The 41st Annual Magic Collectors Weekend Day 3

Saturday May 15

The Saturday program began with Diego Domingo and Finding Your Man. I’ve come to appreciate Diego from his frequent appearances at the LA Conference on Magic History. He is usually a funny and engaging speaker, often speaking about the odd and unusual characters on the fringe of the magic world. Other times he has tracked down lost magic figure with dogged and patient, as much as 10 or more years of detective work.

Here Diego related the methods and secrets of his craft; I would call more search than research. Giving real life examples, Diego’s (belly laughs evoking) anecdotes served as lessons on how to find your man, even when separated by decades. This kind of nuts and bolts talk I really enjoy and it would continue for the whole morning session.

While Diego covered more traditional legwork, Gary Hunt followed with a talk on the tool the internet offers the researcher. He covered various genealogy and newspaper archives. The only slow point was the attempt at doing live searches to show some examples, otherwise excellent information.

After their individual talks, Diego, Gary, and David Alexander sat down for a panel discussion. David Alexander, besides being a fine magician and excellent writer, was once a private detective. He also has played mentor to Diego, giving advice from his professional experience that Diego used on his historical subjects. David really contributed the most information and tips on detective work. The most important tip being: be a people person, a little schmooze will go a long way in getting what you want, especially from bureaucratic types. The second best example from the group was being patient yet, tenacious. Keep trying.

Jim Maloney found his man, Nate Leipzig. Jim has been doing research on Leipzig for many years, uncovering tidbits and scraps of information to fill out the story of his life. The information was fine. The presentation needed some scripting. I expect a book will be forthcoming.

After the lunch break, the other Robert Olson (author of books on Rosini, Thurston, and Speer) spoke. Reverend Bob seized the stage and commanded the room, being the only presenter not to need a microphone. Being a preacher has made him a better performer than most of the weekend’s presenters. He spoke about his seventy years in magic. Seventy years!Topics included: the magicians he read about as a child and impressions of magicians he personally knew. He was given 15 minutes, but this was another speaker I could have listened to for much more time.

Jim Alfredson is the Honorary President of the Magic Collectors Association. He holds a special place in my heart. As I have written before, he made me feel welcome when I was new to this world of historians. I look forward to seeing him at every convention. He is an interesting conversationalist with a great deal of knowledge and personal experience. Jim is well know for his numerous books including (with honored guest, George Daily), A Bibliography of Conjuring Periodicals. His talk was about the history of The Sphinx and the men who edited it. He compared the magazine favorably to main stream magazine of the time. Related that Wilson added the editorial and some factors (other than the much publicized CIA job) that contributed to why John Mulholland ceased publication. One of the interesting comments he made was the connection between the rise of vaudeville to the increase of amateur magicians. Something, I think, worthy of more research.

David Charvet is also well known among attendees of historical conventions. He spoke, this year, on magician Jimmy Stoppard.  Jimmy’s claim to fame was receiving The Houdini Award in 1935 for his effect, The Phantom Ray. Jimmy had a fascination with early science fiction patter. Using it, not only as the inspiration for the ray, but for a book of patter he wrote. David performed a passé passé bottle trick using such patter as an example.

Filling out the theme night of Finding Your Man, Eduardo Sanchez, from Argentina, told the story of David Bamberg in Argentina. Eduardo was worried about his English, but it was unfounded. He made himself understood with very few problems. He showed many rare images of Bamberg and his promotional materials. Also presented were some film clips of performances. Things that caught my attention: Bamberg used much comedy in his presentations, most routines were theatrical type plots, sometimes his name was written Fu Manchu and sometimes Fu Man Chu, and one show advertised 43 tricks in one hour. My favorite advertising line: King of Magicians and Magician of Kings.

The evening show was strictly a performance. Mike Caveney did his usual stellar job. Tina Lenert continued performing her new routine and thoroughly fooled the audience with her rabbit production. David Charvet performed a piece from the Willard show and the Jimmy Stoppard’s Phantom Ray, ending with a hilarious sight (and sound) gag. Arden James closed the show with his usual aplomb. Near the start of his act a breaker tripped and he was short some lighting and music for a few minutes. It didn’t faze him. The audience appreciated his professionalism.

Now that it is over and the bodies can be counted, it was a good convention, not a great one. As I expected, it is a work in progress. Seeing what he has done with everything else he’s touched, I expect David Ben will turn this to gold also. Once again, I cannot compliment his support staff of Julie Eng, James Alan, and Sandra Eng, enough. They did amazing work, especially Julie, who seemed to be everywhere as greeter, MC, floatee, computer operator, and general problem solver. I can’t say for sure but I think she parked the cars and made the beds also. I had a great surprise from David Odette who showed up unannounced. It lifted my spirits to spend time with friends and make some new ones, which is really the best part of it all anyway.

Last, those who know me know two things: 1) I like to sit in the back of most lectures because I have little patience for bad and, even when good, I am looking for the joke. 2) I love bad jokes.

Here are my two favorite from the weekend:

1)      When I heard someone say, “That's like $5000 in today’s money.” I replied, “Yeah, but who has today’s money.”

2)      When I heard someone say, “Blackstone had lots of chief assistants.” I said, “That was his problem, too many Chief assistants, not enough Indian assistants.”

I’m sorry you had to read that. I believe Robert Orben is spinning in his grave.

The 41st Annual Magic Collectors Weekend Day 2

Friday May 14

Not staying at the hotel this year had its advantages and disadvantages. The late nights were just about the same except my drinking time was replaced with driving time. The mornings were a little earlier due to that same driving time. Traffic was surprisingly good. I rolled into the hotel about 9:30.

It is a half hour before the first event. Normally at this point I would complain about having an event at 10 A.M. but if you read paragraph 1 you’ll understand that it didn’t matter as much this year. The dealers’ room is open. I walk around and drool over things I cannot afford and talk to various people, many my once a year friends.

Maybe I should explain if you haven’t read my review of the last LA Conference. My once a year friends are those people who I only see once a year at these conventions. Seldom, we talk during the time between. This is not a derogatory term. How can one keep up with everyone? Once, sometime twice, a year we share a deep bond over the thing we care deeply about, magic history. I cherish all these interactions. Usually, I list all their names, but I’ll refrain. They all know who they are and how I feel about them.

The first presentation of the morning is called The Sphinx and The Sage. Joe Culpepper spoke of bringing his doctorial research “alive” by recreating the 19^th century illusion, The Sphinx. I was especially curious because this idea has fascinated me ever Eddie Dawes wrote about it in his book about Col. Stodare. Joe did an interesting presentation that was marred by a dark and incomprehensible video of the actual performance. He showed a few backstage photos of the construction and explained why he changed the story from Egyptian to one of the stories from the Arabian nights. A perfect marriage of story and effect, it was an excellent choice. He also spoke to the power of the illusion for the modern audience and how it still fooled them.

Next we watched two video presentations showing the normally private magic collections of The Magic Circle. Originally, David Ben planned to do a live Skype tour, but technology doesn’t always cooperate. What a cool idea though. I think this could be an annual event, video tours of various collections or museums from around the world, things we normally don’t get to see.

Will Houstoun followed with a talk on Professor Hellis. Hellis was a fine 19^th century magician and Will had access to a notebook of magic half written by Hellis and Half written by one of his students. I’ve seen Will before and I am impressed with his level of scholarship. He also does and excellent job at presenting his material. I look forward to reading his book, Hellis in Wonderland.  Will spoke about the very modern nature of the coin and card magic in the notebook and about an interesting plot in which a handkerchief is scented with perfume, instead of signed, destroyed and made to reappear in an impossible location.

Instead of a banquet, David chose, this year, to have a lunch instead. We all ate box lunches at the tables in the lobby and dealers’ room. A nice little social moment.

The afternoon session started with the emotional high point of the convention, the last stage performance of Walter “Zaney” Blaney. Walter has performed for over sixty years and is the inventor of the Ladder Suspension. I should say his world famous, the most incredible, greatest suspension ever, Ladder Suspension. If you haven’t seen it, pop over to youtube.com and search for it. I’ll wait…

Did you go? It fooled the heck out of you didn’t it? Don’t worry, you are not the only one. It is one of the best kept secrets in magic and should stay that way. I have some ideas, but not talking, so don’t ask.

After performing his ever present vanishing bird cage, Walter sat before an enthralled audience of just under 200 to tell the story of his invention. Sitting, listening, to Walter is like an evening with a favorite Uncle. He is the personification of easy charm. Seductive, but in a friendly way. I can see why he was such a successful performer; no booker could resist that kind of traditional style and class. He spoke for just over an hour. I wish it had been two.

Some highlights from his talk: He spent years performing the Suspension in miniature with a model and continually fooled his magic buddies. He took five curtain calls the first time he performed it at a magic convention. Jack Gwynne originally refused to learn the secret and finally gave in at the urging of Walter. He badly fooled the original Mercury astronauts who amazed Walter with their gullibility. He really showed how smart and classy Merv Griffin was and how Merv saved his performance. Last, David Copperfield begged for 5 years before Walter would let him do the illusion.

The details of that and much more of Walter’s incredible life will appear soon in a must read book.

Then, it was time. Julie Eng was to be the last floatee. If you saw it on youtube, you know what we saw. But I felt a chill, goose bumps. My eyes welled up. I would not be the only one. Everyone I spoke with confessed the same. We were seeing history, something us historians and collectors only read about. Of course, it was a standing ovation. The performance deserved it.

Afterward I would feel sad. The world has been robbed of this experience. No one will perform the Ladder like Walter. He may not perform any more, but I hope now he’ll find time to make the convention circuit and collect the rewards of being legendary. If you see him say hello, you’ll like him.

Jason England had to follow that. He acknowledged that much when he came to the podium. Jason is a gambling expert and did a slide presentation of various gambling devices, mostly crooked. The talk mostly amounted to a laundry list with not much “color.”

Further sucking the life out of the room, Daniel Zuckerbrot followed with what was supposed to be a talk on the history of magic and movies. It barely touched on that. It was supposed to be a talk on the issues of exposure, editing, and interviewing. It didn’t really address that. Daniel is a fine documentary filmmaker. Basically, he just showed some clip from his movies and the movies of other that were magic related. I think a one more rewrite and recut of this talk was needed.

Listen, it was an impossible task to follow Zaney Blaney, but those two talks would not of stood on their own even if they didn’t have to create a miracle.

We broke for dinner and the evening was a free program night.

The MCA had a bus to take attendees to the showroom of Potter and Potter auctions, into downtown Chicago to see Supernatural Chicago, or just to do a little shopping and site seeing. I stayed at the hotel to watch a film of Billy McComb being interviewed at the 31 Faces North convention. The uncensored, no-holds barred interview was an incredible and moving experience. Jason England followed with a virtuoso demonstration of gambling skill. (Somewhat redeeming himself) Finishing the night, in the lobby lounge, one of the most talented magicians in Chicago, Tomas Medina performed close-up.

I am not sure how anyone else felt, but I liked this relaxed format.

 I got to mingle with friends as always. I'm a lucky guy because they are some great people.

Mess-terpiece Theater Quote Me

Edwin Booth, son of the previously mentioned Junius Brutus and brother to the reviled John Wilkes, is considered by some historians to be American’s greater theater actor. Edwin help usher in a new era of naturalistic acting as a reaction to his father’s more histrionic style. Mostly he performed in the works of Shakespeare, as the most literate works of the time.

The writer George Plimpton, in an interview, told a story in which he believed Edwin uttered the greatest ad-lib in theater history.

It seems that the play required Edwin to be shot from behind. Except, his costar could not get the prop gun to fire. After an agonizing minute or two, the anonymous actor strode forward and kicked Edwin in the ass. To which Edwin replied, “My God, the shoe is poisoned!” and he fell dead.

Performance Trouble?

Wally Cox, comedian and character actor, was most famous for his role on television as Mr. Peepers. He was also the roommate of Marlon Brando in acting school. His career as a stand-up comedian is less noted.

One night he is working the Dunes in Las Vegas. He bombs. Not just a little bomb, a big bomb, the biggest of all stinkerooneys. The bomb is so bad that the Dunes management arranges to have Wally carried out on a stretcher, so they can cancel the remaining engagement due to illness.

True story.

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.

in the headlines

Saw this headline on Yahoo this morning:

Web site: Spears' youngest son out of the hospital

NEW YORK – Britney Spears' youngest son has been released from the hospital after being treated for some kind of reaction.

I'm thinking it was something like this, "Holy shit, these are my parents?"

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.

Book Quote Me

This may be my new favorite theater story.
From Low Life, Lures and Snares of Old New York, by Luc Sante.

The subject of the story is Junius Brutus Booth. He was a renowned English actor. Father to John Wilkes Booth, Edwin Booth, and Junius Brutus Booth Jr., all celebrated actor in their own right. Walt Whitman described him as "the grandest historian of modern times."

"Booth, increasingly a drunk, was noted with hilarious approval for his insistence on really fighting the staged duels, on at least one occasion refusing to die even though his part clearly called for it."

Luc Sante’s wonderful book is a terrific view into 19th and early 20th century New York and Victorian society. I recommend it highly to any historian looking to write about that era.

Death and the Magician

Theodore Bamberg was born into magic in 1875. He adopted the name Okito, but he didn't just put on an Asian theme for parody. He approached it with respect and the caring soul of an artist. The magic he created was some of the most beautiful and refined of its time. He retired to Chicago in the mid-1950s. Retirement though a misnomer. When Okito stopped performing on stage he continued to demonstrate magic at Chicago's famed State street novelty store, the Treasure Chest. A master craftsman, he also produced many tricks now highly coveted by collectors of magic. Life passed from him in 1963.

Theodore Bamberg is buried at Westlawn Cemetary, 7801 W Montrose Ave, Chicago

Elm Section, row 13

Math Magic

I found this after my last post.

See Arthur Benjamin work

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/199


I also recommend looking around. There are many wonderful and interesting talks here.

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/

The Other Side

Okay, now I want to talk about some magicians that I’ve never had a bad experience with and continue to purchase their products. As always, other people’s experiences may be different, don’t just take my opinion about it.

David Acer is a terrific lecturer, fun and still a decent guy.

Joshua Jay has every right to be arrogant. When I was his age, I was and I had one-tenth the talent he possesses. However, he is talented, knowledgeable, and down-to-earth. His parents raised him right.

Tom Mullica has been mentioned several times on this blog. He is my favorite magician of all time. The magic world is lessened without him.

David Williamson is just a regular guy who deserves all the good press he gets.

Bob Sheets love of magic oozes out of every pore and gets me excited about this stuff ever when I feeling down.

I saw Chris Capehart lecture only once. He lived up to all the buzz. Chris did one thing I have never seen. When he lectured in Chicago, he went to Michigan Ave. and did some street performing. Since this was the subject of his lecture, he went and “proved” it worked. Genius.

Jimmy Molinari was one of the more entertaining lectures, maybe because of all those great stories from doing magic in the seventies in Chicago. Just remember, you have to keep asking to get those stories out of him.

There are only a few lecturers I never miss, one is Docc Hilford. Yes, he is a bit of a conman. His books are generally overpriced and over-hyped. But, damn, if that material doesn’t look really cool when he performs it. Even if his material is not you kind of work, go see his lecture. He is one strong performer.

One of my first lecturers was Eugene Burger; he is continually engaging and thoughtful. I like to think of him as a friend.

Ross Johnson only did a few lectures, but they were great. Alas, he says he won’t do any more. Ross is a brilliant mentalist who is one of the few people that can fool me.

I never thought I would say this, but recently I went to a David Solomon lecture and it was one of the better lectures I’ve seen. Great fun and accessible material.

Pit Hartling is a nice guy. He is also one of the best magicians in the world. The Flicking Fingers as a group tend to over shadow him. But his material, and his performance of it, ranks as a don’t miss event.

There are other great lecturers and good guys in magic. I am sure I missed a few, but these are the ones that come to mind.

Now I want to talk about some people who have reached a high level of fame and esteem in magic. All of which have treated me as an equal, even though they didn’t even know me.

We know the late Bob Read was a great performer and lecturer. He was also very generous with his time and knowledge. He didn’t have to be, He just was.

Paul Daniels is treated like magic royalty when he comes to the states. He was/is a huge star in England. Once, at Abbott’s, we closed down the VFW. He sat with me and talked about magic and television. Comparatively speaking, I was nobody, but that didn’t matter to him. Twice he has stopped into the store at Navy Pier and both times, he didn’t act like a prima donna. He has been a class act.

Jim Steinmeyer may be one of the most important figures in magic today. From his illusion designs to his historical writings, he will influence a generation of magicians. He has always treated me as an equal, whether I deserve it or not.

The same could be said for Teller, the good cop half of Penn and Teller. Even though, he deluged with attention, his patience amazes me.

Famous for being a curmudgeon, Ricky Jay has been nothing but a gentleman to me. I only wish I could express myself as well as he does in his writings.

I want to publicly thank all of these performers for not only the example they set by how they treated me, but for their generous sharing of their talent and knowledge.

My life is better for it.

Okay, did we learn anything from this?

The people you meet

I have a lot of stories that start this way......The other day a guy walks into my store and says, “My uncle used to do magic.” People have stories to tell. Some are reluctant and must be drawn out, some can’t be contained. Mostly, I find interesting what other people care about.

Back to the guy, “Oh...really...What kind of magic did he do?”

“Well he passed away, but he wrote some books for magicians.”

Now he has my interest. “What was his name?”

“Gene Poinc,” he replied.

Now he really has my interest. “Oh sure,” I try to keep my cool. We talk briefly about the books. He tells me that he was never really into magic, but Uncle Gene used to come over and show him some tricks. He was just the Uncle who did magic, like every other family. Then he drops a bomb into the conversation. “There are two more.”

“What?”

“I think Uncle Gene finished two other manuscripts, my other Uncle has them. Hey kids, this guy knows who Uncle Gene is.”

“Well, I hope he puts them out. Listen, I have a blog. If you are ever interested in sharing some memories of your Uncle, please write me.”

And then he leaves with his family clutching a piece of paper with my e-mail address on it. Just another too brief encounter, that’s daily life in a magic store.

Gene Poinc’s nephew is a former graphics artist who, now, is a schoolteacher. I hope he visits this blog and likes what he sees. I hope he sees that the magic world would love to hear his remembrances. Until, we will be dreaming of the other two books and the possibilities that they hold.

Pitchman Don Driver

A man sauntered into my store as if he was walking into an old west saloon. He shook my hand and croaked, “Hi, my name’s Don Driver and I used to know the guy (Ken Fletcher) who owns this place (Magic Masters).”

Don Driver’s face looks like a crumpled road map and his voice sounds like he smoked every mile of that road. And he did; he still smokes, even though the emphysema shortens his breath. These are the marks of hard earned experience. Yet, Don still has the rangy bearing of an old cowboy.

Don is a pitchman; pitching Svengalis for 25 years. He has been working magic longer, since before I was born. The pitch he learned from S. David Walker, who learned the pitch from Mickey MacDougall, the inventor of the Svengali pitch. Svengalis, for the non-magical, are specially constructed decks to perform magic tricks with little skill.

Not that it doesn’t take skill to sell them, it does. It takes skill with both hand and mouth and a little bit of a larcenous heart. The best pitchmen weave an irresistible story.

“It’s magic. It’s easy. You’ll fool your friends and win all the bets.” How could you not put down you five dollars? Especially after, he puts the deck in the hands of a nine year old and they can do it. Well...sort of. Especially when he throws in a bonus trick, the two card monte.

Don is a veteran and knows how to weave a story, both in and out of the booth. I ignored my customers; I have customers all the time. I might have only one chance to talk to Don and hear his story. He has worked sideshows and one of the last Jam auctions in America, right on Freemont Street, Las Vegas. Sometimes, in the late of night, I dream of working the show, building the tip, freezing them, and then turning them over, perhaps after my ding. Don has stories of all these things. Good stories, bad ones, and just plain funny. I think he likes me because we are both pitchmen. I just want to hear the stories.

Now, besides pitching, he sells two DVDs: one on the Svengali pitch and one on building a tip. Don knows his business. These DVDs are not only practical solutions for the commercially inclined, but also valuable historical documents. (http://www.dondriver.tk/index.htm) Those of you going to the Abbott’s Magic Get-Together in August, look Don up. Don and David Walker will be lecturing on Thursday.

Pitchmen used to populate the city streets and fairgrounds. Now, it is a dying art. There are a few still pitching magic, knives, toys, and assorted sundry. Places like Magic Masters do it in a way, but not the old way. The live “grass roots” venue has been replaced by television infomercials and the little guy gets pushed out of business.

Don shares the stories of his life and adventures with good humor. Don has humbility, a humble nobility. Aw...shucks, he thinks he is a nobody, yet he moves and talks with the confidence of somebody. Quote, “Every man’s life is a story.” I look forward to seeing Don again and hearing more of his.

Until then, Don keeps pitching on.