Penn Jillette

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Penn Jillette
Penn Jillete.jpg
Penn Jillette at an appearance in Toronto, Canada, on 2 Nov 2013
Born Penn Fraser Jillette
(1955-03-05) March 5, 1955 (age 58)
Greenfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Residence Las Vegas, Nevada
Nationality American
Occupation Magician, illusionist, writer, actor, inventor, juggler, comedian, musician
Years active 1974–present
Known for Half of the comedy magic duo known as Penn & Teller
Height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[1]
Political party
 Libertarian Party
Religion None
Website
Penn and Teller.com
Part of a series on
Libertarianism
Yellow flag waving.svg
People

Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American illusionist, comedian, musician, inventor, actor, and best-selling author known for his work with fellow magician Teller in the team Penn & Teller. He is also known for his advocacy of atheism, scientific skepticism, libertarianism and free-market capitalism.

Early life[edit]

Jillette was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts. His mother, Valda R. Jillette (née Parks; 1909–2000),[2] was a secretary, and his father, Samuel Herbert Jillette (1912–1999),[2] worked at Greenfield's Franklin County Jail.[3][4][5] Penn became an atheist in his early teens after reading the Bible and was subsequently asked to leave the church after asking questions in a youth group that also made skeptics of his peers.[6] Jillette became disenchanted with traditional illusionist acts that presented the craft as authentic magic, such as The Amazing Kreskin on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. At age eighteen, he saw a show by illusionist James Randi, and became enamored of his approach to magic that openly acknowledged deception as entertainment rather than a mysterious supernatural power. Jillette regularly acknowledges Randi as the one person on the planet he loves the most besides members of his family.

Jillette worked with high school classmate Michael Moschen in developing and performing a juggling act during the years immediately following their 1973 graduation.[5] In 1974, Jillette graduated from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College.[7] That same year, he was introduced to Teller by Weir Chrisemer, a mutual friend.[8] The three then formed a three-person act called Asparagus Valley Cultural Society which played in Amherst and San Francisco.[5] In 1981, he and Teller teamed up as Penn & Teller, and went on to do a successful Off Broadway and later Broadway theatre show called "Penn & Teller" that toured nationally.[5]

Career and Showtime[edit]

In 1994 Jillette purchased a house in Las Vegas and dubbed it "The Slammer".[9] It has been featured in dozens of television shows and articles and was designed by his friend Colin Summers. He currently records music there, and previously conducted his radio show at the studio inside "The Slammer".[10][11]

While the off Broadway hit was running, in 1988 Penn was in a speed mariachi power trio called Bongos, Bass and Bob (Penn played bass; bongos were by Dean J. Seal and guitar was by Rob (Bob) Elk (Running Elk). The last two became the a capella comedy duo Mr. Elk and Mr. Seal after Bongos Bass and Bob broke up due to Penn's movie commitments. They recorded a record with Kramer at Noise New York called "Never Mind the Sex Pistols, Here's Bongos Bass and Bob (What on Earth Were They Thinking?)" which was released to almost no notice outside of a mention in Spin Magazine. but was immortalized with a clay-mation video of the hit single Oral Hygiene.

Jillette was also a regular contributor to the now-defunct PC/Computing magazine in the early 1990s, having a regular back section column between 1990 and 1994. True to form, the columns were often as much about Uma Thurman as actual PC computing issues. Jillette and PC Computing parted ways over a dispute with a new editor. Jillette felt the new editor was trying to tell him how to write his column and what topics he should be covering. Jillette asserts that he is unsure if he was fired or if he actually quit.

Jillette was the primary voice announcer for the U.S.-based cable network Comedy Central in the 1990s.[12][13]

Starting in 1996, he had a recurring role on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch as Drell, the head of the Witches' Council. He and Teller both appeared in the pilot with Debbie Harry as the third member of the Council. The show was created by Jillette's friend Nell Scovell.

Penn and Teller appear as comedians Rebo and Zooty in the 5th season episode of Babylon 5, "The Day of the Dead", written by Neil Gaiman.

For a brief time in 1997, Jillette wrote bi-weekly dispatches for the search engine Excite.com. Each column ended with a pithy comment identifying which of the Penn & Teller duo he was. (For example: "Penn Jillette is the half of Penn & Teller that's detained at airports.") Jillette made a habit of linking many words in his online column to wacky sites that generally had nothing to do with the actual words. The columns are no longer available on the current Excite.com site, but have been republished with permission at PennAndTeller.com.[14]

Starting in 2003, Jillette, along with his partner Teller, began producing and hosting the show Penn & Teller: Bullshit! on Showtime. In the show, the two analyze cultural phenomena, debunk myths, criticize people and aspects of society they deem "bullshit".

In 2005 with actor Paul Provenza, Jillette co-produced and co-directed The Aristocrats (2005), a documentary film tracing the life of a dirty joke known as "The Aristocrats".

From January 3, 2006 to March 2, 2007, Jillette hosted, along with fellow atheist, skeptic, and juggler Michael Goudeau, a live, hour-long radio talk show broadcast on the radio station brand known as Free FM. The show, Penn Radio, broadcast from his Vintage Nudes Studio in Jillette's Las Vegas home. The most notable recurring segment of the show was "Monkey Tuesday" and later "The Pull of the Weasel". On March 2, 2007, Jillette, on Free FM, announced that he would no longer be doing his radio show. He stated that he is a "show biz wimp" and decided to stop doing the show so he could spend more time with his kids Zolten Penn Jillette and Moxie CrimeFighter Jillette.

During the 2006–07 television season, Jillette hosted the prime time game show "Identity" on NBC-TV.

In 2008, Jillette was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, paired with professional dancer Kym Johnson. He was the first celebrity to be eliminated. A reference to his large feet as a sign of another large body part was bleeped in the West Coast airing.[citation needed]

In 2009, Jillette did a spoken guest appearance on a song by Pakistani rapper Adil Omar. The song was titled "Spookshow" and produced by DJ Solo of Soul Assassins. The lyrics condemn religious extremism and encourage skepticism. It is set to be featured on a compilation album by Thick Syrup Records alongside artists like Matt Cameron of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Half Japanese and more.[citation needed]

On May 24, 2010, Jillette began a bi-weekly show on Revision3 called Penn Point. It is currently on hiatus. The last update was posted on October 26, 2011.[15]

On August 16, 2011 Jillette's book God, No! Signs You May Already Be An Atheist and Other Magical Tales was released and made the New York Times Best Sellers in its first week of publication.

An avid upright bassist, Penn frequently accompanies jazz pianist Mike Jones, who opens for the magician's Las Vegas show.[16]

Jillette was one of the contestants on The Celebrity Apprentice season 5, beginning on February 19, 2012. He was fired from the show by Donald Trump during the Week 11 episode. In 2013, he returned for the All-Star Celebrity Apprentice season, where he successfully made his way to the finale, raising a total of $663,655 for the charity of his choice Opportunity Village. Also on February 19, 2012, along with Michael Goudeau, he started the podcast Penn's Sunday School.

On April 5, 2013 Penn and Teller were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the live performance category. Their star, the 2,494th awarded, is near the star dedicated to Harry Houdini.[17] The following day they were recognized by the Magic Castle with the "Magicians of the Year" award.[17]

Business ventures[edit]

Jill-Jet[edit]

In July 1999, Jillette was granted U.S. Patent 5,920,923 for the "Jill-Jet", a hot-tub jet specially angled for a woman's pleasure. He has credited Debbie Harry of Blondie for suggesting the idea, as the two of them were once in a hot-tub and Harry made a remark about changing the jets for a woman's pleasure. Jillette liked the idea enough to pursue patent application at the USPTO under the patent title "Hydro-therapeutic stimulator".[18] The abstract of the patent explains that a "discharge nozzle is located within the tub and connected to the outlet, mounted to the seat so that the discharged water from the circulation pump automatically aligns with and is directed to stimulation points (e.g., the clitoris) of the female user when the female user sits in the seat." An article in the June 2006 issue of Playboy shed additional light on the invention. Originally, it was to be called the "ClitJet"; however, he stated that "Jill-Jet" was more suitable because it included his name in the title.

On the Penn Radio show, telling the listeners about the photo shoot for the Playboy article, Jillette mentioned that he has a Jill-Jet installed in a tub at "The Slammer", and that several of his female friends and friends' spouses enjoy it a lot, but he is not aware of any other installations of a water jet in such a configuration anywhere else.

Vintage Nudes Studio[edit]

Jillette created a private recording studio in his Las Vegas home.[19] The addition, designed by Outside The Lines Studio and built by Crisci Custom Builders between October 2003 and June 2004 as part of his Las Vegas home,[20] was named Vintage Nudes Studios by Jillette for playing cards that he had collected. The cards are displayed in the interior design in a manner which is meaningful to magicians.[21] The studio was home to Free FM's Penn Radio show, and is currently the home of the Penn's Sunday School stream and podcast.[19][22]

Personal life[edit]

Jillette is married to Emily Zolten and has a daughter named Moxie CrimeFighter Jillette, and a son, named Zolten Penn Jillette.

He says he has never used recreational drugs or alcohol. He is, however, an advocate of the legalization of all drugs and discontinuing the War on Drugs.[23]

Jillette is an atheist, libertarian (he has stated that he may consider himself to be an anarcho-capitalist),[24] and skeptic, as well as an adherent to Ayn Rand's Objectivist philosophy, as stated on his Penn Says podcast. Jillette is a Fellow at the libertarian think tank, the Cato Institute, and has stated that he "always" votes Libertarian.[25] In January 2007, Jillette took the "Blasphemy Challenge" offered by the Rational Response Squad and publicly denied the existence of a holy spirit.[26] His cars' license plates read "atheist", "nogod", and "godless".[27] "Strangely enough, they wouldn't give me 'Infidel,'" he says.[27]

In 2005 he wrote and read an essay for National Public Radio claiming that he was "beyond atheism. Atheism is not believing in God  ... I believe there is no God."[28] His atheism, he has explained, has informed every aspect of his life and thoughts, and as such is as crucial to him as theistic beliefs are to the devout. Jillette welcomes and even encourages open discussion, debate, and proselytizing on the issue of God's existence, believing that the issue is too important for opinions about it to remain private. Jillette does not, however, dismiss all who do believe in God: A 2008 edition of his Penn Says podcast expresses his appreciation for a fan who brought him the gift of a pocket Gideon Bible after a performance because he realized that this individual sincerely cared enough about him to try to help him.[29]

Jillette has stated that there is not enough information to make an informed decision on global warming, and that it is an emotion versus logic issue.[30]

He endorsed Gary Johnson for U.S. President in 2012.[31][32][33]

Jillette is a collector and connoisseur of song poems.[34]

Red fingernail[edit]

Speculation arises from Jillette's red fingernail on his left hand. From a FAQ from Penn & Teller's official website, there are three common answers:

  1. It means he once shot a man for asking personal questions.
  2. When Jillette first began performing, his mother told him to get a manicure because people would be looking at his hands. In response to this, he had all of his nails painted red as a joke. The one remaining red fingernail is in memory of his mother.[35]
  3. It's just cool and can also sometimes provide excellent misdirection.[8]

Although, in several posts on Twitter in direct response to questions about his red fingernail, Penn states "People are asking about my fingernail. Wear my Dad's ring and my Mom's nail polish. Just for remembrance and respect." [36]

The color he uses is Jelly Apple Red (#054) by Essie.[35][37]

Appearances[edit]

Filmography[edit]

Television[edit]

Music videos[edit]

Music[edit]

Books by Jillette[edit]

Podcasts[edit]

  • "Penn Point" on Revision3.com
  • "Penn Says" on Crackle.com
  • "Penn's Sunday School" at pennsundayschool.com

References[edit]

  1. ^ Roth, Mark. 3 March 2006, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Male Hollywood stars don't stand as tall as we imagine". Accessed 8 September 2012.
  2. ^ a b Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011. Original data: Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.
  3. ^ Kelly, Kevin (December 7, 1986). "What you see, what you get". Boston Globe. Retrieved September 2, 2011. 
  4. ^ http://www.recorder.com/story.cfm?id_no=5432510[dead link]
  5. ^ a b c d Trillin, Calvin (May 15, 1989). "A couple of Eccentric Guys". The New Yorker. 
  6. ^ Shaffer, R (December 2012). "Morality, Religion and Bullsh*t: An Interview with Penn Jillette". Humanist Network News. 
  7. ^ Curtis, Bryan (February 4, 2006). "Penn Jillette: The magician-comedian-writer's secrets revealed!". Slate. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  8. ^ a b Ferrel, Anne "Nita" (March 27, 2003). "Frequently Asked Questions About the Bad Boys of Magic...". PennAndTeller.com. Retrieved 2007-10-12. 
  9. ^ Tschorn, Adam (April 22, 2004). "Welcome to the Slammer". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 October 2012. 
  10. ^ "The Slammer". Outside The Lines Studio. Retrieved 2007-10-12. 
  11. ^ della Cava, Marco R. (October 29, 2004). "This is the manic magic house that Penn built". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-04-16. 
  12. ^ "Identity: Penn Jillette". NBC. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
  13. ^ "Penn Jillette: Full Biography". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
  14. ^ ""Penn's Columns" (index)". PennAndTeller.com. Retrieved 2007-10-12. 
  15. ^ "Penn Point". Revision3. 
  16. ^ Malone, Andrew (December 2002). "Penn Jillette's Bass Magic". JazzTimes. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  17. ^ a b "Magicians Penn & Teller Get Star On Walk Of Fame". CBS Los Angeles. 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2013-04-07. 
  18. ^ Jillette, Penn (July 13, 1999). ""Hydro-therapeutic stimulator" (U.S. Patent 5,920,923)". USPTO Patent Full Text and Image Database. United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 2007-10-12. 
  19. ^ a b "Penn Jillette Detailed Biography". NetGlimse.com. Retrieved 2008-08-04. 
  20. ^ "The Slammer: Vintage Nudes Studio". Outside The Lines. 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2009-12-09. 
  21. ^ The table in the studio from which "Vintage Nude Studios" gets its name
  22. ^ "Outside The Lines Studio | Gallery.php?image=20040118". Otlstudio.com. 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2012-04-14. 
  23. ^ Penn and Teller - War on Drugs (Full Episode) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbIL5454ltQ (23:35)
  24. ^ a b Steigerwald, Bill (2003-05-24). "Dear graduates: Work for freedom". Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Retrieved 2007-03-27. 
  25. ^ Who's Getting Your Vote?, Reason
  26. ^ "Penn's Blasphemy". Retrieved 2008-07-15. 
  27. ^ a b Wang, K.S. (2009-06-01). "Celebrity Drive: Penn Jillette, Magician, Comedian, Host, Author". Motor Trend. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  28. ^ This I Believe: There Is No God. November 21, 2005.
  29. ^ natecalaway (2009-02-28). "The Gift of A Bible". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-04-14. 
  30. ^ PTBSonShowtime (2008-06-01). "Penn & Teller Discuss The Being Green Episode". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-04-14. 
  31. ^ Penn Jillett's Twitter feed Twitter
  32. ^ Penn Jillette’s 2012 pick: Gary Johnson garyjohnson2012.com
  33. ^ Penn Jillette speaks out on the role of government Fox News Channel: Sean Hannity
  34. ^ NERDIST Podcast Episode 130: Penn & Teller; Penn discusses his involvement along with Tom Ardolino of NRBQ & Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo with collecting song poems (starting at 05:53 in the podcast).
  35. ^ a b pennsays. "Painting My Fingernail". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-04-14. [dead link]
  36. ^ Twitter / pennjillette: People are asking about my
  37. ^ "Watch Penn Says, Painting My Fingernail, Episode 45 Online Free". Crackle. Retrieved 2012-04-14. 
  38. ^ IMDB: Mucha Lucha: The Return of El Maléfico
  39. ^ Bruno, Mike (February 19, 2008). "'Dancing With the Stars' Announces Lineup". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-02-19. 
  40. ^ "Penn & Teller: Fool Us on TV.com". 
  41. ^ "Penn Jillette’s original pilot ‘Street Cred’ is green lit by the Travel Channel". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 12 January 2014. 

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