From PRX, this is the Moth Radio Hour. I'm Jennifer Hicks. In this hour, stories from the world of performance and ritual, a musician, an undercover

revolutionary, an Iraq war veteran, and this first story from one half of Penn and Teller,

the legendary magician.

Most folks would assume you'd be hearing a story by Penn, the garrulous half of the duo,

but I'm really excited for you to hear, maybe for the first time, the quiet one.

The show was in Las Vegas, where we partnered with the University of Nevada Black Mountain Institute.

Here's Teller speaking out loud, live at the mall.

I get way too much credit when I talk.

When I was five years old, I went out in the cold to make snow angels in the snow.

About a week later, I came down with a cold, and it went straight to my heart.

I don't remember much about the stay in the hospital except being strapped to a bed for a

transfusion in the dark and a cold shaft of light coming under the door, but they fixed

me and I went home to recover, assisted by toast, tea, and television.

My favorite character from television was Howdy Doody.

For those of you who don't know, he was a cowboy marionette with red hair and freckles,

and he had a burly pal named Buffalo Bob, and there was a Native American princess named Summer, Fall, Winter,

Spring.

But most important to me was Claribel the Clown.

Clarabelle the Clown expressed himself without words only with facial expressions and actions and magic tricks. And I really liked

Clarabelle. And so Howdy Duty was not shy about marketing to children. So when they

offered a Howdy Duty magic set, I dutifully sent away my 50 cents and my three

musketeers wrappers and my index card with my name and address on it

...