Posts
Newsletter of IBM Ring #170
The Bev Bergeron Ring
Next general meeting Wednesday, 1/21/2009 at 7:30 PM SHARP
Meeting theme: Lecture (see below)
I-HOP Kirkman Road
5203 Kirkman Road, Orlando, Florida 32819
Lunch meetings in the McDonalds on the north side of SandLake Rd between I-4 and International Drive near the rest rooms
Website: http://www.ring170.com/
F. A. M. E. is the Florida Association of Magical Entertainers
*************************************************************
Directory
Craig J. Fennessy – President – CraigFennessy@gmail.com
Chris Dunn- Vice President – Youngdunns@yahoo.com
Art Thomas – Treasurer – Art.Thomas@Disney.com
Dennis Philips- Secretary – Dennis@alliedcostumes.com
James Songster- Director at Large, - JjTjMagic@aol.com
Joe Vecciarelli- Sgt at Arms - talkingmute@tampabay.rr.com
Stefan Bartelski – Editor of “Famulus”- Famulus@illusioneer.com
*************************************************************
GET PUBLISHED!
Got an idea for an article to add to the next FAMULUS? Put it in the body of an email or in a Word document attached to an email. Send it to Famulus@illusioneer.com, and we will get you in print.
Please, please, please, use the above e-mail address, your messages are in danger of getting lost if you do not do so.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
2009-01 from the Editor
A very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to all members. As I write this posting, the weather is getting cold, it looks as if we will have our annual one night of winter tonight.
Magic has returned to TV, My65 (WRBW) is broadcasting Masters of Illusion on a regular basis, Mondays at 9 p.m.. Don't miss it! The two most recent shows have had some new names in magic, as well as well know artists such as Jeff McBride and Kevin James.
Just after New Year my wfe and I took the opportunity to visit Magic At Mandolins. We were treated to an excellent magic show by Dan Stapleton. As bonus, we also enjoyed a pretty good dinner. Do visit this show if you get a chance.
Thanks to our contributors again, and hopefully some of you have made a New year's resolution to submit an article for the newsletter this year.
Your editor
Stefan
Magic has returned to TV, My65 (WRBW) is broadcasting Masters of Illusion on a regular basis, Mondays at 9 p.m.. Don't miss it! The two most recent shows have had some new names in magic, as well as well know artists such as Jeff McBride and Kevin James.
Just after New Year my wfe and I took the opportunity to visit Magic At Mandolins. We were treated to an excellent magic show by Dan Stapleton. As bonus, we also enjoyed a pretty good dinner. Do visit this show if you get a chance.
Thanks to our contributors again, and hopefully some of you have made a New year's resolution to submit an article for the newsletter this year.
Your editor
Stefan
2009-01
It was another wonderful ring holiday party. President Craig Fennessey opened up the December meeting with the annual election of the new board of officers. The floor was opened up for nominations and nothing was heard.
The nominated slate of current officers was re-elected for 2009 by Parliamentary rules. They are: Craig J. Fennessy-President, Chris Dunn- Vice President, Art Thomas – Treasurer, Dennis Phillips- Secretary, James Songster- Director at Large, Joe Vecciarelli- Sgt at Arms and serving as Editor of FAMULUS -Stefan Bartelski. Jacki Manna continues as our Hospitality chairperson.
Following the brief business meeting we began our Christmas and Holiday Tradition, the wacky, gift exchange. Jacki Manna was the MC and kept the activities lively and entertaining. The rules are that a person can either pick a new unopened gift or 'steal' someone else's gift. Each gift can be stolen only 3 times. This chaos makes for a lot of fun. Finally all the gifts were taken. The challenge every year is to end up with the trick of your dreams! The competition is all in fun. Some stand out gifts were a collection of Jim Steinmeyer books, another was a box full of classic effects. Someone got a Malini egg bag and another a brand new spring skunk.
This year, instead of insisting that the new gift recipients immediately perform their treasures, a structures show was presented and emceed by Mark Fitzgerald. He opened up with his classic coin routine that always gets oohs and aahs.
First up was Richard Hewitt, former Ring President. He brought a nice collection of stage effects. He opened with the Dove in Balloon and then he vanished the dove in the Breakaway Box. Before the box was dismantled a stuffed rabbit was brought out and Richard played with it all the way over to the other side of the stage where he transformed it into a real rabbit in a Flash Appearance box. Richard moved into Al Delage’s “Fastest Trick in the World” where a large bouquet of flowers instantly vanishes. He followed it up with a giant Botania appearance. Assisted by Dennis Phillips, he asked a spectator to select a page out of a paperback book and remember the page number and a few facts on the page. The spectator retained the book but when they opened the book again, the page was torn out and Richard had the matching page as well as knowing the information on it. Richard then made a beer bottle disappear in a paper sack.
Bowing off to a nice hand, Richard introduced his assistant, Dennis Phillips. Dennis presented an effect inspired by the late Bob McAllister’s “Chocolate Chip Cookie trick” using Mini-Hershey Chocolate bars. Mini-bars are plucked from the air and finally transformed into a giant Hershey bar. The idea for the variation was from our own Kevin Butler, a New York native and fan of McAllister’s. Butler is a respected scholar of early television children’s shows. Kevin calls his variation, “The sweet tooth lover’s dream”.
Next up, Charlie Pfrogner used a young helper and delightful patter to present a holiday version of The Beads of Prussia. Mark Fitzgerald returned with an engaging “Silent Card Trick” where not a word was spoken and all the lines were on flip cards. At the end you find out why he can not speak. The selected signed card was in his mouth! Jacki Manna showed why she is the top ventriloquist in Central Florida. She did a delightful Christmas routine with Axtell’s magic drawing board with a Christmas tree and a talking Santa Clause. Dan Stapleton kept with the winter theme and made a borrowed business card appear in a solid block of ice while it was being held by spectators on a towel.
Jim McNiff invited up two spectators to have a seat at a card table. A deck was cut and shuffled and divided into two piles and a card selected from each spectator’s pile and returned and shuffled and yet Jim was able to tell the location and name of each card. Carl Fowler, assisted by his wife, Barbara, closed out the show on a high note. In the late 90s, John Calvert awarded Fowler a special plaque for Carl’s expert use of music in his act. Carl and Barbara did the color changing plumes, flower boxes from a shopping bag and a botania. He concluded with his original levitation where Barbara levitates while standing on a balloon. The balloon is popped and she remains suspended.
Mark Fitzgerald wound up the festivities with his delightful spectator assisted, Linking Ring routine. The evening ended on a high note with refreshments and more fellowship.
Join us whenever you are visiting Orlando. Good things are always happening in Ring 170.
Dennis Phillips
The nominated slate of current officers was re-elected for 2009 by Parliamentary rules. They are: Craig J. Fennessy-President, Chris Dunn- Vice President, Art Thomas – Treasurer, Dennis Phillips- Secretary, James Songster- Director at Large, Joe Vecciarelli- Sgt at Arms and serving as Editor of FAMULUS -Stefan Bartelski. Jacki Manna continues as our Hospitality chairperson.
Following the brief business meeting we began our Christmas and Holiday Tradition, the wacky, gift exchange. Jacki Manna was the MC and kept the activities lively and entertaining. The rules are that a person can either pick a new unopened gift or 'steal' someone else's gift. Each gift can be stolen only 3 times. This chaos makes for a lot of fun. Finally all the gifts were taken. The challenge every year is to end up with the trick of your dreams! The competition is all in fun. Some stand out gifts were a collection of Jim Steinmeyer books, another was a box full of classic effects. Someone got a Malini egg bag and another a brand new spring skunk.
This year, instead of insisting that the new gift recipients immediately perform their treasures, a structures show was presented and emceed by Mark Fitzgerald. He opened up with his classic coin routine that always gets oohs and aahs.
First up was Richard Hewitt, former Ring President. He brought a nice collection of stage effects. He opened with the Dove in Balloon and then he vanished the dove in the Breakaway Box. Before the box was dismantled a stuffed rabbit was brought out and Richard played with it all the way over to the other side of the stage where he transformed it into a real rabbit in a Flash Appearance box. Richard moved into Al Delage’s “Fastest Trick in the World” where a large bouquet of flowers instantly vanishes. He followed it up with a giant Botania appearance. Assisted by Dennis Phillips, he asked a spectator to select a page out of a paperback book and remember the page number and a few facts on the page. The spectator retained the book but when they opened the book again, the page was torn out and Richard had the matching page as well as knowing the information on it. Richard then made a beer bottle disappear in a paper sack.
Bowing off to a nice hand, Richard introduced his assistant, Dennis Phillips. Dennis presented an effect inspired by the late Bob McAllister’s “Chocolate Chip Cookie trick” using Mini-Hershey Chocolate bars. Mini-bars are plucked from the air and finally transformed into a giant Hershey bar. The idea for the variation was from our own Kevin Butler, a New York native and fan of McAllister’s. Butler is a respected scholar of early television children’s shows. Kevin calls his variation, “The sweet tooth lover’s dream”.
Next up, Charlie Pfrogner used a young helper and delightful patter to present a holiday version of The Beads of Prussia. Mark Fitzgerald returned with an engaging “Silent Card Trick” where not a word was spoken and all the lines were on flip cards. At the end you find out why he can not speak. The selected signed card was in his mouth! Jacki Manna showed why she is the top ventriloquist in Central Florida. She did a delightful Christmas routine with Axtell’s magic drawing board with a Christmas tree and a talking Santa Clause. Dan Stapleton kept with the winter theme and made a borrowed business card appear in a solid block of ice while it was being held by spectators on a towel.
Jim McNiff invited up two spectators to have a seat at a card table. A deck was cut and shuffled and divided into two piles and a card selected from each spectator’s pile and returned and shuffled and yet Jim was able to tell the location and name of each card. Carl Fowler, assisted by his wife, Barbara, closed out the show on a high note. In the late 90s, John Calvert awarded Fowler a special plaque for Carl’s expert use of music in his act. Carl and Barbara did the color changing plumes, flower boxes from a shopping bag and a botania. He concluded with his original levitation where Barbara levitates while standing on a balloon. The balloon is popped and she remains suspended.
Mark Fitzgerald wound up the festivities with his delightful spectator assisted, Linking Ring routine. The evening ended on a high note with refreshments and more fellowship.
Join us whenever you are visiting Orlando. Good things are always happening in Ring 170.
Dennis Phillips
2009-01 New meeting Location !!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
IBM Ring 170 members,
WE HAVE ANOTHER NEW MEETING PLACE FOR 2009!!
ATTENTION EVERYONE, we are no longer holding our monthly Ring 170 meetings at the Elks Lodge. Due to circumstances beyond our control December was our last meeting at the Elks facility. Until further notice we will now meet at the I-Hop at Kirkman Road. This is the same place we have been holding lectures for years. Come early and have dinner with us. We are working on a new permanent facility for our club meetings and should have all the details completed by this March….I'll keep you all posted and believe me it will be worth the wait….Sorry for any confusion.
RING 170 MEETING TIME: 7:30 as usual.
I-HOP LOCATION:I-HOP restaurant at 5203 Kirkman Road, Orlando, Florida 32819 across the street from Hooters near Universal Studios. 407-370-0597 (Back conference room)
DIRECTIONS:Take I-4 and exit at the Universal Studios/ Kirkman Road Exit. Go north pass the Vineland Road intersection and I-Hop is on the right 1/3 mile.
2009 is starting off with some great magic. THIS MONTH IS A PAID LECTURE: Please note that the January meeting will be a lecture by Chastain Criswell
ADMISSION : $10.00 for all paid members $15.00 for all non-paid members
As a club bonus we will allow you to pay your 2009 dues at the door and receive the $10.00 admission. After this night all unpaid dues will now be $20.00 per year.
For more lecture information call Craig Fennessy, 407-947-1182
IBM Ring 170 members,
WE HAVE ANOTHER NEW MEETING PLACE FOR 2009!!
ATTENTION EVERYONE, we are no longer holding our monthly Ring 170 meetings at the Elks Lodge. Due to circumstances beyond our control December was our last meeting at the Elks facility. Until further notice we will now meet at the I-Hop at Kirkman Road. This is the same place we have been holding lectures for years. Come early and have dinner with us. We are working on a new permanent facility for our club meetings and should have all the details completed by this March….I'll keep you all posted and believe me it will be worth the wait….Sorry for any confusion.
RING 170 MEETING TIME: 7:30 as usual.
I-HOP LOCATION:I-HOP restaurant at 5203 Kirkman Road, Orlando, Florida 32819 across the street from Hooters near Universal Studios. 407-370-0597 (Back conference room)
DIRECTIONS:Take I-4 and exit at the Universal Studios/ Kirkman Road Exit. Go north pass the Vineland Road intersection and I-Hop is on the right 1/3 mile.
2009 is starting off with some great magic. THIS MONTH IS A PAID LECTURE: Please note that the January meeting will be a lecture by Chastain Criswell
ADMISSION : $10.00 for all paid members $15.00 for all non-paid members
As a club bonus we will allow you to pay your 2009 dues at the door and receive the $10.00 admission. After this night all unpaid dues will now be $20.00 per year.
For more lecture information call Craig Fennessy, 407-947-1182
2009-01 Urgent appeal for Cathi Cooper
Dear Friends:
JOHN V. COOPER — magician, author, educational speaker, performance coach, and friend of many — died Sunday night, December 28, after a year-long struggle with heart and kidney problems. He was 52 years old. Due to a 20-year long heart condition that started with strep throat, John was never able to get health insurance or life insurance. Cathi, his wife of 25 years, is now in a serious financial situation.
LET ME EXPLAIN:
John was a fulltime magician and public speaker. Cathi, worked in the performance business with him, having quit a fulltime job years ago as his health required her. During the last year of his life, Cathi had to be with John 24 hours each day, even presenting many of his teacher in-service programs when he could not stand and do them. John could only sit at the back of the room and help with sales.
By June 2008, when he attended my Greenville SC workshop as my guest, John was so weak that he could not stand and work at all. Indeed, John and Cathi had virtually no income for the past six months.
By September 2008 John’s heart condition worsened. He needed a heart transplant, but could not be placed on the list due to kidney problems. By November he was placed on dialysis three times weekly — during which time John & Cathi had their 25th wedding anniversary, and he stabilized enough to return home two weeks before Christmas.
Prior to this time, with hospital bills mounting to over $100,000, John and Cathi had applied for medical financial assistance. They were turned down by Medicare and Medicaid because they had “a little money” in their checking account and because “their credit cards were NOT totally max-ed out,” they were told. The hospital put them at that time on a payment plan.
I spoke to John and Cathi the Sunday before Christmas. He was weak but “hanging in there,” he said. Both Cathi & John were extremely thankful for gifts of cash and books (to resell) sent by many friends. I assured them of our prayers via family, church, magic and clown groups.
The next morning John got worse. I will spare you the details, but he was rushed to the hospital and hovered for the week between life and death. Like the fighter he was, John made it through Christmas on Thursday, still conscious and coherent. Then on Sunday evening, with wife Cathi, brother Jeff, and 27-year-old son John Jr at his bedside, John Cooper joined his maker in Heaven.
On December 31, Cathi held a memorial service for John at the funeral home in Anderson, SC. About 70 people attended, friends from church, magicians, and speakers that knew John. Speakers included brother Jeff, Tim Sonefelt, Max Howard (for himself and reading an email from Sammy Smith), David Ginn, Mark Daniel, Tom Sikorski, Steve Spanks, Rhett Bryson, as well as Al Walker, past president of the National Speakers Association, of which John was a member. The service was full of funny stories and happy memories — a celebration of John’s life. Cathi kept a box of tissues in her lap for tears cried due to heartfelt stories and plenty of John Cooper style corny jokes. All guests were given red sponge clown noses to take home and remember that funny John Cooper. It was amazing how one life touched so many different people. John Cooper, everyone agreed, was a one-of-a-kind guy!
For the past two months Cathi has been under tremendous stress, as you can well understand. Now John is gone, and Cathi has no income and no insurance whatsoever. Book sales from her online store (see below) have been very low in recent months, which was something she tried to do while tending to John at home this fall.
Have you ever wished YOU could really help someone you don’t even know? Someone who is truly in need? Have you ever wanted the real spirit of Christmas to work in the real world? Well, friends, here is YOUR CHANCE to make that happen! The time to help that someone is NOW — and that someone is Cathi Cooper.
How can you help? Honestly, Cathi needs money to pay medical bills and house bills. Gift cards will NOT work for those needs. She needs cash. Let me suggest several different ways you can help her:
1. SEND CATHI A SYMPATHY CARD and pray for her. If you can spare $5 - $10 - $20 or more with the card, yes, that would help. Here is her address: Cathi Cooper, 101 Beulah Drive, Anderson SC 29625 USA.
2. SEND a financial contribution to the JOHN V. COOPER FUND, % Regions Bank, 3404 Clemson Boulevard, Anderson SC 29621. Cathi will use this to pay medical bills and personal expenses. It’s tax deductible, if you need an excuse.
3. MAKE A CONTRIBUTION using PayPal. Cathi has an account. Go to https://www.paypal.com and long on to your own account. Then click on “Send Money” and type in Cathi’s email: wwinc@mindspring.com. Think of it as “Wonder Woman Inc @ mindspring.com.”
4. ORDER SOMETHING from the store: http://sunnysideupbooks.com/. There are all kinds of books in the store, including magic books.
5. SEND CATHI SOME BOOKS. If you have new or used books around the house, pack them up and ship to Cathi via Media Mail (the cheapest book rate) in the USA only. Maybe she can sell them on the website.
Magic and clown friends, especially YOU GUYS — under different circumstances, this could be the wife or mom of any one of us. How would YOU want her treated if YOU passed away in this situation? Consider that and act accordingly. Whatever you do — please act now, this week, this month, to help a very nice lady out of a jam!
Personally, I believe that helping Cathi right now is living out the Golden Rule.
Sincerely, David Ginn / myself at home
JOHN V. COOPER — magician, author, educational speaker, performance coach, and friend of many — died Sunday night, December 28, after a year-long struggle with heart and kidney problems. He was 52 years old. Due to a 20-year long heart condition that started with strep throat, John was never able to get health insurance or life insurance. Cathi, his wife of 25 years, is now in a serious financial situation.
LET ME EXPLAIN:
John was a fulltime magician and public speaker. Cathi, worked in the performance business with him, having quit a fulltime job years ago as his health required her. During the last year of his life, Cathi had to be with John 24 hours each day, even presenting many of his teacher in-service programs when he could not stand and do them. John could only sit at the back of the room and help with sales.
By June 2008, when he attended my Greenville SC workshop as my guest, John was so weak that he could not stand and work at all. Indeed, John and Cathi had virtually no income for the past six months.
By September 2008 John’s heart condition worsened. He needed a heart transplant, but could not be placed on the list due to kidney problems. By November he was placed on dialysis three times weekly — during which time John & Cathi had their 25th wedding anniversary, and he stabilized enough to return home two weeks before Christmas.
Prior to this time, with hospital bills mounting to over $100,000, John and Cathi had applied for medical financial assistance. They were turned down by Medicare and Medicaid because they had “a little money” in their checking account and because “their credit cards were NOT totally max-ed out,” they were told. The hospital put them at that time on a payment plan.
I spoke to John and Cathi the Sunday before Christmas. He was weak but “hanging in there,” he said. Both Cathi & John were extremely thankful for gifts of cash and books (to resell) sent by many friends. I assured them of our prayers via family, church, magic and clown groups.
The next morning John got worse. I will spare you the details, but he was rushed to the hospital and hovered for the week between life and death. Like the fighter he was, John made it through Christmas on Thursday, still conscious and coherent. Then on Sunday evening, with wife Cathi, brother Jeff, and 27-year-old son John Jr at his bedside, John Cooper joined his maker in Heaven.
On December 31, Cathi held a memorial service for John at the funeral home in Anderson, SC. About 70 people attended, friends from church, magicians, and speakers that knew John. Speakers included brother Jeff, Tim Sonefelt, Max Howard (for himself and reading an email from Sammy Smith), David Ginn, Mark Daniel, Tom Sikorski, Steve Spanks, Rhett Bryson, as well as Al Walker, past president of the National Speakers Association, of which John was a member. The service was full of funny stories and happy memories — a celebration of John’s life. Cathi kept a box of tissues in her lap for tears cried due to heartfelt stories and plenty of John Cooper style corny jokes. All guests were given red sponge clown noses to take home and remember that funny John Cooper. It was amazing how one life touched so many different people. John Cooper, everyone agreed, was a one-of-a-kind guy!
For the past two months Cathi has been under tremendous stress, as you can well understand. Now John is gone, and Cathi has no income and no insurance whatsoever. Book sales from her online store (see below) have been very low in recent months, which was something she tried to do while tending to John at home this fall.
Have you ever wished YOU could really help someone you don’t even know? Someone who is truly in need? Have you ever wanted the real spirit of Christmas to work in the real world? Well, friends, here is YOUR CHANCE to make that happen! The time to help that someone is NOW — and that someone is Cathi Cooper.
How can you help? Honestly, Cathi needs money to pay medical bills and house bills. Gift cards will NOT work for those needs. She needs cash. Let me suggest several different ways you can help her:
1. SEND CATHI A SYMPATHY CARD and pray for her. If you can spare $5 - $10 - $20 or more with the card, yes, that would help. Here is her address: Cathi Cooper, 101 Beulah Drive, Anderson SC 29625 USA.
2. SEND a financial contribution to the JOHN V. COOPER FUND, % Regions Bank, 3404 Clemson Boulevard, Anderson SC 29621. Cathi will use this to pay medical bills and personal expenses. It’s tax deductible, if you need an excuse.
3. MAKE A CONTRIBUTION using PayPal. Cathi has an account. Go to https://www.paypal.com and long on to your own account. Then click on “Send Money” and type in Cathi’s email: wwinc@mindspring.com. Think of it as “Wonder Woman Inc @ mindspring.com.”
4. ORDER SOMETHING from the store: http://sunnysideupbooks.com/. There are all kinds of books in the store, including magic books.
5. SEND CATHI SOME BOOKS. If you have new or used books around the house, pack them up and ship to Cathi via Media Mail (the cheapest book rate) in the USA only. Maybe she can sell them on the website.
Magic and clown friends, especially YOU GUYS — under different circumstances, this could be the wife or mom of any one of us. How would YOU want her treated if YOU passed away in this situation? Consider that and act accordingly. Whatever you do — please act now, this week, this month, to help a very nice lady out of a jam!
Personally, I believe that helping Cathi right now is living out the Golden Rule.
Sincerely, David Ginn / myself at home
2009-01 Zig-zag wanted
Looking to borrow, rent or buy a Zig Zag.
Call Dan Stapleton at (407) 491-3287
2009-01 Christmas Party Pictures
Due to the large volume of pictures which Craig made available, they have been uploaded to PicasaWeb Albums. Click on the title above to view.
2009-01 David Copperfield coming to Orlando
It's been a few years since Copperfield has been to Orlando so don't miss his show at the Bob Carr Jan. 29...two shows 5:30 & 8:00pm.
Dan Stapleton
Dan Stapleton
2009-01 Ring 258 news
The second lecture will be in February, Tom Craven 1pm February 15th, also at theNYcafe in Leesburg.
Magic Ian has several new DVD's out, to be distributed thru Murphy's Magic some time in February. A basic instructional DVD on the Linking Ropes, Coin Balloon-acy: coin thru balloon effect, and Diminishing sponge ball DVD. Also in the mix is Dances with Ropes routine, plus Flagtastick: three silks change to a flag on a flagpole. Of course, these are always available directly at www.tricks.ws
More info on the Ring258 club is on Google Calendars, just log onto Google and enter IBM ring 258 in the search, there are other IBM rings who use this service.We also have our club Blog, ring258.blogspot.com and our photos on Google.
Magic Ian has several new DVD's out, to be distributed thru Murphy's Magic some time in February. A basic instructional DVD on the Linking Ropes, Coin Balloon-acy: coin thru balloon effect, and Diminishing sponge ball DVD. Also in the mix is Dances with Ropes routine, plus Flagtastick: three silks change to a flag on a flagpole. Of course, these are always available directly at www.tricks.ws
More info on the Ring258 club is on Google Calendars, just log onto Google and enter IBM ring 258 in the search, there are other IBM rings who use this service.We also have our club Blog, ring258.blogspot.com and our photos on Google.
2009-01 Dennis' Deliberations
Inferno The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
(XXVII, 61-66):
S`io credesse che mia risposta fosse
A persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
Questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma perciocchè giammai di questo fondo
Non tornò vivo alcun, s'i'odo il vero,
Senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.
A trip through Hell?
It has been a theme in many magic illusion shows such as David Bamberg’s “Fu Manchu” and Bill Neff’s “Madhouse of Mystery”. Dante, not the magician but the Italian Poet, wrote the quote above in 1300 C.E (I will translate it later). He created a satirical trip through hell and put all those in it that he disliked. His main purpose was political, His poem had him taking a trip through hell with Virgil, the great Roman Epic poet who wrote The Aeneid.
The Italians are experts on the subject of hell…I am sure you know that if you have ever visited Italy, especially Southern Italy with its active volcanoes. I am sure that you know that we get most of our ideas about hell not from the Bible but from John Milton (Paradise Lost) and from Dante Alighieri, the Medieval poet. He described an architectonic structure of hell with deeper and deeper levels and greater degrees of punishment as you descended into the pits.
Hum…Dante and Virgil! That reminds me of magic!
Imagine that you and I go on a trip through a “hell” where they send bad magicians.
The main entrance had “Abandon Hope all you who enter here”, sort of like the sign that should be over the door at the registration to a lousy magic convention. In fact, I think my wife Cindy put a sign like that over the spare room in our house where I keep many of my small props and videos.
Each lower level of hell had a sign over the entrance to that particular level. Think about those signs on easels outside the room where a boring magic lecture is taking place. There was one such long 90 minute lecture by a big name pro titled: “100 ways to get the most out of your Hank-Pull”. Folks, it is just a black plastic egg with a piece of elastic. Of course the big-name, dealer-lecturer was selling 100 different versions of a hank-pull and $15 lecture notes or a DVD combo for $40. Just like sinners in Dante’s Hell, those who paid the simony, for magic powers, never really understood the truth about the sins of their own ignorance.
“Bad Amateur Magicians” were up near the top which was just below Limbo and they suffered from only minor punishment. They are really operating out of ignorance and lack of experience so you can’t be that harsh on them. One layer down, the first level of hell is for those addicted to saying, “Pick a card, any card!” Right below them are those that believe that the older the gag the funnier the bit. “Give me your hand. No, the clean one”, “Do you want to change your mind? Oh you are happy with the one you have!”, “Pick a card. Sometime today, please”, “stand here on the trap door”.
Magic hoarders are next on our descending journey. Does anyone really need 4 sets of Linking Rings and 23 thumb tips? At some point on the moral scale, legitimate magic collecting can degenerate into gluttonous hoarding and selfish greed. Kleptomania is excused but not a house and garage filled with junk that you can not live without.
A little lower there is the place for blasphemers (anyone who says anything bad about Jeff McBride or Franz Harary). Then we move down to the boasters.
Did they really get a standing ovation by their version of Professors Nightmare?
Hey, there is Rocco who has been condemned for eternity to search for plastic thumb tips and LED lights for the sin of selling his tacky D’Lite’s to everyone in every flea-market across the land. Penn and Teller are buck naked. It is not a pretty sight. They are condemned for their exposure and senseless ridicule of other magicians.
“Act copy cats” and “crooked magic dealers” and cheap “knock off artists” are a little lower. One of the 10 commandments is “Thou shall not steal”. They spent their whole lives redefining “stealing”. This bunch never gave credit for who they stole their ideas from. This crowd of sinners are so lacking in originality, they ask every visitor if they can have a Xerox of the escape routes from hell. All the visitors show them that the wallpaper around them contains a blueprint of the entire structure but they are too lazy
to create their own route.
Even lower is David Blaine. He is in for his camera tricks, selective editing and asking 5,000 people on video to think of a card and then discarding every recording but the one he got one right. His biggest sin is portraying himself as some kind of Messiah in making dead flies come alive and dead pigeons resurrect themselves. He ended up here after his last failed TV special. He is condemned to spend eternity frozen in a block of ice that is submerged in a fishbowl while sitting on the tip of a 50 foot pedestal.
Near the bottom is Criss Angel. He is in for having pretended that he has any talent and relentlessly using the same crane-mounted Foy flying rig over and over again with a different set of paid stooges. The cost of keeping him in hell is being subsidized by Cirque du Soleil where they no longer “Believe” and are thrilled to get rid of him.
Val Valentino, the Masked Magician is trapped at the bottom. Maybe he is Satan? At least he looks the part.
For some reason Dante called his exploration of hell, “The Divine Comedy”. (Every heard the Emcee jokes at a magic convention?)
Here is a translation of the epigraph that is at the beginning of this article. It is over Dante’s 8th level of hell.
If I thought my answer were given
to anyone who would ever return to the world,
this flame would stand still without moving any further.
But since never from this abyss
has anyone ever returned alive, if what I hear is true,
it is without fear of infamy I answer you.
So next time you see a less than worthy magic performance, meet a less than virtuous magician or attend a lousy magic convention, this thought should make you feel better while you are enduring the torture. You will live to tell others about it. Perhaps with a virtuous magical career, YOU can escape the fate of those condemned.
Dennis
(XXVII, 61-66):
S`io credesse che mia risposta fosse
A persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
Questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma perciocchè giammai di questo fondo
Non tornò vivo alcun, s'i'odo il vero,
Senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.
A trip through Hell?
It has been a theme in many magic illusion shows such as David Bamberg’s “Fu Manchu” and Bill Neff’s “Madhouse of Mystery”. Dante, not the magician but the Italian Poet, wrote the quote above in 1300 C.E (I will translate it later). He created a satirical trip through hell and put all those in it that he disliked. His main purpose was political, His poem had him taking a trip through hell with Virgil, the great Roman Epic poet who wrote The Aeneid.
The Italians are experts on the subject of hell…I am sure you know that if you have ever visited Italy, especially Southern Italy with its active volcanoes. I am sure that you know that we get most of our ideas about hell not from the Bible but from John Milton (Paradise Lost) and from Dante Alighieri, the Medieval poet. He described an architectonic structure of hell with deeper and deeper levels and greater degrees of punishment as you descended into the pits.
Hum…Dante and Virgil! That reminds me of magic!
Imagine that you and I go on a trip through a “hell” where they send bad magicians.
The main entrance had “Abandon Hope all you who enter here”, sort of like the sign that should be over the door at the registration to a lousy magic convention. In fact, I think my wife Cindy put a sign like that over the spare room in our house where I keep many of my small props and videos.
Each lower level of hell had a sign over the entrance to that particular level. Think about those signs on easels outside the room where a boring magic lecture is taking place. There was one such long 90 minute lecture by a big name pro titled: “100 ways to get the most out of your Hank-Pull”. Folks, it is just a black plastic egg with a piece of elastic. Of course the big-name, dealer-lecturer was selling 100 different versions of a hank-pull and $15 lecture notes or a DVD combo for $40. Just like sinners in Dante’s Hell, those who paid the simony, for magic powers, never really understood the truth about the sins of their own ignorance.
“Bad Amateur Magicians” were up near the top which was just below Limbo and they suffered from only minor punishment. They are really operating out of ignorance and lack of experience so you can’t be that harsh on them. One layer down, the first level of hell is for those addicted to saying, “Pick a card, any card!” Right below them are those that believe that the older the gag the funnier the bit. “Give me your hand. No, the clean one”, “Do you want to change your mind? Oh you are happy with the one you have!”, “Pick a card. Sometime today, please”, “stand here on the trap door”.
Magic hoarders are next on our descending journey. Does anyone really need 4 sets of Linking Rings and 23 thumb tips? At some point on the moral scale, legitimate magic collecting can degenerate into gluttonous hoarding and selfish greed. Kleptomania is excused but not a house and garage filled with junk that you can not live without.
A little lower there is the place for blasphemers (anyone who says anything bad about Jeff McBride or Franz Harary). Then we move down to the boasters.
Did they really get a standing ovation by their version of Professors Nightmare?
Hey, there is Rocco who has been condemned for eternity to search for plastic thumb tips and LED lights for the sin of selling his tacky D’Lite’s to everyone in every flea-market across the land. Penn and Teller are buck naked. It is not a pretty sight. They are condemned for their exposure and senseless ridicule of other magicians.
“Act copy cats” and “crooked magic dealers” and cheap “knock off artists” are a little lower. One of the 10 commandments is “Thou shall not steal”. They spent their whole lives redefining “stealing”. This bunch never gave credit for who they stole their ideas from. This crowd of sinners are so lacking in originality, they ask every visitor if they can have a Xerox of the escape routes from hell. All the visitors show them that the wallpaper around them contains a blueprint of the entire structure but they are too lazy
to create their own route.
Even lower is David Blaine. He is in for his camera tricks, selective editing and asking 5,000 people on video to think of a card and then discarding every recording but the one he got one right. His biggest sin is portraying himself as some kind of Messiah in making dead flies come alive and dead pigeons resurrect themselves. He ended up here after his last failed TV special. He is condemned to spend eternity frozen in a block of ice that is submerged in a fishbowl while sitting on the tip of a 50 foot pedestal.
Near the bottom is Criss Angel. He is in for having pretended that he has any talent and relentlessly using the same crane-mounted Foy flying rig over and over again with a different set of paid stooges. The cost of keeping him in hell is being subsidized by Cirque du Soleil where they no longer “Believe” and are thrilled to get rid of him.
Val Valentino, the Masked Magician is trapped at the bottom. Maybe he is Satan? At least he looks the part.
For some reason Dante called his exploration of hell, “The Divine Comedy”. (Every heard the Emcee jokes at a magic convention?)
Here is a translation of the epigraph that is at the beginning of this article. It is over Dante’s 8th level of hell.
If I thought my answer were given
to anyone who would ever return to the world,
this flame would stand still without moving any further.
But since never from this abyss
has anyone ever returned alive, if what I hear is true,
it is without fear of infamy I answer you.
So next time you see a less than worthy magic performance, meet a less than virtuous magician or attend a lousy magic convention, this thought should make you feel better while you are enduring the torture. You will live to tell others about it. Perhaps with a virtuous magical career, YOU can escape the fate of those condemned.
Dennis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)