If you’d like to have some laughs with your friends and go through some spells of forgetfulness (without alcohol), give Gary Conrad your undivided attention.

The hypnotist has been honing his craft for over 17 years, and he’ll have all of Ames under his spell when he magically appears at Johnny Orr’s Sports Grille, located at 1206 S. Duff Ave.

Conrad said that he got into hypnotism in the first place because it had always interested him. Like a kid fascinated with Tyranosaurus Rex who devours every book on dinosaurs, Conrad studied up on this ancient practice and employed friends and family as guinea pigs.

“It just always seemed like a good thing to do,” he said. “I can’t answer why. I always thought it would be cool to study hypnotism. I learned mostly through reading and practicing on anybody who would listen to me.

“If you wanna be an automobile mechanic, you get books, start to understand things. But the most important thing is to pop that hood and get your hands dirty. I’ve been getting my hands dirty since ’79.”

Conrad explained that hypnotism has its earliest known roots in ancient Egypt, and that most civilizations have employed some type of it for a couple different uses.

“Hypnotism is basically used fortwo things,” he explained. “First is behavior modification-slash-therapy. For people to gain weight, lose weight, stop smoking, stop procrastinating.

“The other thing it’s used for is entertainment. It’s like theater. It’s like psychic karaoke. I’m the director of fun, and they’re the star of the show.”

The theater metaphor is an excellent way of describing how Conrad conducts his shows. He pays complete attention to each individual participant and lets him or her fulfill his or her own deep-seeded wants.

He talked about one man from a show in Savannah, Ga., who worked in a factory during the day. At the show, while hypnotized, the man said he was Luciano Pavarotti and began belting out a song like he really was the portly opera singer.

“I saw in him that he had a broad range of abilities, talents and references,” Conrad said. “The more references they have, the greater parameters they have [within which] to perform. I like to tune in to their creativity. I want them to be Eddie Murphy, or Alanis Morissette or Beavis and Butt-head. A lot of it is within them. What I like to do is bring that out. In a certain way, it’s a souped-up visit with your friends where everybody’s acting.”

And Conrad makes sure that the audience participants are in the spotlight, not him. He wanted to stress that hypnotism simply demonstrates how creative the brain is. “A lot of it is the audience,” he said. “The focus is on them. The focus is not on me. It’s a demonstration of the span of the human mind. You can have them at age five in kindergarten, remembering who used to sit next to them, and 15 minutes later, you can have them forgetting their own name.”

After so many years, Conrad is a successful hypnotist whose talents are in high demand all over the country. “I do over 500 appearances a year,” he explained. “It’s tough to have a regular life and address.”

To help combat the problem of jet lag and living out of a suitcase, Conrad has taken to spending several days, many times over a week, in the same location. It’s not only good for his personal well-being, but this method has entranced audiences wherever he goes.

“It’s a marketing approach,” he explained. “It’s easier on a performer. I know my way around Des Moines now. It’s more like you have a life, rather than one day in Des Moines, one day in Ames, one day in Sioux City, and you’re packing and unpacking. So I’ve built up a sort of following in Des Moines.”

Gary Conrad will be at Johnny Orr’s tonight through Sunday. The show is for people aged 19 and up. Tickets are $6 and may be reserved by calling 233-0244. They may also be bought at the door.