After making a considerable splash with his performance of ” Walking on Air ” in New York , and earning the attention of an ever growing fan base Jeff Kraemer is flying high. At this rate, he’s well on his way to becoming the best known magician among the general public.

For someone who has accomplished so much in magic at such a young age, I was very surprised that Kraemer was so polite and personable in person. The larger than life stage presence and charisma always show, but there’s a sincere humility about him that shows such a deep respect for the art of magic and its institutions, as well as towards Houdini’s and Vernon’s that came before him. I wrote in an early column I felt Kraemer was good for magic and his art. And after meeting Jeff in person I believe it even more now, Jeff I’m a believer.

I had an opportunity to interview Kraemer at his suite in the Taj Mahal shortly after two performances in Atlantic City.

Sandra Major: What is the most difficult aspect for you in performing your shows?
Jeff Kraemer: It’s been extremely challenging to come up with new material to keep every performance fresh and interesting. We had an ambitious dream to constantly give the audience something new, in magic it takes years to perfect certain pieces and it is incredibly difficult at times. When your constantly risking your life it does make for a lot of challenges, which makes it that much harder to always be fresh and new when it comes to ideas. It’s a lot of hard work. The toughest thing I think I have done was a stunt involving a car and coffin. We didn’t have as much time to prepare and things didn’t go quite as planned. I ended up with a broken foot and it slowed me down considerable. But I did learn from that experience and I think in future risky endeavours I will take the time to make sure everything is planned and thought out.

SM: How do you prepare for such feats?
JK: I try to plan and prepare for everything, I want to leave nothing to chance. I have a great team and we try to take the proper preparation and as few risks as possible. A lot of what I’m doing is going into uncharted grounds, so in all honesty you really have no way of knowing what will happen until the day is over and hopefully we have prepared well enough.

SM: What inspires you, where do your new ideas start?
JK: My biggest inspirations come from pop culture, also I have this vivid imagination and some really cool dreams and I try very hard to visualize what I love about magic and translate that into what my fans would enjoy. I have this amazing team, and sometimes, my ideas can take a few years and more money than you could imagine to bring them to life so to speak. Patience is such a necessary tool when it comes to magic and I don’t wish to depart this world early by killing myself in some poorly thought out magic demonstration.

SM: Anything you can tell us about some of your new Illusions that are in the works?
JK: I’m working on a full blown levitation that will hopeful see me float over a very famous land mark back in Canada. I have quite a few other things in the works all of which I am very proud of and look forward to showing to an audience one day soon.

SM: Can you talk about your roots in Canada?
JK: To have grown up in Canada was a fantastic experience for me, I think for any one that had the chance. It’s a beautiful country with so much to see and do. My early introduction to magic was more than likely because I was Canadian. Doug Henning was quite famous and one of my biggest inspirations. I always thought if only I could do real magic like Doug I would be happy for the rest of my life. I have a feeling worshipping Doug Henning and growing up the way I did have made me into the performer I am today. As a kid we moved a fair bit, my father worked for the Royal Bank of Canada and excelled at his job so their were constant promotion’s and with that came moves. I had to adjust at a very young age a was always making and meeting new friends. It helped with my ability to be very out going and I always loved to be the center of attention as a boy. I guess I am an extreme extrovert.

SM: What would you like to contribute to magic?
JK: I want to demonstrate that magic is an art, to take it beyond the future and to give everyone that sees it a belief that anything is possible. I want pop culture to see it’s relevance and it’s importance. Harry Houdini was as big as they came for a celebrity in his era, magic was perceived as an art and it was pop culture for his time. Magic has gotten a bad rap in the 2o years. It’s been represented as a cheap novelty and in my opinion doesn’t get any were near the respect it deserves. It doesn’t get the respect that I think it deserves. It is an art. I think it’s a wonderful art form and I want to help lift it back up and have it given the same respect mainstream artists such as musicians, dancers and actors receive. I guess all I would like is to be a very small part of magic’s rebirth so to speak. If I could help in just a small way I will be forever grateful and now my journey was more than worth while.

SM: Any last comments or perhaps some thing you wish to add?
JK: I do really want to thank you and I would love for all my supporters to know how appreciative I am and that the magic is all about them believing. Nothing would be possible if I didn’t have an audience to share it with.

Sandra Major