Contributed photo
IN ACTION — Houlton native Sam Johnson appeared on the television show “America’s Got Talent” June 11, earning a spot in the Las Vegas episode on July 16-17.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — It is not every day that a native of Houlton can be spotted on a national television show.
Sam Johnson, now a resident of Burlington, Vt., appeared on the television show “America’s Got Talent” June 11 performing a death-defying handstand on a “sway pole” 80 feet in the air without any harness or safety net.
His act impressed judges Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel so much that he earned a direct ticket to the show’s Las Vegas competition. His next appearance will be either Tuesday, July 16 or Wednesday, July 17, when the show begins the next round of competition in Las Vegas.
“America’s Got Talent” is a talent show where participants show off their abilities for a $1,000,000 prize. Contestants range from vocalists to dancers to more extreme acts, such as Johnson’s.
During the episode, Stern stated, “I can’t even look up that high … it’s making me ill. He’s insane.”
After his outdoor performance, Johnson stood before the judges to see if he would be accepted for the next round.
“It is a definite ‘yes’ from me,” Stern said. “We need you on this show. People love danger and you know how to do danger.”
Mandel said, “That seemed like the most dangerous thing I ever saw. The fact that you are not even tethered; the fact that there are no nets; the fact that it was windy; the fact that the pole is 80 feet tall … you sir, are nuts.”
“I didn’t know what was going to happen … and I liked that,” Mel B added.
A master juggler and aerial performer, Johnson has performed at various festivals, carnivals and as a street performer for most of his life. He currently lives in Burlington with his 5-year-old son Phineus and works as a lawnmower mechanic.
A member of a Border Patrol family, Johnson lived in several places before landing in Houlton as a child. He attended Houlton schools from second grade until his senior year in 1998, when his family was transferred to Puerto Rico four months prior to his high school graduation.
Although he technically graduated from Puerto Rico, he spent 10 years in the Houlton school system and considers himself a member of the Houlton High School Class of 1998. Johnson will actually be in Houlton on Saturday, July 6, to attend his 15th class reunion.
He began juggling at a young age, thanks to a performance he saw at the Gentle Memorial Building as part of the Rec Center’s New Year’s Eve festival for children.
“There was a juggler there named Randy Judkins, who was a Maine entertainer, who was performing,” Johnson recalled. “He needed a volunteer and called me up onto the stage. He did a juggling skit with me and from that point, I was hooked.”
Johnson said he remembers going home from the Rec Center that night and telling his father about what he experienced. 
Sam Johnson
“My Dad could juggle three balls, so he showed me the juggling pattern that night,” he said. “I remember staying up juggling with my Dad until I was forced to go to bed. When I got up the next morning, I started juggling again and I just never stopped.”
As a teen he joined, “Circus Smirkus,” a traveling show based out of Vermont, where he performed during his summer vacations. He was known to bring his juggling gear to school with him and would juggle at recess or at lunch.
“I was really fascinated with juggling,” he said. “I was a real energetic kid, so I needed something like that … an outlet. I needed something to focus and I was crazy about juggling.”
Johnson said juggling allowed him to get into a meditative zone and focus his energy in a positive way. He said the Houlton school system was very supportive of his juggling skills and by the time he reached high school, Johnson would perform at pep rallies and other school events.
“The school was always supportive,” he said. “All the teachers, everyone, they were all really into it. They got to watch it all blossom.”
After graduating high school, Johnson trained on the aerial sway pole under the guidance of the retired Swedish grand master Bernt Wirengard. He toured the fair circuit for a number of years before finding himself on the street performing.
He was invited to the prestigious World Busker’s Festival in Christchurch, New Zealand.
After five years of honing his skills, while performing up and down the Eastern Seaboard from New York City to Key West, Fla., he returned to the fair circuit, where he started his own troop. Performing under the name “Slackwire Sam,” Johnson has performed across the country at venues such as The State Fair of Virginia, North Dakota State Fair and Arizona State Fair.
He has also appeared closer to home at the Houlton Agricultural Fair, Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle and Bangor State Fair from 2008-09.
Despite performing around the world, his one appearance at the Houlton Fair remains one of his highlights.
“Coming back to Houlton to perform was just so comfortable,” he said. “Being in Houlton was just phenomenal and so much fun. Everything was so familiar. I always wanted to get booked again.”
His performances involve a bit of everything. He can ride a unicycle on a trapeze wire, while cracking one-liners to entertain the crowd, because showmanship is everything. And of course, there is plenty of juggling with everything from knives to flaming batons. His performances can be found on the Internet by searching for “Slackwire Sam” on Youtube.
Johnson said he gave up performing a few years ago, so he could devote more time to his son.
“I haven’t performed for about two years,” Johnson said. “I split from my wife, and our son is with me. I felt it (carnival life) wasn’t a healthy lifestyle for a 3- to 4-year-old child at the time to be in. So I quit.”
Johnson said he was contacted by scouting agents for the television show back in March, who asked if he would be willing to do his sway pole act on their show.
“A lot of people do apply and they have open auditions, but they also have a team scouring the Internet for acts,” Johnson said. “They saw one of my sway pole videos and asked me if I would come to New Orleans to do the act. I had to make sure I could still do it before I said ‘yes.’”
It wasn’t the first time that producers from the show reached out to Johnson. He was contacted a few years ago, but his traveling schedule did not allow him time to do the show.
“Even though I was an entertainer, it was impossible for me, while I was still performing, to be available for them at random dates,” he said.
Johnson said, because of a non-disclosure agreement, he could not elaborate on what his next stunt will be on the show, but promised it would be entertaining.
To view a clip of Johnson’s audition, go to www.nbc.com.americas-got-talent.com.
