Back in Dallas, after a much more traffic-laden trip back than normal. (Well, duh.) Listened to the usually inconsistent Studio 360 along the way. If you haven’t heard it, Studio 360 is Kurt Andersen’s little foray into public radio. Kurt’s brilliant, of course, but I’m not sure he’s a perfect match for the medium; his words look better on paper than they do in his awkward phrasing, and the thematic setup of the show is a little odd. But tonight’s show, on the role of secrets in the arts, was great.

The main guest was Teller, the silent half of Penn & Teller. (And yes, he talks when he’s not on stage. It wasn’t an hour of radio mime.) He’s a very smart guy, speaking intelligently about the way P&T play with the idea of a magician’s secrets on stage (by revealing tricks as they go along) and about his book about his father’s secret life as a hobo/cartoonist as a youth.

In a Penn & Teller performance, the giganto Penn does all the (booming, high-decibel) talking, while meek little Teller stands mute off to the side. But Teller’s the real genius of the act. He’s actually considered one of the top four or five magicians of the last century by those in the know; unlike most, who simply modify tried and true illusions, Teller’s actually invented new tricks. (I’m not one of those “in the know.” I just read a terrific profile of Penn & Teller by Calvin Trillin a few years back. It’s in his [amazing] compilation, American Stories.) Anyway, the show’s worth a listen this week.

Note to self: check to see if something really can be “usually inconsistent.”

25 November 2001

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