Magician Eric Mead says, "Magic isn't about solving puzzles, it's about not knowing...and having a little bit of mystery."
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Bio
Eric Mead
For more than two decades Eric Mead has been bringing his unique vision of mystery entertainment to audiences all over the world. With spontaneous wit and a natural sense of humor, Mead guides you to a realm where reality and illusion collide, and the impossible is made real.
Each performance Mead gives is unique - reflecting his unique point of view and eclectic background. He blends refined sleight of hand with sophisticated psychological techniques to deliver an unforgettable experience of wonder and astonishment. "Certainly there are ideas and laughs in the show, but really I am trying to transmit a very specific feeling to the people in the audience. To experience a deep sense of wonder for a moment, that's a very special thing."
He presents over 200 shows each year, ranging from corporate events, to private parties, to theatrical and television appearances. He has enthralled audiences all across America and Western Europe. From the private living rooms of Jack Nicholson, Kevin Costner and Hugh Hefner, to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Philip Morris and Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Mead is at home in almost any venue, in front of any audience.
In addition to his performing schedule, Mead is an accomplished writer and creator of custom presentations. He has written or contributed to 18 industrial and instructional films. When the Denver Museum of Nature and Science wanted to do a live action exhibit called, Life on Mars, they turned to Eric to create and develop the special effects required.
Mead's contributions have recently appeared in Penn and Teller's book, How to Play in Traffic, and Mac King's book, Tricks With Your Head. Mead co-authored The Art of Astonishment, a three-volume set of books teaching advanced conjuring technique. They have become international bestsellers in the field, and portions have been translated into seven languages. A new book is due out from Hermetic Press in 2006.
In a departure from his usual performance work, you can see Mead in the controversial documentary film The Aristocrats with Robin Williams, George Carlin, Whoopie Goldberg, Jon Stewart and The Smothers Brothers.
Use of means (such as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces. It constitutes the core of many religious systems and plays a central social role in many nonliterate cultures. Magic is often distinguished from religion as being more impersonal and mechanical and emphasizing technique. Its techniques are usually regarded as means to specific ends (an enemy’s defeat, rainfall, etc.), although another view ascribes a more symbolic, expressive character to such activity. Thus, a rainmaking ritual may both elicit rainfall and stress the symbolic importance of rain and the agricultural activities associated with it. Both the magician and the magical rite are typically surrounded by taboos, purification procedures, and other activities that draw the participants into the magical sphere. Strains of magic in Western tradition, formerly associated with heretics, alchemists, witches, and sorcerers, persist in modern times in the activities of satanists and others. The art of entertaining by performing apparently magical feats (sometimes called conjuring) relies on the use of sleight of hand and other means. See also shaman, vodun, witchcraft and sorcery.
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