BY PAUL SLOTH
Journal Times | Posted: Tuesday, April 8, 2008 12:00 am
MOUNT PLEASANT - Jeff Lang is teaching now, but he hopes to break into show business.
Lang, who lives in Mount Pleasant, is an entertainer, magician and part-time substitute teacher in the area. He is still working on his self-promotion skills.
It took friend and fellow performer Jason Schneider to make the call to let The Journal Times know that his college buddy would be a guest on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
Lang will perform during the show's "Don't try this at home," segment tonight.
Lang won't be in a Racine area classroom Wednesday, he'll be in California, presumably warming up for his first appearance on national television.
Schneider, who lives in Sturtevant, thought it would be funny to let the local newspaper know that his friend would be on TV.
"Jeff is kind of shy about it. I figured I sort of give him a push. I think it's kind of cool," Schneider said.
Schneider called to share the news of his friend's trip to Burbank, Calif., where Leno records his show. Lang could not be reached. He spent most of the day Tuesday traveling.
The two met at Northland College. These days, they do a magic show together.
Schneider, also known as the "Madman of Magic," was on Leno's show a few years ago. His act involved a bed of nails, a unicycle riding friend and a carton of eggs.
He helped his friend, Lang, get on the show this time and he had some advice to share.
"Just go out there and do it and have fun," Schneider said he told his friend.
It was a lesson learned from his experience on the show.
"It's sort of surreal in some ways. In other ways it's just like doing a regular show," Schneider said. "You've got this one time to get it right. On national television, it's recorded."
Time and Channel
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno airs locally at 10:30 p.m. central time on WTMJ-TV channel 4.