Murray the Magician Shares His Magic Moments & Insights (Show Preview Q&A!)

(Jan 1, 2012)
(by Dianne R. Davis)

Murray, (aka Murray Sawchuck) the award winning magician, will share some of his magic with audiences at the Gold Coast at the Vegas Magic Theater on Jan. 5 – 8th, 2012. It will be his first appearance in 2012 in Las Vegas, the town he calls home – when he isn’t on the road. He came to national prominence with his delightful entertaining appearances on America’s Got Talent. Murray’s warm smile, confident demeanor, and magical talents have helped propel him to stardom. You can’t miss him in a crowd with his blond spiky hair and his distinctive voice. He is Canadian by birth, but now resides in Las Vegas – when he isn’t racking up those frequent flyer miles entertaining around the world. This reporter caught up with Murray in his lovely Las Vegas home. He’s the real deal. His house was beautifully decorated for the holidays, and his parents were there spending Christmas with their only child. We chatted about his idols, his life, his favorite charities, and his goals.

You seem to be all over the map in places like Tahiti, Hawaii, Canada, and Florida just to name a few. How do you transport all of your magic props and animals to and from your dates?

M: I have a team of talented Storks. When they aren’t busy delivering babies, they fly my cargo from country to country! Just teasing… I have various freight fowarders and shippers around the world that ship my various cargo. With the heighten security now, you have to have known shippers and it’s not as easy to ship things anywhere, but we still make it happen!

How do you deal with the various languages in other countries?

M: I just smile and nod. Honestly it all depends on what country I am in. Magic is great in that it is visual so any language can enjoy it. But every country I fly into, I try to learn the key words to show them respect and usually when you speak another language with a different accent they find it amusing.

Murray making a tiger disappear, and blowing everyone away on America's Got Talent!

Who are your magical idols?

M: Well, growing up my idols weren’t really magicians at all. Of course I saw David Copperfield vanish the Statue of Liberty and thought that was just amazing… but I was raised on the showbiz greats of Dean Martin, Phyllis Diller, Fred Astaire, Foster Brooks, Lawrence Welk, Walt Disney and so many more… I always tell people if Dean Martin and Phyllis Diller had a baby… It would look just like ME! HA!

How do you balance your travel with a personal life? Or do you?

M: This is the REAL MAGIC TRICK… It’s one of the hardest things to ever do! I travel alone 95% of the time. Having a relationship in this business is not easy. I always tell people, “I am amazing for the first two weeks – then it all goes downhill!” HA! Meaning that I’m not around much, and it is exciting to meet someone and give them the perks of being successful in this kind of a business, but it also means that I need be away a lot to “pay the bills”! So it’s nice to have a nice home or cars etc, but you also have to work hard for that and in my case – TRAVEL! If I could just make two of me, I’d be set! One to work and one to relax! Although in the next few years, I really would love to have a family and children!

Do you have a favorite charity?

M: I have a few favorite charities. My publicist of the past five years, Cheryl Kagan is amazing. She has really got me involved with many as she too is a huge believer in helping others. My favorite charities are: Snowball Express (USO Charity), National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (John Walsh Co-founded), Solid Rock (Alice Cooper’s Foundation), and Children of the Night.

What is your ultimate goal?

My ultimate goal would to be hosting TV’s – America’s Funniest Home Videos or Ripley’s Believe it or Not. I am a huge fan of personalities like Johnny Carson and Tom Bergeron from Dancing with the Stars.That’s my next goal – I’d love to be on Dancing with the Stars!

Thanks for answering our questions Murray!

Murray may not be on Dancing with the Stars – yet, but you can catch this personable, talented magician at the Gold Coast at the Vegas Magic Theater Jan. 5 – 8th, 2012.

Check out his personal website, and check him out on Facebook!