Ep. 130 - Penn Jillette: The Brilliant Idea Can Kill You

Penn Jillette is a famous magician – he's one half of the duo Penn and Teller. He has made a career out of sleight of hand and tricks. He credits Teller with getting him into magic. Penn's specialties are juggling, writing, and comedy. He suggests that when you choose a career you go into a field in which you know you can improve. He continued his education at "clown college." He was "forced" into comedy, but he wanted to be a brooding French poet. While at clown college, he learned wire walking, juggling, and tumbling. Penn says card tricks are actually a form of juggling. ============ Special Note: Both Penn and James will be presenting LIVE at next month's Stansberry Conference in Las Vegas. If you're interested in joining them and more than 30 additional speakers for two full days click here. This year's conference will take place at one of the newest and most luxurious destinations on Las Vegas Boulevard – the Aria Resort & Casino. ============ When he first began with Teller they went to bad magic shows and learned what they didn't want to do. They wanted to get away from illusions and focus more on tricks. All magic is about the perception of truth. Penn says he didn't have a choice in magic. He was homeless when he started out, but Teller was from a very different background. The pair didn't like each other, but they felt they could do better together. Other topics Penn discusses in this interview are:   •Find what you like and let it kill you. •How dramatic weight loss has changed his act. •His parenting skills. •How journal writing has improved his daily routine. •His biggest inspirations. •The unwilling suspension of disbelief. •Built-in biological love.   Resources and Links: Kinky Freedman Gary Panter and The ROZZ-TOX Manifesto Clown College Penn Jillette's books The Cups and Ball Trick Penn's Sunday School Bob Dylan Picasso Miles Davis     If you want to learn more about Penn Jillette, check him out on Twitter: @pennjillette. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air! ------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com ------------ Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to “The James Altucher Show” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotify Follow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn