Whether he is gun-fighting in the badlands of Arizona, or
playing tricks on the eyes of locals with his magic, High Card
Johnny knows how to have a good time.
Whether he is gun-fighting in the badlands of Arizona, or playing tricks on the eyes of locals with his magic, High Card Johnny knows how to have a good time.
“Every morning I wake up and ask myself ‘what am I going to be today?” he said.
A jack of all trades, Johnny, who revealed his last name but prefers to go by “High Card Johnny,” has been performing magic, gambling tricks, gun-fighting, fencing and dancing all over the country for decades. Since moving to Hollister two years ago, Johnny has begun teaching fencing at Gavilan College. During high school, he went with a buddy to fencing practice and instantly was hooked.
“You know when you see something and immediately you think to yourself ‘I’ve got to do this?'” he said. “That’s how I felt about fencing.”
Coincidentally, Johnny, who wears a number of costumes but is most well known for his cowboy hat and old fashion black bow tie, had the same experience when he was introduced to magic.
“I was working as a night club dancer and I met a magician who was working at the club,” he said. “I became very interested in magic and during breaks he started to show me tricks. My dance partner decided she didn’t want to travel around anymore, so I left dancing and went on the road doing magic.”
“On the road” is an understatement. From Renaissance Faires in California, to night club gigs in Chicago, New York and even a year in Mexico, he’s spent his life doing what makes him happy, and sharing his tricks and entertainment with others.
“I live according to what life demands of me,” he said. “I feel in a way that I help people relax and enjoy their time off.”
During festival season, usually around August and September, Johnny leaves Hollister and performs at various shows, but he said as a newcomer he’s still learning more and more about this town and “loving every minute of it.”
“Being a big-city man, it was hard for me to understand that people can be so nice and that’s what I’ve learned here,” he said.
Always with a card trick up his sleeve and a prop-gun quick to draw, Johnny plans on staying in Hollister for a long time, and continuing to perform forever.
“I’ve been told I’m going to be shot by a jealous husband when I’m 103, so I guess I’ve got a few more years left,” he said.
