Andy C: Hi there.

At the risk of appearing rude, I must admit I know nothing about you Geoff. I'm sure from the reviews I've found about your DVDs you are a great performer, but are there any video clips of your work for the uninitiated to see? Maybe you could write an introduction to fill in the gaps.

Welcome.

Andy

Geoff Williams: Andy,

I must admit I know nothing about you, either, which makes us even.

:)

No, I don't have any clips online yet (I'm working on it). For a computer geek, I haven't exploited this internet thing at ALL.

My intro:

I was born a terribly young child.

I just turned 51 last week, although I don't look much over 49. Grew up on a farm, but I didn't really warm up to farm life. When my family moved into an actual town, there were real sidewalks. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

I did my first magic show for my parents when I was about 7 and put my career on hold almost immediately. I borrowed my father's Stetson cowboy hat (he was a semi-pro rodeo cowboy) for one of the tricks which went very well...except when afterwards he discovered what his only son did to prep the $250 hat...long story short: I still sit funny to this day.

Immediately after high school, I toured with an acting troupe through Europe before returning to study theatre in college. I caught the magic bug again after witnessing a phenomenal show in Tucson, Arizona. It was there that I got involved with some heavy hitters (John Schryock and Eric Buss to name but a couple) and things took off in a huge way.

I currently live in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area fixing Macintosh computers during the day and doing magic shows at night. Worked restaurants on/off for about 10 years where most of my "Miracles For Mortals" routines were honed.

I've performed for special events at The Magic Castle, was a surprise hit at the Las Vegas Magic Invitational in 2003 (Magic Magazine had me interviewed soon thereafter...it hasn't printed yet) and then was discovered by Murphy's Magic Supplies representatives last June in Las Vegas. The DVD set came out this past December and they already want me to put out another.

I think I'll wait to catch my breath a bit first.

Exposure

Tubz: Welcome to the Bunny, and thanks for your time!

It's always good to hear Special Guests' views on the most debated topics, so I'll leave the question fairly open ended:

What are your views on the exposure of magic's secrets?

Geoff Williams: Secrets should be made available to those with the time, effort and inclination to get at them.

Secrets should NOT be revealed in a forum such as a television program to folks who might stumble upon them accidentally while channel surfing. Magic secrets should NEVER be ACCIDENTALLY learned.

Regarding a specific trick:

If you know the secret, the magic is ruined. There is no magic if the secret is known. My show is the least magical thing I've ever experienced; I know ALL of the secrets of my show intimately, forwards and backwards, and now nothing in it looks even remotely like an impossibility (to me). I cannot experience the magic in my show...so I enjoy experiencing the reactions of those who ARE experiencing the magic in my show. I can enjoy my show by living vicariously through my audience.

If you share the secret with a non-magician, you are taking away that magic from them. You then become a magic thief who DENIES the spectator the privilege of experiencing the impossible (the exact OPPOSITE of what a magician SHOULD be doing).

Bottom line: if you reveal a secret to someone who is not actively seeking the secret, you are not a magician. You are an informant.

Someone who has sought out a book or manuscript and expends time & effort to study it and then takes pains to practice and present the effect with the intention of giving that "sensation of astonishment" to others...THAT is a magician.

Andy C: Best answer I've ever seen to the question.

Andy

Geoff Williams: Thanks, Andy.

Judging from the luminaries you've hosted here previously, that is a HUGE compliment indeed.