Mac King, the superstar of Las Vegas, is the king of comic magic in the third millennium. Hailed by MAGIC Magazine as the best comic magician in the world today, he has been named Magician of the Year at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, broken a Guinness World Record, starred in seven television specials on NBC, been inducted into the Las Vegas Hall of Fame, and been ranked as the sixth best show in Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Review Journal.

He has enchanted audiences on the Late Show with David Letterman and Penn & Teller’s Fool Us, where Penn and Teller called him the greatest comic magician alive, perhaps ever. His book, published by Random House, is already in its twelfth printing. Mac has been named Entertainer of the Year and Best Strip Headliner by Las Vegas Weekly and has received numerous awards for Best Magician and Best Afternoon Show from various Las Vegas publications.

Since 2000, he has starred in The Mac King Comedy Magic Show in Las Vegas, with over 10,000 performances in front of more than two million spectators, probably the longest running solo show in Las Vegas history. His magic and humour have won over audiences around the world.

Q: Mac, where and when were you born (if you don’t mind saying)?

A: I was born in the small town of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, but I grew up in the larger city of Louisville, Kentucky.

Q: To the public, you are known as the magician who…

A: The guy in the plaid suit who does a family magic show in Las Vegas.

Q: Among your fellow magicians, you are renowned for…

A: The longevity of my show in Las Vegas. And perhaps also for some of the acts in my show (the rope, the invisibility cloak, the disappearing head, etc.) and the way the show is structured from beginning to end.

Q: Is Mac King your real name or a stage name?

A: Mac King is not the name I was born with. King is my real surname and McCormick is my middle name, so I’ve always been called Mac King.

Q: Can you tell us about your first public performance and your television debut?

A: My first paid performance was for one of the Herbert children’s birthday parties when I was 10 years old. I got a whopping five dollars in cash, plus cake. The first show I was paid for with a cheque was for my grandfather Elwood’s Kiwanis Club in Greenville, Kentucky. I got 35 dollars for that one, but no cake.

I made a few local television appearances related to shows in various cities across the United States. My first appearance on national television was on The World’s Greatest Magic specials. There were five of them: in the first one, I did gags in a bar; in the others, I taught simple tricks to do with friends. Even though it’s been 30 years, there are still people who thank me for getting them interested in magic thanks to those programmes.

Q: Let’s talk about FISM. How many editions have you participated in?

A: I have been to FISM in Portugal, China, and Italy, in Turin, as a performer and as a speaker.

Q: Any memorable anecdotes from FISM?

A: Doing comedy sketches on the street with David Williamson.

Q: How does performing in front of magicians compare to performing in front of the general public? Which do you prefer?

A: I’m much more nervous in front of magicians. I want to do well when the audience is made up of friends. But I like that extra tension. Actually, I love being on stage, whether in front of friends or complete strangers.

Q: Combining magic and comedy is not easy. What are the essential skills?

A: You have to be really funny, extremely skilled and super charming. That’s why David Williamson is the best in my opinion.

Q: Who do you consider your teachers or mentors?

A: Lance Burton, Max Maven, Jay Marshall and Billy McComb.

Q: What is magic to you?

A: Magic is everything. Without magic, I wouldn’t have the friends I have all over the world. I met my wife at a show; without magic, I wouldn’t have met her and we wouldn’t have our daughter. Almost everything good in my life exists because of magic.

Q: What is your most powerful or exciting experience related to magic?

A: Seeing Lance Burton at his best. Seeing Tom Mullica at the Tomfoolery Bar in Atlanta. Seeing Derek DelGaudio’s In and Of Itself. Being on stage at the Late Show with David Letterman.

Q: Penn & Teller have called you the greatest comic magician ever. Do you agree?

A: I’m proud of my show. But I prefer to watch David Williamson. I’ve seen Mac King far too many times!

Q: Who is the greatest magician ever, in your opinion?

A: Lance Burton.

Q: And the best magician currently working, excluding yourself?

A: David Williamson.

Q: The most extraordinary person you’ve ever met?

A: My two grandfathers and my mother. They had a huge influence on who I am.

Q: The best magic show you’ve ever seen?

A: Lance Burton, Tom Mullica, Derek DelGaudio, and Penn & Teller.

Q: The craziest show?

A: David Williamson or Tom Mullica.

Q: The funniest magic related incident?

A: When, at a convention, some of us pushed a clown into the pool. Cruel, but I laughed so hard.

Q: The first magic book you read and the last?

A: The Golden Book of Magic by The Great Merlini, Clayton Rawson, was the first, Flamenco by Juan Tamariz was the last.

Q: The most magical city in the world?

A: Las Vegas?

Q: Which is more important, talent or luck?

A: That’s a difficult question. I feel incredibly lucky.

Q: How do you practise?

A: By working almost every day. If I try new things, I do it on my own, then I test them on friends and family.

Q: Favourite magic books?

A: Many: Wonders by Mike Caveney, The Books of Wonder by Tommy Wonder, The Five Points of Magic by Juan Tamariz, McComb’s Magic by Billy McComb, Advice by Lance Burton, Learn Magic by Henry Hay, Secrets and Mysteries by Eugene Burger, The Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic by Martin Gardner, Parallax by Max Maven, The Art of Astonishment by Paul Harris, Our Magic by Maskelyne and Devant.

Q: Any advice for beginners?

A: Read books and perform for people. Everywhere.

Q: The best opportunities today?

A: The new small theatres for magic.

Q: What does participating in a FISM mean to you?

A: In a nutshell, it’s a great honour.