Just voted "Best Street Performer in Seattle"

For more on this recent honor, check out the Seattle Weekly

Roman Busker

Rough week of street performing.

I tell you it was painful. Just when you think you got it all figured out, you realize. . . you know nothing. Kept a good, positive mental attitude, but it was a humbling week of busking. Others were blaming it on the heat. I don't buy it, it wasn't that hot. 85 degrees, sunny with no humidity. At least I've got my rent together, that's about it.

Scotty did well on Sunday. I'm very proud of him.

Leaving Messages

I was hoping to see the kids today, or at least talk to them on the phone. I left another message today asking about going over the mountains tomorrow. Doubt that will happen if she doesn't return my call. Oh well, doesn't make any sense getting upset. It's really quite predictable behavior on her part. I just don't get it. Probably never will.

T. Nelson Downs

T. Nelson Downs (1867-1938), the King of Koins, is pictured with his two books, the "Art of Magic" and "Tricks with Coins", which have become sleight of hand classics.



Downs created an act consisting entirely of coin manipulation. The conventional wisdom was that coins would be too small to be seen from a distance, but Downs' act not only defied conventional wisdom but went on to become one of the most popular and highly paid acts in vaudeville.

The 'Miser's Dream' routine he created, in which a seemingly endless number of coins were plucked into existence at this fingertips, has been emulated by performers ever since, and remains the standard classic of coin magic.

A century old T. Nelson Downs palming coin is shown below.

Long & Winding Road

A week ago or so, I posted some pics of the loft I used to live in. The year was 1987. Up until that point I hadn't really embraced the "business" half of show business. I was 22 years old and ready to get my life together. By this point I had spent six years in Europe as a kid (two years in Germany & four years in Paris). My father worked for IBM and landed some pretty sweet foreign assignments (CIA). I dropped out of high school, moved to New York City, after that I lived in Atlanta, New Orleans, Boston, Tokyo and Los Angeles. From the time I was a teenager, I always made as much money as I needed. My formative years as a young street performer were something out of a fairy tale, or so I thought. I felt like Max Malini.
After a year and a half in LA, hoping for my big break. . . just as I had hoped when I moved to NYC, I realized that getting rich and famous was tougher than I thought. As I began to mature (Ha!), I revised the vision. I bought the book "Hustle, Hustle" by Joel Bauer (a book for magicians about business) and in that spacious loft in the worst neighborhood in Cincinnati. . . I got to work.

There with my Macintosh computer and brand new laser writer I dreamed up "The American Fun Company". I got the idea for the name from the business that occupied the first floor of the building. In that building on 12th Street, between Race and Vine, for 100 years The American Case and Luggage Company manufactured their products.

These flyers were part of my first seven piece direct mail campaign.



I spent long hours on the phone calling prospects, setting up meetings, following up with more phone calls and written correspondence. Stuffing envelopes, so much so that I got one of those Pitney Bowes postage meter machines. And guess what. . . it worked. I booked a 5 month cross country festival tour. The beat up Checker Marathon I was driving was falling apart, So I invested in a used Ford Econoline Van and outfitted it with a fold out bed, power hook up and made it tour worthy. I asked Cricket (a girl I always had a crush on when we attended the School For The Creative & Performing Arts years earlier) if she wanted to come with me on a fun adventure. She said yes to the tour and a year later said yes to my marriage proposal. Life was moving forward.

Stanley Jordan @ Jazz Alley

Last night on a whim I decided to go see Stanley Jordan play at Jazz Alley. Although I have been a fan of his for years, I had never seen him perform live. The show was great. 7:30 & 9:30PM shows Friday, Saturday & Sunday. I caught the later show. From the first note he played with a passionate, magical touch; the audience was mesmerized. Stanley Jordan pioneered a style of playing that uses what is called a double hammer technique. By lightly tapping the strings on his guitar he can play the chorus with one hand and the medley with the other. At times it really sounded like two or three guitars all playing at once in harmony. He started out as a street performer in New York in the early eighties. A music industry guy heard him play and a month later he was playing at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. How about that!

I have several of his CD's and he played a bunch of songs that I recognized. I love his rendition of the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby. Beautifully played and followed up by the Theme from Mozart Piano Concerto Number 21. A very relaxing 100 minutes of musical entertainment. He brought up a special guest to accompany him. Roxanne Butterfly accompanied Stanley Jordan with some improvisational tap dancing. Evidently they know each other from New York where she used to participate during jam sessions.

It was good to do something different. I had a great time.