
#699: Apollo Robbins, The World’s Most Famous Pickpocket — Pickpocketing the Secret Service, Manipulating Attention, Famous Con Artists, The Psychology of Deception, Self-Defense Techniques, The Secret Language of Thieves, and More
The Tim Ferriss ShowThu Oct 19 2023
Magic as an Escape and a Journey:
- Started off as religious, deeply entrenched in the world of religion from a young age
- Developed an interest in magic as a way to escape and find something different
- Found a plastic thumb and called a magic shop to learn how to use it
- Met Ben Stone, who introduced him to the world of magic and mentored him
- Read books on magic and learned various tricks and techniques
- Experimented with coin manipulation and mentalism
- Joined a magic club where he could learn from other magicians and gain more knowledge and skills
The Influence of Animation:
- Learned about animation through books like "The Illusion of Life" by Disney's nine men
- Applied principles of animation, such as secondary actions and slowing in/out, to his performances
- Blended concepts from animation, martial arts, jazz, dance, and sleight of hand to create his own unique style
Critical Moments and Influential People:
- Meeting Daryl Martinez, a touring magician from Las Vegas who encouraged him to pursue magic professionally in Vegas
- Recognizing that many magicians had exceptional skill but lacked business sense or ambition; decided to bring those elements together himself
- Moving to Las Vegas with the goal of becoming a professional magician
- Working freelance design jobs while performing on the side
- Encouragement from hypnotist Justin Trans led him to quit his job as an artist and pursue magic full-time
Impact of wife:
- Influenced career and life, broadening perspective beyond entertainment
- Encouraged involvement in research and academia, providing support and guidance
Significance of silver ring:
- Made from a silver coin, symbolizing connection to magic and coin manipulation
- Reminder of where he came from in his craft
Attention and perception in the field vs. scientific circles:
- Practitioners often ahead of scientific research in their field
- Believes more exploration is needed on tolerance for uncertainty
- Interested in how people engage with uncertainty in politics and society
Coin levitation trick:
- Figured it out through practice and experimentation, requires unusual muscles and training to make something animate
Recovery when things don't work:
- Different social contract allows for improvisation and adaptation during performances
- Turns failures into opportunities for new tricks or surprises
- Ability to adapt based on audience reactions and feedback loop
Loading items on people:
- Adds flair, surprise, and playfulness to performances
- Creates memorable experiences for the audience members involved
Connection with scientists:
- Introduced by Teller, recognized potential collaboration between Apollo Robbins' skills and neuroscience research
Pickpocketing and Deception Techniques:
- The concept of confirmation bias in pickpocketing, using a baseline piece to create an assumption that there is only one valuable item.
- Importance of curiosity and questioning success in deception, avoiding overconfidence and remaining open to different perspectives.
- Role of confidence in deception, using low status or humility to manipulate attention and miss important details.
- Differentiating Apollo Robbins' style from traditional magic, focusing on misdirection, strategic thinking, decision-making, and enhancing awareness.
Personal Experiences with Pickpocketing:
- Apollo Robbins' encounter with Jamal, successfully stealing his pen while distracting him through misdirection techniques.
- Utilizing personal experiences with pickpocketing incidents to gain insights into thief behavior and develop countermeasures.
- Exploring the world of Wismob (traveling teams of thieves) and studying their language and tactics for understanding theft methods.
Preventing Theft:
- Advice for individuals in crowded areas or events: minimize carrying unnecessary items, hide valuables or secure them creatively (e.g., coffee cups).
- Importance of situational awareness and avoiding distractions like excessive phone usage or wearing headphones in public spaces.
- Significance of satisfaction-of-search during theft prevention by giving potential thieves inconspicuous items to find rather than leaving valuable items exposed.
The Illusion of Knowledge Project:
- A new venture creating content focused on deception awareness, personal data protection, and critical thinking skills.
- Repackaging shows/experiences to engage people in learning about these topics.
- Raising awareness about the illusion of knowledge's impact on decision-making.
Notable Figures and Groups:
- Titanic Thompson: Famous con artist skilled in gambling and proposition bets.
- The 40 Elephants: UK criminal group specializing in theft through clothing alteration and boosting techniques.
Con artists and pickpocketing:
- Mention of con artists like Titanic Thompson, Joseph Wheel, the yellow kid, and Count Victor Lustig.
- Examples of their cons, such as selling the Eiffel Tower twice and performing intricate scams.
- Description of unsinkable Titanic Thompson's skills in card hustling and cheating.
- Personal encounter with Rod, a former con artist who invited Apollo to join his team.
Learning through deception:
- Apollo's approach to parenting by using covert learning strategies.
- Teaching his daughter to think creatively instead of using the word "boring."
- Encouraging her to use her imagination and find something to do when she feels bored.
- Repackaging hard lessons as other activities or concepts to foster learning without resistance.
Apollo Robbins' online presence:
- His presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter under the handle @ApolloRobbins.
- Discussion about different social media platforms he engages with or avoids (e.g., TikTok).
- Websites where people can find him: apollorobbins.com or isteelstuff.com.
Apollo's future projects:
- Introduction of Equivoke, a new website combining an entertainment blog with video content.
- Collaboration with individuals like Simon Henderson, Anthony Perkanis, and Ava Doe for interviews and educational content related to cons and deception techniques.