There seems to be two Dave Merrys: The comedian who appreciates a good card trick and the magician who can’t resist a good joke. Which one are you?
First and foremost, I am a magician. I started when I was 13. A friend of mine did a couple of tricks on me and I was really blown away. Loved it so much he and I went down to a magic store and decided to do it as a hobby.
I was bitten by it right then and there. Later on in life when I started doing shows for schools and libraries I realized you couldn’t be tragically boring. My psyche is comedy, making it light and keeping it light.
What motivated you to raise this art to a higher level and combine comedy with magic?
I think I liked the thought of being able to do stuff that people could not explain.
After that I saw the movie The Sting. There was a scene on the train just before they were getting into the card game. Paul Newman was doing these things with a deck of cards that blew me away. I thought to myself ‘eventually I want to do whatever is possible with a deck of cards.’ I started to become a really good hard-core close up magician after that movie.
Were you a prankster extraordinaire in grade school?
Not really. It was just a whack of small ones. Not like Howie Mandel how put a fake arm with a quarter into a tollbooth. My friends in school always expected something big and I always tried to come through with small ones.
At this point, the wheels were in motion in your pursuits as a magician, when did you begin dabbling with stand up comedy?
At 21, I saw an ad in the paper for a full time children’s magical/comedy entertainer. I didn’t know what the hell that was. It was to be the Ronald McDonald for Eastern Canada. So I signed up for it and got the job and did that for two or three years.
Shortly thereafter, I felt I wanted to put the children’s thing behind me and go to Yuk Yuk’s and entertain adults full time.
Do you remember bombing on stage?
I remember freezing once. About two or three years into it, I froze out in Vancouver.
What happened was I was doing it---and I completely forgot where I was. I think it was a heckler and I completely lost my thought. I went blank for about 30 seconds.
You gotta bomb before you learn to do it.
What cities where your toughest terrain?
Vancouver for sure. I think they think they’re Canada’s version of Californians. I’m not convinced that there’s a diploma on the west coast. They show up casually 15-minutes late for the show. They waltz in whenever they want. They sit their with their arms crossed saying---‘make me laugh.’
However, I find the rest of the country unbelievably receptive.
What motivated you to say ‘that’s it, I’ve outgrown comedy clubs---it’s time for really big show!’
You know what? It’s the first time in my life I actually felt like I’ve been ready for it. I’ve toured with enough people like Jerry Seinfeld and Stephen Wright as an opening act and I love the 3,000 seat venues.
What kind of elements did you want to come together when you began piecing this show together?
I wanted it to be flashy. I wanted some animatronics and robotics to be into it. And really have as many one-of-a-kind things in the world as I could humanly do. So I went out and had some stuff invented and brought it in from all over the world.
Do you feel that original concept strayed or did you remain true to it?
I think it did stray somewhat because we had to combine many elements. We had to bring in a stage manager, a director, and a producer. From my original thinking, in the back of my demented mind, I had three or four people giving me input and directions and telling me things that had to be done.
During your preview run at U of T in December, your BINGO bit, which opened the show, was a howler. I sensed where it was going but I wasn’t sure how long it was going to take to get there. Where did this concept derive from?
Because of the last 14 or 16 months, I’ve really gone all over the world looking at different theatrical productions. The Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil, those kinds of things. This was to get a feel for what different acts do from the start to finish.
In Cirque du Soleil, they have clownish people seating you. The show starts as soon as your ass hits the seat.
So for my show, I didn’t want people sitting there and twiddling their thumbs for 20 minutes. By the time we get to the New Yorker in March, god only knows what people will be doing before the show.
You have an arsenal of strange gadgets in your show that generates a plethora of laughter. Do you stroll around the house looking for something out of the ordinary to have fun with?
I chance upon an idea. If it comes to me instantly and I can put some sort of weird spin on it, I shall write it down and then attempt to put it together with theatre props.
The other way is that if I’m out and about and chance upon a very odd looking item, I’ll buy the item and think of the joke later.
I don’t go hunting. I use to when I was putting my act together but now they just come to me.
‘Don’t Panic Remain.com’ is a very stylized Vegas looking show. You take pot shots at sexism, pop culture, Newfie jokes, and prostate exams. Are you just trying to push buttons on your audience?
I want to entertain them and give people a good night out. Especially in light of the Taliban horseshit and everything! I wanted to create a show that I wouldn’t mind going to see.
You seem to have a knack for taunting your audience on stage.
I do so in a playful banter. I’m not a mean guy. I hope it comes across that I’m just having fun with people.
As painful shtick you performed was the straightjacket stunt. How long did it take to master that?
That one took 6 weeks. It’s very odd, once you put one on you feel very enclosed and claustrophobic. My wife put it on me when I first got it.
Obviously, I couldn’t get out of it, for the first several times I got into it.
People come to my house for a cocktail party. We’d get eight drinks into us and then someone would go ‘o.k. can we see some of your props?’ I put a couple of guys in it and they quickly responded ‘take it off. Really, take it off.’ It’s an odd feeling because your hands are enclosed. It weirds you out.
Would you wear a straightjacket and lower yourself into a milk canister like Harry Houdini.
No, but I have an idea that we’re working on. It’s going to be an upside down version of it. It’s basically like a human piñata.
Your ‘rubber neck’ contraption is about as freaky as it comes. You didn’t buy this prop at Wal-Mart did you?
I had a gentleman in Las Vegas build that for me. There’s a trick called the ‘head twister’. I wanted a bigger and better version that you could see on stage. He added the head stretching part to it.
Do you have trouble getting that their Customs Officials?
I have trouble with the knives and chainsaw. It’s all the geek magic that I have trouble getting through.
I did a job in Amsterdam. I was at the airport for 90 minutes after the flight landed explaining what all this stuff does. It’s a horror show at the airport.
What is a day in the life of Dave Merry when you’re not performing? You wake up and do what?
Because I have three kids, I normally get up at around 7 a.m. Kids are on the bus and off to school for 8:00. Then after that I get back to people who have e-mailed me and take care of all my business routine on the computer.
I normally try to put in 6 hours of something show related.
What would Dave Merry be doing for a living if he weren’t immersed in the entertainment industry?
I’d like to think playing golf for a living. I turned pro nine years ago. So I guess probably a touring golf professional.
