Mindfreak over Mammoth

“Mindfreak” maestro Criss Angel chilled out under Chair 23 … (Photo: Geisel)

Magician Criss Angel defies “White Death”

EDITOR’S NOTE: While we’re not entirely sure how this didn’t make it on to the site when it originally ran in The Sheet’s June 27 print edition, we have received a few e-mails asking for it online … and naturally we’re more than happy to accommodate our readers, so here you go … enjoy.

Harry Houdini, the legendary magician and escape artist, may have been born in Hungary, but he called New York City home. More than 80 years after his death, numerous performers have tried to emulate him. A few — Doug Henning, David Copperfield and even David Blaine — have come close, but if Houdini were around today, chances are he’d give the nod to another New York magic man: Criss Angel, star and creator of the Las Vegas-based A&E Network series “Criss Angel Mindfreak.”
Now in its 5th season, Angel’s “Mindfreak” is known for staging feats in front of everyday street audiences, as did Houdini on his way to stardom. For an upcoming episode, on Monday, Angel and his crew brought the show to what he said is likely its most remote and challenging location to date: Mammoth Mountain.
The afternoon was bright and sunny, but there was still a fair amount of snow underneath Chair 23, as an audience of 100 or so fired up locals witnessed the “White Death.”
In the never-before-attempted escape, a casketed, bound Angel would have to free himself from an ice-cold grave covered by 2.5 tons of snow, or become a notable, but permanent, addition to the landscape.
In addition to his TV series, Angel has also collaborated with Cirque du Soleil for the live stage spectacular “Criss Angel Believe” at the Luxor, but it’s “Mindfreak” that’s made him a sensation and earned him a broad and loyal fan base.
With a decided flair for the dramatic, he’s been called “the man in whose hands the future of magic lies.” And whether or not that’s the case, Angel’s edgy, streetwise style of showmanship has arguably been the single greatest catalyst behind the resurgence of magic, or at least his brand of it, in mainstream pop culture.
He wants his fans to be safe and not try to mimic his act, but frankly he’s raised the bar so high that “don’t try this at home” almost goes without saying. Here’s just a sample of Angel’s “Mindfreak” spectacles: walking on water, levitating above the Luxor, floating between two buildings, making a Lamborghini vanish, making 6 fighter jets appear out of thin air, surviving a C4 explosion in a crate, cutting himself in half in full view of an audience and gettingrun over by a steamroller while lying face down on a bed of glass.
As with many industries in these recessionary times, even television networks are tightening their belts. Previous seasons of “Mindfreak” consisted of between 18 and 22 half-hours. This season, however, has been pared down to just 5 one-hour episodes. On the upside, what it may lack in quantity, it seems Angel intends to more than make up for with bigger, more extreme content.

The postmodern Houdini

The normally assertive Angel was actually quite modest when asked about comparisons of his work to that of Houdini’s. “Well, Houdini is one of my heroes, so thank you for that,” Angel replied. And, it seems, an inspiration for Angel’s own “buried alive” escapes. Turns out that the “White Death” is a variation of an escape Houdini had once pondered pulling off. Houdini successfully executed three “buried alive” attempts, including one that almost claimed his life. According to Angel, even though a poster was made up to promote what would have been a fourth attempt, Houdini, daunted by the sheer amount of weight that would be heaped on top of him, called it off.
He meant to get back to it, but never did. Ironically, Angel said the casket designed for the escape was used to transport Houdini’s body from Detroit back to New York following his death on Halloween night, 1926, and for his burial in Queens.
If Houdini sent Angel any messages saying “Don’t do it, Criss,” they went unheeded. According to the show’s Supervising Producer Pete Hurtgen, the crew was already at work on Sunday, preparing the location, digging the 6-foot-deep tomb, and readying the sound equipment and 8 cameras that would record the escape.
Angel said he chose Mammoth for the “dangerous, insane” attempt specifically for its stark contrast of life and death. “It’s a surreal place,” Angel told The Sheet. “It’s nature’s beauty, but it can also be deadly.”
He was also intrigued by the type of obstacles he’d have to deal with: 1. hypothermia — the temperature in the coffin would be sub-freezing and Angel would wear no thermal protection); 2. the altitude — at 10,000 feet, there’s 20% less oxygen than at sea level; and 3. the snow — at least 120 cubic feet of snow, weighing roughly 5,000 pounds. “It seems powdery, but it turns to cement,” Angel observed. Oh, and did I mention, he’d be handcuffed, too?

The White Death

2 p.m. The crowd gathers at the location, ferried up by snowcats. 3:30 p.m. The crew readies the black, velvet-lined, glass-topped coffin in which Angel will lie. A snowcat prepares the massive pile of snow that will cover the tomb site. Mammoth local Sara Beckett confirms that the snow being used is genuine, brought down from the Mountain itself.
3:40 p.m. Angel addresses the audience. “What you are about to see isn’t bullshit,” he said, emphasizing the seriousness of what he’s about to do. “People have tried this and died. Avalanches bury and kill people.” Pointing to several scars he’s received from previous injuries, he tells them this escape has never been done … even he doesn’t know what’s going happen. Indeed, his own death is a real possibility.
If anything happens, he asks the audience to remain calm. Angel hugs both his manager and the show’s producers. He thanks his fans for their “love and support,” and climbs into the coffin. 3:45 p.m. The coffin is closed, sealed and locked, and lowered 6 feet into the ground. Snow is shoveled on top, and the snowcat bulldozes a second, more massive pile of snow on top of the tomb. 4 p.m. A collapse … the crew thinks the lid gave way on the coffin.
Ski patrol is on scene and crew members grab shovels to remove the snow cover, but they are prohibited from doing anything. Before climbing into the coffin, Angel had given a final directive to the crew: don’t dig him up until the 1/2-hour time limit had been reached!
How did it end? Oh, come on … you didn’t really think I was going to give it away, did you? If you want to see how the drama played out, tune in to the episode when it’s scheduled to air on August 12. Let’s just say that I’m sure Angel himself would allow that, as is often the case in his line of work, the rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated.
Angel was effusive, however, about his gratitude to the town and the Mountain, both of which he said were welcoming and ultimately made the event possible. In fact, Angel said he had such a good experience, he plans to be back, though next time you’re more likely to find him ON TOP of the snow … skiing.
At the end of the day, we all want to know how did he do it. I don’t know, and neither do the rest of the 100 or so fans that were witnesses to a slice of magic history. Mammoth local Leigh Gaasch said she was simply in awe that Angel would even endure such a harrowing experience. Gaasch related that since hearing a story she was told as a kid, she’s had a fear of being buried alive.
Okay, full disclosure: Angel let me in on a trade secret or two, but even though I’m no magician, I’ve got a lot of respect for the art form, and will defer to the magician’s code.
After all, that’s why it’s called “magic” … no, wait, with Angel, it’s more than that. It’s a “Mindfreak.”
(The season opener of “The Five Lives of Criss Angel Mindfreak,” which included the Mammoth “White Death” escape, aired Wednesday, Aug. 19, on A&E. Check your cable listings or www.crissangel.com for info about repeat showings of the episode.)