Stan Freberg called yesterday and asked me to join him and his wife Hunter for a public interview that Penn & Teller did last night. I was too busy to go but when Freberg invites you, you say yes. So I said yes…and it was worth the time I couldn't spare just to be sitting next to Stan when Penn introduced him in the audience, telling all what a huge, wonderful influence the work of Freberg had been on the world and on Penn & Teller, in particular.
(In the preceding paragraph, I initially typed their names as "Penn and Teller," then remembered that last night's host-interviewer, Eddie Gorodetsky, reminded the audience that their names are only correctly spelled with an ampersand. I learned long ago to listen to Eddie.)
Nice crowd. Penn & Teller spoke about their work — and yes, Teller spoke, though not as much as Penn. Penn Jillette is a fascinating man, who speaks on a wide array of subjects, usually with great passion and individuality. About a third of the time, I think he's full of that stuff they named their Showtime series after but I always find it thought-provoking to hear the guy. I think the show is full of it about a third of the time…but that's not a bad average for television programming that seeks to "say something." And I usually come away having learned something, even if it's only because I figured out for myself why they were wrong.
Eddie asked them a lot about their partnership and about their approach to magic. Penn did a long ramble about how though they've done a lot of tricks that caused physical discomfort and potential injury, they've never put themselves or anyone who works for them at risk of death, and how few prominent magicians these days can make that claim.
He and Teller also talked about times they were injured, and Teller told — I hadn't heard this before — that the first time they did their water tank trick, it was on Saturday Night Live, and because they hadn't had sufficient time to prepare and test the trick, Teller came close to drowning on air. (That's the trick where he's locked underwater and not allowed to breathe again until Penn successfully finds a chosen card…and then Penn botches the trick up so Teller has to remain submerged long past the time he can hold his breath. Teller seemingly dies…and he came close that night because the hidden breathing apparatus malfunctioned and he really was locked in the tank.)
They spoke of their Showtime series, Bullshit, which in its new season (starts next week) will tackle topics including orgasms, organic foods and the end of the world. And they talked about other projects they have in the works and it was all very interesting. But the best part was when Penn introduced Freberg and everyone in the place applauded.