-WHAT
DO YOU WANT TO BURN TODAY?
by the Gods, this be the Home Page of...
"Is True Mastery of the Elements But a Dream?"
Mephisto the Master is a 32-year veteran fire-eating performer in the United States.
He still travels nationally,
mainly performing circuses, carnivals, and Renaissance-theme festivals.
WARNING AND DISCLAIMER: The pictures and descriptions that follow are placed here for entertainment, amusement, and educational value ONLY. They are not meant to be an endorsement or encouragement to any rubbernecking rubes or wannabe's who would be foolish enough to attempt these stunts without proper training. Any burns or injuries sustained by ANYONE, professional or not, are their responsibility, and theirs alone. ALL fire-eaters get burned. Many seriously, some fatally. BE FOREWARNED.
(OPENING) (PROJECTS) (PHOTOS) (FAQS) (TIPS p.1) (LINKS)
To email the Master, substitute the @ sign for AT in the below address. This has been put in place to protect Mephisto from SPAM.:
theMasterATfyretr.com
-This is the most direct way to reach Mephisto.
-Or use this form for your convenience::
The Master regrets that questions already addressed within the FAQ and TIPS pages cannot be answered repeatedly on individual bases. Please be sure your question has not already been answered herein before submitting it. All questions NOT covered herein are welcome and encouraged.
Thank you for your consideration.
Mephisto the Master is sometimes also available for performance and consultation.
Six-month prior reservation and booking is generally recommended. Contact Mephisto for details.
"...chucked college to become a Fire Eater A future teaching English seemed dull by comparison, he says. Today, (Mephisto) gets his jollies juggling fiery cotton balls on his tongue. It doesn't seem to matter that he is stone deaf and communicates by reading lips. After all, fire is visual, not verbal..." -Miami Herald.
"...You appear to believe in what you are doing..." -Professional magician, Toledo, Ohio.
-Not only does Mephisto (say, Meh-fist'-oh) truly believe in what he is doing, but that belief is contagious, and by the time his act is even half-way through, the audience too, believes in what he is doing, or appears to be doing, with his fires. Cotton balls afire in the 70's; karate-style flaming board chops in the 80's; breaking flaming boards with his head and live fire-walks in the 90's... They are all part and parcel to the Legend and the Master...
This is Mephisto, born and raised in the chilly winters of Minnesota, who loved to warm himself playing with matches as a child. As a young lad, he'd take on challenges from peers to see who could hold a match in their mouth the longest. Today, he is still putting matches in his mouth...and more...
The formal evolution of Mephisto as a professional stage Fire-Eater actually began in April of 1970. At the age of 23, and having done some amateur and semi-pro acting, magic, and mime, he was interested in developing or adapting something theatrical that could add some excitement for the audiences. A newspaper ad for a then-popular local nightclub featured a rock band from New Orleans, with a "fire-eater" as its leader. This show stirred memories of carnivals and especially Mephisto's own youthful play with matches and birthday candles. An ensuing friendship with this rock-band leader led to the revelation of a few basic "tricks of the trade" being revealed to him. Through trial-and-error and despite many burns and much discouragement from family and friends, Mephisto was performing semi-professionally within months of his decision to become a full-time practitioner of this lost and exotic art. In those days, amateur talent contests were just coming into vogue as nightclub entertainment venues. Mephisto entered a good many of these contests in the Midwest and either won or became a finalist in nearly all.
The name, Mephisto, was decided upon because it is generally connected with fire and the Keeper of the fires of Hades by anyone who has ever heard of the books and operas of Faust, Dante, and others. "The Flames of Mephisto," as he aptly titled his unique and original performance, was granted First Award for Originality at the 1971 convention of the renowned Society of American Magicians.
From 1973 until 1978, Mephisto toured the U.S. with World's Fair Attractions, presenting his performance with carnival and circus side shows. During this time, he made appearances with Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey, Circus Vargas, Milwaukee Summerfest, Boston Cityfair, Busch Gardens/Tampa, the Rolling Stones' Hotlicks Express, and several of the nation's largest State Fairs.
Mephisto has appeared at several Renaissance Festivals around the country; Done street performing from Fargo, ND to New Orleans, LA; Provided entertainment at weddings, Christmas parties, concerts, corporate events and trade shows. He helped build, and performed in, a frontier-type "medicine show" for 12 years. He has also done television talk-show and advertising spots, and appeared in numerous national magazine and newspaper feature articles.
Today, Mephisto is recognized by many in the entertainment industry as a Master, and probably the foremost, of the art of Fire Manipulation, as it is correctly termed.
Mephisto is an ordained minister (ULC), trained paralegal, practicing Pagan/Wiccan, and shaman-in-training. -He can legally perform baptisms, marriages, handfastings, Moon Goddess rituals, uncontested divorces, name-changes, bankruptcy filings, last rites and burials, and whatever it takes to "cover you coming and going!"
"Don't Get Burned -Get the Master."
(OPENING) (PROJECTS) (PHOTOS) (FAQS) (TIPS p.1) (LINKS)
Website designed and created by Mephisto the Master 
November 18, 2003
