Ex-NYPD cop John Carlson making a killing as magician/ventriloquist
He’s no dummy!
Brooklyn native John Carlson gave 20 years to the NYPD before retiring in 2002 in the sadness and sorrow that followed 9/11.
Carlson — who grew up in Bensonhurst idolizing renowned magic man Doug Henning — then reinvented himself as Mr. Magico, magician-ventriloquist to the stars.
“I was done, It was time to put in my papers. As much as I was young, I wanted to dedicate time to magic and ventroliquism,” Carlson, 61, told The Post.
Over his career, Carlson and his wooden sidekick, Rocky, have performed for the families of rocker Chris Martin, actors Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead”) and Jimmy Smits (“NYPD Blue”), and “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro.
“We did his [Martin’s] show two years ago,” Carlson recalled of the private summer party. “They made me sign a [non-disclosure agreement] and it was in the Hamptons, and Gwyneth [ex-wife Paltrow] was there. … Paltrow’s mom, Blythe Danner, was there too. This woman never laughed so hard.”
Carlson especially liked the zombie apocalypse star Reedus, who had a birthday party for son Mingus, who’s mom is supermodel Helena Christensen. “He helped me carry my stuff from the car into their Soho apartment,” the magician fondly recalled. “He was very cool.”
Carlson, who cut his teeth performing his act in schools [as part of an NYPD educational program while a cop], went from chasing murderers — he once tracked down a gangbanger in Sunset Park — to making a killing on stage.
“I’m making a lot more money now,” the Bayville, NJ resident said, noting his rookie NYPD salary was “$16,000 and change.” These days Carlson gets $350 for a standard 45-minute show of balloon animals, magic and smart aleck ventriloquism.
He also heads mrmagico.com, which features a stable of 100 performers who fill the bill for shows Carlson — he does about 300 gigs a year — can’t headline.
“These poor cops that are coming on now get no respect and no pay. It’s just not rewarding to be a cop anymore,” Carlson observed. “Back then when you made an arrest, people in the department were proud. Today, people almost frown upon it.”
Carlson added he’s changed with the woke times. “Today with people being more sensitive … I don’t have [Rocky} pick on people. A line I would use [back in the day] was, ‘Hey Lady, I know it’s not polite to ask a woman her age … so how much do you weigh?’”
Carlson said kids can sometimes be as tough to deal with as a perp.
“When I do a party, if the parents have their s–t together, then the kids have their s–t together. If the kids are running around and playing with my stuff and the parents don’t say anything…” Carlson noted.
The former police officer — whose NYPD Harbor Unit boat transported stranded downtown civilians to New Jersey on 9/11 — said one of his craziest gigs occurred two decades ago in Staten Island.
“The father and uncle were drunk out of their face and they were heckling me and the kid was heckling me. And Rocky asked the kid, ‘How much did you have to drink?'”
Carlson also recalled a particular Howard Beach job. “I did a show for the Gotti family and I had to say, they were very respectful – and they tipped very well,” he laughed. “Of course I didn’t tell them I was a cop!”
