Episode 50
Magic & Music: Chris Funk's Wondrous World!
Get ready to dive into some magic mayhem with Chris Funk, the Wonderist! We kick things off chatting about his wild journey from violin virtuoso to magic maestro—yeah, he’s got skills! 🎻✨ He spills the beans on his upcoming show at the Jones Center, where he promises a family-friendly experience packed with fun, laughter, and maybe a few “how’d he do that?” moments. And trust me, whether you're a magic newbie or a seasoned skeptic, Chris has got something up his sleeve for everyone. So, grab your tickets and prepare to be dazzled, because this show is gonna be a blast! 🎩🎉
Chris Funk the Wondrous is in the house, and let me tell ya, this guy is like the magic version of a rock star! We kicked things off with some playful banter, and let me just say, it was hard to keep a straight face! Chris opened up about his journey from maestro to magician, revealing how he played the violin for a decade before he decided to sprinkle some magic dust on his life. Turns out, he wasn’t all about the Bach; he was more into the 80s rock scene! We’re talking Bryan Adams and Metallica vibes! He shared some hilarious stories about his childhood, like the time he watched Doug Henning cut someone in half—yeah, not your average grandpa basement gig! And spoiler alert: he’s not just about the tricks; he believes in the power of a good hook, whether in music or magic. Expect to see some jaw-dropping illusions at his upcoming show at the Jones Center, where he'll blend live music with magic, making sure everyone from toddlers to grandmas is laughing and gasping in delight!
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
I am awesome.
Speaker A:How are you doing?
Speaker B:Hey, I'm doing great.
Speaker B:I appreciate you taking the time to chat with us, and I'll just start right now and kind of get some business out of the way.
Speaker B:If you'd like to get tickets to see Chris Funk the Wondrous at the Jones center in springdale, go to thejonescenter.org and click on Things to Do and then performances.
Speaker B:And, Chris, you.
Speaker B:You grew up as a musician before you were a magician.
Speaker B:And I've seen a lot.
Speaker B:I've watched a lot of your stuff on YouTube.
Speaker B:Like I said, I've seen your Penn and Teller, your Masters of Illusions, your America's Got Talent performances.
Speaker B:You reference a lot of classical music, especially when you're doing crowd work.
Speaker B:You're known for your violin work.
Speaker B:Are there any, like, pop artists and songs that hooked you as a child?
Speaker B:Were you into any kind of mainstream stuff, or was it all classical for you?
Speaker A:I actually wasn't really into classical at all.
Speaker A:It was more ingrained in me when I was studying the violin.
Speaker A:You know, the funny thing is, is the stories that I tell on stage about my musical journey as a kid are 100% true.
Speaker A:So I played the violin 10 years, and I got really, really good at it just because my parents ingrained this amazing method of practice in life.
Speaker A:And so having done that, it allowed me to win awards and play with the local symphony a handful of times in a bunch of orchestras.
Speaker A:So classical music was always just a part of my life.
Speaker A:I would never say that I enjoyed it.
Speaker A:I probably.
Speaker A:It was the opposite feeling.
Speaker A:Feeling for me.
Speaker A:So, you know, the music that I loved as a kid, oh, man, I love the typical 80s rock that was out there, you know, from yes to Brian Adams, Canadian rock star from the Cult, you know, Metallica.
Speaker A:I just.
Speaker A:I kind of.
Speaker A:If it sounded good, I really loved it.
Speaker A:If it had a good hook, I think that's what really caught me at a young age.
Speaker A:And that's definitely something I bring into my performance these days.
Speaker A:Now as a.
Speaker A:As a performer, you know, if it's music that I've written, I want it to have a hook.
Speaker A:Or if there's a trick that I'm doing, I want it to have that.
Speaker A:A hook.
Speaker A:You know, that piece that stands out.
Speaker B:What was your favorite illusion as a child?
Speaker B:Was there an illusion that you saw and you went, I need to do that?
Speaker A:I remember the first time I ever saw an illusion.
Speaker A:I was 4 years old in my grandfather's basement.
Speaker A:On TV, it was Doug Henning.
Speaker A:He cut two women in half.
Speaker A:One was wearing a black outfit, one was wearing a gold outfit.
Speaker A:He swapped their legs and they came out wearing half gold and half black.
Speaker A:And it both freaked me out and also blew my mind at 4 years old.
Speaker A:So from that point on, I always loved magic.
Speaker A:You know, I watched every Copperfield special that was on tv.
Speaker A:My dad would take me to see him.
Speaker A:I didn't learn my first trick until I was 16.
Speaker A:So I mean, yeah, it's.
Speaker A:I was a little bit later than most magicians.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:So long story longer.
Speaker A:Whatever was the first illusion that I always wanted to tie in or did I tie?
Speaker A:And, you know, there was the concept of floating something or making something suspend or levitate, you know, defy gravity.
Speaker A:I think that's something that people all wish they could do.
Speaker A:They all have a dream where they could fly or levitate something.
Speaker A:And so that's something I used to do a lot in my walk around when I would do close up magic gigs a lot more.
Speaker A:And on stage there's a piece where I do a couple of impossible suspensions.
Speaker A:I'm not going to get too into it.
Speaker A:I want to leave some element of surprise for people, but I'd say that's one piece for sure right there.
Speaker B:Is there anything that sticks out from when you were went through that process?
Speaker B:Is there anything you remember, whether it be on stage or behind the scenes?
Speaker B:And is there anything that you really learned as part of that experience?
Speaker A:They really wanted to showcase magic, and so going through this whole process, it was about them helping you display the best version of the trick possible.
Speaker A:And so they took care of you right from the first phone call till the flight home.
Speaker A:The whole experience was incredible, especially for me, because I don't know if you remember the story, but I ruptured my Achilles in the middle of a show.
Speaker A:This was a January where I ruptured it.
Speaker A:I finished the show because, I mean, what else are you going to do?
Speaker A:But I didn't walk for two months after that.
Speaker A:And we filmed my episode of Fool Us two weeks after I started walking.
Speaker A:And so what?
Speaker A:You can't really tell.
Speaker A:And you might see me looking stiff, knowing this, going back and watching Fool Us.
Speaker A:But the whole time I'm performing, I'm just thinking like, do not show how much pain you're in right now.
Speaker B:So the old adage, the show must go on.
Speaker B:So I'm assuming you don't do the MJ Lean anymore.
Speaker A:I do not do anymore.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:I am.
Speaker A:I'm six four.
Speaker A:And at that point I was A heavier six four.
Speaker A:And so gravity at my height does different things.
Speaker A:And I learned that that was not designed for someone my size.
Speaker B:The, you know, the Jones center where you're working, this is probably going to be a little bit more of an intimate kind of thing compared to, like a big Vegas ballroom.
Speaker B:Are there changes you make to your show to go?
Speaker B:Small changes in pacing or trick choice or.
Speaker B:Or anything like that compared to a huge Vegas theater?
Speaker A:No, no.
Speaker A:I love same me, same show, same experience.
Speaker A:If anything, everyone will just have a much better line of sight.
Speaker A:You know, that's the only thing, because even in a huge auditorium, like the big stages, Criss Angel, David Copperfield, the bigger illusions, when you're sitting in the back row, still play somewhat small compared to sitting way up front.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So the thing I love about a smaller, more intimate venue is that I get to feel like I actually interacted with every single person in the room.
Speaker B:Now, everything you've done, obviously on television, and from what I've been able to gather, all your tour stuff is all very family friendly.
Speaker B:This is called the Fam Jam series at the Jones Center.
Speaker B:Do you do anything?
Speaker B:You know, one of the things I think not magically, but.
Speaker B:But there's some magic in what Pixar does, the way they write their family friendly movies, and there are little things in there that are for the adults.
Speaker B:Will we have some of that as well in your show?
Speaker A:Always.
Speaker A:My whole theory on that is you approach the line, but you never cross it because everyone will cross it on their own in their own way, in their mind, in their own way.
Speaker A:And I'm not saying that like it's going to be me saying dirty jokes, because I don't do that.
Speaker A:It's 100% clean.
Speaker A:It's 100% clean.
Speaker A:There's.
Speaker A:I believe in what P.T.
Speaker A:barnum said from the Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Speaker A:There's something for everybody.
Speaker A:So here.
Speaker A:You're five years old.
Speaker A:You're gonna love it.
Speaker A:Whether you're 95 years old, you're gonna love it.
Speaker A:55, you're gonna love it.
Speaker A:There's gonna be something in there that you can.
Speaker A:You can relate to.
Speaker A:You can love, you can receive, you can hear.
Speaker A:So I.
Speaker B:We're.
Speaker B:We're a music radio station.
Speaker B:I need to get back to playing some tunes and paying some bills real quick.
Speaker B:Can you stick around for just.
Speaker A:We'll.
Speaker B:We'll chat again here in just a bit.
Speaker A:You bet.
Speaker B:Back more with Chris Funk the Wondrous in a moment and you can get tickets to see him at the Jones center in Springdale.
Speaker B:@thejonescenter.org we're back with Chris Funk the Wondrous.
Speaker B:He's going to be at the Jones center in Springdale, part of their Fam Jam series.
Speaker B:You can go to thejonescenter.org to get your tickets and learn more about Fam Jam and Chris Funk, the Wondrous.
Speaker B:One of my favorite things I've seen you do was on our former governor here in Arkansas, Huckabee, you did an illusion on his show with the cable.
Speaker B:And I don't know how many people appreciated you pitching up and pitching down, going sharp and flat as you worked up and down the cable.
Speaker B:But then it's look, go YouTube Chris Funk Huckabee and enjoy one of my favorite illusions I've ever seen.
Speaker B:So props on that illusion.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker B:What do you do?
Speaker B:Your brand is magic with live music.
Speaker B:So do you start with the song or do you.
Speaker B:I mean, I'm assuming you start with the illusion or do you.
Speaker B:When you're going to create something new, do you think about the story you want to tell?
Speaker B:What is your process?
Speaker B:Or does it vary based on does each illusion have its own story of how it came to be?
Speaker A:Everything has its own story.
Speaker A:It might be a dream, it might be me writing a song, it might be hearing a song.
Speaker A:Like my violin bit has what we call phases.
Speaker A:So in the third phase, I do something kind of cool with the violin itself.
Speaker A:And that was inspired by hearing a piece of music from another violinist.
Speaker A:He gave me a CD of his and I was listening to it and one song just jumped out and it spoke to me and I had this two hour drive and so I dreamt up this concept and when I got home, I tried it.
Speaker A:It worked well.
Speaker A:It went into my show the next day and it's been a part of my show ever since.
Speaker A:So that was inspired by music.
Speaker A:The cable itself was inspired by a dream.
Speaker A:The song that I wrote was inspired by just an accident noodling around on a guitar.
Speaker A:So it always comes from a different place.
Speaker A:And sometimes it's a story that starts the concept or the need, for example, that starts the concept.
Speaker A:You know, if I, I'm like, I have to incorporate this at this point.
Speaker A:What can I do with it?
Speaker A:And then I start kind of working backwards and I mind map it a little bit and I think about all the different aspects of what I could do with it and that'll help me kind of create its spot and the routine that goes in that spot as.
Speaker B:We get ready for the show at the Jones Center.
Speaker B:It's coming up September 20th.
Speaker B:You can get your tickets or get details@thejonescenter.org you know that obviously your show is 100% clean.
Speaker B:It's 100% family friendly.
Speaker B:The Jones center fam jam is all about family.
Speaker B:And a lot of parents are going to bring lots of children to the show.
Speaker B:What should, whether it be those, those young children or maybe even young adults who have never been into magic, maybe parents who have never been to a magic show, but now they're bringing their child to one because they're interested in.
Speaker B:What would a first time magic fan want to look for tonight as opposed to, like those of us who are magic nerds and we're, we're always trying to, you know, destroy it and figure out how you're doing it.
Speaker B:But just, I know for first time people just sit back and let the wonder happen, right?
Speaker A:100%.
Speaker A:100%.
Speaker A:You know, what's funny is like, I used to perform a ton of cruise ships.
Speaker A:I think I did between 75 and 100 ships over my career.
Speaker A:And there was always a 7pm and a 9pm show and people would come back to the 9pm show who watched the 7pm show to figure it out.
Speaker A:And I would always start off my 9pm show by a round of applause.
Speaker A:How many people saw the 7pm show?
Speaker A:They all clap.
Speaker A:And it's like by a round of applause, how many people are going to try to figure stuff out?
Speaker A:They all clap.
Speaker A:It's like, good luck, you know, good luck.
Speaker A:So, you know, experienced magic showgoers have fun.
Speaker A:Don't try to figure it out, just be in it because I'm going to fool you.
Speaker A:First time magic goers just be ready to be fooled and laugh and smile and enjoy the whole way through September 20th.
Speaker B:Thejonescenter.org and Chris, I'm sure you've got a website people can go see more about you, get more about you, right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:My website is Chris funkmagic.com, all in word chrisfunkmagic.com Chris, thank you so much.
Speaker B:For taking the time with us.
Speaker B:We really appreciate it.
Speaker A:Thanks for having me.
Speaker A:It was fun.
Speaker A:Thank you.
