Penn and Teller’s Sin City 1998/1999
We had a lot of terrific guests – well over two hundred in 24 episodes — on Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular, the weekly hour-long variety show they did for the FX cable network, and on which I worked as a writer, chief magic consultant, and co-producer of the Penn & Teller segments. I rarely found the time to grab a camera and take a snapshot, but here are a few that I did manage. All these folks were genuinely terrific to work with – or they sure wouldn't be pictured here!
A meeting with Shaq
We went to L.A. for a week of work, including guest shots for the guys on Donny & Marie and Roseanne (who also shot a remote with them for our show, doing a two-man version of a classic Eddie Fechter card trick that I suggested), and a remote spot with Shaquille O'Neal. This was a comic sketch, shot at Planet Hollywood in Beverly Hills, in which Shaquille and Teller engage in an eating contest, and via some underhanded help from Penn and an assortment of hungry animal friends, Teller eventually wins. Shaq is a pretty laid-back guy and a great audience for magic, and so in between set-ups I had fun doing close-up magic for him. It's obvious to comment on the size of this guy, but suffice to say, that midget on the left is actually me. He doesn't so much shake your hand as envelop it Â- if Shaq did magic he could probably palm two decks of cards in one hand Â- side by side!
The Creative Team
The greatest pleasure of working on Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular was the opportunity to collaborate with a stunning creative team. The writing team (Penn Jillette, Teller, Colman Dekay, Michael Goudeau, and eventually, Alan Rucker), the musical director Dr. Gary Stockdale and his Crimes Against Nature Band, the costume designer, Brigitte Mann, the choreographers, Tiger Martina and Georgie Bernasek, and the rest of the fabulous Eight Deadly Sin Dancers (the eighth sin is "Card Tricks!")Â- putting all these people together and creating material was a remarkable and thrilling experience. And nobody worked harder than the dancers, an incredibly talented and dedicated bunch. Here they are at the final taping, just after taping Penn & Teller's dramatizing of the story of Salome and John the Baptist, as told in song by the Residents. Not everybody wears stage blood as well as this! (L to R: Terri Gomez, Kelly Crandall, Georgie Bernasek, Tiger Martina (kneeling), me, Krissy Lenmark, Marie Miller, Karen Marek, Octavio.)
Ice T
Okay, I admit that I may not own that many rap CDs, but rap pioneer Ice T's O.G. (Original Gangsta) is one of my favorites. I've always believed him to be a smart, talented guy, and so I wasn't surprised when he proved to be so on Sin City – but I wasn't fully prepared for his easygoing, good-humored style or the fun we'd have working together. It all started when we were over at the Hard Rock Café, preparing to shoot a "remote" guest spot with Pamela Anderson Lee. Suddenly we got word that Ice T was her guest star that day, and that he might drop by for our shoot with Pam. Quickly Penn & Teller and the writers put our heads together to try to come up with an idea for something to do on the fly with Ice T, just in case he'd be so inclined. So we pulled out a trick of mine, from my 1987 cover issue of Genii magazine (and my subsequent European lecture notes), entitled "Stabbing Case," in which a signed card is returned to the deck, the deck is boxed, and a knife is stabbed through the box. When the box is ripped away, the signed card is impaled on the knife, still stuck in the board. A week or so before we had thought of using this trick for a possible remote with Tim Allen of Home Improvement, and at that time, Teller had come up with the idea of using a power drill and wood screw instead of the knife. After some rapid brainstorming at the Hard Rock, Penn came up with the premise that he would ask Ice T where his "section" of memorabilia was hanging. Ice T would say there wasn't any, and then Penn would rip somebody else's piece of famous memorabilia off the wall, and in its place – by performing the card trick – leave a playing card signed by Ice T screwed into the wall. Michael Goudeau raced off to the shop to collect the props, while we ran around Hard Rock to pull it all together. Meanwhile, we didn't even know if Ice T would do it!
We got set for the bit. Ice T came by, and Teller asked him if he wanted to do a spot with the guys. He said he was a fan and would be glad to do something, so while Penn & Teller were taping with Pamela, I sat around and did some close-up magic for him and his friends. He really enjoyed the magic and was a hell of a lot of fun to perform for and to hang with. After the Pamela spot was finished, we shot Ice T's spot quick and dirty, pretty much in one take, and it went great. And I still have the card!
But there's more to the story. Teller had previously had the idea that it would be funny for a rapper to do a kid's birthday party magic trick, like Hippity Hop Rabbits. We mentioned the idea to Ice T, he liked it instantly and, since he was going to be in town for a few more days and we were taping shows that weekend, he agreed to come on the show. So the next morning he came by the shop, and I performed a simple version of the Hippity Hop Rabbits for him and gave him a couple of possible presentation ideas, including suggesting that we get some little kids together for him to perform for, birthday-party style, at the taping. We spent some time working together while he learned the mechanics of the trick, and then he was off and running on his own. Over the next forty minutes or so he kept riffing on the concept and created a truly clever and funny routine, complete with an original story, and every time somebody new from the production team came into the office, he'd perform the trick for them. Each time it got better and better, and after a half dozen performances or so, he was done and we knew we had a great bit. It was really wonderful to see a guy that focussed and talented just create something out of whole cloth right before your eyes.
Colman and Terry
Here's a snapshot of me, head writer and pal Colman Dekay, and Terry Farrell, who played Jadzia Dax on Deep Space Nine, and currently co-stars with Ted Danson in Becker. We certainly had guests on the show who were talented, funny, beautiful or charming, but I doubt I met any who possessed all those traits together in spades the way Terry does. She came in a day early, hung out during rehearsals and taping of the show before hers, did a great job in her own performance and was a grand sport (considering that Teller was pulling live worms out of her nose, hair and shoes!), and was all in all a complete delight to spend time with. As a bonus, she's a pal of Marina Sertis's, who was taping with us the next day; when the two hung out the night before Terry told Marina what a good time she had had, thereby preparing Marina to have a great time too Â- and so she did!
Fans of Star Trek…
Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation will recognize Marina as Counselor Deanna Troi. Fellow SCS-writer and world-class juggler Michael Goudeau (star of the Lance Burton magic show at the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip Â- don't miss it when you're in Vegas, and tell them I sent you) invented a trick we called "Card Nose," in which a deck of cards is sprayed at Marina's face, and her selected card is impaled on her nose Â- the pictures here show her before and after! She was a great sport and very funny in the bit, and as "chief magic consultant" I had the pleasure of teaching her the secret part of the trick that we needed her help on. She was a quick study, so then I spent another half hour or so doing some close-up magic for her, and we had a great time all told. By the way, I may have been listed as chief magic consultant, but Michael Goudeau came up with some of my favorite trick plots for the season, including the Hot Tub card trick with Baywatch gal Angelica Bridges, and Lyle Lovett's truly funny Valentine, probably the single funniest idea we had all year.
Smothers Brothers
Nobody of my generation who has the slightest interest in comedy could deny being influenced by the Smothers Brothers, or having been a fan of their legendary show, the Smothers Comedy Brothers Hour. So much so that we recreated an imaginary episode of that show (complete with theme song, and an original set piece that we somehow got hold of), in which the Brothers Smother present a 60s acid rock band called Yardstick of Lunatics that sings it's "hit" single, Jellybean Aardvark [the lyrics actually written by Penn Jillette and Colman Dekay, with music by Gary Stockdale] The show had a double opening Â- Penn & Teller open the Sin City Spectacular, Penn throws it to the Smothers Brothers, they do one of their classic music and comedy bits to open "their" show, and then they throw it back to the psychedelic scene of Jellybean Aardvark (in which I actually briefly appeared, complete with tie-dyes Â- but you have to look carefully because I'm gone in a flash). During the rehearsals for this, I was standing immediately backstage of them, just behind the Smothers Brothers set piece, and let me tell you, the first time their theme song came up and then they started doing their routine mere inches away from me, it really brought chills to the back of my neck. It was a real thrill to be a part of it, and to work with these two comedy heroes.
Frank Gorshin
Many will recognize Frank Gorshin as The Riddler from the old Batman TV series with Adam West. Some may remember him as the black-and-white character from the famous episode about racism in the original Star Trek series, "Let This Be Your Final Battle," which earned him an Emmy nomination. In fact, Gorshin is a comedian, singer, television and film actor who's been in dozens of movies – but perhaps the most important thing to me about Frank Gorshin is that he is probably the greatest impressionist who's ever lived. Frank doesn't just imitate voices. He doesn't create simulations. He creates perfect caricatures of his subjects, complete with voice, facial expressions, body language – without prosthetics or makeup – and above all, with truly funny and original material. You can often recognize who he's doing before he even opens his mouth! In short, Frank Gorshin is an artist. I saw him many times in my youth on the Carson show and television's great variety shows, and he made a tremendous impression (!) on me. I will never forget being awed by his masterpiece, a recreation of the showdown seen from the movie, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, in which he portrays both Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. I must have seen it 30 years ago, but I'll never forget it.
Penn & Teller are of course huge Frank Gorshin fans too, so with their encouragement I pressed hard to book him on the show. Eventually we got him, and I can honestly say that I was never more thrilled to meet any single guest we had – movie actor, television star, variety artist, you name it – than to meet Frank Gorshin. I kept hammering the bookers and handlers to come and get me the instant he arrived in the theater, and I was so excited I could barely tear myself away from hanging around him. Unfortunately we couldn't give him enough time to do the O.K. Corral hunk – it runs about nine minutes – but he did a great set, and I remain thrilled that I had the chance to meet him, and grateful that my friend, guitarist Jimmy MacIntosh from the SCS Crimes Against Nature Band, was nice enough to snap this photo for me. (Do I sound like an unabashed fan? I am. For more, go to the official site, www.frankgorshin.com.)
Lou Reed
That's me and the original rock-n'-roll animal, at a surprise birthday party (mine) a few years back (before I shaved!). The first time we met, mutual pal Penn Jillette brought Lou to see me perform at Mostly Magic in Greenwich Village, and one of the best compliments I've ever received was Lou's unquotable expletive response each time he missed seeing his card arrive under his ashtray! Lou is a great artist and a great audience for magic, and I'm privileged to know him. He was also a guest on the second episode of Sin City, and it was great to have him and his supportive spirit there at that first and challenging round of taping. As a spectacular bonus, Lou and the band and a handful of us went back to the Slammer (Penn's place) after the taping, and they ended up playing in the band room, with Gary Stockdale on keyboards, and eventually with Penn on bass. That was a thrill I will truly never forget.