CHET SHIFFLETT: Magic, Mystery and Mentalism
Chet Shifflett developed an early love of magic. He credits watching a performance of a magician who was part of a small traveling circus when he was 11, sparking his young imagination.
“I had a real fascination with everything Magic after that,” he said. “I saved up and would buy magic through the mail order companies that peddled magic tricks and novelty items. I had an uncle who showed me simple card tricks and things like apparently removing his thumb. I loved the feeling of being amazed and amused at the same time. Moments like these have contributed to my performance style over the years.”
Early influences include Michael Ammar, a world champion magician, from Bluefield, WV. “I remember my dad showing me an article on Ammar in the newspaper and watching this young WVU graduate performing on the Johnny Carson Show,” he said. “Up until that point, the idea of actually performing was just a misty concept.”
Another big influence for Chet was watching Mark Wilson. Wilson was instrumental in bringing Magic to television in a big way. During his teenage years, Magic took a back seat and was relegated to childhood memories. “It wasn’t until my early 20’s when I stumbled upon a book on magic tricks and my fascination was rekindled, “ he said. “After that, I would read and study every book and publication that I could find on the subject.”
He continued throughout his 20’s practicing manipulations and slights, but it was within the walls of a real brick and mortar Magic Shop where he received his greatest education on performance magic. After becoming a regular fixture and demonstrating some level of skill, it was here where the real secrets of magic were revealed from the numerous conjurers who would patron on a regular basis.
Lessons in scripting, routining, character development, human behavior, basic psychology, presentation and public speaking were preambles to making a performance not only entertaining but memorable. An understanding of the history, as well as the importance of crediting those who have shared their ideas, concepts and inventions with the magic community, were also learned.
“Magic, for most of my adult life, has served as an outlet and a backdrop in almost all of my endeavors,” he said. “Including my managerial style in both corporate and entrepreneurial pursuits. I have never actively pursued Magic as a full time job, but it is present in almost everything I do. I love it and benefit from it in so many ways.”
Chet has performed in many settings including festivals, resorts, corporate and civic events, reunions, birthdays, special events, performance venues, schools and more. “I’ve worked in living rooms, recreational centers, nursing homes and fire halls performing for six people to venues with several hundred folks,” he said. “It really doesn’t matter how few or how many because it is always about each unique individual. Magic really plays that way. It hits us all differently. Sometimes it’s just a novelty, other times it’s profound. That’s one of the things I find so fascinating about it.”
For Chet, performing Magic is all about sharing.
“It’s never about me versus the audience. This is a mistake a lot of young magicians make. I need to be just as amazed as the audience, even if I have done an effect many times before,” he said. “The truth is I am. I just have to dig a little deeper. My amazement is in the beauty of the construction, in all that goes into making something appear impossible.”
He’s often asked if he gets amazed at watching magic performed by others? The answer is YES.
“Magic is vast and it holds many more secrets than any one magician could ever know. I love that because who wants to know literally every trick? Sometimes, I just want to lose myself in the wonder just like so many others,” he said. “I think Magic, mentalism and mystery in general, is extremely important to the world, especially now. It not only provides us with an escape, it causes us to think objectively and subjectively at the same time.”
“Magic causes us to think inside and outside the box. If I can make you laugh, smile, say wow, applaud, cheer or simply get quiet with wonder….then I am achieving what I set out to do,” he said. “I want my audience to walk away feeling a little lighter, a little more optimistic than when they came. If I can do that, then it’s all worth it to me. I can’t sing or play an instrument, but perhaps I can act the part of a wizard convincingly enough to make you believe in Magic if only for a moment.”
Chet is a member of the Society of American Magicians and the International Conservatory of Magic.
Join Chet and Friends for an evening of Magic, Mystery and Mentalism on October 22, 2022 with special guest Magician and Magic Creator, Louis Paul of Cumberland, Maryland.
