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Dean Gunnarson spends his life
cheating death. Every time the challenge of an escape presents itself,
this internationally known escape icon goes to work. His highly documented
and acclaimed death-defying escapes have dazzled audiences from all
corners of the globe. The creativity and imagination behind his
deliverance, from the many perils Gunnarson places himself, is staggering.
He has dangled from his toes, 726 feet over Hoover Dam, shedding a
straight jacket, while simultaneously eluding the imminent plunge to
certain death. He has experienced the ultimate 13,000-foot freefall from a
plane, escaping from a straight jacket, and two pairs of handcuffs, only
to land safely on the ground with seconds to spare. There is a certain
amount of addiction involved for Gunnarson, as the adrenalin needed for
his escapes kicks in. And this runs parallel to his excitement for life
when he is away from the death-defying stage. The Heat Magazine entered
this world of mystique and intrigue, and found out what is behind the many
masks of Dean Gunnarson."I've tasted death's doorstep on more than one
occasion. Thank goodness it's kicked me back," says Gunnarson as he
reflects back on his lifetime of escape. On countless occasions, this
Manitoban born and raised thrill seeker has proven that the impossible is
possible. Still, there are some who view his art with skepticism,
wondering what is behind his bravado. Gunnarson carries a global following
who have witnessed in amazement, his struggles and successes in this
seemingly unconventional vocation. |
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"A lot of the
escapes have been dangerous in different ways. Each has had its
moments. The one that I came closest to death was the coffin
escape... Halloween 1983. They chained me up, put me in the coffin
and threw me into the Red River behind the Alexander dock. I
had like 10,000 Winnipeggers come out to cheer me on. I was
under water for nearly four minutes. I didn't get out, I was
blue, unconscious... and dead."
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His ambition to become an escape
artist manifested itself early in life. From a book that was gifted
to him, he began to gather inspiration and focus. "When I was about 10
years old my mom bought me a book on Houdini. I kinda got the feel
for this great showman that traveled the world getting out of handcuffs,
leg irons, jail cells, and basically did what some people said couldn't be
done. That inspired me... I wanted to do that," reflects
Gunnarson. From that point, there was no question in Gunnarson's
mind that he'd found his calling. His definitive passion for the
next escape still exists today. "I look at it as trying to find your
passion in life, whatever that passion is. If you can really find
that in yourself, that's the greatest thing life can offer."
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"Harry Houdini
was the World's Greatest Escape Artist.
Now there is a new
Houdini, and his name is Dean Gunnarson..."
- George Burns | |
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By his early teens, Gunnarson began
to perform live magic shows around his neighborhood. He compiled a
repertoire of tricks and escapes he learned from reading books on the
masters of escape, like Houdini. These initial performances and showcases
evolved into gigs that paid. While his peers worked part-time jobs after
school, he turned his interest into a job that would eventually help
finance his way into university. His initial interest for buying different
artifacts of escape occurred around this time. In fact, Gunnarson took to
this interest with so much vigor, that he often sacrificed necessity for
buying the tools of the trade. "Going through university was rough. There
were a lot of times when I'd have money for tuition, but I wouldn't have
money for food. I'd hear about this old pair of handcuffs, so I'd scrounge
up my money and eat bread and water for a week, so I could buy that old
pair of handcuffs. If you really want something, there's sacrifices that
have to be made," remarks Gunnarson. Another sacrifice he eventually made
was leaving a university education after a couple of years to fully pursue
his real dream. Gunnarson began to further prepare himself to join the
ranks of escape artists who had preceded him. By the age of 23, a meeting
with The Amazing Randi further planted Gunnarson's feet into the world of
escape. If fate had a hand in plotting decisive courses in one's life, it
certainly did for Dean Gunnarson. This intervention occurred on a
Halloween night in 1987. The Amazing Randi had already been so impressed
with Gunnarson's accomplishments that he took him on as an apprentice of
sorts. He introduced Gunnarson to a magic show called "In Search For
Houdini," that was hosted by actor William Shatner. The two-hour live
special featured David Copperfield, Penn and Teller, Harry Blackstone,
among the many greats of magic. An epic setting for a young escape artist
from Winnipeg, who would soon be introduced to an international
audience. |
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"Dean Gunnarson is a
real-life comic book
hero!"
- Tony Curtis | |
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The spectacle of a Hollywood movie couldn't have better portrayed
the sequence of events that would occur. Just hours before he was set to
go on the show to perform the "milk can" escape, The Amazing Randi was
injured. Gunnarson was approached to perform the escape in Randi's
absence. Having little preparation, and never having the luxury of
performing the escape for an audience, Gunnarson accepted the challenge.
After seeing the escape done only the day before, Gunnarson successfully
escaped the milk can. "Sometimes opportunities in life only come once, and
you have to take them," says Gunnarson. These words will become one of
many good epilogues for his career. With the international stage now set,
Gunnarson was now able to showcase his ability as an escape artist to the
world.
"It's been a long journey, and it has
not always been easy. At times it's been very difficult. It's always been
challenging, it's been extremely rewarding. When you are so passionate
about something, it's harder to walk away from," says Gunnarson, when
asked to describe the longevity of his career. There is a side of an
escape artist's life the public does not see. If you put aside the
exhilaration and triumph of escape, you would witness a more tenebrous and
painful side to the story. Too numerous to mention, the injuries Gunnarson
has sustained throughout his career are physically torturous. During an
escape, the demands placed on his body are extreme. A pulled muscle, or
worse, during an escape can mean dire consequences for Gunnarson, if he is
not able to work through the pain. "I deal with chronic pain all of the
time. It's always there," says Gunnarson. |
| "Gunnarson's escape for us was wild..." - Steven Tyler
(Aerosmith) |
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During an escape attempt, Gunnarson stresses that having focus is
important. The highly concentrative state he functions under assists him
in working through pain, the inability to breathe in some situations, or
an escape. "You have to be focused on what you're doing. You have to be
ready for, if this goes wrong, what are you going to do. You have to know
your course of action. That's why after a show, I'm not just physically
exhausted, but mentally exhausted. This is because you've had to push your
mind to focus so much that you're mentally drained." This focus that
Gunnarson orates about is the very essence of his success, especially
during a complicated escape attempt. Gunnarson further summed up the most
important components that combine to make an escape successful for
him."Obviously I can't tell you the actual technical secrets, because
that's part of it. But, it's not just the secret. Part of it is the
secret, a technique, a skill you learn. Part of it is a physical ability,
being able to manipulate your body, having strength and flexibility. The
other part is the mental ability, the ability to be able to think things
through. To be able to stay focused, to react when things go wrong... not
to panic. It's those three things that encompass every escape."Gunnarson
has carried out complicated and diverse escapes. Some he conceived
personally, some of which have been performed and perfected by other
masters of escape. Not only has he performed other artists' escapes, he
has collected some interesting memorabilia from some of them. His personal
collection is vast." I love history and I love the history of magic.
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"...I
love the history of magic. I have a set of Houdini's thumb cuffs
that actually belonged to Houdini... given to me by The Amazing
Randi. They came in a neat little leather pouch. It's just kind of
neat knowing that Houdini's thumbs were in there
escaping." | |
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I have handcuffs from pretty much every country in the world. I
have a set of Houdini's thumb cuffs that actually belonged to Houdini...
given to me by The Amazing Randi. They came in a neat little leather
pouch. It's just kind of neat knowing that Houdini's thumbs were in there
escaping," relates Gunnarson. "It's rewarding in some aspects, to do
things knowing that nobody else on earth has ever been able to do... then,
before, or since," comments Gunnarson, when Heat asked him to detail his
sense of accomplishment. There are always calculated risks associated with
every escape. Gunnarson explores every angle of an escape; he studies with
precision. Still, the imminent danger of his escapes cannot be denied, as
he puts his life on the line for the most extreme escape attempts.
Gunnarson has dangled by his toes over the Hoover Dam, suspended from a
burning rope above downtown Bangkok, been chained inside a 1970 Cadillac
to escape the clutches of a car crusher's boneshattering jaws, and been
handcuffed to the inside of a shark cage, only to be lowered into
shark-infested waters. |
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"Dean Gunnarson is one escape artist
extraordinaire..."
- Entertainment Tonight |
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He has come a long way since the skipping
rope he would get tied up in and escape as a kid. "A lot of the escapes
have been dangerous in different ways. Each has had its moments. The one
that I came closest to death was the coffin escape... Halloween 1983. They
chained me up, put me in the coffin and threw me into the Red River behind
the Alexander dock. I had like 10,000 Winnipeggers come out to cheer me
on. I was under water for nearly 4 minutes. I didn't get out, I was blue,
unconscious and dead," recalls Gunnarson. He was rushed to the hospital
where he remembers waking up in the emergency room. Surrounding him were a
team of doctors and nurses working to revive him. To this day, Gunnarson
is grateful to those dedicated professionals who brought him back. Though
the coffin-escape attempt was very serious, Gunnarson remembers a quip
about the experience. "The Winnipeg Police Department had one of the best
lines. When the media asked if there was any brain damage when I came out
of the coffin, they said no more when he came out than when he went
in." |
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Gunnarson's show travels all over
the world. The travel he does exposes his escapes to a multitude of
people. He feels the most important crowd he performs for to be children.
Gunnarson performs for a number of charitable organizations designed to
benefit children. He donates proceeds from these shows to the various
charities. The Rainbow Society, The Cancer Foundation and the Variety Club
are some of the organizations that Gunnarson, in a position of celebrity,
truly gives back into. This is a worldwide view for Gunnarson, but he
maintains a modest and low profile. "I don't like to talk about my charity
work too much, because I really feel that a true act of charity is one
that you would do, whether nobody found out or not," says Gunnarson.
Gunnarson does manage to break away from his escapes to pursue other,
safer forms of performance art. His recent involvement in the film
industry spawned a new and interesting career venture. Gunnarson makes a
cameo appearance in the motion picture "Spooky House," set for DVD release
this coming Halloween. Gunnarson's cameo has him playing The Great
Zamboni's (Ben Kingsley's) magic assistant. |
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"Going through university was rough. There were a lot of
times when I'd have money for tuition, but I wouldn't have money for food.
I'd hear about this old pair of handcuffs, so I'd scrounge up my money and
eat bread and water for a week, so I could buy that old pair of handcuffs.
If you really want something, there's sacrifices that have to be made..."
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Pieces of Gunnarson's magic equipment are actually used as props
throughout the movie. "It's a neat opportunity to take some of the things
that I've learned, and to use them to teach somebody else the techniques.
It was a really neat experience. I worked on the movie for 33 days as Ben
Kinsley's magic coordinator/technical advisor. I had to teach him some
magic for the movie. They used some of my props for the movie as well. My
Egyptian sarcophagus is in the movie way more than I am! They gave me a
cameo appearance, where I play his (Kingsley's) assistant and we blow up
his wife. Ben Kingsley is a really good person. He took technical advice
really well," says Gunnarson. The world of escape has afforded Dean
Gunnarson numerous experiences and opportunities. Among these,
international fame, world travel, as well as the experience of meeting and
helping people. He has brought joy and amazement to a countless number of
audiences. In his heart, he will always be escaping, but he will never
escape the minds of those who have had the opportunity to view his daring
escapes. Gunnarson will always be known as "The World's Greatest Escape
Artist." |
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