Notes

Could Penn and Teller Fool Penn and Teller?
Could Penn and Teller Fool Penn and Teller?

Penn and Teller are magic ians who perform illusions at their magic shows. Penn Jillette is famous for his tall stature while performing magic, while Raymond Joseph Teller (better known by his stage name "Teller") uses facial expression to play off of Penn's loud antics during the show.

The two met in the 1970s while studying communicative arts; Penn was a student at Ringling Bros.- Barnum & Bailey Clown College when he first saw Teller work with dance students. The two quickly became friends after Penn began speaking glowingly about how much he enjoyed Teller's act- which consisted of him silently mouthing to "MacArthur Park." Penn insisted that he audition for Penn's troupe, which Teller agreed to. Penn and Teller have since created a large body of work together, including bringing two television shows to air: Penn & Teller Go Public in 2004 on the A&E channel, Penn & Teller Tell a Lie in 2011 on the British Channel 4 network.

Penn & Teller were once offered an invitation to perform at the White House but turned it down after they discovered President George W. Bush had attended one of their shows sometime before becoming president. However, Penn Jillette, co-host of Penn & Teller: Fool Us, said that comedy magician Paul Daniels contributed "toward ridding the world of wobblers."


Penn and Teller are known for their unique style of performing magic. Penn is the showman, while Teller is more of the quiet presence who uses misdirection and slight-of-hand to fool Penn's eyes. Penn Jillette says, "Teller doesn't talk; I don't do silent."

Typically Penn & Teller stay out of the way during their shows; Penn explains, "we're like porcupines making love: very carefully." The two have a strict agreement that Teller will ever speak during a performance - even if one of them were to get injured or needed help from an audience member. Penn always speaks in a loud, exaggerated voice for his part in any routine while Teller silently mouths along. Penn does this because he wants to keep an audience member's attention on Penn and Penn only. Penn states, "When I am talking, the other guy can't talk."

Since Penn & Teller are magicians who also perform illusions, they never try to fool themselves. With over 30 years of experience in magic together, Penn & Teller have gone through countless hours of practice just so they can stay ahead of their audiences.

Penn says that for every show before the curtains open up, Penn & Teller rehearse two or three times without anybody but themselves present. Penn Jillette explains how important it is to them that they learn whatever trick another magician might be performing: "We don't want anyone doing anything we haven't seen before." Penn and Teller also get to know other magicians' repertoires so that Penn & Teller can study them and use the tricks during their performances. Penn Jillette explains, "I'm happy to take any trick anyone can do - I've just got to learn it faster than you."

As Penn and Teller themselves admit, they are not mind-readers and cannot figure out every magician's trick. They only try because Penn says: "the fun of magic is trying anything once!" Penn has said he does not believe in magic after doing a show with famed illusionist David Copperfield. After witnessing Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty disappear (a feat which Penn claims took several hundred people), Penn decided he wanted to become a magician since Penn thought it would take more than Penn's "lousy sleight of hand" to pull off such an act.

Penn has since said that his attitude towards magic changed because Penn became more jaded after the experience and now believes there must be some sort of "psychic voodoo."

Even though Penn & Teller cannot figure out every trick, Penn Jillette says that magicians who try to fool Penn & Teller are wasting their time because all magicians know that Penn & Teller will not sit idly by while somebody tries to hoodwink them.

My Website: http://www.looper.com/177614/the-untold-truth-of-penn-teller-fool-us/