popular thinking

DAVID COPPERFIELD LOOKS CREEPY

But he tells me he's glad I did my homework before interviewing him last week. When I asked him about Doug Henning, I could almost hear him bristle on the other end of the phone. Copperfield said that Henning helped bring magic into modern TV..."Doug came at a very good time. He showed you didn't have to be top hat and tails." But Copperfield called Henning "the hippie kid" who never evolved. "He brough a fresh approach to magic, but unlike Madonna, he never really evolved. He just stopped. That doesn't take anything away from him at all. But you really have to keep evolving. If I had the same haircut that I had 10 years ago, I'd be laughed offstage. I was almost laughed offstage then because my hair was so silly."
And with that, here is the rest of my interview...

Hocus-focus: David Copperfield reveals what makes him trick
By Sean L. McCarthy
David Copperfield never stops working.
And that’s not an illusion.
The magician recently put on 50 shows in two weeks and has eight shows (and counting) on his schedule this weekend at the Opera House.
“I’m always looking for new ways of doing things,” Copperfield said during a phone interview last week. “I’m always improving the show. During intermission, I’m backstage rehearsing. During musical numbers, I have Stagewatch. I can talk to the people backstage, giving notes on the show.”
That’s only one of the revelations Copperfield copped to, thanks to questions suggested by Boston-area magicians performing at Mystery Lounge, the weekly Tuesday-night magic show at the Comedy Studio.

Is it true you have the largest collection of magic memorabilia in existence?
“Yes, you bet . . .It used to be the Mulholland Collection, which about 15 years ago was up for sale. I rescued it from being auctioned off. I was so excited, I quadrupled it. . . If you go online you can probably see some of it. I do exhibitions of some of the artifacts around the world.”

Any plans to make your private museum public?
“I can’t really do that, because so much of it is secret stuff. So I look for stuff that wouldn’t give away the secrets of magic. It’s a pretty cool thing, 80,000 items.”

You had a streak of 18 consecutive years hosting prime-time TV specials (1978-1995), but since 2001, you’ve only guest-starred on TV. What would it take to get you to host another TV special?
“I owe CBS specials. I just, it’s real torture for me to do them. I care so much about every detail. I’m the director, I’m the writer, I’m the producer, I perform in them.”
(Copperfield notes his multiple Emmy wins, saying he has more awards than “The Sopranos” or “M*A*S*H.”)
“I guess I’ll have to (do TV again) someday. I want to do something I enjoy, which are the shows. Worrying about, do we make the cover of TV Guide, or the weekend supplement. Will James Brady write me up as the celebrity profile in Parade? Will Regis book me? Screw that.”

How do you feel about the dressing-down of magic by David Blaine and Criss Angel?
“These are guys I like, and I speak to them both. David doesn’t really do shows. Criss Angel is different . . .they’re out there. They’re keeping it alive on TV. Meanwhile, I’m doing arena shows.”

What do you want your legacy to be?
“To be the first 150-year-old magician.”

How hands-on are you with Project Magic, a program you created in 1982 to teach magic to people with physical, social or developmental disabilities?
“We just came up with a new book last year, which is a big volume. It’s in 1,000 hospitals in 30 countries around the world. It was the best thing I was involved in. It’s cognitive skills, mathematical skills, social skills. It’s a good form of therapy. I did something good. My mother wanted me to become a doctor, and this is about as close as I was going to get.”

Your shows often have adult elements or jokes. Is it still safe to bring the kids?
“My show is like a PG show. It’s like ‘Shrek.’ It’s like ‘Harry Potter.’ There’s stuff that’ll fly over the heads of kids that are very hip for adults. . . .You can bring your family to the show, but there’s a lot of fun that we have just for fun.”

What’s the big deal about a guy from New Jersey making people disappear? Doesn’t that happen all the time?
“I agree.”