Real or illusion? Magician Angel lets viewers decide

By Belinda Goldsmith

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Illusionist Criss Angel readily admits he has no magical powers, no psychic powers and no supernatural powers. So is he a fraud?

"A lot of what I do is 110 percent real," said Angel, the star of U.S. cable TV series "Criss Angel: Mindfreak" who mixes unusual stunts and street act magic with rock music, hip clothing and a crew of weird and glamorous characters.

"But I try to blur the lines between reality and illusion. Then I leave it up to my audience to decide."

Angel, 39, has been building a career as a magician since he was a teenager in New York but really came to attention in 2005 when cable channel A&E began airing his show "Mindfreak."

The show, which starts its third series in June, re-invents the traditional magic show by combining magic with dangerous stunts, rock music, and Las Vegas-style glitz and theatrics.

"Magic had been about set tricks and girls in leotards in boxes but it's time magic not be presented as a hokey novelty but as art form," Angel told Reuters in an interview.

A performer first and foremost, Angel created a character for himself that stood out.

He started out dressed in gothic outfits, with a mane of long black, black nail polish and make-up, wearing black cloaks and crucifixes, but has since mellowed his image, with shorter, highlighted hair and adorned with diamond bling.

He has even developed his own trademark -- the letter "A" with a backward "C" around it for Criss Angel which features on a chunky, diamond bracelet he wears.

Angel injected the same degree of showmanship into his stunts, such as levitation, walking on water, and lying on a bed of nails while an SUV drives over him, leaving people wondering how he does it -- or if he does it.

But like any good magician, Angel is not giving away his tricks -- at least not all of them.

In a new book "Mindfreak, Secret Revelations" that combines his life story with tips for success, Angel does share 40 of his tricks, such as how to make a cup float, a toothpick disappear, and how to pass a coin through a table.

He does not reveal how he manages to walk through glass or hang from a helicopter suspended by fishhooks speared into his back. Didn't that hurt?

"Yes, it did hurt," said Angel. "But I focus my mind on the pain so I get numb to it."

Angel readily admits he is driven by his life-long desire for fame and is helped by the strong support from his family, particularly his mother who refinanced the family home to fund his off-Broadway show in New York 15 years ago.