The first time I saw Penn & Teller style of magic...

I met Harry the Hat Anderson on the Drag in Austin in 1977 doing street magic. Here is his classic ...

Back in 1982, "Harry the Hat" Anderson performed a geek trick "You know about geeks? They work the midway of a circus, biting the heads off chickens, swallowing live snakes, eating ground glass - they're party commandos." by shoving a needle through his arm. As his blood trickled to the floor, Harry called the screaming spectators "a bunch of namby-pambies", insisting it was all a trick. Mimicing a violinist by moving the needle back and forth through his wound, Harry caused an even louder reaction by asking "Would you like me to play 'Melancholy Baby'?".