2010-01 Dennis' Deliberations

For all things fade away, become the stuff of legend, and are soon buried in oblivion…So what is left worth living for? This alone: justice in thought, goodness in action, speech that cannot deceive, and a disposition glad of whatever comes… Meditations IV. 33- Marcus Aurelius


I believe that in most people, age brings a certain amount of stoicism. The mature person sees that there are more years behind them than in front of them. For most people this leads to retrospection and a future focus on doing those things that will have permanence. Of course, compared to John Calvert and the late John Booth we all are young whipper-snappers. As we face a new year we can look back on our magical friends who we lost last year and think about how they will be remembered in the future.


I have never gone through a cardiac by-pass operation but I know a lot of guys that have had it done in their 40s and early 50s. Many seemed to collapse into a fog of mania with irrational behavior. They get a new Corvette. They ditch the wife they have had for 25 years. Usually the wife doesn’t understand what is happening. Perhaps the guys believe that by going back to their behaviors when they were in their 20s they will not have to face their morality.


I have known two individuals that decided that they wanted to start the career in magic that they always wanted to do. The first guy, Barry, did not buy a Corvette, he bought $50,000 worth of illusions! Recil Bordner was thrilled and George Kimery pleased as punch. Barry then dumped his wife. She was shattered. I do not think it was her crow’s feet, she was still a nice looking woman. The real reason was that Barry wanted a hot younger chick that could dance. Moreover, he wanted a new woman that did not remember previous mundane 20 years of his failure at a magic career. Barry had an average career as a chemical salesman. Of course, writing orders for chemicals is a totally different skill from marketing a magic show. Unable to totally leave the income from sales, he set out a goal to phase into full time. The results were a disaster. If you intend to be a full-time pro, it requires 25 hours a day and your full attention. His sales job suffered, commissions fell and eventually he was terminated. Now he had alimony payments, child support payments, two households and a high maintenance younger woman. Marriage number two failed, he was forced to sell his props and eventually Barry ended up giving up his dreams of magic. He was bitter and totally dropped out of the scene. We are now into Year 3 of the Great Recession. I have no idea how long it will last. There is not a lot of margin in financial affairs with home equity declining and job insecurity. Keep a cool head. For most folks that have a relatively secure income, the real joy of magic should be found as a hobby or part time business. When you shift from having fun at magic to the challenge of making a living, all the fun goes away.


In an attempt to not to be all somber, there are focused professional magicians like Greg Frewin. I got a hold on a DVD copy of Greg Frewin’s Canadian Special on CBC last month. Greg, as you know, gave up on the Vegas scene and moved back to Niagara Falls and opened up his own magic dinner theater in that tourist town. On the surface the theater appears successful and the culmination of every magician’s dream. I still would like to see his P and L statement. (Professional magicians, understand that P and L does not stand for Petrie and Lewis)


I liked the TV show! It was a bit different from the typical US special. It had just a touch of “reality TV”. I liked the family bits and scenes. The writing and pacing was perfect for a Holiday Family special. It had everything “kids, baby lions, a loving wife, a hot chocolate trick, danger and an inside look at the Frewin Theater operation and his workshop. He is a competent welder. How can you lose with a helicopter shot of a frozen Niagara Falls as dusk? Of course the effect itself gave no reasoning for doing it beside the Falls but we all know that a magic special needs an obligatory Big Stunt. He had a nice use for a Zimmerman base with the Girl in the Triangle Frame to Doves.


Unlike most other US specials, I really got to feel that I had met and related to Greg through the tube. He successfully mixed “walk around”, “street magic” with just enough of the big box stuff to create the image that he lives a magical life. He had a great finale where his family walks out in the snow at night so he can show them a new Christmas tree. Using a couple of D’Lites he pulls lights out of the air and pops them on the tree only to grab a handful of lights to toss at the tree to completely illuminate it. I have never seen a more rational reason to use a D’Lite.


This special will bolster his career and we all will be seeing a lot more of him. His finale was a surprise. Big Fire spikes through him hanging upside down in a cage in a strait jacket. I did not expect him to use the “Shrouded Transformation” gimmick and the big cat as the resolution to his final big stunt.


For years I have been searching for a replacement for the old “Upside down Coke bottle trick” (the water stays in the bottle even when you shove toothpicks up the opening). That is what the water bottle seems like but the advertisement says they do not use a cap or disc. I suspect that it uses a clear “plug”, but I will let others argue over semantics. He followed it up by breathing on another plastic water bottle and turning it into ice. These were appropriate and powerful bits of street magic.


It is month five for us here in the Shenandoah Valley. I am plugging along as a substitute teacher and doing restaurant magic. I am still hoping that something full time opens up in the education field. At the end of February, I am slated to Emcee and help produce a big fund-raiser show for a young cancer victim, using the members of Ring 320.


Finally, Cindy and I watched Dick Clark last night on New Year’s Eve. Dick Clark was one guy who promoted magic on his variety show productions. He helped to make Franz Harary, Joseph Gabriel, Melinda and produces all three of Rudy Coby’s specials. For those of you old enough to have followed Dick through all these years, we can only say that the guy refuses to die! He is now 80 and still suffering from the effects of his 2004 stroke. This year he spoke clearer and was moving his arms a bit. I will spare you all the plastic surgery, Botox and Pancake makeup lines. The guy never seems to age. Like John Calvert, I believe that he is doing what he loves and that helps to push back the tracks of The Grim Reaper when he comes a calling.


Lets all hope for a better 2010!

From snowy Harrisonburg, Virginia on this New Year Day, the very best to you.


Dennis Phillips