I don't know if they will sell copies to nonmembers, but I have an article called "Walking the Magic City" in the newest issue of Magicol, the magazine of the Magic Collectors' Association. It is about a two mile walk in downtown Chicago which covers a broad range of Chicago magic history.
Unfortunately, I only had about a week and a half to research and write the article, but it is pretty complete for the areas of the walk. One of my strengths is research. The problem is you just cannot cover everything. Anytime you turn down one street or another you automatically exclude another street which may call home an equally important site.
The most depressing thing is that most everything I write about is gone. Long gone. Most I never was able to see myself.
I still miss them.
Showing posts with label article. Show all posts
Showing posts with label article. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Navy Pier Dilemma
The dilemma is not only Navy Pier’s, but also mine. I’ve put off writing this for a while, partially to let some of the feelings I had about leaving Navy Pier to dissipate. You should know I believe in Navy Pier or at least the possibility of it. The pier does have some problems. At the moment, it is at best mediocre with some good days. It could be great.
One of the problems is that Navy Pier has an identity problem. There is too little retail to be a mall. There is too little convention space to be a convention hall. There is too little entertainment to be an entertainment venue. The management at the pier doesn’t seem to want to decide what the focus should be, thus it’s individual parts add up to less that the whole. If the pier had focus, such as entertainment, the other parts would be plus extras.
One of the great fears of the management at Navy Pier is being thought of as a carnival. Remember what is at Navy Pier. There is miniature golf, a Ferris wheel, carousel, swing ride, Cirque Shanghai, fireworks, boat rides, and a beer garden. And they don’t want to be thought of as a carnival. They hire (although less and less) jugglers, magicians, contortionists, stilt walkers, and clowns. Not a carnival. They have in-house performers, who perform on stage and walk around. The theme of the in-house performers is a dated pirate motif. Not a carnival.
There are other problems besides perception. The budget for entertainment has been cut repeatedly. Money from that budget has been spent poorly. Big money is going to a sound guy to run sound on the main pavilion stage, not needed. Even before the economy took a dive, Navy Pier was in trouble. Despite what they proclaim on their website, Navy Pier has not seen 8 million people a year in many years.
The first step to a solution is to embrace the idea that Navy Pier is an entertainment venue. The entertainment brings people in the door. I know from observing the pier for the last 13 years. If we fear the carnival tag, let’s call it a festival mall.
Chicago does festivals pretty well. This is something we know.
My feeling is that the pier should foster the feeling of the Columbian Exposition or some modern equivalent. I want something wonderful around every corner. Remember, the vast majority of people that go to Navy Pier are not from Chicago. They are looking for something special, unique, and Chicago.
So how do we do this?
The pier does need a face-lift. Repainting. A change in facades. Let’s lose the generic mall feel to the place. Add some character, perhaps change the flooring in the Family pavilion to Chicago bricks like the streets used to be paved with. Change the lighting to old Chicago street lamps. Add famous street signs. There are many ways to “Chicago up” the place.
Now how do we add entertainment without breaking our budget?
First, hire real pros. Let the professionals do what they do best. One of the things Navy Pier has done is lock all the performers onto stages. I was always really against this. When the performers walked around, spontaneous shows occurred. This is a special thing for our guests. You never knew what corner you might turn and find fun. Good surprises like this create a feeling of excitement. These spontaneous rather than the structured shows create a feeling of uniqueness. When a guest sees something that seems like a once in a lifetime experience, it becomes an often told story.
I mentioned in a previous entry that when the entertainment ends the people leave. I saw that while working many nights at the shop. The pier closes at 10 P. M. weekdays and Midnight on weekends. The entertainment would spot at 7 P. M. and the sound man would pack up. The people thinking things were over, went for the exits. The few who stayed were looking for something to fill their interest. Idle crowds are trouble. The moral is when the pier is open there should be entertainment. I will give a couple of hours in the morning when entertainment isn’t needed because people are just coming in, but after that, get to entertaining.
Years ago, John Mills and Jim Ellis, of Mills productions, wanted to host a street performers festival at the pier. This, at least in Mills’ and my heads, was a perfect marriage. Quick name a world-class city…Madrid? London? New York? Miami? LA? Dublin? Any world-class city you can name has a rich cultural life including a tradition of street performers.
Chicago, a pretender to the world-class tile, does not have this tradition. Chicago’s boss mayor and big brother aldermen want to treat street performers as beggars and a public nuisance. Sad. Some of the best performers in the world are street performers. Performers such as Robin Williams and Harry Anderson have come from the streets.
Let’s fix this situation. Here's where we need "stage areas." Navy Pier can audition street performers to ensure only the best performers work. The pier can schedule times and places to perform their street shows. The better performers can get the better slots and beginners can get the lesser ones until they improve. The performers can gather the crowds and pass the hat. Navy Pier has quality control. The performers have their freedom to earn. The spectators have the illusion of spontaneity. The pier does not lay out a cent for performers. Chicago can have some great street performers and they can perform at a great venue.
This addition alone would probably solve most of the pier’s entertainment problems, at least during the summer. Winter is another story. But not yet.
Chicago has a rich theatrical life. If Navy Pier wants to lock performers to their family pavilion stage, they should reach out to the many local theater groups. These groups could perform on stage and promote themselves in the process. Again, they add additional variety and novelty to a rich entertainment fabric.
The other opportunity to reach out would be the various ethnic communities in Chicago. The pier does reach out to Polish, Chinese, and Mexican communities. The also do events for Black history month. What about our other ethnic neighbors? I imagine a series of weekends during the winter celebrating the entirety of Chicago’s ethnic diversity. Food, music, art and culture would be a learning experience as well.
Some other ideas I have are: Do an indoor winter mini Taste of Chicago. Remember the cows, during the winter have the pier grounds lined with snowmen decorated by the many local artists in Chicago. In summer, invite chalk artists to create murals along the pier promenade.
You see there are opportunities for more fun at the pier. You just have to embrace it. The pier would be more than just a festival mall.
Navy Pier would be an event mall.
Every day would be a once in a lifetime experience.
One of the problems is that Navy Pier has an identity problem. There is too little retail to be a mall. There is too little convention space to be a convention hall. There is too little entertainment to be an entertainment venue. The management at the pier doesn’t seem to want to decide what the focus should be, thus it’s individual parts add up to less that the whole. If the pier had focus, such as entertainment, the other parts would be plus extras.
One of the great fears of the management at Navy Pier is being thought of as a carnival. Remember what is at Navy Pier. There is miniature golf, a Ferris wheel, carousel, swing ride, Cirque Shanghai, fireworks, boat rides, and a beer garden. And they don’t want to be thought of as a carnival. They hire (although less and less) jugglers, magicians, contortionists, stilt walkers, and clowns. Not a carnival. They have in-house performers, who perform on stage and walk around. The theme of the in-house performers is a dated pirate motif. Not a carnival.
There are other problems besides perception. The budget for entertainment has been cut repeatedly. Money from that budget has been spent poorly. Big money is going to a sound guy to run sound on the main pavilion stage, not needed. Even before the economy took a dive, Navy Pier was in trouble. Despite what they proclaim on their website, Navy Pier has not seen 8 million people a year in many years.
The first step to a solution is to embrace the idea that Navy Pier is an entertainment venue. The entertainment brings people in the door. I know from observing the pier for the last 13 years. If we fear the carnival tag, let’s call it a festival mall.
Chicago does festivals pretty well. This is something we know.
My feeling is that the pier should foster the feeling of the Columbian Exposition or some modern equivalent. I want something wonderful around every corner. Remember, the vast majority of people that go to Navy Pier are not from Chicago. They are looking for something special, unique, and Chicago.
So how do we do this?
The pier does need a face-lift. Repainting. A change in facades. Let’s lose the generic mall feel to the place. Add some character, perhaps change the flooring in the Family pavilion to Chicago bricks like the streets used to be paved with. Change the lighting to old Chicago street lamps. Add famous street signs. There are many ways to “Chicago up” the place.
Now how do we add entertainment without breaking our budget?
First, hire real pros. Let the professionals do what they do best. One of the things Navy Pier has done is lock all the performers onto stages. I was always really against this. When the performers walked around, spontaneous shows occurred. This is a special thing for our guests. You never knew what corner you might turn and find fun. Good surprises like this create a feeling of excitement. These spontaneous rather than the structured shows create a feeling of uniqueness. When a guest sees something that seems like a once in a lifetime experience, it becomes an often told story.
I mentioned in a previous entry that when the entertainment ends the people leave. I saw that while working many nights at the shop. The pier closes at 10 P. M. weekdays and Midnight on weekends. The entertainment would spot at 7 P. M. and the sound man would pack up. The people thinking things were over, went for the exits. The few who stayed were looking for something to fill their interest. Idle crowds are trouble. The moral is when the pier is open there should be entertainment. I will give a couple of hours in the morning when entertainment isn’t needed because people are just coming in, but after that, get to entertaining.
Years ago, John Mills and Jim Ellis, of Mills productions, wanted to host a street performers festival at the pier. This, at least in Mills’ and my heads, was a perfect marriage. Quick name a world-class city…Madrid? London? New York? Miami? LA? Dublin? Any world-class city you can name has a rich cultural life including a tradition of street performers.
Chicago, a pretender to the world-class tile, does not have this tradition. Chicago’s boss mayor and big brother aldermen want to treat street performers as beggars and a public nuisance. Sad. Some of the best performers in the world are street performers. Performers such as Robin Williams and Harry Anderson have come from the streets.
Let’s fix this situation. Here's where we need "stage areas." Navy Pier can audition street performers to ensure only the best performers work. The pier can schedule times and places to perform their street shows. The better performers can get the better slots and beginners can get the lesser ones until they improve. The performers can gather the crowds and pass the hat. Navy Pier has quality control. The performers have their freedom to earn. The spectators have the illusion of spontaneity. The pier does not lay out a cent for performers. Chicago can have some great street performers and they can perform at a great venue.
This addition alone would probably solve most of the pier’s entertainment problems, at least during the summer. Winter is another story. But not yet.
Chicago has a rich theatrical life. If Navy Pier wants to lock performers to their family pavilion stage, they should reach out to the many local theater groups. These groups could perform on stage and promote themselves in the process. Again, they add additional variety and novelty to a rich entertainment fabric.
The other opportunity to reach out would be the various ethnic communities in Chicago. The pier does reach out to Polish, Chinese, and Mexican communities. The also do events for Black history month. What about our other ethnic neighbors? I imagine a series of weekends during the winter celebrating the entirety of Chicago’s ethnic diversity. Food, music, art and culture would be a learning experience as well.
Some other ideas I have are: Do an indoor winter mini Taste of Chicago. Remember the cows, during the winter have the pier grounds lined with snowmen decorated by the many local artists in Chicago. In summer, invite chalk artists to create murals along the pier promenade.
You see there are opportunities for more fun at the pier. You just have to embrace it. The pier would be more than just a festival mall.
Navy Pier would be an event mall.
Every day would be a once in a lifetime experience.
Monday, April 27, 2009
The 40th Annual Magic Collectors’ Weekend
An Overview
The weekend unofficially starts on Wednesday with the Knights of Sleight Annual Flea Market. While attendance was down by almost half, lucky buyers got to take advantage of some incredible buys. I purchased a $100 book for $20 from Fred Zimmerman’s table. I thought I did okay sales wise until I heard stories of dealers doing up to $2000 in sales. If you didn’t make it, you missed it.
Due to my current circumstances, I did not attend the whole weekend. I will report on the Friday sessions that I did get to see. Also, some general observations on the event as a whole.
The attendance was shamefully sparse. I am continually amazed that more Chicago magicians do not support a convention in their own backyard.
We can blame the economy for some of the shortage of bodies, but not all. I heard a rumor of some boycotting by long time members. Much of this grumbling is inside political stuff that I am not involved with. Some of it is personal which I cannot even say if it is true. I will say it speaks volumes of the perception of certain people and creates a disturbing impression that my ultimately destroy this event if no addressed. I will not go into specifics here. If the right person asks me the right questions, I will answer them honestly.
Once again, the hotel is less than adequate. The bar situation being one of, and one of my, complaints. In a town of many options, why isn’t there any others?
The dealers’ room was large and spacious. Unfortunately, this magnified the lack of buyers. It was still the right choice. If attendance met expectations, the room provided all the comfort needed.
The events were held in a pavilion tent outside the hotel. Many seemed upset by this, especially on first hearing such. I was. I was wrong. I liked the tent and no apologizes such be needed. The tent was an improvement over the banquet room. Perhaps it was the vaulted ceiling or the intimacy, but I liked the “feel” of it. The one drawback I did not experience, but I heard that when it rained, the rat-a-tat drowned out the speakers.
The Guest of Honor
Last year, many thought that Harry Anderson was the wrong choice for the guest of honor. He really has little if anything to do with collecting or the history of magic. This year, the guest was Johnny Thompson. Again, there were grumblings. They hold less water this time. I agree Johnny has little to do with collecting. However, this weekend is not just about props. It is about the stories those props engender. Johnny is living history, a prop creator and a link to some of the great magicians of the past. Something we are rapidly losing. He deserves to be honored.
The Friday Morning Sessions
As I mentioned last year, the sessions started too early. Not this year, the 11 A. M. start time worked. Plenty of time to recover from a late night and fuel up for the day.
Jim Alfredson started the day. He is the president for life of the Collectors’ Association. I like that. As a side note, I like this man immensely. At my first LA conference I really didn’t know anyone, Jim befriended me and made me feel welcome in a place I wasn’t sure I belonged. Whenever I see him, I try to give him the respect a man of his character deserves.
His talk was on the infancy of the Magic Collectors’ Weekend in the back room of Magic, Inc. It was an interesting reminiscence with pictures. He spoke of the tight quarters and informal nature of the event. It was a bit of show and tell. Something the modern weekend could use, a sense of community.
It was a time of our history being an oral tradition, perhaps the end of it. The stories told there became the foundations of Ricky Jay’s and Jim Steinmeyer’s books. Where else could you talk to a man-Dorny-who attended Houdini’s wake and could describe the condition of the corpse-overly made up to the point of clownishness.
There were “bedroom” dealers at the hotels with “milk house” room heaters on Lincoln Ave. where, back and forth from Magic, Inc., most of the magicians dodged the “working” girls that walked that street. That neighborhood has changed since then.
After Jim, came Tad Ware, who did a talk on the magician Nicola. He touched any many points in Nicola’s life, a few that stick out are:
Nicola, faced with being unable to use a particular theater during his tour, in five days had a 2000 seat pavilion built. He sold out the run. He excellent reviews and many of his performance in the states were standing room only also.
He repeatedly used Houdini’s publicity ploy of using large public escapes to promote his shows. Including at least once doing an upside down straitjacket escape from a balloon.
The talk ended with the dramatic story of Nicola and his staff being shipwrecked in the port of Shanghai. Two of his assistants were refused a lifeboat. They ended up helping to save many of the steerage passengers. They also took photos until the last minute when the finally jumped from the sinking ship. They survived, as did the amazing photos.
Lunch
One of the best things about the Weekend is spending time with friends. Gordon Meyer and David Solomon invited me to lunch. We went to Ted’s Montana Grill. Delicious. And some good talk also.
The Afternoon Sessions
The first speaker scheduled did not speak. If he is the cancellation I heard about, there was plenty of time to replace him. Apparently, the effort was not made.
Phil Schwartz started the session with a talk about the magic dealer Thayer at war. Spanning from the Spanish-American war to World War 2, he covered not only Thayer’s personal involvement but also anyone associated with the business. He spoke of prices increasing due to material shortages; the efforts of Thayer to sell war bonds; and the erasure of the once religious swastika image from the tricks now that it was a symbol of evil.
Kirsten Voris followed with a talk on Gene Dennis, the girl who knows. Many will remember Gene from the David Abbott book published by The Miracle Factory. She was one of the many popular psychics of the times. Perhaps one of the most famous. She caused a panic in California with one of her, ultimately false, predictions. She gruesomely solved a crime that was never committed. Gene tried to stick to stage entertainments, but the lure of money caused her to be busted for breaking the fortune telling statute in New York.
Gene may be a very early media whore. She made product endorsements. She allowed the press to follow her everywhere. She often showed up at police stations, with press in tow, to give her uninvited advice of cases. In her case, the medium was the message as she wrote a newspaper advice column, did radio shows, and published her own magazine. She was Oprah before Oprah. Mixing dubious advice with mystical nonsense.
Kirsten’s talk was good and interesting. She is an excellent writer. I have no doubts her book on Gene Dennis will be excellent. She does need to work on her speaking skills because she just read her script and never engaged or connected with the audience.
There was to be a presentation of films from the Nicola collection, but technical difficulties prevented this and we were left with about 4 hours for dinner.
Dinner
So full from lunch, I hung out in the dealers’ room where I spent $130 on a couple of broadsides that the estimable Robert Olsen was selling. On John Greget's table was a Disecto painted with a bright sky and puffy clouds. What the hell? Gordon guested correctly that it was painted in tribute to Doug Henning. Just exactly how do you present the dangerous arm chopping Disecto when it is painted sky blue with clouds?
I then headed to the bar where I got to hang with a few friends, Gordon, Brad, David, David, Dan, P. T., Ross, and Boz. It was also nice to see Frances Mai-ling and family. It was a great time, especially with Boz, one of my crazy uncles. Boz is an endlessly fascinating gentleman who is a terrific storyteller. He is a close friend of 46 years with Johnny Thompson. While he waited for Johnny, he got to talk diving with David and magic with Brad. I am glad I made the introduction. I think they are also.
The Evening Sessions
David Ben started the session with a collection of films from the collection of Sid Lorraine. The films were interesting to watch. They covered the years from the 30s to the 50s. David asked the audience to yell out magicians they recognized but few were forth coming. It would have been better for him to narrate. Some of the magic notables mugging for the camera were Percy Abbott, Mel Stover, T. Nelson Downs, Joe Ovette, Harlan Tarbell, John Ramsey, Bill Neff, Ted Anneman, and Edgar Bergen.
David then took the role of interview and sat down Johnny Thompson for a talk. I hope Jamy Ian Swiss will cover much of this in the new book on Johnny.
In no particular order just like the interview:
At 16, Johnny became a member of the Harmonicats.
He did his Vernon impression as Vernon insulted a bad act at the Magic Castle.
His acting teacher was Uta Hagen.
He was Frank Everhart’s fill in at the Ivanhoe and had to out Tullock Eddie Tullock at a trade show. Marshall Brodien faked a broken arm to get him into trade shows.
Of all the things doing bar magic in Chicago taught him, it was stamina that was most important.
Penn and Teller are the most fun and most challenging to work with. He spoke briefly of his work at Riverview Amusement Park and the 80s boob movie Lunch Wagon.
Final Thoughts
There are continually things missing at this convention. The Old and Seldom seen session was not restored. There was no museum type display ala the LA conference. The show was not relevant to the theme of the weekend.
There was a huge break midday, which should have been partially eaten up by presentations. Instead the preview the Jay Marshall auction which does not belong as part of the convention schedule, took attention. I hope the Magic Collectors’ Association is being reimbursed for the time spent on the auction. The attendees should not be paying to have that as part of their schedule.
This was to the 40th anniversary. There was only one talk on the MCA. Not much of an anniversary party. I hope there is more thought put to the 50th. The Weekend will have to survive until then.
Ultimately, if the Weekend is to survive, serious changes will need to be made. An improvement in the economy will not save this event.
I do look forward to the Weekend every year. I enjoy the talks. I do love that this weekend brings me near some friends I don’t normally see. Being able to send time with Mark and Sue was the best part of the whole weekend. Meeting Gale and Carol was a treat. I’m a lucky guy.
The weekend unofficially starts on Wednesday with the Knights of Sleight Annual Flea Market. While attendance was down by almost half, lucky buyers got to take advantage of some incredible buys. I purchased a $100 book for $20 from Fred Zimmerman’s table. I thought I did okay sales wise until I heard stories of dealers doing up to $2000 in sales. If you didn’t make it, you missed it.
Due to my current circumstances, I did not attend the whole weekend. I will report on the Friday sessions that I did get to see. Also, some general observations on the event as a whole.
The attendance was shamefully sparse. I am continually amazed that more Chicago magicians do not support a convention in their own backyard.
We can blame the economy for some of the shortage of bodies, but not all. I heard a rumor of some boycotting by long time members. Much of this grumbling is inside political stuff that I am not involved with. Some of it is personal which I cannot even say if it is true. I will say it speaks volumes of the perception of certain people and creates a disturbing impression that my ultimately destroy this event if no addressed. I will not go into specifics here. If the right person asks me the right questions, I will answer them honestly.
Once again, the hotel is less than adequate. The bar situation being one of, and one of my, complaints. In a town of many options, why isn’t there any others?
The dealers’ room was large and spacious. Unfortunately, this magnified the lack of buyers. It was still the right choice. If attendance met expectations, the room provided all the comfort needed.
The events were held in a pavilion tent outside the hotel. Many seemed upset by this, especially on first hearing such. I was. I was wrong. I liked the tent and no apologizes such be needed. The tent was an improvement over the banquet room. Perhaps it was the vaulted ceiling or the intimacy, but I liked the “feel” of it. The one drawback I did not experience, but I heard that when it rained, the rat-a-tat drowned out the speakers.
The Guest of Honor
Last year, many thought that Harry Anderson was the wrong choice for the guest of honor. He really has little if anything to do with collecting or the history of magic. This year, the guest was Johnny Thompson. Again, there were grumblings. They hold less water this time. I agree Johnny has little to do with collecting. However, this weekend is not just about props. It is about the stories those props engender. Johnny is living history, a prop creator and a link to some of the great magicians of the past. Something we are rapidly losing. He deserves to be honored.
The Friday Morning Sessions
As I mentioned last year, the sessions started too early. Not this year, the 11 A. M. start time worked. Plenty of time to recover from a late night and fuel up for the day.
Jim Alfredson started the day. He is the president for life of the Collectors’ Association. I like that. As a side note, I like this man immensely. At my first LA conference I really didn’t know anyone, Jim befriended me and made me feel welcome in a place I wasn’t sure I belonged. Whenever I see him, I try to give him the respect a man of his character deserves.
His talk was on the infancy of the Magic Collectors’ Weekend in the back room of Magic, Inc. It was an interesting reminiscence with pictures. He spoke of the tight quarters and informal nature of the event. It was a bit of show and tell. Something the modern weekend could use, a sense of community.
It was a time of our history being an oral tradition, perhaps the end of it. The stories told there became the foundations of Ricky Jay’s and Jim Steinmeyer’s books. Where else could you talk to a man-Dorny-who attended Houdini’s wake and could describe the condition of the corpse-overly made up to the point of clownishness.
There were “bedroom” dealers at the hotels with “milk house” room heaters on Lincoln Ave. where, back and forth from Magic, Inc., most of the magicians dodged the “working” girls that walked that street. That neighborhood has changed since then.
After Jim, came Tad Ware, who did a talk on the magician Nicola. He touched any many points in Nicola’s life, a few that stick out are:
Nicola, faced with being unable to use a particular theater during his tour, in five days had a 2000 seat pavilion built. He sold out the run. He excellent reviews and many of his performance in the states were standing room only also.
He repeatedly used Houdini’s publicity ploy of using large public escapes to promote his shows. Including at least once doing an upside down straitjacket escape from a balloon.
The talk ended with the dramatic story of Nicola and his staff being shipwrecked in the port of Shanghai. Two of his assistants were refused a lifeboat. They ended up helping to save many of the steerage passengers. They also took photos until the last minute when the finally jumped from the sinking ship. They survived, as did the amazing photos.
Lunch
One of the best things about the Weekend is spending time with friends. Gordon Meyer and David Solomon invited me to lunch. We went to Ted’s Montana Grill. Delicious. And some good talk also.
The Afternoon Sessions
The first speaker scheduled did not speak. If he is the cancellation I heard about, there was plenty of time to replace him. Apparently, the effort was not made.
Phil Schwartz started the session with a talk about the magic dealer Thayer at war. Spanning from the Spanish-American war to World War 2, he covered not only Thayer’s personal involvement but also anyone associated with the business. He spoke of prices increasing due to material shortages; the efforts of Thayer to sell war bonds; and the erasure of the once religious swastika image from the tricks now that it was a symbol of evil.
Kirsten Voris followed with a talk on Gene Dennis, the girl who knows. Many will remember Gene from the David Abbott book published by The Miracle Factory. She was one of the many popular psychics of the times. Perhaps one of the most famous. She caused a panic in California with one of her, ultimately false, predictions. She gruesomely solved a crime that was never committed. Gene tried to stick to stage entertainments, but the lure of money caused her to be busted for breaking the fortune telling statute in New York.
Gene may be a very early media whore. She made product endorsements. She allowed the press to follow her everywhere. She often showed up at police stations, with press in tow, to give her uninvited advice of cases. In her case, the medium was the message as she wrote a newspaper advice column, did radio shows, and published her own magazine. She was Oprah before Oprah. Mixing dubious advice with mystical nonsense.
Kirsten’s talk was good and interesting. She is an excellent writer. I have no doubts her book on Gene Dennis will be excellent. She does need to work on her speaking skills because she just read her script and never engaged or connected with the audience.
There was to be a presentation of films from the Nicola collection, but technical difficulties prevented this and we were left with about 4 hours for dinner.
Dinner
So full from lunch, I hung out in the dealers’ room where I spent $130 on a couple of broadsides that the estimable Robert Olsen was selling. On John Greget's table was a Disecto painted with a bright sky and puffy clouds. What the hell? Gordon guested correctly that it was painted in tribute to Doug Henning. Just exactly how do you present the dangerous arm chopping Disecto when it is painted sky blue with clouds?
I then headed to the bar where I got to hang with a few friends, Gordon, Brad, David, David, Dan, P. T., Ross, and Boz. It was also nice to see Frances Mai-ling and family. It was a great time, especially with Boz, one of my crazy uncles. Boz is an endlessly fascinating gentleman who is a terrific storyteller. He is a close friend of 46 years with Johnny Thompson. While he waited for Johnny, he got to talk diving with David and magic with Brad. I am glad I made the introduction. I think they are also.
The Evening Sessions
David Ben started the session with a collection of films from the collection of Sid Lorraine. The films were interesting to watch. They covered the years from the 30s to the 50s. David asked the audience to yell out magicians they recognized but few were forth coming. It would have been better for him to narrate. Some of the magic notables mugging for the camera were Percy Abbott, Mel Stover, T. Nelson Downs, Joe Ovette, Harlan Tarbell, John Ramsey, Bill Neff, Ted Anneman, and Edgar Bergen.
David then took the role of interview and sat down Johnny Thompson for a talk. I hope Jamy Ian Swiss will cover much of this in the new book on Johnny.
In no particular order just like the interview:
At 16, Johnny became a member of the Harmonicats.
He did his Vernon impression as Vernon insulted a bad act at the Magic Castle.
His acting teacher was Uta Hagen.
He was Frank Everhart’s fill in at the Ivanhoe and had to out Tullock Eddie Tullock at a trade show. Marshall Brodien faked a broken arm to get him into trade shows.
Of all the things doing bar magic in Chicago taught him, it was stamina that was most important.
Penn and Teller are the most fun and most challenging to work with. He spoke briefly of his work at Riverview Amusement Park and the 80s boob movie Lunch Wagon.
Final Thoughts
There are continually things missing at this convention. The Old and Seldom seen session was not restored. There was no museum type display ala the LA conference. The show was not relevant to the theme of the weekend.
There was a huge break midday, which should have been partially eaten up by presentations. Instead the preview the Jay Marshall auction which does not belong as part of the convention schedule, took attention. I hope the Magic Collectors’ Association is being reimbursed for the time spent on the auction. The attendees should not be paying to have that as part of their schedule.
This was to the 40th anniversary. There was only one talk on the MCA. Not much of an anniversary party. I hope there is more thought put to the 50th. The Weekend will have to survive until then.
Ultimately, if the Weekend is to survive, serious changes will need to be made. An improvement in the economy will not save this event.
I do look forward to the Weekend every year. I enjoy the talks. I do love that this weekend brings me near some friends I don’t normally see. Being able to send time with Mark and Sue was the best part of the whole weekend. Meeting Gale and Carol was a treat. I’m a lucky guy.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Save Our History
I received this note from a friend of mine. If you go to the comments page on the blog listed below there are two links for the petitions. Please Help.
Dear Fellow Comedy Fan,
There is an urgent movement afoot to save the historic Marx Brothers house from scheduled demolition. (Plus a baby companion movement, to rename the block it is on.) http://savemarxbrothersplace.wordpress.com/ Please consider "signing" these two petitions, both of which will soon be sent to the very mayor of New York City himself.And thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
Hoping you will forgive my one-time dabbling in world affairs, Emo
Dear Fellow Comedy Fan,
There is an urgent movement afoot to save the historic Marx Brothers house from scheduled demolition. (Plus a baby companion movement, to rename the block it is on.) http://savemarxbrothersplace.wordpress.com/ Please consider "signing" these two petitions, both of which will soon be sent to the very mayor of New York City himself.And thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
Hoping you will forgive my one-time dabbling in world affairs, Emo
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Chicago's Lost Magic Theater
In 1894, the Steinway Piano company commissioned Dwight Perkins to build a new building in Chicago at 17 Van Buren Street. Finished in 1896 the Chicago Musical College building, a 12-story high-rise, housed the 850-seat Steinway Hall and various offices. It was in financial trouble from the start. The theater suffered from poor acoustics and supports for the balcony blocked views on the main floor.By 1899, the situation worsened. Alexander Comstock came to save the Steinway Theater. He had managed Niblo’s Garden in New York and had wide experience in theatrical affairs. The task was great. The financial trouble deep.
A late summer heat wave cooked Chicago that early September. Thermometers reading near 100 did not stop huge crowds from attending Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. The Dreyfus Affair trial, gripping news from a half a world away, filled the front pages of the newspapers. It was the latest of the “trials of the century” to be debated in the homes and barrooms across Chicago.
In this Chicago, Comstock announced the reopening of Steinway Hall as a Temple of Magic. He based his hope on the some 40 years of success of London’s Egyptian Hall and the “experiment” in Philadelphia, Kellar’s Egyptian Hall in 1891.
“Magic,” said Mr. Comstock, “is the most ancient form of amusement and that it is still immensely popular is proved by the financial success of every modern wizard of cleverness and ability. Professor Herrmann, although an extravagant man, left a large estate and fully a dozen prestidigitators living in this country are wealthy.”
Comstock chose Edward Maro to open the new Temple. Billed as Maro the Versatile, he performed an act of magic, music, and art. He was a star in the Lyceum and Chautauqua circuits. At this time of his career, he was considered the heir apparent to the magic legacy of his friend Harry Kellar. Now, he was to perform a month in a Temple of Magic.
Chicago Tribune, September 3, 1899
Chicago Tribune, September 3, 1899
Opening of the Steinway
The Steinway had a happy opening last night as a “Temple of Magic,” a phrasing which hereafter is to be part of its title. An audience of respectable proportions was kept in good humor for over two hours by Maro, an entertainer of versatile talents. He divided his performance into three parts, appearing first as a magician, in the second as a musician and an artist, and in the third as a magician again. His tricks were not all novel, but they were cleverly done, and some of them apparently were of his own invention. His card tricks in particular seemed to cast in an original mold. In concluding his first part, he employed the “Chest of Mahatma,” a brass-studded affair which did not have a remarkable look. However, it served as a medium of transposing a Negro boy, whom the audience saw locked inside, and a Negro girl, whom the magician perched upon the closed lid. A whisk of a cloth disclosed the boy to view, and when the chest was opened, the girl was inside. In the second part of the program, Maro played upon several peculiar instruments and afterward posed as a lightning artist, drawing pictures in quick succession upon a canvas surface. Maro is to stay at the Temple of Magic for a month. Performances will be given nightly, with Wednesday and Saturday matinees.
Advertising for Maro’s performances lasted only a week. If he performed the full month, the newspapers ignored it. There is no other article on a Temple of Magic or other magicians performing there. On January 4 of 1900, the Tribune announces the sale of Steinway Hall, ending the magic theater experiment.
History would see Steinway Hall become more famous for the occupants of its top two floors. Frank Lloyd Wright joined a group of inventive architects, including the builder of Steinway Hall, Dwight Perkins. There they created the center of Chicago progressive architecture and formed the beginnings of Wright’s Prairie School movement.
The magic gone and forgotten, the theater itself languished. In an effort to change its luck, it was named and renamed of the years, first as the Kelly and Leon Opera House, then the Whitney Opera house. Around 1910, it became the Central. In subsequent years it was known as Bryant’s Central, Barrett’s Central and then was leased to the Shubert family and as, Shubert’s Central hosted light opera and musicals into the 1920s. Stars such as Sophie Tucker and stars-to-be like the young comic, Roscoe Arbuckle appeared on the stage. Early in the 1930s, it became Punch and Judy, a movie house and renamed, again, 1935 as the Sonotone. Five years later, another makeover (reducing seating to 300) and renamed the Ziegfield. Last, it became the Capri Cinema and lived its final days as a porn theater.
On April 5, 1970, a Tribune reporter wrote an obituary for the Capri Theater as wrecking balls demolished the structure. He remembered its theatrical past, never mentioning its brief magical history. He did write that, “Few, if any, will mourn it.”
I do, although much too late.
A brief note on addresses in Chicago: The Tribune, within a matter of months gives two different addresses for Steinway Hall, 17 Van Buren Street and 19 to 23 Van Buren Street. These addresses were changed early in the new century (after 1900) when Chicago adopted a more sensible numbering system. The ads for the theater put the address on Van Buren Street near Michigan. Contemporary sources, such as the Tribune article from 1970, report the modern address to be 64 East Van Buren Street.
Sources for this article include Articles from the Chicago Tribune Historical Archive and Magic Magazine (August 1997 Maro Article).
The Steinway had a happy opening last night as a “Temple of Magic,” a phrasing which hereafter is to be part of its title. An audience of respectable proportions was kept in good humor for over two hours by Maro, an entertainer of versatile talents. He divided his performance into three parts, appearing first as a magician, in the second as a musician and an artist, and in the third as a magician again. His tricks were not all novel, but they were cleverly done, and some of them apparently were of his own invention. His card tricks in particular seemed to cast in an original mold. In concluding his first part, he employed the “Chest of Mahatma,” a brass-studded affair which did not have a remarkable look. However, it served as a medium of transposing a Negro boy, whom the audience saw locked inside, and a Negro girl, whom the magician perched upon the closed lid. A whisk of a cloth disclosed the boy to view, and when the chest was opened, the girl was inside. In the second part of the program, Maro played upon several peculiar instruments and afterward posed as a lightning artist, drawing pictures in quick succession upon a canvas surface. Maro is to stay at the Temple of Magic for a month. Performances will be given nightly, with Wednesday and Saturday matinees.
Advertising for Maro’s performances lasted only a week. If he performed the full month, the newspapers ignored it. There is no other article on a Temple of Magic or other magicians performing there. On January 4 of 1900, the Tribune announces the sale of Steinway Hall, ending the magic theater experiment.
History would see Steinway Hall become more famous for the occupants of its top two floors. Frank Lloyd Wright joined a group of inventive architects, including the builder of Steinway Hall, Dwight Perkins. There they created the center of Chicago progressive architecture and formed the beginnings of Wright’s Prairie School movement.
The magic gone and forgotten, the theater itself languished. In an effort to change its luck, it was named and renamed of the years, first as the Kelly and Leon Opera House, then the Whitney Opera house. Around 1910, it became the Central. In subsequent years it was known as Bryant’s Central, Barrett’s Central and then was leased to the Shubert family and as, Shubert’s Central hosted light opera and musicals into the 1920s. Stars such as Sophie Tucker and stars-to-be like the young comic, Roscoe Arbuckle appeared on the stage. Early in the 1930s, it became Punch and Judy, a movie house and renamed, again, 1935 as the Sonotone. Five years later, another makeover (reducing seating to 300) and renamed the Ziegfield. Last, it became the Capri Cinema and lived its final days as a porn theater.
On April 5, 1970, a Tribune reporter wrote an obituary for the Capri Theater as wrecking balls demolished the structure. He remembered its theatrical past, never mentioning its brief magical history. He did write that, “Few, if any, will mourn it.”
I do, although much too late.
A brief note on addresses in Chicago: The Tribune, within a matter of months gives two different addresses for Steinway Hall, 17 Van Buren Street and 19 to 23 Van Buren Street. These addresses were changed early in the new century (after 1900) when Chicago adopted a more sensible numbering system. The ads for the theater put the address on Van Buren Street near Michigan. Contemporary sources, such as the Tribune article from 1970, report the modern address to be 64 East Van Buren Street.
Sources for this article include Articles from the Chicago Tribune Historical Archive and Magic Magazine (August 1997 Maro Article).
Friday, December 26, 2008
January Magic Magazine Malini Article
Well I wrote a short article on my search for Max Malini's grave on spec. for Magic Magazine. It appears in the January issue. (I just got mine on 12/26) Stan and his crew did a wonderful job of laying it out and making it beautiful. I tried write it in a more literary style that the usual journalism style of the magazines. Also, much different than I wrote here on this blog. I am very happy how it turned out. I hope you all take a peek at it and let me know if you like it. More importantly let Stan know you like it and I'll be able to write more.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
An End
I was going to wait until after Christmas to post this, but I thought I'd better get the ball rolling.
Maybe I’ve just reached that age. It occurred to me that if I were to take someone to the places that once mattered to me, all I’d be able to show of my youth would be the buildings that replaced it. I started to feel it every time I added places to Gordon Meyer’s Map of Chicago Magic. Most entries start with the word former, as “the former location of…”
“Progress.” That’s what a friend of mine said, but Progress implies movement forward. And, yes, we do move forward and, yes, we do leave things behind. In this case, it is not for something better, like moving from childish things to adult things. Arguably an improvement, a plus. This is a movement forward with less.
Izzy Rizzy’s House of Tricks, for 10 years my first workplace, full of happy memories, moved and is not what it once was and maybe not long for this world. Bishop’s magic shop, my hangout, gone, as are Bit O’ Magic, Houdini’s pub, Schulien’s restaurant.
These places taught and trained me in work and magic. They gave me a social network. In them, I found friends and laughter lasting a lifetime. There seems to be very little place for that now.
I have begun to realize I don’t like change. It is the reason I don’t travel much. I don’t live in the past. Well, I do sort of revel in it. In my love of research and history, I open up a vein of nostalgia. I know times have changed. But, I still long to open up a magic bar, where something fun is going on all the time and people want to congregate at. There has to be a place in this city for this. I find it disturbing that I know some big names in restaurants and entertainment venues in Chicago, men who are into seriously into magic, but do nothing to promote it.
This has especially hit home because as of January 5, I am losing my job. After thirteen years of being in Chicago, Magic Masters is being forced to close its doors at Navy Pier. The Pier, in its wisdom, thinks since patronage is way down changing a few stores will make it all new again.
Admittedly, our business has been down, way down. Every other business is experiencing the same thing, despite what the management of Navy Pier says. Changing the stores is hardly a way to bring the numbers up. Navy Pier is an entertainment center, yet they repeatedly cut the entertainment budget. Smart move.
When there is entertainment or an event, the pier is busy and sales are good. When there is nothing going on, as there often isn’t, sales are bad. Entertainment that used to keep people in the mall until 9 or 10 at night now ends at 6 or 7. When they pack up, so do the patrons.
People don’t go to Navy Pier for the Sunglass Hut or the t-shirt store. People go to Navy Pier for the businesses that give an experience, the IMAX, the Children’s Museum, Build a Bear, and Magic Masters. They come for events like Tall Ships and Winter Wonderland.
I have had the experience, more often than I would like to admit, of people coming into the store to tell me I sold them their first magic trick. I usually, jokingly, apologize, knowing the road to ruin it can be. I meet many people who just come to the pier to see us. Even with the poor business, Magic Masters was trying to build a 50 seat magic theater at the pier, only to have the pier stonewall us the whole time. We would have only increased our drawing power.
So, come January I will be looking for work. I’d like to find something in the magic world. Whether it be a shop or a performing venue or consulting with a performer. A writing job wouldn’t be bad. I’ve neglected my show work and there I would have to start from scratch. Finding the right restaurant, that is willing to make a commitment to magic, would be a dream. But I am open to other possibilities, even moving, maybe as I put the word out someone reading this will have an opportunity just waiting. I am thinking of trying to open a pitch cart at the Pier for just the summer. After 20+ years of working in magic shops, I have a long list of ideas for stores and store/entertainment venues. All I need is a partner willing to make the financial investment to give it a chance.
In the end the patrons of the pier lose out the most. Another fun experience is lost. Another piece of mismanagement by the pier, one of many I’ve seen through the years.
I plan to write more on the pier and what it can do to bring people in the doors. In the meantime, I am mounting a grass roots campaign to let Navy Pier management know what a mistake they made and, perhaps, ease my way back this summer. If you too will miss Magic Masters, please write Navy Pier. Address your letter to Bridget O'Connell Koconis or Marilynn Gardner
Navy Pier
600 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
navypierinfo@mpea.com
Maybe I’ve just reached that age. It occurred to me that if I were to take someone to the places that once mattered to me, all I’d be able to show of my youth would be the buildings that replaced it. I started to feel it every time I added places to Gordon Meyer’s Map of Chicago Magic. Most entries start with the word former, as “the former location of…”
“Progress.” That’s what a friend of mine said, but Progress implies movement forward. And, yes, we do move forward and, yes, we do leave things behind. In this case, it is not for something better, like moving from childish things to adult things. Arguably an improvement, a plus. This is a movement forward with less.
Izzy Rizzy’s House of Tricks, for 10 years my first workplace, full of happy memories, moved and is not what it once was and maybe not long for this world. Bishop’s magic shop, my hangout, gone, as are Bit O’ Magic, Houdini’s pub, Schulien’s restaurant.
These places taught and trained me in work and magic. They gave me a social network. In them, I found friends and laughter lasting a lifetime. There seems to be very little place for that now.
I have begun to realize I don’t like change. It is the reason I don’t travel much. I don’t live in the past. Well, I do sort of revel in it. In my love of research and history, I open up a vein of nostalgia. I know times have changed. But, I still long to open up a magic bar, where something fun is going on all the time and people want to congregate at. There has to be a place in this city for this. I find it disturbing that I know some big names in restaurants and entertainment venues in Chicago, men who are into seriously into magic, but do nothing to promote it.
This has especially hit home because as of January 5, I am losing my job. After thirteen years of being in Chicago, Magic Masters is being forced to close its doors at Navy Pier. The Pier, in its wisdom, thinks since patronage is way down changing a few stores will make it all new again.
Admittedly, our business has been down, way down. Every other business is experiencing the same thing, despite what the management of Navy Pier says. Changing the stores is hardly a way to bring the numbers up. Navy Pier is an entertainment center, yet they repeatedly cut the entertainment budget. Smart move.
When there is entertainment or an event, the pier is busy and sales are good. When there is nothing going on, as there often isn’t, sales are bad. Entertainment that used to keep people in the mall until 9 or 10 at night now ends at 6 or 7. When they pack up, so do the patrons.
People don’t go to Navy Pier for the Sunglass Hut or the t-shirt store. People go to Navy Pier for the businesses that give an experience, the IMAX, the Children’s Museum, Build a Bear, and Magic Masters. They come for events like Tall Ships and Winter Wonderland.
I have had the experience, more often than I would like to admit, of people coming into the store to tell me I sold them their first magic trick. I usually, jokingly, apologize, knowing the road to ruin it can be. I meet many people who just come to the pier to see us. Even with the poor business, Magic Masters was trying to build a 50 seat magic theater at the pier, only to have the pier stonewall us the whole time. We would have only increased our drawing power.
So, come January I will be looking for work. I’d like to find something in the magic world. Whether it be a shop or a performing venue or consulting with a performer. A writing job wouldn’t be bad. I’ve neglected my show work and there I would have to start from scratch. Finding the right restaurant, that is willing to make a commitment to magic, would be a dream. But I am open to other possibilities, even moving, maybe as I put the word out someone reading this will have an opportunity just waiting. I am thinking of trying to open a pitch cart at the Pier for just the summer. After 20+ years of working in magic shops, I have a long list of ideas for stores and store/entertainment venues. All I need is a partner willing to make the financial investment to give it a chance.
In the end the patrons of the pier lose out the most. Another fun experience is lost. Another piece of mismanagement by the pier, one of many I’ve seen through the years.
I plan to write more on the pier and what it can do to bring people in the doors. In the meantime, I am mounting a grass roots campaign to let Navy Pier management know what a mistake they made and, perhaps, ease my way back this summer. If you too will miss Magic Masters, please write Navy Pier. Address your letter to Bridget O'Connell Koconis or Marilynn Gardner
Navy Pier
600 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
navypierinfo@mpea.com
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Chicago's First Magic Show
Winter forgot February. Throughout January, it raged. Unabated winds, dense snows, and bottomless cold all but stilled Chicago. In February, the rains came, swelling the river to an unusual volume and force. Chicagoans mostly entertained themselves in these bleak days. Nelson P. Perry, “a man of color,” spend a few weeks in town and was “at all times ready to furnish music.” The Chicago Democrat printed the news of the week.
Not yet a city and barely a town, Chicago needed a respite from the business of survival. It came in the form of a Mr. Bowers. He declared that he was a Professeurs de Tours Amusant. The fancy pigeon French aside, he was one of the early itinerant performers to visit the edge of the new Grand Prairie that the city opened up. He made our history by being the first professional performer to charge admission to exhibit in Chicago.
The 13th issue of the Chicago Democrat, February 18, 1834.
“Joy hath its limits. We but borrow one hour of mirth from months of sorrow.”
The ladies and gentlemen of Chicago are most respectfully informed that Mr. Bowers, Professeurs de Tours Amusant, has arrived in town and will give an exhibition at the house of Mr. D. Graves on Monday evening next.
PART FIRST
Mr. Bowers will fully personate Monsieur Chaubert, the celebrated Fire King, who so astonished the people of Europe, and go through his wonderful Chemical Performance. He will draw a red-hot iron across his tongue, hands, etc. and will partake of a comfortable warm supper by eating fire-balls, burning sealing wax, live coals of fire and melted lead. He will dip his fingers in melted lead, and make use of a red-hot iron to convey the same to his mouth.
PART SECOND
Mr. Bowers will introduce many amusing feats of Ventriloquism and Legerdemain, many of which are original and too numerous to mention. Admittance 50 cents, children half price. Performance to commence at early candle light. Seats will be reserved for ladies, and every attention paid to the comfort and convenience of the spectators. Tickets to be had at the bar.
Mr. D. Graves is Dexter Graves, one of Chicago’s founders. In 1833, He built an inn, Mansion House, on the north side of Lake Street near Dearborn. Many sources list this as block 18, but examining early Chicago maps show block 17 is near Dearborn.
Other than this advertisement, nothing is known of Mr. Bowers. I expect as more and more early newspapers are added to digital files we will learn addition information. We can we learn some from his ad.
It was not unusual to trade on the name of a more famous performer. At least, he gives credit. Chaubert had a disastrous tour of America and returned to Europe where he made his fame. Most of his, and Mr. Bowers’, stunts were common among the class of performers known as fire-eaters. While Mr. Bowers recreates the fire portion of Chaubert’s show, he leaves out the part where Chaubert ingested various poisons to no effect.
The probably didn’t use a ventriloquist dummy when he performed, most performers of this age didn’t. He may have used some simple hand puppets. Many performers had voices emanate from common household items. A saltshaker, a plate, a fork, each with its own voice and tale to tell. Perhaps he had a bottle of whiskey give a humorous discourse on temperance.
The magic at the time is also predictable. Tricks with eggs, such as a version of the egg bag, was common to performers. Card effects and coin effects, vanishes and productions, and the Cups and Balls filled out the repertoire of the traveling performer.
Mr. Bowers must have been a hit because immediately he, or more likely Mr. Graves, advertised a second day’s performance, on Wednesday February 24.
Further Reading
About Chaubert and other incombustible performers, Ricky Jay’s Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women
For information on early Ventriloquism, Stanley Burns, Other Voices
Most of my conjecture on early magic comes from the writings of Ricky Jay and Milbourne Christopher, Illustrated History of Magic.
The original ads came to my attention in A. T. Andreas, History of Chicago.
The Chicago Public Library has microfilm archives of the Chicago Democrat where I obtained copies of the original ads.
Not yet a city and barely a town, Chicago needed a respite from the business of survival. It came in the form of a Mr. Bowers. He declared that he was a Professeurs de Tours Amusant. The fancy pigeon French aside, he was one of the early itinerant performers to visit the edge of the new Grand Prairie that the city opened up. He made our history by being the first professional performer to charge admission to exhibit in Chicago.
The 13th issue of the Chicago Democrat, February 18, 1834.
“Joy hath its limits. We but borrow one hour of mirth from months of sorrow.”
The ladies and gentlemen of Chicago are most respectfully informed that Mr. Bowers, Professeurs de Tours Amusant, has arrived in town and will give an exhibition at the house of Mr. D. Graves on Monday evening next.
PART FIRST
Mr. Bowers will fully personate Monsieur Chaubert, the celebrated Fire King, who so astonished the people of Europe, and go through his wonderful Chemical Performance. He will draw a red-hot iron across his tongue, hands, etc. and will partake of a comfortable warm supper by eating fire-balls, burning sealing wax, live coals of fire and melted lead. He will dip his fingers in melted lead, and make use of a red-hot iron to convey the same to his mouth.
PART SECOND
Mr. Bowers will introduce many amusing feats of Ventriloquism and Legerdemain, many of which are original and too numerous to mention. Admittance 50 cents, children half price. Performance to commence at early candle light. Seats will be reserved for ladies, and every attention paid to the comfort and convenience of the spectators. Tickets to be had at the bar.
Mr. D. Graves is Dexter Graves, one of Chicago’s founders. In 1833, He built an inn, Mansion House, on the north side of Lake Street near Dearborn. Many sources list this as block 18, but examining early Chicago maps show block 17 is near Dearborn.
Other than this advertisement, nothing is known of Mr. Bowers. I expect as more and more early newspapers are added to digital files we will learn addition information. We can we learn some from his ad.
It was not unusual to trade on the name of a more famous performer. At least, he gives credit. Chaubert had a disastrous tour of America and returned to Europe where he made his fame. Most of his, and Mr. Bowers’, stunts were common among the class of performers known as fire-eaters. While Mr. Bowers recreates the fire portion of Chaubert’s show, he leaves out the part where Chaubert ingested various poisons to no effect.
The probably didn’t use a ventriloquist dummy when he performed, most performers of this age didn’t. He may have used some simple hand puppets. Many performers had voices emanate from common household items. A saltshaker, a plate, a fork, each with its own voice and tale to tell. Perhaps he had a bottle of whiskey give a humorous discourse on temperance.
The magic at the time is also predictable. Tricks with eggs, such as a version of the egg bag, was common to performers. Card effects and coin effects, vanishes and productions, and the Cups and Balls filled out the repertoire of the traveling performer.
Mr. Bowers must have been a hit because immediately he, or more likely Mr. Graves, advertised a second day’s performance, on Wednesday February 24.
Further Reading
About Chaubert and other incombustible performers, Ricky Jay’s Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women
For information on early Ventriloquism, Stanley Burns, Other Voices
Most of my conjecture on early magic comes from the writings of Ricky Jay and Milbourne Christopher, Illustrated History of Magic.
The original ads came to my attention in A. T. Andreas, History of Chicago.
The Chicago Public Library has microfilm archives of the Chicago Democrat where I obtained copies of the original ads.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Death and the Magician 4
Edward Maro born Walter Truman Best, September 9, 1869, died February 26, 1908 at age 39. He was a magician, musician, and artist.
I first learned about Maro’s grave in Mike Caveney’s Kellar book. He cites an article from a St Charles, Illinois newspaper that Edward Maro was to be buried in that same town. I am treading on worn ground. My friend and fellow historian, Chuck Romano stepped here long before me. I still want to see for myself.
The day is bright. That is good. It is the first day of the season where the high temperature will not reach freezing. The sun keeps most of the chill back, only the occasional breeze nips at my cheeks and ears. Maro is buried in a small slab of land named North Cemetery, ostensibly named because it is on the north side of St. Charles on route 25. Across the street is the larger Union Cemetery, both plots of land commemorate the sacrifices of the local boys who died in the Civil War.
It is easy to find Maro’s grave. Upon his death, he arranged to have a 5 ½-ton boulder shipped from his home in Michigan to mark the plot. I knew for Chuck’s previous Maro article that either through time or neglect, the boulder fell down. It is a landmark that cannot be missed.
The, now prone, stone hides a brass plaque proclaiming the greatness of Maro’s forgotten fame. There are three other stones, reminiscent of over sized river rocks and each bearing a name. Edward Maro rests in the center, Addie Best, who may be Maro’s mother, sits to his right and Allie Maro takes her place on his left. Their naturalistic, rustic motif is a counterpoint to the standard monuments that surround them.
Note: Visible on the Maro monument is a plaque which seems inexplicably unrelated to Maro and may be markers for the people buried on the opposite side of the stone. In 1993 Chuck Romano wrote an article for the Linking Ring detailing the life of Maro and his discovery of the grave site. In 1997, Mike Caveney wrote a short bio of Maro that appeared in Magic Magazine.
I first learned about Maro’s grave in Mike Caveney’s Kellar book. He cites an article from a St Charles, Illinois newspaper that Edward Maro was to be buried in that same town. I am treading on worn ground. My friend and fellow historian, Chuck Romano stepped here long before me. I still want to see for myself.
The day is bright. That is good. It is the first day of the season where the high temperature will not reach freezing. The sun keeps most of the chill back, only the occasional breeze nips at my cheeks and ears. Maro is buried in a small slab of land named North Cemetery, ostensibly named because it is on the north side of St. Charles on route 25. Across the street is the larger Union Cemetery, both plots of land commemorate the sacrifices of the local boys who died in the Civil War.
It is easy to find Maro’s grave. Upon his death, he arranged to have a 5 ½-ton boulder shipped from his home in Michigan to mark the plot. I knew for Chuck’s previous Maro article that either through time or neglect, the boulder fell down. It is a landmark that cannot be missed.
The, now prone, stone hides a brass plaque proclaiming the greatness of Maro’s forgotten fame. There are three other stones, reminiscent of over sized river rocks and each bearing a name. Edward Maro rests in the center, Addie Best, who may be Maro’s mother, sits to his right and Allie Maro takes her place on his left. Their naturalistic, rustic motif is a counterpoint to the standard monuments that surround them.
Note: Visible on the Maro monument is a plaque which seems inexplicably unrelated to Maro and may be markers for the people buried on the opposite side of the stone. In 1993 Chuck Romano wrote an article for the Linking Ring detailing the life of Maro and his discovery of the grave site. In 1997, Mike Caveney wrote a short bio of Maro that appeared in Magic Magazine.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Death and the Magician 3
My friend Jeff Korst turned me on to this interesting article on Houdini's grave. Originally from the New York Times.
Houdini’s Final Trick, a Tidy Grave
By Corey Kilgannon
I’ve long been fascinated by, and even somewhat drawn to, the grave of Harry Houdini, in the run-down Machpelah Cemetery, just off the Jackie Robinson Parkway in Ridgewood, Queens.
I stop by to check on the grave whenever I’m in the area with some spare time. The grave lies directly inside the gates, next to a daunting, abandoned building that was once the cemetery office. I’ve never found the gates locked, even though the cemetery always seemed utterly deserted and forgotten. The dilapidated building has open doors and windows and the inside is ransacked and dark and spooky, with old cemetery records scattered around.
Many of the grave sites are overgrown, and many headstones are in disrepair or toppled or covered in ivy. Houdini’s grave was always in decent shape, as if someone came and landscaped it occasionally and left various mementos on the gravestone: decks of cards, rocks, coins, keys, a witch’s broom, and other objects.
This week, there was a crude broom on the gravestone, a few rain-spattered playing cards, some keys and coins and stones.
Turns out, someone does come and shape up the grave once in a while. The New York chapter of the Society of American Magicians has a Houdini Gravesite Committee, and a Brooklyn man named George Schindler is the committee chairman. He said that the bust of Houdini that once adorned the grave site was often vandalized and is now kept in storage by the committee, whose members bring landscaping tools to the cemetery and tidy up the grave site several times a year.
“Houdini paid for perpetual care, but there’s nobody at the cemetery to provide it,” he said, adding that the operator of the cemetery, David Jacobson, “sends us a bill for upkeep every year but we never pay it because he never provides any care.”
Mr. Schindler said that the group used to conduct a ceremony every Halloween at the site — Houdini died on Halloween in 1926 — but now holds it in November, when Houdini’s death date appears on the Jewish calendar.
“The crowds were just getting too big — we had to start having a police escort — so we changed the date,” he said. “Since Houdini died on Halloween, the grave site became too attractive to vandals and people who wanted to party there.” Now the site is watched closely by the police on Halloween, he said.
An official at a nearby cemetery provided a phone number for Mr. Jacobson, who sounded annoyed when he answered the phone on Wednesday to be asked by another reporter calling near Halloween about the Houdini grave site.
After haggling a bit about the condition of the cemetery (“What makes you think it’s in disrepair?”), he hung up the phone. I called back and he hung up again, for good measure.
Houdini’s Final Trick, a Tidy Grave
By Corey Kilgannon
I’ve long been fascinated by, and even somewhat drawn to, the grave of Harry Houdini, in the run-down Machpelah Cemetery, just off the Jackie Robinson Parkway in Ridgewood, Queens.
I stop by to check on the grave whenever I’m in the area with some spare time. The grave lies directly inside the gates, next to a daunting, abandoned building that was once the cemetery office. I’ve never found the gates locked, even though the cemetery always seemed utterly deserted and forgotten. The dilapidated building has open doors and windows and the inside is ransacked and dark and spooky, with old cemetery records scattered around.
Many of the grave sites are overgrown, and many headstones are in disrepair or toppled or covered in ivy. Houdini’s grave was always in decent shape, as if someone came and landscaped it occasionally and left various mementos on the gravestone: decks of cards, rocks, coins, keys, a witch’s broom, and other objects.
This week, there was a crude broom on the gravestone, a few rain-spattered playing cards, some keys and coins and stones.
Turns out, someone does come and shape up the grave once in a while. The New York chapter of the Society of American Magicians has a Houdini Gravesite Committee, and a Brooklyn man named George Schindler is the committee chairman. He said that the bust of Houdini that once adorned the grave site was often vandalized and is now kept in storage by the committee, whose members bring landscaping tools to the cemetery and tidy up the grave site several times a year.
“Houdini paid for perpetual care, but there’s nobody at the cemetery to provide it,” he said, adding that the operator of the cemetery, David Jacobson, “sends us a bill for upkeep every year but we never pay it because he never provides any care.”
Mr. Schindler said that the group used to conduct a ceremony every Halloween at the site — Houdini died on Halloween in 1926 — but now holds it in November, when Houdini’s death date appears on the Jewish calendar.
“The crowds were just getting too big — we had to start having a police escort — so we changed the date,” he said. “Since Houdini died on Halloween, the grave site became too attractive to vandals and people who wanted to party there.” Now the site is watched closely by the police on Halloween, he said.
An official at a nearby cemetery provided a phone number for Mr. Jacobson, who sounded annoyed when he answered the phone on Wednesday to be asked by another reporter calling near Halloween about the Houdini grave site.
After haggling a bit about the condition of the cemetery (“What makes you think it’s in disrepair?”), he hung up the phone. I called back and he hung up again, for good measure.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Death and the Magician 2
The Unexpected Grave of Max Malini
Mostly in my research, an article will provide a small piece of a life’s puzzle. Rarely does an article become the puzzle as this one did, Chicago Tribune, dated July 25, 1943:
It was a surprise. Malini is buried in Forest Park, Illinois. Why? I never really gave the burial place of Malini a thought before. With all his far-flung adventures, he should be buried in some exotic land, somewhere else at least, not here.
Most of what I know of Max comes from the Ricky Jay’s book, Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women. Max Malini was born Max Katz in a small town on the Polish-Austrian border in 1873. Early in his childhood, his family immigrated to America where he grew up in the New York Bowery. Max began his apprenticeship in magic with Professor Seiden at the age of twelve.
Max’s general story is widely known. He was a man of tiny stature and enormous confidence. His legend grew from his remarkable sleight of hand skills, his finely tuned misdirection, and his unmitigated gall. He was the envy of his magical peers due to his ability to gain the patronage of the rich, renowned, and royal.
Max actually died October 3, 1942 after a long illness. Now, in 2008, I am driving east down the Eisenhower expressway to Des Plaines Ave to find his grave. The cemetery office is reserved, decorated at least a couple of decades ago. The only change in the decades is the addition of computerization. With a few key strokes, the first surprise comes; there are two listings for Malini. The first is Lizzie Malini, interred 1921. The second, Max Malini, interred 1943.
Who is Lizzie Malini? It will take me a little time to discover that secret.
Meanwhile I am on my way to Malini’s grave. The roads in the cemetery are so narrow that one car cannot pass another. My first impression is that while the lawns are neatly manicured, the marker stones are closely cluttered and haphazardly strewn about. I wander. Many of the stones are in Hebrew, which sets me to worrying that I might not be able to read Malini’s stone.
Worse happens. I can’t find the stone. The stones on the end of the row should be numbered. They are not. I guess. I walk the whole section, each row, up and down. Even the grounds keeper takes a break from tending to a newly occupied hole to help me. He is also at a loss.
Near where the stones for Lizze Malini and Max Malini should be, is a stone for Lizzie Katz. As we know already, Katz was Max’s real last name. Lizzie cannot be that common of a name. Is Lizzie Katz really Lizzie Malini and how are they related?
The original ledgers show a Lizzie Katz, Max Malini, and Lizzie Malini. The names of Max and Lizzie Malini are followed by question marks. They people at the office cannot explain it.
Ricky Jay, my source for many things historical, does not know. I am off to do an online search of the Tribune to find an answer, hopefully.
The answer comes from an obituary dated February 28, 1921.
Lizzie Malini is Max’s first wife. Lizzie Malini is also Lizzie Katz. I am not sure why she is buried as Lizzie Katz, but I am sure she is. The dates from the obituary and the gravestone match. It cannot be a coincidence.
With a little more searching, the issue becomes clear. During the early 1920s, Max Malini and his wife Lizzie lived in the Congress Hotel in Chicago. There are several ads of Max performing in the Florentine Room of the Congress Hotel. In February of 1921, Lizzie died and was buried as Lizzie Katz . Twenty-two years later, in Forest Park, Illinois, Max is buried along side her in an unmarked grave, gate 47, lot 137, section D, row 11, grave 6.
Max, a magician to the end, leaves us with one last mystery.
Why is it that a man who would never accept anonymity in life, chose it in death?
Mostly in my research, an article will provide a small piece of a life’s puzzle. Rarely does an article become the puzzle as this one did, Chicago Tribune, dated July 25, 1943:
It was a surprise. Malini is buried in Forest Park, Illinois. Why? I never really gave the burial place of Malini a thought before. With all his far-flung adventures, he should be buried in some exotic land, somewhere else at least, not here.
Most of what I know of Max comes from the Ricky Jay’s book, Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women. Max Malini was born Max Katz in a small town on the Polish-Austrian border in 1873. Early in his childhood, his family immigrated to America where he grew up in the New York Bowery. Max began his apprenticeship in magic with Professor Seiden at the age of twelve.
Max’s general story is widely known. He was a man of tiny stature and enormous confidence. His legend grew from his remarkable sleight of hand skills, his finely tuned misdirection, and his unmitigated gall. He was the envy of his magical peers due to his ability to gain the patronage of the rich, renowned, and royal.
Max actually died October 3, 1942 after a long illness. Now, in 2008, I am driving east down the Eisenhower expressway to Des Plaines Ave to find his grave. The cemetery office is reserved, decorated at least a couple of decades ago. The only change in the decades is the addition of computerization. With a few key strokes, the first surprise comes; there are two listings for Malini. The first is Lizzie Malini, interred 1921. The second, Max Malini, interred 1943.
Who is Lizzie Malini? It will take me a little time to discover that secret.
Meanwhile I am on my way to Malini’s grave. The roads in the cemetery are so narrow that one car cannot pass another. My first impression is that while the lawns are neatly manicured, the marker stones are closely cluttered and haphazardly strewn about. I wander. Many of the stones are in Hebrew, which sets me to worrying that I might not be able to read Malini’s stone.
Worse happens. I can’t find the stone. The stones on the end of the row should be numbered. They are not. I guess. I walk the whole section, each row, up and down. Even the grounds keeper takes a break from tending to a newly occupied hole to help me. He is also at a loss.
Near where the stones for Lizze Malini and Max Malini should be, is a stone for Lizzie Katz. As we know already, Katz was Max’s real last name. Lizzie cannot be that common of a name. Is Lizzie Katz really Lizzie Malini and how are they related?
The original ledgers show a Lizzie Katz, Max Malini, and Lizzie Malini. The names of Max and Lizzie Malini are followed by question marks. They people at the office cannot explain it.
Ricky Jay, my source for many things historical, does not know. I am off to do an online search of the Tribune to find an answer, hopefully.
The answer comes from an obituary dated February 28, 1921.
Lizzie Malini is Max’s first wife. Lizzie Malini is also Lizzie Katz. I am not sure why she is buried as Lizzie Katz, but I am sure she is. The dates from the obituary and the gravestone match. It cannot be a coincidence.
With a little more searching, the issue becomes clear. During the early 1920s, Max Malini and his wife Lizzie lived in the Congress Hotel in Chicago. There are several ads of Max performing in the Florentine Room of the Congress Hotel. In February of 1921, Lizzie died and was buried as Lizzie Katz . Twenty-two years later, in Forest Park, Illinois, Max is buried along side her in an unmarked grave, gate 47, lot 137, section D, row 11, grave 6.
Max, a magician to the end, leaves us with one last mystery.
Why is it that a man who would never accept anonymity in life, chose it in death?
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Blackstone Name Game
Harry Boughton became Harry Bouton who became, through some discount posters, Fredrick the Great. By the time 1918 opened, he made one last name change, Harry Blackstone. For him it meant success, for me―trouble. A few posts ago I published a brief essay on the role of Chicago in the history of magic and one sentence caused much fury:
Harry Bouton was a struggling unknown until he borrowed the name of a south-loop hotel and became famous as Harry Blackstone.
I decided that I should reveal a bit of the writer and historian’s process, the process I went through before I wrote those words.
The People
Harry Blackstone was an artist at flinging the bull, though for Harry it was quite charming. The whole family seems to have the bullshitter gene. This is something beyond any argument. Yet, we must give Harry’s words weight. It is his story and there must be a germ of truth in it. Speaking for myself, who at one time has needed to lie about current and past activities, I understand it is easier to lie when you keep it closer to the truth.
Inez Nourse became the first Mrs. Blackstone and was there when the name changed. She figures prominently in one of the stories.
Harry’s biographer Dan Waldron, Dan wrote a Blackstone biography and examined the differing stories. He gave the most weight to Inez’s story.
Pete Bouton, Harry’s brother, confirmed one story and stars in another version of the story.
Harry Jr. and Gay Blackstone most likely never knew the real story and just repeated the various stories of Harry Sr.
The Story: The name Blackstone came from the Blackstone Hotel. The Hotel was built on the former site of the Blackstone Mansion. The Chicago Tribune lamented the loss of another city landmark, but the hotel that went up in its place was a grand one indeed. Finished in 1910, it was an important addition to the city. Harry said he was walking the streets looking for a new name when he saw the hotel sign.
The Case: Harry, born and raised in Chicago, certainly knew of the Blackstone legacy in the city. He told this story more often than any other story. It made the mainstream press, of which I base much of my extensive research, more than any other story. Milbourne Christopher felt it was the most probable of Harry’s stories. There is one serious problem, the name change happened in Ohio, a long way from the Blackstone sign. Let us be honest here, if you say this story is not true and Harry just repeated it for good publicity, you are calling Harry a liar. For me, the virtue of it being Harry’s story, even with the hint of lie, the hotel inspiration must carry some truth.
The Story: The name Blackstone came from Blackstone cigars. Blackstone cigars were a common cigar brand early in the 1900s. I could find little else written on the history, except that their production moved from one city to another in 1919. The cigars were prevalent enough to that he should know them. Inez said they were walking down a street, trying to figure a new name when she suggested Blackstone after seeing it on a sign. She gave Harry the name.
The Case: Inez Blackstone (nee Nourse) says this is the real name change story. It certainly can be true. There is very little to refute the story. At times, Harry said the cigars were an inspiration, of course, omitting Inez’s part. To play devil’s advocate, did she insert herself in the story to add to her self-importance? Alternatively, did she carry on Harry’s tradition of obfuscation?
Pete, his brother, told the cigar inspiration story. One wag on the Magic Café uses him as a confirming source, but in the same post admits Pete cannot be trusted. The only thing, apparently, he can be trusted on is that the hotel story is not true. Sorry, you cannot have it both ways. I have also heard the story with Pete, instead of Inez, suggesting the name after the cigar. (This may also be storyteller embellishment.) Yet, we still have to give the cigar inspiration weight in the truth derby. If you notice, it is similar to the hotel story: walking down the street, seeing a sign, only the inspiration changes.
The Story: Blackstone was his grandmother’s maiden name.
The Case: False. Blackstone said it, but family and census data proved it a lie.
The Story: He overheard Blackstone by chance on an elevator.
The Case: There is just no way to prove or disprove this yarn and in Dan Waldron’s words “vague and unlikely.”
The Story: He wanted to change his name to Herr Bismarck, but because of the WWI anti-German bias, his lawyer then suggested Blackstone.
The Case: I want to look at this story two ways, first on the surface. Look at the timeline. It was 1918; America one year into the Great War and Harry couldn’t sell tickets as the German sounding Fredrick and was looking for a non-German name for the act. Harry would have to be the single dumbest man in America to want to change his name to Bismarck. Second, a little deeper, there is another similar story that Harry’s agent suggested the name Blackstone. I bet that the memory of the story changed and that over the years, Fredrick morphed into Bismarck and agent morphed into lawyer. Nevertheless, Inez refutes this story. She said Harry did not have an agent. If we believe her cigar story, then this story is false. If we want to believe this story, we shift the responsibility. We don’t answer the question, cigar or hotel.
We have a problem. Each story seems to have elements of truth; if we believe one part, it disproves another. We still end with two credible options: Blackstone Hotel, Blackstone Cigars.
Fifty-Fifty
A Coin Flip
I would like to try on another story, one of pure fantasy. I have had to create names for performers, shows, tricks, and stories. When I am stuck, I brainstorm. I search the dictionary, the thesaurus, read magazines, skim books, and make lists of words to juggle. It is a mundane process, but true to life. Dan Waldron would have us believe for Harry any name would do. We are lucky Harry didn’t walk past a dime store; we would be talking about Harry Woolworth Sr. now. No, I think Harry tried on many names in his search. He may have been walking the streets to do so. Somebody may have suggested the name Blackstone, from the cigars. Were Blackstone cigars a status symbol? The hotel was. Even if the cigar was suggested, it is naive to believe that Harry did not connect the name to the hotel and all its implications. Elegant, high class, regal, that’s the Blackstone Hotel of 1918. That’s Blackstone. It is not the sound bite of publicity, but it does ring of truth. The strange answer is that both, the cigar and the hotel could have played a role in the name change. As I said this is a fantasy and no one has ever said such a thing.
We are back to two choices: the cigar and the hotel.
Author Dan Waldron admits the real story is lost, forever. There is no way to discern the truth. The important thing is that Blackstone is. Ultimately, Dan is right when he says it “doesn’t matter...one account is as good as the next.” He chose to go with Inez. (Dan may have other reasons. If her story is not true then he cannot rely on the other facts of her life with Harry. His book falls apart.) It is Dan's right to go with Inez and I admire that he at least had a point of view.
“One account is as good as the next.” History is not nearly as clear cut as most of wish it to be. We deal with a human element that is fault ridden. Often we are forced to make a best guess or even a leap of faith. Every book on magic history, any history, is full of hundreds of these coin flips.
After discussing my dilemma with several prominent and magic writer/historians, they agreed that either story worked. Neither was definitive. Moreover, for the type of piece I was composing, it would not be wrong to write:
Harry Bouton was a struggling unknown until he borrowed the name of a south-loop hotel and became famous as Harry Blackstone.
Harry said it.
I chose it.
It was a writer’s right to do so.
Harry Bouton was a struggling unknown until he borrowed the name of a south-loop hotel and became famous as Harry Blackstone.
I decided that I should reveal a bit of the writer and historian’s process, the process I went through before I wrote those words.
The People
Harry Blackstone was an artist at flinging the bull, though for Harry it was quite charming. The whole family seems to have the bullshitter gene. This is something beyond any argument. Yet, we must give Harry’s words weight. It is his story and there must be a germ of truth in it. Speaking for myself, who at one time has needed to lie about current and past activities, I understand it is easier to lie when you keep it closer to the truth.
Inez Nourse became the first Mrs. Blackstone and was there when the name changed. She figures prominently in one of the stories.
Harry’s biographer Dan Waldron, Dan wrote a Blackstone biography and examined the differing stories. He gave the most weight to Inez’s story.
Pete Bouton, Harry’s brother, confirmed one story and stars in another version of the story.
Harry Jr. and Gay Blackstone most likely never knew the real story and just repeated the various stories of Harry Sr.
The Story: The name Blackstone came from the Blackstone Hotel. The Hotel was built on the former site of the Blackstone Mansion. The Chicago Tribune lamented the loss of another city landmark, but the hotel that went up in its place was a grand one indeed. Finished in 1910, it was an important addition to the city. Harry said he was walking the streets looking for a new name when he saw the hotel sign.
The Case: Harry, born and raised in Chicago, certainly knew of the Blackstone legacy in the city. He told this story more often than any other story. It made the mainstream press, of which I base much of my extensive research, more than any other story. Milbourne Christopher felt it was the most probable of Harry’s stories. There is one serious problem, the name change happened in Ohio, a long way from the Blackstone sign. Let us be honest here, if you say this story is not true and Harry just repeated it for good publicity, you are calling Harry a liar. For me, the virtue of it being Harry’s story, even with the hint of lie, the hotel inspiration must carry some truth.
The Story: The name Blackstone came from Blackstone cigars. Blackstone cigars were a common cigar brand early in the 1900s. I could find little else written on the history, except that their production moved from one city to another in 1919. The cigars were prevalent enough to that he should know them. Inez said they were walking down a street, trying to figure a new name when she suggested Blackstone after seeing it on a sign. She gave Harry the name.
The Case: Inez Blackstone (nee Nourse) says this is the real name change story. It certainly can be true. There is very little to refute the story. At times, Harry said the cigars were an inspiration, of course, omitting Inez’s part. To play devil’s advocate, did she insert herself in the story to add to her self-importance? Alternatively, did she carry on Harry’s tradition of obfuscation?
Pete, his brother, told the cigar inspiration story. One wag on the Magic Café uses him as a confirming source, but in the same post admits Pete cannot be trusted. The only thing, apparently, he can be trusted on is that the hotel story is not true. Sorry, you cannot have it both ways. I have also heard the story with Pete, instead of Inez, suggesting the name after the cigar. (This may also be storyteller embellishment.) Yet, we still have to give the cigar inspiration weight in the truth derby. If you notice, it is similar to the hotel story: walking down the street, seeing a sign, only the inspiration changes.
The Story: Blackstone was his grandmother’s maiden name.
The Case: False. Blackstone said it, but family and census data proved it a lie.
The Story: He overheard Blackstone by chance on an elevator.
The Case: There is just no way to prove or disprove this yarn and in Dan Waldron’s words “vague and unlikely.”
The Story: He wanted to change his name to Herr Bismarck, but because of the WWI anti-German bias, his lawyer then suggested Blackstone.
The Case: I want to look at this story two ways, first on the surface. Look at the timeline. It was 1918; America one year into the Great War and Harry couldn’t sell tickets as the German sounding Fredrick and was looking for a non-German name for the act. Harry would have to be the single dumbest man in America to want to change his name to Bismarck. Second, a little deeper, there is another similar story that Harry’s agent suggested the name Blackstone. I bet that the memory of the story changed and that over the years, Fredrick morphed into Bismarck and agent morphed into lawyer. Nevertheless, Inez refutes this story. She said Harry did not have an agent. If we believe her cigar story, then this story is false. If we want to believe this story, we shift the responsibility. We don’t answer the question, cigar or hotel.
We have a problem. Each story seems to have elements of truth; if we believe one part, it disproves another. We still end with two credible options: Blackstone Hotel, Blackstone Cigars.
Fifty-Fifty
A Coin Flip
I would like to try on another story, one of pure fantasy. I have had to create names for performers, shows, tricks, and stories. When I am stuck, I brainstorm. I search the dictionary, the thesaurus, read magazines, skim books, and make lists of words to juggle. It is a mundane process, but true to life. Dan Waldron would have us believe for Harry any name would do. We are lucky Harry didn’t walk past a dime store; we would be talking about Harry Woolworth Sr. now. No, I think Harry tried on many names in his search. He may have been walking the streets to do so. Somebody may have suggested the name Blackstone, from the cigars. Were Blackstone cigars a status symbol? The hotel was. Even if the cigar was suggested, it is naive to believe that Harry did not connect the name to the hotel and all its implications. Elegant, high class, regal, that’s the Blackstone Hotel of 1918. That’s Blackstone. It is not the sound bite of publicity, but it does ring of truth. The strange answer is that both, the cigar and the hotel could have played a role in the name change. As I said this is a fantasy and no one has ever said such a thing.
We are back to two choices: the cigar and the hotel.
Author Dan Waldron admits the real story is lost, forever. There is no way to discern the truth. The important thing is that Blackstone is. Ultimately, Dan is right when he says it “doesn’t matter...one account is as good as the next.” He chose to go with Inez. (Dan may have other reasons. If her story is not true then he cannot rely on the other facts of her life with Harry. His book falls apart.) It is Dan's right to go with Inez and I admire that he at least had a point of view.
“One account is as good as the next.” History is not nearly as clear cut as most of wish it to be. We deal with a human element that is fault ridden. Often we are forced to make a best guess or even a leap of faith. Every book on magic history, any history, is full of hundreds of these coin flips.
After discussing my dilemma with several prominent and magic writer/historians, they agreed that either story worked. Neither was definitive. Moreover, for the type of piece I was composing, it would not be wrong to write:
Harry Bouton was a struggling unknown until he borrowed the name of a south-loop hotel and became famous as Harry Blackstone.
Harry said it.
I chose it.
It was a writer’s right to do so.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Chicago Magic & The Magic Cabaret
My friends, David Parr and PT Murphy have returned with their show the Magic Cabaret. I thought that they put on a terrific show in its last incarnation and I expect nothing less for this new show. I wrote a piece on Chicago’s role in the magic world for the show program. This is a slightly longer version of what will appear there.
Chicago: Magic City
In Chicago there was always magic. No, that’s not more bluster coming from the windy city.
Consider this:
The first public entertainment by a professional performer was an exhibition of “amusing feats of ventriloquism and legerdemain.” You can look it up in the Chicago Democrat archives, February 24, 1834. Although at the time, Chicago was just a town not yet a city, but I think it still counts.
That’s not all…
Alexander Herrmann, first of America’s great magicians, made yearly trips to the city. He filled the best theaters, to rave reviews, which ensured him a profitable season.
The second of America’s magicians, Harry Kellar purchased his first show from the money he earned performing séances (with his partner William Fay) in Chicago. In an era where showmen advertised not only the feats to be seen, but also their show’s weight in tons, Kellar had the best illusions and the heaviest show in America.
Harry Houdini first hit the big-time here with some deft publicity and a pair of police handcuffs. Before his premature death, Houdini’s final appearance in Chicago was considered the greatest triumph of his career.
Harry Bouton was a struggling unknown until he borrowed the name of a south-loop hotel and became famous as Harry Blackstone.
Extraordinary sleight of hand artist, Max Malini, magician to Kings and Queens, performer for Presidents and Generals, lived for a time at the once opulent Congress Hotel. He held court in the Florentine room where he performed for Al Capone.
Renowned for the grace of his performances, Theodore Bamberg, whose stage name was Okito, retired to the city. In retirement, Okito demonstrated magic at the State Street novelty emporium, The Treasure Chest, and manufactured elegant magic props that now command high prices by collectors.
All in Chicago, but wait, there’s more…
During Vaudeville, Chicago’s status as the nation’s transportation hub made it the natural place for performers to settle. Chicago Vaudeville theaters offered plenty hometown performing opportunities, from the low “break-in joints” for new acts to the high-class palaces for the experienced headliners.
When the motion pictures usurped Vaudeville, magicians moved into showrooms and nightclubs. The Empire Room at the Palmer House and the Boulevard Room at the Hilton showcased the best magicians of the era. In the outfit-controlled nightclubs, gangsters and their kibitzers supported magicians and marveled at their tricks, a legit cousin to their own criminal ruses.
Chicago’s large population provided ample opportunities for performing at social clubs, civic organizations, and private parties.
In turn, the city became base to many world-renowned professional magic shops and manufacturers. The numerous neighborhood novelty shops supplied fun-loving amateurs with an endless supply of tricks, pranks, and gags. Chicago had, perhaps, more magic shops than anywhere in the world.
In the 1970s, a Chicagoan took the magic pitch he saw in those stores to television. Marshall Brodien and his TV Magic Cards became a rage and inspired a generation of children to become magicians.
Chicago’s greatest gift to magic was Matt Schulien. Early in the 1920s, he conjured up a new way of performing magic, “the Chicago Style of magic.” When Carl Sandburg lovingly called Chicago a “stormy, husky, brawling” city, he unknowingly described Matt's performances. His magic was visual, fast, direct, explosive, sometimes crude, and driven by his out-sized personality. He shattered the formal barriers between the performer and the audience. Once seen, Schulien’s magic was never forgotten and neither was the table-slapping, tear-inducing, chest-heaving laughter he elicited.
If Schulien was the heart of Chicago magic, Heba Haba Al was the spirit. Mentored by Schulien, Al became the original magic bartender. He expanded on and refined the rowdy style into pandemonium. From around the world, magicians would pilgrimage to a seedy bar on the north side of Chicago to see this imp and his nightly antics. These Chicago barkeeps taught magicians that the real secret of magic was not the trick, but the person behind the trick. Those performers who experienced the magic of Schulien and Heba went on to spread the gospel of the Chicago style.
In 1955, Jay Marshall, the single greatest repository of magic knowledge and a frequent guest on the Ed Sullivan Show, made Chicago his home. Jay and his wife Frances’ shop, Magic, Incorporated, became a Chicago institution and a gathering place for visiting magicians. If that were the only thing, you knew about the Chicago magic world that would be enough.
That alone made Chicago the center of the magic world.
THE MAGIC CABARET
September 18 - October 18Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm
The Greenhouse Theater Center2257 North Lincoln Avenue
Tickets $25. No one under age 13 admitted.Go to Tix.com or call (773) 404-7336
Chicago: Magic City
In Chicago there was always magic. No, that’s not more bluster coming from the windy city.
Consider this:
The first public entertainment by a professional performer was an exhibition of “amusing feats of ventriloquism and legerdemain.” You can look it up in the Chicago Democrat archives, February 24, 1834. Although at the time, Chicago was just a town not yet a city, but I think it still counts.
That’s not all…
Alexander Herrmann, first of America’s great magicians, made yearly trips to the city. He filled the best theaters, to rave reviews, which ensured him a profitable season.
The second of America’s magicians, Harry Kellar purchased his first show from the money he earned performing séances (with his partner William Fay) in Chicago. In an era where showmen advertised not only the feats to be seen, but also their show’s weight in tons, Kellar had the best illusions and the heaviest show in America.
Harry Houdini first hit the big-time here with some deft publicity and a pair of police handcuffs. Before his premature death, Houdini’s final appearance in Chicago was considered the greatest triumph of his career.
Harry Bouton was a struggling unknown until he borrowed the name of a south-loop hotel and became famous as Harry Blackstone.
Extraordinary sleight of hand artist, Max Malini, magician to Kings and Queens, performer for Presidents and Generals, lived for a time at the once opulent Congress Hotel. He held court in the Florentine room where he performed for Al Capone.
Renowned for the grace of his performances, Theodore Bamberg, whose stage name was Okito, retired to the city. In retirement, Okito demonstrated magic at the State Street novelty emporium, The Treasure Chest, and manufactured elegant magic props that now command high prices by collectors.
All in Chicago, but wait, there’s more…
During Vaudeville, Chicago’s status as the nation’s transportation hub made it the natural place for performers to settle. Chicago Vaudeville theaters offered plenty hometown performing opportunities, from the low “break-in joints” for new acts to the high-class palaces for the experienced headliners.
When the motion pictures usurped Vaudeville, magicians moved into showrooms and nightclubs. The Empire Room at the Palmer House and the Boulevard Room at the Hilton showcased the best magicians of the era. In the outfit-controlled nightclubs, gangsters and their kibitzers supported magicians and marveled at their tricks, a legit cousin to their own criminal ruses.
Chicago’s large population provided ample opportunities for performing at social clubs, civic organizations, and private parties.
In turn, the city became base to many world-renowned professional magic shops and manufacturers. The numerous neighborhood novelty shops supplied fun-loving amateurs with an endless supply of tricks, pranks, and gags. Chicago had, perhaps, more magic shops than anywhere in the world.
In the 1970s, a Chicagoan took the magic pitch he saw in those stores to television. Marshall Brodien and his TV Magic Cards became a rage and inspired a generation of children to become magicians.
Chicago’s greatest gift to magic was Matt Schulien. Early in the 1920s, he conjured up a new way of performing magic, “the Chicago Style of magic.” When Carl Sandburg lovingly called Chicago a “stormy, husky, brawling” city, he unknowingly described Matt's performances. His magic was visual, fast, direct, explosive, sometimes crude, and driven by his out-sized personality. He shattered the formal barriers between the performer and the audience. Once seen, Schulien’s magic was never forgotten and neither was the table-slapping, tear-inducing, chest-heaving laughter he elicited.
If Schulien was the heart of Chicago magic, Heba Haba Al was the spirit. Mentored by Schulien, Al became the original magic bartender. He expanded on and refined the rowdy style into pandemonium. From around the world, magicians would pilgrimage to a seedy bar on the north side of Chicago to see this imp and his nightly antics. These Chicago barkeeps taught magicians that the real secret of magic was not the trick, but the person behind the trick. Those performers who experienced the magic of Schulien and Heba went on to spread the gospel of the Chicago style.
In 1955, Jay Marshall, the single greatest repository of magic knowledge and a frequent guest on the Ed Sullivan Show, made Chicago his home. Jay and his wife Frances’ shop, Magic, Incorporated, became a Chicago institution and a gathering place for visiting magicians. If that were the only thing, you knew about the Chicago magic world that would be enough.
That alone made Chicago the center of the magic world.
THE MAGIC CABARET
September 18 - October 18Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm
The Greenhouse Theater Center2257 North Lincoln Avenue
Tickets $25. No one under age 13 admitted.Go to Tix.com or call (773) 404-7336
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Chicago History
Here is a selection from the many great stories about Chicago. A bit of old Chicago history and a bit of eerie history from modern Chicago.
The Sands of Chicago
Early in its history, Chicago was not only a city of neighborhoods, but also of “patches.” Along the river grew up communities of itinerant vagrants, jobless immigrants, criminals, drug addicts, prostitutes, and seasonally unemployed sailors and dockworkers.
The worst was Conley’s patch. Most famously for known for being the place where the Great Fire started. The Tribune called patches like these home to “the most beastly sensuality and darkest crimes.” Following closely behind Conley’s was the Sands.
Dutch Frank and his gang controlled the vice and protection for the patch. Rickety saloons and gambling dens provided shelter to diseased prostitutes. Cockfights, dog races, and dogfights provided additional income along side the crooked card games. Rat killings, where terriers are thrown into a pit with rats and bettors wagered on how quickly the dogs killed their prey, were a nightly amusement.
“Long John” Wentworth, in a campaign of violence, was elected mayor. A rabid nativist, Long John vowed to clean up the foreign defilers that populated the patches. The Sands was targeted. It sat on prime lake land. (Where, ironically, the Tribune building sits today.) When Long John’s friend, William Ogden bought up some of the land, it was time to move.
But they needed a diversion; to go up against Dutch Frank would cause too much bloodshed. Mayor Wentworth secretly organized a dogfight between Dutch Frank’s best dog and a dog owned by Bill Gallagher, a butcher, for the prize of $250.
On April 20, every able-bodied man in the Sands went to Brighton Racetrack to support their boss. Moments later, Long John and Ogden moved in.
They came with teams of horses, chains, and hooks. Shanty by shanty, they tore down the Sands. They crowd of spectators turned to looting the crumbled homes and soon to be crumbled homes. When the dogfight crowd returned late in the afternoon little remained of their slum.
Long John Wentworth and William Ogden completed the most dramatic land grabs in the history of Chicago. The residents of the Sands had a last laugh when they simply moved south of the river and went back to business.
Northerly Island
In 1909 Daniel Burnham had developed the great plan of Chicago. It was not to be. The only piece of his grand vision to be created was Northerly Island. It is a man-made island which was to be the northern most is a string of islands stretching between Grant and Jackson parks.
Technology would change it. In 1910, first airplane flight in Chicago foreshadowed its future. By 1918, it was clear that Grant Park couldn’t handle the regular mail service and Chicago must have an airport. In 1920 plans passed and in 1922 construction started.
The Depression and World War II delayed plans and, in between, Northerly Island hosted the 1933 World’s Fair. Finally after the Great War, in 1948, a single runway airport opened on Burnham’s island. A few years later, Northerly Island was rechristened Meigs Field.
It quickly became an important connection for medical flights, including emergency transport and transplant shuttles. Many businesses used the airport for convenient access to downtown offices.
Of course, many Chicagoans believed Meigs was also a playground for the rich and privileged. Those who can afford private planes. Meigs Field broke the long standing court approved local dictum that the lakefront must be kept “free and clear” for all the peoples of Chicago.
March 30, 2003 Mayor Daley (Boss Daley the Younger) beating a populist drum and waving a banner of Chicago safety ordered the destruction of Meigs. He said, after 9/11 that Chicago was no longer safe with an airport near its heart and, as stated previously, that the airport was a playground for the rich and not for the people of Chicago.
In the dark of night, construction crews snuck into the airport and carved giant Xs into the runway leaving 16 planes stranded. This was an illegal act. Chicago was fined and had to return millions in misappropriated federal funds.
Despite various lawsuits Meigs has been complete destroyed. Slowly it is being replaced by a private concert venue (perhaps another pocket filling project for the cronies of Mayor Daley) and public parkland.
Winston Churchill once said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”
The Sands of Chicago
Early in its history, Chicago was not only a city of neighborhoods, but also of “patches.” Along the river grew up communities of itinerant vagrants, jobless immigrants, criminals, drug addicts, prostitutes, and seasonally unemployed sailors and dockworkers.
The worst was Conley’s patch. Most famously for known for being the place where the Great Fire started. The Tribune called patches like these home to “the most beastly sensuality and darkest crimes.” Following closely behind Conley’s was the Sands.
Dutch Frank and his gang controlled the vice and protection for the patch. Rickety saloons and gambling dens provided shelter to diseased prostitutes. Cockfights, dog races, and dogfights provided additional income along side the crooked card games. Rat killings, where terriers are thrown into a pit with rats and bettors wagered on how quickly the dogs killed their prey, were a nightly amusement.
“Long John” Wentworth, in a campaign of violence, was elected mayor. A rabid nativist, Long John vowed to clean up the foreign defilers that populated the patches. The Sands was targeted. It sat on prime lake land. (Where, ironically, the Tribune building sits today.) When Long John’s friend, William Ogden bought up some of the land, it was time to move.
But they needed a diversion; to go up against Dutch Frank would cause too much bloodshed. Mayor Wentworth secretly organized a dogfight between Dutch Frank’s best dog and a dog owned by Bill Gallagher, a butcher, for the prize of $250.
On April 20, every able-bodied man in the Sands went to Brighton Racetrack to support their boss. Moments later, Long John and Ogden moved in.
They came with teams of horses, chains, and hooks. Shanty by shanty, they tore down the Sands. They crowd of spectators turned to looting the crumbled homes and soon to be crumbled homes. When the dogfight crowd returned late in the afternoon little remained of their slum.
Long John Wentworth and William Ogden completed the most dramatic land grabs in the history of Chicago. The residents of the Sands had a last laugh when they simply moved south of the river and went back to business.
Northerly Island
In 1909 Daniel Burnham had developed the great plan of Chicago. It was not to be. The only piece of his grand vision to be created was Northerly Island. It is a man-made island which was to be the northern most is a string of islands stretching between Grant and Jackson parks.
Technology would change it. In 1910, first airplane flight in Chicago foreshadowed its future. By 1918, it was clear that Grant Park couldn’t handle the regular mail service and Chicago must have an airport. In 1920 plans passed and in 1922 construction started.
The Depression and World War II delayed plans and, in between, Northerly Island hosted the 1933 World’s Fair. Finally after the Great War, in 1948, a single runway airport opened on Burnham’s island. A few years later, Northerly Island was rechristened Meigs Field.
It quickly became an important connection for medical flights, including emergency transport and transplant shuttles. Many businesses used the airport for convenient access to downtown offices.
Of course, many Chicagoans believed Meigs was also a playground for the rich and privileged. Those who can afford private planes. Meigs Field broke the long standing court approved local dictum that the lakefront must be kept “free and clear” for all the peoples of Chicago.
March 30, 2003 Mayor Daley (Boss Daley the Younger) beating a populist drum and waving a banner of Chicago safety ordered the destruction of Meigs. He said, after 9/11 that Chicago was no longer safe with an airport near its heart and, as stated previously, that the airport was a playground for the rich and not for the people of Chicago.
In the dark of night, construction crews snuck into the airport and carved giant Xs into the runway leaving 16 planes stranded. This was an illegal act. Chicago was fined and had to return millions in misappropriated federal funds.
Despite various lawsuits Meigs has been complete destroyed. Slowly it is being replaced by a private concert venue (perhaps another pocket filling project for the cronies of Mayor Daley) and public parkland.
Winston Churchill once said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”
Saturday, May 24, 2008
CelebraCadabra bites back
I wouldn’t call this a change of mind, more of an evolving opinion based on new factual information. Most of what I said in my first essay about Celebracadabra I still believe. Ant is an aptly named annoying insect. He returns in episode five to remind us just how repulsive he is. As much as they try to say otherwise, the show promotes the "become a magician in 24 hours school of thought."
But in episode 4 and even more so in episode 5 the magic has vastly improved. I am sorry to say that these celebs are embarrassing many a professional and even more amateur magicians. They perform better with 24hrs of work than most magic shop hangers-on with 24 years of practice.
In fact, now that they have been pared done there is more magic, better magic, and more magic castle. And the judging is now much more productive.
My advice is to head over to VH1.com and watch for yourself. Every one of these acts could win and magic club contest, perhaps a few convention contests as well. They are a lesson on how to perform. Okay, except for Hal who does not seem right in his show. My girl, the lovely Lisa, almost wins, and C. Thomas Howell creates and fully commits to an outrageous character.
So, after a shaky start, the show is now more than watchable.
But in episode 4 and even more so in episode 5 the magic has vastly improved. I am sorry to say that these celebs are embarrassing many a professional and even more amateur magicians. They perform better with 24hrs of work than most magic shop hangers-on with 24 years of practice.
In fact, now that they have been pared done there is more magic, better magic, and more magic castle. And the judging is now much more productive.
My advice is to head over to VH1.com and watch for yourself. Every one of these acts could win and magic club contest, perhaps a few convention contests as well. They are a lesson on how to perform. Okay, except for Hal who does not seem right in his show. My girl, the lovely Lisa, almost wins, and C. Thomas Howell creates and fully commits to an outrageous character.
So, after a shaky start, the show is now more than watchable.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Magic Collectors' Weekend
Overview and Review
Although the Weekend is sponsored by the Magic Collectors’ Association, The weekend is Gabe Fajuri’s. By day Gabe works at Fun, Inc., in his free time he publishes books and organizes this convention. I do say that he does nice work with this largely thankless job. In the process, I think he is transforming this convention from what I remember it to be to something along the lines of the LA Conference on Magic History. It is not there yet, but I applaud his efforts.
I also love that the Weekend is back in Chicago. It is a shame that Chicago has no annual convention. I wish more of you Chicagoans would support this endeavor. Chicago does have one annual event (and non-official convention event) The Knights of Sleights Magic Flea Market.
This is a fun event where all Chicago magicians should be getting together to socialize and, maybe, buy a trick or two. There were forty tables with products ranging from the very used to the sparkling new. I was good and bought little. I did spend some quality time with many of my Chicago magic friends. Those of you who missed it or don’t bother going for some reason, Shame on you. This is the magic social event of every year.
The first official convention event is the opening of the dealer room at 1:30 P. M. Thursday. Who is there right up front? Harry Anderson.
Harry Anderson is this year’s guest of honor. Now, I heard some grumblings about this, mostly from people who I assume think that they should be a guest of honor. Why was Harry chosen? I suspect it was to add some celebrity cachet. However if you look deeper, while not know for his collecting, Harry did house a world class collection of magical oddities in his New Orleans shop. If you read his works and talk to him he has a deep sense of the history of our art. Yes, I do believe he fits.
I always fear meeting people I admire. It is hard for anyone to live up to the person we create in our own minds from the public pieces we are given. There have been disappointments. Harry was not. For most of the weekend he was a fun, friendly, regular guy. Aside for one lapse, he was the man I had hoped for.
The real convention starts with the evening reception. There is a good selection of cakes, treats and coffee. Tom Ewing acted as MC for the weekend and he performed his job admirably…loose, relaxed, and friendly. Ross Johnson was the first presenter. Ross is a friend and someone who admire to the point of worship. He is simply...I take that back…there is nothing simple about him. He is one of the smartest and most powerful performers I know. Unfortunately, his presentation on Al Koran fell flat. It seemed like his timing was off. Normally he doesn’t perform for this kind of crowd. Perhaps that threw him. Second, his lecture was half-way between a magic lecture (trick demo) and history lecture. This limbo world was awkward.
The second event of the program was an interview of Harry Anderson by Jon Racherbaumer. Jon was as much of a spectator as the rest of us as Harry regaled us with expletive filled anecdotes from a lifetime of magic and thinking about magic. This show was definitely not for the kids, but huge fun.
Friday, Max Maven gives the opening talk on the first close-up magician. This is interesting. How could we ever know? Really. Think about all the magic performed through history and all the nameless magicians in that history. Where do we begin? Max guides us through a brief history of performing magic while creating a set of criteria to make his choice.
The audience must be part of the performing area.
There must still be an understood performing contract between the audience and the performer.
Max then comes to the determination that Matt Schulien was the first true Close-up Magician. He has his reasons, with which I agree, that Matt is the well-spring of formal close-up magic.
Sean Owen continues the morning presentation with a power point presentation of some of the treasures from the Salon de Magie. Interesting, but much too superficial.
In the afternoon session, Tom Ladshaw speaks on the mechanical marvels of the McElroy brothers. These genius brothers built for Abbott’s Magic Company and then for Proctor and Gamble. They were responsible for the most intricate ventriloqual figures and important consumer products like roll-on deodorant and head and shoulders shampoo.
David Ben follows with an interesting talk on Paul Fox. He showed many never before seen photos and film of the legendary magician. At the end, he introduced Paul Fox’s daughter to the audience.
The evening session was turned of to John Carney and his one-man show, Carney’s Wonders. This was the only event that was open to the public. John was good, not great. Again, he seemed a little “off” for his presentation. I heard people comment that they’ve seen him perform this material better.
Saturday morning at 10:00 A. M. is too damn early for a presentation. But here is a sleep deprived Bill Pack with many others that joined me late into the dark for a presentation on magic squares. The only reason I am here is the talk is given by Harry Anderson. He really does have on nice twists and turns with the presentation of magic squares. This is also the only time I’ve heard “blow me” in a magic lecture. (The comment was not directed at me.)
David Gartler and Vince Newkirk will now be able to say Harry Anderson opened for them. Who are they? They run a poster conservation and restoration business and they spoke about the same.
Graham Putnam, owner of Fun, Inc. filled in for the ailing Patrick Page. Graham added to his pervious talk on the history of Fun, Inc. and its original owner Jules Traub. Jules was one of the great characters in magic and, through Jules’ own letters, Graham brings him to life.
The Saturday afternoon session begins with David Charvet with a talk previewing his forthcoming book on the triumphs and tragedies of the Willard the Wizard family.
Dr. Eddie Dawes, a well-worn historian, follows with Brunel White a magician who could be thought of as the precursor to Jeff Busby. If you know what I mean. Wink. Wink.
The Saturday night show ends the convention. David Kovac hosts the show and does a good job. His relaxed “new vaudevillian” character provides a steadying influence in a show of ups and downs.
Handsome Jack (John Lovick) performed. I am always curious to see a columnist or critic from one of our magic magazines perform. Do they live up to their own hype? Or are they all bullshit? John put forth an excellent effort. I enjoyed his set the most.
Harry Anderson performed next. Here was his one miss-step. Harry gave a half-assed performance. I was told afterwards he was pissed off that he did not get a better response. It looked like he would walk away and not make an appearance in the dealers’ room afterwards. Well, Harry you got from the audience what you put into the show. You have no one to blame but yourself. Harry did cool down and must have realized the error because he not only showed up to the dealers room, but also was as fun and friendly as he had been all weekend.
Circus Boy Bobby Hunt did a short set of his usual juggling antics. Sadly, because I am a fan, his set fell flat. One of those nights, because I’ve seen him do better.
Rick Merrill closed the show with his award winning routine. ‘Nuff said.” Very good, very fun.
The good – The thing like best about this convention is its casual nature. I get to hang out with a great group of friends like Gordon Meyer, Dan Mindo, Brendan Kirby, Frank Glab, Ben Barnes, David Kovac, Mark and Sue Holstein, Marshall Brodien, Andy Lansing, Tim Felix, PT Murphy, Graham Putnam. Along with, I get to see friends I only see at these conventions like the beautiful and multi-talented Frances Mai-ling and make new ones like Celeste Evans, Harry Anderson, Jan Janson, Jon Racherbaumer among others. As I have quoted before, everyone has a story to tell. And I love to find it.
The bad – The Hyatt Woodfield was undergoing construction and I was woken up extra early by the noise. (I changed a couple of their “Pardon our dust” signs to “Pardon our noise” signs with my trusty Sharpie.) Also the bar was closed. They made a makeshift one in the lobby, but then closed it at midnight. The convention attendees, including myself, like to drink and converse late into the night. Heck, I don’t have to drive. I hope Gabe at least tries to find another hotel for next year. Included in that is that the dealer room is just too small, we need more room. Next, I personally would like to see a little more magic performance. The early years of going there was a session called “Old and Seldom Seen.” This was fun as collectors got to show off their wares if not their performing skills. This varies widely from good to bad and can be great fun with a smart MC that could play off the performances. Of course, this means the convention attendees need to step up and perform. Last, 10:00 A.M. is too early for a lecture. Way too early.
Overall, I love this convention and the people around it. Gabe should be commended.
Celebracadabra note: as predicted, the idiot Ant was eliminated by his own stupidity, in the end even his coach, Asi Wind, hated him. With that there is little to add to my original comments except the judging is better with Max Maven there.
Although the Weekend is sponsored by the Magic Collectors’ Association, The weekend is Gabe Fajuri’s. By day Gabe works at Fun, Inc., in his free time he publishes books and organizes this convention. I do say that he does nice work with this largely thankless job. In the process, I think he is transforming this convention from what I remember it to be to something along the lines of the LA Conference on Magic History. It is not there yet, but I applaud his efforts.
I also love that the Weekend is back in Chicago. It is a shame that Chicago has no annual convention. I wish more of you Chicagoans would support this endeavor. Chicago does have one annual event (and non-official convention event) The Knights of Sleights Magic Flea Market.
This is a fun event where all Chicago magicians should be getting together to socialize and, maybe, buy a trick or two. There were forty tables with products ranging from the very used to the sparkling new. I was good and bought little. I did spend some quality time with many of my Chicago magic friends. Those of you who missed it or don’t bother going for some reason, Shame on you. This is the magic social event of every year.
The first official convention event is the opening of the dealer room at 1:30 P. M. Thursday. Who is there right up front? Harry Anderson.
Harry Anderson is this year’s guest of honor. Now, I heard some grumblings about this, mostly from people who I assume think that they should be a guest of honor. Why was Harry chosen? I suspect it was to add some celebrity cachet. However if you look deeper, while not know for his collecting, Harry did house a world class collection of magical oddities in his New Orleans shop. If you read his works and talk to him he has a deep sense of the history of our art. Yes, I do believe he fits.
I always fear meeting people I admire. It is hard for anyone to live up to the person we create in our own minds from the public pieces we are given. There have been disappointments. Harry was not. For most of the weekend he was a fun, friendly, regular guy. Aside for one lapse, he was the man I had hoped for.
The real convention starts with the evening reception. There is a good selection of cakes, treats and coffee. Tom Ewing acted as MC for the weekend and he performed his job admirably…loose, relaxed, and friendly. Ross Johnson was the first presenter. Ross is a friend and someone who admire to the point of worship. He is simply...I take that back…there is nothing simple about him. He is one of the smartest and most powerful performers I know. Unfortunately, his presentation on Al Koran fell flat. It seemed like his timing was off. Normally he doesn’t perform for this kind of crowd. Perhaps that threw him. Second, his lecture was half-way between a magic lecture (trick demo) and history lecture. This limbo world was awkward.
The second event of the program was an interview of Harry Anderson by Jon Racherbaumer. Jon was as much of a spectator as the rest of us as Harry regaled us with expletive filled anecdotes from a lifetime of magic and thinking about magic. This show was definitely not for the kids, but huge fun.
Friday, Max Maven gives the opening talk on the first close-up magician. This is interesting. How could we ever know? Really. Think about all the magic performed through history and all the nameless magicians in that history. Where do we begin? Max guides us through a brief history of performing magic while creating a set of criteria to make his choice.
The audience must be part of the performing area.
There must still be an understood performing contract between the audience and the performer.
Max then comes to the determination that Matt Schulien was the first true Close-up Magician. He has his reasons, with which I agree, that Matt is the well-spring of formal close-up magic.
Sean Owen continues the morning presentation with a power point presentation of some of the treasures from the Salon de Magie. Interesting, but much too superficial.
In the afternoon session, Tom Ladshaw speaks on the mechanical marvels of the McElroy brothers. These genius brothers built for Abbott’s Magic Company and then for Proctor and Gamble. They were responsible for the most intricate ventriloqual figures and important consumer products like roll-on deodorant and head and shoulders shampoo.
David Ben follows with an interesting talk on Paul Fox. He showed many never before seen photos and film of the legendary magician. At the end, he introduced Paul Fox’s daughter to the audience.
The evening session was turned of to John Carney and his one-man show, Carney’s Wonders. This was the only event that was open to the public. John was good, not great. Again, he seemed a little “off” for his presentation. I heard people comment that they’ve seen him perform this material better.
Saturday morning at 10:00 A. M. is too damn early for a presentation. But here is a sleep deprived Bill Pack with many others that joined me late into the dark for a presentation on magic squares. The only reason I am here is the talk is given by Harry Anderson. He really does have on nice twists and turns with the presentation of magic squares. This is also the only time I’ve heard “blow me” in a magic lecture. (The comment was not directed at me.)
David Gartler and Vince Newkirk will now be able to say Harry Anderson opened for them. Who are they? They run a poster conservation and restoration business and they spoke about the same.
Graham Putnam, owner of Fun, Inc. filled in for the ailing Patrick Page. Graham added to his pervious talk on the history of Fun, Inc. and its original owner Jules Traub. Jules was one of the great characters in magic and, through Jules’ own letters, Graham brings him to life.
The Saturday afternoon session begins with David Charvet with a talk previewing his forthcoming book on the triumphs and tragedies of the Willard the Wizard family.
Dr. Eddie Dawes, a well-worn historian, follows with Brunel White a magician who could be thought of as the precursor to Jeff Busby. If you know what I mean. Wink. Wink.
The Saturday night show ends the convention. David Kovac hosts the show and does a good job. His relaxed “new vaudevillian” character provides a steadying influence in a show of ups and downs.
Handsome Jack (John Lovick) performed. I am always curious to see a columnist or critic from one of our magic magazines perform. Do they live up to their own hype? Or are they all bullshit? John put forth an excellent effort. I enjoyed his set the most.
Harry Anderson performed next. Here was his one miss-step. Harry gave a half-assed performance. I was told afterwards he was pissed off that he did not get a better response. It looked like he would walk away and not make an appearance in the dealers’ room afterwards. Well, Harry you got from the audience what you put into the show. You have no one to blame but yourself. Harry did cool down and must have realized the error because he not only showed up to the dealers room, but also was as fun and friendly as he had been all weekend.
Circus Boy Bobby Hunt did a short set of his usual juggling antics. Sadly, because I am a fan, his set fell flat. One of those nights, because I’ve seen him do better.
Rick Merrill closed the show with his award winning routine. ‘Nuff said.” Very good, very fun.
The good – The thing like best about this convention is its casual nature. I get to hang out with a great group of friends like Gordon Meyer, Dan Mindo, Brendan Kirby, Frank Glab, Ben Barnes, David Kovac, Mark and Sue Holstein, Marshall Brodien, Andy Lansing, Tim Felix, PT Murphy, Graham Putnam. Along with, I get to see friends I only see at these conventions like the beautiful and multi-talented Frances Mai-ling and make new ones like Celeste Evans, Harry Anderson, Jan Janson, Jon Racherbaumer among others. As I have quoted before, everyone has a story to tell. And I love to find it.
The bad – The Hyatt Woodfield was undergoing construction and I was woken up extra early by the noise. (I changed a couple of their “Pardon our dust” signs to “Pardon our noise” signs with my trusty Sharpie.) Also the bar was closed. They made a makeshift one in the lobby, but then closed it at midnight. The convention attendees, including myself, like to drink and converse late into the night. Heck, I don’t have to drive. I hope Gabe at least tries to find another hotel for next year. Included in that is that the dealer room is just too small, we need more room. Next, I personally would like to see a little more magic performance. The early years of going there was a session called “Old and Seldom Seen.” This was fun as collectors got to show off their wares if not their performing skills. This varies widely from good to bad and can be great fun with a smart MC that could play off the performances. Of course, this means the convention attendees need to step up and perform. Last, 10:00 A.M. is too early for a lecture. Way too early.
Overall, I love this convention and the people around it. Gabe should be commended.
Celebracadabra note: as predicted, the idiot Ant was eliminated by his own stupidity, in the end even his coach, Asi Wind, hated him. With that there is little to add to my original comments except the judging is better with Max Maven there.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Reality Bites or CelebraCadabra Begins
Were you looking forward to this? Was anyone? Not I, remembering the Circus of the Stars fiascos. I have to be honest. I hate these misnamed reality shows. Unreality would be a better description. Nothing on there resembles real at all. I have carefully avoided watching any of these shows with only a couple of exceptions:
1) The Contender, all I can say is that I love boxing. This wasn’t that bad in its first season. This is the only show I watched from start to finish.
2) Flavor of Love, I did watch bits and pieces of this bizarre “love” fest, mostly because I was expecting hot black women. After my initial shock. I quickly learned BET and I were a better fit.
3) Celebrity Fit Club, I only watched a couple of episodes that featured Saved by the Bell’s Screech. Man, that guy is a huge dick. No wonder his career is in the toilet. (I mean besides that whole lack of talent thing.)
That’s where I stand on that whole unreality show thing. I hate them. There is only thing I hate more and that is celebrity unreality shows. Great, just what I need to see, overpaid narcissists competing for prizes. In many cases, these are millionaires vying for thousands of dollars. How did we get to the point when things are more interesting when they happen to celebrities?
I used to watch some game shows, early reality shows, if you will. It was interesting to watch everyday Joes (like me) go through the anguish and ecstasy of the game when the prize really mattered to them. Winning that Buick LeSabre changed their lives. I remember some of the most interesting guests on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson being just ordinary people.
There is only one way I can tolerate these mostly C-list celebrities and that is if they are dropped off on a deserted island and the show is titled, “Survivor – Eat or Be Eaten”. That is appointment television. (Survivor – Eat or Be Eaten, copyright William Pack 2008.)
So, I am embarrassed to say at 11:30 P.M. on April 27, 2008 I find myself with 200 channels and nothing to watch, except CelebraCadabra on VH1.
Here is the good news, it is better than I thought it would be.
Here is the bad news, it is still not good.
I just want to write a few impressions on seeing this first episode. I don’t know if I will watch any others. So this may be just the start.
For those of you who are not familiar with the premise. Each dubiously famous, marginally talented marketing entity is pair up with a talented and inversely proportional unfamous magician. That magician prepares the celeb for various performing tasks. This first show featured Street Magic.
The Celebs:
Ant, most famous for being the host of Celebrity Fit Club
C. Thomas Howell, Actor, after some early promising work, mostly c grade movies
Hal Sparks, TV host, Talk Soup and Actor, Queer as Folk
Chris “Kid” Reid, part of rapper duo, Kid and Play, and stand-up comedian
Lisa Ann Walter, Stand-up comedian and character actor
Kimberly Wyatt, Pussycat Doll, Arm candy
Carnie Wilson, most recently famous for being the size of an ox, and then not, and now again eating her way back to ox-dom.
The Magicians:
Asi Wind, inventor of the highly regarded Time is Money
David Regal, hugely inventive inventor of magic and TV Writer
Derek Hughes, comedy magician
Rocco, talented magician and self-made D’lite magnate
Silly Billy, Kid show superstar
Murray, the guy with the CDs
Simon Lovell, talented magician who sold his soul for a bottle of booze to shill for Magic Takers, Inc.
First, Jonathon Levit opens the show by welcoming everyone to the Magic Castle. Yea! Unfortunately, the show is shot in such a way that it could have been shot anywhere. The Magic Castle barely provides a background. I hope in future episodes they show off this magician’s Valhalla.
Early in the show, Ant tries to make alliances to try to upset other contestants. He has seen too many other unreality shows. This tactic seems doomed to fail. He’ll spend more time back-biting and tearing down the others while neglecting to perfect his own magic. Wait...he’ll just fit right in with the magic community. I predict he will have a long magic career, just not on this show.
The Performances:
Ant does a signed, torn, and restored mis-made dollar bill. Passable, but much edited. He spent the rest of his time on his true talent, being annoying.
C Thomas Howell tried to perform the floating bill and failed at first. Later, he succeeded while connecting to a séance, talking to the dead theme. ICKY. He made it, but was on the bubble. This guy does not have much self confidence.
Hal Sparks is quite comfortable. He performed a sequence with some newspaper ending with the production of a mouse. He also did the quarter in the bottle.
Chris Reid was also comfortable gathering a crowd and working it. Both his rap history and apparent comedy experience help. He did the borrowed ring to shoelace. He sold it well. He and Hal will both be difficult to beat.
Lisa Ann Walter also had no problem building a crowd and performing. She did a sexy card under her fishnet stockings. I think I may love her. She gets it and is having fun.
Kimberly Wyatt surprised me the most. She missed a little in her script, but her performance of a broken bottle, in the air, card stab was impressive. She is not just a body. Both she and Lisa have a chance for the top prize.
Carnie Wilson “Fucked up” Her F-words not mine. Later, she succeeded with a signed card through window. After which, she gleefully taunted the spectator/assistant’s family by yelling at them, “I got your father, I got your dad.” Thankfully, she omitted the “Naa naa naa.” Also, thankfully, she was kicked off the show with her coach Slimon Lovell. She didn’t want to believe it, but she was the worst. As host Levit said, “Maybe Whiz-Dree is not your thing.”
As far as the show goes, I did like the fact that they showed them nervous and failing. All magicians fail. We are only human. One of the hardest things to learn is how to get out of it, cover it, or do it gracefully. I look forward to seeing their progress.
I would like to see the teaching magicians work on the scripting a little better some of the themes were tenuous, needing to be fleshed out and more rehearsed. These are supposed to be actors, after all. Learn your lines.
Yet, many of the performances were no worse than people, I know,who have been dabbling in magic for years sometimes decades, who proclaim to be magicians, who have business cards, and who charge real money for shows. And in a few instances better than the average magic club blowhard. A sad, but true statement of fact.
I've seen a few reviews stating that the show had no spark. This is true. The magical moments aren't very magical. Not like we've learned to expect on television like from Blaine and that mindfreak guy.
The format is put together like a reality show Mad-Lib. Just plug in the right-ish phrase here and there and you have a show. CelebraJuggle, you'll be thrown out. CelebraVent, who is the dummy now. Celeballonatic...etc.
The most disturbing aspect is the idea that you can become a magician in twenty-four hours. I've been fighting this fight in my store for years. "Oh, I have a presentation tomorrow, what trick can I do? What do you mean none? I can practice all evening." Just shut up and go away.
C Thomas Howell is a good example. He fails at the floating bill trick and proclaims he is a magician. Isn't there a rule you have to actually perform a trick successfully before you can call yourself a magician?
The judging overall was correct, meaning they agreed with my assessments, but not very concrete with help. Franz Harary typically hit the nail on the head. Levit agreed with anything said like a human bobble head doll. Jeff McBride was his usual pompous self. Yes, McBride may be a fantastic magician, but he is excessively full of himself. First, stop talking with your hands and not in that, "hey I'm Italian, what do you expect kind of way," but in that I am in the THEATRE so you must notice me kind of way. Second, I don’t find comments like, “You need to get all those butterflies flying around in your stomach to fly in formation,” particularly helpful.
I begin to think:
This is your McBride:
This is your McBride on drugs:
His "advice" is just more of that empty new age woo-woo that passes for profundity. I expect he will provide me with a juicy life (not) changing quote like that in every episode.
Max Maven was unavailable to judge in the first episode. He will be joining the crew later and word is to keep an eye on his hair. I am looking forward to that. He also said he was brought on to be the Simon Cowell type character, but it didn’t turn out quite that way. Months ago he told he to give the show a chance that it wasn’t as bad as expected.
He was right.
As always.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Magic and the TV world
"There’s a good deal in common between the mind’s eye and the TV screen, and though the TV set has all too often been the boob tube, it could be, it can be, the box of dreams." - Ursula K. Le Guin
There is a belief. One that has become a fiercely held magic doctrine. One that I have held onto fiercely myself. The best way to see magic is to see it live. That is it. In person trumps Television. Doesn’t compare. Nope. Not the least.
Given the choice. Live performance.
Have you been waiting for the “but”? Yeah, me too. Recently, I’ve been deep into two seemingly unrelated books that have made me reexamine my long held beliefs. The first is Performing Dark Arts, A Cultural History of Conjuring by Michael Mangan; the other is Words that Work by Dr. Frank Lutz. (Both are good reads, the first for an interesting take on the history of magic, the second with valuable advice on the use and misuse of words in politics, business, and life.)
In chapter seven of Dark Arts, Mangan covers life, death and the meaning of liveness. While he has many, more points than I will cover here. The first that I do want to look at is that for the past 30 or so years, if you asked the public the name of a magician, the magician they would name made their career on television. It can be said the even Houdini’s popularity today can be because of his exposure on television.
The second is a point of Philip Auslander. “Auslander’s point is that while live performance and the mass media are rivals...contemporary live performance seeks to replicate television, video, and film and also incorporates media technology to such an extent that the live event itself becomes a product of media technologies.”
While reading this I read this in Words: “It is an interesting phenomenon to watch television audiences at live studio tapings in Hollywood or New York. Those older than fifty will inevitably watch the actual performance, even if the actors are far away and partially obscured by cameras or lighting. But those younger than forty will watch the performance through the television monitors, even when the monitors and high above them and the actors nearby. Why? Because for younger audiences, it’s what comes through the television itself, not the performance, that defines the meaning of live. You can see this at sporting events as well. Younger fans watch the action on the “jumbotron” monitor rather than focusing on the game itself.”
TV has become the new reality.
Yet, I do have some reassurance. Every day some comes into the store and talks my language. They tell me that they want a magician do magic close-up, right in front of them rather than being separated from it, either by stage or by screen.
Of course, right after that someone comes in and asks if that Mind Freak guy is for real, “I mean how else could he do it?” The context of doing the tricks on the street, in “real life situations” adds to the live or real nature. Television doesn’t lie. As the old joke goes, “What are you going to believe me or your own eyes?”
People still go to plays, although they really can't be seen on TV. People do wait for the movie instead of reading the much higher quality book. People still go to concerts, but when they go to see U2 are they watching the band or the giant TV screens?
"Television thrives on unreason, and unreason thrives on television. It strikes at the emotions rather than the intellect." - Sir Robin Day
The thing I want to believe is that the masses are generally uneducated. If they experienced good live magic, they would understand its real power. Lacking a better choice, people will still choose a simulated reality.
It is our responsibility to change that.
"So why do people keep on watching? The answer, by now, should be perfectly obvious: we love television because television brings us a world in which television does not exist. In fact, deep in their hearts, this is what the spuds crave most: a rich, new, participatory life." -Barbara Ehrenreich
There is a belief. One that has become a fiercely held magic doctrine. One that I have held onto fiercely myself. The best way to see magic is to see it live. That is it. In person trumps Television. Doesn’t compare. Nope. Not the least.
Given the choice. Live performance.
Have you been waiting for the “but”? Yeah, me too. Recently, I’ve been deep into two seemingly unrelated books that have made me reexamine my long held beliefs. The first is Performing Dark Arts, A Cultural History of Conjuring by Michael Mangan; the other is Words that Work by Dr. Frank Lutz. (Both are good reads, the first for an interesting take on the history of magic, the second with valuable advice on the use and misuse of words in politics, business, and life.)
In chapter seven of Dark Arts, Mangan covers life, death and the meaning of liveness. While he has many, more points than I will cover here. The first that I do want to look at is that for the past 30 or so years, if you asked the public the name of a magician, the magician they would name made their career on television. It can be said the even Houdini’s popularity today can be because of his exposure on television.
The second is a point of Philip Auslander. “Auslander’s point is that while live performance and the mass media are rivals...contemporary live performance seeks to replicate television, video, and film and also incorporates media technology to such an extent that the live event itself becomes a product of media technologies.”
While reading this I read this in Words: “It is an interesting phenomenon to watch television audiences at live studio tapings in Hollywood or New York. Those older than fifty will inevitably watch the actual performance, even if the actors are far away and partially obscured by cameras or lighting. But those younger than forty will watch the performance through the television monitors, even when the monitors and high above them and the actors nearby. Why? Because for younger audiences, it’s what comes through the television itself, not the performance, that defines the meaning of live. You can see this at sporting events as well. Younger fans watch the action on the “jumbotron” monitor rather than focusing on the game itself.”
TV has become the new reality.
Yet, I do have some reassurance. Every day some comes into the store and talks my language. They tell me that they want a magician do magic close-up, right in front of them rather than being separated from it, either by stage or by screen.
Of course, right after that someone comes in and asks if that Mind Freak guy is for real, “I mean how else could he do it?” The context of doing the tricks on the street, in “real life situations” adds to the live or real nature. Television doesn’t lie. As the old joke goes, “What are you going to believe me or your own eyes?”
People still go to plays, although they really can't be seen on TV. People do wait for the movie instead of reading the much higher quality book. People still go to concerts, but when they go to see U2 are they watching the band or the giant TV screens?
"Television thrives on unreason, and unreason thrives on television. It strikes at the emotions rather than the intellect." - Sir Robin Day
The thing I want to believe is that the masses are generally uneducated. If they experienced good live magic, they would understand its real power. Lacking a better choice, people will still choose a simulated reality.
It is our responsibility to change that.
"So why do people keep on watching? The answer, by now, should be perfectly obvious: we love television because television brings us a world in which television does not exist. In fact, deep in their hearts, this is what the spuds crave most: a rich, new, participatory life." -Barbara Ehrenreich
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