I was going to post this on my TAM4 travelog (which I’m in the process of writing), but that’s getting pretty lengthy, and I was afraid people might not read it all the way through… and I wanted to share this story. It’s a bit long, but bear with me.
Dr. Richard Wiseman is an extremely smart and funny guy. He’s a psychologist and stage performer, and he studies such things as peoples’ perceptions of luck and of change. Why do some people have such strong feelings that they are lucky or unlucky? How do we detect changes in our environment? For the latter, he conducts tests where people are put into situations where something is changed without them knowing what, why, or how, and he sees if they notice. It’s actually very funny, which brings us to the heart of my story.
Last year, at TAM3, it was brought to our attention that Richard and I look quite a bit alike (it helped that our clothes were similar too). Sure, there are some differences: he is thinner than I am, his glasses are different, and he speaks with a British accent, but overall all we could easily be mistaken for each other, as you can see in the picture there. This gave us both an idea for a fun prank…
We started exchanging emails over the next few months, mapping out our plan. Finally, when TAM4 rolled around, we hammered out a few details and got ready for his talk.
The next day, he was the first speaker, which was perfect. Before his talk, I went around behind the stage and hid. He went on, and I listened covertly as he got a lot of laughs showing various optical illusions and joking about them. About 20 minutes in, he started a video clip, which is where the fun began.
The clip was of a guy, the unwitting subject of a perception test, who walks up to a desk and is asked by another man sitting there to fill out a form. A few seconds later, the man at the desk bends down to pick up a piece of paper, but when he comes back up, he is replaced by an entirely different guy. Incredibly, the guy filling out the form doesn’t notice that the man he was just talking too has been replaced by someone else. The audience was getting a good laugh out of this, but I was hoping we were about to get a bigger one…
Right before showing the clip, Richard complained his throat was scratchy, so he walks offstage to get some water. However, instead of him walking back onstage, I did. I was dressed almost exactly as he was (actually, it’s weird we both have similar purple shirts), including wearing a spare pair of his glasses. To maintain the illusion, I was carrying a bottle of water, pouring it into a cup.
The hope was that I would be able to carry out this little trick for about 20 or 30 seconds before anyone would notice. I would talk with a British accent (I actually impressed Richard with my ability to imitate him) and then ease back into an American accent, talking the whole while on how things can change right in front of people and they won’t notice.
| Before… |
 |
| … and after |
Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned. Damned skeptics! They’re too observant! I hadn’t even gotten halfway to the podium before a roar of laughter erupted from the front rows. They knew immediately it was me and not Richard walking back out. I heard later that someone yelled out, "It’s Phil Plait!" (I’m sure the same kind of person who spoils movie endings to all his friends). Despite that, a lot of folks in the back were initially clueless that we had pulled a switch, including several friends of mine. It wasn’t until they heard the laughter and started looking more closely that they noticed I wasn’t Richard.
Anyway, it did get a huge laugh, and I had people coming up to me all day and the next telling me it was the funniest moment of the whole meeting. In fact, I was stayed in the those clothes the rest of the day (Richard changed into more casual clothes) and twice — twice — people came up to me and talked to me thinking I was Richard.
So in the end, even though it didn’t go exactly as planned, we still pulled off a great joke. Now I just have to think about what to do next year…
February 2nd, 2006 at 10:50 pm
That is awesome! I would love to do that some time. It is sort of like the end of “A Tale of Two Cities”, except luckily you didn’t lose your head over this one.
February 2nd, 2006 at 11:37 pm
That’s a riot! Thanks for a great story Phil!
February 2nd, 2006 at 11:53 pm
Hilarious! I hope there is a video of this…
February 3rd, 2006 at 12:02 am
Actually, it’ll be on the TAM4 DVD, no doubt.
February 3rd, 2006 at 5:02 am
It’s your gait, mate
February 3rd, 2006 at 6:02 am
The people sitting next to me had no clue that the switch occurred and asked me why everyone was laughing.
February 3rd, 2006 at 7:41 am
Actually what gave it away for me was in the post about TAM3 Phil talked about meeting Wiseman and how they looked alike. In fact I think that picture up there is from TAM3 not TAM4. When Wiseman started talking about the switch trick it became very obvious that they were going to try the same thing.
February 3rd, 2006 at 8:30 am
Fantastic!
Are you sure you are not twins separated at birth?
February 3rd, 2006 at 9:44 am
It was a great bit. I wouldn’t have noticed the switch right away except that the night before you brought Adam Savage (MythBuster) into the bar and were talking about how you, he, and Richard Wiseman could be triplets.
February 3rd, 2006 at 11:15 am
Awesome!!! ^_^ ^_^ ^_^
February 3rd, 2006 at 11:18 am
Awsome!!
I need/want more pictures from TAM4, though.
February 3rd, 2006 at 1:14 pm
Funny story. This made my day. I wish I was there.
February 3rd, 2006 at 3:39 pm
Aha! Awesome. I love tricks like that! I guess I’ll have to go for that TAM4 DVD!
February 3rd, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Good One, Phil!
Have you noticed that you have a Psychic Employment ad running on your Blog? It’s right at the top of the screen…
Hiring Gifted Psychics
Phone psychics needed. Work from home. Experience required.
http://www.hiringpsychics.com
It’s either Cosmic Irony or another Plait Joke. Place your bets, folks!
Regards;
Tom Epps
All At Sea…
February 3rd, 2006 at 5:31 pm
Nice story, Phil. The photo makes it look like the gag would have worked if you weren’t among so many people who know one or both of you personally (at least socially). It would have been a good one to pull on a crowd less familiar with you, although I suppose it was pretty much a one shot deal.
On another note, is it likely that the DVD will be available to be shipped to Australia, and also that it will be all regions (region 0) so I can actually watch it here?
February 3rd, 2006 at 8:47 pm
Good one!
Not many people would have the opportunity to do something like that..
Please say the DVD will be available and watchable in Aust., there are more than one interested parties here..
February 4th, 2006 at 2:08 am
Lol
I really want to watch the TAM4 DVD now!
*prays that it will be OK in australia*
February 4th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
I was about half way back in the audience and had no idea what had happen, just that something had, until I heard your name mentioned. Very good prank! (Also super presentation Sunday morning — thanks)
February 4th, 2006 at 4:13 pm
ah, memories…
I think a number of things spoilt the surprise – there was a lot of talk of how much the two of you looked similar during the preceding days, you talked about your uncanny resemblance in the bar and ,yes, you were trying to pull a fast one on a bunch of skeptics
February 5th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Great stunt.
February 6th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
I was fooled… the people behind me started laughing, and I smiled just acting as if I knew what they were laughing of, but didn’t understand that it was you before you started talking and gave it away… great idea!
February 7th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
I was actually expecting Dr. Wiseman to put your picture up during the slide presentation. It was definitely funnier when you walked out on stage though. So I guess it’s safe to say that I wasn’t fooled, but did appreciate the humor of it! Well done.
February 9th, 2006 at 8:44 am
Phil,
Good to see you at TAM4!
You talk – well, write – about Richard Wiseman, whom you describe thus:
“and he speaks with a British accent”
Well, no, Phil. You speak with an American accent. Richard speaks English.
But the joke was hilarious…. I was in the back, and it took me quite a few seconds to realize why everyone was howling.
It is actually quite scary how close you two are in apperance. No wonder you are called “The Evil Twins Of Skepticism”…