Oh What A Night

This evening Polly and I attended the LA opening of Jersey Boys at the Ahmanson Theater downtown. It was nice of Ruth to invite us to the show and opening night party at Our Lady Of Angeles Cathedral.

Polly looked good enough to eat, all dolled up in a black evening dress. I was in jacket, tie and a fabulous disposition. We had some time before the show so Polly gave me a tour of the area The Los Angeles Music Center, a complex comprising several venues, Disney Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theater with a central fountain with outdoor dining.

Sunshine, wine, the cool california air and a nice cigar all made the pre show people watching a memorable affair. We saw Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Melina Kanakaredes (CSI:NY), Kate Burton (Greys Anatomy).

With show time approaching we made our way to our seats. While waiting for the show to start we talked about our early training on theater etiquette from our old principle, Bill Dickinson at the School for the Creative & Performing Arts where Polly and I met 25 years ago. He was passionate about instilling a strict set of values concerning behavior at the theater. Needless to say Polly and I were well behaved.

The show started on time. In a nutshell, Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. 4 guys from Jersey singing beneath a lamppost and their journey from that street corner to international stardom. You got to like a good rags to riches story and where that takes a guy. How it effects his family life and relationships. The story well told and the music, singing and dancing top notch.

Very entertaining. I laughed, I cried. A touching scene where Frankie takes a phone call to find out that his 23 year old daughter just died. A lot of silence and his back towards the audience created dramatic tension.

I love musicals. It doesn’t make me gay. A cock in my ass. . . that would make me gay.

The sets were simple, versatile and did what they needed to. From night clubs, to street corners to bowling alleys there was a cleverness of less is more in the set design. It was a strong story with interesting characters (like a teenage Joe Pesci). The story interwove the lives of driven artists, wives, mothers, daughters, drinking, gambling and womanizing.

A ton of music and nostalgia. I told Polly about an record album (remember them?) that my folks had, called Sing along Rock n Roll. Do Wop songs from the early years of rock.

At the end of the show, the real live, Frankie Valli and other remaining band mates came on the stage along with Joe Pesci, the writers, producers and the director for a nice LA showbiz warm and fuzzy.

After the show we met Ruth backstage. Here she is in her portable office. These are all the wigs from the show. Polly and Ruth both went to CCM (Cincinnati Conservatory of Music) getting their degrees in theatrical hair and make-up. Guess we all knew what we wanted to do with our lives and did just that.

We went to the after party and had a great time.

If your not familiar with the music in question, check out the video below. This is from a few of months ago when the cast was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This is the same show that Ruth hooked me up to see VIP style at the NBC Studios in Burbank. To read that post Click Here

"Jersey Boys" on The Tonight Show


The Four Seasons • Big Girls Don't Cry

Octopus

Octopus, originally uploaded by stuartjudah.

Tim Hawkinson
American, 2006
Photographic collage mounted on foam

Friday Night

Last night went from bad to worse. First at work, my mic craps out on my and I have to leave an hour after getting there. They pump in loud music everywhere at the City Walk making difficult to work without amplification. On the way to Guitar Center I call Chris Karney to ask him about headset wireless mics. Frustrated with where my Friday night was heading I pound a few cocktails at home and pay for it severely the next day.

Oy! What a morning. Blew off work today. Feeling better tonight. Polly took me to lunch at Jerry's Deli on Ventura. Some good chicken soup, Polly got the matzoh ball soup, the matzoh ball was the size of a newborn's head. I helped her eat it.

We may have to move, Our land lord wants to put the house were renting on the market. We'll see how things develop. It would be nice to stay where we are, however if we had to move, I'm game. Polly doesn't want to move to Dubai, so I guess we'll stay here in LA.

Wednesday afternoon session at Dean Dill's

I picked up Aye Jaye at his house in Sun Valley near Burbank, hopped on the 134 to Glendale and piff, paff, poof we're at Dean Dill's Famous Magic Barber Shop.

Dean and Pete Biro were the only ones there so far. We added to the mix and the fun started. Pete showed us a neat billet loading letter opener. His good pal Joe Porper made it. Marty showed up, then John Lovick and Shoot Ogawa. Shoot did a nifty bit making it look like a bunch of coins and silverware were magnetic. It was a clever routine with a lot of nice little touches. I first saw Shoot at an LMVI a few years ago, some of his magic was stunning. It's a shame we had to leave, it would have been neat to get to know him a little.

Cups du jour

Snagged pic and description off of ebay

This is a very rare (perhaps unique) set of brass Conrad Haden cups. Connie Haden cups have become extremely difficult to find and are highly prized by both collectors and cups and balls workers. This set was was made by Haden for Gene Devoe over forty years ago and had been in Bob Stevens' collection from the 1960's until I obtained them in six or seven years ago. They have slightly different contours than the so-called Slydini cups that Haden had crafted a few years earlier (they are a tad larger and have somewhat less rounded beads around the middle), but like all of Connie Haden's apparatus, they are beautifully made. I have never seen another set quite like them. A wonderful addition for any magic collector or cups and balls worker.

Sold for $697

Saw it, liked it

At World's End Poster Jack Sparrow, originally uploaded by vball * LoveR.

Cups du jour

Snagged these pics and description off of ebay.

Offered for sale here on eBay are a set of three original Paul Fox chrome cups. These are the self-same cups that Rafael Benatar has been using in performance for the past two years. These cups have been gently used and never abused. Two of the three cups have a couple of dents and dings in them and although I have tried to capture them in the photos they are hard to see.

They in no way detract from the working of the trick, nor do they detract from the overall aesthetics of the cups. If the high bidder so desires, Rafael will send him or her an autographed picture or his signed cups and balls DVD. The reserve price reflects half of the cups actual value. This is a rare opportunity to purchase a set of highly sought after original Paul Fox cups that have a performance history attached to them, having been used by one of the best cups and balls magicians of modern times.










Rafael has a nice big smile on his face because this set of cups sold for a nice $1,125

Cups du jour

Cups & Balls, originally uploaded by stuartjudah.

Snagged this pic and description off of ebay

Vintage Magic - Zina Bennett Cups & Balls

Perhaps best recognized for his marriage to Suzy Wandas, Zina Bennett was an accomplished performer in his own right. A skilled surgeon, Bennett had large and dexterous hands which allowed him to manipulate and even back palm jumbo cards(!) He was active in the Detroit magic clubs and was a regular at Abbott's Magic Get Together.

This set of cups was Doc Bennett’s personal set. They measure a bit more than 3 1/2 " tall and 2 3/4" at the mouth. Although they are unmarked, they are likely P&L. Curiously, it’s a mismatched but identical set of 2 copper cups and one brass (or so it appears). I've cleaned them up but they're still oxidized in certain places, probably from years sitting on the shelf in the small theater that Suzy and Zina had in their basement in Detroit.

Sold for $586

Busker du Jour

Magician, originally uploaded by Tyson L.

Busker du Jour

dan the magician, which ones better?, originally uploaded by alexcave.

Daniel Davenport on Hollywood Blvd.

Ascanio - El Maestro

Last week

Hours into days, days into weeks, weeks into months. . . . and my worst complaint is an occasional short filler cigar. As you can imagine, the fun never ends here at Camp Paradise.

I started a post last week about going to the Castle and having a blast, seems like ancient history by now. Rewind to last Wednesday night after the Aaron Fisher lecture, at the Castle in a real good mood. Cocktails and conversation flowed freely over card tricks. Howard Hamburg raved about a couple of guys I had to see. I was treated to the magical stylings of a cat named Dani DaOrtiz and his pal Christian Englbom.

Always a pleasure to see students of the Ascanio/Tamariz Spanish style of card magic. Lots of action, fluid motion and deception. Evidently they had spent the afternoon at at Dean Dills slaying the gang with trick after trick. My favorite thing Dani did was a flawless version of the three card monte using a method I had never seen. Quite good.

We closed the Castle, then sessioned in the parking lot for a while. An old friend from years ago came up to me and asked me if I knew who he was. I was at a loss, which I usually am in these situations. His name is Ori and he is an Israeli Magician. He lived here in LA at the same time as I did in 86/87 now he’s in Tel Aviv. Matt Herbert, Daniel the street magician, Ori and I went to Mel’s Drive in for breakfast. Matt bought us a nice meal and another hour or so of jamming on magic. A good time was had by all and I got home a bit after 4AM.

There now that that’s out of the way we can move forward again into the past as yesterdays session at Dean Dills is another story.

Busker du Jour

Taste magic, originally uploaded by hjoew.

Taken at the Taste of Cincinnati last weekend. I think this is a young man named Christian. And if I'm not mistaken that looks like a rare set of nickle plated Phoenix Cups. He used to come into my shop when I was in the Carew Tower.

Been Busy

Been busy living my life, doing my thing. Had an interesting surprise audience member yesterday, none other than Mr. Penn Jillet. He watched my show and gave me a nice tip. I’d have liked to have chatted with him briefly after the show but I had to sell a couple trick decks. It was funny at one point near the beginning, I actually felt a little nervous. My hands were shaking a little and the whole deal. When I got to the coin manipulation sequence to the music, I had to just do my thing and let’er rip. The whole set went well.

A memorable night at the Magic Castle

After the Aaron Fisher Lecture a bunch of us went to the Castle. There was a strange, old familiar feeling about the evening. . . electricity in the air. There were guys jamming at the main bar, I glanced across the room as I walked upstairs. At the upstairs bar was Chris Korn with a beautiful young lady visiting him from St. Louis. Chris was excited to tell me the good news that his TV show is being picked up for a third season in the Asian TV Market! Congrats Mr. Korn. We joked that it was good that hey signed, cause he might have actually had to go out there and do some gigs. Chris, like myself, has completely embraced his inner hedonist. It's all about enjoying the LA experience. He does it well.

I ordered a cocktail and headed downstairs. I ran into a buddy from Seattle named Matt Herbert. He's a corporate guy who had a meeting down here and was spending the evening at the Castle. We talked about the era that was "Seattle Magic". I forget how many people were touched by that place. It was great shop, with a great community of magicians that supported it. Speaking of Seattle Magicians, I saw Stephen Minch coming down the stairs followed by Max Maven. I chatted with Stephen for a few moments before he and Max left. Mr. Maven looked good considering his bypass heart surgery a month or so ago. I was liking the vibe.

Well the joint was jumpin’, going ’round and ’round,
Hey! realin’ and a rockin’, what a crazy sound,
Well they never stopped rockin’ till the moon went down.

Well it sounds so sweet I had to take me a chance,
I rose out of me seat lord, I had to dance,
Started moving my feet, well a clapping my hands.

Well I kept on dancin’, going ’round and ’round,
Hey! reelin’ and a rockin’, what a crazy sound,
Well they never stopped rockin’ till the moon went down.

Well at twelve o’clock lord, the place was packed,
The front doors was locked lord, the place was packed,
When the police knocked, those doors they flew back.

Well I kept on dancin’, going ’round and ’round,
Hey! realin’ and a rockin’, what a crazy sound,
Well they never stopped rockin’ till the moon went down.




More to follow - a wacky evening that ends at Mel's Drive In

Magic Detail, originally uploaded by i y e r s.

Wednesday - Aaron Fisher Lecture & The Castle

Yoga in the morning, swimming in the afternoon, sunshine all day. I called Daniel and Sam to tell them about the lecture at The Magic Apple - Magic Shop, on Ventura, not far from where I live.

Daniel met me at the City Walk and watched me work a bit. We left Universal and drove a short way to the Magic Shop. Aaron Fisher did a great lecture for 30 people. It’s no secret, I respect his work and I’m proud to call him a friend. Dead Head, Spread Head, Aaron has done this lecture many, many, many times capably, confidently and humorously, all over the world. He noodled through the opener (Search & Destroy) testing the audience and seeing where things could go comedically. I liked watching him establish rapport and get into things. I guess this is his home town crew and he seemed to know everyone. Among the action packed line up of material, he covered the Nowhere Pass, his refreshing handling on a classic principle as well as the Gravity Half Pass.

Aaron’s a Card Man through and through, his thinking and approach is fresh, original and his technique flawless. The first set ended at about an hour and a half. During the break I went outside to smoke. David Malek was talking with Howard Hamburg, I chatted with them a bit. I've known Howard since the old days, when I lived here 20 years ago. David, I met at a World Magic Seminar a few years ago. I met the owner of the owner of the store, a fellow named Brent. Out of town guests included Luke Dancy and Tyler Wilson (in town to attend a taping of The Price is Right; before Bob Barker retires next month). I met Luke and jammed with him a bit at the SCAM convention in South Carolina. I would see him again later at the Magic Castle and watch his eyes grow wide as he entered the famed Magic Castle for the first time.

The second set of the lecture got down to the brass tacks of Focus and Design in Card Magic. The half pass was covered in great detail and some practical applications discussed. A nice version of Inversion, Bicycle Thief and other prestidigal nuggets of legerdemain sprinkled the second half. The lecture ended around 10PM or so.

After hanging out a bit more with David Malek and discussing block transfer controls with regard to riffle shuffle work, I packed it up and headed to the Magic Castle. What a night. I didn't get home until after 4AM

Monday • Paris, Je T'aime

Yesterday Polly and I enjoyed lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen in West Hollywood. Afterwards we popped in Virgin Records on our way to the Sunset 5 to see a movie. We saw Paris, Je T'aime . . . and I do love Paris, having spent 4 years of my life in that fantastic city. We both enjoyed the movie and the rest of our afternoon into evening that consisted of getting back in bed, watching another movie and ordering in for Chinese. Quite the international day. . . if you ask me.

Twenty filmmakers bring their own personal touch, underlining the wide variety of styles, genres, encounters and the various atmospheres and lifestyles that prevail in the neighborhoods of Paris.

Each director has been given five minutes of freedom, and we, as producers, carry the responsibility of weaving a single narrative unit out of those twenty moments. The 20 films do not appear in the order of the arrondissements, from one to twenty, but rather, in a pertinent narrative order, initially unknown to the audience. They are fused together by transitional interstitial sequences, and also via the introduction and epilogue sequences of the feature film. Each transition begins with the last shot of the previous film and ends with the first shot of the following film, and has a threefold function: 1) The first is to extend the enchantment and the emotion of the previous segment, 2) The second is to prepare the audience for the surprise of the next segment, and 3) The third is to provide a general, comfortable and cohesive atmosphere to the feature film. The delightful and brief interludes of these transitions enables the viewer to slide from one world to the next, featuring a recurring and unexpected character.

This mysterious character is a witness to the Parisian life and helps create a continuous narration. It appears both in and in-between the films. In addition to the information these transitions provide about the city and its people, their tone is intentionally light often referring to famous scenes easily attributed to the history of Paris cinema. Similar specifications are followed by the composer who supervises the musical fusion between the films and the transitions as he creates the musical score of "Paris, je t'aime."

Considering the common theme of Paris and Love, the fusion between the films and the transitions, the fast pace of a fluid and complete storytelling, Paris, je t'aime" is not just another "anthology" picture. It ia a unique collective feature film that constitutes a two-hour cinematographic spectacle whose original structure makes for a dramatically different experience for its global audience.

View Trailer • Click Here

Some Legends, originally uploaded by Kiel Bryant.

Shawn Greer to wed on edge of Grand Canyon

It’s 1AM, just got off the phone with Shawn Greer. We had a lengthy chat about life, magic and his upcoming wedding on the rim of the Grand Canyon, next month! Polly and I are both excited to attend the intimate celebration of love. My warmest and heartfelt wishes of never-ending love and companionship for you and your bride, my friend!

Shawn says getting married on the edge of the Grand Canyon is a metaphor for his life as he has lived his life on the edge.

It’s wonderful to be in love. To share each day with someone who loves you as much as you love them. It’s really quite disgusting I could just go on and on. Entire volumes of horrible poetry have been written on the subject. Polly and I have discovered how to conceal our total infatuation for each other while out in public or with friends. I haven’t, however, figured out how to stop staring at her tits.

All in due time. Enough for one day goodnight.

Happy

Polly had lunch plans with Kirsten (who just passed her Real Estate Appraiser test making her an official trainee! Congrats Kirsten!) I walked to Vic’s Thai Food and had lunch there. Polly hasn’t wanted to try their food because the place looks like a shack. Her friend Andrew told me to look for their posted restaurant rating (a state thing, I guess, that has to do with cleanliness. I was happy to see the “A” rating and asked for something with shrimp that was spicy.

The food was great. I ate in their shack patio area and enjoyed the cool breeze and my hot food.

Afterwards I took a dip, did some laps, got my heart rate up and enjoyed a nice cigar pool side beneath a tall palm tree in desperate need of a haircut.

I thought to myself how happy and relaxed I was. I filled my mind, heart and soul with only the most happy and positive thoughts. I saw the faces of my children smiling and laughing. I felt the warm air cooling my wet body.

Man, this is the life! Tonight I get to go out there and make people happy with my magic. . . again! I feel so loose from the yoga this morning. I tweaked a muscle near my thigh doing some nutty leg rolling out exercise, but worked it out in the pool.

God I love my life, everyone should feel this happy.

Reviewing Recent Video Footage

Reviewing video footage, I see my world again in bright, vivid, high definition images. Since the camera is new, I’ve been subjecting it to various light and color tests. I’m watching the footage of the band from the other night. Testing the camera’s low light capabilities with a long island iced tea, the footage looks good and the audio surprising for an on-board condenser mic.

My mind wanders and my body feels good. Yoga again this morning in the living room with the yoga dvd and my girl. I hope she wants to check this band out sometime and dance like a freak. Dancing to Grateful Dead is a long way from the swing dancing that we’ve done. Free form, letting your freak hang loose. With a cocktail and a buzz, the band meanders into the intro of “Eyes of the world”

Silly footage of Aaron Fisher singing outside of the club.

Footage of Sam Rapp performing/pitching on Hollywood and Highland. Met a guy named Daniel Davenport. Nice young man with lots of big plans and ideas. Student of magic and street performing. Shot him doing a little billiard ball manipulation and some card stuff. Both Sam & Daniel, working the Blvd. on a Tuesday afternoon. Better men than I. I was really there just to help Sam a bit and shoot some video. We were lucky to have a rare overcast day that created very even afternoon outdoor lighting with no shadows.

Hollywood Blvd. offers itself as a great location to shoot street acts. Rich in the history of Hollywood, Hollywood and Highland is a major tourist attraction.

I’m in the beginning stages of a dvd project. A dvd I can sell after my performances, that also teaches a little “Street Magic” Hell, I’ve been doing it for a quarter century, why not cash in on the current trend. Shit I might even lecture on the subject as I have in the past.

Taped a few of my shows at the City Walk last night. My chops are tight and the new stuff looked good. Not really that new, cups and balls to music, coin stuff to music. Working on a whole silent sequence to music, maybe a whole act.

Worked to some Michael Close Quartet music. He had given me a disc in Vegas. Upbeat jazz with an improvisational flair. That’s what I’m going for, with some of what I’m doing these days. Go with the music, let it direct me as to what I’m doing. But different music, different feels. Live, experimental, improvised yet refined to a fine point. I’m digging it. But to be confronted with it on the big screen in my living room, oy. Audible gasps and extended laughing upon the revelation of the final loads in the cup routine.

Mike Close plays Georgia on My Mind as I go into a 4 Ace Routine (poker deal into Dr. Daley’s Last Trick). Trying to make my card work look as pretty as possible. Framed tight on the hands for the shuffle work, the control holds up to my own tough standards. Liking that :-)

Sunday Night • Groove On

Sunday night Aaron Fisher, his pal Adam and I went to see a Dead Cover Band in Venice. It was great time singing and dancing to the music of the Grateful Dead! Aaron used to see this band regularly when they played a club in Santa Monica every sunday night. That club closed and this was their first week at a new bar, "Club Good Hurt".

The band was particularly good and the lead guitarist mimicked Jerry's sound beautifully. Actually the whole band was tight. They've been playing together as a Dead Cover Band in LA for the last 20 years. They played some unlikely songs like a nice Brent song, the Jerry ballad, "So many Ways" and they finished with an OLD Dead tune called "Cream Puff War" (written in the late 60's). Smiles, Tye-Dye and spinning hippie chicks filled the room and my heart. These are my people.

During the band/smoke break we went outside and had a mini magic session. I busted out a few moves for adam at Aaron's request. Mr. Fisher paid me a nice compliment, he called me an old school card man. Coming from him, that meant a lot.

I showed him the oil and water / triumph trick of Krenzel's out of last month's Genii. I told him I needed some help with the half pass in that routine. I was very appreciative that he took the time, getting me right. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I find Aaron Fisher's understanding of card handling, potentially revolutionary. He is wise beyond his years and a very funny fellow. Glad were gonna try and make Sunday night in Venice a weekly activity. Too bad he's gonna be out of town when his favorite band, "Wide Spread Panic" is here. Guess Adam & I will have to hold down the fort for him.

Bad Busker Behavior

Ever do something you almost immediately regret? My list is a long one so I’ll just share the most recent incident.

I was working the City Walk, Saturday afternoon. It was hot and I had been baking in the sun for a couple of hours with little return on my investment of time and energy. The hats were lousy and my audiences unresponsive. It’s been hard to get used to changing over my performance for a show to a pitch. I make a lot less in the hat after the pitch but when I sell decks it all comes together. So, I’m out there, I’ve done three pitches in a row didn’t sell any decks and the hat’s were practically non existent. I do another set with some rambunctious teenagers, we all ahd some fun and I thought it went well enough. At the end a couple of people threw in one dollar bills. One of the kids thought it would be funny to put in a penny. I stopped the kid as he was leaving, took the penny out of the hat and said, “It’s one thing to stiff me. . . but you don’t have to be a dick.” Then I chucked the penny at him, and it hit him in the eye.

He wasn’t hurt and there was no incident. But I immediately thought, I wouldn’t want anyone throwing anything in Buster’s eye. I felt bad about how I handled the situation and wish I could have apologized to him. Well there you have it. I’m ashamed that I let that little mother fucker ruffle my feathers.

The next day I went out there with something to prove. It’s not about the money. . . it’s about making good art and people happy.

nuff said.

Grateful Dead - 6-26-94 - So Many Roads

Scotty Walsh: The Harlequin Commercial

IMG_6875, originally uploaded by john.stone.

release 2, originally uploaded by C is for Casey.

Houdini: Unlocking The Mystery

Polly and I watched this History Channel Special tonight. Quite good. Well, written, shot produced, lit etc. A real class act. Here is a blip from their promo:

In one of magic history's rarest events, a private collector auctioned off the largest collection of personally owned Harry Houdini artefacts and memorabilia, providing an unprecedented peek behind the curtain at the world's great showman and magician.

In a 2-hour special, hosted by renowned magician Lance Burton, we explore the life and magic of the great escape artist through his most prized possessions: the Chinese Water Torture Cell, the Milkcan, his straitjackets and handcuffs, and lockpicks that were "key" to his handcuff escapes, revealed to the public for the first time.

We also unlock secrets of the man; brash showman, fierce competitor, loyal son and husband. With expert commentary, including a great-nephew and the last surviving member of his magic troop.

Examine the equipment that made Houdini's most famous tricks possible.

Hosted by magician Lance Burton.

See one of the most important collections of magical artifacts ever assembled.

To view a clip of the program Click Here

Friday

The day started with a bit of yoga. I’d never tried it but Polly has some experience with it. She has a dvd we popped in and got busy on these rubber mats. Everyone in LA is issued one of these mats upon moving here. It’s part of the welcome wagon gift pack. It felt good to stretch in new ways, focus on our breathing and find our centers in strange balance positions. I think were going to try and incorporate some daily yoga into our lives.

At noon I split for the Castle. Friday lunch at the Castle, dining with Aye Jaye always a hoot. Had a nice chat with John Lovick then headed downstairs to pay Mr. Goodwin a visit in the library. He was doing some research with John Armstrong. My pal Sam Rapp was also down there doing some research of his own on street performing. I guess I could call Sam one of my Busking/Pitching students. He’s been trying it out at Hollywood and Highland. I asked Billy what the trick of the week was and he busted out an interesting version of Copper/Silver/Brass. I introduced myself to Mr. Armstrong and told him that I had heard good things about him. I asked him if he wouldn’t do a trick for me. He kindly obliged with a nifty faro trick. More than the trick itself, I really liked how well he sold the routine. He didn’t just walk through the routine, he performed it. Afterwards we discussed the virtues of various techniques of dumping extra cards following the faro, as well as other options like taking a break after the shuffle at the base of the thumb and double undercutting or as Homer liked to do a pass at that point under just a few cards.

Along with Aye Jaye at lunch another fellow named Jerry Newton sat at the table. As we ate and discussed a variety of topics, I made the off hand comment that I was considering releasing a spanish version of 101 tricks with a stripper deck. Just one of the many things that I think about. I didn’t expect him to bring Rafael Benatar down to the library to meet me. Mr. Benatar as well as performing translates to Spanish. He gave me his card and told me to call him if I move forward with this idea.

Wanting to beat Friday rush hour on the 101, I left the Castle around 3PM. I was home in 10 minutes. It was hot, so I thought a dip in the pool sounded like a plan. Laps and sunbathing, more laps and more sun, cigar, palm trees and happiness.

Came home, spent some time with Polly, then went to work at the City Walk. Did my thing, came home with money slept good with my woman.

Not a bad day in paradise.

A year ago. . . this week • Click Here

Went to the pool today

The other day Polly and I noticed an open house (for a house for sale), a block away from our house. We went in and looked around. Surprisingly, the floor plan looked a lot like the 3 bedroom house we rent. The nice thing about this house was the pool out back and the large 500 sq. ft. room freshly constructed above the garage. And for a mere $700,000.00 this North Hollywood mediocre home can be yours! I tell you , your housing dollars don’t go to far in this town. In Cincinnati, for 700K, you get a mansion.

Needless to say, I’m not in the market to buy this house. . . but since no one is living there; I don’t see any harm in using the pool at my leisure. So today, during the hottest part of the afternoon; I walked down to the pool. Smoking my cigar and looking like I supposed to be there, I let myself in the side gate, checked out the scene and dove in. For an hour I alternated swimming laps and laying out in the sun. It felt great!! Hell, I think I might have to make this a regular part of my pleasure filled day.

Afterwards I returned home to finish up with some nude sunbathing. It’s amazing, that in the middle of LA, some grass, plants, trees and a backyard privacy fence can create the illusion of seclusion.

Trivia Question: Who is the Hollywood Starlet in the pool?

Click her belly button to enlarge

Griffith Park Fire

Griffith Park Fire, originally uploaded by losermike.

Griffith Park Brush Fire - last night

Griffith Park fire observatory, originally uploaded by www.ericcastro.biz.

42 years ago tday

Life has come full circle. . . . I look like this again.

Richard Ross - The Linking Rings

Before



After

Coin Magic Session at Venice Beach

I got a call this morning from Curtis Kam. He was in town but flying out tonight. He was staying in Venice Beach around the corner from where Chris Korn lives. Bingo blamo out of nowhere a magic session over lunch on the beach is planned. Traffic on the 405 on a monday at noon was a breeze, got there in 30 min. I met Chris at his swinging bachelors pad. You got to like a guy with a second floor deck large enough to accommodate a queen size outdoor bed next to the huge hot tub near the grill, couch and food preparation area. We could have walked to the hotel, but in true LA fashion, we drove the 4 blocks.

Curtis met us outside and we walked a block to the beach where we found a place for a bite and a session. We wasted no time getting into things. We started out with a hearty discussion about the multiple card selection comparing Doc Eason, Ricky Jay, Paul Cummins, Malini, Eddie Fechter & Brian Gillis. We all threw in our two cents as to what we like and don’t like about the various methods of controls and of course the revelations. It’s a routine in all of our working repertoires.

Curtis was recently at the FFFF and told us all about his adventures there. It wasn’t long before the coins came out. I was lucky enough to be sitting with two top notch coin workers. How a hack like me got there is still a mystery, but I was happy to be watching some very pretty magic. Both Curtis and Chris have such a soft touch and at different times had me completely fooled.

They were nice enough to let me video a bit in HD, it looked GREAT! Damn. . . I might have to get better. My mind is swimming. It was a beautiful afternoon at the beach with friends. Good food, good conversation and lots of boobs to stare at. What can I say. . . my life ROCKS!!!

End of a great visit

This picture was taken at 6:45AM on Saturday morning. Polly and I got up to see my father off. It was great seeing him and having plenty of time to talk to him, enjoy his company and smoke an endless chain of cigars. Life is good. We did some touristy things like the Getty Center and Villa. We had some recreational activities like drinking and swing dancing, as well as some good home cooked food. He went to work with me a couple of nights, shot some test HD footage of me working, and took in the whole City Walk experience.

I love my father. My favorite parts of his visit were the late evening cigar chats in the back yard. Polly continues to create a garden atmosphere in our back yard with a fresh selection of drought resistant plants, a place to put your feet, and now, new and improved ambient torches.

We talked about his childhood and teenage high school antics in Waterbury, Conn. It's a different world we live in today. We talked about our kids, our lives and where things go from here. He looked so happy driving off in to the morning on his way to Lake Tahoe, Chicago then back home to Atlanta. What a guy.

In my "In Box" • Can anyone help?

Mr. Frank,

I saw an older post from you regarding Paul Swinford, which is how I located you. I am working on a manuscript about a Twisting the Aces effect using the Ascanio Spread in which one card at a time turns over and then their backs all change color.

Jon Racherbaumer provided me with an essay from his Book on the Ascanio, and offers up the development of his own effect, "The Upturned One."

Lee Asher led me to the Special No. 4 of Epilogue, in which a Roy Walton effect appears called "Ascanio Rainbow," in which all four backs are different colors, and the deck changes color.

In Walton's description of the effect he mentions that "The effect was developed through discussions on A/Spread tricks with Paul Swinford, and was indeed inspired by one of Paul's effects."

I am trying to track down Swinford's idea so that I can plac! e it into the story. I was wondering if you were familiar with the Swinford idea that Roy Walton mentions in Epilogue.

I appreciate your help,
Sincerely,
David London

The Getty Villa

Thursday Polly, my Pops and I headed up the coast to Malibu to visit the Getty Villa. We enjoyed the Villa and lunch at a seafood joint on the beach.

Oil magnate J. Paul Getty used some of his vast wealth to amass an incredible art and antiquities collection, first displayed in his ranch house on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. In the early 70s, he had a Romanesque villa constructed next to his house to be a permanent museum for his collection. The Malibu Villa, modeled after the partially excavated Villa dei Papiri in Italy, became the home of the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1974. In 1997, the Getty Villa was closed and the collection was relocated to the new hill-top Getty Center in Brentwood (Los Angeles).

After a nine-year, $275 million renovation and expansion the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa has re-opened as home to the Museum’s Antiquities Collection. The Villa and gardens will be familiar to those who visited in the past. The original building was stripped down to the bare framework and re-built as an earthquake-resistant, enhanced version of itself. The rest of the canyon has been built up from bottom to top, covering the steep hillside with strata of wood-grained concrete and stone in a high-concept version of an archaeological dig.

J. Paul Getty modeled the Malibu Villa after the Villa dei Papiri in Herculenium near Pompeii. Only part of the villa was excavated, but from floor plans, architects were able to recreate the dimensions of the ancient Roman villa. Details of floor and wall designs come from several other Greek and Roman edifices.

The Museum interior consists of 29 galleries on two levels, a reading room and two interactive exhibits. Downstairs galleries open off an Atrium with an open skylight over a central pool. Beyond the Atrium, sculptured figures flank a long fountain amid Mediterranean plants in the Inner Peristyle, a courtyard surrounded by a columned porch. The doorway straight ahead under the yellow marble stairs leads to the East Garden.

The Getty Center and Getty Villa are as much about the architecture as the art collection. Like much art, they are better appreciated with an understanding of their creators’ intentions. Knowing the architects’ concept of re-imagining the site as an archaeological dig, puts otherwise incongruous details in context. Oddly placed walls in the Entry Pavilion overlooking the Villa to one side and a concrete courtyard below re-create the sense of looking down into the dig pit – if you know that’s what it’s supposed to represent.

Stairs from the garage through the Entry Pavilion and the Path to Museum bring you to the top of the Outdoor Theater, from where you can look down to the Villa Entrance. This, again, gives the impression of looking down into the site. But if you don’t feel like ascending all those stairs just to climb back down through the theater, the archway to the right as you come up the stairs will take you through the Herb Garden to the Museum entrance. There are also elevators.

Beyond the Villa and Outdoor Theater, between the Auditorium and the Museum Store, a flat, square pool of Chinese black marble collects water seeping from between layers of travertine, bronze, red porphyry stone and board-formed concrete to add to the archaeological concept. The different textures represent the strata of volcanic deposits that covered the Villa dei Papiri when Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79.

Visit to the Getty Museum

Wednesday's afternoon activity was a visit to the Getty Museum. The J. Paul Getty Museum started from his private collection, and was housed for many years in a a Roman-style villa in Malibu, which is now the Getty Villa. Today's Getty Museum, designed by architect Richard Meier, occupies 750 acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountain foothills. The Getty Center includes an art collection so large it takes four exhibit pavilions just to show part of it, and the complex includes nine buildings in total.

We had a great time taking the architecture tour as well as checking out the impressionist paintings and a photograph exhibit. We enjoyed a nice lunch then walked the beautiful gardens.

It's been a great visit with my pops. Tomorrow he'll get on his motorcycle and head towards Lake Tahoe where he's hooking up with an old school buddy. I'm glad he likes Polly and has enjoyed his time here in LA.

The view from the Getty is spectacular. It was clear enough to see the ocean. There's so much to see and do, you really can't do it all in one afternoon. So, I guess we'll go back sometime and fill in the blanks.

Here is just a a taste of the way cool architecture.

Fun afternoon with people I love, surrounded by beauty, art and life. What's not to like?

Gordon Frank

I love my dad

Magicians sue Japan TV networks

A group of 49 Japanese magicians is suing two local television networks for revealing the secrets behind a series of coin tricks in news footage.

The case, filed in Tokyo District Court on Tuesday, seeks damages of 1.9m yen (£8,239) from Nippon Television Network Corp and TV Asahi Corp.

Magician Shintaro Fujiyama said the broadcasters had "deprived professional magicians of their assets".

Asahi said it saw no problem with the footage. Nippon TV declined to comment.

"It takes us many years to develop a coin trick as a professional tool," said Mr Fujiyama, 52.

"They must understand how all the time we have spent is wasted by exposure of the trick," he said.

The two networks revealed how the coin tricks were completed last November, after a magician and a pub operator were arrested for punching holes in coins.

It is against the law to damage or melt coins in Japan.

My Dad here for a visit!

My pops cruised in on his Goldwing Thursday afternoon. He left Atlanta a week earlier and made stops along the way to visit with friends and family. It's been non stop fun since he got here. Cigars, booze, gambling. . . just what I like! We went to the Castle Friday afternoon for lunch, saw Aye Jaye, Whit Hayden, Brian Gillis Chris Korn, John Lovick, Derek Hugues and a few new faces to me. I like how casual the Friday lunches are. I gave Gordy the tour, then we walked Hollywood Blvd. and took the subway home. The North Hollywood stop is the last one on the Red Line, Polly piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. . . but I digress, Polly picked us up at the station and we went to the mechanic where my car was receiving routine maintenance.

My father is the youngest 70 old man I know. Full of life, love and fully capable of getting his inner groove on. I seriously dig this man. He went to work with me the other night and liked my sets. Sunday he went to San Diego with a pal to an intimate gathering of old school friends from high school, 53 years ago.

We've been having such a good time, I've neglected to even think about taking any pictures, or shooting any video with my new HD Camcorder. I'll have to get with the program and post some pics.

My father adores Polly and largely credits her to my childlike giddiness. What can I say, I'm crazy about Polly.

Doc Eason. . . what a guy!

I don't know how or why it happens, but for most of my life I've had the opportunity to meet and hang out with most every magician that I've ever wanted to. I had never seen or met Doc, before the meeting at Dean Dills last week. Of course I wanted to meet him, his reputation has reached near legend status and his work in the bar possibly unparalleled.

As a favor, he did an informal performance for about 7 of us in the close up room. He did a clever topological impossibility which I think my dad figured out. . . fooled me. I asked if he was taking requests, he said, "what do you want to see?" I replied, the multiple card selection. Doc was amused that I would be impressed with just 7 cards so when he busted out the trick, he added 4 or 5 other cards for imaginary seat fillers. This is probably what has interested me most about the stories I had heard about Doc. As a HUGE fan of the multiple card selection, I appreciated and studied with a critical eye, his technique and delivery of this classic effect.

I get a warm and genuinely friendly feeling from Doc. I returned to the Magic Castle later that night after work around 11PM to see Doc work the W.C. Fields Bar, was was supposed to work 8-12, but he was in for a long night. Hell, in the hour and a half that I watched him, he turned over the room 3 times. He did Copper Silver Brass, Card Under Glass, Two Card Transposition, Bill in Lemon and a host of other tricks, gags, jokes, & stories. He commands the room and seems most comfortable behind the bar. His misdirection during card under glass scores bonus points as he fooled them again and again. Good times. Watching him bang out 3 shows in a row, gave me a good look at different situations. The first crowd was drunk and it was difficult to get a grip and hit a stride, they weren't letting that happen easily. The next show was tight and the crowd attentive and responsive, the third show was even better.

The best part of the night though, was spending some one on one time with him, talking about our lives in this crazy business and lifestyle. I'd like to thank Doc Eason for taking the time to be a new friend.


Peace Out