Saturday, June 23, 2007

Out of town for a few days

Polly and I are driving out to the rim of the Grand Canyon tomorrow. We'll be attending the wedding of my best friend, Shawn Greer and his wife to be Denise on Sunday evening. It will be an intimate affair of about 30 people or so, I think he said.

As our gift to the newlyweds I will be taking pics, shooting video and editing a nice tape to remember this auspicious occasion. Shawn and I go way back. Oy.

We'll be back on Monday, in time to move the final push of boxes and furniture. Movers are coming in the 29th.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Pic From the Past

Homer, Me & Chris Korn in Cincinnati late 80's or early 90's.




Homer just sent me a great article about him in a University of Cincinnati Alumni Magazine. I read with father like pride. I got to say he's one of the most impressive people know. Proud to call him a friend.

Read Article • Click Here

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Appropriate Behavior

A couple of pet peeves of mine lately during the performance of street magic happen to be: The use of cell phones to talk or text during my performance & The idea that somehow it might be appropriate to talk about how they think a trick is done while I’m doing it. Both of these things are increasingly annoying.

Tonight I handled one situation properly and another not. A guy in the front row, gets a call and starts yaking while he’s watching me. I calmly whispered to him and pointed away from my audience and asked him politely to take his call over there. He did and the show went on.

The other incident was during my ring routine. I’m trying to create good art, combining magic with poetry and this lady is talking in her husbands ear about how the rings all have spring loaded trap doors. I try and ignore it but she persists pointing to this hand or that. I finally say. “Lady, I’m 3 feet away from you, do you mind waiting until after the show to talk to your husband about how you think it’s done? For the love of God woman, I’m trying to do a show here. Can I get a verbal agreement from you that you’ll just let me finish my trick without distraction?” Someone behind her yelled out “No!” and I said “Folks that’s the end, If you liked the show. . . let my hat know”, followed up by some more pitch tag lines.

I don’t know what’s going on with me, but I’m becoming much less tolerant of rudeness during my performance. I’m feel like it’s part of my job to educate the masses, as to what proper behavior is for a street show. Tricky goal to accomplish without sounding like a dick.

Guess we’ll just have to see.

Busker du Jour


IMG_0243, originally uploaded by Tacky Apple.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

The things you see on Ebay

LOYD PREDICTION CHEST THE BEST VERY RARE MINT IN BOX

Condition: New

One of the cleverest and most sensationally hand crafted "prediction chests", EVER produced.

Meticulously made by Loyd Enochs of Modesto, California "For the Most Critical Performer and limited to 50 only". All numbered with steel plates, this one being #11.

A solid wooden "treasure" chest measuring 6" x 4 1/2" x 6", hammered brass trim, all hand tooled with an inner miniature soliod brass strong box measuring 2" square, are shown empty and examined.

Both placed and locked under the eyes of the audience. Chest plaed in public display. Performer can predict ANYTHING from lottery numbers to events, news events, etc.

When chest is opened by anyone on the audince, the prediction is found inside the small brass chest and found to be correct! A true miracle craftsmanship and self working Magic Apparatus. A joy to behold and display and EXTREMELY rare, few have survived.

This one is MINT with the original mailing box, typewritten 3 pages of instructions, routines etc as issued by Loyd.


RARE and in this condition unobtainable!!

Sold for $2,850.00

Street Performer - Sunset


Street Performer - Sunset, originally uploaded by El Voj.

Stuck

For over a year I've promised myself that, (for the most part) I wouldn't use my blog to air my dirty laundry with regard to my divorce or issues with my ex-wife Moira. Shit, I aired enough dirty laundry on "Coming through The Haze" to choke several industrial washing machines.

But I've felt a little stuck lately.

On Father's Day, I put in my weekly call to the kids and Moira tells me, "They don't want to talk to you." I asked her why not. She answered, "why don't you ask them". I replied, "I'd like to, but you won't put them on the phone." She then informed me that I need to find another way to communicate with them. I asked her what she suggested, she said that was my problem and that she was done enabling me.

The last time I saw all of my kids in one place was last Father's Day in Ellensburg.



We had a nice day, lunch, fun at the park then went to see a movie. I screwed up figuring out which movie would get us back on time. I called her 20 minutes after I was supposed to drop off the kids at the Ellenburg Police Department, where we met in front and would do the exchange.

I told her I was on my way, she said to just stay there. 5 minutes later 3 cop cars roll up on the theater. Nice, on Father's Day and my last visit with the kids before my move to California. Stupid cunt, like my kids need that added confusion. Her boyfriend shows up, the kids see her get out of one of the cop cars. Who knows what line of crap brings out the entire Ellensburg Police Department on a Sunday. I'll say it again. . . STUPID CUNT.

That was the last time I saw my kids. . . a year ago.

5 hours every other week, that's what money can buy and her lawyer made it so.

By moving I tried to end the war.

I thought I would be able to talk to my kids

I thought a lot of things

I miss my kids and think about them every day

I need to move on

It might be years, but the ball is now in the kids court. I am here for them, if and when they need me.

My heart brakes daily

Diana Krall - Fly me to the moon



Polly and I have our tickets to see her at the Hollywood Bowl in August

HD Video Review

May 18 - 9:12 smoking cigar, start show to music. doing D’lite for a couple of kids. Bring’em in, crowd gathering card tricks. Bring’em in again, building tip, nice shot of audience, Doc Daley’s last trick, turn on music, Great Reaction on change, into Mental Deck Pitch into coin routine to finish up to music pitch at 9:20 tight 8 min. set. maybe an $8 hat

May 24 Hid camera and tripod in a large plant, more on audience than me. 6:34 same set as last time. Looking overweight. At end of Dr. D’s LT. everyone walks away, then comes back, crowd building into pitch, nice reaction on trick, no breathing room in my patter, need to slow way down was going to pass the hat but decided to go into the stripper deck pitch, crowd was building pass hat 6:45 $6 hat

6:58 start next set need to slow down my coin rolls. Whole set is balls to the wall, straight for the throat, buy a deck, tip me or clear out so I can get my next crowd. Go into stripper deck pitch after coin routine. Camera framed on audience faces only. Studying reactions, trying to get in their heads a bit based on what I’m seeing. Passed hat at 7:27

Guest Magician some guy from some place. His push through shuffle control horrible, he had trouble with the surface of my table, t-shirt and blue jeans he probably looks more like a “Street Magician” than I do. Vanished coin appears in deck.

Neon shots of surroundings. The City Walk is an exciting place.

7:13 kid from last show brings his folks back to see the decks, he ends up with a Mental Photography Deck for $20

May 29 - 11:22PM Joe’s All American Bar & Grill. Band footage and a few couples swing dancing. I had met Aye Jaye up there and we hung out for a while. I like to use video to study dance steps. . . or lack of.

June 7th 12:52 - At Sylvester the Jesters workshop. We blocked the Green Ham and Eggs routine and I got familiar with the props. Video tour of his mad scientist laboratory, paintings that he did in high school and college

Danny does a routine with Blinko the Clown puppet for the camera.

June 7th - 7:58 Guest Magician Marcel from South Africa www.corporatemagician.co.za Card Routine. When ever anyone tells me they do magic, I ask the to to something, I then ask if I can video the bit. besides getting to see what they can do I am learning how I want my shots framed when I start my own video project.

8:36 Fountain Court @ the Universal City Walk Flattop Performs

Sunday, June 17, 2007


universal city walk at night, originally uploaded by elapot.

Los Angeles • 2nd & Broadway 1886

Dead Symphony

"The essence of the Dead's music was improvisation, and the root of that is an attitude that says transformation is at the center of all art. Dead Symphony takes different fragments of the Dead's music and reweaves them into a sparkling tapestry that satisfies a whole 'nother realm of possibility."

Dennis McNally, Grateful Dead Historian and Publicist

The most completely realized symphonic masterwork of the music of the Grateful Dead.

Proof of what Deadheads have known all along -- what they have been hearing and experiencing is bigger than mere words have ever been able to describe. When Dead Symphony no. 6 finds its way into your local concert hall, dancing might be a slight problem but the listening will be sweet.

It was "China Doll" that opened the door for Lee Johnson, initiating his personal journey into the Dead, through an introduction by longtime fan and music producer, Mike Adams. Mike took the Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Shostakovich loving composer and introduced him to American roots music, as exemplified, by the Grateful Dead. Each and every recording, score, and lyric that was experienced and studied helped to pass the genetic material of the Dead's core essence into Lee's creative compositional mind. Johnson's symphonies now number eight and his body of work includes DVD Symphonic Films, and works for every genre.