In the Public Eye

Yes, Fun is stocking a lot of new products. Yes, many of them are books, and magic books are near and dear to my heart.

But I'm not going to talk about magic books today. No, I'm going to talk about magic in a magazine.

The current issue of The New Yorker, the stalwart of the Conde Nast stable of publications, features a lengthy article by Adam Gopnik about the current state of the magical arts. The piece is entitled "The Real Work" and heavily features the magic scene in New York City, and specifically Gopnik's friend, Jamy Ian Swiss.

This morning, I listened to an interview with Gopnik and Swiss on NPR (check it out here). It raises several interesting points about the public perception of magic, why men are attracted to magic more often than women (as performers, not as spectators), and more.

My plan for the evening - other than going to see Otto & George at a comedy club here in Chicago - is to stop by a bookstore on my way home to pick up a copy of the magazine and see what all the buzz is about. The last time The New Yorker ran a lengthy piece on magic, it was penned by Mark Singer, and painted an illuminating, if flattering portrait of Ricky Jay. This is the story that made many, many magicians fall in love with Jay's brand of magic, and stare agog at the pages of the magazine wondering how the hell he does what he does with a deck of cards. You can read this piece by clicking here: http://www.rickyjay.com/newyorker.htm.