Los Angeles Magic Conference – Day 3

November 7

Saturday is the last day of the Conference. It brings with it one of the highlights of the weekend, a visit to John Gaughan’s workshop. The conference provided a shuttle bus from the hotel to the shop (and back). There are scheduled times, mine is at 1:00 P.M., but you can go anytime if you are driving. I catch a ride with Fred Pittella and the gang.

For those who don’t know John is one of the foremost illusion builders in the world. He has built for Doug Henning, David Copperfield, and Ricky Jay, to name a few. He, also, is a restorer of antique magic and automata.

The ride, besides giving more time for us to hang out, gets us to the workshop a couple of hours earlier. I’ll need it. There is just too much to see. When I get there, I start taking pictures and pictures and pictures. It is almost a frenzy to document everything.

I pause.

I realize my photos will not do justice to the experience. It was a foolish folly to think I could get it all. I wasn’t enjoying it. So, the camera was put away and I took a break. John, besides opening his doors for us, provided lunch in the form of a barbeque. Not cheap burgers either, but real steak.

After my break, the idea was to savor the event. Take time and enjoy the moment. I was able to get Houdini’s autograph for John’s life-size Houdini automata. I was the fly on the wall in a long discussion on Houdini’s Water Torture Cell, next to a replica of the cell and by guys who have actually performed it.

I touched the talking skull of Joseffy and Kellar’s Psycho. Sat for a photograph, a Victorian novelty, in which the final product looks like I am sitting at a table play cards with 5 clones of myself. John demonstrated an amazing Doug Henning illusion, in which, from a flat table, a large humpbacked steamer truck appears, along with a woman inside.

I, carefully, touched tricks owned by Robert-Houdin, Heller, Hartz and others. Each one, not only a functional trick, but a fine work of art. It was quite like visiting a museum of art stuffed into a single room.

I wasn’t the only one. Nobody wanted to leave. They were in a daze. Even the hardest of men was left breathless at the sites. Tim Felix, head attendee wrangler, had to force people on to the bus, gently.

It cannot be overstated how generous this gift of John’s was.

This would be the entirety of the afternoon program. I doubt anyone was complaining.

Dinner was with my good friends, Mark and Sue Holstein. We sort of are starting a tradition of going to this terrific little Italian restaurant, not far from the hotel.

The evening program began with Jim Steinmeyer performing Beau Brocade. This is interesting, or should I say odd, we are watching an illusion that was mostly explained to us in a previous session. There were a couple of added touches in the performance. But there were some obvious flaws also and beyond the impracticability of the original method. There is a theme to tonight’s show, missing persons. Beau Brocade is the first, of several, vanishing women in the program.

Diego Domingo followed with a double talk on two missing figures in magic, George White and Doc Nixon. George White was Howard Thurston’s main assistant. The African-American was one of the stars of the Thurston show, but where he came from and where he went after his magic career was over has long been a mystery. Doc Nixon was a successful performer and creator of “where did the ducks go?” Then he disappeared from the magic world in a swirl of rumors. Diego did some amazing detective work to uncover the secrets in these men’s lives. The first of the talk was very good. Diego had problems with the second half and it fell flat.

William Kalush discussed the enigmatic Charlier’s life and his contributions to sleight of hand. Included was the long thought impossible “invisible” performance solution for Charlier cut. An excellent talk.

John Gaughan took the stage. In his understated way, he performed Charles Morritt’s creation, “Goodbye Winter.” This illusion was last seen in Houdini’s final tour. It is an amazing example of vanishing a woman from the top of table.

Mike Caveney closed the show with a performance of two pieces from magician, Paul Valadon, “The Drum That Cannot Be Beat” and “Well I’m…” The first a production illusion of many silks. The second a startling vanishing woman. The illusions were first performed in the Egyptian Hall and then again, when Paul toured with Harry Kellar.

After the show, it was out to patio for a coffee reception. I mean, after we picked up some cocktails, then it was the coffee reception. The cookies were delicious.

I’ve been to three Conferences. Of those three this was the weakest, then it would be difficult to top my experiences of the previous years. The first year I spoke and was my coming out party. The second was Hooker’s Rising Cards.

At the beginning of the Conference, Marvin Miller (I told you I’d speak of him again.) said he would be interested to read my blog and see what I thought was the highlight of the event. In these reviews, I’ve used the words kindness and generosity. I could have used them when speaking about every person I spoke to at the Conference.

I spent time with Mark Cannon, Jan Janson, Todd Robbins, Ward Hall, Jamy Ian Swiss, Joe Fox, Fred Pittella, Andy Lansing, Diego Domingo, Jim Steinmeyer, Frankie Glass, Lupe Nielson, Mark Holstein, Sue Holstein, Tim Felix, Mike Caveney, Scott Smith, Rob Zabrecky, Andy Lansing, David Goodman, Lisa Cousins, Bill Goodwin, Stan Allen, Mark Kaschube, Bill Kalush, Newell Unfried, John Gaughan, David Alexander and many others.

And Marvin Miller, Marvin is a former CEO, magazine editor, mystery writer. We come from very different worlds. As do many of the people, I get to hang out with at this Conference. We are not in the same social circles, except here. They all treat me with kindness and generosity. I love being able to be around them.

That is the best part of the Conference. The people like Marvin Miller. My best friends, even if it is only three days every two years.

Los Angeles Magic Conference – Day 2

November 6

I expect there is no need for me to go into detail about my waking up procedures. If you have seen Groundhog Day, you’ll know that every morning at the Conference was sort of like that morning. SSDM.

The first event of the day was the Eidophusikon. Every 15 minutes or so, 30 odd (in every sense of the word) magicians are herded into the exhibit room to see the 3 minute 45 second show. Then, they move to the backstage area to see the entire show again. My show time was 11:30.

The show was a dramatic representation of Satan and his minions rising from the depths of Hell. Volcanoes, flowing lava, Satan’s palace, and his army are all static pictures painted on glass, which slide up into position. This makes a sort of three-dimensional painting that “creates” itself. In the 1781, the glass was lit in various ways by gaslight filtered through colored glass shades. In our case, inferior modern lighting took the gaslight’s place. Inferior because the modern lights did not have the natural flicker of the gaslights and, thus, much motion was lost.

Backstage it is an intricate coordinated effort by three performers to time the music, light and position the glass. It was really a cross of puppetry and stagecraft.

I expect, partially because of my interest in Toy Theater, I enjoyed the performance more than many of the other conference attendees. I see the historical through line. I also try to see how it can be presented in a historical and entertaining way to modern audiences as part of a larger production. And let’s face it, in this case, you have to sit and wonder how anyone was so entertained by this thing. A few others and I went in and watched the last performance while the final scheduled group got to see the backstage view.

One of the people I most looked forward to see was my friend, Jamy Ian Swiss. He came to the Conference late because of some booking conflicts. I just happen to catch him as he/I were headed to lunch. While I don’t always agree with Jamy, he always makes me think. That is what I want from my friends. We had a good talk, life, business, Houdini and the world of skepticism.

The afternoon session began with Will Houstoun. Will did an in depth study of a handwritten notebook on card magic from the Magic Circle Library. It is a first person account of seeing some of the great magician’s of the 18^th century. Mr. Houstoun went into great detail of how he dated the manuscript, which was quite fascinating. That, alone, was a lesson in historical research. He also commented some of the more interesting observations of the unknown author. He has written a book on the subject including a facsimile of the notebook.

The second presentation was by Chris Woodward who told the story of Rameses-The forgotten star. He has a new thin book out about this “lost” performer. I find it odd to write this review because while I was there for the presentation, (I remember seeing the pictures and Mr. Woodward speaking.) I can’t remember anything about it. Apparently, Rameses will remain forgotten, at least in my mind.

David Charvet finished the session with a talk on Ade Duval. Ade created the Silken Sorcerer act that took him all over the world. By all accounts he was a fine, disciplined magician, timing out is act within a couple of seconds every show. David showed some rare vintage footage of Ade. He also has self-published a thin book on Ade. There was a story about Ade that I was surprised that David did not mention. Ade’s real name was Adolf; Jay Marshall told me that he changed his name at the beginning of WWII for obvious reasons. David Charvet shows this is not true. Ade was working as Ade since early in his career.

Dinner was with David Alexander joined our group for dinner. As usual, it is just fun hanging out with magic guys of high caliber. There are engrossing stories, hilarious joke, and salacious gossip.

The evening program began with Michael Albright, an executive with the BBC and long-time Prof. Hoffman collector. With proclaiming his utmost nervousness, unusual for someone who give presentations for a living, Michael gave an entertaining and interesting overview of Prof. Hoffman’s life and his books.

Richard Lane followed with a talk on hypnotic charlatans in the vaudeville era. Richard had excellent material, but did not deliver it very well. It seems this Emmy award-winning producer and writer must not be used to speaking like this. I hope he will end up writing a book on these fascinating con men of the stage.

A Conference favorite for his usually entertaining presentations, Peter Lamont finished the “speechifying” portion of the program. It was a short talk on Annemann and his article in the Jinx magazine titled, “Was Dr. Rhine Hoodwinked?” Dr. Lamont speculated on Annemann’s theory and why it doesn’t make sense in the full context of all the facts. While the information provided was new and interesting, Dr. Lamont’s talk left me empty and wanting something more.

The final piece of the evening was a performance by Conference regular, John Carney of Robert-Houdin’s Orange Tree. This is a reproduction of the original tree created by John Gaughan. John did a poetic routine embracing this anachronistic prop. He then went into a sequence similar to the familiar canary, egg, lemon routine. He first vanished the silk, supposedly transporting it into the egg. The egg is then vanished. Both of these first two vanishes were as masterful as you expect from John Carney. The vanish of the lemon was not. Bad and obvious. In a clever turn, he proceeded to vanish the orange in stages. The fruit shrinking ever smaller until it existed no more. The magic was then made to bloom and bear fruit. The oranges were passed to the audience to show their reality. A final fruit grew at the top of the tree. A flock of butterflies came to life in the tree. The orange split open and two of the butterflies carried the silk out of the orange on wing. It is a beautiful effect, but I was left with one problem. What happened to the egg and the lemon?

Each year, Jim Steinmeyer and his wife, Frankie Glass kindly open their home for an invitation only reception. There are drinks and, with the aid of a special kitchen elf, Frankie lays out a scrumptious feast of hors d'oeuvres and baked goods. I am always grateful I can attend.

Back at the hotel too late for last call. What kind of bar closes at 1:00 A.M. on a Friday night? A stupid hotel bar that doesn’t understand how much money they are losing. Magicians like to drink. The same kind of thing happens every year at Collectors. I think it is time to bring my own bottle.

Los Angeles Magic Conference-Day 1

November 5

I slept late. That is generally a given at these types of weekends, unless some ass schedules an early lecture session. Those who run the LA Conference are no asses. Even with sleeping late, I made it just under the wire for breakfast at the aforementioned Tula’s: eggs, over easy, bacon, very crisp, and wheat toast.

Registration was just off the new patio and since the dealer and exhibit rooms weren’t open yet, I bought hotel priced coke and stretched out on a couch. Need I say the weather was glorious?

Here I was able to go through my registration packet. Jim Steinmeyer did his usual great job with the program. There was a reprint of an 18th century Japanese magic book, actually a chapter of a larger book, much like Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft. This book was not a full translation, but an explanation of the artwork on 13 two-page spreads. This most interesting book was compliments of Max Maven and Ton Onosaka.

The program and the gift book were my leisurely reads for the afternoon. Occasionally, I would be interrupted, and not in the bad sense, by an arriving conference attendee. For example, Marvin Miller, who I’ve written about in my review of the last conference, stopped to say hello and chat. I’ll be writing about Marvin later also.

This year the conference was sort of a working, although hardly work, vacation for me. I had a mission. I am working on a Houdini project at the moment and I hope to talk to Bill Kalush about it.

Mr. Kalush co-wrote the most recent Houdini biography and is, perhaps, the most knowledgeable Houdini expert extant. He is a consultant to David Blaine and does a terrific pass. He has always been very accessible and generous with his time and knowledge. My curiosity was about what magic Houdini might have done early in his career, like the “King of Cards” years.

When I caught up with him and asked, he invited me to lunch. There is a little strip mall a couple of blocks away from the hotel. We walked over, grabbed a sandwich, and talked Houdini. (By the way, if you are a sandwich shop and you don’t have hot peppers or, better, giardiniera. What the hell are you thinking?)

The convention proper started at 2:30. I found my usual seat in back. I only ever walked out of a talk once, but I like to be close to the door in case another bad one pops up. Frankly, I have smart-ass tourette’s and if the speaker leaves me an opening, I can’t help but fill it. It is better for all involved if I sit in back.

Jeff Soltzing, the nephew of Johnny Carson and head of Carson Enterprises gave the first talk. He spoke on Johnny’s love of magic with some personal anecdotes about Carson performing. He then opened up the Carson archives to show some brief clips of magicians on the Tonight Show. There really wasn’t anything new here, especially if you are of the age that watched Carson. It is always nice to see Johnny in action. I find it a constant reminder of how good he really was and how bad most show (not only late night) hosts are. Get yourself over to youtube and watch some clips.

Burton Sperber spoke on collectable trading cards. The talk was somewhat disorganized and Burton is not a great speaker. Each one of the cards shows an effect on one side and then on the other side explains a trick that a person can do. He had some video clips of some noted magic people doing the tricks. All I can say is bad and amateurish. I sure there was a way to do this to be fun and perhaps he meant it to be, but it was just painful. I hate saying this about Burton. He is a good person. He produced a wonderful little souvenir booklet with full color images of the cards, front and back, a real high quality production. He gave them free to the attendees. What more can I say?

Chuck Jones put the life back in the room with the closing talk of the session. He spoke about his mentor, Dell O’Dell. Dell was the most successful female magician of her time and one of the most successful magicians of the time. Chuck remembered her life and punctuated it with a ton of photos. He also demonstrated some of her props. An excellent talk about a real worker by a real worker.

We all broke for dinner. I hooked up with Mark Cannon, Joe Fox and Fred Pittella. Mark spoke before me a few years ago at the conference. All three guys are into escape magic. I’m not. But as I know, you can learn a lot in just that situation. I take what I can and apply it to what I do. Anyway, it gave me a chance to pick Mark’s brain on my Houdini project. I ended up hanging with these guys most of the weekend. They were great fun.

As much as I have previous wanted to take a girlfriend to these types of events, I am glad I haven’t. It doesn’t matter how much she is into magic. I like having the freedom to hang with whomever I might be talking to at the time. I’ve made some great friends this way and had some great experiences in the process.

The evening session began at 8:00. First up was Mike Caveney. He gave a talk on the Ediophusikon. This is a late 18th Century novelty theater. Especially seeing the after seeing the inner workings, I would say it is the forerunner of the toy theaters that would become popular in the 19th Century. On the second day of the Conference, there would be a performance of a scene out of what would be a full evening performance. Then we would literally go behind the scenes to see it workings. The odd thing about the talk is that Mike, in a first for the Conference, talked down the experience.

Jim Steinmeyer took over to describe another piece well will be seeing, this time on Saturday night, Beau Brocade. This was a great “lost” vanishing lady illusion by David Devant. This is another example of Jim’s great detective work and brilliant thinking, solving the puzzle and bringing it to life.

Last, Todd Robbins was scheduled to interview sideshow showman Ward Hall. Todd, instead, ended up more like a piece of furniture; Ward needed no prompting to begin talking. Todd just pushed the button and let Ward go. He should be commended, it was Ward’s time and Todd was smart enough to stay out of the way. A lesser magician might not. Ward told stories of his life, pitched some DVDs, and performed the blade box assisted by my friend, Sue Holstein. If you want to know more about Ward, check my sideshow posts. I spent a day with him at the sideshow in 2005 and wrote a long piece on it called The Last Sideshow.

It was now off to the bar with some friends.

Los Angeles Magic Conference – Day 0

The Los Angeles Conference on Magic History was held over a three-day period, November 5 through 7, 2009. This is my story of the event.

It doesn’t seem like two years. The conference is held every other year. I had to force myself start saying “last conference” because I found myself saying “last year,” repeatedly. Perhaps wishful thinking.

I flew out to LA a day early. I don’t travel much, not to anywhere, so I wanted to be a tourist. Just for a day.

My flight went out of O’Hare at 7:30 A.M., 80% full. The one trick I have learned traveling is that if you need space sit in back. This is the part of the plane that is most likely to have empty seats. It did. With the middle seat vacant, I could relax and stretch a little. Not as much a the guy in the row behind me, who was able to lay across all three seats and take a nap.

At LAX, I took the Super Shuttle to the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn. This is the regular conference hotel. I’ve written before on how much I like this hotel and my opinion hasn’t changed. In the two years since I’ve been here, they have improved.

The hotel expanded the lobby, the store, and built a wonderful patio out back. They also seem to have the friendliest staff. From the desk clerks and the door staff to the housekeepers and maintenance staff, all had a smile, hello or a good morning.

(I wish I could say the same for the attached restaurant, Tula’s. The service was slow to non-existent. They seemed overwhelmed and unprepared by the fact they had any business. The same goes for the hotel bar, Decoy.)

After a quick unpack and lunch, I snuck over to the main room where they were setting up the stage for the conference. I said hellos to those I knew, like Mike Caveney and Jim Steinmeyer. I had to ask Jim about the Magic Castle. The plan was to go to the Castle that evening but I could not remember the address for the cab. I thought I could get in because of being out at the conference.

Jim introduced me to Rob Zabrecky, who was performing that night. Rob put me on his list so I would have no problem getting in. Then when I said I was just going to take a cab over, another worker, Scott Smith offered to give me, a complete stranger, a ride. Scott, Scotto the magician, runs a contest at the Castle and physically walked me inside to ensure there would be no problems.

That Wednesday night the Castle celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the building itself. The place was packed and Vodka was the drink of the night. For the specials and for myself.

I only got to see shows in the parlor and in the palace theaters. John Lenahan performed a nice, relatively standard, stand-up comedy magic set in the parlor. I met Fernando Keops at the bar. Didn’t get to see him work, but I will say his jewelry would be the envy of Liberace.

In the Palace they were doing short, 25 minute shows with cabaret style seating. Bruce Gold hosted the show. He was affable albeit generic. Gregory Wilson, who is a fine close-up magician, did a forced set, trying to hard to gain the audience’s favor. Christopher Hart performed a solid set of tried and true material, an act he has spent 20 performing. Tina Lenert performed a silk and ring routine which had some nice ideas and moves in it. I think it may still be a work in progress and shows great promise. Rob Zabrecky performed a delightfully off-kilter act seemingly inspired by Charles Addams. And not the TV or movie Addams family but the original cartoons in the New Yorker.

One of the highlights of my stop at the Castle was the personal tour of the library by its slightly tipsy librarian, Bill Goodwin.

Actually I ended up not drinking as much as I expected, which forced me into being shanghaied into driving Tim Felix and Mark Kaschube back to the hotel. But first a stop at Jack-in-the-Box. No, I did not eat the tacos. I learned my lesson from last year, oops, last conference.

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.

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.

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.

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

Christmas 2007

For those of you who don't get my Christmas Cards, I publish a version a year later on this blog.

Here is last year's card. If you can't figure out the code, go to the December archives from 2007 where I put the solution. Except I did fix the typo from the card I sent out.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Grave Art two

"At first cock-crow the ghosts must go

Back to their quiet graves below."

-Theodosia Garrison

Grave Art

"Cursed be he that moves my bones."

-William Shakespeare (Epitaph on his gravestone)

A while ago I went exploring some older cemeteries around the St. Charles area. Many of the stones go back to before the civil war. I wanted to use up the last of my B&W film. I sure do miss real film. Maybe I am a bit old fashioned, digital just doesn't "work" the same for me. I like the tactile feel of real film, the fun of seeing if you got the shot, and the surprise of getting something unexpected. And having to use photoshop to adjust and fix things feels like cheating. Hopefully, as they continue to improve the digital cameras I can find my way. Until then, enjoy these photos.

Lost and Found

I was digging looking for some papers when I ran across a few old photos.

I cannot believe my hair was that long. 'lo those many years ago. After a few years I got tired of finding long stray hairs everywhere and taking care of it. So one day I walked into a salon and told the stylist to cut it all off. You should have seen her face. By that time the hair was over a foot long and I was able to donate it to Locks of Love.

Demonstrating Rocky the Raccoon for the Magic Masters crowd. I can kick ass, when I am motivated.

For years people have been coming into the shop and telling me I look like Penn. I aways poo-poo'ed the comments until I took this picture. Okay, it is a vague likeness but then don't we magicians count on peoples' vague memories anyway. BTW, I love my coat. Is a $1000 Donna Karen coat that I bought for $100 at a clearance sale. It also helps me hide in the grass.

My favorite of the all. A picture of me teaching Wil Smith magic for his portrayal of Muhammad Ali in the movie Ali. The question I always get is "What is he like?" He is just like he appears on talk shows and movies, loose, relaxed, and friendly. Just like one of your buddies. It was a really great experience.

Sideshow banner

I can't draw. Not a bit. So the idea of me doing a sideshow banner seems just plain silly. Since being silly is become a life long habit, I wanted to find a way to indulge myself. It is also a fun, creative exercise to find ways to get around my lack of talent. I wonder sometimes that if I had talent at anything else if I would still do magic.

Well, I did a little research on the web and after experimenting on my own. I created my first banner. I may not be able to draw. I know layout and I can letter. And I like the mystery aspects as originally created by master gaffmeister Doug Highley. Although, he would not like my color scheme.

This is a 4 foot by 5 foot banner. Hemmed. Gesso. Painted with Acrylic Paint. The hemmed seam was folded over and sealed with Gorilla Glue to add strength. Grommets all around. Finally, 5 coats of a flexible matte varnish to make it waterproof.

What will I do with it now? Maybe I'll keep it. Maybe eBay. If you want, make me a offer.

LA Conference finale

And, finally, Saturday night begins with a roundtable discussion of the conference organizers. Hosted by Richard Kaufman, the panel sheds some light on what goes into producing such a marvelous event. Some old video clip highlights are shown and discussed. Mostly it is the audiences’ way to thank those who inspire us so.

Arthur Benjamin was one of the highlight acts of the week. Arthur is a math genius. He does a lighting math act. He obviously loves what he does. I wasn’t expecting much. I’m not a big math guy. His exuberance carried his set and swept away the audience. With Mac King and others on the stage being perfect foils. The expression of complete amazement on their faces made this non-magical act magical.

Michael McGiveney closes the weekend. I remember seeing years ago on, I think, a Ricky Jay special. He does his father’s quick change act. This is not like the changes now so popular. He does a scene from Oliver Twist, changing from one character to another when passing offstage. An interesting look at a popular turn-of-the-last-century entertainment.

The convention night finishes like most of the night by closing down the hotel bar with some new and some old friends. Again, I think about how lucky I am to have tripped into this magic life. You meet the most interesting people.

I would not trade it for anything.

LA part 5

So now where was I...Ah, yes, Saturday morning. Early, I spend some time stalking Ricky Jay. Just kidding. Before going to LA, I arranged with Ricky to bring out copies of his books to be signed. I fully understand that he doesn’t like to do that sort of thing but he graciously agreed to do this for me. I think, or hope, he sees in me a kindred spirit and lover of lost performers. He really is part of why I love the history of the art of magic and the personalities involved.

Now I get to see the Hooker Card Rise.

Yes, it fools the hell out of me.

No, I don’t care. I am thankful.

After all these years in and around magic, it is such a rare occurrence when I am fooled. It is a good thing. How can we begin to clearly understand our audiences when we can’t experience what they do?

After the show, Jamy Ian Swiss and I talk. He feels that it is his job to figure out how it works. I do not. I want to enjoy the beauty of it. The challenge is to figure out how to give my spectators a similar experience.

Saturday afternoon Jim Steinmeyer does his usual good job telling the story of Hooker. Roxy gives a talk about the history of “lightning calculators”. It doesn’t interest me and his accent is impenetrable. So I leave. Hook up with Mark Kaschube for a couple of pints. We have a good talk, something we hadn’t done since before his divorce, new marriage, and baby. There was a lot to catch up on.

Being with people, hanging, talking, joking, that is the best part of this week.

LA Conference Part 4

Friday, I get to go to dinner with Bob Higa, Mark Holstein, and Sue Holstein. These are old friends from home and I don’t see them often enough. They have all been very kind to me and good to my career for at least the last twenty years. After a few false starts, we end up at this wonderful Italian restaurant. One terrific meal and a fun waitress, who also was from the hometown Chicago area, later we wend our way back to the hotel and the evening program.

I like to sit in back. You give up very little in view. There is the advantage of being able to move about and talk a little when things get difficult. Luckily, with the night’s program, I wasn’t going anywhere.

Jules Fisher is a legend on Broadway. Eight Tony awards, many more nominations. He is arguably the best lighting director in the world. He is also an amateur magician and friend of Ricky Jay. He discusses the science and aesthetics of lighting. The thing that struck me is that while he did talk about certain technical issues, candlepower, red lighting for thread work; he spoke about lighting as feeling emotions. A wonderful concept for magicians.

Peter Lamont was one of the highlights of the last conference. He is a historian for the parapsychology unit at the University of Edinburgh. Look for his books; he has a light and humorous touch, which make for enjoyable reading. His talks take on that same quality. This year’s talk was on W. J. Vernon, a phrenologist, a mesmerist, and, finally, a radical political activist.

Mike Caveny finished the show in his typical easygoing manner. He performed Charles Carter’s Astral Hand and Einstein’s Problem. The Astral Hand is a rapping hand routine with predictable results. It fell flat and, probably deserved a more dramatic presentation. Einstein’s Problem is Carter’s version of the Million Dollar Mystery. It is a cool piece that plays more like a puzzle. I wonder if it has been talked about so much that, it just didn’t do much for me. Usually, Mike’s style is enjoyable, but it didn’t work with these pieces.

LA Conference Part 3

Friday, I wake up. Early. Too early. I am going to the early opening of Ricky Jay’s exhibit of broadsides at the Hammer Museum. He has been kind enough to open early for the convention and be on hand to discuss the pieces. But first, breakfast...

In my traveling group are Tim Felix, Mark Kaschube, and Bob Higa. Tim and Mark insist we go to Jack-in-the-Box for our meal. This will be the first time for Bob and me, but Tim and Mark would eat at Jack’s for every meal while they are in California. The deep-fried tacos and only the deep fried tacos to be specific. I do not have a delicate system, but it is a mistake I will not make again.

After my trip to the bathroom, the broadsides amaze. If you have seen the book, Extraordinary Exhibitions, you’ve seen the pictures. They do not do the pieces justice. The depth and vibrancy of the colors, the textures of the papers, they can only be appreciated in person. One former Davenport, now Kellar and Fay bill, one I’ve only seen in black and white, was in full color. The blue shading had such a depth it looked like it was a separate transparency laid over the print.

After the museum, we head back to the hotel. Mostly I hang out talk to friends, make one of my many visits to the exhibit room and dealer rooms. The afternoon program begins at 2:00.

Diego Domingo talks about Ronald Coyne and the religious revivals of the 1950s. Coyne was able to see with his artificial eye as clearly as his real eye. Diego gave a lively talk on this nutball’s life including one smart Chicago doctor who examined and Coyne’s power were found lacking. This same doctor is also a magic enthusiast and now visits Tim Felix’s Midwest Magic often. I surprise to Tim and I, who never know this chapter of his life.

Bill Liles added to an earlier presentation he gave on Houdini and the Mirror cuffs. To be honest he had nothing particularly new or relevant to say and spent a lot of time saying it.

Peter Reveen finishes up with an informal talk about his life and career. I would have preferred a more structured approach to this presentation with, perhaps, a question and answer session or interview format. I do see how Peter commanded the stage. He is full of charisma.

Now it is off to dinner with some great old friends and the Friday night program.

LA Conference on Magic History part 2

The Thursday evening program begins at 8:30

Richard Kaufman is the first presenter. Something I was not looking forward to. Richard gave a talk at the Collector’s convention, and not to good result. He reads his presentations lifelessly and goes on way to long. Except this time, his deadpan style garnered great laughs as he demonstrated some of Theodore DeLand’s card creations. Well, he did read a little too long, but overall it was a good presentation.

Trevor Dawson spoke next. I spent a couple of beer’s time at the Collector’s with Trevor. It was fun to tip a few with him. He spoke about “The Great Carmo,” a British hall artist and successor to the great Lafayette. The information imparted was fine, Trevor tends have that kind of mumbling British way of speaking, much to the annoyance of most of the audience.

Last on the bill was Jim Steinmeyer performing Amac’s Find The Lady. This amazing illusion has been in my mind since I saw the first pictures and drawings. It sounded like the coolest illusion. Me not being a fan of box tricks at all. (Sorry Jim.) I was right. Jim opened a window into vaudeville and showed why this effect was a sensation. It made great fun when Jim then performed the whole routine over again with see-thru cards.

After the night’s events, it was off to the bar. Although I didn’t make it too late of a night. Fist the bar closes at like midnight on weekdays. Boy are they losing out on a lot of money. Magicians love to drink. Second, I need to be up for breakfast at 8:30 because Ricky Jay had a special exhibition of his broadsides and it was opening early for conventioneers.

LA Conference on MagicHistory part 1

Finally, I get to start writing again. Training a new employee and working on a new act taking up most of my time. Two weeks have elapsed since the Los Angeles Conference on Magic History. This may not be a bad thing. I was able to digest it more fully.

For those who don’t know the LA Conference in limited to 250 invitation only guests. It occurs every two years. Originally sponsored by John Gaughan, Jim Steinmeyer, and Ricky Jay. After the first couple, Mike Caveney replaced Ricky Jay. They are dedicated to bringing to life the history only read about in books.

I flew out to LA at 6 am on just a few hours sleep. Sleeping on a plane is not my favorite activity, reading is an option, but they were showing the film Transformers. Not the ideal place to see this movie, yet it killed the time nicely. I figure if I can check in early I’ll catch a nap at the hotel.

Arriving in LA, I took a shuttle van to the hotel. (Purchased on Orbitz, it is half the price of a cab to the hotel.) As the van driver loads in another passenger, I over-hear he is also going to the same hotel. And I meet Marvin Miller. Marvin, at one time wrote the puzzle column for Magic Magazine. He’s a former VP for Johnson and Johnson and still a “big-wig” in several other companies. He is a best selling author and editor of Games Magazine. We had a nice-getting to know you-talk on the way and spent a few other minutes here and there throughout my stay.

The hotel is the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn. Go to the website. Two years ago when I first went to the Conference, I thought, “Holiday Inn?” This place is a retreat, lush, green, almost isolated from the city. The rooms are serviceable. They are only for sleeping (it off) and showering (it off).

First, I head to registration to pick up my packet. The most prominent piece is a 100 page glossy program covering not only this weekend, but being the tenth anniversary, there are the previous nine programs. The graphic look of the Jim Steinmeyer created program is art deco, beautifully set and written as one would expect from a Steinmeyer production. My desire to read the book and take a nap pulls me in different directions. Nap wins.

The first program starts at 2:30; I’m fresh and ready to go. Down at the ballroom, it’s meet and greet time, renewing old acquaintances and find some friends in attendance that I didn’t know would be here.

In no particular order and, surely leaving a few out: Bob Higa, Mark and Sue Holstein, Jamy Ian Swiss, Max Maven, Ricky Jay, Brad Henderson, Stan Allen, Mark Kaschube, Richard Kaufman, Todd Karr, Aaron Fisher, Bill Kalush. I’ll meet a few more for the first time: Stephen Minch, Eric Mead, David Ben, for example. This is all heady stuff for me. I have always been on the out side looking in. To be a part and treated as an equal to my idols puts my world on tilt.


The program starts will John Carney in his character of Mr. Mysto. I’ve always been a big fan of John, but I don’t find his Mr. Mysto character hilariously funny. He does a black bit with the Indian Rope Trick. Amusing, at best.
Dustin Stinett followed with a talk about some new discoveries about the magic duo, Milo and Roger. The absolute best part was some rare tape of Milo and Roger performing on “The Hollywood Palace.”

John Gaughan takes the stage to perform the Shower of Gold effect described in Hoffmann’s More Magic. This is an amazing bit of Victorian conjuring. Later, in the exhibit hall, he will display the mechanism. Quite a complicated bit of machinery, but could be made into a fine performance today.

Mark Kalin and Jinger end the show with their presentation of the Spirit Cabinet. I will say that theirs is the closest in quality to Falkenstein and Willard. They are actually two of the better performers. Tightly scripted and in their own style.

After the show, it is to the hotel restaurant and dinner with Max Maven, Jamy Ian Swiss, and David Ben. We discuss Phenomenon, the upcoming Celebra-cadabra and life after surgery. David and I haven’t really spoken before, but being with Max and Jamy gives me credibility. Jamy and Max are two of my favorite people. Too smart and too direct for their own good, they make the most interesting conversationalists.

In another day or two, I’ll cover Thursday night.

Magic Tripping

Off to Los Angeles and the LA Conference on Magic History and the Hooker card rise, plus other unannounced surprises.

Yahoo!

I'll report on the goings on next week.

Hope to see some of you there.

As a side trip, I am going to try to see 90+ years old, father of the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland, Forrest J. Ackerman. He lives 15 minutes away from the hotel and has an open house on Saturday to view his collection. Forry, if you don't know popularized the term Sci-Fi. How is that for a claim on history.

If you want to learn more on this amazing man, visit his web site:

http://4forry.best.vwh.net/