Vanish magazine 115 | Page 9

By Tommy Jackson

Kyle Jarrard

By Tommy Jackson

This month ' s VANISH Magazine features an interview with the incomparable Kyle Jarrard- a true renaissance man . Kyle has been performing professionally on a national level for the last 20 years . He is a powerhouse entertainer with an extremely polished act that combines a fusion of magic , comedy , music , and a quick southern wit that simply cannot be matched . He always manages to reel in any audience , tiptoe to the line with his own unique brand of comedy , and then somehow never ceases to have them melting in the palm of his hand by the finale . As one of Atlanta ' s busiest and premier magicians , his career has allowed him to harness a wealth of knowledge and insight into the entertainment business- and he has agreed to share some personal thoughts , as well as tips regarding experiences and lessons he has learned on his journey . Please enjoy this one-on-one discussion with the very talented Kyle Jarrard .
VANISH : What are the best qualities of your magic style ? KYLE : I ’ d say that my main hook , and what I ’ d classify as the best qualities of my magic style is the overall combination of humor , and my own genuine personality . My stage presence is an extenuation of my true self . When people see my show , they have fun , they laugh , they see some interesting and amazing magic , but more importantly , once the show is over , they walk away feeling like they have gotten to know me . I fuse stories and info about my personal life , as well as Appalachian culture into my act . Being from the North Georgia Mountains , it didn ’ t ’ take long to realize that I talk and do things differently than many other parts of the country … I thought “ why not just be natural , and bring it to the stage ?”. People find that fascinating . One of my most favorite moments is walking out onto a stage somewhere like California , or Illinois , and opening with “ Good evenin ’ ever ’ body , How ya ’ ll doin ’ tonight ?!”. Their responses to those words alone are entertaining to me … and then later in the act when I pull out the banjo , they realize they ’ re dealing with a genuine corn fed , hand spanked mountain boy . I always dress nice when I ’ m on stage , and conduct myself professionally , because even though I don ’ t try to hide my accent or culture , I do not wish to perpetuate any negative stereotypes by stepping on stage in something like overalls and acting like a television hillbilly . I have an interesting sense of humor , but I feel you should still always try and keep things classy . Another unique feature about my show is that no two shows are the same . I have a basic linear foundation for the act with planned routines and jokes , but I do a lot of improvised humor as a back-and-forth dialogue with the audience . I feel this also make each show more intimate because it suddenly turns into a unique experience for the room in a charming “ You ’ d have to have been there ” kind of way .
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