Decided to escape the heat one afternoon last week, Thursday. . . I think, anyway I headed to Santa Monica to take a walk on the beach and enjoy the cool ocean breeze. I was going to grab a bite at the Promenade before my walk and ran into a street performing buddy, a magician from the east coast named Kozmo.
I watched him do a set, I thought he did a nice job. I shot some video of his act and a little interview footage. I’ve been trying to shoot more and get familiar with my camera. I’ve had it 4 months now, but don’t feel like I’m using it enough.
I think I’m a good cameraman for magic, I know the tricks and where their heading so it’s easy for me to anticipate where the camera needs to be and when. How to frame it so that you can get the magic and the audience reaction in the same shot (easier to do with street acts that perform in the round).
I liked talking to Koz about street performing. We both care deeply about the art we create and present on the street. You can say whatever you want about guys like us. . . bottom line, we pay our bills with hard-earned money we make as street magicians.
We talked about tricks, video, Cellini, Gazzo and a bunch of other topics.
I told him not to be a stranger, gave him my card and said goodbye.
The condition of being lost in thought • Absentminded dreaming while awake • An abstracted state of absorption
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Getting Excited
Polly and I are going to see Diana Krall at the Hollywood Bowl Saturday Night!!
Trivia question. . . Who is she married to? No google help
Trivia question. . . Who is she married to? No google help
In my "Out Box" - Snail mail
Dear Max,
What’s up my man!! Thanks for sending me a letter!! I was very happy to get it! Sorry it’s taken me so long to write you back, but I’ve been working through some of the issues and feelings that I wanted to say.
Anyway, great to get your letter and happy to communicate with you anyway that you’re comfortable with.
It sounds like your having a good summer in Ellensburg. Did you get to do anything fun or go anywhere interesting?
Life is good here. One of the hardest things I’ve had to endure was watching the people I love the most turn into total strangers. For a long time, It made me unhappy, but now I choose to look at things a different way. I know you are happy and surrounded by love in Ellensburg. You have a mother who loves you, brothers and sister who adore you and I’m sure Dom is a good dad. He always seemed to me a good guy.
The past is the past, I can’t change that, all I can do is say I’m sorry for any pain I’ve caused you.
Not having you in my life these last years, your not wanting to take my phone calls to even say hi. It has hurt me deeply and I just wonder how we can be friends again enough to talk and share our feelings.
I want the best for you and your family. I think there is a place that exists where we can all be friends. I’m at a point in my life where I don’t want to embrace hate and anger, remorse and resentment AT ALL!!
I want to fill my life with love for the people who mean the most to me and that means YOU Max William Tynan Frank! So you want to write letters, lets write letters.
I saw the movie Transformers. I thought it was great. Have you seen the movie? I love Hollywood and sunny California. I don’t know If you knew this, but I used to live here in LA 20 years ago. Seems like a long time ago now.
Well I’ll guess I’ll leave it like this, I want to be as big a part of your life as you want me to be. I hope you hear me loud and clear when I say I LOVE YOU. . . I MISS YOU. . . I’m always here for you day or night.
If you could please, send me some current photo’s of yourself. I’d love to see how big your getting. I hope you have a great time out on the football field. Good place to make some friends and learn about the sport.
What do you want from me?
How can I be a good friend or a father to you?
How can I show you I love you?
Do you want me to try and plan a visit to see you, or do you have any interest or permission to visit me here?
Lets make a commitment to begin to repair a severed relationship and in healing, find love, respect and a positive outlook for the future.
With the deepest love a man could feel
your loving father
PS Buster lives with his Grandma in Kentucky, let me know if you want his address or phone #.
You can always call me if you want to my # is 323.683.5844
or e-mail me at TFrank8176@mac.com
I miss you sound of your voice, the touch of your hand and hugging you.
What’s up my man!! Thanks for sending me a letter!! I was very happy to get it! Sorry it’s taken me so long to write you back, but I’ve been working through some of the issues and feelings that I wanted to say.
Anyway, great to get your letter and happy to communicate with you anyway that you’re comfortable with.
It sounds like your having a good summer in Ellensburg. Did you get to do anything fun or go anywhere interesting?
Life is good here. One of the hardest things I’ve had to endure was watching the people I love the most turn into total strangers. For a long time, It made me unhappy, but now I choose to look at things a different way. I know you are happy and surrounded by love in Ellensburg. You have a mother who loves you, brothers and sister who adore you and I’m sure Dom is a good dad. He always seemed to me a good guy.
The past is the past, I can’t change that, all I can do is say I’m sorry for any pain I’ve caused you.
Not having you in my life these last years, your not wanting to take my phone calls to even say hi. It has hurt me deeply and I just wonder how we can be friends again enough to talk and share our feelings.
I want the best for you and your family. I think there is a place that exists where we can all be friends. I’m at a point in my life where I don’t want to embrace hate and anger, remorse and resentment AT ALL!!
I want to fill my life with love for the people who mean the most to me and that means YOU Max William Tynan Frank! So you want to write letters, lets write letters.
I saw the movie Transformers. I thought it was great. Have you seen the movie? I love Hollywood and sunny California. I don’t know If you knew this, but I used to live here in LA 20 years ago. Seems like a long time ago now.
Well I’ll guess I’ll leave it like this, I want to be as big a part of your life as you want me to be. I hope you hear me loud and clear when I say I LOVE YOU. . . I MISS YOU. . . I’m always here for you day or night.
If you could please, send me some current photo’s of yourself. I’d love to see how big your getting. I hope you have a great time out on the football field. Good place to make some friends and learn about the sport.
What do you want from me?
How can I be a good friend or a father to you?
How can I show you I love you?
Do you want me to try and plan a visit to see you, or do you have any interest or permission to visit me here?
Lets make a commitment to begin to repair a severed relationship and in healing, find love, respect and a positive outlook for the future.
With the deepest love a man could feel
your loving father
PS Buster lives with his Grandma in Kentucky, let me know if you want his address or phone #.
You can always call me if you want to my # is 323.683.5844
or e-mail me at TFrank8176@mac.com
I miss you sound of your voice, the touch of your hand and hugging you.
Are you ready for some. . .
Monday night football back in the preseason. Looking good on the big screen. Last season we weren’t HD. Just heard a Copperfield reference during the game. The announcer said, as the referee went into the instant replay booth, “Wouldn’t it be funny if he came back out and it was David Copperfield with a bunch of cards and flowers?” I thought it was funny.
Found out an old acquaintance/friend is very sick. This is a great guy I’m talking about. Although I’ve never called him in the over 20 years that I’ve know him, I think I might look him up tomorrow. I hope that I can speak with him because there are some things I’d like to say to him.
Went swimming today. It was nude sunbathing day at the club. Why not add indecent exposure to the trespassing charge, that’s the way I think. Actually, I thought there’s less a chance of someone coming up to me if I was naked. seemed to work just fine. I don’t want many things out of life, but the idea of an even tan appeals to me. I’m totally turning Californian, fer sure. . dude. I hadn’t worn shoes or socks in months, sandals everyday if that. I put socks on, then sneakers and went to work; my feet felt like they were being punished. Shorts and a short sleeve shirt, sunglasses and a cigar, ipod, cell phone.
On Saturday night I lost money because I was fucking with a failing microphone. It was cutting in and out and making me crazy. They could hear every third word I was saying. Today I bit the bullet and bought a fancy wireless headset mic. I needed to special order in a specific configuration for street use (both transmitter and receiver need to be battery powered) Little mix and match, pay extra for a case, more to “3 day” it, bingo blamo, I’m gonna cut the cord and go wireless.
Found out an old acquaintance/friend is very sick. This is a great guy I’m talking about. Although I’ve never called him in the over 20 years that I’ve know him, I think I might look him up tomorrow. I hope that I can speak with him because there are some things I’d like to say to him.
Went swimming today. It was nude sunbathing day at the club. Why not add indecent exposure to the trespassing charge, that’s the way I think. Actually, I thought there’s less a chance of someone coming up to me if I was naked. seemed to work just fine. I don’t want many things out of life, but the idea of an even tan appeals to me. I’m totally turning Californian, fer sure. . dude. I hadn’t worn shoes or socks in months, sandals everyday if that. I put socks on, then sneakers and went to work; my feet felt like they were being punished. Shorts and a short sleeve shirt, sunglasses and a cigar, ipod, cell phone.
On Saturday night I lost money because I was fucking with a failing microphone. It was cutting in and out and making me crazy. They could hear every third word I was saying. Today I bit the bullet and bought a fancy wireless headset mic. I needed to special order in a specific configuration for street use (both transmitter and receiver need to be battery powered) Little mix and match, pay extra for a case, more to “3 day” it, bingo blamo, I’m gonna cut the cord and go wireless.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Housecall from the Doc.
Thursday I got a call from Doc Eason. He was in town and looking for an afternoon activity before working the Castle with his buddy Lorenzo in the Hat and Hare Lounge. I told him to c'mon over and we would see what kind of trouble we could get into on a hot Thursday afternoon in the Valley.
He pulled up in one of those new retro looking Mustangs, a blue convertible with the top down. He revved the engine, then shut it off. I welcomed him to my home, gave him a tour and geeked out on magic a bit. You know how it goes, when magicians get together.
We talked about "Wonder Words", Kenton Kneppners life changing audio series. Basically it's NLP for magicians, mentalists, Tarot card and Palm Reader
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a field of study and a set of practices concerned with positively modifying behavior, particularly through pyscho-linguistic techniques. Its theoretical foundation draws on a range of disciplines, including various pyschological fields, linguistics, cognitive science and occupational therapy. Invented by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970's as a method of personal development, NLP has since been elaborated and reconceived in divergent forms by its practitioners and adherents, making it a diffuse field resistant to a single comprehensive definition.
Despite its popularity, NLP continues to be controversial, particularly for use in therapy, and after three decades of existence, remains scientifically unvalidated. NLP has been criticized for lacking a defining and regulating body to impose standards and a professional ethical code and for being pseudoscientific.
Anyhow, we rapped about NLP. Doc has a good feel for this stuff in his own work. I have, at times, had some success with it as a selling tool in my retail days of selling from my magic shop and more recently in my work pitching decks. Also in motivating the desired audience response emotionally, physically and financially. Get where I'm coming from?
Very productive discussion that has already started me rewriting my current show/act/pitch. I'll start looking for the right words to really say what I want them to think.
"People ask me all the time, how can I get started doing magic. They want to know how to amaze their friends, or win free drinks. . . or scam on on chicks, or get their own TV Show like Chris Angel. As excited as parents are, about finding new ways to help their kids develop dexterity as well as their minds, magic tricks have always always been a great choice. As a selling tool, or simply to entertain bla bla bla." you get the idea.
Cards and coins came out over a double apple hookah at the Lebanese joint we went to for lunch. We enjoyed the smooth water cooled smoke on a hot day. Outside dining under the mist of water being evenly distributed around the perimeter was great until the guy, 10 feet away with the zaw saw decided to start hacking away at either tile, pipe or maybe a cat. . . whatever. . . it was loud. We ate inside and left our hookah.
Back to my place where I made him watch me do the linking rings then polish the black shit off my aluminum Proline rings.
When it was time for me to go to work, we said goodbye till next time.
I got a follow up phone call from him the next day wanting to know if any of the NLP stuff was working. I told him it was too soon to tell, and that I had only started to think more seriously about it. Exciting stuff, if you ask me.
Doc, again, thanks for the friendship and thanks for the memories.
He pulled up in one of those new retro looking Mustangs, a blue convertible with the top down. He revved the engine, then shut it off. I welcomed him to my home, gave him a tour and geeked out on magic a bit. You know how it goes, when magicians get together.
We talked about "Wonder Words", Kenton Kneppners life changing audio series. Basically it's NLP for magicians, mentalists, Tarot card and Palm Reader
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a field of study and a set of practices concerned with positively modifying behavior, particularly through pyscho-linguistic techniques. Its theoretical foundation draws on a range of disciplines, including various pyschological fields, linguistics, cognitive science and occupational therapy. Invented by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970's as a method of personal development, NLP has since been elaborated and reconceived in divergent forms by its practitioners and adherents, making it a diffuse field resistant to a single comprehensive definition.
Despite its popularity, NLP continues to be controversial, particularly for use in therapy, and after three decades of existence, remains scientifically unvalidated. NLP has been criticized for lacking a defining and regulating body to impose standards and a professional ethical code and for being pseudoscientific.
Anyhow, we rapped about NLP. Doc has a good feel for this stuff in his own work. I have, at times, had some success with it as a selling tool in my retail days of selling from my magic shop and more recently in my work pitching decks. Also in motivating the desired audience response emotionally, physically and financially. Get where I'm coming from?
Very productive discussion that has already started me rewriting my current show/act/pitch. I'll start looking for the right words to really say what I want them to think.
"People ask me all the time, how can I get started doing magic. They want to know how to amaze their friends, or win free drinks. . . or scam on on chicks, or get their own TV Show like Chris Angel. As excited as parents are, about finding new ways to help their kids develop dexterity as well as their minds, magic tricks have always always been a great choice. As a selling tool, or simply to entertain bla bla bla." you get the idea.
Cards and coins came out over a double apple hookah at the Lebanese joint we went to for lunch. We enjoyed the smooth water cooled smoke on a hot day. Outside dining under the mist of water being evenly distributed around the perimeter was great until the guy, 10 feet away with the zaw saw decided to start hacking away at either tile, pipe or maybe a cat. . . whatever. . . it was loud. We ate inside and left our hookah.
Back to my place where I made him watch me do the linking rings then polish the black shit off my aluminum Proline rings.
When it was time for me to go to work, we said goodbye till next time.
I got a follow up phone call from him the next day wanting to know if any of the NLP stuff was working. I told him it was too soon to tell, and that I had only started to think more seriously about it. Exciting stuff, if you ask me.
Doc, again, thanks for the friendship and thanks for the memories.
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