a way that's believable or something that's engaging in a funny way or in a serious way. So I think, you know, movies by and law,

large, you know, are magic in unto themselves, whether they have the subject matter of magic, because it's movie magic. It's how do they create these special effects? So some of my favorites would be things that inspired me like The Terminator back in the day that had movie magic in there that really was revolutionary for that time. And I was Stan Winston's partner for a period of time and got to see a lot. of what they did and what I did and how we kind of combine our crafts to create something very special. And to me, that's really where I'm at.

Like, my show has 3D without 3D glasses on, has practical effects, virtual effects, because there's a half a billion pixels of video in Mind Freak, at Planet Hollywood. And even on Magic with the Stars, there's more technology in that theater than any theater in the world. You're talking about, you know, 31 flame hedge. You're talking about, you know, half a billion pixels of video, just, you know, 165 surround sound speakers to create sound system that feels like you can touch it. So there's so much technology in there. And I think whether you watch it on TV and you're like, oh, that's not possible that they could do that live. But then you come see a live and you're like, he does really levitate and fly and do this in the middle of pure light.

And how is that possible? Because we never seen anything like that, you know? Who's the one celebrity on Magic with the Stars that just blew you away with what they did? You know, there was a few really, really, I mean, all of them, you know, carried their own. But, you know, I thought, I thought Frank Meere, Randy Couture did a really great job. I thought Donnie Osmond and Debbie Gibson did a really good job. You know, I thought Miles Brown from the show Blackish did a really good job with the levitation. Yeah, I think a lot of a lot of the, everybody kind of stepped up and presented what they had to do in a way that I was really proud of.

Whether, you know, somebody won and a person lost, they both still did, you know, a really great job. And everybody that did season one should be proud of themselves to people that won and lost. Because in my mind, there were no losers. We had to pick somebody for the sake of the television engagement, the show. But everybody did a fantastic job. You have a quote that I love. It's life is death without change. What does that mean to you?

Well, it means that, you know, we all change every moment that we're alive, whether physically, mentally, or what our interests are, or what our life is presented with, you know, death and, you know, people leaving us and people, new people coming and meeting us, it constantly changes. And so to me, you kind of have to embrace it, even though sometimes it's very difficult due to the circumstances. But if you embrace it, I think then it will allow you to. to live probably a more fruitful life because you used to change and you accept change. You don't try to fight it.

You know, I create things all the time and they're my babies, but I cut and pull things and edit. I never get married to anything in my creative, you know, outlet because for me, it's all about change and growth and transformation and looking for what is extraordinary, extraordinary. are you. So life is death without change, because if you don't have change, then obviously you're not living. I know how much of an influence Houdini was for you. Which of your illusions do you think that he would be most impressed by if he was still with us today? You know, I think Houdini was a true provocateur, you know, for his day. He did things that really

pushed people's buttons and did it in the name of escape. But Houdini never really took a lot of chances on stage. Like he never held his breath for any significant amount of time on stage in front of the public without having a curtain or some type of veil between him and the audience. And I think, you know, submerge is a demonstration where we just had Jeff Timmons from 98 degrees. and R&B legend sold over 10 million albums, genuine, you know, attempt it. And, you know, I don't know if Houdini would have done that. Houdini didn't want to do a lot of things.

He didn't want to be buried alive because he said the weight of the earth was too great, I believe. And so I think Houdini would see a lot of things because it's a whole different time. And back then, you know, he could do something for 20 minutes on stage. and people would sit there and be engaged. If I do something for two minutes now, it's pushing the envelope because people have so much information at their disposal, at their fingertips, and on their devices that their attention span,

you know, is not what it was three years ago, 10 years ago, and 20 years ago, forget about, you know, the early 1900s. So Houdini was able to get away with a lot more picking locks and stuff like that back in his day was a lot. lot easier because, you know, handcuffs were a single spring today. There are a double spring. It was just a different world and he took advantage of it and he should. And he did. And, you know, we have to be the best that we can be within the period of time that we're living and performing and

doing our craft. And that's what I try to do. And, you know, we have to embrace the mediums that we have at our disposal. So I remember seeing mind freak on TV for the first time. And I had never in my life seen someone do the transition of like eating the camera. Where did that idea come from? I think my whole approach to my art form is not magicians. Although I love Poudini and Richiarty and, you know, certain, certain magicians, my influence came from more pop culture. I grew up on MTV. You know, I grew up on, you know, bands like Led Zer. Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and Kiss and great songwriting. So, you know, I think my conscious approach, I was very conscientious about my approach back then because I was very influenced by

rap and rock and played music and sang so and wrote my own material. So I think that kind of came from that attitude, I would say, that rock and roll attitude came from kind of what my influences were what I did in clubs and kind of that, you know, no tuxedo, no top hat, no rabbit, you know, screwed to tradition. I'm going to do something that's my own. And I think that's why people connected to me because not only was I a product of the times, but I also had a message. And my message was, you know, when the mind, body and spirit work together, anything is possible. And I just kind of had this attitude, you know, and we didn't see that in magic back then. You know, people were much more reserved.

You're going to turn 55 next month, which is mind-blowing to me. Can you please tell us where the founder youth is? It's not here because you could see the grays. I didn't get a chance to shave this morning, so I apologize. But no, I think it's about, you know, eating right. And I try to eat right as much as I can. I mean, I cheat a lot, especially with three kids. But what's the whole lot?

What's Chris Angels go to cheat meal? Oh, pizza. I love pizza. Oh, I'm speaking my language here. Yeah, yeah. But I try to stay with like protein, like chicken, vegetables, you know, stuff like that. Maybe a filet mignon once a week, twice a week. But yeah, and I try to exercise.

You know, I either do a little cardio or, you know, or lift a little bit of weight. Um, kind of roll around, uh, you know, with a little bit of jihitsu, a little bit of mixed martial arts. I'm into, I have a gym in my house. So I train doing that stuff and, uh, getting ready to get back into that really, uh, in a meaningful way with Frank Neer. He's going to be training me. Um, so, um, yeah, I just love doing stuff like that. I love, I love being physical and, and in the show is very physical. So I do that show, uh, five days a week, Wednesdays through.

Sunday and then all the other projects like Magic with the Star. So I'm always moving, always working and keeping busy. Yeah, you like fall into that same category as Tom Brady, where you just, you don't age. Well, I don't know about that. He, he, he, he, I try to drink a lot of water, but as much as not as much as I should. And, uh, yeah, it's getting, it's getting, it's getting harder as you get older, you know, it's, it's not, uh, recovery is not as easy. And, and, and I still do the same pace that I always always did. So, you know, right. now for me, you know, it's definitely, you know, I'm not slowing down, but it's not as easy. What was the one, by the way, is it illusion, trick, stunt, performance? What do you like?

To me, there are illusions or demonstrations. You know, I don't really use the word tricks. I know Lance uses that all the time because to me a trick is, this is a bit, for me, a little bit cheaper. it's like I'm going to learn a trick, you know. Yeah, you could say it's a trick. I mean, I guess, you know, levitating and flying around the siege is a trick. But to me, you know, it has a little bit more substance there. And it has a little bit more meaning there than just like a car trick or something.

What was the one demonstration that put you on the map early on and made people go, oh my God, you got to pay attention to Chris Angel. I think it was Chris Angel. I think it was my. approach, my look, the way I presented stuff. I've done, you know, thousands. I did over a thousand demonstrations on mind freak alone. I just did 75 illusions on television with Magic with the Stars. There's a lot of magic in the series. And people can watch it. Obviously, every Saturday night, eight, seven central on the CW. And they can see, you know, kind of my body of work. Because on Magic

with the stars, they're going to see me and they're going to see celebrities performing these effects, these demonstrations, and they're going to see some of my greatest pieces, as I said, my levitation, my flying, which was named the greatest levitation, greatest illusion of all time, but they're also going to see like, you know, my cutting in half without any boxes completely out in the open. They're going to see the amystica chair where a girl vanishes and instantly reappears in a split second. They're going to see escapes and submerged and all types of demonstrations that I think are some of my hits that people come to see. And they're going to see them perform by celebrities learning them from me.

And you're going to see that process behind the curtain for the first time where magic never goes there because, you know, you're not supposed to bring people in and show them how you do it and train them and see what the training process is. But we break the rules and do what we do. do it for the benefit of the viewer. So hopefully viewers check it out. Magic with the Star, C.W. 8, 7 Central, every Saturday night. Are there anything that scares you? Probably the only thing that scares me is when I go before God.

That's it. I don't fear death. I don't fear anything. But my faith in God is what I think is, you know, for me, it's the most important thing. And I don't push it on anybody. This is an amazing country. People can believe what they wish.

They can express themselves. I hope still. And for me, that really is it. You know, I try to be true to myself. I try to be able to look in the mirror, let my kids look at me. And I've made lots of mistakes in my life. Like we all have, we all have skeletons. But it's all about life is death without change, about embracing.

and transformation and becoming better as a human being and as an artist. And I think as you get older and you have three children, your priorities get in order. So like you said, it's every Saturday night on the CW 8-7 Central. Thank you so much for this. I've just one more question for you because gratitude is such a big thing in my life. I wake up every day. I say out loud three things I'm grateful for and that's how I start my day.

Chris Angel, what are three things in your life that you're grateful for right now? I would say, Shoneel, my better have, my three children, and, you know, my family and friends. That's what I'm grateful for. Everything else is meaningless, you know. It means nothing. Memories are what we have to create for others to remember, and that's the greatest gift you can give somebody. You are such a legend. Chris, thank you so much.

No, thank you. And I wish you all the best. And hopefully you'll come out and see Mind Free or watch Magic with the Stars, but I'd love to meet you in person if you're ever out in Vegas. Let's do it. I'm in Vegas like once a month. So next time I'm there, let us know. And we'll get you some tickets and bring whoever you'd like. And I'm sincere.

I'm not just saying that. But definitely reach out to whoever set this up. And you'd be absolutely welcomed and be my guest. It would be an honor. Again, Chris, thank you for being so great. Awesome. Likewise. Take care.

What a freaking legend. Thank you to Chris for joining us. And thank you for that very kind invitation to see his show in Vegas. If you're going to be in Vegas, let's go see this thing together. How does that sound? Take a screenshot. Share this with someone who loves magic, who loves Chris Angel, and tag us so we can share it out as well.

He's at Chris Angel. That's C-R-I-S-A-S- Angel. I'm at Chris Van Vleet, C-H-R-I-S-F-V-E-S-F-V-E-N-Vleet. And since he said it during this conversation, it's a quote that I love so much. Let's make this the quote that we end this episode with today. Life is death without change. Be great.

Be grateful. We'll see you on the next one for some more insight. The Hammer Alley podcast, an 80s flashback mockumentary. Back in the 80s, there were a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock. But there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley. Whatever happened to Hammer Alley?

How did they go from top of the rock? I'm looking for a music video. They're a band from 1987. Hammer Alley. Ever heard of them? To Rock Bottom. Dude, I was born in 1987. I can't believe he's doing this.

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