By Ilysha Adelstein
Campus Activities Magazine
When Eric Buss entered college he didn’t encounter any of the usual frustrations college freshmen typically have, deciding what career path to follow. Eric already knew that he wanted to pursue the arts of magic and comedy professionally. He also knew that choosing a Theater major at Northern Arizona University (NAU) would help provide him with invaluable voice, movement and stage skills that would aid him in his future quest for a career in comedy magic. What Eric did not know is that not too long after leaving NAU, his major and education would lead him right back to college campuses. Yet this time around it was not as a student, but as an international award-winning comedy magician and college entertainer.
After leaving college, Eric traveled to five different continents performing his one-man show of comedy, conjuring and characters. He has performed at such high profile venues as the Montreal Comedy Festival, the Queen’s Theater in London, and the Princess grace Theater in Monte Carlo where he gave a command performance for Monaco’s Royal Family. Despite all of Eric’s international success, he realized all of his crazy antics were tailor-made for the college market.
His routines are as outrageous and offbeat as his personality, as illustrated by the props and themes he uses in his show. Suspended mirror balls, animated Barbie dolls caught in a love triangle, a pogo stick, and a carrot seeking revenge over an innocent bunny are among the many original gags he brings to life in his side-splitting acts. Although his humor certainly has appeal and has been a hit with all age groups (Who doesn’t love pogo sticks and Barbie dolls?), Eric says that his generation X and Y peers are the ones who understand him best and make for his favorite audiences.
“I like college audiences because they are hip to pop culture. Also, I’m not very far removed from the world the students are in right now and I still can relate to the things that they are going through — friends, parties, all-nighters, the whole gamut. There’s no better feeling than knowing that you and the audience are on the same page and that always seems to be the case with college crowds.”
It comes as no surprise that Eric has so fondly embraced his college-based career. For it was while he was in college that Eric first truly made a name for himself in the world of magic. Right before his junior year at NAU, Eric was awarded one of magic’s most prestigious honors when he won a national competition and was name Stage Magician of the Year by the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM).
Eric won the competition performing an original routine entitled, ‘After the Gig.’ Although everyone knows what a magician produces on stage, Eric realized that no magician had ever given audiences a peek at what the magician does off-stage. During ‘After the Gig’ Eric strips down to his “I Love Magic” boxer shorts, and in the process doves, handkerchiefs and other magical props mysteriously appear in every article of clothing. He had actually broken in his award winning bird act routine during NAU’s annual talent show.
“After getting a good reception to ‘After the Gig’ and winning the talent show I felt like I was ready to take it to a national competition,” said Eric. “When I finally entered the IBM competition, my goal was just to perform a smooth show. But after I finished my set, the audience of critical magicians jumped into a standing ovation. Right at that point I knew I had found a career. Winning was just a bonus that night — a big bonus. But the best part of it all was knowing that people really dug what I was doing, both magically and comically.”
Although ‘After the Gig’ has a universal comedic appeal, the concept is truly unique the world of magic. After the routine received such a tremendous response from his peers, both in college and in the world of magic, Eric realized that he enjoyed performing very non-traditional routines more than anything else. He also knew that he had successfully merged magic and comedy, and decided from that point on he would continue to do so in ways that had never been done before.
“Winning the IBM gave me the confidence I needed in my ability to create original concepts. Watching something that is new or different is always more exciting that watching something you’ve already seen. Sometimes it’s just a matter of putting a new spin on a very traditional trick or idea. But that particular spin can make the whole routing seem brand new. That’s what I love most about live performance, watching audiences react to something they’ve never seen before that I camp up with. And that’s why I choose to perform an act that’s primarily composed of original and outrageous material, to see the audience members’ reaction, and hopefully watch their eyes pop out of their head during uncontrollable fits of laughter.”
Prior to the IBM competition, the majority of Eric’s stage experience has consisted of performing in dorm lobbies and campus auditoriums, and doing close-up magic at parties and bars. Although at that point in time he wasn’t sure that magic would end up being his career, he enjoyed performing for his peers and practicing his magical skills. He was able to make a bit of extra cash doing an occasional dorm show or private party, but for the most part he gigged for free – just to gain the extra experience and exposure, and most importantly, because he loved doing it.
“All four years of college I did what I called my NAU dorm lobby tour and I marketed it as a great study break activity.” Eric reminisces. “I would usually ask the residence hall directors (RHD) for my whopping fee of $50 to do a 30 minute show for their residents. Quite often the RHD’s would say that they had no budget to pay me, and I’d reply ‘Can I do it anyway?’ Regardless of the money, it was still great practice for me and a great way to procrastinate from doing my own studying.”
Additionally, studying for a degree in Theater also proved to be invaluable experience for the budding entertainer. It was during Eric’s theater classes that he first began to explore and have fun with visual gags, comedic timing, stage body movement, improvisation and overall character development. In fact, Eric’s current stage persona was first developed during these classes at NAU. Somewhat an extension of his own personality, Eric Buss the comedy magician is part dork, part adolescent, and somewhat insecure in a confident way.
Basically Eric’s character on stage is similar to a little boy who has a friend over to play. Just like a kid who is in a hurry to impress his friend and show off all of his toys before playtime is over, Eric wants to show the audience all of his funny magic stuff before the shows ends. Most importantly, however, is the fact that you get the sense that Eric really wants to impress the audience. He hopes that they enjoy all of his crazy routines and ideas as much as he does. Thankfully, the audience responds with the laughter and smiles he had planned on, averting any need for him to start hair pulling or lobbing spit balls.
After winning the IBM and just prior to finishing at NAU, Eric’s endearing character started to receive tremendous recognition nationwide and overseas. Offers started to roll in to perform at different magic conventions and performances across the U.S. Gradually his notoriety transferred to international circles, and he was invited to perform at an international magic competition in Germany, which he also won. Thus began Eric’s professional career and world travels, which has included performances in such exotic places as Bogota, Colombia, Tunis, Tunisia and Nagoya, Japan among others. Then Eric made his first college performance as a professional magician at his old NAU stomping grounds, and realized that the college market was the next stop in his career travels. Since then he’s been pursuing more college gigs and less international work. He is eager and excited to be showcasing at the APCA national conference in Jacksonville, FL this March.
“I’ve loved travelling across the globe and performing for such a variety of different audiences, but at the same time I’m just as happy to be performing for today’s audiences on college campuses. Students are very real in their responses. If they like you, you’ll know it, and if they don’t, they’ll just get up and leave. When you are indirectly competing against so many other entertainment options – TV, movies, studying and parties – you’ve got to be entertaining. To me, that’s a tremendous challenge and one that I welcome.”