A young magician wrote to Teller (of Penn and…) to ask for advice about creating his own style, and what he got back was a manifesto for anyone who wants to create, perform or entertain. It’s blockbuster stuff, for which I am an absolute sucker…
We made a solemn vow not to take any job outside of show business. We borrowed money from parents and friends, rather than take that lethal job waiting tables. This forced us to take any job offered to us. Anything. We once did a show in the middle of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia as part of a fashion show on a hot July night while all around our stage, a race-riot was fully underway. That’s how serious we were about our vow.
