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“Nobody actually likes a dickhead, however a dickhead in a dragon outfit is hilarious.”
So says Piff the Magic Dragon, aka John van der Put, a performer whose act has conjured up awards for Finest Comic, Finest Magician and Finest Headliner in Las Vegas and a nine-year residency at Las Vegas’s Flamingo Lodge and On line casino that reveals no indicators of vanishing. Working alongside his sidekick Mr. Piffles – The World’s Solely Magic Performing Chihuahua™ — the deadpan dragon has earned a loyal following of superfans, together with Penn and Teller and David Copperfield, who calls him “a real unique.”
I caught up with the self-described “loser of America’s Acquired Expertise” by way of Zoom at an hour that appeared affordable for this New York-based interviewer however was maybe a bit sooner than a Vegas performer would favor. We talked about how he constructed his empire, his new tour, “It Cost $60,000 To Clone My Dog And Now I Need To Make The Money Back,” and his recommendation to anybody hoping to drag success out of a hat.
You are into your ninth yr of residency in Las Vegas, and you have executed 3,000 reveals. Did you envision this all if you first began out?
Sure. I had a imaginative and prescient board, and primary was speaking to you from my dressing room on the Flamingo at 7 a.m. or no matter horrific time that is. That is the one motive I received within the sport, Dan.
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How did this all begin?
After I was a child, I noticed any person doing close-up magic. That is magic that occurs proper beneath your nostril, and it is unimaginable. Regardless of how jaded you may be, you are like, “Wait, how did that occur?” So I beloved it. I began working towards, however my mother and father mentioned I ought to have a backup career. So I very obediently went to college and received a level in pc science, which, as you’ll be able to inform, has not been very helpful.
How did you go about making the bounce from pc science to magic?
I used to be doing magic part-time and it was nice, however I wasn’t giving it my full focus. About 30%, you understand? However if you wish to do something effectively, it’s important to give it no less than 100%. After which it’s important to begin forgetting how math works and begin ratcheting up these numbers. I truly received very sick after I was in my mid-twenties, and I used to be out of motion for 2 years. And in the course of the two years, I assumed, What am I doing with my life? I am doing what I wish to do as a side hustle, however with none kind of dedication. So, after I received higher, I went to drama faculty to learn to stroll round on a stage. Then I went out and began doing all this.
And had been you an prompt success?
I used to be not. I used to be doing close-up magic for all these wealthy and well-known folks at events, and I received fired in all places I went as a result of I’ve this resting bitch face. And I can not do something about it, Dan. Think about you are getting married to the love of your life, and also you guide this man to do close-up magic, and he appears like Eeyore moping round. I began operating out of choices, and I used to be right down to my final two gigs, and my buddy mentioned, “Hey, do you wish to come to my social gathering? It is a costume social gathering.” I did not have something to put on, so I spoke to my sister, and he or she mentioned, “Yeah, I received a dragon outfit beneath my mattress.” Now, I did not ask any additional questions, Dan.
So I’m going to the social gathering within the dragon outfit, proper? And nobody else is in costume. No one. It is simply me. Oh my God. This can be a nightmare. Everyone seems to be like, “Why are you a dragon? That is not Christmassy.” So I used to be chatting with my buddy and he mentioned, “Hey, you may do that in your present. You would be Puff the Magic Dragon.” And I mentioned, “Wait, I might be Piff the Magic Dragon. You would possibly’ve heard of my older brother…Steve.” It took me three or 4 months to really do it. Now, here is the factor: All this time, I had all of the methods and methods — I simply did not have a socially acceptable approach of doing them. However doing it as Piff, out of the blue, immediately, everybody beloved it. As a result of nobody actually likes a dickhead, however a dickhead in a dragon outfit is hilarious.
You have been tricking folks for a really very long time. What is the secret of creating folks do what you need them to do?
Oh, oh yeah, certain. Let me simply let you know all of my secrets and techniques proper now, Dan.
Okay, I’ll rephrase. How do you get folks to actively interact with you?
Somebody mentioned that magicians are probably the most trustworthy folks you may ever meet as a result of they let you know they will deceive you, after which they deceive you. However it’s important to get folks . As an instance it is a card trick. They are going to decide on a card, and you will find it once more. That is not that attention-grabbing, actually. Until they have $100 on it. Now they’re watching each transfer, and then you definitely make a mistake, they usually suppose they received $100, and then you definitely tear the invoice in half, and inside is their taking part in card — out of the blue, they’re hooked. After I see great entrepreneurs, they might be promoting laundry detergent, however the nice ones have a story that they hook me in with. And out of the blue, I am on Instagram spending $432 plus transport on some fancy new laundry detergent. It may change my life, Dan. I’ll be blissful!
You will have fairly a well-known co-star, Mr. Piffles.
Sure, he is 17 years previous. He is executed 3, 000 reveals with me. I received him when he was a few yr and a half. He is a rescue canine, which is, um, cheaper.
And I hear you’ve got enlisted science to present him some days off.
Sure. Time marches on, and we wished to present him somewhat break. So, a few years in the past, we received a second canine referred to as Twoey, quantity two. We received Twoey off eBay, one other rescue canine. He appears equivalent, however he has stage fright, and when the lights hit him, he simply begins shaking. It was terrible, so he simply grew to become a buddy for Piffles. Then we went to a breeder and received Threeodore. He was excellent on stage and the identical measurement as Piffles, however then he stored rising. Mr. Piffles is about four-and-a-half kilos; Threeodore is now 15 kilos. So he is out; he is too fats to slot in the props. So, it was time to take drastic steps. I might heard Barbra Streisand cloned her dog, and I used to be like, “Effectively, buckle up. That is what we’re doing.” Everybody mentioned it was a horrible concept, however eight weeks later, this pet arrived, and as he grew up, he was not solely equivalent, however he was really easy to coach and began doing the present precisely like Piffles. He is referred to as Fourtune, trigger he is quantity 4 and break the bank. He is also referred to as Mr. Piffles 2.0.
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Let’s speak about being ready for large moments. If you had been ready within the wings of America’s Acquired Expertise, what was going by your thoughts?
The primary time I went on America’s Got Talent, I wasn’t that nervous. I watched each magician who’d ever been on the present, wrote down each query the judges requested and had a humorous reply for all the pieces. I used to be ready. And I knew the trick inside out as a result of I might executed it like 2,000 occasions or no matter. I scripted no matter I might script, so after I went on, I might kick into that gear. To succeed, the most effective factor for me is to have good preparation. Then issues are inclined to go okay. Not all the time, but it surely tends to go okay. However after I go on the market with out that preparation? Oh, buddy, it is brutal.
Profitable folks typically speak about how failure is an efficient factor. Nevertheless it feels horrible. Do you subscribe to that philosophy?
It is easy to say, and it is laborious to do. It’s basically what I did for 15 years. I failed as a magician as a result of I had all these silly guidelines and concepts after I began the act. As an illustration, I wished all of my props to slot in a bag so it was straightforward to journey. However then, a few years later, I did a gig with any person who ended the present by producing a dwell hen, they usually simply crushed it. And I noticed that I used to be holding myself again with this self-imposed rule and determined I might do something I wanted to succeed. I subscribe to that facet of failure as a instructing software. However for those who’re failing trigger you are dangerous at issues? In that case, you have to get out. I went to drama faculty and realized within the first week I’d by no means be an actor. Being a lead actor shouldn’t be in my wheelhouse. However the function of a grumpy dragon? That I might do.
See Piff the Magic Dragon and Mr. Piffles live in Vegas or on their national tour — ticket info here
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