Pic du Jour

X Box Gig

Cribs

In my "In Box"

Got the email from my step brother in Atlanta

Tom,

I have kept up with your trials thanks to your e-mails and posts. Although there isn't much I can do, and by the sounds of it even you can do, I wanted to let you know that I really feel for you. When I was separated I always thought to myself that eventually the kids will be old enough to make their own decisions and they will realize what type of dad I was/am. One day when they are old enough they will see who their dad really is without the veil of manipulation their mother has thrown over this situation.

You should maintain your integrity, fight the reasonable fight and be the dad that you can be... The kids will always love you and your life with them will really begin fully when the government and your x don't have control anymore. I realize you have probably thought about this... But I just wanted to remind you that you have another 40 years to spend with them. 40 years that will include graduations, weddings, trips and whatever you want to do with them - that's when the real magic will begin. I know this doesn't make it easier now, but hang in there pal.

Take care of yourself, we're with you.

Love, Thomas

Mediation pt. 2

Well I should have seen this coming. Moira will not agree to ANY MODIFICATION to the parenting plan (visitation) unless I agree to go to a 3rd drug evaluator and submit to hair follicle tests. My response was, you pay for it, I'll do it. Of course she wouldn't agree to that. The mediator had an interesting compromise, if I tested positive for drugs I pay for it, if I tested negative she pay. Sounded reasonable to me, I agreed to that. . . she didn't. The mediator asked her, what if I did another evaluation with the hair test and the results were negative? She said she didn't know. I chimed in, that she would continue to send me to other drug evaluators until she got the results she wanted.

When I brought up the fact that I have already been evaluated by two different court approved drug evaluators and that neither them or a bunch of random piss tests over the course of months indicated that there was any drug or alcohol problem, her response was, "He is a master magician and can manipulate people and the truth". OY!!!! I tried to explain to her that a guy watched the piss come out of my cock into the plastic jar. In the past she has accused me of drinking some sludge to mask drugs in my system. I remember asking the piss test guy about this, anticipating Moira bringing this up again. He said that they also test for those sorts "adulterants" and can verify the integrity of the test. But nooooooo, I'm a "Master Magician". What a bunch of shit. I just want to spend more time with my kids.

So now we wait another month before the second mediation session in mid February.

I called my lawyer after the mediation and I didn't like what he had to say. He said, get the hair test, it will be cheaper than going to trial. He also told me that he couldn't do it for free anymore and that to go to the trial date that is set for April, it would cost a few thousand dollars. I told him I didn't have money for the hair follicle test or a few grand. I'm lucky to make ends meet. He told me to call him back in a couple of days.

My next call was to the last drug evaluator, (who was the guy who hooked me up with this lawyer). He said under no circumstance agree to any more testing. He explained to me that I have given her all the control and that she was making me dance like a puppet. He said he would try and find me another lawyer who would work for free and told me to call DAD's (dads against discrimination). I had called them a year ago, and went to a meeting but didn't see it as my sort of thing. I called them today and will give it another shot.

Nigel (the drug evaluator) said some things forcefully. He said don't do anything that is uncomfortable and he made a huge point that I had to be in integrity with myself (he said that twice).

Well, I am not comfortable making these 4 hour trips across the mountains for a 5 hour visit. My dad asked me why I ever agreed to that. I told him, I had asked for a longer visit but she wouldn't agree to that, and dictated the terms that I did agree too. I just want to see my children and be an active part of their lives. He also explained to me how she had all the control and that I needed to play hardball. Nigel said that as well. At some point, I have to say "NO"

So, here it goes. I am not comfortable with the current 5 hour visit every other Sunday with me doing all of the driving. I will not be making the trip anymore. This is killing me inside, but I have to stop the madness. I'm not living a whole life. I need to take control of what I do and not let her control me. I need to be in integrity with myself.

It hurts and my kids are paying the price as well as me.

The Cardsharps by Caravaggio

Date Created: ca. 1594-1595

Caravaggio (1573-1610). Probably the most revolutionary artist of his time, the Italian painter Caravaggio abandoned the rules that had guided a century of artists before him. They had idealized the human and religious experience.

He was born Michelangelo Merisi on Sept. 28, 1573, in Caravaggio, Italy. As an adult he would become known by the name of his birthplace. Orphaned at age 11, he was apprenticed to the painter Simone Peterzano of Milan for four years. At some time between 1588 and 1592, Caravaggio went to Rome and worked as an assistant to painters of lesser skill. About 1595 he began to sell his paintings through a dealer. The dealer brought Caravaggio to the attention of Cardinal Francesco del Monte.

Through the cardinal, Caravaggio was commissioned, at age 24, to paint for the church of San Luigi dei Francesi. In its Contarelli Chapel Caravaggio's realistic naturalism first fully appeared in three scenes he created of the life of St. Matthew. The works caused public outcry, however, because of their realistic and dramatic nature.

Liquor license pulled at Larry's Nightclub

This happened down the street from where my magic shop used to be. A neighborhood plagued with problems. This is also near the Fenix Underground where I perform on Fri. & Sat. Nights. Think this makes people want to go to Pioneer Square? Me neither.

By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter

Seattle police and state agents pulled the liquor license at Larry's Nightclub in Seattle's Pioneer Square and removed all liquor Friday night, saying the business was putting people's lives at risk.

Police and agents who arrived about 7:45 p.m. stopped people from entering the club while confiscating the liquor, said bartender Jeff Stine. By 9:30 p.m., all liquor and beer had been removed, Stine said.

Liquor-control agents served owner Larry Culp with an emergency-suspension notice enacted "for the protection, welfare, health, peace, morals and safety of the State of Washington," the notice says. Culp said he notified his lawyer and plans to go before a judge next week.

The suspension comes nearly a week after a man told police he was stabbed on the dance floor of the club. The man's head and face were "covered in blood" when he left the club early Dec. 31, said police spokesman Rich Pruitt.

The man was stabbed in the chest about 1:25 a.m. during a fight and reported what happened to police officers patrolling a block from the club, Pruitt said.

Assistant police Chief Nick Metz said the man's condition is unknown, but the department's homicide unit is investigating.

Culp and Stine said they were a few feet away when the fight broke out toward the back of the club. They said the brawl was over in less than two minutes, and bouncers threw the men out. About 20 minutes later, Culp and Stine heard from another club patron that someone was stabbed during that fight, though Culp and Stine said they didn't see a stabbing.

"I'm still not convinced it happened," Culp said Friday night from inside his empty business. "I think we're being picked on and discriminated" against.

Culp said he believes police, Pioneer Square residents and business owners are targeting him because of the media attention cast on the bar after an Oct. 17 fight involving Seattle Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin.

That night, someone apparently used a metal street sign to smash Hamlin in the head during a fight outside the nightclub. Hamlin suffered a fractured skull, a blood clot on the brain and a broken hand. Police still cannot say whether the beating is linked to the slaying of a man who was at the club that night. Culp, who said his family has owned the business for nearly 20 years, angrily paced the dance floor Friday night, vowing to fight the closure. He said he plans to keep the nightclub open this weekend but will not serve liquor in compliance with the order.

Buster

I love my kids. They make me proud. I wish I saw the little kids more. . . I'm continuing that fight.



Buster and I spend a lot of time together, just the two of us. Last night, Buster asked if I would mind making him breakfast in the morning, before he had to leave for school. I told him I would be delighted. He's a great kid! Yesterday I took him to Guitar Center to get some more guitar strings and a stand for his new acoustic guitar. When we got home, I did something with him that I never thought in a million years I would be doing with my son. . . . we re-dyed his hair which had faded a lot since he had it done around Thanksgiving. It was a tedious process of applying vaseline around the area we wanted to color (as not to dye areas that he didn't want colored). I put on rubber gloves and did it up. I think he's happy with the job.



This evening he surprised me by spending a couple of hours cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom. He scrubbed out the sink and tub with Ajax, cleaned out the toilet bowl, used mold and mildew cleaner on the ceiling and did a great job on both rooms. I asked him why he wanted to do that. He reminded me of a conversation that we had a few months ago. He was in the habit of asking if there were any jobs around the house that I wanted him to do. I explained to him that it wasn't just my home, but OUR home. There is never a shortage of domestic chores that could be done around the house. He took the initiative to do some things that needed to be done. . . without being asked, I think that's progress! He also remembered to take out the garbage last night and bring in the trash can and recycling bin without me having to remind him. Last night after he did the dishes, I thanked him. He then in turn thanked me for putting food on the dishes so that they could be cleaned. I'm not sure if this is normal behavior for a teenage boy. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right.



I still make his lunch everyday and put a note in there, like I have done since he was a child. Now he is a maturing young man.

Buster plays the guitar

Magic Castle • Hollyweird, CA

Driving to Tulalip Casino

On the web

Ran across this on the web. Found it on PeaceLove's Musings Blog, from May 2005.

Sheesh! It's five days since my last post! And here I'd hoped to publish semi-regularly... Well, I have an excuse; my mind's been rather occupied recently. Also, I don't really have access to a computer in the evenings the way I'm used to, and I tend to write late at night.

Here, finally, is the post I promised a while ago, about the blog that inspired this one. Drumroll, please (I need to pretend someone out there actually gives a shit)...

It's Tom Frank's Coming Through the Haze online journal. Tom is a magician who does street performing and private shows, but a major portion of his blog is devoted to describing the hassles he's undergoing as a terminally broke performer with four kids from two failed marriages. Some of the posts (in which, for instance, he posts copies of letters he's receiving from his wife's lawyer) are depressing, others (in which he posts pictures of his all-too-brief visits with his young kids) are just sad, but he's always honest and he writes pretty well, occasionally beautifully.

Like many personal journals, Tom's blog has its share of excessive detail (I don't really need to hear about EVERY SINGLE TIME he goes dancing), but the blog is intended for him and his friends, and the whole thing is like a living soap opera. The longer you read him, the more you root for SOMETHING great to happen. I wish him the best; he inspired me to get this blog going and to find out if I really have anything interesting to say.

Now, the interesting part.

Tom Frank doesn't know me, and he probably won't recognize me when the day comes that we meet again face-to-face (as I'm sure it will). But I know him, and here's the story:

In the late Eighties we both lived in L.A. at the same time, Tom and I, and we were both regulars at the Magic Castle. I remember well when he moved to town; he and Danny Sylvester (Sylvester the Jester) were an inseparable pair at the time. I knew and hung out with Danny somewhat (I guess he goes by "Dan" now); he was a unique and original presence at the Castle, developing his insane coin work around the Sylvester Pitch. At the time, I found Danny's style a bit abrasive (he would produce coins from in front of women's cleavage and use lines like, "I guess it's more of a hope chest," but he was a sweet-natured guy and I always liked him personally.

Tom, on the other hand, was abrasive in person as well as in performance. The first time I saw him work the Castle he gave a pithy little speech about what an honor it was to work such a famous establishment and then he cut it by doing the old "yank yank" gesture to demonstrate his contempt for the place. As a serious Castle regular, I was offended by this needless, pseudo-hip gesture. I was deeply in love with the place; it's a formal supper club that has supported and nurtured many of the top magicians over the last thirty-five years and I never saw the need to cut it down in a public show for laypeople. Furthermore, the Castle has always prided itself on it's elegance and class; swearing was never allowed in the shows and off-color material strongly discouraged.

I don't want to suggest that this one example put Tom on my shit list forever; I only recount it to explain why I never hung out much with him. He was a big-time partier, did a lot of drugs, liked to wear a pretentious bowler hat and smoke cigars (I never could stand young men who wear hats and smoke cigars; it's self-indulgent posturing). Also, although he had talent he was nowhere near the brilliant performer he thought he was. I was at the time a very straight magic geek, but I would put my personality and talent up against his any day.

But, it must be admitted, I probably was also somewhat jealous of him. He and Danny used to hang out at all the hot clubs in town, clubs I never went to. The hottest of the hot clubs in the late Eighties was a "private" hangout called Vertigo where, if I'm not mistaken, Danny was the house magician. Back then, I was pretty intimidated by the club scene and its drugs and wild people; I never would have even considered trying to go to Vertigo.

One day, a non-magician friend and I were hanging out at the Castle and we ended up chatting with Tom. (I don't actually remember this at all, but I remember what followed.) Tom said he was heading to Vertigo and invited us to join him. We drove there in separate cars, parked, and headed to the front door where a crowd was milling around waiting to get in.

Can you see where this is going? Tom walked up to the goon at the rope (a very big Terminator with a long, expensive, black leather coat), nodded, and the goon opened the rope to let him in. He did NOT let me and my friend in and calmly refused to open the rope for us. We stood there for oh, maybe half an hour while other "beautiful people" were admitted in front of us. We wondered whether Tom was coming back. He didn't, and we finally left, but it was an extremely humiliating experience and I think it's understandable if I say it rather soured me on Mr. Frank.

Anyway, cut to some three or four years later. Tom has moved to Cinncinati. He's friends with my roommate, a talented street performer named Mickey O'Connor, and so he comes over for a visit and stays overnight with us. I get a chance to hang out with Tom a bit, and he seems like a changed man. He's now married, has a baby, and is working hard to grow his magic business.

He shows us his laptop with its clientele tracking software. This was around, oh, 1990, 1991, and laptops were still an expensive curiosity; they tended to be the province of businessmen. I was impressed with his focus, his get-up-and-go attitude.

I told him about the time a few years back in which he had ditched me and my friend at the door of Vertigos. He didn't remember it at all.

So that's that. I never really forgave him for making me feel so small that night, but I was able to hold him a bit differently after his visit. I still felt he was an opportunist who I wouldn't necessarily trust with a dollar, but he seemed to be on a track to maturity and adulthood.

And then, a few months ago, I came across his blog. The last dozen years have not been kind to Tom. He divorced his first wife, remarried, had three more kids, and got divorced again. He's $14,000 behind in his child support for his second wife (about whom he spares no adjectives). His first baby is now the fifteen year-old son who lives with him (and of whom he is extemely proud when the report card comes in with all A's). He still hustles his rent working the streets and the occasional gig.

In short, Tom has grown up and found that adulthood is difficult. It's ironic that I started reading his blog long before I knew that my personal situation would in some ways mirror his (but only in some ways, thankfully). But it's hugely interesting to me to be able to track a fifteen year trajectory in a guy I knew. And it's a good antidote to any illusions I have about becoming a full-time professional magician. It's a hard, hard way to make a living.

So thanks, Tom, for the lessons. Thanks for laying your life so bare, as a cautionary tale and a poignant human drama. I have a persistent, nagging feeling that your blog is extremely one-sided (I'd love to read one of your ex-wives' blogs!), but I wish you all the inner peace and outer prosperity you can hold. And thanks for inspiring me to start THIS blog, for helping to show me that you write to write and you don't worry about whether anyone's reading your musings.

[After reading this I left a comment apologizing for being a dick]

Rain Rain Go Away

Free Weekend Minutes

Took some interesting calls this weekend from a variety of eccentric freaks. The first was from Chris Carney, a comic magician from San Francisco.



I met Chris briefly a couple of years ago. He had a gig at a place called The Cat Walk not far from my magic shop in Pioneer Square. We hit it off and had a fun time hanging out in the back room. Since then, we've talked on the phone half a dozen times. This guy is a nut. He performs on the street as well as Comedy Clubs.

Last night I got a call from Steve Brooks, founder of the Magic Cafe.



I fist met Steve at the Las Vegas Magic Invitational a couple years ago. My memories of that convention are hazy as I was trying out a new "all alcohol" diet. While there was a ton of great magic there, the most entertaining thing I saw that weekend was Reed McClintock trying to pick a fight with Apollo Robbins. The reason I bring this up, was because Steve Brooks put himself between the two men and with a hand on Reed's shoulder was a calming influence attempting to help diffuse a potentially volatile situation. I left before it all ended as there was a 2 for 1 drink special in my room. We met again at the PCAM here in Seattle. Steve Brooks takes some heavy hits from some in that magic community. I like him and think that his head and his heart is in the right place. We chatted about some of his upcoming DVD projects as well as our take on the state of magic in this changing world we live in.

The last call I took last night before my gig at the Fenix was from Lee Asher.



I am a big Asher fan. Lee is a revolutionary thinker in the art of magic. I met Lee at the same LVMI. We told each other that we were members of the mutual admiration society. He was nice enough to send me his new DVD on the Asher Twist over the holidays. We talked about his upcoming trip to England and Amsterdam next week. We also discussed magic, magicians, marketing, web stuff and high powered pot. It's no wonder we get along.

I told Lee a few of stories about my days at the Magic Castle. Jim Patton used to call us the "Young Turks". It was Danny Sylvester, Paul Nathan and I who, on any given weekend in 1986 could be found at the Castle having the time of our life. I told Lee about fucking this chick right before I was was going to perform close up magic. I was surprised when they started seating before we were done. I had her bent over this cocktail table behind the curtain. It really is quite funny, I was introduced and came out with my hand REEKING of pussy (Here, pick a card). Ahhh those were the days. I shared a couple other stories with Lee, like the time I pulled the huge switchblade on Billy McComb for coming on to the girl I was with. Memories. . .

So that about wraps up this segment of "Free Weekend Minutes"

How lucky I am to call these people my friends. Go figure, a hack like me, with so many talented friends. Lucky and blessed, that's what I say.

In my "In Box"

Tom,

Just checked in on your Blog — didn't know I was blog-worthy. Thanks. Your title "Bizarre Coincidence" was appropriate. Almost. We spoke again in 2003 I think, and you were leaving Cinn. and in very 'rushed' mindset. You wanted to get the fuck out of that town. So it was right before you got into Seattle. But I called to get Klosterman's number, which you did provide - thanks. And I called him, but he never called me back.

Back to your "Bizarre Coincidence." Carl Jung refers to "synchronicity" after, of course, The Police album; but he means meaningful coincidence. Forgive me if I am telling you something you already know. Recently, I had a meaningful coincidence. I had been thinking about the golden rectangle. DaVinci used that size for the Mona Lisa among other pieces. And what I found out, that I didn't learn before, is that that golden rectangle relates to the number Pi (3.14159265). Then about that time there's a re-run of the movie "Pi" I see on TV. And the third and final event was from buying the latest Kate Bush album, "Aerial." The second song on her album is "Pi."

best,

Phil

P.S. As for the "friendship I am considering cutting off" (I'm pretty sure you weren't talking about me ; ) — it's a tough call. Recently I had to reject someone who I thought was a friend, basically because I was tired of dealing with their bullshit. I think as I get older, I'm less tolerant of people's bullshit. I think that's growing and maturing, too. Forgiveness is a good thing, but diminishing one's own stress in life is good as well.

Bizarre Coincidence

Every once in a while something happens where you think, hey. . . that's just weird. On Friday I had one of those experiences.

I was reviewing some old video footage from 1988. I was thinking about converting some practice footage of my pal JR Hughson to DVD for him.

While watching the tape there was some footage of my first wife Cricket and I. We were answering a magic survey for a guy named Phillip Young, that we had met at a Midwest Magic Jubilee. At the convention, he handed out lots of these surveys explaining that he wanted to compile the information into a book. It was a very long survey with interesting questions that were not easy to answer in short. Realizing that I was not going to write out all those answers, I decided to do the survey as a video question and answer with Cricket asking me the questions. It's interesting to me how much she had learned and absorbed during our travels on the road performing.


Here we are doing our video survey interview

Anyways, back to Friday. Later in the day, out of the blue who pops up on the cyber radar but none other than Phillip Young sending me an instant message!! I said, "I was just thinking about you". He said, "Your kidding". Here's a guy I barely know, who I haven't spoken to in over 15 years and the same day that I watch part of the video survey, he contacts me. I think that's weird, strange. . . even magical.

We got caught up and talked about our lives. Evidently he had checked out my blog and decided to make contact. I'm glad he did and I encourage any other friends I'm out of contact with to look me up, my AIM Instant Mess. ID is tfrank8179

I've always thought. . . I don't have enough friends that I can afford to loose even one.

(funny that I say that, as I am in the process of evaluating a friendship I am considering cutting off) You live and learn, grow and mature.