Robert Zabrecky (born June 2, 1968, inBurbank, California)[1] is an American actor, author,magician, mentalist, and songwriter. His career began as a musician while being the front man for the bandPossum Dixon. In the later years of his career, he has found success as a magician, actor, and author.[2][3][4]
Zabrecky was born and raised in Burbank, California. From 1989 to 1999 he was the singer-songwriter and bassist for the Los Angeles groupPossum Dixon. The band, originally hailing fromSilver Lake, released three albums during the 1990s.[5]
During the mid-1990s, he began practicing magic and has since become a magician at theMagic Castle in Hollywood, California. In the mid-2000s he began a career in acting and has since landed roles in films and television programs.[6]
In 2017, Zabrecky landed a supporting role in the supernatural drama,A Ghost Story. His film credits also include a supporting role inRyan Gosling's directorial debutLost River, playing the master of ceremonies at an underground fetish nightclub,[7] and a starring role in the psychological thriller,Decay, portraying a troubled theme park groundskeeper who falls in love with a corpse.[8] As a television actor he has made several appearances in popular shows includingGLOW,Strange Angel,Criminal Minds,CSI: NY,Comedy Bang! Bang! andAngie Tribeca.[9][10] He has also appeared in several short films and a wide range of television commercials.[9][11][12]
He graduated from a two-year training program atTheatre West, where he appeared in theatrical adaptations of the television classic,The Twilight Zone and other productions.[citation needed]
In 2019, Zabrecky and his wife Tommi Zabrecky created the supernatural comedy series,The Other Side with Zabrecky.[13] In each episode, Zabrecky invites guests into his home to participate in a séance to contact a departed spirit of their choice. Guests have includedJack Black,Jason Sudeikis,Kate Flannery,Will Forte, andDavid Arquette.[14] The program is featured on the online visual arts magazine Night Flight.[15]
In June 2019 Zabrecky released his memoir,Strange Cures (RothCo Press).[4]Strange Cures chronicles Zabrecky’s story of self-discovery, success, failure, and reinvention amidst the Los Angeles landscape during the 70s-90s. The LA Times praised the book as, "An ode to a forgotten L.A." MusicianJane Wiedlin ofThe Go-Go's dubbed it, "A 1980sSan Fernando Valley Time Machine."[4][16][17]
In 2019 Zabrecky authored TheA,B,Z's of Magic, which details methods of constructing and presenting an effective, meaningful, and ethical magic act. The text focuses on character development and is organized in alphabetical order. This manuscript originated as part of Zabrecky’s award-winning lecture program. "Throughout my performing career, I’ve made it part of my crusade to demystify the creative process – taking apart its pieces one by one, examining them and putting them back together to understand how they work as a whole."[18][19][better source needed][20]
Zabrecky is best known for an aberrant magician character he portrays by combining irreverentdark humor,mentalism and an artful use of elongated pauses in performances.[21] Lauded for his performing and lecturing efforts magic, Zabrecky has received six awards by theAcademy of Magical Arts at theMagic Castle.[20][22][23][24]
After his music career ended he has worked throughout the United States, Japan and Europe as a magician.[25][26] Since 2002 he has been a regular performer at theMagic Castle, where he formed the magic trio,The Unholy Three in 2003.[27] He has also been the featured magician at annual magic conventions worldwide and appeared on the cover of magic-related journals and periodicals includingGenii,Reel Magic and theMandala.[28][29]
Since 2010, Zabrecky has performed as a spirit medium inside the Magic Castle’s Houdini Séance Room, where he has presented hundreds of theatricalVictorian inspired seances for members of theAcademy of Magical Arts and their guests.[30][31]
The Zabrecky Hour, a one-man variety show, directed byJohn Lovick and Tommi Zabrecky, was premiered and developed at theSteve Allen Theater from 2010 to 2016. The show featured highlights from hisMagic Castle act, song & dance, conversations with the moon and audience interaction.[33][34]
A 2022Chicago Tribune review ofThe Zabrecky Hour reported, “Zabrecky is a highly accomplished magician and very funny, assuming you like your humor cynical and caustic, akin to a horror show of a bygone age. But what makes his highly interactive show worth seeing is his evident love of pushing things right to the edge and then maybe a little further.”[35]
As the frontman for Possum Dixon, Zabrecky became a notable figure in the emerging Silver Lake independent music community of the early 1990s. During those years, he wrote, recorded and performed with several musicians and producers, includingBeck,Earle Mankey,Tom Rothrock,Pleasant Gehman,Carla Bozulich, Tim O'Heir and others.[40] Possum Dixon had a minor hit in 1993 with their first single, "Watch the Girl Destroy Me",[41] from their debut albumPossum Dixon, produced by Mankey.[42] A second album,Star Maps, followed in 1996.[41] In 1998, they releasedNew Sheets, which would be the last album by the band. The LP, produced bythe Cars'Ric Ocasek, featured material co-written withFred Schneider,Jane Wiedlin,Dave Stewart and others.[43]
Shortly after the breakup of Possum Dixon, Zabrecky spent time singing for the Los Angeles art rock band Human Hands and played bass in aGun Club tribute band alongside original members Ward Dotson and Terry Graham.[44][45]
In early 2010, he appeared on-stage withMaria McKee at a fundraiser in Hollywood. The pair sang a duet ofLou Reed's "Satellite of Love".[46] The pair performed the song again as part of aNight of Zabrecky performance at the Steve Allen Theater in 2012.[47]
^"Penn & Teller Fool Us Here's Moxie". August 31, 2016. RetrievedNovember 18, 2016 – viaYouTube. Content blocked by CBS in the USA; the associated account was removed from YouTube.
