Transcriber: Ilze Garda Reviewer: Denise RQ
What's up VeniceBeach? How are you? Are you well?
(Cheers)
So my name is Justin Willman, I am a magician.
Why am I a magician?
(Laughter)
I'll get back to that. First, I have to get warmed up.
Can you do me a favour, shake up your hands a little bit?
Just a little shake... Perfect!
Go like this,
this...
(Clapping hands)
(Music)
To the beat.
(Music)
Ball.
(Music)
Bowling ball.
Wait for it! Uugh! (Bowling ball drops)
(Music)
(Applause)
So there is that.
(Laughter)
Why am I a magician?
First off, before I answer that, can we just acknowledge
how hard it is to be a magician in 2013?
Think about this, OK, we're a little jaded, think about this.
I'm 33. I started to do magic when I was 13, 20 years ago,
and I used to do kids birthday parties as a 13-year-old
- adorable, OK? -
(Laughter)
and I would close my act by pulling a rabbit out of a hat.
Classic. Rabbit out of a hat.
People would freak out and I'd watch their faces,
- like I did just now as the bowling ball manifested itself -
and when the rabbit would come up,
they didn't try to figure out where it came from,
they didn't care how the trick worked,
they were just happy it was there, wanted to cuddle it, it was cute.
But if I did that right now - pulled a rabbit out of a hat -
you'd be like, "Phew! It was up his sleeve."
"There's a trap door." "How was the bunny treated?"
(Laughter) You know what I mean?
It's tough.
Another thing is difficult about being a magician
is, because of Google information is so readily available,
anybody thinks after my show they can Google it and be a magician,
so let's tackle that myth now!
Hello, audience members!
Hello, guy in the front row. Your name is Armando.
Name tag, dude. Name tag.
Do you mind helping me for the experiment?
He doesn't know he's doing this. Give it for Armando, it could be you.
(Applause) Hi, buddy! (Music)
Nice to meet you.
Alright, Armando Gill, what do you do?
AG: I'm a network operations manager at a hospital.
JW: For a hospital, OK. So you operate - Here, here we go... very good, look good;
you don't have to hold it, it'll still stay there.
What's up, buddy?
JW: Network operations manager, so, like computer stuff? AG: Yes.
JW: Making sure everyone communicates with one another?
AG: Yes. JW: OK.
JW: Did you ever want to be a magician as a kid? AG: Eh, no.
(Laughter)
JW: No? I got a magic kit when I was 13, and then I fell in love,
so you got the network operations kit, I guess, when you were 13.
I'm going to make your dream that you never had come true today.
Armando is going to perform a trick. Are you excited, VeniceBeach?
(Cheers) (Applause)
Armando, stand here. This is your spot. There's your spot, so stand on it.
So, we're going to do a classic. This is the Coca-Cola-in-cups trick.
Give me an ooh-aah! This side ooh, this side aah.
(Audience) Ooh! Aah!
JW: Sexy. Alright, watch this!
Armando, I'm going to pour you a cup of Coke.
Do me a favour, hold this in your left hand if you could,
like you're cheersing the back of the room.
Just hold that pose with the left hand like that, cheersing; don't spill.
Awesome. I'll do the same thing.
Cool. Real quick for the ladies... Wow.
(Laughter)
Pilates. (Laughter)
Cheers! Take the cup, Armando,
just rest it on the top of your head, but do not let go,
just rest it here, don't let go, alright?
Here we are, Justin, Armando, two guys, two cups. Now...
(Laughter)
[You] can Google it.
(Laughter)
Write it down. OK.
The premise here Armando is I'm going to make you a magician,
we're going to cause the Coca-Cola in the cups to vanish using our minds.
Audience, give me a no-way!
(Audience) No way!
JW: They say no way because it's impossible and magic.
Follow my instructions precisely.
I'm going to be your mentor, you'll be my apprentice.
Mentor. Apprentice. Miyagi. Daniel-San. OK?
Usher. Bieber.
(Laughter)
Sorry about that.
Three steps. Step 1 is the misdirection, I'll do it first, watch me.
I face front, confidently, I shut my eyes,
with my eyes tightly shut, Armando, I'm going to slowly tiptoe
in a slow, counterclockwise revolution, watch me, and then I open my eyes.
Can you handle that?
AG: Yeah. JW: Easy peasy.
Face front, shut your eyes, slowly tiptoe in a counterclockwise revolution.
Perfect, you're nailing it.
And then you feel the lights, and you can open your eyes. Perfect!
That's step 1. You could feel the Coke is still there, right?
JW: But we haven't done step 2 which is the incantation.
I'll do it first, watch me. (He exhales) Prrrr! (Finger snap)
AG: (He exhales) Prrrr! (Finger snap)
(Laughter) (Applause)
JW: Pretty good.
Prrrr! (Applause)
Most hospital network operation guys can't do prrrr! like you could.
Alright, still there.
Step 3 is the vanish, the taa-daa, is the triumphant finish.
I'll do it first, and then I'll tell you when to do it, OK? Here we go.
Vanishing Coke trick: one, two, three!
(Laughter)
(Applause)
Thank you. (Cheers) Thank you, guys, thank you.
Isn't that awesome?
AG: No. (Laughter) JW: Look at it!
(Laughter)
Here's what is interesting:
I've just made a cup of liquid disappear, we've violated the laws of the universe,
the crowd [is] not freaking out like they should be
when they witness a miracle in person.
No, it's OK. This is another thing.
This is an interesting psychological thing.
I was introduced as a magician,
I came out here, we made a bowling ball appear,
I've therefore established that I am a magician,
but they're now desensitized to me doing magic, that's my job, OK?
Their guard is up.
But you, Armando - not a magician. A hospital network operations guy.
Not a magician, you're a muggle.
(Laughter)
Which means psychologically, if you do the Coke trick,
that'll be highly unexpected, highly out of context,
the crowd will loose it. You'd loose it, right?
(Audience) Yeah!
And you'd go wild because you're a supportive audience.
(Cheers)
Well, wait for it. Wait.
(Laughter)
Armando, I'll count to three, you have to have faith in me, I promise, OK?
This is a TEDx, I wouldn't make us both look like jerks.
Mostly me.
I'm going to count to 3,
when I get to 3, you slowly turn the cup over on your head,
in the last second every drop will vanish, triumphant moment, crowd goes wild, OK?
Don't be nervous. Don't be nervous!
A wise man once said, "Leap and the net will appear."
OK, now he's dead, but that's good advice.
(Laughter)
Armando, you should take to heart.
Here we go. Are you ready, audience?
(Audience) Yes!
JW: Are you ready, Armando? AG: I am.
One, two, three.
Over the head, nice and slow, nice and slow, just right here.
What the hell are you doing? Armando, hold on!
Just hold it here, then it's going to be one, two, three; so wait for my cue.
Here we go, alright. Careful.
You're improvising, you're ad-libbing, this is not jazz. Follow my instructions.
One, two, three...
(Music) (Cheers)
(Applause)
Armando!
Who wanted to see him dump it on his head, by the way? I'm just curious.
Do you see? Your peers, your support group.
(Laughter)
JW: That was a good trick. AG: It was awesome.
JW: They thought I was going to be a dick. (Laughter) They totally did.
Sorry to let you down, Mark in the front row.
(Laughter)
That was a good trick, Armando, but I didn't come here to do tricks,
because as a magician in 2013, you have to kind of up it,
you can't just do tricks anymore, you have to do miracles.
You know what I mean? Miracles. (Laughter)
So, here. I'll do a miracle.
Some people are far away, so I thought what we can do
is maybe fire up the camera and use the live feed if we could,
to see if we could give everyone a really close view.
So, can we get the camera up and running here?
Yeah, we're up! Well, don't crop out my face! OK, good.
(Laughter)
I'll use what's left of the can.
Watch the dents in the can right there. Can you see the dents?
Watch the dents, watch the dents. Miracle. For Armando. Miracle.
(Cheers)
What?
(Applause)
This guy acts like this happens all of the time.
(Laughter)
This is not CGI, sir, I'm right here. Alright, watch the top, watch the top.
(Applause)
OK, OK. Imagine the emptiness -
So first off, let's recap: dented can, undented, open can, now sealed.
Imagine the emptiness, the void, the vacuum... Gradually, gradually...
Pull wide for me, camera!
(Music)
(Cheers) (Applause)
Cheers!
This is for you. For you, sir.
Yes.
Yes, I can do that with beer. Yes!
(Laughter)
In college they were like, "Willman, the keg is empty."
I was like, "Wait..."
(Laughter)
Can you take a sip?
(Audience voice) Emerson! JW: Emerson College! Represent! What's up?
Did we get drunk in a keg party together?
No? You just said that. Alright.
You can take a sip, Mark, just to make sure it's legit.
Mark: What if it's beer? JW: It's not beer.
Did you really drink it? Oh, OK... The show is about to get good for you.
(Laughter)
For this last bit, I'd love it if Tom Heil could join me on the piano.
Tom Heil everybody, one more time!
(Applause)
Oh, thank you, Erin.
Ah, beautiful!
Give me a little groove if you could, Tom.
(Music)
OK, so why am I a magician?
I'll tell them, Tom.
(Laughter)
I'm a magician because I want to feel like a kid again.
For a day. Follow me on this.
I want to remember what it's like to taste cotton candy for the first time.
Or open a present from Santa.
I want to think that getting grounded is the worst thing in the world.
I want to believe I'll have my dog for the rest of my life.
But maybe a day... Maybe a day is asking too much.
I want to feel like a kid again for an hour.
I want to run from the monsters in the basement,
think that my mom's hug is the safest place on earth.
When I grow up, I want to host a show about cupcakes.
(Laughter)
I want to hold a girl's hand,
kiss her on the cheek,
and not know that one day she's going to break my heart.
But maybe an hour is asking too much.
I want to feel like a kid again
for a second.
(Applause)
Thank you guys very much.
(Cheers) (Applause)