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Brian Brushwood was born in Fountain Valley California. He is known for performing his bizzare magic shows across the US at college campuses. He also wrote the book, “The Professionals Guide To Fire Eatingâ€.
What are the positives and negatives about being a magician, and why?
Positives: flexible work hours, thousands of people cheering for you. Negatives: Hard, long hours. Lots of driving/flying. Grueling, intense lifestyle.
What is the most rewarding part of being a variety entertainer?
Tie: Being my own boss and making people happy.
Besides magic and fire eating what other kinds of crazy things do you like performing?
I’m pretty well known for doing the nail-in-the-eye trick, but my favorite routine is definitely Mr. Happypants… a demonic hand puppet. It’s the only part of the show that never, ever gets old to me.
How many years did it take you to learn the proper techniques of fire eating and how did you learn?
About 2 years into it, I thought I had it pretty well down. But since that time, I keep discovering nuances and safety issues that make me wonder what I was thinking back then.
Tell me a little about your book and video; The Professionals Guide to Fire Eating. How did the idea come about?
As I mentioned above, I’m still constantly discovering safety concerns. Every fuel, venue, and performance situation is different, and it made me kind of mad that I had to find out all these things the “hard” way. It seemed like every text focused only on the mechanics of fire eating, without enough material on the performance, safety, and art management side of the performance. My book set out to fix that, by being as complete as possible.
The video is really meant solely as illustrations with the book. No matter what kind of detail the book goes into, there’ll be a few things that can only be learned by watching another performer. To that extent, we used 3 camera angles, slow motion, and repeated performances to make sure the viewer got a complete picture.
Do you consider yourself a risk taker?
I’m more of a “managed risk-taker.” I don’t like getting hurt, and I simply can’t afford a severe injury. So yes, I might get poked by the bed of nails, burned by the fire, concussed by breaking bricks on my head, or have a muscle-pull during and escape, but none of these would hurt my long-term ability to perform.
As of now, what moments stand out the most in your amazing career? Any funny stories?
I remember vividly the moment of rehearsal for my Tonight Show appearance. There’s a general buzz in the air as people scurry around, I’m working with a segment producer to decide exactly how my performance will go, the band Incubus is performing their sound check 20 feet away, and I think to myself “This is it, I really made it.”
I also remember driving 2000 miles to a school in Maryland, setting up a full stage, sound system, and lights, doing a full rehearsal, getting pumped up for the show… and performing for exactly 9 people.
How do you stay motivated to keep performing?
Two years of previous experience in a 9 to 5 job, working for a major computer company. I don’t believe I will ever lack motivation again.
Do you feel magic and magicians are respected by society?
Nope. Sorry. When people ask me out-of-context what I do for a living, I tell them I perform in a show, doing weird stuff like eating fire and hammering nails in my nose. I don’t really mention the magic.
Why are magicians considered second-rate entertainers?
There’s just not enough magic literacy out there, both on the parts of the performers and the audiences. Imagine if there were only 5000 people nationwide who knew how to play the guitar. Not play it well, just able to play recognizable tunes. A few things would happen: First, anyone who could strum a few chords could get a gig. Second, people would begin to assume that if you’ve seen one guitar player, you’ve seen ‘em all. And third, people would assume that guitar playing, as an art is derivative and sloppy. Perhaps something you might hire as a novelty for your kid’s birthday, but not really worthy of an adult’s attention.
I think it might be possible that the respectability of an art form is directly proportional to the number of people attempting to perform it. At the high end of the scale, you have painting, acting, singing, and stand-up comedy. In the mind of the masses, the lower end of the spectrum comprises of magicians, mimes, and jugglers. Strippers may be an exception to that rule.
What can magicians do to change societies perspectives about them? For example: When people think about magicians they automatically think of rabbits, or sawing a woman in half when there is truly more to the art than that.
If you’re talking about magic in general, I think performers like the Amazing Jonathan, Penn and Teller, and Ricky Jay are helping to do just that.
If you’re asking what an individual can do, start by refusing to buy in to ANY stereotypes. On your business cards, lose the magic wand, the hat, and the bunny. Don’t look at what other magicians are doing. Think of what YOU find cool in the non-magic world around you. Think of how you can make that into a routine. I’ve actually intentionally isolated myself from most of the magic world. It was hard at first, but since I stopped reading magic magazines and visiting magic websites, I’ve created my most popular and unique routines.
What advice can you give people who want to begin a career in the variety arts?
Have a set of written goals, and a specific plan to achieve them. This is a job. It is a very taxing, demanding, intense job. Never forget that. And please, please, please remember that styles and tastes will change over the years: either make your act timeless, or realize that it’s your job to keep up to date with fashions, music, and popular culture.
What message do you want to send to society about variety acts in general?
There’s more to life than TV and the internet. There’s a real world out here, and you can see real, unique things in it.
What ways can the general public support performance art?
How else? By watching it actively.
Visit Brian Brushwood’s Website