Title: He Who Dons The Magic Hat
Subject: Arts, Entertainment & Performing Arts [Person Of The Month]
Issue No.: 2
Publication: Blue Fire Magazine
Author: Skully Johnson
Source: Firsthand sources/interview
Date: Approx. 03/6/09

"Disoriented, slightly confused, but thrilled," is a good way to describe the feeling I was experiencing in Los Angeles the night I met Joe Reohm at a show featuring talented bands such as Little Red Radio and The Dance Party. I had stumbled upon the club in Los Angeles through my roommate, as of one month, as a result of what I can nice and neatly call a "housing crisis" with some metal-head ex-roomies. As my roommate Kelsey shuffled off to the bar area I stood awkwardly with "x's" on my hands, deploring "the system." Quickly I had been introduced by Kelsey's friend of whom is part of the band Little Red Radio, named Jaysun, to Joe. Joe, of whom was dressed just right for the club in a coat and a band shirt introduced himself as a magician. I asked him what kind of instrument he played, he laughed and corrected me by repeating himself. Apologizing I next asked him if he did "black magic." Joe told me to pick a finger as he held out his palm and eager to see where the magic trick was heading  stereotypically picked "the middle finger." After I touched every finger except that one he finally said, "Okay, now touch the finger you picked." I did and was zapped. Enthralled I did again and was zapped again! That's when I decided, "Okay, bizarro, but rad.  Now I have to know Joe Reohm!"

Next, after some internet researching and phone calls to Joe in Seattle I find myself in Los Angeles's fashion and art district. That street just so happened to be very close to Staples Center, the location in which I had sold my artwork in a booth of an animation convention that I dismissively dub as "nerd haven" last July. With my photographer and his wondrous SLR camera as my witness we took various pictures of the building and what was aptly named "The Converse Graveyard" which consisted of around twenty pairs of abandoned converse hanging from electrical wires. The scene smacked of the road to one of San Clemente's entrances to Camp Pendleton nearby South Orange County, except it would be the urban version without smelly combat boots.

According to Mr.Reohm, his name of which he had told us is French, magic has been a fascination of his since childhood. However, his interest stemmed from more than just magic kits and television shows. A big inspiration of his when he was four years old was his grandfather of whom would make pennies disappear using a magic technique Joe described as "slight of hand." Young Joe was so determined he had attempted to turn light switches off and on with his mind alone, of which his father kindly understood and would respond by saying, "Well for now you have to use your hands." Joe too was a huge fan of magic shows on television such as David Copperfield  and Jeff McBride. He recalls watching a show where Copperfield would fly across the stage. Unfortunately when he himself made these attempts he had told me he usually just ended up crashing to the ground.

Reohm's magic career jump-started at an early age of fifteen years old as he began making money doing what he called "home shows" or magic shows out of a person's home. His first official show was for a birthday party for his cousin and a group of her friends in which he recalled being nervous since he was the only boy there, however he was thrilled to find that everyone had expressed "gratuity" at the end of the show by putting dollar bills in his magic hat.

Not much later down the road Joe began performing publicly, studying under the magician Bruce Meyer as his mentor. At school Joe so happened to become good friends with Meyer's son only then to realize that his father was the same magician that he had always admired. His friend's mother had told Joe that if wanted he could learn magic from Bruce if he could prove it to him. He first saw Meyer during a home show in which he had demonstrated pulling rings apart and Joe had always wondered since to himself, "Just how does he do that?" Clearly, once Joe realized the opportunity before him he was quick to react.

Stating that "Magician's don't tell secrets," Joe studied magic daily for hours on end until he learned all the tricks in the book he had borrowed from the local library. Impressed with his dedication it was no surprise that Meyer quickly took Joe under his wing; soon after his mentorship began Joe started by performing at a mall nearby where he lived at which he would regularly have to write and act out his own shows over the course of three months during the summer. He also did restaurant magic as a teenager during between the ages of 18-20 years old. Approaching customers the young Joe would ask customers, "I'm the magician for the evening, do you want to see me magish?"

While on the topic of magic shows at restaurants, I had asked Joe about people's reactions to magic as a result of their religious beliefs. When doing magic, especially in public places like restaurants and businesses Joe finds himself entertaining a whole spectrum of people. It is difficult to read how every person in a crowd would react. Many times people would respond to Joe's offering to entertain them with a show by saying, "Oh, no thank you. We're not interested. We don't believe in magic, that's devilish." To the magician a statement and belief such as that is "ridiculous" he says, and he feels that people need to be more open-minded. He has respect for religion but Joe still enjoys "testing the boundary" regarding society and it's views in regards to magic-working.

America, compared to Europe the magic-worker remarks, is prude. In Europe, Reohm points out, it is not uncommon to see magic shows with "top-less models," even despite the presence of children in audiences. Religion, Reohm says, can be a burden when it comes to doing shows because people use their beliefs to dismiss the art altogether.

Joe's latest investment is a show that he calls, "Illumi-naughty." A clever spin-off of the word "illuminati," which is defined as a historical secret society, the concept behind the future show's name embraces two things: mystery and the avant-garde. The show is designed to "push the button" and it is to be his first performance with an "adult" theme to it. It will be featuring skits with lines such as "let's make some sh*t disappear," "Illumi-naughty, demoralizing America since 1981," and "Hello my name is Joe Reohm and I would like to present to you the product Dynamic Instigmatic Kit, and for short we'll call it 'DIK.'" Reohm is enthusiastic about his idea and is glad to say that it strays from "your typical performance that has dancing girls running across the stage in between skits," and "guys with cheesy tricks."  

As Reohm's career develops over time he hopes to accomplish several different things using his talents. He hopes to help America lighten up as well as be able to provide a good role model for children, or as he calls it a good "opinion leader." "Not smoking," and "censoring TV shows," the magician believes should not be the main focus of our nation's concern. In regards to politics, Joe's beliefs stem from the idea that peace between countries has to do with issues "communicating one thing to one country and another thing to another country," and he expresses that " It would be nice to be more aware of our political standing." Communication is a good way to prevent warfare in the future. There should be a balance in society, Reohm expresses, that is not too obsessed with conservatism but not too liberal on the other hand. Drugs and promiscuity--replaced with moderation and monogamous relationships--are societal trends that should be discouraged so as to promote the formation and longevity of a harmonic society.

A diverse entertainer, Reohm has not just performed on the stage but also during an NBA half-time as well as during corporate business meetings and events for companies such as Microsoft. During the NBA half-time show Reohm used three cameras, of which covered every angle of the performance. Not only is it rare to see magicians performing during half-time shows, but having multiple cameras filming all at once makes for not just a unique performance, but a difficult one. Other magicians commented on Reohm's idea saying, "You cannot do that because you're completely surrounded," but despite the protests six birds appeared on the stage with no apparent explanation as to where they came from. Remarking that "The smartest people, the scientists and the doctors, are the easiest to fool," he also points out his surprise at questions he would get from people as old as in their 30s or 40s asking, "Is that real magic? Is that a black magic thing? Is that real?" Some things are best left unsaid the magician confirms, "I like to let the audience decide for themselves what is real or not, I'm not going to tell them 'this is just a trick.'"

Originally from Seattle, WA Joe Reohm has now relocated to Los Angeles for business. Not only is Reohm a full-time magician, but he also enjoys acting as well as playing bass guitar. Someday, the magician muses, he would like to see all his talents come together. The excitement lies in the anticipation of what the future has yet to unfold.