Interview du Jour • Harry Blackstone Jr. • Click here
Audio Interview with Harry Blackstone, Jr.
In this 1985 interview, Don Swaim talks with the award-winning magician, Harry Blackstone, Jr. about his first experience on stage at the age of six months, and the relationship between his father and Houdini. Blackstone is the co-author of There’s One Born Every Minute, My Life As A Magician and The Blackstone Book Of Magic and Illusion.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Nauseous
Have you ever heard of someone becoming nauseous from smoking a cigar. This would sometimes happen when I would smoke Cuban cigars. Never knew why that would occur . Every morning in Cincinnati, I would drop Max & Hope off at Montessori, getting me to work an hour before opening the doors of my store, "Carew Tower Magic Shop". I would spend that hour every day with my ass parked in one of the overstuffed leather couches at Strauss Tobacconist at 4th & Walnut. I would enjoy a fine morning smoke before work, shuffle cards and chat with the colorful cast of daily characters. Lenore, manager of this 100 year old cigar store was my friend and treated me exceptionally as a customer. One day I asked her about why one may become nauseous. She told me that the nicotine can sometimes mess with your blood sugar. Ever since then when that happens I would have a Pepsi and almost immediately feel better.
This just happened to me outside in the 92 degree heat, smoking a cigar down to the nub with a toothpick. Felt a little woozy when I stood up. Went to the fridge for a Pepsi, but passed it up, (Haven't had one in weeks); grabbed a plum knowing that it will turn to sugar, ate it and felt better.
Back at the Bowl • Paolo Nutini, Solomon Burke & Etta James!!
Chinese food at 4PM at Bamboo Village with Polly, then on home for a serious pre concert chill down, relax and watch the afternoon disappear. Nice thing about where we live, so close to the Hollywood Bowl. We've been doing a park and ride deal near Universal. Nothing but stacked parking at the venue, can make it a real pain in the ass to get out. Ran into a friend of Kirsten's, a fellow named Steve, he's a focus puller on Greys Anatomy. We chatted him up and found out that they shoot in an old studio in Los Feliz. Same place they shoot General Hospital. Love this town.
We got to the Bowl as the show was starting, picked up a couple of seat cushions and made out way to or seats. The opening act was Paolo Nutini , a fresh new face from the other side of the pond. Got to say he delivered an impressive set. With interesting vocal styling and a variety of musical influences, I dug it. Here's taste of what he does.
The Hollywood Bowl is outfitted with one of those giant turntable in the stage. Makes changing acts a piece of cake, The stage rotated and now filling the stage is Solomon Burke and large ensemble. He sits in a giant gold and red throne wearing a black sparkly suit. A big man, with a big voice, he put on a great show. A big fan of gospel, soul, blues and R&B, I just loved what he was dishing out. I first became aware of him a few months ago when he sat in with Widespread Panic at the Orpheum. Enjoy this clip of an old school showman. He has 21 kids, 86 grand kids and 20 great grand children.
Solomon kept saying this was his last song, then he would do another 3 songs, this went on and he milked the crowd. It was great. They finally had to just rotate the stage with the band still playing. There was a 20 minute intermission, then the time that we had all been waiting for Miss Etta James!! There were several times during her performance that I thought about my mom. She would have liked this concert. Somewhat familiar with her legacy of work, I was in no way prepared for her performing style. Go figure, she turns out to be this granny foul minded little nympho! Far out. She grabbed her crotch more times than than Madonna & Michel Jackson combined. At one point simulating fellatio with the mic. She took the audience on a wonderful journey. Dig the clip, her biggest hit (nestled in the middle of her set a REAL CROWD PLEASER)
The best part of the evening was sharing it with the woman I love. We made out in our seats like high school kids in heat. It was a perfect evening under the stars. Booze, music and my baby. My arm around her shoulder and my cheek against hers. My entire heart filled with love. Ummmmmmmmmmm
We got to the Bowl as the show was starting, picked up a couple of seat cushions and made out way to or seats. The opening act was Paolo Nutini , a fresh new face from the other side of the pond. Got to say he delivered an impressive set. With interesting vocal styling and a variety of musical influences, I dug it. Here's taste of what he does.
The Hollywood Bowl is outfitted with one of those giant turntable in the stage. Makes changing acts a piece of cake, The stage rotated and now filling the stage is Solomon Burke and large ensemble. He sits in a giant gold and red throne wearing a black sparkly suit. A big man, with a big voice, he put on a great show. A big fan of gospel, soul, blues and R&B, I just loved what he was dishing out. I first became aware of him a few months ago when he sat in with Widespread Panic at the Orpheum. Enjoy this clip of an old school showman. He has 21 kids, 86 grand kids and 20 great grand children.
Solomon kept saying this was his last song, then he would do another 3 songs, this went on and he milked the crowd. It was great. They finally had to just rotate the stage with the band still playing. There was a 20 minute intermission, then the time that we had all been waiting for Miss Etta James!! There were several times during her performance that I thought about my mom. She would have liked this concert. Somewhat familiar with her legacy of work, I was in no way prepared for her performing style. Go figure, she turns out to be this granny foul minded little nympho! Far out. She grabbed her crotch more times than than Madonna & Michel Jackson combined. At one point simulating fellatio with the mic. She took the audience on a wonderful journey. Dig the clip, her biggest hit (nestled in the middle of her set a REAL CROWD PLEASER)
The best part of the evening was sharing it with the woman I love. We made out in our seats like high school kids in heat. It was a perfect evening under the stars. Booze, music and my baby. My arm around her shoulder and my cheek against hers. My entire heart filled with love. Ummmmmmmmmmm
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Summer Nights
Summer flying by. Pushing mid August and frankly, peak season is a big disappointment. Plenty of people, but my numbers are down by almost 50% from last year. Lots of things going on in the world that effect the economy. . . or maybe. . . I just suck. Feel like the rest of the country, working harder for less.
C'est la vie. Take it as it comes, go with the flow and enjoy life as much as one is capable of doing (that's actually my strong suit).
Spending a fair amount time at the gym. Most days starting and ending there. I like that it's so close to home and work. Haven't been loosing that much weight (6 lbs in a month), but I've lost 2 inches off my waistline, so I can tell something positive is happening. Fitting into a bunch of clothes I retired a couple of years ago.
Turning fat into muscle and trying to eat right, sounds like a plan to me.
Wasn't on the CityWalk street performing schedule last weekend, so I blew off Saturday and Sunday and spent some good time with Polly. Saturday we relaxed at home, watching movies and catching up on some kissing we missed earlier in the week. Polly prepared a wonderful sea bass dinner on a bed of spinach Sat. night.
Sunday afternoon we drove through the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains to Malibu where we spent a few hours in Paridise Cove. It was nice laying out on the beach with my girl. The temperature was perfect (in the upper 70's with a nice ocean breeze).
Tonight we'll be going to the Hollywood Bowl to see Etta James! Were both excited to her performance. Should be a great time.
ETTA JAMES, KEITH RICHARDS ROBERT CRAY-Hoochie Coochie Gal
C'est la vie. Take it as it comes, go with the flow and enjoy life as much as one is capable of doing (that's actually my strong suit).
Spending a fair amount time at the gym. Most days starting and ending there. I like that it's so close to home and work. Haven't been loosing that much weight (6 lbs in a month), but I've lost 2 inches off my waistline, so I can tell something positive is happening. Fitting into a bunch of clothes I retired a couple of years ago.
Turning fat into muscle and trying to eat right, sounds like a plan to me.
Wasn't on the CityWalk street performing schedule last weekend, so I blew off Saturday and Sunday and spent some good time with Polly. Saturday we relaxed at home, watching movies and catching up on some kissing we missed earlier in the week. Polly prepared a wonderful sea bass dinner on a bed of spinach Sat. night.
Sunday afternoon we drove through the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains to Malibu where we spent a few hours in Paridise Cove. It was nice laying out on the beach with my girl. The temperature was perfect (in the upper 70's with a nice ocean breeze).
Tonight we'll be going to the Hollywood Bowl to see Etta James! Were both excited to her performance. Should be a great time.
ETTA JAMES, KEITH RICHARDS ROBERT CRAY-Hoochie Coochie Gal
Saturday, August 09, 2008
What's NEW in Pollywood!!
Polly is getting another Department Head credit! For the last two (out of 5) weeks she has been working on "Merry Christmas Drake & Josh" a Nickelodeon movie of the week. What's neat is, a month ago, we saw a move called "The Wackness" staring Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck. . . the same Josh from Drake and Josh. This kid is great actor and held his own through half a dramatic movie sharing scenes with Ben Kingsley!
I visited Polly at work, last week for lunch. They were shooting exteriors in Encino. Nestled at the top of a hill, high dollar properties, looking good.
I visited Polly at work, last week for lunch. They were shooting exteriors in Encino. Nestled at the top of a hill, high dollar properties, looking good.
Friday night frustration
The heat of the valley gives way to the cool ocean breeze as I crest the hill, heading towards Santa Monica. Not on the schedule this weekend at the City Walk, I decide to give Westwood (by UCLA) a look. At 5:30 on a Friday night it looked a bit scarce. I imagined what it might look like at 8 or 9PM, but wasn't overly optimistic with regard to the demographics. So I headed to Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade. I found a spot and set up to work. 15 minutes in and having trouble drawing a crowd. Relaxed, got it together, made a hundred bucks and it was time to move (Rule: all acts rotate every 2 hours. . . on the even hour. . . . 80 feet from where you just performed, 40 feet from the nearest performer). Fucking Shit! Got shut out on an 8-10 slot. Acts lined up and down the place, I called it a night, had no choice, wasn't gonna hang out for 2 hours to work a 10-12PM. Thought about heading back to Westwood or Hollywood & Highland; but once on the freaking 405 (which was a total mess at 8:30 on a Friday Night), I decided to blow it off and head home. Glad I'm on the schedule next weekend in my normal spot. Makes it a lot easier.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Monday, August 04, 2008
Another Great Day
Spent the day sessioning on the beach in Malibu with Aaron and Andi Gladwin. Pleasant discussions about the pasteboard's, examining the thought process of some of our favorite moves. It was a picture perfect day in Paradise Cove, Malibu, California. Andi, his girlfriend and another couple visiting from England. We all hung out on the beach, went in the ocean and enjoyed the afternoon after a couple hours of fun in the sun, we enjoyed a nice meal at the Paradise Cove Cafe.On the way back Aaron and I stopped at a State Park in Topanga Canyon. We continued talking about magic, working out, comedy, pres-how exercises and just shooting the shit.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Aaron Fisher ROCKS the Magic Castle!!
I'm lucky to call him a close friend. I've liked Aaron Fisher since the day I met him and been impressed with his magic and thinking even before we met. I sold my fair share of his excellent treaties on card magic entitled The Paper Engine at my magic shop in Seattle. Last night after work and the gym & I put on my suit and tie and made the short drive through the Hollywood Hills, past the Hollywood Bowl and to the Magic Castle. I was excited to see Aaron work. It was fun to watch him break in some new material and get strong reactions from the packed room. Tight 20 minute set including a nice stand up version of Twisted Sisters, a very original take on the card to wallet, with an even better ending, if you can imagine that. He finished up with a mental mind fuck that fooled everyone.It was a pleasure seeing Billy Goodwin and Lisa Cousins. I'm feeling a bit more welcome at the Castle these days and enjoying the time that I'm spending there.
After Aaron's show, I went down to see Andrew Goldenhersh in the Close Up Gallery. First time I ever saw him work. I had heard good things, but never seen his act. He did beautiful close up magic, opening with an origami dollar butterfly, that turned into a real one. He also produced a little bunny from his long black hair, kinda freaky. My favorite part of his act was his coin work. Really tight, pretty handling's of both Translocation & Chink a Chink. Strong Magic performed by a nice and interesting cat.
Had a great time, closed the joint and had a mini session in the parking lot.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Friday, August 01, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Camp Paradise • Week 54
Had a good day today. Worked out this afternoon w/ Aaron, yesterday we trained with Morisio. It's fun getting in shape, who would have thunk. Going to work soon, to display my craft, make people happy and some cash at the same time. Then after a few hours of that sort of fun or frustration (we'll see how the evening unfolds). Probably go back to the gym for another round before going to the Magic Castle to see my pal Aaron Fisher who is working late parlor this week.
I felt like a girl trying on a couple outfits that were a bit snug even a month or so ago. A long way to go, but creating much better habits. Continuing to eat right (for the most part). Never been much of a drinker (some might dispute), so that's not much of an issue.
It's been BEAUTIFUL this week in Hollywood, CA
Palm trees, neon, over the top retail, sports cars you've never seen before, Bently's common.
Bitches. . . off the hook . . . now did I really have to say that . . . .
I felt like a girl trying on a couple outfits that were a bit snug even a month or so ago. A long way to go, but creating much better habits. Continuing to eat right (for the most part). Never been much of a drinker (some might dispute), so that's not much of an issue.
It's been BEAUTIFUL this week in Hollywood, CA
Palm trees, neon, over the top retail, sports cars you've never seen before, Bently's common.
Bitches. . . off the hook . . . now did I really have to say that . . . .
Recently sold on Ebay • 1st Edition of "Expert at the Card Table"
From the Jay Marshall Collection
Erdnase, S.W. The Expert at the Card Table. [Chicago, 1902]. First edition. Illustrated. Original green cloth. Pages browned as usual. An exceptionally tight, clean copy of the desirable first edition.
Sold for $2,800.00
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Polly
I dig my chick, what can I say. She makes me feel loved and wanted. She says she's crazy about me too. . . but I just think she's crazy. It takes a strange woman who wants to spend her life with me. I know, I've been through a a few of them. We just like each other. We're nice to each other, she's a real good kisser.
We enjoy each others company and spend as much time together as we can.
She's at work and I miss her.
She cooks, she sews (call me old fashioned, but I think that's cool). She makes me happy.
We enjoy each others company and spend as much time together as we can.
She's at work and I miss her.
She cooks, she sews (call me old fashioned, but I think that's cool). She makes me happy.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changesTurn and face the strain
Ch-ch-changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strain
Ch-ch-changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I cant trace time
Last week I received an email with a power point presentation from the street performer coordinator (a Universal/NBC employee), it had pictures of our acts and bullet requests for changes to be made. On my list were a few items like: Don't put your amp on a stool (then they suggested I could put it on my table), Skirt your table (storage area below visible), Loose the doctors bag for tips and use a basket or clear jar.
I don't like being told what to do. . . . that's why I'm a street performer. I sucked it up and made the changes. Big deal, I'll kiss a little ass when it's called for. This is my bread and butter. They run a tight ship on every level. It's one of the things I like about the place.
The day I got the email, I went to Guitar Center and bought a proper amp stand. Then Polly volunteered to take on the skirt issue. She went to the fabric store, busted out her fancy sewing machine, presto chango, I have a very sparkling table skirt, total show biz baby.
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