S7E5: Chipper Lowell — Comic Magician
These are show notes taken from an audio interview.
To listen to the actual interview, please use the player above.
In this episode, Chipper Lowell talks about being raised around the circus, his approach to comedy, and the importance of branding yourself!
With his comedy, magic, and fun, crazy antics, Chipper has made a living performing for over 25 years. He’s headlined casino showrooms in Vegas, Atlantic City, Tahoe, and Reno. Brought his show aboard top cruise lines like Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity. He’s also become a favorite of top corporations performing at their events and trade shows. Add to this, he’s also toured with his one man show, “The Chipper Experience, where comedy and magic collide,” in performing arts centers, theaters, and casino show rooms throughout the US and Canada.
When it comes to accolades, Chipper has twice received “Comedy Magician of the Year,” “Specialty Act of the Year,” and was nominated two times for “Stage Magician of the Year.” He’s also been listed among the “Top Funniest Magicians Performing Today” in Magic Magazine.
The Reno Gazette Journal says “He sparkles with funny one-liners.”
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Interview with Chipper Lowell: Success Quote
Go with the flow.
Pay attention to every detail.
Chipper’s Approach to Comedy
• Inspired by Karrell Fox and subscribes to his philosophy of “come up with the routine and material first, then figure out the method.”
• Does a small case study on his “Trained Turtle” routine.
• Put as many speed bumps and walls as you can into your routines, because then you’re creating more opportunities for funny moments. (Tip from Teller.)
• Making up bizarre rules like “the woman cannot be closer than 10 ft from you.”
Being Clean and Branding Your Act
• He doesn’t care whether he’s clean or dirty, but his product is clean.
• When you work dirty, you define the places you can work.
• It really came down to how he wanted to brand himself.
Failure Moment
Tells about an instance that could have been a failure but with a little creative thinking and attention to timing, things went off without a hitch.
Other Topics Covered
• Designing your life by writing your eulogy and working backward from that.
• Looking at how Disney does things and modeling your business after them.
• Talks about being raised on circuses and being on the road with his family.
• How he discovered comedy magic.
• How he got a job juggling for Disneyland…after shaving his mustache of course!
• Dealing with outside distractions while performing.
• Being honest about your performances and the audience reactions.
• Variances in audiences, and bending your material accordingly.
• How taking improv courses (with The Groundlings) helped his act.
• Staying within time constraints for performances.
• Eliminating your competition when people call and want to book you specifically.
• Controlling the environment in which you perform in.
Parting Advice
Go with the flow.
Recommended books and resources:
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