Interview with Eric Mead
1. How did you get involved with working on the Art of Astonishment
project?
Paul and I had been close friends for many years. He called, told me
that Mike Maxwell had secured the rights to all his published material
(except Tannen's book--which is another story. We didn't get to use everything but had to pick, I think seven things from there.) He was planning a book of all that stuff and something like ten new things. Would I help him write up the new stuff and organize the rest? We guessed it would take a month, or maybe two.
It ended up taking a year and a half. I wrote the first rough draft of
all the new explanations (Paul and I rented a cabin in Estes Park CO for a month to work on the new stuff) and helped to clean up and some of the old. That list of ten new things grew to be over 100 at one point. Paul is the only person I know who can sit down and announce that he will now think of a good trick, and do so. The rest of us need inspiration of some sort. A starting place from which to jump off creatively. Not Paul. I still have a file of dozens of things that didn't make the book for whatever reason. Some very good, some shit.
Anyway, that's how it happened. A late night phone call from an old
friend asking for some help on "a little project."
2. What is your great memory while working on the Art of Astonishment
project?
So many stories. Some are told in the books, and some will never be
told. I can't think of "the great memory," as there are many. But here's one for you:
It was late late at night (maybe early morning?) and we were talking
about different versions of the color changing deck. I have always thought that the one in Paul's first book really is the most elegant and streamlined version I know of. But we were talking about strengths and weaknesses of various color changing deck routines. What really convinces? What is unnecessary? So on. I jokingly said, "Have you ever seen this one?" and performed a color changing deck routine that COMPLETELY FOOLED PAUL. He says, "Wow, that's really great. Can we put that in the book?" I said I didn't know, I'd think about it. We sleep.
Next day I confessed to Paul that the trick was already in the book,
and that he had been fooled by his own trick, "Double Decker."
That's not a very exciting story, I know. But we had a great laugh over
that. Remind me someday when we're together and I'll tell you about the
waitress that nearly convinced us to fly to Guatemala on a whim. Or the
lady who Paul became fascinated with because she was covered in burn scars. Or the Tarot reader who freaked Paul out and how I then blew his mind. How we discovered that "everything is Tarot"--and I mean that. The joke version of a transposition that actually fooled some heavy guys. Our breakfast feasts where people we didn't know just started showing up every day to get fed. The non-existent snake that made Paul scream like a little girl. How we lost our damage deposit on the place we rented to work on the books. Why shaving cream is a bad prop to do magic with. Why neither of us could listen to Fleetwood Mac for quite a while after the project. How our lives were threatened by some guys in a bar over a joke gone bad. How we stooged over a dozen people to badly fool one guy. Why trading massage for amazement only seems like a good idea. How the first ever performance of "Light and Heavy Dime" got us thrown out of a party. Why you have to be very careful when doing magic for the homeless. Why McGimmick made Paul hysterical when we worked it out over lunch. How I made a little kid cry with "Peanut Butter and Jellyfish." And so on, and so on, and so on ad infinitum.
Hey, what can I tell you? We had a blast.
3. If you had to pick one of your favorite tricks out of the books that you helped create, which one is it and why? Also can you tell us the story behind it's creation?
Can't pick a favorite. There are too many cool things in there. But I
can tell you that I tried to get Paul to hold back two items and not
publish them. "Fizz Master" and "Foil." (Did it end up being called "Shape of Astonishment?" Can't remember now, but the trick where the rubbing changes from heads to tails.) I really wanted to keep both of those for myself. Selfish, but true.
The story of "Fizzmaster" is told in the book, and in a rare display of
restraint, Paul barely exaggerated the tale. We bought tons of beer and
soda and started opening cans, shaking them, poking holes in them, and
throwing them away in an alley. Which drew a HUGE crowd of street people, tourists, underage kids and alcoholics. We'd try this, try that, get feedback from guys who hadn't showered in a week or more and eventually found the secret that was hiding in plain sight. Counterintuitive methods rule.