I´m Ryan Hayashi - The European Champion Of Magic - Fooled PENN & TELLER on FOOL US

Hello everyone! Ryan Hayashi here. This is my first attempt to communicate with other humans on Reddit. Please, ask me something.

Just watched you on Penn and Teller and it was great. I laughed, I cried. So... was there a difficult period in your life and did magic help you through it, and how?

I'm glad my segment made you laugh and cry. No, I have never had a difficult period in my life. I have been extremely fortunate.

How much time goes in the making of building a character? I've heard some magicians struggle a lot with building a persona on stage and that it sometimes destroys their personality a little since they usually suffer from personality disorders.

Yes, this is definitely true. Many magicians struggle to find their stage persona. I am just myself on stage, so this is not an issue. I am actually this nerdy and over the top in real life. I talk like this all the time. And it is also true that many comedians and magicians struggle with personality disorders. I think many of them learn early on in their development to compensate for a lack of ability to communicate through normal channels by being the funny guy or the magic guy.

Have you ever thought about reaching out to Joe Rogan and getting on his podcast? I think it would be awesome

That's a good idea. I have checked out Joe Rogan's podcast on YouTube and he is a super solid interviewer.

You might've tricked Penn and Teller, but can you...

Outpizza the hut?

I can not.

What did Penn and Teller think/say after you told them how you did the trick?

I didn't tell them. They didn't ask. They talked to me about script writing and presentation.

I know that every guest has to tell a 3rd party magician how the trick works to be sure no cheating (saying P&T got it wrong when they didn't) is happening, what did that person think?

He thought that my act was based on a lot of sleight of hand and muscle memory, which it is.

Isn't cheating.. the point?

In this case, "cheating" would be camera tricks, or something along those lines.

Rather that they ask them if they figured it out. Its to stop people just saying "no, that's not it, I win!"

Very good point. The 'consultant in the sky' (Johnny Thompson) is a master magician who can be trusted to know if P&T are correctly analyzing the magician's performance or not.

Johnny Thompson unfortunately died a few months ago. Not sure who is doing it now.

Yes. Sadly, Johnny Thompson died some months ago. He was a legend in the world of magic, and very kind to me.

So The Alliance of Magicians really exists?

Yes. There are several magic societies around the world. The serious ones all belong to the International Federation of Magic Societies, or FISM (the word order is different because the name is in French). They hold a World Championships of Magic every 3 years.

Exactly.

Penn & Teller are viewing the act live; camera tricks aren't even a thing. Cheating here would be just lying about it when they guess right.

I believe the other thing that is banned is the use of audience plants

Correct.

In this case, cheating on the show would be to say Pennand Teller did not work out the method when they did.

Cheating the viewers on first viewing in real time, including Penn and Teller, yes. We are not allowed to say we use another method when Penn and Teller guess it as the method used in our act. We are not allowed to cheat in order to claim to have fooled them. To keep things fair, we reveal our methods to the off-camera magic judges.

Is it true that Penn shows you his balls after you reveal how your trick is done?

Nope.

Thanks for asking, Ip52. I moved here to Mannheim, Germany, in 2000 with the plan to work here for one year as an English teacher, then go back to Canada. That was 20 years ago. Now I feel at home in Germany and feel it is one of the greatest places on the planet to live.

Oh Mannheim so beautiful! How is the magic scene in Europe? Are there differences in style when you compare it to Canada/USA or other places?

Magic is different in different countries. In Germany it is straight forward with a well structured script. In France, Spain, and Italy, they have other styles that are more poetic and avante-gard. British magic tends to be more jokey and verbal, with word play and dry humor.

Do you think penguins have knees?

Wow dude, that's a deep question. I have no idea. I have never thought about it, googled the answer to that question, or asked a penguin. Without knowing the true answer to that question, I have to ask on a philosophical level, would it be even funnier that penguins walk that way if they do have knees? If they do have knees, why would they walk like they do, which gives the distinct impression that they do not have knees? Are they trying to fool us into thinking that they are something they are not? Or do they just like waddling around like that? Maybe they are inspired by the great Charlie Chaplin. Who knows?

Hi Ryan, greetings and thanks for taking the AMA. What trick do you consider the biggest impact for magic in the last decade? And is there any trick (from another magician) you wish you had invented/done first?

That's a great question. The act which in my opinion has had the greatest impact on magic in the last decade is Shin Lim's Dream Act, where the smoke comes out of his mouth. It reached a larger worldwide audience than any other close up act thanks to Fool Us, America's Got Talent, and YouTube. It helped spark a new current wave of interest in magic, and it demonstrated how close up magic to music can be performed in theater shows with large screen projection. I wish I had come up with that act. Other acts I wish I had come up with are Jason Latimer's Cups and Balls with clear glasses, Yann Frisch's silent pantomine red ball with tea cup, and Eric Chien's Ribbon Act.

Hi Ryan, loved your Matrix Trilogy and you presentation of a modified one in Penn and Teller. I'm wondering - which coin vanish technique is your favourite? I'm trying to learn a few clean ones at the moment and thought the one on P&T during the one-handed version of the Matrix trilogy was great.

Hi. Thanks. My personal favorite coin vanish is actually not the one I use during the one-handed phase of my Matrix act. It is the vanish I performed in the Penn & Teller "Ultimate Matrix" act during the Epic Monologue, when I vanish the coins one by one. The vanish of the last coin is a vanish I created in 2004. I call it The Hayashi Dragon Vanish.

Hi Ryan,

great to have you here on reddit.

Where is your fool us trophy standing? Does it have a special place?

It is sitting on my bookshelf, right in front of me as we speak. I should probably put it in a museum quality glass case with lasers and ninjas.

Or, at the very least, I should probably take a photo holding the thing.

Sup ryan, your sleight hand plays are amazing. Whats next for you and what can we expect?

Hello my friend! Thanks for writing. I'm glad you like my magic. It is going to be a busy year for me. I will be appearing on Got Talent in 3 different countries. I did the same thing 10 years ago in 2010 and 2011, when I entered Germany's Got Talent, Britain's Got Talent, and Czechoslovakia's Got Talent.

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Yes, good idea.

Can you make Criss Angel disappear?

Nope.

Hi Ryan! What's your go-to magic store?

Hi foxtosser! I don't actually buy much magic stuff. I am an old-fashioned magician with a relatively classical style. I just use cards and coins, and don't really follow all the new stuff that comes out on the market.

Hi Ryan, I loved your performance on Penn and Teller, and I'm at least 10 of the views on that video. When I saw the introduction, you had on a karate gi, and I had to go back and rewatch it, because I thought "is that Hangetsu?? Does this guy do Shotokan Karate?" Are you still actively practicing/teaching? What sort of benefits do you see karate having on your magic? I can imagine it's quite a lot, as I see the benefits of my karate in all areas of my own life.

Hi! Yes, I believe I was doing Hangetsu in the intro of my Penn & Teller performance. Yes, I still actively practice and teach Shotokan Karate. I have my own school, Hayashi Dojo, in Mannheim, Germany. I am a member of the Japan Karate Association, which has always been my style. Karate impacts many aspects of my magic: training consistency, hand movements, structure of my acts, timing, and direct movement.

Hi Ryan,

How come Mannheim (or Germany in general) became your hometown of choice ?

Regards

I moved to Mannheim 20 years ago because of a girl. Now she's my ex, and I'm still here.

No question. Just wanna say I think you're pretty cool. I loved watching you on Penn and teller and how much it meant to you. It's really cool how Penn and tellers threw the rock in the pond with their trick and the ripples touched you and now you're throwing your own rocks in......maybe some little kid watching you will one day grow up and be thanking you! Have a great day and good luck with the magic

Thank you. May the Force be with you.

Hi Ryan,

I know that you would rather work hard to achive your goals yourself . But if there's one magician/sleight-of-hands-artist whose skill set you can inherit from, who would it be ?

Regards

Richard Turner, Lennart Green, and Yann Frisch.

Hi Ryan, What magician / trick / performance fooled you? Or maybe still fools you?

When I was a kid in Canada in the 1980's, I was blown away by several magicians on television: Max Maven inspired my voice. David Copperfield was awesome for his huge illusions. Penn & Teller were edgy and creative, and made me laugh. Lance Burton was classy.

In 2003, a fantastic close up magician by the name of Armando Lucero fooled me bad with his matrix act. I had no idea how he did it at the time, and this lead me to work on ways to make a coin matrix look magical.

Have you since figured out how his version was done?

No comment.

Do you plan to sing another song one day?

Hahaha, that's a funny question. No plans at the moment. Why? I only generated 3 songs, back in 2008 and 2009, and they were not that great. They had an old-school 80's sound, which is the result of growing up in the 80's.

Hey there, Ryan. You may not remember me, but I used to go by erlandish back on the old Magic Video Depot website, which you contributed a lot of good stuff to.

How do you feel about the current state of social media with regards to how magicians can promote themselves and share their work? On a related note, without going into any drama surrounding MVD over the years, what do you think is the best way for a new magician to use the internet to go about getting feedback from their peers on their progress?

Good question, my friend, and nice to hear from you. I am probably the wrong person to ask. I am now 46 years old as measured in Earth years, and younger people under 30 are explaining to me how to use instagram, how to better structure my YouTube video productions, and a computer genius buddy even helped set me up here on Reddit so I could do this AMA. I am still in the process of learning this new world of communication that is common knowledge to the younger generation. I do not belong to any online magic communities. Magic Video Depot was the last and only one I contributed to in 2005 and 2006, before switching over to this new thing called YouTube in 2007 that allowed me to upload my own magic videos.

I know Uri Geller is a friend of yours. What do you think about everything James Randi has said/exposed about him?

I think James Randi was just being James Randi. He exposed many self-proclaimed psychics, not just Uri Geller. I also think Uri Geller was just being Uri Geller. He successfully built his career in spite of many critics, not just James Randi. Uri once told me there is no such thing as bad press, as long as it generates media attention.

Hey man, loved seeing your act on Fool Us! What do you think are some fun ways to practice sleight of hand without just practicing straight magic tricks?

I don't know. I just maintain my repertoire of magic tricks by practicing magic tricks. I don't make rocks float or anything.

Hey! I first saw you on Dutch TV on De Nieuwe Uri Geller (which your post reminded me was 12 years ago...I feel old) and was very excited to see you back on Fool Us after so long! What are some of your favorite memories from De Nieuwe Uri Geller and, with how many appearances you’ve made on similar shows, how has Uri not filed a restraining order against you yet? 😂

Hoe gaat het! Thanks for writing! Yes, the Uri Geller show in 2008 was my start in television. I have many great memories of working on innovative new acts with swords and knives, trying to brand myself as a modern Samurai warrior with heightened senses. It was a pleasure to work with Uri, and I still have contact with him today, 12 years later! He has always been a kind mentor to me and taught me about how to become a media personality. My performance on Fool Us in 2018 was a very emotional moment for me. It was a highlight of my performing career, and my soul came out on stage during those ten minutes, so I am grateful that it was captured on camera. I have been doing television for 12 years now, and there is more to come in 2020! I feel I have developed a more clearly defined stage persona over time (as you can see in the Fool Us performance), and I am looking forward to sharing more of my work with television viewers.

Uri Geller?? The guy who use to claim he could bend spoons for real until The Great James Randi exposed him as a fraud? That dude is your mentor?

Uri Geller is not my mentor. He was friendly enough to talk to me as a contestant on his show 12 years ago, and has kept in touch with me since. He has offered kind advice on how to be a media personality whenever I asked. That's all.

Omg, you were on De Nieuwe Uri Geller?! I JUST WATCHED A PERFORMANCE OF YOU ON YOUTUBE. I REMEMBER YOUR SAMURAI PERFORMANCE LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY <3 Your accent was amazing hahahaha Do you actually speak Dutch or have you prepared a script?

I memorized my scripts in Dutch for the Uri Geller show, maar ik kan ook een beetje nederlands praten. thanks for writing!

Hi there. Thanks for dropping in. If I wanted to learn an easy trick to delight kids, what would you recommend?

Try the 21 Card Trick. This is an old easy self-working classic.

Hi Ryan! I remember being baffled watching you on Penn and Teller, as well as you setting the world record for slicing the most cucumbers held in a mouth. What drives you to think of these out-of-the-box ideas? Also, is there an underrated magician who you think the world hasn't seen yet?

Hi! What drives me to think of these out-of-the-box ideas? In the case of the cucumber cutting Samurai Act, I was one of the television magicians on the Uri Geller show in Germany, The Netherlands and Turkey, with lead me to search for new ideas for acts that didn't look like conventional acts the average viewer had already seen. I actually went a step further and tried to brand myself a modern Samurai warrior in an attempt to create something iconic. In the same was Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee and Michael Jackson were much more than just a model, a martial artist, and a singer, I wanted to generate a personal that went beyond just another magician, so I created the cucumber act which was not a magic act, and was actually pretty dangerous. The Guinness World Record was just a timed demonstration of the same thing. As for my appearance on Fool Us, this was a big moment for me as a performer. It was my first time performing on American television, my first time being the funny guy, and my first time doing pure coin magic. I was already a fan of the show before being brought on to do my Ultimate Matrix coin act, so I wanted my screen time to be as much about my personality and my message to humanity as my coin magic. To be honest, the first underrated magician I think of who the world hasn't seen much of yet is myself. I am grateful for the following I have so far, but it is based on a crazy sword stunt and only one magic performance. I have a lot more material to show, and more television planned for 2020, so I am excited to see the reactions.

is the magician code a real thing? where you never reveal the secret of a trick?

Yes, the magician's code is a real thing. We do not reveal the secrets of magic to the general public.

Hi Ryan. Just watched your performance on Fool Us and you were very fun to watch, thank you for that. My father did a little magic and I don't think I got more than a few of his tricks out of him while I was growing up, always hearing "A magician never reveals his secrets." What's your stance on that old axiom??

Thank you, my friend. Glad you liked my performance. The Fool Us appearance was a very emotional one for me. The fact that a magician never reveals the secrets of magic to the general public is one of the basic rules of the magician's code.

"A magician never reveals his secrets."

Until you pay them.

No school or institution will teach you architecture, law, or medicine, until you pay them.

Hi Ryan, what made you want to get into magic, and did you start practicing it at a young age?

Hi. I started learning magic in 1981 when I was 8. I got a magic set for Christmas, was fascinated by magicians I saw on TV, and read every book on magic I could get my hands on. By the age of 12 I was hooked on the feeling of being able to created the feeling of amazement in people and decided that I would dedicate my life to pursuing the Art of Magic. Luckily, I did not rely on magic tricks as an emotional crutch, and also learned to communicate without the magic.

Did you expect or hope to fool P&T or were you mainly hoping to do a clean coins act knowing they most likely knew all the techniques and tricks you would use?

In other words: was there any new techniques that you came up with that you thought they would not be able to find out ?

Yes, I had created some new moves in my Penn & Teller act that had fooled some of the world's leading magicians before I performed it on Fool Us. Having said that, my main goal was not to fool Penn & Teller. My main goal was to express my gratitude to them for being a major influence on my magic, and to express my message of belief in human potential to the viewers.

What are the best books to get into up close magic for absolute beginners?

I recommend Card College For Beginners by Roberto Giobbi.

Have you or would you date a magician?

Never have. Never thought about what that would be like. Would I? Probably not. My perfectionism and obsessiveness over magic would drive anyone else other than me insane.

Thank you everyone for this great AMA! It was fun talking to you all. Please remember, my answers are my own opinion, and I am talking after all about entertainment and show business, which is a world of its own. Add to that the fact that my branch of entertainment is magic, and you have to understand that my art is about controlling perception by fooling the eye and brain. Just because I find a quote by Arnold Schwarzenegger inspiring, it does not mean that I want to be a politician or a bodybuilder. Just because I find a piece of advice from Uri Geller useful, it doesn't mean that I want to start bending spoons or make any claims other than I can make a coin disappear, which is also fake. I hereby end this AMA. I wish everyone all the best! Ryan Hayashi

Tell me more about your martial arts experience. What belts are you? What’s your favorite style?

I have tried many different styles of martial arts, and I have trained one primary style consistently for the last 28 years, since 1992. I am a 3rd Dan in Shotokan Karate. My particular style is the style taught by the Japan Karate Association (JKA), which has been my style since I started Karate. I lived in Tokyo, Japan for two years from 1998 to 2000 and trained at the JKA World Headquarters under the highest ranking masters for my style.

What is the optimum testosterone level to start practicing magic tricks?

Anyone of any testosterone level can start learning magic tricks. The higher the T-levels, though, the more the magic will become a vehicle for spreading awesomeness. At the highest levels, it is not about the childlike feeling of wonder, or the awakened belief in human potential, it is about discovering the Ryan Hayashi within each and every one of us.

Only one word : How???

Study, training, and experience.

Did you ever ask Penn and Teller why they never ran a "BS of Penn & Teller's BS" episode of their HBO show like they promised?

No. Good question, though. Thanks.

Spreek je nog een beetje Nederlands? I remember you from the cucumbers on De Nieuwe Uri Geller. That was pretty cool!

Ja, ik kan nog een beetje Nederlands praten. Dank je wel voor het scrijven. Groetjes!

What's your favorite magic based movie?

The Prestige.

[removed]

The Ryan we sent back is not authorized to comment on any of his experiences beyond the confines of this planet. He is to be regarded as a regular member of the human species, just as he was before his short disappearance from all known human records. He comes in peace.

Wanna grab a beer in Mannheim?

Sure.

Hello, your coin matrix and The Quantum Coin are both awesome!

​

Do you have any movies or documentaries you can recommend?

Hi. Thanks! Glad you like my coin magic. Are you asking about movies and documentaries I like in general? Or are you asking about movies and documentaries about magic that I like? I'll answer both. I love the movies "The Prestige" and "Now You See Me". Very cool depiction of magic. As for magic documentaries, I saw the Sigfried and Roy story (I forget the actual title) that was made before Roy's tragic accident in the early 2000's which ended the duo's show. My favorite non-magic movie is "Borat" because it is over the top and absurd. My favorite documentary is "This Is It" because it captures Michael Jackson's last days before he died in 2009.

Hey Ryan,

Congratulations!

Which magic trick would say has the best ratio of easy to learn to wow factor that the average joe can learn?

Thanks!

The 21 Card Trick.

What are the chances?! I literally discovered you (and Penn & Teller) a week ago. Your matrix was awesome!

There are magicians that tend to reappear on the show to try and fool Penn & Teller a second time. Is there any chance you may reappear on the show? I certainly hope so.

It would be awesome if I were asked to return to the show to do another act. No plans so far, though.

Favorite city? Least favorite?

Favorite cities: London, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, and my city of Mannheim in Germany. Least favorites: cities without a character of their own.

Favorite: London. Least favorite: can't remember names of cities I don't like. I remember the ones I like.

Wow, happy to actually see you doing this. Actually seeing you on Penn and Teller inspired me to actually try and pursue getting good at magic. I'm sure everyone asked how it felt when you fooled Penn and Teller, but I'm curious, how long did the high of fooling them last? Who did you celebrate it with?

Performing in front of two of my idols in magic was a very emotional moment for me, and one of the highlights of my performing career. I still have not gotten over the high of fooling them, two years later. When the segment first aired on July 9, 2018, I was at the FISM World Championships of Magic in Busan, South Korea, surrounded by magicians from around the world who were watching the performance on their smartphones. I ran to my hotel room, watched it alone, and celebrated this very emotional piece of television with myself. I actually shot a reaction video of my in the mirror, watching it for the first time. It's on YouTube.

Hi Ryan, thanks for doing this AMA! My question is simple...since you live in Mannheim, what village in the area do you think puts on the best Weinfest?

Good question. I wouldn't know. I haven't been to any of the wine festivals in the area. I do not drink alcohol.

What is the meaning of life?

Everyone will have a different answer as to what the meaning of life is, and each of us must define this for ourselves. In my opinion, the meaning and purpose of life is to develop myself as a human being to the greatest potential I can within one lifetime, to do as much stuff that makes me happy as I can, to share happiness and kindness with as many others as I can, and to pass on my knowledge and experience to as many as I can.

Is magic your main profession? Or are you doing something else

I am a lecturer for English at the University of Mannheim in Germany, I teach karate at my martial arts studio, HAYASHI DOJO, and I perform and teach magic. I also do some keynote speaking and mindset coaching.

What’s your opinion on David Blaine’s work?

Legendary.

Favorite performance?

I have two: Kyle Escher and Dan Sperry's performances on Fool Us. These guys crack me up. They are both hilarious, in different ways.

Hi Ryan, thanks for answering our questions! I started practicing prop-based magic as a kid and have recently gotten back into card tricks. What is your creative process like when creating your original tricks, routines, and presentation? Are there any films and books you recommend for beginners in card and coin tricks like myself?

When creating my acts I approach it like writing a piece of theater. The script should be strong enough that it would be interesting to listen to for someone hearing only only the audio without seeing the video, and the magic occurences in the act should make some kind of sense or illustrate some kind of a message. For beginners in card magic, I recomment the Card College Light book series by Roberto Giobbi.

Hey Ryan, what's your recommended resource for learning sleight of hand?

Card College by Roberto Giobbi.

How hard did you have to work to get to this point?

Pretty hard. Consistently, with the goal of making magic my life's pursuit. Started learning magic in 1981, and never stopped working on it. Been performing seriously on an international level since 2003, and still have to reinvent myself to fit the changing times, and my changing age.

Saw you at the close up theatre at the Magic Castle about a year ago and was so impressed! Do you ever get tired of doing the same tricks over and over again?

Hi! Thanks! Glad you enjoyed my performance. No, I never get tired of showing audiences what I have spent a lifetime developing, while connecting with them and giving them a unique emotional experience.

If you could not become a magician for whatever reason, what else would you consider to become?

A comedian karate mindset coach guy.

i watched that youtube video a couple of times already over the past year(s?) and it was certainly one of the best acts on pen & teller.

your speed and subtelty. i just can'T see anything not even in stop motion. amazing

i just wanted to thank you and all other magicans who work so hard and long to give us a few moments of total brainfuck :)

much appreciated.

You're welcome, and thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed my performance.

How’d you do it?

Lots of practice.

You are amazing! I just want you to know that watching your acts really brigtened my day and I love that feeling of wonder! It makes me feel like a kod again. My question to you is, what are the qualities one should have to be a magician? I really want to try but I am not sure I have what it takes

Anyone can learn magic tricks as a hobby to connect with people and have something fun to show. Just like anyone can sing, dance, or skateboard. For people who want to develop their magic to a more professional level, it takes study, training, coaching, experience, and understanding of stage, theatrical direction, voice, projection, speaking skills, movement, stage presence, how to structure an act, and the psychology of audience management.

How does one go about to invent their own magic trick or illusion?

Do you use a mirror? camera or have another magician to work with you?

Just like in music, we start out learning existing compositions by other artists, then move on to creating our own ideas. Jamming and bouncing ideas with other artists always helps in creating something new.

Hey Ryan! On an average day, how many magic tricks do you equip yourself to perform if you're put on the spot? Like if you're just buying groceries or gas do you load some basic things or just improvise?

I always have a deck of cards and some coins with me.

Hey Ryan, I don't really have a question other than is it true that no matter how good I get at something there will always be an Asian that takes it to the next level? lol

Also, I binge watched tons and tons of Fool Us clips and yours was always my favorite, and I thoroughly enjoyed your reaction to Eduard Todor's reaction to your routine. Wishing you continued success, cheers from Florida.

Thank you for your kind words, my friend. Glad you like my work. More to come.

How can I be as alpha as you?

Work on confidence and communication skills. Check out my video on the topic in YouTube called "Ryan Hayashi - My Samurai Success Strategies".

Hey Ryan, we absolutely love your work! Thanks for creating on this planet. What's your daily/weekly routine like, when you're not doing shows?

Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative zone?

My routine? I teach English at the University of Mannheim in Germany. I do language coaching in English at the company BASF in Ludwigshafen. I practice my magic. I teach magic to a team of students. I teach karate at my studio, Hayashi Dojo. I lift weights when I can. I travel doing shows. My ritual for getting into the creative zone is to meditate and clear my mind of everything but what I'm working on.

Ryan, first off, great act. I’m a big fan of this show! I have always wondered that when someone fools penn and teller, backstage or wherever, do they ask you how the trick was done?

Penn and Teller were extremely kind to me backstage. They did not ask me about how the sleight of hand stuff was done. Instead they complimented me on my script writing and comedy delivery.

Favorite oasta?

I don't know what an oasta is. If you meant pasta, it's spaghetti bolognese.

I watched the Fool Us clip with your Matrix, the monologue wasn't to my (somewhat reserved, British) taste but that was great handling. And unlike some TV illusionists it's great to see just how clean and classical your handling is, it didn't look like you relied on any tacky gimmicks, just sleights. Loved it.

So, a question... How do you feel about illusionists who go onto talent shows who rely on heavily gaffed props when you provide the real deal? Does it bother you that to the public there's no difference, and your real audience is actually people who understand more?

There are TV and stage grand illusion hacks who probably make 10x the money for fannying around with stage gimmicks or even TV camera outright fakery, you know you're better than that, we know you're better than that, but the punters don't!

It is difficult to define "better", especially in magic, where the perceived end product is what matters and not the methods or the gimmicks. For example, how do we define "better" female vocals? Do we argue about which female opera singers are more commercially successful or more classical? Do we disregard Jennifer Lopez for being a weak vocalist, even though she just blew the world away in the last Superbowl Halftime Show, one of the planet's most watched performances? Do we disregard Madonna for being an even weaker singer, although she is one of the best selling singers in music history? To answer your question as to whether or not it bothers me to see the general public impressed by gimmick-heavy magic when mine is based on sleight of hand: no. There are no rules in magic. Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad to hear you enjoy my sleight of hand, although I see my very American and over-the-top persona as my true selling point. There are lots of sleight of hand guys out there, but very few stand out personalities.

If you were to talk to your past self, what would you tell him and why?

I'd tell him to keep doing what he's doing, and he will one day end up where he wants to be, performing magic around the world, and connecting with people through his magic. Why would I say this to my younger self? I feel that I have made all the right choices in life.

Multiple people have won on fool us - why act like your the only one?

I am not the only one. Never said I was. Several performers have fooled Penn & Teller on Fool Us.

Multiple people have won on fool us

Including many who didn't really fool them. What is it about P&T that makes people forget that magicians lie?

Magicians fooling magicians can mean many things. It can mean that the fooler has diplayed a new method, a creative use of basic technique that was undetectable, stong enough misdirection that the method was invisible, or an entertaining enough presentation that the techniques are combined in such a way that they become impossible to reconstruct. In the end, how fun and entertaining an act is will always play a role. We are after all talking about entertainment.

I have watched your show in front of Penn and Teller.

Also just watched all three parts of your DHBW State Business College presentation. Thanks for an entertaining and educational presentation!

Do businesses usually bring you in to negotiation meetings on major contracts?

No, I do not negotiate contracts for companies. At least, I haven't done this yet. It might be fun to be a negotiator. When requested to speak, I teach them what I know about communication skills and negotiation strategies.

What is your greatest magic trick?

What was your most memorable performance?

Do you have a link for the 50 million view video?

Thank you! You're fantastic!

My greatest magic trick? That would be the one I am most proud of, my "Ultimate Matrix" coin act, which I performed on Penn & Teller. My most memorable performance? My appearance on Penn & Teller's Fool Us. My 50 million view video? It's in YouTube under "Samurai Hayashi Britain's Got Talent". Thanks for writing, my friend.

Have you ever seen anything that couldn’t be explained?

If you are asking about supernatural phenomenon, no, not yet. If you are asking about magic tricks, yes, several times.

Why would you ever quote Uri Geller?

I never quote Uri Geller. I usually only ever quote myself. Uri Geller quotes Uri Geller. Here I just mentioned some advice he gave me many years ago which I found useful and appreciated.

1) Who do you think was the most influential magician that isn't talked about that often?

2) Who has the best slight of hand in your opinion?

1. There are many influential magicians who are not widely known to the general public. Two influential magicians who had a great impact on my magc were Max Maven, who inspired me to train my voice and a greater mastery of speech, and Gregory Wilson, who inspired me to develop an Alpha stage persona that was funny but not dorky.
2. There are so many great sleight of hand artists that I can not list them all. My favorites include Slydini, Yann Frisch, Eric Chien, Ricky Jay, Richard Turner and Lennart Green.

Hi Ryan!

I’ve seen in a good handful of recorded performances that you’re pretty aware of being “rare,” in the sense that you’re an Asian man doing magic with this incredible stage presence, speaking fluent English but also playing up some “Asian” tropes (i.e., karate in your magic).

My question is: do you feel in any way responsible for Asian American representation when you perform, and how do you decide to navigate the stereotype/something-cool-you-just-like-to-do line when you write performances?

Huge fan of your magic shows btw! I’ve never seen someone make a magic performance so funny!

Do I feel responsible as an Asian performer in mainstream western media? Definitely. Relative to our demographic size, our talent pool, and our achievements, Asians are still largely invisible in western media, so I am grateful for any screentime I get, and I feel a responsibility to make my screentime count by presenting a message of belief in human potential that is sorely lacking in today's media landscape. I threw in some Asian jokes in my Fool Us segment because that's just the way I talk, and people find those references funny, but they don't define me. I can perform without the Asian jokes, and people would still describe me as the Asian Alpha Magician Funny Guy.

Have you ever watched Xavier: Renegade Angel? It's an old Adult Swim show and your epic monologue you sound just like him! And he goes off on some pretty epic monologues also, haha.

I had never heard of him, but just checked him out on YouTube, and yeah, I can hear some similarity. Cool stuff.

Does doing magic tricks get you laid as much as they say?

Does doing the moonwalk turn you into Michael Jackson? Does playing with Nunchucks make you Bruce Lee? Nooo, my young padawan. Doing magic tricks does not instantly turn you into an Asian Alpha. You must first learn to be an Asian-level badass at whatever it is you do, and a Hayashiatic Alpha, then you will be one with the Force. People often ask me if my knowledge of magic can be used to manipulate poker games, women and governments for my own benefit. The answer is, of course, yes, but with great power comes great responsibility, so I only use my powers for good.

What made you think Uri gellers opinion is relevant? It makes me not trust you immediately.

Uri Geller was a highly successful entertainer. He gave me advice on how to be a successful entertainer. I listened to him and many other successful entertainers over the years, and now some people consider me to be a pretty good entertainer. If I ever have the chance to meet Madonna, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Heidi Klum, I would listen to them as well if they ever gave advice on how to be a successful entertainer. If you do not trust my opinions on how to be an entertainer, magician, or alpha personality, don't listen to my opinions.

Hello Ryan,

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1. Are there any parallels to how you practice your martial arts and how you practice magic?
2. Do you feel like there are similarities between the two disciplines?
3. With your sword, Would you rather fight 1 horse sized duck, or 100 duck sized horses?

1. There are many parallels between how I practice the martial arts and how I practice magic. Same mindset. Same structured approach. Same lifetime pursuit of perfection. Same attention to detail in the individual basic techniques.
2. The two disciplines are both classical art forms with centuries of tradition. They both begin with the learning of basic principles and memorization of older compositions, leading to a free, creative expression of your own personality.
3. With my sword, I would fight neither the horse sized duck nor the duck sized horses. The Hayashiatic Code dictates that the sword should never be used to take the life of fantasy creatures without good justification.

Is Criss Angel the greatest magician of all time or just of the last two centuries?

He did some pretty awesome stuff on television and has a successful Vegas show. I think that makes him great.