Ten Magical Thoughts

It's not for lack of trying - I promise. And I really shouldn't have trouble coming up with a subject for this week's post, considering that I skipped last week's entry. Even so, after considerable contemplation, I was unable to come up with a complete topic. Instead, I've opted for the easy way out: a list of ten magic-related ideas. Here goes:

1. I recently heard a wonderful magic-related quote, the source of which I have forgotten. It goes something like this: "Anything can be believed but the need for illusion is deep."

2. The new Bill Neff book is worth a look. It's chock-full of photos of magic tricks, and talks about the life of a little-known magician who made a big impression on American audiences with a spook show, was featured in comic books, and a boyhood friend to Jimmy Stewart (who he performed magic with for a time). It's also full of pictures of scantily-clad babes. Neff once appeared in Rogue magazine (if I'm not mistaken) performing a number of illusions.

3. Magic conventions can be a lot of fun. This weekend, I'll be attending (along with co-blogger John Sturk) Abbott's Close-Up convention in Colon, Michigan.

4. It's easy to forget about tricks you used to sell in your shop. Why is it that no one demonstrates the Pop-Eyed Popper deck anymore? I was recently badly fooled by one of these decks.

5. David Solomon has a lot of Widsom to share. Next week, we'll receive his new book, The Wisdom of Solomon. I'm looking forward to its arrival.

6. John Carney is coming to Chicago. He'll be performing his one-man show Carney's Wonders on May 2nd, for one night only. To complete this shamelss plug, visit www.squashpublishing.com for more details.

7. The great mechanical magician Joseffy tried to use the brakes on his car as infrequently as possible, prefering to coast to a stop whenever he could.

8. Ted Annemann used the following stunt to create a lasting impression. He carried a bag of ice in his coat pocket. Before shaking hands, Annemann would press his hand firmly against the bag. That way, when introduced to someone, they'd feel a chill in Annemann's hand.

9. While I am able to think of ten important magic books that I would recommend to anyone starting a serious magic library, I can think of no single DVD that I think an essential learning tool.

10. If someone says "do a trick" and you're not able to with the items at hand, you're not much of a magician, are you? Or are you? Is this a double-standard, as far as the performing arts are concerned? When you meet a violinist, do you instantly ask him to play you an etude? When you meet a ballerina, do you ask her to pirhouette for you? I'm just sayin'...