Video Clip Du Jour - From The Archives

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In 1985 I Lectured for a distinguished group of Japanese Magicians. I had all but forgot that any video existed documenting the evening in Tokyo. Here is a taste of that night 20 years ago.

Putting the squeeze on me

This is great, just what I needed. Got this letter yesterday. To recap: A month before my wife's $400,000.00 trust come due, she has me thrown out of my own house with the threat of a restraining order. That was two years ago. I have tried to do the best I can to make ends meet. The fact that I am behind in child support does not mean that I don't want to pay. I just don't have the money. While she sits on her big fat ass, spending her fathers life's savings like some sort of crazed crack whore. Oh well, such is life. So I may loose my ability to drive beacuse of it. And with that, greatly effect my ability to make any money at all. This all makes perfect sense to me. I love my life.

Notice of Extortion

Dancing Fool

Last night was GREAT!! Picked Sage up on my way to the Owl & Thistle. When we arrived, Julie was there with Mark. Grace showed up shortly after we got there and Carie showed up as well. Grace never wastes any time, and we danced moments after her coat was off. I felt pretty good about my dancing last night. Not so stressed out about not being on the beat after the turns. I love it when Carie is there. Something comforting about having my instructor there to coach me on the fly. That didn't come out right. You know what I mean.


Carie & Julie

Danced with Emily several times last night as well as another girl named Emily seated at the same table as Emily. I was in heaven! Grace helped me make a breakthrough in my dancing last night. She showed me how when slow dancing you can move away from your partner dropping one hand to improvise all sorts of sexy turns. Of course I love dancing with Julie. I danced to a couple of songs that I had never danced to. Always been afraid to dance to St. James Infirmary and I Love Paris. I Love Paris almost feels like a Tango (which I don't know). But I just made it up as I went along. I was feeling pretty confident leading.


Sage

While dancing with Emily I thanked her for dummying it down for me. She was sweet, she said, "I'm not dummying it down, It's my job to follow your lead. I can't wait to have a larger arsenal of dance steps and moves. Carie was great coaching me while we danced, she said OK now lets do the cuddle right into the reverse cuddle. This shit is AWESOME. The music really rocks and swings, and the tiny dance floor was packed all night!


Micah, CT & Billy Joe "The Vinyl Advengers"

During the set break I performed for Emily and her three girl friends. Busted out the classic Elmsly effect Between Your Palms . Actually it was the Between Elmsly, Brown & Himber routine (from The Last Kabbala) modified to use the tricky wallets I had made while in China. I put the routine out on VHS years ago. Perhaps it's time to release it on DVD. I still have plenty of the wallets left. It really is an excellent routine. I also performed my standard coin routine: Roll out to star, coin vanish, reproduction, falling up and then into 3 Fly. I was prepared to do my linking bar straws but though I should quit while I was ahead. The band started back up and we all danced the night away. I handed out a few business cards and hope that there might be a gig or two in that crowd.


John & Carie

The evening ended with me going over to Sage's house and having a late night jam session till dawn. Got to show the Gallo Purse Frame routine to Peter. I had done it for Steve at the last session, as well as putting it in my Fenix rotation. I also did Quick Silver with is getting back to where it once was. My transitions into the purse palm are feeling much smoother.

Three Card Mental Problem

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For your entertainment pleasure, a streaming Quicktime video clip shot in 2002 in Cincinnati just a few months before the move to Seattle. This never fails to effect the spectator in a profound way.

Sage

Just got off the phone with my good friend Sage. Our lives seem to run in parallel between frustration and happiness. It's nice to have friends who are artistic and creative, loving and supportive. I like Sage. It was almost a year ago that we went down to Portland for his birthday and stayed with his friend the Dominatrix. I spent the night in a dungeon. Not with a ball gag on and a rubber cock up my ass, nothing like that, just crashed on the floor in a sleeping bag.

Last Night

Yesterday evening started out at Payne's house for a Smoke and Mirrors Show meeting. The show will be on April 2nd with shows at 2PM & 5PM. All proceeds to benefit a burnt kids organization. Payne and his wife Marie have exquisite taste and their charming house is furnished and decorated beautifully. The meeting was very interesting to me. I have not been involved in all that many stage productions where there were meeting to discuss technical requirements. We went over the acts and what they wanted. We discussed, lighting, sound, prop placement, cues, music etc. . . Rich Waters will be running the spot light and Jeff Dial will be running sound. Jeff will cut a master CD with everyones music on it. I am MC ing the show and it should be a lot of fun. Brian Cook is the show organizer and everything seems to be falling into place.

I encourage the magic community in Seattle and surrounding areas to support this show! Not only will you enjoy it, but it's for a good cause. Put the date on your calendar April 2nd, any buy your tickets in advance!

After the meeting, I went home to a magic session already in progress. Our weekly get together at the Alki Beach Magic Studio is always a good time. Steve Amaden, Tim Flynn & Buster were there with special guest Louie (Isaac) Foxx. Session lasted till 11PM or so and a good time was had by all.

Monday Night Magic

I was the MC for this months installment of Monday Night Magic. I was certainly over the top with my improvisational high energy comedy. I rocked the room. I'm not sure where it came from, but I like to think that it played. I love performing, and I'm happy that I'm doing it daily. Maybe the boys will let me work the set break at Honky Tonk tomorrow night.

I'm very excited about seeing Nigel the drug evaluator tomorrow. Although this is a bunch of bullshit, I'll do it with love in my heart, a smile on my face and the light at the end of the tunnel being overnight weekend visitations with Max, Hope & Liam! We'll have so much fun. It will be great!

Another BEAUTIFUL Day!

Took these shots across the street from my house. I love where I live.



The wind was strong, the air crisp and the water choppy.



Shots taken at 12:30PM on my way to go street perform at the market

My dogs are barking!

Took a 4 mile walk yesterday along the beach. Feet started hurting. Complicated maters by jumping off the newspaper box as I street performed. Poped it like a zit with a safety pin from the linking pins set. Ouch!

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Rain Rain Go Away

Rained all day Saturday. Couldn't go out and street perform. After I finished working at the Fenix, I went to the South Center Session. Lots of people, lots of fun. Another great turnout, with visiting dignitary Mr. Nash Fung. Mr. "Color Fusion" himself. Carpenter, Meyhew, Dobson, and over a dozen others where there. I was bummed to miss Steve Hobbs. He left before I got there. My mood had been off all weekend because of my missing front tooth. I had learned to smile without opening my mouth. But it was fucking with my head. I was counting the hours and the dollars till I would get it fixed on Monday.

Sunday, It cleared up long enough for me to get in an hour at the market. Got rained out early and went to a movie. Buster and I saw "The Jacket". Started out as a Gulf War Movie, then got progressively weird. Turned into a psycho time travel movie. We both enjoyed it.

Monday I got my tooth repaired. $500 later I am outfitted with a good looking temporary fix till I can get a proper crown. The dentist understanding my financial predicament recommended that I apply for the University Of Washington Dental School program that offers cheaper dental care to oral degenerates. His receptionist thought it was very funny that I paid in one dollar bills. I was glad that she had a sense of humor.

Is there some kind of law that says all dental hygienists have to be cute? Works for me. Both her and the Doctor could clearly tell that I was stressed out and she put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and gave me a couple of soft pats as he plunged the needle into my upper gum.

I left the dentist and went to the Market to work. I was happy about my new tooth and ready to make a few bucks. After a few shows I ran into a woman who I had met a month or so ago. We chatted briefly when we first met. I found out her name was Robin and she had moved here from Chicago in February. She makes violins for a living. So, she approaches me today and asks me If I remember her. I see so many people every day, I asked her to refresh my memory. When she told me her name I remembered her. Once again, she was chatty and nice. I asked her if she wanted to get a cup of coffee or something. On the way to the coffee shop I admitted to her that I had never had a cup of coffee in my life but I was happy to sit with her if that was what she wanted. I asked her if she wanted a soda or a beer. We ended up getting a beer. It was nice to chat with her. I hope I didn't scare her off with the twice divorced father of 4 bit. I told her I never know whether to bring that up or not. She said reassuringly, "Just be yourself".I though that was nice.

The Weekend Flew By

I worked the Fenix Underground Friday and Saturday Nights. The music loud, the drinks strong and the magic. . . well hell, lets face it. . . I'm good on a bad night. I've decided not to use my TW Wand for street performing . Only at club gigs and private parties. When I'm trying to attract attention on the street, I find it hard not to beat the shit of of the cups. At gigs where I don't have to work hard to get a crowd, I can be artful in the use of the magic wand.

Did a Mike Gallo Purse Frame Routine w/ 3 copper coins, 3 silver coins and 4 Chinese coins. You got to like a routine that uses that many coins. In the routine you start with 3 coins finger palmed in the left hand and 3 in the right hand. I tried something different this weekend, rather than going into the routine, I started with a card trick. I had fun seeing how many of my card routines I could do while palming 6 coins. Then, when I went into the production of the coins from the purse frame it was MUCH stronger.

I also had fun with the "Quick Silver" Dingle routine. Been doing that a lot lately. I love the perv factor, where I get to rub on the chicks hand. Wonder why he named it Quick Silver, as long as I knew him, he always used English Pennies. What a guy, I miss him. He was a good friend to me in my New York days. I'll never forget the day I got arrested for street performing on Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side. Officer Nevin had asked me to leave several times for gathering too large a crowd, I was such a cocky fuck back then, I would leave and come back after smoking a joint. He got fed up and tried to teach me a lesson. Anyway, They locked me up for a few hours and confiscated all of my props, my table, my doctors bag, my rings. When I got out, The only person I could think to call was Derek, he met me at the Dublin House and we drank away the night. Interestingly enough, it was at that fine drinking establishment (actually it was a dump), that I came up with my linking bar straws routine. . . . another routine that has cycled back into my performing repertoire.

Buster Continues To Kick Ass At School

Dumb & Dumber