*Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a reality television whore. I’ll watch any reality show for any reason because it is my guilty pleasure. SyFy has a new reality show airing this coming Tuesday called “Wizard Wars” that showcases magicians from around the country in an elimination panel-judged kind of show. As coincidence would have it, I stumbled across Kyle Marlett on Twitter (@KyleMarlett) and was overjoyed when he agreed to have a little chat with me. Kyle is “The Original Nerd of Magic” and has previously performed on “The Tonight Show” before heading over to “Wizard Wars.” He’s a pretty cool guy, and us nerds need to stick together! I think this is a HorrorSociety.com first, so read my fascinating interview with Mr. Marlett below.
H: Can you introduce yourself to the readers? Tell us something interesting about yourself.
K: What’s up, guys! I’m Kyle Marlett. I’m a magicianfrom Las Vegas and I’m a total nerd. I’ve appeared on “The Tonight Show” and I’m on the premiere episode of “Wizard Wars” on Syfy August 19th at 10/9c.
H: Obviously, I need to start off by asking you how you got into the realm of real life magic? What inspired you to pursue this career?
K: I started magic at the young age of four after seeing a magic show on TV. Magic was my escape, I’m a nerd and I love all nerdy things. Growing up I would get bullied for being a nerd so magic became the thing I would go work on to get away from the bullies. It was something I could do that the bullies couldn’t. Since then I’ve performed all my life and been very grateful to have a show on the Las Vegas strip, appeared on TVshows, and now “Wizard Wars” all at the age of 22.
H: Did you ever receive any formal training or schooling, or are you a self-taught magician?
K: Not really. Hogwarts isn’t real so you have to kind of teach yourself. Sure there are magic products and dvds out there to teach you, but I love creating my own magic and pushing the limits on things that have never been seen before.
H: Do you remember one of the first times you performed in front of a large audience? What can you tell the readers about that experience?
K: I do! Seeming how I’ve performed magic since a kid I’ve had crazy things happen. There was the one time I was 13 and was performing a fire trick and during the routine I got some black soot from the prop on my hand without realizing it and then I wiped my upper lip because it was hot outside and did the rest of the show looking like a 13-year-old Hitler. With that story behind me I love a big audience, the bigger the better. Just like a band when you walk on stage and there’s 10K people watching you feed off of their energy. The more fun they are having the funnier I am. My job is fun and I love to have fun on stage, but if they are not having fun, then I’m not. Now that being said, I’ve done shows for 20 people and as long as they are there to have a good time it will be amazing.
H: Your reel contains some fire/heat tricks, and now you’ve just mentioned another. Are heat and fire tricks one of your specialties?
K: Not really a specialty, but fire is badass so I try to use it when I can.
H: What is the craziest magic trick you’ve ever performed? What kind of response did it get from the audience?
K: Oh man! That’s a tough question. I would have to say the effect that I perform in every show that’s pretty crazy is where I place five very sharp and very real double edge blades one by one into my mouth and then place a length of dental floss in my mouth as well; and after a brief moment I start to pull the floss out of my mouth and the razor blades a now tied onto the dental floss one by one like a strand of Christmas bulbs. As you can imagine that’s a pretty extreme effect and the audience goes crazy. Half the people hate it and don’t want to watch and then the other half is loving it.
Follow Kyle on Twitter: @KyleMarlett!
H: You mentioned that you were featured on “The Tonight Show.” Have you ever performed for celebrities or a live television audience before that?
K: “The Tonight Show” was crazy! I had done morning talk shows before and performed for a number of celebrities at the time, but nothing like this. It was such a great experience and everyone at the show treated me awesome. It was an honor to be on the show and to be one of the youngest magicians ever to be on “The Tonight Show” even since Carson.
H: I see that you also have your own show, “It’s Tricky,” in Las Vegas. I assume that must be a huge achievement for you. How were you able to nab this job?
K: “It’s Tricky,” which has now become my touring show has been an amazing experience and not only has the show grown, but I’ve grown so much since the start, too. I got the show after a produce had seen my video of me performing. He emailed me and said he had a room in Vegas and wanted to put me in it. A week later I was in it performing. I’ve loved working in Vegas, but now I’m on tour exploring the rest ofthe world!
H: Have you ever thought about auditioning for “America’s Got Talent?” I know they are very appreciative of your craft.
K: I’ve had lots of friends on “AGT.” I even have two friends on there right now, which I’ve helped both with their performances. I think “AGT” is good for some people, I don’t think that’s for me.
H: Speaking of reality television, let’s talk about how you’re a contestant on “Wizard Wars” on SyFy. How did you get involved with this production?
K: “Wizard Wars” is a concept from my friend Rick Lax who had the idea of doing a magic show that meets “Chopped.” We shot a pilot in Rick’s apartment here in Vegas and it got over 100K views on Youtube. After a while Syfy picked it up for a series.
H: Can you explain the premise of the show?
K: Two teams of magicians are given random, bizarre objects and we have one hour to create brand new magic with the objects. The show has changed a bit [since the pilot], and now it’s two teams of magicians who compete and are judged by four wizards including Penn and Teller. Fun Fact: “Wizard Wars” was shot on the same set as “Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The bar is still there and we used it during the show.
H: Is there a prize for the winner or winning team?
K: The winners go on to compete against the Wizards for a prize of $10,000!
H: What can you tell the readers about your time on reality television? Do you look back on the experience fondly?
K: So far I’ve loved it. As you can imagine it’s not as “reality” as it looks, but so far so good. Especially with “Wizard Wars,” I had such a great time and my producers were great and Syfy was awesome to work with!
H: How do you feel now that there is a show, “Wizard Wars,” that shines a light solely on talented magicians? Do you feel like the craft will receive a little more respect after it airs?
K: Well, the show doesn’t really expose anything. It does give you a few hints here and there, but it’s more about the creative process and letting laymen peek behind the curtain. I believe this only helps magic because most people don’t respect the hours of hard work that can go into a 30sec magic effect. Magic is supposed to seem effortlessly, so people think that it’s just that, but they have no idea that what I just showed them took me four years to develop.
H: What’s next for you in 2014 and beyond?
K: I’m so excited for the rest of this year and going into 2015! Right now I’m on tour, “Wizard Wars,” I’m 99% done with my book, more TV shows, and most exciting I’ve been growing a really big fan base online on Twitter and Instagram, which has been so cool and everyone has been so nice. I love being able to interact with fans all around the world!
*Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, Kyle! I’ll be tuning in this Tuesday for the premiere of “Wizard Wars” on SyFy so I can cheer you on. For those of you who are interested in following Kyle, you should definitely follow him on Twitter @KyleMarlett. He’s very vocal and, as he said, he loves interacting with fans online!
Also, don’t forget to check out his official website [here] for more videos, merchandise, and his tour schedule.
