| MAGIC INTERVIEW - AUGUST 2002 It was almost 20 years ago that he blasted on the scene as the magical designer for the Jackson’s Victory Tour. Since then, he’ s built one of the most impressive lists of credits in - and out of - the world of magic. Some of his “MegaMagic” on television includes vanishing the Space Shuttle, relocating Hawaii’s Diamond Head volcano two miles out to sea, and levitating and vanishing the Taj Mahal. And by the year 2000, he had starred in 18 of his own international TV specials. While the size of his live show make it difficult to work in the United States - “the demand simply doesn’t warrant the cost” - he did have the opportunity to showcase 16 of his larger creations when hosting Masters of Illusion, the PAX Network series now in global syndication. At 40 years old, he claims to live a “typical Hollywood lifestyle” with his wife of three years, Akiko Ohamoto - last year spending a total of just three months at home. Due to his hectic travel schedule, this interview with STAN ALLEN was conducted over the last few months via telephone and email… MAGIC: Your first real notoriety in the magic world came about when you created the magic for Michael Jackson and his brothers’ Victory Tour. This was arguably the biggest rock show of that time. How does a total unknown from Ann Arbor, Michigan land the biggest gig on the planet?
HARARY: This is a question I’ve been answering
since 1984 - much to my chagrin. Nevertheless… MAGIC: You didn’t exactly follow the normal path of learning close-up and platform magic. HARARY: It didn’t make sense to spend an immense amount of time developing sleight-of-hand skills when I could dedicate the same time creating illusions I could share with hundreds of thousands of football fans. And doing so, I quickly made a name for myself in the Midwest - okay, maybe just one area code. Eventually I was approached by a Detroit television station. David Copperfield had just vanished a Lear jet, so the TV folks, of course, wanted me to do something equal to it. Seizing the opportunity, I said, “Sure, no problem!” MAGIC: Sounds pretty confident. HARARY: Well, in my heart, I had no clue how I would ever create, let alone afford to pull off, a big TV effect. After about a week of playing with cardboard boxes and plywood, I decided to simply grab a camera and a friend’s car and go out into a parking lot and play around. What I came up with was a new principle for creating very large illusions for television with virtually no props. Amazingly, 20 years later, that method still serves me well. MAGIC: Is this the method you used in vanishing the Space Shuttle? HARARY: It was similar, but much cheaper. It did, however, lay down the foundation for future methods. MAGIC: Back to Michael Jackson… HARARY: Well, in 1984, Jackson announced he was going on the road with the biggest tour in history. Determined to be a part of that event, I set out to show him my magic. After about two weeks of being laughed at by record-store owners, radio deejays, and even my own small-time agent, something fantastic happened - well, fantastic for me. Michael Jackson burned his hair from the pyrotechnics on a Pepsi commercial shoot. That evening on television, Entertainment Tonight mentioned the name of his lawyer. That was it! The next day I sent my videotape to his attorneys in Los Angeles. More specifically, I sent the video of my buddy’s car appearance that we shot in the parking lot a few months before. The tape, which has since been copied and passed around magic land, actually looked like hell. It features a geeky looking me, with my geeky looking friends all standing in the rain on a muddy asphalt parking lot. Nevertheless, a 1974 beige Dodge Dart does magically disappear. When Jackson’s production people saw the illusion they figured, if this kid from Michigan could do magic in nasty conditions like this, then he could certainly handle the really nasty conditions of rock-and-roll. In any case, a week later I was flying to L.A. to meet my idol. Since we were both pretty much the same age - actually, I guess we still are - we quickly became friends. MAGIC:
What exactly did you create for the Victory Tour? MAGIC: And all went well? HARARY: When it came time to pull off the job, I found myself way out of my league. Opening night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City was the first time that we tried the illusion outside. In front of 70,000 screaming teenagers, Michael’s levitation was hit by a gust of wind. I remember watching a sea of record company executives have simultaneous heart attacks as they watched, what they believed to be, their billion-dollar investment flying out of control. I thought for sure this was my one-way ticket back to the church basements and bar mitzvah shows in Michigan. MAGIC: But it wasn’t, and you even did more work for Jackson. HARARY: Over the last 18 years, I’ve created many other illusions for him including some really cool things for his house, as well as designing his personal theater. MAGIC: Not a bad first credit. HARARY: My only regret is that Jackson’s presence is so powerful it continues to eclipse the other 50 or so rock tours I’ve since designed. MAGIC: Let’s talk about a few of those. Your list includes Cher, TLC, Alice Cooper, Shania Twain, *NSYNC, and Michael’s sister, Janet. A very impressive list. Of all 50 or so, which was your favorite? HARARY: Wow! That’s a tough question. MAGIC: Maybe a particular artist or how a certain project turned out? HARARY: It’s still difficult to choose. Having said that, I remember working on Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation tour. While I was showing her how to get into a load chamber, an MTV crew suddenly showed up. Determined to protect the illusion from the press, we decided to wait it out in the tiny secret cubicle. It was a rush hearing the MTV cameramen literally standing next to us complaining that the star wasn’t there. I’ll never forget the time I spent with Janet alone in a dark box. During that stolen time I got to know her and her philosophies on entertainment, music, theater, and life. The emotional effect she has on her fans is far more magical than any I’ve seen in our business. As an illusionist, I find myself striving to evoke those same reactions in my own audience. MAGIC: Working with mega-stars, you must have some war stories. HARARY: I could tell you dozens, although some of them would probably prod litigation. MAGIC: How about just a few that won’t? HARARY: Alright, while working on an awards show, a “full-figured” R&B diva, who shall remain nameless, got stuck in a mirror tube. As a team of engineers tried to figure out where the design went wrong, only she and I realized that the tube’s dimensions had been configured off of her driver’s license weight, as opposed to her actual size. Then there was Run DMC, an old-school rap act in the 80’s, who asked me to create a vanishing DJ stand, including their turntables and mixer. Via a system of high-tension springs, the entire unit could flip into a deceptive table at a speed invisible to the human eye. Despite my campaigning to rehearse this effect, the rappers insisted that they being “cool” could do it cold. Halfway into their second song on of the guys accidentally hit the trigger button. In an instant, all of their instruments vanished. The three rappers stared at each other dumbfounded, looked at the audience, said “Thank you, very much!” and walked offstage swearing. MAGIC: Do you ever send your own illusion techs on these rock tours? HARARY: I have a team of technicians affectionately called “the illusion squadron.” They look like a cross between aerospace engineers and rock stars. Most of them travel with my active live unit - the show being performed at that time. Those that don’t are usually one country ahead of us, working on the second show unit in preparation for the cast and my arrival. All of them take turns going out on concert projects. I found it’s valuable to have people out on the road who understand my designs. MAGIC: You mentioned your own performances. How big of a show do you travel with? HARARY: With a production staff of 70, I think we’re the largest touring magic show. MAGIC: Where do you play that size show? HARARY: Since ’92 we’ve predominantly played stadiums and sports arenas. This is due to the economics of the markets we tour. In countries like India and China, my fans simply cannot afford a normal ticket price. By working in 10,000- to 30,000-seat venues, we’re able to compensate with volume. One year we had a combined TV and live audience of over 1.6 billion. That’s a lot of people introduced to magic. MAGIC: How hands-on are you with these shows? HARARY: As something of a control freak, the show is basically my vehicle. I’m the art and music director, as well as the costume, set, lighting, and video graphic designer. I’ve incorporated 76 video screens throughout the scenic elements in an effort to visually connect my live product with my television image. With three separate shows, each one 60% different, the productions dramatic rhythms vary from city to city. The overall look, however, remains the same. MAGIC: And what is that look? HARARY: Right now, it is that of an Asian future-tech metropolis filled with video. Before that it was a stylized paramilitary hangar. And way before that, the show looked like an 80’s rock concert - big hair and lots of aluminum truss on stage. That fashion decision continues to haunt me. MAGIC: Do you design all the magic, as well? HARARY: All of the illusions are designed and engineered by me. It’s difficult to communicate the magnitude of importance I place on this fact. I could never find fulfillment in performing someone else’s magic. MAGIC: When coming up with original illusions, do you start with an effect or do you work from the method backwards? HARARY: I believe the key to a successful show, even more than the magic, is communication with the audience. This implies a certain amount of truth and sincerity. To achieve this, I feel the illusions, as well as their performance angle, need to come from the heart. I begin by looking to the powerful moment and emotions that excite me. Then I work backwards, reverse-engineering magical effects that not only communicate, but hopefully inflict those same emotions on my audience. MAGIC: So there is a creative process. HARARY: For me, the “creative process” is simply part of life; it’s virtually a subconscious act. We’re surrounded by imagery, be it natural or man-made. As a designer, I’m continually scanning my world looking for cool moments and visual harmonics. MAGIC: And when you come across these “moments” and “harmonics,” do you jot them down somewhere? HARARY: About 20 years ago I started writing ideas down in a little book. Five years and at least a dozen books later I realized there’s just too much out there. I do seek out new technologies and materials. These I keep filed in the back of my mind, somewhere between Duran Duran lyrics and pick-up lines I never had the opportunity to use. MAGIC: Specific influences? HARARY: Artistically, I’m drawn to the subjects that fascinate me personally. My roots, of course, are in American pop culture. Therefore, that genre tends to affect a lot of my work. Lately, I’ve become interested in international contemporary architecture, specifically architecture and graphic design. Right now, my live show emulates Japanese anime (future-tech art design). MAGIC: What about from magic? HARARY: The only place I avoid influence from is magic. I firmly believe that if you look to your own industry for inspiration, the best you will ever be is almost as good as the product from which you were stimulated. At the same time, I think a certain amount of peer inspiration can accelerate the development of our art. So long as it’s advanced and not just cloned. To me, however, a quick look as magic in Vegas reveals brilliant examples of one artist’s affect on another. It’s pretty easy to spot the influences of David Copperfield and Siegfried & Roy. In some form, almost every magician is represented on The Strip. There’s even a version of me from the early 90’s, when I took my “look” from aviation and rock concerts. I think magic evolves slightly slower in relation to other forms of entertainment. This may be due to our passionate celebration of traditional stereotypes. MAGIC: And you feel this is bad?
HARARY: It isn’t necessarily bad, but it does make it difficult
for progressive thinkers, like Criss Angel, in New York, and Anslem Roy
Eric, in Malaysia, to get the recognition they deserve. MAGIC: Did that bother you? HARARY: Actually, I found a distorted satisfaction in the disapproval of a critic my father’s age. MAGIC: Does a demand for new material fuel your creative process? HARARY: Personally, I find I do my best work under pressure, especially if my client is far from my own field of expertise. My most innovative designs are usually the ones I was cornered into. I’ve done a number of TV shows for NASA. Rule number one: don’t play with the toys. This forced me to re-approach my methods for manipulating large objects. How do you vanish a spaceship without touching it, let alone moving it? Years ago, I did an illusion with 50 penguins. My original design failed, mainly because penguins, as I now know, enjoy looking at themselves in a mirror. The eleventh-hour solution turned out to be so simple; I’ve used it many times since. MAGIC: What was your introduction to TV? HARARY: It was Dick Clark Presents, a weekly variety show, in 1988. I debuted what was then my latest designs: “The Slicer,” a cutting in ninths that I’ve since sold to a number of other people; and my version of “Walking Through a Girl,” which relies on an organic method that I’m still quite pleased with. MAGIC: How different is it creating for television? HARARY: To produce magic for television is completely different from drama, music, or variety. In order for the illusions to remain credible in a two-dimensional format I found it essential to devise a series of shooting formulas. Although, for the most part, extremely restrictive, this approach has now become second nature to me. MAGIC: You recently took part in a competition at the National Association of Television Program Executives convention. Over 150 would-be producers pitched their ideas for a new television series to a panel of industry experts. What’s the story? HARARY: Since 1996, I’ve carried a documentary video crew wherever we tour. About a year ago I assigned one of my cameramen to concentrate not on the show, but rather on the cross cultural adventure that was taking place behind the scenes. What we captured was the story of 30 Americans as they learned to work with people that share none of their culture, language, or beliefs, yet are brought together by a common love for show business. The positive feedback this footage received convinced me that if I could produce magic specials, I could probably produce anything. Putting my money where my mouth was, I launched a new production company this year. Without going into detail, the shoes that we’re producing are all based on my personal interests: culture, science, technology, and magic, of course. Staying true to my life patterns, again I find myself a small fish in a freaking massive pond. This past January I introduced my company at the NATPE convention in Vegas. I entered the “Pitch Me” competition with a series called Phenomenons. MAGIC: What’s the premise of the series? HARARY: Basically it’s a reality X-Files. Over the past ten years my travels have shown me places and people so amazing, they transcend real magic. In some cases I’ve seen enigma that couldn’t be explained even with our discipline. This TV series documents my global trek in search of real magic. MAGIC: And you won the competition. Congratulations. HARARY: I think the real phenomenon here is that I got as far as I did as quickly as I did. MAGIC: Of all of your creations, what are you most proud of? HARARY: Along with the magic for *NSYNC, the effects that I’m most proud of are the heavy-duty illusions for Japanese pop stars. Remarkably, the budgets for these shows surpass even that of U.S. stadium tours. To me, this means a chance to design magic on a fantastic scale, not limited by technical or financial boundaries. Just last year, I designed a 14-foot-diameter crystal sphere that robotically flowered open, visibly materializing the pop star. That prop was bigger than my first apartment. Then there was a glass volcano that erupted and set the entire 20-story-tall stage - the size of an office building - on fire. Surrounded by a massive wall of flames, the singer appeared in a pillar of smoke and fire, rising out of the volcano $1.4-million lighter. My most visible contribution to a concert will probably never be acknowledged. In the mid 80’s, Prince was faced with the problem of getting to his stage positioned in the center of the audience. To do so, I created a series of mis-directions using roadies and equipment. A few minutes before the show Prince himself was wheeled through the crowd in a road case, the interior of which was fully decked-out with upholstery and even a wet bar. This little trick has since become a rock-and-roll classic. MAGIC: What do you do with all this stuff? HARARY: My warehouse harbors millions of dollars in magic equipment. That could buy a hell of a mansion in Michigan, a Krispy Kreme franchise, and enough free time to read every magic magazine. MAGIC: With all the wild-and-crazy effects you’ve been asked to produce, have you ever just said no? HARARY: The only job I ever turned down was for Tupak Shakur. He wanted an effect which would effectively endorse and promote gang violence. As a property owner in Los Angeles I had to make some serious ethical decisions. In the end I was able to steer him in a direction that diverted the focus from gang violence to his own now legendary street power. His concert opened with a steel plate center stage. Machine gunfire was heard and the shape of a human form was blasted out of the mental monolith. With God-like light now shining through the bullet holes, he kicked the center section of steel our filling in the void with his silhouette. MAGIC: What was the wildest request you’ve ever received? HARARY: While in Cairo, Egypt to vanish the Sphinx, I was approached by a frantic woman. She pleaded with me to help her with her dilemma. It appeared that another woman had placed a spell on her husband causing him to leave her. Only I could reverse the hex. I’m still working on it. MAGIC: So, magic and illusion are perceived a little different in other parts of the world. HARARY: Recently during a talk show in India, the rather articulate host, noting the size of my production, asked me what I felt was the ultimate social value of the product I had created. I replied with my standard press answer, of allowing my audience to recapture their childlike innocence. As I spoke, I saw the look of skepticism in his eyes, as though he was expecting more. On the 23-hour plane ride home, I did some serious thinking and re-explored the real reason why at least I do what I do. I wrote this down on an airplane napkin: “Magic by definition is anything outside the laws of science. As science progresses, magic’s evolution must remain just ahead of it. In a sense surfing the wave of technology. Scientific discovery depends on mankind’s ability to dream. Magic rekindles that childlike ability. Linked together in a perpetual dance, magic and science are forever advancing each other; each one driving the other forward at the speed of wonder.” MAGIC: Earlier you mentioned studying opera in college. HARARY: I studied six year s as an operatic bass/baritone, and until I worked for Jackson my sights were set on Broadway. Twelve years after leaving music I designed all the magic for the Broadway musical Ragtime. Of all my projects, it was one of the most personally rewarding and publicly acknowledged. MAGIC: For the record, how did you get started in magic? HARARY: At 13, I was given a magic set. I quickly became fascinated not with how the tricks worked, but why they worked. Something was going on so powerful it allowed me to fool my teachers. I was determined to break down the psychologies and then apply them in other parts of my life. MAGIC: Other parts of your life? HARARY: Namely…girls. This led to the discovery of Hank Moorehouse’s Magic Emporium in my home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was right next to the dance studio where I took up tap class. At first I started stopping by after class. Then I began making special trips, daily. Hank was an amazing inspiration and still remains a good friend. Besides, he’s the only magician who saw me transformed from a trumpet-playing, tap-dancing nerd, to…well, a far greater kind of nerd. MAGIC: And what advice do you offer magicians just starting out, who have an interest in large-scale magic? HARARY: My advice to a young kid looking toward illusions: Stay away! If there’s anything else in your life that makes you happy, do that instead. To succeed, illusions must become your life, your obsession, and preoccupation. If they don’t, I assure you they will for your competition. If you do, however, pursue this passion, I hope that you will embrace magic as an art form to be advanced rather that a craft to be perfected. |