So THIS is growing up!

What with the loss I've had over the past ten months or so, there has been plenty of introspection going on. Last November I lost my only brother, six weeks later my last grandmother, and just the week after Grandma's funeral I found out that my favorite uncle had been to the Mayo Clinic where he learned that he had terminal cancer. He passed in May. Then, though he wasn't family, I suppose the loss of Joe Ranft brought a lot of my 'stuff' to a head. My wife and I just finished watching Empire Falls, a mini-series that had been on HBO this summer. I didn't get a chance to see it on television, since we don't have HBO, and it just came out on video. You are no doubt scratching your head now, and wondering what an odd turn I've taken. Trust me, I'll get there. I had read the book Empire Falls, by Richard Russo, and thought it a wonderful book. The only way a movie could have done it justice was by mini-series, and I am happy that Paul Newman and company complied. In any case, it is a blue collar look at issues we all face, the loss of parents, the loss of marriage, the loss of love, and what we gain by all of these things. Oh man, I could go on for days about this one, but perhaps you'll be good enough to take my word for it and just watch the thing, okay? You won't be sorry. By the way, this would perhaps be more interesting for a more mature audience, if you get my drift. I don't mean ancient, as I'm in my 40's, but I meant it in the same way that I would say one gets more from Hamlet as one gets older. I read it in my teens, and wondered what the heck was going on. Read it in my 20's, and started to get the picture. Read it in my 30's, and things were falling together for me, and then at 41 I lost my father, and read Hamlet again. I get it. So, use that as a gauge, perhaps.
I've been busy writing up the technical stuff for a magical release that will really rock the boat. This effect is one that has been sought for about four or five years, and it will finally be hitting the marketplace in 4 - 6 months. I'll not spill the beans yet, but it is a rare thing that I see the video explanation from an artist and I'm *still* fooled! This one is incredible. The writing is taking a ton of time, because there is nuance after nuance, and they are all important. The psychology behind the effect is included as well, and that makes this one of the few magic effects that promises a result in the rest of your magic, and it delivers.
Finally, my friend Tom Frank is off tonight, enroute to Ohio to visit his mother. She received her new heart on Saturday, the gift from a 22 year old man, and she is doing well. Tom will be there a few days, and he goes with the best wishes from the Alki session crew. Be well, Tom, and the same for your mother.

Buskers Magic

Two things have been taking a front and center position in my life lately, Cellini's book, The Royal Touch, and a Master Class being given here by none other than Gazzo. The former happened innocently enough. While attending LVMI this year, I was on my way to breakfast with friends, when we bumped into a fellow that none of us knew. He was certainly 'on' however, and trying to polite, we invited him to join us. It turned out our new table - mate was Kozmo, the guy who brought us the Cellini DVDs. I've maintained sporadic contact with him since the event, and found out that he had a supply of Cellini's book, and was currently unemployed due to the loss of his intended venue, New Orleans. I figured that it would be good karma to spend my money with him, in hopes that it might help him either find a new venue, or feed his family. Either decision was a good one, right? I got the book almost overnight, and at a great price, too. The book is exactly what I hoped it would be, a series of lessons and memories from the man himself. It is a fun read, sprinkled throughout with humor and drama. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
This past spring, (or was it early summer?) I began to read the glowing reviews of the Master classes that Gazzo did on the east coast. I read nothing negative, and one thing really impressed me. I don't work 'blue,' so I figured Gazzo would not be a class I would be interested in. It turns out, from the people with whom I came in contact, that Gazzo helps you be a better YOU, not a better Gazzo. A brief translation: bigger hats. Now who among us doesn't need to make more money? So, I just wrote an e-mail, asking if there were any plans to come west with the classes. It seemed like a reasonable question, but the result was more than I'd expected; I became the point of contact for Gazzo's Seattle Master Class. That wouldn't be a problem in itself, but for one thing. You guys who do this regularly know this, but I didn't. I got a snotload of people who instantly wrote me, positively drooling with interest. I remember thinking, "Wow, this sure seems easy enough." When Gazzo's people let us know it was time to count heads and send on the down payment though, crickets were chirping and tumbleweed was rolling down the deserted streets of Gazzo West. So, I had to do the cyber version of knocking on doors, and while I expect it will be close, we'll be lucky to hit the lower number (10) that they had hoped for, rather than the higher one (15), which I was SURE we'd hit. Yeah, right. So, now I am not an innocent virgin to the promotion game, but I cannot forsee a reason that I would do it again.


Mark

Back to Some Magic Content!

Today was a most educational day for me. The Seattle area magicians (we who showed, anyway) were most fortunate to have in our midst Mr. Barrie Richardson. What a fine gentleman he is! We immediately established some commonality when he and his wife mentioned to me that they had just returned from their cruise up the Inside Passage to Alaska. Having taken the cruise a couple of weeks before them, we had plenty to talk about, and it was a pleasure to meet and visit with Mrs. Barrie, Janie Richardson. She is such a sweet woman, and the perfect person to work Barrie's merchandise table. Not only was she able to answer any question put to her, but she was also very astute at the items people were purchasing; "Oh, you bought that for $20, but it is on the DVD with all of this other stuff for $35." Believe me, she wasn't upselling, she was taking care of the customer. She was very careful to ensure that I was not duplicating any purchases as I bought several items along with the DVD.

As for Mr. Richardson, he is a shining example of what I normally appreciate about European magicians (he is American). He is not so enamored with method that he needs his effects to be complicated. On the contrary, some of his best effects are just absolutely simple (or "elegant" as he puts it), yet they hit your mind like a ton of bricks. Another of his more positive qualities is that Barrie is not any one thing, he is many things. He is a magician, he is a card man, he is a mind reader, and he is a mentalist. I was so amazed at his versatility. It is too bad there were so many magicians in the area who decided to forego Barrie's lecture. I will be killing them with his magic for weeks to come '8)

Finally, some recommendations. First, if Barrie Richardson is coming to your area, attend. Don't be busy, make time. Second, if you have any real close friends in magic, tell them to attend as well. Finally, bring money. If you haven't purchased his new book Act Two, you need to. It isn't just a 'sequel,' it is a heavyweight of a book in its own right, packed with great magic. I recommend it highly. Barrie is a real thinker when it comes to the performance of magic, and that means from before he has even spoken his first word. He can make a difference in your magic. To review; see him, bring a friend, buy the book - got it?