Frank Santos Jr

10 (or so) questions with... Frank Santos, Jr.


A hypnotist/comedian who will be performing his R-rated show at Treasure Island Resort and Casino in mid-November.

RM: Of these senses, which sense would you lose, in order: hearing, touch, taste, sight.
FS: First would be taste. I guess hearing next. Then sight. Then touch would be the last one I’d lose.

RM: My wife said touch first, and that made me sad.
FS: Exactly. I think touch is the most amazing sense in life. You have to be able to feel things.

RM: How often do you hypnotize your wife?
FS: She won’t let me. She heard too many stories from my stepmother. My dad is the guy who started the R-rated hypnotist act. Everyone in the business knows him. He’s been doing shows for about 30 years.

RM: Being a hypnotist is your full-time job?
FS: Correct. I do shows three to four times per week. When it gets slow in the winter sometimes I do weight loss and quit smoking sessions. And right now I’m helping out my uncle, who runs a farm [in Rhode Island, where Santos lives]. He sells pumpkins, cornstalks, hay, all that stuff. I’ve been doing shows at night and picking pumpkins during the day. It’s a family business. It’s good exercise.

RM: I’m pretty skeptical, but I did a story on Anthony Cools, another R-rated hypnotist, and I was on stage when he hypnotized people. And I’m sure they weren’t acting.
FS: Definitely. Everybody goes under in certain ways. Some people get really deep into hypnosis. You need someone to go really deep to do different skits with them, especially the R-rated stuff. You have to have a real good subject.

RM: Does anyone ever try to fake it?
FS: People always try to fake it, but I can tell, and I just send them back to the audience. You can tell by the eyes. If they are relaxed enough their eyes glaze over.

RM: What was it like growing up in a home where your dad was a hypnotist?
FS: It was great. He took me everywhere and, when they’re not in school, I can take my kids [a 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son] everywhere. It was really really good growing up like that.

RM: Which 1980s all-girl band had number one hits with “Walk Like An Egyptian” and “Eternal Flame?”
FS: Bangles.
RM: Yes. Remember that thing Susanna Hoffs did with her eyes in the “Walk Like An Egyptian” video?
FS: Yes, I do.
RM: I do too.

RM: Has any gig ever gotten out of hand?
FS: I do a routine that I tell a man that his [Editor’s note: Most of this story had to be deleted] ... and when I saw him he was physically touching himself on stage. I finally saw it and had to stop it. I was like “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” The crowd loved it, but I didn’t want to get in trouble.

RM: OK.
RM: I’m thinking of an animal.
FS: You’re thinking of an animal.
RM: Yes. Can you guess what it is?
FS: A cow.
RM: No, it was a monkey. I really like monkeys.

RM: Does anyone ever want to kick your ass at a show?
FS: Yes. I’ve almost had my ass kicked a few times.
RM: You’ve actually had people go after you during a show?
FS: During a show. It’s stupid. The people volunteer. Usually it’s some guy’s girlfriend on stage, and I’m not even doing anything bad, and the guys get all jealous. Usually there’s a bouncer there to help me out.

RM: What yard line must a football team reach in order to be in the "red zone"?
FS: The twenty.
RM: Yes.
FS: The football questions are good for me.

RM: Cheesy psych quiz. Tell your favorite animal and three adjectives to describe it.
FS: Dog. Friendly, loyal, playful.
RM: Second favorite animal and three adjectives.
FS: Cat. Never around, barely have to feed it, quiet.
RM: Third favorite animal and three adjectives.
FS: What would my third favorite animal be? I like going to the zoo with my kids, so I do like the gorilla. Gorilla. Human-like, interesting, mysterious.
RM: OK. Your favorite animal represents how you think others see you. Your second animal is how you see yourself. And your third animal is how you really want to be.

RM: If someone tells you to hypnotize them, what are the odds you can do it?
FS: One-on-one, maybe 50-50. When I do a show at a nightclub, I’m hoping for 20 percent of the room to volunteer. With 150 at the club, that’s 30 people. Of those, maybe I keep half onstage. Say 12 to 15. Of those, I’m hoping to get 6 to 8 people who are really under, really deeply hypnotized. So 6 or 8 out of 30.

RM: Can you hypnotize me over the phone?
FS: Probably not over the phone.

RM: What do you do, that thing where you start talking in a deep soothing voice saying “Now relax your toes. Now move up from your toes and relax the tops of your feet. Now your ankles are completely numb ...”
FS: I don’t get that specific. I would normally count from five to zero. Then I say “Let your eyes get heavy. Close your eyes. Let your shoulder muscles relax. Let your neck muscles relax. Your arms are heavy, your legs are heavy. ...”

RM: What the ...? What happened to the t - Rochester Magazine

Frank Santos Jr. brings R-rated hypnosis show to Abington
By Mikaela Slaney
Thu Sep 18, 2008, 04:03 PM EDT

ABINGTON -
Well, they weren’t dressed in spandex and helmets.

But that didn’t stop three high school-aged boys from doing their best karate chops, spin kicks and somersaults across the stage while the familiar Go Go Power Rangers anthem played in the background.

It may have been unusual behavior for them, but for Frank Santos Jr., a second-generation hypnotist from Rhode Island, it was just another day, and another part of his hypnosis comedy show.

On Friday, Sept. 19 Santos will bring his act to the Abington American Legion, 1027 Washington St., to benefit programs and charities supported by the Abington American Legion Auxiliary.

The act is considered an “R-rated” performance, intended for adults only.

“Nobody gets naked or anything, but I do a lot of high school shows and it will be more than what I do with them,” he said. “[Hypnosis] is a state of relaxation. I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, something against your morals.

"A lot of people think it’s like a trance, but that’s not it. I can’t make you rob a bank because you realize you’d be arrested. You’re not asleep. Everything around you, you’d be able to see and smell and hear.”

Tickets to the show cost $20. A door prize and 50/50 raffle will also be featured.

For tickets call Abington Legion Ladies Auxiliary Jr. Vice president Donna Leach at (508) 245-6639 or ladies auxiliary president Marilyn Tower at 508-335-1470.

“We do a lot of give backs for the community,” Leach said. “We give scholarships every year.”

The ladies auxiliary sponsors school field trips and gives out fruit baskets to members who are sick. The auxiliary also sends care packages to troops stationed overseas, including several hundreds of boxes of Girl Scout cookies.

During the Christmas season, the auxiliary also gives care packages to seniors staying at local nursing homes.

Leach said Santos Jr. has been able to raise money for worthy causes while also providing entertainment to local adults.

“The last time we had him it was an absolute hoot,” Leach said. “It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, I laughed the whole time. It’s just so funny what he gets people to do.”
Interviewed by phone Tuesday afternoon, Santos, 34, said he was introduced to the world of hypnosis at age 5 by his father, Frank Santos Sr., who continues performing hypnosis shows today.

Santos Jr. said he does not do father/son performances, because it may be confusing for people who are in a hypnotic state to hear two different voices telling them what to do.

Not only did the younger Santos receive firsthand training from his father, but he also took several college courses on hypnosis and traveled the country to get certifications, he said.

He performed a similar act last year as part of a fundraiser at the American Legion and was asked for a repeat performance this year.

“That sold out, so they brought me back,” Santos said. “I make them believe they’re singers, dancers, believe that certain words are actually swear words. They get mad at me when I say ‘thank you.’”

Under hypnosis, some normally shy people sing, and audience members are amazed to find the person is actually a good singer, he said.

“And then some people are awful, and that’s even funnier,” he said. “If you go to a show or actually try it yourself — not everyone can be hypnotized — but if you go to a show, you can tell who’s really doing it.”

Santos said he tests audience members before the show to see which participants will be susceptible to hypnosis.

“You have to be willing; you have to focus; I need your utmost concentration and your trust,” he said. “If I go to a club, I always ask about 20 people to volunteer and give them a hypnotic test. If you fall into me, you trust me to catch you.”

Santos said the best part of his job is helping people unwind and enjoy themselves.

“I really like to make people laugh,” Santos said. “The best thing is when people come and bring their friends and are laughing. If you know someone on stage, especially during an adult show, I can make you do a lot of fun, crazy things you wouldn’t normally do.”

But it’s not all fun and games.

Santos said he also uses his gifts to help people who are struggling with their weight to stay on a diet, and has also helped diehard smokers finally kick the habit.

“Every year I’ve had someone come up to me and say it’s my one-year anniversary of being a non-smoker, and they say ‘I want to thank you’,” he said. “If you’re at my shows, I always ask if there are any smokers who want to become non-smokers. But you really have to want it and have the will power to do it.”

Reporter Mikaela Slaney may be reached at MSlaney@cnc.com. - Patriot Ledger