Neil Henry talks about his new magic show, Mindwangler.
Tell us about your Fringe show
I’ve had loads of fun creating a brand new show of the impossible for this year. It concentrates on magic of the mind. I also love 'visual' magic so in Mindwrangler I have tried to take mind magic and make it visual.The problem with a lot of mind magic is that it is by default non-visual.
The magic happens in the mind so you don't get to see anything happen. For instance in last year’s show I ate a whole can of Alphabetty Spaghetti and someone would think of a word and instead of just reading their mind I would regurgitate the word they are thinking of in Alphabet spaghetti.
I try to use everyday and borrowed objects in the show so everyone can relate to whats happening. It’s an uplifting, funny and brain twisting show that’s designed to mess with heads, scratch the bit of the brain that needs itching and have a lot of fun doing it.
Best thing about the Fringe?
Huge amounts of beer and pulled pork.
Worst thing about the Fringe?
The huge amounts of beer and pulled pork.
How many years have you been coming to the Fringe?
This is my third consecutive year doing my solo show. I have been up a number of times doing comedy plays and farces in the past but I absolutely love doing the shows that I write.
Favourite Fringe venue?
Pleasance Ace Dome.
Best Fringe memory?
My best memory of the fringe has to be when I proposed to my wife last year on stage and she said yes. I slightly changed the trick that I mentioned above with the alphabet spaghetti and instead of having someone think of a word I got my then girlfriend onto the stage and regurgitated the words “MARRY ME” in alphabetti spaghetti. Then there was an explosion in my hand and a ring appeared and I popped the question and she said yes! Here’s a video of what happened:
Best heckle?
Someone randomly shouted out “Do you want to buy a fridge?” I said “yes” and we exchanged numbers and I bought his fridge! I asked him why he decided to shout that out randomly in the middle of a show and he said “I liked your shoes and they reminded me that I needed to sell my fridge”. Definitely the funniest heckle ever.
Craziest on stage experience?
I do a very strange trick where I get inside someone’s head my making some very odd noises very close to them and then revealing their thoughts. It’s one of my favourite routines that I do but there was 1 time when I did it a couple of years ago during my show Neil Henry’s Impossible where the volunteer who came up on stage was none other than Jeremy Paxman! It was the most surreal moment Ive ever had! Staring at him and making these noises. It was actually like a weird dream. I seem to remember the random thought he was thinking of was a monkey drinking tea from a saucer.
What’s on your rider?
Rider? Edinburgh? Anyone asking for a rider in edinburgh clearly doesn't have an understanding of basic Fringe economics!
The thing that I find so precious before a show is to simply have half an hour of pure quiet to make sure everything is ready and to just relax. The entire show (especially this year) is very energetic so I like to get myself really psyched up for the show beforehand.
How do you wind down after a show?
Always a pint and an hour of laughing with people. Also I love just packing up my stuff and setting up for the next days show then going out and watching a bunch of shows with friends.
What do you love about Scotland?
I always feel like everything is so fresh, I feel so adventurous when Im up there. Beautiful landscapes and really friendly people.
What do you like about Edinburgh?
I love running up Arthur’s seat in the mornings.
What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve done?
I played Alexander Graham Bell in a murder mystery show once..although he’s half Canadian so does that count?
What kind of jokes do a Scottish crowd seem to respond to?
Funny ones.
Favourite joke?
What’s Forest Gump’s Facebook password? 1 FORREST 1
Favourite Scottish food/drink?
A really good scotch whiskey. I love Laphroaig.
Neil Henry’s new magic show ‘Mindwangler’ will be at the Pleasance Ace Dome on Bristo Square for the month of August at 4pm for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
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