Is the future of magic in Criss Angel’s hands? And feet? Las Vegas’ master of the mystic arts is a pioneer who infused a hard rock attitude and presentation into a magic show, but his main passion as of late, apart from Criss Angel MINDFREAK and his family, has been mixed martial arts. Angel, who has been training with former UFC fighter Jake Ellenberger and boasts former champion Frank Mir as his coach, obtained his purple belt on his birthday in December.
He celebrated on that day with what has become an annual charity event, named for his cancer-surviving son. It’s no illusion that Johnny Christopher looks happy and healthy, with dark hair growing past his shoulders. He underwent treatment as Angel was preparing and rehearsing Criss Angel MINDFREAK, which only made the magician double down on being completely focused.
He was well enough to sing along to “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” at one of Kiss’ End of the Road Farewell Tour concerts at Madison Square Garden in early December, and has become effective as a spokesman for the Johnny Christopher Foundation. Angel, meanwhile, can apply his finely honed focus to MMA. His philosophy: Try to get 1 percent better every day.
That works as a way of life for a magician as well. Angel honed his craft for years with the fervor of an aspiring rock star. He would have been fine being an actual rock star, but magic set him apart from the hordes of bands fighting for success like crabs crawling over each other to escape the bucket.
He conquered television with Mindfreak, then moved his operations from New York to Las Vegas like the Corleone family did in The Godfather. The lure of being a Vegas headliner was an offer he couldn’t refuse, and Angel began his embryonic journey at Luxor in a show produced in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil.
CRISS ANGEL Believe was the prelude to Criss Angel MINDFREAK, with Angel processing everything he learned, refining his act into the personification of his magical spirit. The sound and video systems were as technically cutting edge as possible. A repertoire of tricks was developed to the point of being majestic miracles.
He already throws an MMA move or two into his shows, but don’t be surprised if Angel becomes a mixed martial magician for his next act. The possibilities must be dancing in his head already, but in the meantime Criss Angel fans can settle for his new podcast, Talking Junkies. Mir and Ellenberger have already been guests backstage at Criss Angel MINDFREAK, where episodes are recorded and friends such as Flavor Flav, Keith Urban and Sugar Ray Leonard have been guests.
Mike Tyson, Paul Stanley and Mix Master Mike from the Beastie Boys are slated to be guests in January, but Angel’s favorite future guest might be his mother, who attended his Dec. 22 show at age 88. She’s living the longevity that Angel can expect in his career, and his son can hope to expect with the magic of a father’s love.
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