He’s traveled across the country, astonishing crowds with his hypnotic skills and bringing to many an experience they literally won’t remember. Comedic hypnotist Jesse Conner, dubbed on his website as the “Copperfield of Hypnotists,” will perform his magic Sept. 20 to 22 at the Déjà Vu Comedy Club.

**[MOVE]:** So, what is comedic hypnosis exactly?

**[The Sandman]:** It’s when hypnotists perform live shows and do stuff to make the audience laugh. I put 10 to 12 audience members on stage and make them do goofy things.

**[M]:** What got you interested in it?

**[S]:** I started out as a professional musician at 15, and I quit that (on) the night I found out how much money hypnotists made. I was back on the road within two weeks hypnotizing. Hypnosis is a vehicle for the stage, and I like to call myself an entertainer.

**[M]:** How did you begin your career?

**[S]:** I went out to school in California and studied under Gil Boyne. He was the executive director of the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners. I studied under the top dog in the world at the time. I attended the Hypnotist Training Institute of Los Angeles, which is closed now. It was a school designed for hypnotherapy. I took a 101 course, learned basic hypnosis and began touring and performing. Now I’ve been doing it for 38 years. Hypnotism is a layman’s technique. Anyone can learn.

**[M]:** How was the name “The Sandman” born?

**[S]:** One night I was sitting with my kids watching “March of the Wooden Soldiers” (“Babes in Toyland”) with Oliver Hardy. … (There was) one character that looked like a ghost that put people to sleep. That was the day I became The Sandman.

**[M]:** How does hypnosis work?

**[S]:** When you enter hypnosis, you are fully aware and fully awake. Your body becomes very relaxed. We close the conscious mind, open up the subconscious and drop in mechanisms. It’s like when you smell something that brings back a memory — the smell is the mechanism. It causes the reaction. Everything you see and do is registered in the subconscious mind, no matter how fleeting the action is. The period is so short between the time of suggestion and reaction that it stays in the forefront of the subconscious. People think that the hypnotist controls the subject — we do not. We present suggestions, and if presented correctly, they become reactions.

**[M]:** How do you know if someone is faking it?

**[S]:** When you are a hypnotist for a long time, you become aware of the different levels of reaction. I can read the subject on stage and know what to give for a suggestion of action based on a combination of reactions. This entertaining is what keeps the show alive.

**[M]:** What should people expect at your show?

**[S]:** To laugh at themselves or at their friends. They’ll see the craziest stuff ever. People come up to me after the show and say things about their friends like, “We know him, and he would have never done something like that!” The thing is, he would if he was given the chance! Lots of things will happen here when you least expect them to.