Hypnotism is no longer just something you think about coming out of New Orleans folklore.
Sweeping the country with an intense touring schedule, Tom Deluca has made a name for himself performing fun and energetic shows across college campuses and corporate meetings, hypnotizing volunteers from the audience.
Deluca will be performing tonight at 7 at the Rose Theatre on The University of Memphis campus. The event is sponsored by the Student Activities Council.
Deluca earned a Masters in psychology at The University of Illinois and started touring the country soon after. I talked to Deluca yesterday afternoon after he had finished a show in Appleton, WI.
DH: How are you feeling this afternoon?
Deluca: Oh I'm a little tired. I had a radio interview this morning where I had to hypnotize one of the DJs of the rock station. Then I conducted an afternoon show that got the students riled up so I'm a little tired.
DH: How did you get into this field in the first place?
Deluca: I got into it during graduate school. I worked with a psychologist at a behavioral clinic and started out with using hypnosis to change behavior, helping people lose weight or quit smoking. I kept up with it after college and started doing shows around colleges and corporations and have been doing it ever since.
DH: What were those early years doing shows like?
Deluca: Oh they were wild and a little rough. I did a lot of driving in the beginning; nowadays I usually fly to my destinations. Back then though I would party with the students after the shows. It was fun learning the craft and how to perform a show. I had to learn about how to market specific shows and how to work a show because people felt different from one town to another. I would have to set the tone for myself as well as the people of that community, you wanted to make sure people would feel comfortable so the show goes well. You learn from experience. You have to know how to pace a show for your audience, like college shows are very different from corporate shows. Today I just did a show for a tech school and those kids are generally a little shy so I had to keep a slow pace for them.
DH: Do you do any other venues besides colleges and corporate events?
Deluca: Not really. Twelve or 13 years ago I would play comedy clubs in New York or L.A. I started out in the clubs but there's no sensibility so it's not as enjoyable. I have a couple friends who have started doing casino shows so I might get involved with that. I don't want to travel the casino circuit though. I've been writing a book this year so I certainly wouldn't want to present it in that kind of venue. Colleges and corporate events just have more sensibility.
DH: How about you tell us a little about your book?
Deluca: Well it's actually not about hypnosis; it's more about images and different states of mind. I don't want to talk about it too much because it's not finished yet.
DH: Describe a typical day out of a Tom Deluca tour.
Deluca: Well I first get up from the hotel and whoever brought me here, whether a school or corporation, will drive me to the airport. I fly to the city where I am to perform that night. After landing I get into a car and go to my hotel. Then I call whoever's running it so we can talk about what we're going to do tonight. Usually I call my office to plan out future shows and to set up marketing with the performances. After that I get dinner and then sit around getting psyched for up for the show. After the show I go back to the hotel to chill out, maybe watch a little HBO before going to sleep at about 12 or 1 in the morning. It's a tricky business, there's a lot energy involved and shows are pretty intense. I get volunteers from the audience who have all different levels of believability. You want to make sure you're not going to offend anybody up there and you also want to put on a good show. You know, it's one thing to hypnotize some people for 20 minutes and it's another to make a performance in which people will leave talking about it for the next two days.
DH: How do you respond to criticism about the show? How often do you receive it?
Deluca: You hear a lot of it before the show. Actually, I did a show the other night; it was a corporate event in either Boston or Cancun. I think it was Cancun. Anyway, after the show there were people going up to the volunteers accusing them of planning the entire thing saying it can't be real. There are always skeptics and that's ok because it doesn't bother me. A lot of people wouldn't show up if they weren't skeptical in the first place.
DH: How long have you been at this?
Deluca: I've been doing this for 20 years! (laughs) Yeah I've been doing this my entire adult life. There are certain years where I've done more shows than others. Sometimes I'm doing them everyday and sometimes I don't do a show for 2 or 3 weeks. I've been busy lately and have been to St Louis, Cancun, Boston, Appleton Wis., then this show in Memphis and then Tampa in less than a week.
DH: What are some of your hobbies?
Deluca: I like going to the gym and trying to stay healthy. I read all the time and relax. I like to watch television, current events and sports. I used to be into scuba diving but I really don't do that anymore.
DH: What would you say to people who are first time attendees of your shows and a little skeptical?
Deluca: I would tell them to come but whether you believe in it or not, you're going to go away scratching your head and have a great time.
