Q&A BOBARNO
Riaan Wolmarans
Bob Arno is a world-travelling pickpocketting artist who steals wallets, lifts watches and even slips the tie off one’s neck without breaking a sweat. He is in South Africa to present his stage show at Carnival City with the help of his wife, Bambi Vincent.
Where are you originally from?
BA: I was born in Sweden and left when I was 20. I lived in the Far East and in Africa for 10 years. In 1980 I became an American. We travel constantly. In a six-month period we might go to 14 to 15 countries.
You keep up the comic banter during your show. Does this draw attention away from your hands?
BA: Absolutely. A real pickpocket does the same. They distract you. They confuse you by targeting your intellect and this is magic. Many years ago court jesters learned this skill. I think all magic stems from this.
In your show you have videos about the help you provide to police and security people. Tell us more about that.
BA: About 30% of our time is spent tracking crime, on days when we are not hired to do shows. We change our profile so we don’t look the same and go out to film and track crime. We film the crime as it is happening. The material is edited and used to teach travel guides and other people what to look out for. We also profile certain types of criminals, people who control pickpockets and are higher up in the hierarchy. We teach people using a camera at airports, Disneyland and so forth to detect the motion of who might be a potential criminal.
You must be good at reading body language?
BV: It’s one of the things Bob teaches at police, FBI and security training seminars.
BA: It’s very difficult to explain scientifically. It’s more inclination and being usually right, but you cannot use it in court.
After all these years you should be able to read a person like a book?
BA: I would think so, like a good doctor can do the same. Some people have a more natural inclination.
How do you choose people you use on stage?
BA: I wouldn’t want a guy who is uncomfortable. The idea is to make a person feel comfortable and content, and maybe even draw out the star in them.
BV: He also sometimes sees things that are irresistable stealable items.
BA: I also look at what people are wearing. In South Africa people often dress in jeans, which are tight and very difficult to steal from. I prefer guys who wear loose clothes. I look at the angle of the pocket and much more.
You talk to some people before the show starts.
BA: It’s called fanning. I can establish in a short time whether these people would feel comfortable on stage. There is very little that is perfect to steal in a show situation. If I were working in a room where people were in T-shirts and jeans then it becomes very difficult.
BV: The show has to move fast. You have to have people who will work well and have things to steal. We were asked to do a nudist colony once. We said no thanks.
Tips on avoiding pickpockets?
BA: The pace in your face. Pickpockets read people to see how fast you are. The slower you are about yourself, the more relaxed, the easier you are. Don’t give off signals, such as where you keep your things, dropping the wallet in your purse and so forth.
The details
See Bob Arno’s show The Art of Steal at the Mardi Gras Theatre at Carnival City from February 19 to 23. Book at Computicket. Find out more about the man at www.bobarno.com