Meet Professor Phelyx | Comedic Mentalist, Emcee, and Keynote

We had the good fortune of connecting with Professor Phelyx and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Professor Phelyx, what role has risk played in your life or career?

My work is, at its essence, about taking risks. I even believe that people are drawn to entertainers and project the whole “romantic artist” stereotype or identity onto entertainers because we all have some notion of the enviable risks the individual must have taken to get to be on stage or to have their work otherwise publicly exhibited. That bravery is attractive.

I experienced my first stage show as a magician when I was just ten years old. I am certain that I was next to awful, but it was absolutely exciting and I have been chasing that high for forty-one years. Performing as a magician is quite a bit different than what I do as a mentalist and comedian now, but it was a perfect foundation.

As a magician, one can study, practice, design choreography, and include storytelling, and they can successfully wind up performing for… or moreover at audiences. It is a show that is designed to run the same way and in the same span of time; every time. It should require a director and it does require a load of expensive equipment.

What I do now is highly interactive. I perform with my audience. I read their minds and I absolutely include them as heroes of the experience. I don’t believe that I have to explain the inherent and high risk involved in this type of improvisational performance. The reward, however, is that I learn from every show and every show is different. Folks can (and do) come to see my shows several times and they will never see the same show twice.
I am notorious for my willingness to take risks. The haphazard, near-recklessness has landed me many starring roles in some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I was just a small-town kid who loved learning magic tricks and over the years it somehow landed me on stages with entertainment giants who think of me as a peer. It is both humbling and thrilling.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What am I most proud of? Hands down, I am most proud that the largest percentage of my bookings come from people who have already experienced my work. In this world of viable and attractive options, getting booked to perform a show can prove one’s mastery of sales and closing deals. However, getting rebooked means you did your job extremely well. This means the entirety of your job. Sales, professionalism, ease of booking, ease of handling, punctuality, communication, proper rate structure, AND, your show made an impact that created an audience who wants more of you!

When I am asked by event planners what the most effective way to book reliable entertainment is, this is the most important of my list of answers:

Learn who is getting booked more than once by the same organizations. Encore engagements are the most efficient vetting process in this noisy and confusing business. Get a list, or better yet, references!

As I nudge my soapbox back out of the way, I have enjoyed a glorious career and while that has been going on for several decades, I feel like I am just getting warmed up. I love what I get to do and I love that fact is telegraphed through my work. It is such a joy to hear from people right after my shows that they can tell that I am really present, engaged, and relishing in the experience of truly connecting with a roomful of brand-new friends.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh, This depends on the friend. I have many secret haunts that are absolute treasures here in Denver. A visit to Red Rocks is mandatory but on that trip, we would also pass through Dinosaur Ridge to visit my paleontologist friend, Thornton. On the list, I would also insist on visits to The Cruise Room at Oxford Hotel. Maybe before that, we’ll spend some people-watching time at Union Station over a coffee. This would be a great night to have dinner at Tavernetta.
On another night, a stop must be made at My Brother’s Bar for both the history of the bar and some (potentially shameful) stories of my own history at the bar.
Of course, we’ll catch a show at The Clocktower Cabaret and I will spend a few insider points for access to the top of the tower. I’ll make another call I am not allowed to mention so we can privately tour the second-largest performing arts complex in the country and, with that, we will head over to the Denver Performing Arts Complex to experience the glory of being on stage at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and the astounding, attached facilities that host the greatest entertainment on Earth.

If my guest is into spooky, I can take them to Chessman Park with one of Phil Goodstein’s many books about Colorado, and we’ll also have to visit with Jonny Barber, the curator of The Colfax Museum.
Oh, I have so much to share!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Of all of the experiences I have had in show business, I have to acknowledge that my thirteen years at The Clocktower Cabaret in Denver, Colorado represent my greatest concentration of educational experience. The venue became famous as a Burlesque show venue, and for good reason. I also got to meet and befriend comedy stars, contemporary Vaudevillian variety stars, and other celebrities in the business within those sacred walls. I learned a lot even just by exposure to masters of the trade. The venue hosts comedy shows, music acts, experimental performance art, drag shows, and even occasionally gives a stage to rookie hopefuls. It is clear that it is run by people who intimately know all sides of the stage; especially the rare experience of bathing in spotlight and applause. Because they have been there themselves, visiting performers are made to feel very comfortable and that is an unfortunately rare luxury. I can tell you that we all perform better when we are made to feel so welcome and heard.

Website: phelyx.com

Instagram: @professorphelyx

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phelyx/

Twitter: @professorphelyx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProfessorPhelyx

Yelp: Professor Phelyx

Youtube: ProfessorPhelyx

Other: My name is so misspelled I am very Googleable.

Image Credits
Dave Wood Photography Athena Patacsil of Gazealous Productions