Harrison Greenbaum: A Jewish Magician’s Guide to Reading People

Harrison Greenbaum does 900 shows a year. The Harvard grad turned comedian-magician has been called "the hardest working man in comedy." He's also the guy who wrote his college thesis on whether jokes can make people less racist. Turns out the answer is complicated — and there's one type of humor that can actually make prejudice *worse*.

Harrison gets honest about the sharp rise in antisemitism showing up in his comments, the audience member who blurted "no" when he said he was Jewish, and why being a grandson of Holocaust survivors makes him want to talk about Jewish stuff *more*, not less. Plus: why so many magicians are terrible, and how to (maybe) reverse-pickpocket a mentalist.

Follow Harrison on socials @harrisoncomedy

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**What We Discuss:**

00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda

02:09 From Magic Camp to Harvard's Jewish Fraternity

06:30 The Secret Algorithm of 900 Shows a Year

12:00 His Thesis on Whether Jokes Fight Prejudice

17:30 Being a Jewish Comic in a Weirder Climate

22:00 Running Off to Join Cirque du Soleil

25:00 Why Every Magic Show Looks the Same

29:00 The Reverse-Pickpocketing Sting Operation

32:00 What the Jews Bring to Magic

34:06 Closing Remarks & Guest Nomination