“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 exhibits 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 Received Expertise” through Zoom at an hour that appeared affordable for this New York-based interviewer however was maybe a bit sooner than a Vegas performer would like. We talked about how he constructed his empire, his new tour, “It Value $60,000 To Clone My Canine And Now I Want To Make The Cash Again,” and his recommendation to anybody hoping to tug success out of a hat.
You are into your ninth yr of residency in Las Vegas, and you’ve got executed 3,000 exhibits. Did you envision this all while 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 purpose I received within the sport, Dan.
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How did this all begin?
After I was a child, I noticed any individual doing close-up magic. That is magic that occurs proper beneath your nostril, and it is unimaginable. Regardless of how jaded you is perhaps, you are like, “Wait, how did that occur?” So I beloved it. I began training, however my mother and father mentioned I ought to have a backup profession. 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 soar from pc science to magic?
I used to be doing magic part-time and it was high-quality, however I wasn’t giving it my full focus. About 30%, you recognize? However if you wish to do something nicely, you need to give it at the least 100%. After which you need to begin forgetting how math works and begin ratcheting up these numbers. I really received very sick once 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 facet hustle, however with none type of dedication. So, once 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 on the spot 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 e book this man to do close-up magic, and he seems like Eeyore moping round. I began working 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 occasion? It is a costume occasion.” 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 occasion within the dragon outfit, proper? And nobody else is in costume. No person. 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 may’ve heard of my older brother…Steve.” It took me three or 4 months to truly do it. Now, here is the factor: All this time, I had all of the strategies and tips — I simply did not have a socially acceptable method of doing them. However doing it as Piff, abruptly, 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 are going to misinform you, after which they misinform you. However you need to get folks . To illustrate it is a card trick. They are going to decide on a card, and you will find it once more. That is not that fascinating, actually. Until they have $100 on it. Now they’re watching each transfer, and you then make a mistake, they usually suppose they received $100, and you then tear the invoice in half, and inside is their taking part in card — abruptly, they’re hooked. After I see nice entrepreneurs, they might be promoting laundry detergent, however the nice ones have a narrative that they hook me in with. And abruptly, I am on Instagram spending $432 plus delivery on some fancy new laundry detergent. It will change my life, Dan. I will be completely satisfied!
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You have got fairly a well-known co-star, Mr. Piffles.
Sure, he is 17 years outdated. He is executed 3, 000 exhibits 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 have enlisted science to provide him some days off.
Sure. Time marches on, and we wished to provide him just a little 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 seems an identical, 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 good on stage and the identical measurement as Piffles, however then he saved 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 would heard Barbra Streisand cloned her canine, and I used to be like, “Effectively, buckle up. That is what we’re doing.” Everybody mentioned it was a horrible thought, however eight weeks later, this pet arrived, and as he grew up, he was not solely an identical, 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 giant moments. Once you had been ready within the wings of America’s Received Expertise, what was going by means of your thoughts?
The primary time I went on America’s Received Expertise, 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 would executed it like 2,000 occasions or no matter. I scripted no matter I may script, so once I went on, I may kick into that gear. To succeed, the perfect factor for me is to have good preparation. Then issues are likely to go okay. Not all the time, however it tends to go okay. However once I go on the market with out that preparation? Oh, buddy, it is brutal.
Profitable folks usually speak about how failure is an effective factor. However it feels horrible. Do you subscribe to that philosophy?
It is simple to say, and it is arduous 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 once I began the act. As an example, 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 individual who ended the present by producing a dwell rooster, they usually simply crushed it. And I noticed that I used to be holding myself again with this self-imposed rule and determined I would do something I wanted to succeed. I subscribe to that facet of failure as a educating instrument. However in case you’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 might by no means be an actor. Being a lead actor is just not in my wheelhouse. However the function of a grumpy dragon? That I may do.
See Piff the Magic Dragon and Mr. Piffles dwell in Vegas or on their nationwide tour — ticket information right here
