By Marta Rose-Thorpe
Gary Michaels moved to Panama City Beach from Lexington, Kentucky in 2020. Central Kentucky, where he lived, is one of the most beautiful places in the world, he feels. “It’s a black hole… there’s something about the feel, the people, the surroundings – it will definitely suck you in. I love Kentucky!”
For years he had been coming to the Thunder Beach Bike Rally, which he loves, and his daughter and grandkids were here. “I wanted to move to a tourist town where I could perform every night,” he recalls of the urge to move south. “I’ve always loved Panama City. I first came to PCB in the late nineties. I had lived in Miami for exactly one year, and it was bizarre! It was hot, but no place for a country boy. I worked at three radio stations and did two comedy shows twice a week – and sang in two bands.”
After that Gary had to move north to get back to the south. He left Miami for Dothan, AL where he lived for two years, and sang in a band “that we just threw together,” while still coming down to PCB during Thunder Beach. He finally left Dothan to go back home to Lexington, and that is when he met April.
“At Bike Week a few years ago, I met a group of girls,” his story goes. “I went to Georgia to visit one of them. That night I met April (who hails from Covington, Georgia, 40 miles east of Atlanta) and I hypnotized her… and the next night. We became friends and all hung out.” She was seeing someone at the time, but eventually the other relationships didn’t work out, and the two finally ended up together. “April is by far the best partner and friend that you could ever hope for,” says Gary. “I was married once, 32 years ago, and I thought I’d never get married again.” The two have plans to tie the knot soon.
Gary’s been in show business for most of his life, with a long resume of talents and skills. “Anything in the entertainment world that you can think of, I’ve probably done it,” he offers. From his commercial voice-over artist work he is one of the most recognized voices in the nation, as well as an accomplished magician, comedian, narrator, radio and TV personality, actor, master of ceremonies, and he’s also sung in rock and southern rock bands and a country band called “Saddletramp.”
So how does one begin one’s career as a Biker Comedy Hypnotist? I wonder aloud. “I’ve suffered from depression for many years,” he shares. “People would ask, how did you get through it? It got to the point where I couldn’t afford to keep seeing my doctor – but I needed help; I needed medication. I decided I wanted to figure out a way to deal with the depression without medication, and I found hypnosis. I would go on YouTube and watch lectures on hypnotism. I would research it for hours. In my research I came across some comedy hypnosis and thought, I can do this!
“I started mixing comedy and acting with hypnotism – and then I started practicing. Next thing you know I’m starting to hypnotize people. I used it for myself to deal with my depression but found a way to incorporate it into a stage act with magic. It just morphed and evolved from there – and it keeps evolving.”
Gary then explained some interesting fun facts to me on hypnotism. “On one end of the bell curve, there is 2.14 percent of the population that can never be hypnotized. 68 percent of the population is ‘average subjects.’ Five to ten percent are above-average subjects. And 2.14 percent of people are Somnambulistic – the BEST hypnotic subjects. They have an incredible ability to focus; these people go very fast and deep into hypnosis.”
Hypnosis can happen immediately, he shares, and voice has a lot to do with it. Hypnosis is a common state of mind; we are all in a hypnotic state of mind 70% of the day. No one, he says, will ever do something under hypnosis that goes against their morals, values, and beliefs. Everyone has a different type of personality.
So, what’s up next for this multi-talented entertainer? “Maybe doing several shows on the Good ‘Ol Boys Cruise in 2023 – you never know! I enjoy making people laugh. If I can do something that makes you laugh and makes you remember the fun, then I’ve accomplished what I want to accomplish. You can do the same bit every night, but each person is going to have a different response, because each person is different.”
To book Gary Michaels for your next corporate event, cruise ship act, casino act, bike rally, or private party, visit him online at GaryMichaels.net.
