Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Los Angeles Magic Conference – Day 3
November 7
Saturday is the last day of the Conference. It brings with it one of the highlights of the weekend, a visit to John Gaughan’s workshop. The conference provided a shuttle bus from the hotel to the shop (and back). There are scheduled times, mine is at
For those who don’t know John is one of the foremost illusion builders in the world. He has built for Doug Henning, David Copperfield, and Ricky Jay, to name a few. He, also, is a restorer of antique magic and automata.
The ride, besides giving more time for us to hang out, gets us to the workshop a couple of hours earlier. I’ll need it. There is just too much to see. When I get there, I start taking pictures and pictures and pictures. It is almost a frenzy to document everything.
I pause.
I realize my photos will not do justice to the experience. It was a foolish folly to think I could get it all. I wasn’t enjoying it. So, the camera was put away and I took a break. John, besides opening his doors for us, provided lunch in the form of a barbeque. Not cheap burgers either, but real steak.
After my break, the idea was to savor the event. Take time and enjoy the moment. I was able to get Houdini’s autograph for John’s life-size Houdini automata. I was the fly on the wall in a long discussion on Houdini’s Water Torture Cell, next to a replica of the cell and by guys who have actually performed it.
I touched the talking skull of Joseffy and Kellar’s Psycho. Sat for a photograph, a Victorian novelty, in which the final product looks like I am sitting at a table play cards with 5 clones of myself. John demonstrated an amazing Doug Henning illusion, in which, from a flat table, a large humpbacked steamer truck appears, along with a woman inside.
I, carefully, touched tricks owned by Robert-Houdin, Heller, Hartz and others. Each one, not only a functional trick, but a fine work of art. It was quite like visiting a museum of art stuffed into a single room.
I wasn’t the only one. Nobody wanted to leave. They were in a daze. Even the hardest of men was left breathless at the sites. Tim Felix, head attendee wrangler, had to force people on to the bus, gently.
It cannot be overstated how generous this gift of John’s was.
This would be the entirety of the afternoon program. I doubt anyone was complaining.
Dinner was with my good friends, Mark and Sue Holstein. We sort of are starting a tradition of going to this terrific little Italian restaurant, not far from the hotel.
The evening program began with Jim Steinmeyer performing Beau Brocade. This is interesting, or should I say odd, we are watching an illusion that was mostly explained to us in a previous session. There were a couple of added touches in the performance. But there were some obvious flaws also and beyond the impracticability of the original method. There is a theme to tonight’s show, missing persons. Beau Brocade is the first, of several, vanishing women in the program.
Diego Domingo followed with a double talk on two missing figures in magic, George White and Doc Nixon. George White was Howard Thurston’s main assistant. The African-American was one of the stars of the Thurston show, but where he came from and where he went after his magic career was over has long been a mystery. Doc Nixon was a successful performer and creator of “where did the ducks go?” Then he disappeared from the magic world in a swirl of rumors. Diego did some amazing detective work to uncover the secrets in these men’s lives. The first of the talk was very good. Diego had problems with the second half and it fell flat.
William Kalush discussed the enigmatic Charlier’s life and his contributions to sleight of hand. Included was the long thought impossible “invisible” performance solution for Charlier cut. An excellent talk.
John Gaughan took the stage. In his understated way, he performed Charles Morritt’s creation, “Goodbye Winter.” This illusion was last seen in Houdini’s final tour. It is an amazing example of vanishing a woman from the top of table.
Mike Caveney closed the show with a performance of two pieces from magician, Paul Valadon, “The Drum That Cannot Be Beat” and “Well I’m…” The first a production illusion of many silks. The second a startling vanishing woman. The illusions were first performed in the Egyptian Hall and then again, when Paul toured with Harry Kellar.
After the show, it was out to patio for a coffee reception. I mean, after we picked up some cocktails, then it was the coffee reception. The cookies were delicious.
I’ve been to three Conferences. Of those three this was the weakest, then it would be difficult to top my experiences of the previous years. The first year I spoke and was my coming out party. The second was Hooker’s Rising Cards.
At the beginning of the Conference, Marvin Miller (I told you I’d speak of him again.) said he would be interested to read my blog and see what I thought was the highlight of the event. In these reviews, I’ve used the words kindness and generosity. I could have used them when speaking about every person I spoke to at the Conference.
I spent time with Mark Cannon, Jan Janson, Todd Robbins, Ward Hall, Jamy Ian Swiss, Joe Fox, Fred Pittella, Andy Lansing, Diego Domingo, Jim Steinmeyer, Frankie Glass, Lupe Nielson, Mark Holstein, Sue Holstein, Tim Felix, Mike Caveney, Scott Smith, Rob Zabrecky, Andy Lansing, David Goodman, Lisa Cousins, Bill Goodwin, Stan Allen, Mark Kaschube, Bill Kalush, Newell Unfried, John Gaughan, David Alexander and many others.
And Marvin Miller, Marvin is a former CEO, magazine editor, mystery writer. We come from very different worlds. As do many of the people, I get to hang out with at this Conference. We are not in the same social circles, except here. They all treat me with kindness and generosity. I love being able to be around them.
That is the best part of the Conference. The people like Marvin Miller. My best friends, even if it is only three days every two years.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Los Angeles Magic Conference – Day 2
November 6
I expect there is no need for me to go into detail about my waking up procedures. If you have seen Groundhog Day, you’ll know that every morning at the Conference was sort of like that morning. SSDM.
The first event of the day was the Eidophusikon. Every 15 minutes or so, 30 odd (in every sense of the word) magicians are herded into the exhibit room to see the 3 minute 45 second show. Then, they move to the backstage area to see the entire show again. My show time was
The show was a dramatic representation of Satan and his minions rising from the depths of Hell. Volcanoes, flowing lava, Satan’s palace, and his army are all static pictures painted on glass, which slide up into position. This makes a sort of three-dimensional painting that “creates” itself. In the 1781, the glass was lit in various ways by gaslight filtered through colored glass shades. In our case, inferior modern lighting took the gaslight’s place. Inferior because the modern lights did not have the natural flicker of the gaslights and, thus, much motion was lost.
Backstage it is an intricate coordinated effort by three performers to time the music, light and position the glass. It was really a cross of puppetry and stagecraft.
I expect, partially because of my interest in Toy Theater, I enjoyed the performance more than many of the other conference attendees. I see the historical through line. I also try to see how it can be presented in a historical and entertaining way to modern audiences as part of a larger production. And let’s face it, in this case, you have to sit and wonder how anyone was so entertained by this thing. A few others and I went in and watched the last performance while the final scheduled group got to see the backstage view.
One of the people I most looked forward to see was my friend, Jamy Ian Swiss. He came to the Conference late because of some booking conflicts. I just happen to catch him as he/I were headed to lunch. While I don’t always agree with Jamy, he always makes me think. That is what I want from my friends. We had a good talk, life, business, Houdini and the world of skepticism.
The afternoon session began with Will Houstoun. Will did an in depth study of a handwritten notebook on card magic from the Magic Circle Library. It is a first person account of seeing some of the great magician’s of the 18th century. Mr. Houstoun went into great detail of how he dated the manuscript, which was quite fascinating. That, alone, was a lesson in historical research. He also commented some of the more interesting observations of the unknown author. He has written a book on the subject including a facsimile of the notebook.
The second presentation was by Chris Woodward who told the story of Rameses-The forgotten star. He has a new thin book out about this “lost” performer. I find it odd to write this review because while I was there for the presentation, (I remember seeing the pictures and Mr. Woodward speaking.) I can’t remember anything about it. Apparently, Rameses will remain forgotten, at least in my mind.
David Charvet finished the session with a talk on Ade Duval. Ade created the Silken Sorcerer act that took him all over the world. By all accounts he was a fine, disciplined magician, timing out is act within a couple of seconds every show. David showed some rare vintage footage of Ade. He also has self-published a thin book on Ade. There was a story about Ade that I was surprised that David did not mention. Ade’s real name was Adolf; Jay Marshall told me that he changed his name at the beginning of WWII for obvious reasons. David Charvet shows this is not true. Ade was working as Ade since early in his career.
Dinner was with David Alexander joined our group for dinner. As usual, it is just fun hanging out with magic guys of high caliber. There are engrossing stories, hilarious joke, and salacious gossip.
The evening program began with Michael Albright, an executive with the BBC and long-time Prof. Hoffman collector. With proclaiming his utmost nervousness, unusual for someone who give presentations for a living, Michael gave an entertaining and interesting overview of Prof. Hoffman’s life and his books.
A Conference favorite for his usually entertaining presentations, Peter Lamont finished the “speechifying” portion of the program. It was a short talk on Annemann and his article in the Jinx magazine titled, “Was Dr. Rhine Hoodwinked?” Dr. Lamont speculated on Annemann’s theory and why it doesn’t make sense in the full context of all the facts. While the information provided was new and interesting, Dr. Lamont’s talk left me empty and wanting something more.
The final piece of the evening was a performance by Conference regular, John Carney of Robert-Houdin’s Orange Tree. This is a reproduction of the original tree created by John Gaughan. John did a poetic routine embracing this anachronistic prop. He then went into a sequence similar to the familiar canary, egg, lemon routine. He first vanished the silk, supposedly transporting it into the egg. The egg is then vanished. Both of these first two vanishes were as masterful as you expect from John Carney. The vanish of the lemon was not. Bad and obvious. In a clever turn, he proceeded to vanish the orange in stages. The fruit shrinking ever smaller until it existed no more. The magic was then made to bloom and bear fruit. The oranges were passed to the audience to show their reality. A final fruit grew at the top of the tree. A flock of butterflies came to life in the tree. The orange split open and two of the butterflies carried the silk out of the orange on wing. It is a beautiful effect, but I was left with one problem. What happened to the egg and the lemon?
Each year, Jim Steinmeyer and his wife, Frankie Glass kindly open their home for an invitation only reception. There are drinks and, with the aid of a special kitchen elf, Frankie lays out a scrumptious feast of hors d'oeuvres and baked goods. I am always grateful I can attend.
Back at the hotel too late for last call. What kind of bar closes at
Monday, November 16, 2009
Los Angeles Magic Conference-Day 1
November 5
I slept late. That is generally a given at these types of weekends, unless some ass schedules an early lecture session. Those who run the LA Conference are no asses. Even with sleeping late, I made it just under the wire for breakfast at the aforementioned Tula’s: eggs, over easy, bacon, very crisp, and wheat toast.
Registration was just off the new patio and since the dealer and exhibit rooms weren’t open yet, I bought hotel priced coke and stretched out on a couch. Need I say the weather was glorious?
Here I was able to go through my registration packet. Jim Steinmeyer did his usual great job with the program. There was a reprint of an 18th century Japanese magic book, actually a chapter of a larger book, much like Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft. This book was not a full translation, but an explanation of the artwork on 13 two-page spreads. This most interesting book was compliments of Max Maven and Ton Onosaka.
The program and the gift book were my leisurely reads for the afternoon. Occasionally, I would be interrupted, and not in the bad sense, by an arriving conference attendee. For example, Marvin Miller, who I’ve written about in my review of the last conference, stopped to say hello and chat. I’ll be writing about Marvin later also.
This year the conference was sort of a working, although hardly work, vacation for me. I had a mission. I am working on a Houdini project at the moment and I hope to talk to Bill Kalush about it.
Mr. Kalush co-wrote the most recent Houdini biography and is, perhaps, the most knowledgeable Houdini expert extant. He is a consultant to David Blaine and does a terrific pass. He has always been very accessible and generous with his time and knowledge. My curiosity was about what magic Houdini might have done early in his career, like the “King of Cards” years.
When I caught up with him and asked, he invited me to lunch. There is a little strip mall a couple of blocks away from the hotel. We walked over, grabbed a sandwich, and talked Houdini. (By the way, if you are a sandwich shop and you don’t have hot peppers or, better, giardiniera. What the hell are you thinking?)
The convention proper started at 2:30. I found my usual seat in back. I only ever walked out of a talk once, but I like to be close to the door in case another bad one pops up. Frankly, I have smart-ass tourette’s and if the speaker leaves me an opening, I can’t help but fill it. It is better for all involved if I sit in back.
Jeff Soltzing, the nephew of Johnny Carson and head of Carson Enterprises gave the first talk. He spoke on Johnny’s love of magic with some personal anecdotes about Carson performing. He then opened up the Carson archives to show some brief clips of magicians on the Tonight Show. There really wasn’t anything new here, especially if you are of the age that watched Carson. It is always nice to see Johnny in action. I find it a constant reminder of how good he really was and how bad most show (not only late night) hosts are. Get yourself over to youtube and watch some clips.
Burton Sperber spoke on collectable trading cards. The talk was somewhat disorganized and Burton is not a great speaker. Each one of the cards shows an effect on one side and then on the other side explains a trick that a person can do. He had some video clips of some noted magic people doing the tricks. All I can say is bad and amateurish. I sure there was a way to do this to be fun and perhaps he meant it to be, but it was just painful. I hate saying this about Burton. He is a good person. He produced a wonderful little souvenir booklet with full color images of the cards, front and back, a real high quality production. He gave them free to the attendees. What more can I say?
Chuck Jones put the life back in the room with the closing talk of the session. He spoke about his mentor, Dell O’Dell. Dell was the most successful female magician of her time and one of the most successful magicians of the time. Chuck remembered her life and punctuated it with a ton of photos. He also demonstrated some of her props. An excellent talk about a real worker by a real worker.
We all broke for dinner. I hooked up with Mark Cannon, Joe Fox and Fred Pittella. Mark spoke before me a few years ago at the conference. All three guys are into escape magic. I’m not. But as I know, you can learn a lot in just that situation. I take what I can and apply it to what I do. Anyway, it gave me a chance to pick Mark’s brain on my Houdini project. I ended up hanging with these guys most of the weekend. They were great fun.
As much as I have previous wanted to take a girlfriend to these types of events, I am glad I haven’t. It doesn’t matter how much she is into magic. I like having the freedom to hang with whomever I might be talking to at the time. I’ve made some great friends this way and had some great experiences in the process.
The evening session began at 8:00. First up was Mike Caveney. He gave a talk on the Ediophusikon. This is a late 18th Century novelty theater. Especially seeing the after seeing the inner workings, I would say it is the forerunner of the toy theaters that would become popular in the 19th Century. On the second day of the Conference, there would be a performance of a scene out of what would be a full evening performance. Then we would literally go behind the scenes to see it workings. The odd thing about the talk is that Mike, in a first for the Conference, talked down the experience.
Jim Steinmeyer took over to describe another piece well will be seeing, this time on Saturday night, Beau Brocade. This was a great “lost” vanishing lady illusion by David Devant. This is another example of Jim’s great detective work and brilliant thinking, solving the puzzle and bringing it to life.
Last, Todd Robbins was scheduled to interview sideshow showman Ward Hall. Todd, instead, ended up more like a piece of furniture; Ward needed no prompting to begin talking. Todd just pushed the button and let Ward go. He should be commended, it was Ward’s time and Todd was smart enough to stay out of the way. A lesser magician might not. Ward told stories of his life, pitched some DVDs, and performed the blade box assisted by my friend, Sue Holstein. If you want to know more about Ward, check my sideshow posts. I spent a day with him at the sideshow in 2005 and wrote a long piece on it called The Last Sideshow.
It was now off to the bar with some friends.
I slept late. That is generally a given at these types of weekends, unless some ass schedules an early lecture session. Those who run the LA Conference are no asses. Even with sleeping late, I made it just under the wire for breakfast at the aforementioned Tula’s: eggs, over easy, bacon, very crisp, and wheat toast.
Registration was just off the new patio and since the dealer and exhibit rooms weren’t open yet, I bought hotel priced coke and stretched out on a couch. Need I say the weather was glorious?
Here I was able to go through my registration packet. Jim Steinmeyer did his usual great job with the program. There was a reprint of an 18th century Japanese magic book, actually a chapter of a larger book, much like Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft. This book was not a full translation, but an explanation of the artwork on 13 two-page spreads. This most interesting book was compliments of Max Maven and Ton Onosaka.
The program and the gift book were my leisurely reads for the afternoon. Occasionally, I would be interrupted, and not in the bad sense, by an arriving conference attendee. For example, Marvin Miller, who I’ve written about in my review of the last conference, stopped to say hello and chat. I’ll be writing about Marvin later also.
This year the conference was sort of a working, although hardly work, vacation for me. I had a mission. I am working on a Houdini project at the moment and I hope to talk to Bill Kalush about it.
Mr. Kalush co-wrote the most recent Houdini biography and is, perhaps, the most knowledgeable Houdini expert extant. He is a consultant to David Blaine and does a terrific pass. He has always been very accessible and generous with his time and knowledge. My curiosity was about what magic Houdini might have done early in his career, like the “King of Cards” years.
When I caught up with him and asked, he invited me to lunch. There is a little strip mall a couple of blocks away from the hotel. We walked over, grabbed a sandwich, and talked Houdini. (By the way, if you are a sandwich shop and you don’t have hot peppers or, better, giardiniera. What the hell are you thinking?)
The convention proper started at 2:30. I found my usual seat in back. I only ever walked out of a talk once, but I like to be close to the door in case another bad one pops up. Frankly, I have smart-ass tourette’s and if the speaker leaves me an opening, I can’t help but fill it. It is better for all involved if I sit in back.
Jeff Soltzing, the nephew of Johnny Carson and head of Carson Enterprises gave the first talk. He spoke on Johnny’s love of magic with some personal anecdotes about Carson performing. He then opened up the Carson archives to show some brief clips of magicians on the Tonight Show. There really wasn’t anything new here, especially if you are of the age that watched Carson. It is always nice to see Johnny in action. I find it a constant reminder of how good he really was and how bad most show (not only late night) hosts are. Get yourself over to youtube and watch some clips.
Burton Sperber spoke on collectable trading cards. The talk was somewhat disorganized and Burton is not a great speaker. Each one of the cards shows an effect on one side and then on the other side explains a trick that a person can do. He had some video clips of some noted magic people doing the tricks. All I can say is bad and amateurish. I sure there was a way to do this to be fun and perhaps he meant it to be, but it was just painful. I hate saying this about Burton. He is a good person. He produced a wonderful little souvenir booklet with full color images of the cards, front and back, a real high quality production. He gave them free to the attendees. What more can I say?
Chuck Jones put the life back in the room with the closing talk of the session. He spoke about his mentor, Dell O’Dell. Dell was the most successful female magician of her time and one of the most successful magicians of the time. Chuck remembered her life and punctuated it with a ton of photos. He also demonstrated some of her props. An excellent talk about a real worker by a real worker.
We all broke for dinner. I hooked up with Mark Cannon, Joe Fox and Fred Pittella. Mark spoke before me a few years ago at the conference. All three guys are into escape magic. I’m not. But as I know, you can learn a lot in just that situation. I take what I can and apply it to what I do. Anyway, it gave me a chance to pick Mark’s brain on my Houdini project. I ended up hanging with these guys most of the weekend. They were great fun.
As much as I have previous wanted to take a girlfriend to these types of events, I am glad I haven’t. It doesn’t matter how much she is into magic. I like having the freedom to hang with whomever I might be talking to at the time. I’ve made some great friends this way and had some great experiences in the process.
The evening session began at 8:00. First up was Mike Caveney. He gave a talk on the Ediophusikon. This is a late 18th Century novelty theater. Especially seeing the after seeing the inner workings, I would say it is the forerunner of the toy theaters that would become popular in the 19th Century. On the second day of the Conference, there would be a performance of a scene out of what would be a full evening performance. Then we would literally go behind the scenes to see it workings. The odd thing about the talk is that Mike, in a first for the Conference, talked down the experience.
Jim Steinmeyer took over to describe another piece well will be seeing, this time on Saturday night, Beau Brocade. This was a great “lost” vanishing lady illusion by David Devant. This is another example of Jim’s great detective work and brilliant thinking, solving the puzzle and bringing it to life.
Last, Todd Robbins was scheduled to interview sideshow showman Ward Hall. Todd, instead, ended up more like a piece of furniture; Ward needed no prompting to begin talking. Todd just pushed the button and let Ward go. He should be commended, it was Ward’s time and Todd was smart enough to stay out of the way. A lesser magician might not. Ward told stories of his life, pitched some DVDs, and performed the blade box assisted by my friend, Sue Holstein. If you want to know more about Ward, check my sideshow posts. I spent a day with him at the sideshow in 2005 and wrote a long piece on it called The Last Sideshow.
It was now off to the bar with some friends.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Los Angeles Magic Conference – Day 0
The Los Angeles Conference on Magic History was held over a three-day period, November 5 through 7, 2009. This is my story of the event.
It doesn’t seem like two years. The conference is held every other year. I had to force myself start saying “last conference” because I found myself saying “last year,” repeatedly. Perhaps wishful thinking.
I flew out to LA a day early. I don’t travel much, not to anywhere, so I wanted to be a tourist. Just for a day.
My flight went out of O’Hare at 7:30 A.M., 80% full. The one trick I have learned traveling is that if you need space sit in back. This is the part of the plane that is most likely to have empty seats. It did. With the middle seat vacant, I could relax and stretch a little. Not as much a the guy in the row behind me, who was able to lay across all three seats and take a nap.
At LAX, I took the Super Shuttle to the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn. This is the regular conference hotel. I’ve written before on how much I like this hotel and my opinion hasn’t changed. In the two years since I’ve been here, they have improved.
The hotel expanded the lobby, the store, and built a wonderful patio out back. They also seem to have the friendliest staff. From the desk clerks and the door staff to the housekeepers and maintenance staff, all had a smile, hello or a good morning.
(I wish I could say the same for the attached restaurant, Tula’s. The service was slow to non-existent. They seemed overwhelmed and unprepared by the fact they had any business. The same goes for the hotel bar, Decoy.)
After a quick unpack and lunch, I snuck over to the main room where they were setting up the stage for the conference. I said hellos to those I knew, like Mike Caveney and Jim Steinmeyer. I had to ask Jim about the Magic Castle. The plan was to go to the Castle that evening but I could not remember the address for the cab. I thought I could get in because of being out at the conference.
Jim introduced me to Rob Zabrecky, who was performing that night. Rob put me on his list so I would have no problem getting in. Then when I said I was just going to take a cab over, another worker, Scott Smith offered to give me, a complete stranger, a ride. Scott, Scotto the magician, runs a contest at the Castle and physically walked me inside to ensure there would be no problems.
That Wednesday night the Castle celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the building itself. The place was packed and Vodka was the drink of the night. For the specials and for myself.
I only got to see shows in the parlor and in the palace theaters. John Lenahan performed a nice, relatively standard, stand-up comedy magic set in the parlor. I met Fernando Keops at the bar. Didn’t get to see him work, but I will say his jewelry would be the envy of Liberace.
In the Palace they were doing short, 25 minute shows with cabaret style seating. Bruce Gold hosted the show. He was affable albeit generic. Gregory Wilson, who is a fine close-up magician, did a forced set, trying to hard to gain the audience’s favor. Christopher Hart performed a solid set of tried and true material, an act he has spent 20 performing. Tina Lenert performed a silk and ring routine which had some nice ideas and moves in it. I think it may still be a work in progress and shows great promise. Rob Zabrecky performed a delightfully off-kilter act seemingly inspired by Charles Addams. And not the TV or movie Addams family but the original cartoons in the New Yorker.
One of the highlights of my stop at the Castle was the personal tour of the library by its slightly tipsy librarian, Bill Goodwin.
Actually I ended up not drinking as much as I expected, which forced me into being shanghaied into driving Tim Felix and Mark Kaschube back to the hotel. But first a stop at Jack-in-the-Box. No, I did not eat the tacos. I learned my lesson from last year, oops, last conference.
It doesn’t seem like two years. The conference is held every other year. I had to force myself start saying “last conference” because I found myself saying “last year,” repeatedly. Perhaps wishful thinking.
I flew out to LA a day early. I don’t travel much, not to anywhere, so I wanted to be a tourist. Just for a day.
My flight went out of O’Hare at 7:30 A.M., 80% full. The one trick I have learned traveling is that if you need space sit in back. This is the part of the plane that is most likely to have empty seats. It did. With the middle seat vacant, I could relax and stretch a little. Not as much a the guy in the row behind me, who was able to lay across all three seats and take a nap.
At LAX, I took the Super Shuttle to the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn. This is the regular conference hotel. I’ve written before on how much I like this hotel and my opinion hasn’t changed. In the two years since I’ve been here, they have improved.
The hotel expanded the lobby, the store, and built a wonderful patio out back. They also seem to have the friendliest staff. From the desk clerks and the door staff to the housekeepers and maintenance staff, all had a smile, hello or a good morning.
(I wish I could say the same for the attached restaurant, Tula’s. The service was slow to non-existent. They seemed overwhelmed and unprepared by the fact they had any business. The same goes for the hotel bar, Decoy.)
After a quick unpack and lunch, I snuck over to the main room where they were setting up the stage for the conference. I said hellos to those I knew, like Mike Caveney and Jim Steinmeyer. I had to ask Jim about the Magic Castle. The plan was to go to the Castle that evening but I could not remember the address for the cab. I thought I could get in because of being out at the conference.
Jim introduced me to Rob Zabrecky, who was performing that night. Rob put me on his list so I would have no problem getting in. Then when I said I was just going to take a cab over, another worker, Scott Smith offered to give me, a complete stranger, a ride. Scott, Scotto the magician, runs a contest at the Castle and physically walked me inside to ensure there would be no problems.
That Wednesday night the Castle celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the building itself. The place was packed and Vodka was the drink of the night. For the specials and for myself.
I only got to see shows in the parlor and in the palace theaters. John Lenahan performed a nice, relatively standard, stand-up comedy magic set in the parlor. I met Fernando Keops at the bar. Didn’t get to see him work, but I will say his jewelry would be the envy of Liberace.
In the Palace they were doing short, 25 minute shows with cabaret style seating. Bruce Gold hosted the show. He was affable albeit generic. Gregory Wilson, who is a fine close-up magician, did a forced set, trying to hard to gain the audience’s favor. Christopher Hart performed a solid set of tried and true material, an act he has spent 20 performing. Tina Lenert performed a silk and ring routine which had some nice ideas and moves in it. I think it may still be a work in progress and shows great promise. Rob Zabrecky performed a delightfully off-kilter act seemingly inspired by Charles Addams. And not the TV or movie Addams family but the original cartoons in the New Yorker.
One of the highlights of my stop at the Castle was the personal tour of the library by its slightly tipsy librarian, Bill Goodwin.
Actually I ended up not drinking as much as I expected, which forced me into being shanghaied into driving Tim Felix and Mark Kaschube back to the hotel. But first a stop at Jack-in-the-Box. No, I did not eat the tacos. I learned my lesson from last year, oops, last conference.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Film Archive
I been digging into the online archive of British Pathe. Most films date from the 20s through the 40s. Some wonderful, although slightly wooden magic performances, dastardly magic exposures, all sorts of jugglers and vaudeville performers, and some great Chicago footage can all be seen here.
http://www.britishpathe.com/results.php?search=chicago&o=20
http://www.britishpathe.com/results.php?search=chicago&o=20
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