Video Conference du Jour

Video Conference with some friends back in Cincinnati.



Harvey Weinstein, Will Waxler & Ras (Micro) Rosenthal. I'll be seeing these guys in two weeks in Las Vegas for the Superbowl.

GO SEAHAWKS!!!

A phone conversation with "Mad Jake"

Yesterday I took a call from Jake at RnT II. As many of you know there are few topics of conversation that I enjoy as much as talking about the cups and balls. We talked for almost an hour and I learned a lot. Jake knows his shit and the idea of a set of perfect Phoenix Cups and Balls makes my dick hard. Not that there's anything wrong with the ones I made, but the notion of a higher quality product intrigues me.

I asked him about the crush factor wanting to make sure that they will be strong enough. He told me something interesting. He said that one of the men who turns the cups is in excess of 250 lbs. Jake said that nothing leaves their shop that he couldn't stand on without hurting it. I said, "You mean if I took the set of Paul Fox style cups I got from you and stood on it, I wouldn't hurt it". Jake said, "That's right!" Later in the evening while Scotty and Clifton were over I decided to give them the test. Jake was right. I stood on the cup and bounced a bit. Didn't hurt the cup at all; it nested perfectly over the others.

You got to like a cup that can take a licking. . . . and keep on tricking!

A fine cigar

Today, I acted on an urge to go into a cigar store around the corner from where my magic shop used to be in Pioneer Square. I was going to buy a cheapie, but ended up walking out of the place with this fine $10 cigar



As you can see I enjoyed it, right to the nub.



As a side note, I'll tell you that it was Dai Vernon who introduced me to the idea of using a toothpick as a make shift, roach clip of sorts.

It was a delightful smoke with a medium body (flavor), excellent hand rolled construction (as all Ashton's do) and put me right where I wanted to be.

Scotty Walsh Video Clip

Video Clip, Click Here

New Vaudeville Show at the Jewel Box Theater

I had arrived early and was put to work at the door, taking money and stamping hands. Had a chance to chit chat a bit and snap a few pics. I must tell you, I am fond of everyone that was on the bill and am honored to call them my friends.

At show time, they seemed a little anxious as there were hardly any people there. We waited an extra 15 minutes or so. As it happened the room filled up nicely and they actually made money on the show.



The line up, was Scotty, Artis the Spoonman & Slim Pickens (Jake and Annie)



I'll rap briefly about Artis and Slim Pickens and save my review of Scotty's act for a Special Spotlight Feature including a streaming video clip of some of the evenings festivities.



Artis the Spoonman. . . . shit, what can I say about this guy? What a fucking freak! When he was born, they broke the mold! It's hard to describe an Artis performance. He opens by setting up his spoons and talking to the audience. We quickly understand this will be an unusual performance. Artis has an international reputation as a musician and has played with most of the industry's avante garde elite. Combine that type of musical talent with a raw and honest monologue and you get something unique. He talks about what is impacting his life at the moment. He shares that his 7 year old granddaughter walked in the bathroom to discover her dead father, just a few days ago. Artis lost his daughter 2 years ago when she was just 37. Artis has seen his share of pain and he confides this to his audience. He tells a few stories, sings a song and finishes up with the spoons. It's an inspired performance by a true eccentric. I can only strive to be as real as Artis and as honest with my audience as he. We didn't watch an act, we shared an experience.



Like Artis and Scotty, Slim Pickens are a part of the rich texture that make up the Pike Place Market community of Buskers (Street Performers). Jake on guitar and Annie on fiddle. They look and sound like something out of an old movie. Knowing them the way I do, we all share a feeling of our own current economic depression. They have a great sound and make beautiful music.



Unfortunately I had to leave early, missing most of the Slim Pickens set. I heard that Artis sat in with them for a number or two. It was Wednesday Night, dance night. I got to the Owl and Thistle where the Vinyl Avengers were already in full swing. I got in a bunch of dances and later, early in the morning got laid ending a record stretch of celibacy.

In my "In Box"

From Chris Korn!

Here are some links a buddy found in Miami as well as a copy of my first press here in Singapore!

"Press" Link #1, Click Here

"Press" Link #2, Click Here


YOooooooooooooooooooooo

Our show is HUGE hit in Asia. AXN has 74 MILLION viewers! We are filming 5 new episodes. The offers keep coming in and THIS TIME WE HAVE CONTROL OVER THE SHOW! NICEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

On a sad note,,,,my father passed away a few months ago. It has been really tough especially on my mom. I am flying her here to Singapore to hang out and then Cali with me to chill beach side. Update me on your life!

much love bro,
KORN

In my "In Box"

From Mad Jake at Rings N Things II

Tom,

Happy New Year to you. I'm hoping all is well with you. It's taken quite a bit of engineering to fix these cups to where they are actually considered "right" or "improved". It was definately no design flaw on your part, just alot of manipulation of the bead and the mouth diameter. I've cut 13 pieces of tooling for this cup and I think we have it. First the cup will take 3 3/4" crochet balls on the saddle and will nest properly, if we push a bit on the blend of the wall we might even get 3 1" balls on top. The dress bead (center) was made more pronounced and moved to increase the attack space to achieve this. In addition we had to increase the size of the ID of the mouth to saddle blend, which now also allows, A]Stable Stacking B] 3 Balls on the saddle C] These will now hold a Tennis Ball with easy release. The cup weight per unit is now 5.8 vs the 3.5 oz of the orignal. This is the weight for a copper cup spun from 063 copper.

We of course have fixed the mouth bead so it it rolled closer to the cup so as not to collect dirt, this has also added to the stability of the stacking.

We are trying to find a source to have the boxes made as well as the ironwood wands.

The tooling that was used is cut from wood, as soon as I spin out a full set of final prototypes, I'll post them off to you asap to get your approval. I just need to finish up the Paul Fox Brass and Sisti brass cups this week and next. After you give your approval, I'll go ahead and have a magnesium tooling block and rollers made for the cup.

Just wanted to let you know we are working on these and I believe even after the wait you will be more than pleased with the end result.

Best
Jake

Wednesday night • One to remember

Lot's of stuff going on Wednesday evening! Took a nice 4 mile walk to the city view at the end of Alki Ave and back. Walked briskly as I smoked my last cigar and talked on the cell phone. Talked to my Dad, and Mark Solomon, a booking agent, musician and very interesting and nice guy. He said that he got a call from the Bellingham gig that I did in December and that they were so happy with my performance that they wanted to book me again for next year. We both agreed that that is the best compliment a client can give you. Mark booked me for another gig back in August that I will do this weekend at a Country Club on Whitby Island this Saturday night.

By the time I got home from my walk, Buster was home and we watched Fahrenheit 9/11.

I took a nap after the movie and when I awoke, prepared to go see Scotty's show at the Rendezvous. The Jewel Box Theater nestled in the back of The Rendezvous Bar in Belltown is probably my favorite performing space in the city! An old screening room from the 20's with a quaint stage, curtains, spotlight and stage lighting, sound. . . the works. What makes this place so unique is it only seats 40-60 people. This is where Philemon used to do the "Cabaret of Dr. Calagari". I have performed on this stage half a dozen times or so and always loved it.

Before the show, I was reunited with some old friends. On his way to a gig at The Ram, Ruben dropped off a surprise for me. He handed me my linking rings that I left at the market almost a year ago. I had written them off many months ago as lost forever. Evidently, Tommy Twister (the manic depressive balloon clown) said that he saw some kids chuck them in a dumpster a couple of weeks ago. Sounds strange. . . but so is he. Doesn't matter to me where they've been hanging out all this time, I'm just glad to have them back. I bought this set of 13 and a half inch linking rings as a 5 ring set at the Magi-Fest over 15 years ago. Later I had the leather case custom made. Long lost friends. . . welcome home.








Artis the Spoonman with Annie


Jake wondering if anyone's going to show up


Scotty warming up before the show

Netflix delivers to my door

Buster and I have been watching lots of movies lately. This was another compelling documentry by Michael Moore. Propoganda. . . sure. . . entertaining and informative. . . without a doubt. I think Moore is a gifted storyteller with vision and scope. I really can't compare him to anyone else. He's got his own thing going on. People can say what they want about him; I give him, his messege and his films two thumbs up.

Wait a minute, there's someone at the door. . . . FUCK. . . it's the thought police.

No, hang on, just the mailman bringing us tonight's movie.

Tricksters or Terrorists?

Bowling for Columbine

Fucking awesome film! Scary shit this world we live in.

Review snagged off the net

Bowling for Columbine, at its heart, is an examination of the American gun culture, or craze if you will, and whether or not it has played a part in the violence of places like Columbine High School and other American tragedies. And in pursuing this examination Moore talks with everyone from members of the Michigan Militia, James Nichols – brother of one of the two men convicted of blowing up the Federal Building in Oklahoma – two boys wounded in the Columbine tragedy, and even Charlton Heston. And Moore pulls no punches, showing video from the Columbine shooting in order to make you question what it is that leads to the violence we see every day. It seems to be his contention that it is our fear, of one another, of those different from us, and of ourselves, that has lead us to become a so ‘gun-crazy’. Moore even goes so far as to venture to South Central L.A. in hopes of putting holes in the myth that no whites can walk those streets safely, and even goes to Canada to show how ridiculous our fear can be and how our northern neighbors see us – and it isn’t pretty.

This is essentially a film about one man’s crusade to prove that our gun culture and fear have lead us down a path of violence and bloodshed that will haunt us as long as we let this fear rule us. It is a wonderful documentary and an even better piece of propaganda. Moore, great documentarian that he is isvery manipulative – witness him managing to make retailer Kmart stop selling handgun bullets when faced with two victims from Columbine, an army of reporters, and two bags of ammo bought by one of the young victims – and while he is very effective at getting his point across, he is very single-minded. In seeing Bowling, I have to agree with a LOT of what Moore was trying to say, and think he did a wonderful job of pleading his case, a case that has not been heard in recent years. If nothing else, this film is a must-see because it shovels blood down our throats and makes us see things in a shockingly new way. To see the Y2K scare and remember it, and how afraid we all were, and to know nothing happened. To see all the wars we have waged and to see that we have put our worst enemies in positions to harm us is a hard lesson. As is seeing the Columbine footage and to realize that, when people are interviewed about it, these were kids and that these kids could have been anyone. To hear Marilyn Manson speak, and speak eloquently, as one of his denouncers makes bold pronouncements about how evil the man and his music are is a wake-up call. And it is harrowing to see Heston and his NRA followers and their attitudes about their gun rights and their belief that they need to have loaded weapons in order to be free. This is a wake up call to a nation and a world that points at a violent movie and angry music and cries bloody murder yet drops bombs safely from our living rooms and insist we needed to do that in order to remain free. Few movies leave you with the bitter taste in your mouth that Bowling do, a bitter realization that we Americans are not perfect, and that we have a long go to be even close to such a lofty goal. What is scariest for me though, to watch the film was when he shows people act as them, and to see how dreadful we all can be when we think no one is really watching. And to see a montage of newscasts showing all the scares the news tries to put us through – killer bees, killer sharks, killer black people, killer weather, killer terrorists, whatever it is – and realizing that so many times the threat was so small that we were all jumping at shadows because we were told to.

As funny as it is heartbreaking, this is a powerful and oft-times heartbreaking film. Moore knows too well how to manipulate his viewers and knows too well what can make us all squirm. The best trick he pulls may be making us laugh at how sadly stupid so many our beliefs are, and then in mid-laugh he faces you with murder and tragedy. Because if hearing and seeing Columbine doesn’t make you question how we do things in this nation, perhaps nothing will. This is not a perfect film though. It rambles at times and does lose its point a couple times as well. And as I said Moore is single-minded and shows his side and pretty much nothing else. He gets away with it though because in this instance, he isn’t wrong. Not wholly. To see how we treat the world, to see how we are seen, and to see how the NRA treats this country.

This is not a perfect film, nor is it a perfect documentary. If you have ever seen Paradise Lostyou know how powerful a documentary can be, but this is an important film, make no mistake. Few films have the guts to tackle issues as big as Moore has and few filmmakers can give you even half of the facts that Moore does in such a film. Moore, love him or hate him, wants to change the world, for the better, and this film is a means to that end. If nothing else, we all need to see this film to realize what monsters we all can be deep down.

Parent Meeting at Buster's School

Last night I missed the first 2 hours of the magic session as I attended a Parent Meeting at Buster's School. Only a few things on the evenings agenda. First, was a Teacher Spotlight, where we got to know one of the Nova staff a little better. His name name is Terrance and he teaches a few different classes. Buster is in is philosophy class "Who am I". He also teaches some other language arts classes, such as creative writing, a class on horror literature as well as a band class. I am so impressed with this school, their mission and their staff. I really feel like this is a great fit for my boy. He is active, engaged and excited about going to school. . . Imagine that!

The next topic of discussion was not so comfortable. Here is a snippet from an email that went out:

"As many of you are aware, we are experiencing an increase of violence in the neighborhood around Nova. Since September we have had five reported assaults on Nova students. Two occurred last Thursday. The principal at Garfield High School told me they have had reports of similar incidences as well. A group of 3-4 African American males between the ages of 15-20 are demanding money/possessions/backpacks from students. If they refuse, the students are assaulted. The police and district security have been alerted and students have filed reports with the police. We are very concerned about this increase and have done several things to try to ensure student safety."

No one wants to hear this sort of shit, especially from the school where your kid attends. It was a serious discussion with a couple of the kids who were mugged parents in attendance. Scary stuff. I remember being mugged at knife point 3 blocks away from Walnut Hills High School as a 7th grader, as I stayed after school to go to a play rehearsal.

I am sure that the proactive attitude of both Nova and Garfield High Schools coupled with increased Police visibility will help solve this problem.

I left before the PTSA made their report but took their handout and made my way home to the session.

Troll Gig Follow-Up

Dear Connie,

I need to take this opportunity to thank you for the honor of allowing me to entertain the thousands of Microsoft XBox Developers (from around the world) at the dinner party last week. I was extremely impressed with the attention to detail and the sensitivity to the performers that everyone at Greg Thompson Productions showed. I had never performed in a heavy mask before, and when I was feeling a little claustrophobic and like I wasn't getting enough air, I was relieved to find Alice on hand to deal with the problem quickly. She cut away excess rubber beneath the beard, making it lighter and creating better air flow. It really made the difference in my being able to do the best job I could. Also, the 15 minute break every half hour kept all of us performing at peak capacity while we were on the floor.

Another thing that impressed me was how well you all dealt with the the last minute issues that Microsoft threw your way. You all didn't miss a beat in making the necessary changes and moving things forward in a proactive way. Way to go!!

I am in the process of updating my promotional materials and would be thrilled to include a letter of recommendation from you briefly outlining your thoughts and reactions as to how you thought Industrial Strength Magic met your need's . If you could please take a few minutes of your valuable time to help me out in this way, I would be extremely grateful.

You can print it out on company letterhead and send it to:

Tom Frank
Industrial Strength Magic
3002 Alki Avenue SW
Seattle, WA 98116

or just e-mail it me, if that's more convenient

Thanks again for your time, interest and support. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Sincerely,


Tom Frank
www.IndustrialStrengthMagic.com

Tuesday Night Magic and Guitar Session

Wil Bryan

On my way back from the market I stopped by Wil's place. It was nice seeing him. I hadn't hung out with him since he changed his schedule to 4AM-2PM at Starbuck's Corporate. He works with the "Starbuck's Card" Call Center. We chatted for a while before I headed home.



A clean shaved Wil and Flat Isabelle

Pike Place Market

Attempted to street perform at the market. It was weak. $17 in an hour and a half did not keep my interest. . . bummer. Ran into Kristen and we walked down to the gallery where Brian works. We all walked back to the market where I took a very touristy picture of them.

Monday Night Magic

A few pics from Monday Night Magic at Third Place Books. I performed on the bill with Evan West, Aaron Wheeler and Payne. Tom Boland and Roger Needham performed preshow close-up magic.


Aaron Wheeler


Audience shot


Tom Boland


Roger and Evan


Master Payne

It never ceases to boggle my mind why more people don't take advantage of this great opportunity for some stage "flight time". A great place to practice in front of an enthusiastic and responsive audience. Always a good time.

Al Flosso Video Clip

The legendary Al Flosso performing the "Miser's Dream". This clip is from the CBS series "It's Magic" that ran in 1956. Enjoy!



Video Click Here

In my "In Box"

Dear Mr. Frank,

Warning! This is going to be a rather forward email.

I've been following your blog for about a year or so. Fascinating read. I've learned quite a bit about the life of a performer and performing. (I'm a amateur magician in Utah.) Decided I'd give something back.

One of my "jobs" is counseling for my church (Church of Scientology.)

Are you still reading?

I know that the following offer has a snowballs chance in hell of ever coming to fruition but I wouldn't feel quite right if I didn't at least put it out there.

In a nutshell - I'm offering free "marriage counseling" to you and Moira. (I do a lot of this sort of thing as a Volunteer Minister.)

The counseling I deliver is quite a bit different than what one would expect. It's based on the premise that the break down of a relationship is preceded by secrets, lies and dishonesties. In other words - Your upset with a person because of something you have DONE to them and withheld afterwards.

This is different than the time honored tradition of "look at what a victim I am." When spouse A is all critical of and upset at spouse B, you will, invariable, find that spouse A has done something that they are hiding from spouse B. Thus hostilities ensue.

This is a simplification of course.

How does it work? The counselor sits both people in the same room and asks two simple questions. 1.) What have you done to (spouse)? 2.) What have you withheld from (spouse)? These two questions are directed to one person until a good point is reached and then they are directed to the other person until a good point is reached. This is continued until the couple are back in good communication with each other. Obviously, this isn't always easy to do. Me and my wife recently underwent this exact same procedure and let me tell you it was a lot harder listening to what she had been hiding from me than it was to tell her some of the harmful things that I had done.

The local church has a film that shows this exact procedure.

Well...If you read this far I thank you for taking the time to do so. If you have any questions don't hesitate to email me or call me.

Sincerely,

Randy Naviaux


Randy,

I think it's a bit late for marriage counseling as we have been divorced for 2 years. I appreciate you taking the time to make the offer.

In my "In Box"

From my Aunt Janey

Hi Tom,

Sorry mediation didn't go as well as you had hoped. Moira sounds just like Jim's ex, Helene. Irrational and determined to be in control. We used to have to travel to Connecticut (3 hours each way) but at least had relatives with which to stay. I understand your frustration, and can only urge you to keep your end goal in sight. Don't throw the babies out with the bath water! Some things you may wish to try include setting specific dates, rather than a regular every-other schedule. Try to get near or on major holidays, or 3-day weekends, so you have Mondays to spend with Buster. Maybe you can set your visits for once a month and look into combining the visit with business--seek gigs--or cheap hotel deals that would give you and Buster a chance to explore some new towns.

As for the mediation, itself, I did many a mediation with my work as a union building rep. It is very easy to use inflamatory language that will inevitably come back to bite you in the proverbial ass. Even though she is being unreasonable and a ball buster, you need to do some mind gymnastics and choose your words carefully. First, she may be caught off guard if she doesn't expect you to be so diplomatic, and second, more importantly, it makes you focus on your goals, not the anger she obviously knows how to evoke.

As for the drug testing, I vote, "No more!" If you're going to have to go to court, as it seems you will have to do, let a judge order that. One can hope Moira's unreasonableness will be clearly seen. If you're not going to have to go to court, what guarantee do you have that she's going to give you extended visits? I'm not sure she gets the mediation part of mediation. It seems she thinks she demands and dictates and you agree or make no progress! I hope you followed through on contacting DADs. It's good to get support from others who have had similar experiences, and maybe you'll get some good
strategies.

On a personal aside, we schlepped to Connecticut every other Saturday, until Sherry decided she was old enough to hop a train and come here. Then we went to get her when she wanted us to do so. We had a court order giving us every other holiday and birthday visits. We always tried to see her the weekend before or after her birthday or Jim's and Jamey's. Years later, she accused us of being terrible parents. According to her, I should have moved to Connecticut. She had to choose between 2 families, etc. ad nauseum. Moral? You're damned if you do. . .

Good luck on whatever your choice may be. You know you're a good father--just ask Buster--and I know you'll get through this.

Thinking of you with love,
Janey

Free at last. . . . my ass

We left Cincinnati because of racial tension and civil unrest. Our country takes baby steps forward, and giant steps backwards.

I'm Back

Blog is publishing again. There were some changes on the blogger side that prevented me from publishing to the blog. JR, had a pal of his fix it and now were back.

Feeling strange today. Had crazy dreams last night that crossed over with reality. Weirded me out. Like falling down a spiral staircase in your mind. Not sure what to think or how to feel.

Yesterday was the first day in almost a month that it didn't rain. It's raining again today.

Enjoyed working the Microsoft X Box Gig. Scotty and Philemon worked it as well. The masks were HOT but we worked 30 minutes, took a 15 min. break and repeated that cycle. Over all I happy with the way my performances were received.

In my "In Box"

Re: World Magic Seminar

Tom –

OK…you are in! The others had to submit a tape if they weren’t known. Although I only know you by name and reputation, I have seen your clips on your website so all is well. Besides if you work the street, you know how to entertain.

Contest will be Monday morning in the Bienville Room. The room has tiered seating for a large audience and two large projection screens with a camera feed to enhance audience viewing. Contestants will meet around 8:30 AM to determine performance order and the contest will start around 9 AM. Obie O’Brien will be the host and introduce each act. Acts should be around 12 minutes and not exceed 15 minutes. At this point I am not sure if we will have judges or pick the winner by people’s choice (audience votes).

I look forward to meeting you in Vegas.

Bill