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Flip Orley - Sleep Has Never Been So Funny

Flip Orley is a comedy hypnotist that won’t leave a venue without the audience being thoroughly entertained. Not only does he have a dedication to his clients and audiences, but the gravely morning voice in our interview signifies the utter exhaustion he faces due to his dogged determination in the course of performing his trade. “I’m in Washington DC right now and usually I behave,” he remarks off-handedly. “But between the time change, a show Friday night that lasted until 6 am, a show last night that went until 5 and the two more shows I have tonight, my voice is a little bit subdued this morning.”

We’ll just have to excuse Flip for the unbelievable ethic that has caused this momentary lapse in his electric personality. A personality that in fact makes him one of the most exciting entertainment options for a host of clients from clubs and colleges to top tier corporate groups. A likable modesty makes Flip what he is, but he also knows full well that sometimes it can hold him back a little too. “I know it is terrible to admit it in this day and age, but I have to admit that unfortunately I am not a very good self-promoter (laughs). I have a hard time patting myself on the back and exclaiming all of my virtues.”

Fortunately for us, Flip makes an exception and does just that, much to the benefit of an article that seeks to extol the highlights of what is Flip.

There are certain benefits and risks when it comes to programming a hypnosis show for a corporate audience and Flip covers all of your bases. While in a moment he offers certain cautions to anyone considering working with hypnosis in an entertainment capacity, he first touts some of the most prevalent benefits of the genre. “I guess what I find most interesting about hypnosis in general is the fact that every show is different and literally on any given night, any one person in the audience can get up on stage and become a part of the show. I think that is a uniquely appealing part of this genre. Sure, there are other forms of entertainment that use audience participation as a part of the show, but this is the only one in which the audience themselves are the stars. This is the same key point, which makes each and every show so unique and exciting every night. Things are so fresh that not even the performer is on stage just going through the paces of the same old show, because even I don’t know what will happen from night to night! That’s why I love my job.”

And what makes people love Flip loving his job is the very genuine and personal approach he takes with each and every aspect of his profession. “Compared to other (hypnosis) shows, I am a little bit different. One of the most important aspects of differentiating my show from a lot of the others is the fact that I can provide a safe, reliable and clean show for a corporate audience, every single time, guaranteed. I think hypnosis in general can scare a lot of planners because a lot of hypnotists believe (and therefore audiences expect) that the volunteers from an audience are there to entertain the audience at the volunteers’ expense. Everyone seems to think that the volunteers need to be the punch line no matter the cost. I understand that while the volunteers are the punch lines and the stars of the show, there is absolutely no reason they should be so at their personal or professional detriment.

“Some of the performers I have seen are so mean-spirited, fairly embarrassing, objectionable, offensive and sometimes even demeaning. I can understand where some people might find that funny, but it’s not my cup of tea and it’s not what most corporate or special event planners are looking for.” It is indeed a proposition any planner could find frightening; to be faced with a performer that is purposely offending and alienating your audience. And, the most unfortunate part is that it turns planners off of this particular genre of entertainment, which can be so enjoyable when done properly. “There are really two challenges when it comes to corporate work. The first of which is knowing how to work clean; in this more politically correct environment, how does one balance entertainment with respect for people?

The second question that is absolutely vital for corporate hypnotists to field becomes how to get volunteers on stage in an environment where there could be so much pressure and potential for embarrassment for any given attendee? “The last thing you want to do at any show but most especially one in a corporate environment is to have some person get up on stage and do something personally or professionally detrimental to themselves simply because I cavalierly ignored the realities of the type of group I’m working for. If that person came in to a pink slip the next day for something they either said or did due to my performance, it would be completely unacceptable.”

Flip is so adamant in this notion of good clean fun and keeping embarrassment locked up for another day that he even drills every audience he performs for on his show basics. “When I do corporate events, I tell audiences straight up front what to expect. I list a litany of things I won’t do, the whole ‘bark like a dog’ or ‘squeal like a pig’ thing. Then I also try and reassure everyone that I am not going to ask them any personal questions; I won’t get them to say anything about the people they work with or work for, and I am not going to do anything that will in any way cause them to be concerned about their job security. I mean come on, we are talking about people’s careers here and its not funny, fair or something that I could personally live with if I affected that unduly in any way.”

All of this sounds great in theory, but just how is it executed? If it were so easy, then everyone would do it, but clearly Flip Orley has been able to step out of the box and do things in his own way. “While the club experience and those corporate engagements are much different, I still try and take the same approach regardless. In a club I can be a little bit more liberal and I have to worry less about volunteers’ language; but the thing of it is I am pretty safe either way. I think it’s unfortunate that a lot of people think things have to be on the edge to be funny or embarrassing to be entertaining. I think that if you give people half a chance, their creativity, their imaginations and their minds are plenty entertaining enough without having to tip-toe through the minefield of controversy.”

Flip describes a fascinating phenomenon of human behavior that strikes him as much today as it did when he was a kid, though granted the problem has been greatly exacerbated of late. “When I was a kid, I used to watch ‘The Newlywed Game’ on television, and it blew me away the things people would say in front of the country and God on national TV. They go on stage to describe their first intimate encounter, not caring if their parents or their friends watched, all because they wanted a washer/dryer combo. I always thought that was bizarre. A few years ago you got the same thing on “Ricki Lake” or “Maury” or “Springer” where people would come on television and explain these things that were just incredibly embarrassing or bizarre. They might think it was funny or interesting at the time, but eventually they would have to go back to their co-workers and the people in their regular lives watched this show.”

The syndrome is still prevalent, with Fox’s “To Tell The Truth” as the most recent devious and intractable piece of trailer park TV art of this ilk. “That one is jaw-dropping to me. I absolutely can’t understand that. Talk about walking a razor’s edge, this show is playing with people’s marriages and lives. I remember the “Jenny Jones Show” which produced a homicide after one of their ‘Gotcha!’ shows; and this one looks like it is ripe for a suicide or something that will really be sad. I think it is a recipe for disaster and it is exactly the sort of spirit I consciously avoid representing in my show.”

This leads us into a perfect segue for how Flip’s show actually works, or how his mind makes his show work actually. “As much as some of the unfortunate mentalities in our society bother me, I consequently really enjoy poking fun at popular culture. In one of the bits that I do sometimes (and this works very well in the corporate market), everyone is transformed into this sort of old country, down-home, trailer park mentality where everyone is speaking with deep southern accents. They are hypnotized with the suggestion that they are all at this big ole’ country ‘bar-bee-cue’ and they all done seen one a them unidentified flyin’ saucers. The back-story is that this UFO didn’t just land in their trailer park, it crashed and did some damage. The volunteers are then explaining to the audience how this happened in detail with the hopes that somehow their story will be purchased by a tabloid.”

Of course the proceeds would be used to repair their defunct homes that were damaged in the crash. The most interesting part of this story though is in the recounting itself from the various volunteers on stage. “Even though these participants haven’t discussed this story with one another beforehand, their stories are so similar due to my suggestion that they build upon each other’s stories as they go. What you end up with is a very creative and richly textured improv from a group of people who don’t perform for a living. They are all listening, responding and reacting to each other just like a real improv troupe in order to weave this very interesting story about when they were all ostensibly attacked by aliens.”

And the greatest part about all of this is the fact that these talented and wonderful actors are your meeting attendees, your co-workers, maybe even your boss. The detail and richness with which your volunteers will perform will astound you. “Along with the story these people are concocting comes accents, physical gesturing and even emotional responses. When they try to describe their story to the audience, the audience usually responds with laughter and you will even see the volunteers appear with some self-righteous indignation because the audience doesn’t believe their story. From there, they will even take offense and provide even more details of the story because they think people don’t believe them. The bit builds and grows and takes on a life of its own and each and every person in the audience feels special because they know it will never happen the same way again. The next audience in the next location will react completely differently to each show, and I believe that provides my corporate clients with a true one-off, custom show for their audience each time.”

Flip sees a lot of repeat performances for this very reason. Add in his incredible professionalism, passion for the work and skill with people and you have one show your attendees will never forget. Consider bringing Flip Orley in to entertain at your next important event and you’ll realize, Flip is telling the truth when he says “Sleep has never been so funny!”

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Craig Neier
Craig Neier Associates
973-227-8787
info@craigneier.com