2007-03 Dennis' Deliberations

My good friend, past ring president Richard Hewitt, invited me to tag along to Tampa to the "Magic on the Bay" Convention. This is a convention that is smaller but similar to the Fall Convention presented in Daytona Beach by Harry and Irv from Daytona Magic. This convention was held at the Doubletree Hotel and the big Saturday Night show was in the Jefferson High School auditorium across the street. The big act was Rocco, of "De-Light" fame. He was a recent winner of the FISM contest for originality and he presented his act on the Friday night Cabaret show. It was a minimalistic act with a small side table and an attaché case opened and on top.
Rocco accomplished almost all the act by "sleeving". His choice of hand items was almost bizarre, milk to ice-cream bar, lots of ice appeared, a red silk turns into a plastic strawberry and then a real strawberry. Rocco revealed his methods at his lecture the following day. Also on the Friday night show was Sterling Steal, a middle-age and pudgy bald gentleman with a chrome headpiece that was shaped like Max Maven's hairstyle. He also had a highly decorated full-evening dress tail outfit.
In spite of his over-the-top dance and posing , I enjoyed his act. I had seen him before at the Daytona Convention but for some reason I enjoyed this go around more.
Steal has a video he plays before his act begins and it is designed to make him appear to be an android from outer space. In his lecture the following afternoon he also revealed his methods and sleeving was a big part as well as clever drops and a toppit. His act uses 4 inch chrome balls, disks, doves and Linking Rings.

Also on the Friday Night show was Mark Charles, a well known East Coast promoter. He did a three giant mirror box Monte in a "Where is Carmen Santiago" routine.
It was a lot of heavy props and assistants for a small amount of effect. The closing act was Mr. Bones with a pirate themed act that mostly featured the Alan Wakeling sawing made popular again recently by Mark Kalin and Ginger. "Mr. Bones" is the photo model in most of the Douglas Tilford illusion advertisments in Magic Magazine.

My Saturday was spent in lectures, one good one was Duane Laflin. There was also a small dealer's room. I did pick up a used "Beads of Prussia" for a few bucks. It was made by my old friend , John Fedko, who is retired in California.

Saturday Night was the big show across the street at Jefferson High School. The Emcee was a somnambulistic Ronald McDonald. Duane Laflin and Mary are a journeyman silk and flower act and they got a warm response. Rocco had already done his FISM act the night before so he did mostly filler material such as the water in newspaper known as the 7 buck trick, "In the News". At this point several things became obvious to most of the audience. One was that Rocco acted stoned and the other was that the tech crew has incompetent. The microphone kept going on and off. The music was not cued up or coordinated. There was no logic to how they pointed the spotlight other than that maybe the operator had gotten his experience by pointing lights while poaching deer in Wachula.

After the intermission we came back and the entire second act was Sam Sandler and wife. In between Modern Art and a Sub Truck he filled with a few standard effects and a spectator and a mouth coil. It is surprising that in our day of modern hygiene anyone can find a slobbery -drooling mouth coil production entertaining. Somewhere in the act Sandler did a "Bullet Catching" using an air pistol and laser guided dart. Again, does anyone really find this entertaining, especially in a family show? It is important for every entertainer to be aware of their body shape and their movements and never engage in body movement that makes a pot belly obvious. The show wasn't a bust but could have been a lot better.

Sunday Morning was a short flea market. It was less than crowded. Richard and I headed home. I just don't know how long the "Magic on the Bay" event will last. Some said the attendance was less this year than last. I hate to see any magic event founder. The magic arts needs more person to person activitiesand event because the Internet will ultimately be self-defeating in promoting magic. The problem is the expenses needed to stage a convention and what can be afforded in ticket prices.

Tommy Jones got one of the best laughs of the Friday Night show. He did a great job as Emcee. I don't know all the details, but his long-time companion, English female magician, Rachel Wild, left him for Aldo Columbini. Columbini and Wild were recently married in Italy and back in America on the circuit. Tommy was introducing an act on the Cabaret show and dusted off his turquoise sport coat and said, "How do you like it?". He went on, "It was a gift from my ex-wife. I came home one night and it was draped over the bedpost. I had to have it taken in a little". He then opened the coat, "It even came with a Himber Wallet in the pocket!". Those in the know in the audience roared with laughter. It is good that Tommy can laugh about his personal turmoil. I was talking to him at his table and he said, "I am working on more lines. Maybe I will say the Himber wallet is made from Italian Leather!".

Apparently Tommy Jones intends to stay on the lecture circuit and he will probably appear at conventions with Aldo and Rachel also lecturing. There have been some seemingly amicable break-ups in the magic world, John and Irene Daniel is an example. Irene left John and married Bill Larsen Jr. of Magic Castle and Genii magazine fame. The Dick and Dianne Zimmerman break-up was another .

Show business is a business of dreams, hopes and emotional commitments and marriage partnerships can come unglued very easily. My high school friend, Wayne Alan had a FISM winning act with his wife Sandy and a very successful corporate and trade show business and later their own magic theater in Annapolis, Maryland. The pressures were too much and the marriage dissolved and Wayne took a long time emotionally getting over it.

Brittany Spears is an example of a show business emotional breakdown. So far, I do not know of any magicians shaving their heads on a whim. I do know more than one that needs to be in rehab. That is another whole discussion for another time. This is a crazy business or , at least, being in it will drive you crazy!

Dennis Phillips