Penny for your thoughts

Last night after dinner Buster made this interesting penny tower.



He's started his 2nd Semester at Nova and is working hard to make me proud of him, which I am.

The Bizarre Subculture of Street Performers

For years I have wanted to do a documentry film on the strange and wonderful subculture of street performers. I have hours upon hours of footage. Maybe someday I'll get it together. The idea is not to emphasize the "act" but the drive that makes one want to choose that path. There is a strange value system with regard to earning a living, lifestyle, drive for adventure and dedication to a performing art.


Full Size• Click Here

Doug Henning made me believe in real magic

The year was 1978, I was 12 years old and starting to take my magic more seriously. I remember watching Doug Henning perform at the Palace Theater on 6th Street in downtown Cincinnati. It was a spectacular theater that had just been renivated to the tune of millions. B.F. Keith founded this theater as part of his circuit and it remained a vaudeville house until 1928 when it switched over to movies. The Palace was also known as the RKO International 70 and the International Movie House and later became a venue for stage shows, concerts, and Broadway musicals. The Palace Theater was demolished in 1982 and a large office building was erected on the site.



The show was the first full scale illusion show I had ever seen and I'll never forget the wonderous feeling of the multiple climaxes of "Little Things That Go Bump In The Night" WOW!!!! There he is , now there he isn't, now he's over here and where he was, was a fucking 700 pound tiger. My smile must have lasted a week.



I was just a kid, but I knew that I wanted to devote my life to magic. . . and so I did. Believing in real magic was the first step. Henning showed me how by believing in his own magic. It helped me understand how to sell the audience on the sense of wonder that we try to create.



I also remember how beautifully he performed the "Sands of the Nile"

He would stand behind a small, high, table, bearing a large transparent bowl and three small piles of colored sand. He would begin by pouring ordinary-looking water into the bowl. As he began to tell a story about an ancient Egyptian ritual, he would stir the water with his bare hand, upon which it would turn black and opaque. As the story unfolded, he would then place a handful of each color of sand into the bowl of dark water, then extract them, one by one, dry and unmixed. Henning would then stir the water one last time, and it would again become completely clear, with a few stray grains of sand left in it.

Does time heal all wounds? Father, Son, Brother

I wrote this email to my brother after recieving a note from him wanting to reconnect with our Dad.

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I think he's been waiting for years to show you that he is not the same person in your painful memories. That man disappeared and was replaced by one who wants to show you that he loves you.

We know pain, we know growth. . . .For all we know . .

Life is too short for hate and anger. It eats us up, and spits out the bones. During my divorce with Cricket, as you may remember, Mom continued to favor Cricket (my first wife), inviting her to come to the house and have dinner, hang out and be a part of her life. I needed Mom to choose me over her. She refused and it splintered an already broken heart. I recall telling her, that just as I had to accept the fact the she would remain friendly with Cricket, She had to accept the fact that our relationship would never be the same. I was consumed with hate and anger for 4 years. It ate me up. During that time I did not trust Mom with my feelings because, as I saw it she was siding with the enemy. At some point I was finally able to take YOUR advice, LET GO, LET GOD. . . Turn It Over. I did that, because I knew someday she would begin another journey and I didn't want to feel like I missed the opportunity to fill our lives with love and more current memories filled with joy, trust and acceptance.

I had been talking to mom everyday for months and it felt good. Cricket and I now get along better than we ever did.

The choice was mine. I choose a path with no regrets. It took me a long time to get there and it wasn't easy, but as time filtered my thinking and values, I am at peace with My God, My Life and my family.

I hope someday Moira will make the same choice and allow a new beginning to mend the years of hate, frustration and anger.

I would like to be friends with her. 3 years ago I didn't feel that way, the wound was too deep and fresh. Now I just want to fill my life with love. I will wait her out and continue to fight to be an active part of my children's lives. Whether she can accept me for who I am, is up to her, all I can do is wait and hope.

I know that dad has been waiting and hoping.

Call him, or don't call him the choice is yours.

Peace be with you my brother. . . my friend

Love

T-Bird

Cups du Jour

Full Size • Click Here

Here are the new Ammar Cups. . . . could they be any uglier?

First off, let me say that I am about as big a Mike Ammar fan as you will ever find. I have known Mike for over 25 years, remembering when he would come to the Magi-Fest from Bluefield, West Virginia in the late 1970's.

His contributions to the art are undeniable. He was, is and will always be one of Magic's Heavy Weights. His thoughtful consideration to magic as an art and a business changed my life early on.

But lets get fucking real, these are ugly cups. The shape reminds me of the Tannen's/Garcia Cups without the zits.

I am a twisted fuckhead, If I had the $175 I would buy them immediately. Why? Because I am a cup Junkie and I haven't had a fix in a while.

So there's my asinine review about a product I know nothing about.

Buy two sets and send me one! Buy Ammar Cups • Click Here

In & Out & In Box • Sounds sexy

Cocktails 101:
A Fundraiser for ArtsWest



Saturday,
March 11
4:00-7:00 pm
$50 per person

Sponsored by and held at
West 5
4539 California Ave SW,
West Seattle

Learn the recipes and mixing techniques for your favorite classic drinks - and sample them too, of course! Get insider tips from West 5's finest and sip on your own creations. Space is limited so secure your spot today!

RSVP by Wednesday, March 8
206-938-0963 x113 or
lorid@artswest.org

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

My reaction and response was:

Hello,

My name is Tom Frank, I'm a local Magical Entertainer. More important, I am a fan of Arts West. I would be happy to donate an hour or so of strolling magic to enhance the festive atmosphere of your fundraiser in March.

Please check out my web site and let me know how I can help make this an exciting, effective, entertaining and memorable evening.


Sincerely,


Tom Frank
Industrial Strength Magic

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Her Response

Hey Tom:

This is such a great offer and you website looks so fun! I don't think that your work would be the best fit for the Cocktails 101 event, but I would love it if you would donate your talents as an item in our upcoming auction. Maybe we could even package it together with a venue/food/etc. for a party and put it in the live auction. Would you be willing/interested in that?

I have included a fact sheet and a procurement form, if you can help. Thanks so much for your email. Have a great evening.

Lori

Lori Dillon
Director of Development
ArtsWest

Woke up to a strange and frustrating dream

The setting was some work venue. (like the Fenix Underground or the Superbowl party in Vegas). Weird thing was, it was a very slow night. The sort of night, where it's so slow, you're performing for the employees. One of the managers wasn't too keen on paying me to entertain the help, so he sent me on an errand. He (or she, I don't recall) said, here is a plate (it was a large square ceramic dining plate with some pattern on it). I was instructed to go and buy a table to put a stack of plates on. Seemed like an easy enough request. I got in my car and went to a nearby mall and stopped at an antique store. I explained what I was looking for and didn't find anything. I went to another store and came up short. I decided to try Pier One Imports and as I'm talking to the sales person, with my hand, I feel the blank check they gave me to pay for the table. As I feel the check I hear a voice in my head, "and he's got a blank check". It was my boss who had sent me. I had my cell phone ear piece in and some of the management staff had been listening to my discussions with the sales people about the table purchase. I must have called them by accident and didn't know they were listening in. I was embarrassed, explained what happened and hung up.

I ended up buying this little table that looked more like a foot stool, it was wicker and had tiles on the top. As I held the plate close to the little table I wondered if the colors matched. My ex wife would always point out that I didn't match, and I wanted the table and the plates to match. I bought it and worried all the way back about it. Was it going to be big enough, would the color scheme and texture be what they were looking for? FUCK!!!!!!! I worked myself into such a frenzy I woke up. . . . which was good cause I got to see Buster off to school and remind him not to for get his lunch.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Here's what Wil Castor, Urban Shaman and Mage had to say about the dream

Ok, based on what I have to work with I would say the setting is a representation of your mental home... think of the setting as a representation of the inside of your subconscious... the managers probably represent the various aspects of your personality that manage you... thats why there wasnt any relevance or recall of the gender.

An empty plate represents a hunger or need for some kind of fullfillment. A table, specificaly setting one, is a representation of laying a new social foundation or groundwork for a project.

The task of looking for the right table and the anxiety around the approval of the ex kind of fall into place around those items. Your mind has tasked you with the job of finding the right foundation or social groundwork and the opportunity to recognize that this doesnt involve the ex in any way, that you dont have to include her in this decision because fuck her; the manager asked you and never mentioned getting any consult from her.

The blank check is a big thing.. it shows the internal need you have (and the implicit trust in yourself) to get this foundation and get it right at any cost.

I think the general message is that you know what you need to do to set your table, fill your plate & feed your hunger socialy. You have the resources (blank check and permission of the manager to take leave of the normal duties) to do it and though it may take a try or two (different stores) you will find what you need as long as you can shake the desire to meet the approval from any external judgement whether its your ex or your friends or your family. This whole thing is about you finding a new foundation that suits you.

The one question I have that may or may not have any relevance is what the pattern on the plate ro the tables tile work looked like? colors? busy or simple? geometric or surreal? what would you describe it as?

Dont fret to much, this is a very normal bit of anxiety that is surfacing from your subconscious as a result of the impending court showdown. Remember, this isn't about pleasing the ex or repairing any relationship, this is about you and your kids... she is just an incidental obstacle at this point. Sorry to sound like a dick but ey, its your subconscious I'm interpreting ;) hope this helps to clarify some... and of course always keep in mind I am even less an armchair psychologist than I am magician so I could also be (probably am) way full of shit.

let me know how this interpretation feels to you...

hope your enjoying the sun... if you want to smoke a cigar later on, I will be around the house.

W.



Wil,

Your interpretation was brilliant. It made me feel good and strong. Thanks for taking the time to do that for me. I appreciate your gift and your talent. You're one of a kind.

As for the patterns on the plates, they were surreal, in kind of a Van Gogh way. Dark Blue Plates with circular swirls. Funny, Buster and I were talking about Van Gogh's "Starry Night" as we peered into the rich black, star filled night before we went to bed last night.

There were 4 square tiles on the table, lighter in color than the plates but I was trying to match complementary pastel tones.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it!

Going to the market and maybe the art museum (I have passes. . . any interest?) I could pick you up at work.

Tom

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Tom,

Glad I could help, I think the patterns you noted on the plates further reflect my analysis based on the plate being reminiscent of what you had recently experienced with Buster and that you were looking for a way to match that with a stack of plates (Max Hope & Liam). The whole thing is pretty consistent, you have easy dreams ;)

Hope the market was kind to you yesterday, sorry I missed the invite to the museum but I had already left work and didnt have my phone with me.

Anyway, hope all is going well and that you enjoy some of the sunshie this afternoon too. I may swing down to the market to pick up a few things after I get off work @ 2. Maybe I will see you down there. If not, lets catch up soon.

ohh, I have a close frined comming into town on saturday at about 1:30 and I need to try to get him from the airport. would it be possible for me to get a ride down there or borrow your car if your going to be performing? If not I have another couple of options so its not a big deal.

either way, talk to you soon.

W.

MOM

In my "In Box" • Chris Richardson

"Free at last, my soul is moving faster than my eye can see" - lyrics take on a whole new meaning when matched to the footage of your mum.

Nice mixdown - audio is just right. You have the chops to do video editing should you decide to pursue another line of work. Love your work.

You have become quite the family historian/archivist. Let me know if you want the Mike Frank tapes in my possession. I still have my notes for doing volume three, but that project will have to wait a little while.

Love,

Chris

P.S.
Still amazed at your mother's incredible generous spirit, allowing three crazy teens to use her house on a weekly basis as a concert venue. I honestly don't know if I will have the patience/tolerance to allow my boy to do the same.

P.P.S.
Really glad you got Norm on tape playing his nutty tunes. He once asked me about doing four-track recordings of the same but never got around to it. 2509 Observatory holds a lot of special memories for me. We are both lucky to have moms that supported our dreams and gave us endless space to realize them - without judgment. They let us become what we are without trying to interfere or mold us into their own images in any way. God bless the Quakers and the Unitarians.

... God bless the Jews, too.

We are all brothers and sisters, my brother.

Video du Jour - Adrianne Price Matthews

Here' a rough cut I've been working on for couple days. I still cry every time I watch it. I loved my mom very much.


Video Clip • Click Here

Little Trip to Heaven (On the Wings of your Love) by Tom Waits

Lazy trip to heaven on the wings of your love
Banana moon is shining in the sky,
Feel like I'm in heaven when you're with me
Know that I'm in heaven when you smile,
Though we're stuck here on the ground,
I got something that I've found
And it's you.

And I don't have to take no trip to outer space
All I have to do is look at your face,
And before I know it, I'm in orbit around you
Thanking my lucky stars that I've found you,
When I see your constellation,
honey, you're my inspiration,
and it's you.

You're my north star when I'm lost and feeling blue,
The sun is breaking through the clouds
don't you, don't you know it's true?
Honey, all the other stars seem dim around you
Thanking my lucky stars that I've found you,
When I see your smiling face, honey,
I know nothing ever going to take your place,
and it's you.

And it's you, and it's you,
and it's you, and it's you, and it's you
And it's you, and it's you, shoo-be-doo, ba-da-da.

My mom & her dad

Lenore & The Great Garrison

After my Mom's funeral, a bunch of people went to Frishes Big Boy. Not my first choice, but I went to be social. Afterwards the gang decided that Greater's Ice Cream was next on the hit list. I had different ideas. There were two visits very near to the cemetery that were more what the doctor ordered. Lenore (an old friend who used to manage Strauss Tobacconist) had opened up a bookstore in Northside. A smoking friendly establishment, we smoked and caught up on each others lives. The picture I took of her was accidently deleted, bummer. . . I've always thought she was a doll.



Afterwards I headed to Western Hills where Harry Garrison greeted me with open arms, liquor cabinet and humidor. Shit, this is what I was looking for.



A rare player piano and a rare 3 sheet Kellar Poster.



Dinner & Dessert


We talked magic, cigars, family (Marshall, Harrry's son was at the funeral), and music. As we puffed and poured the night away, Harry spun some vinyl. He introduced my to the music of Lonnie Johnson. Played on of the finest turntable and speakers system that money can buy.

A night with Harry will make anyone forget their worries or troubles. Amen

The Taylor Family

Also stopped in on Dave, Claudia and the Taylor kids for a brief visit and a drink. Nice seeing old friends.

Haines House of Cards

The few days I spent in Cincinnati for my Mom's funeral were a daze. I managed to make some key stops while in town. Of course I had to stop in at Haines House of Cards (the nondescript white building that the giant cow is keeping an eye on)



It was Bill Winzig's birthday and we celebrated with pizza and cake. Betty Winzig and the other women who own Haines House of Cards have been like second mothers to me. I worked there as a teenager and got in trouble at every convention they ever took me to.

More Music

This song was written by my pal Erik Peterson. My brother accompanies him on this nice tune. Enjoy

Tell Me Lord • To Play Click Here

Newsgroup Post • Magi-Fest Review

Greetings from the light of the full moon,

Under the Arizona sky...Sing it Bro Paul!
How's life in Margaritaville? Blow the conch at moonrise!

A few thoughts on my mind and wanted to share some comments.
..

First of all, Thanks to Tommy for this forum and for sharing his life with us all via his blog. Tommy, you are an inspiration and a joy, to be your friend and watch you live and grow up?, and share it all so openly, honest and real. Your mother Adrie was like a mother to me, the home on Observatory Ave., the meals shared with her, Norm and all the family and friends who were around. I remember the time I used my grocery stocking skills to rearrange her pantry. That became a story. Great memories of her enrich my life.

I have been lurking, yet I really enjoy reading the posts and conversations...recently Payne and Zingers posts about the role of character in our presentations I found insightful. I've been wanting to post, feeling like speaking up at times, yet I don't make much time for this type of thing (computer work). However I recently read an article in the January Linking Ring magazine about the ethics of lurking and it provided another impetus to write. So I write...

Hey Brett S. and Brian C. and Robert S. Good to see you all at the Magi Fest! After 20 years, it was like a three day reunion with lots of old friends from Cincy and Ohio areas, and meeting some new magi friends too. Highlights for me were competing in the close-up contest (I didn't even place...it was a humbling experience and inspiring too. I learned a few things to make it better next time in that arena). One of the reasons I decided to go was to be able to work for my friend John G. at his booth booth...I love magic books. This also lead to an opportunity to meet many magi as they shopped the dealer's room and to enjoy many interesting conversations. Another reason I went was to see Dave Williamson, Tim Conover, and Rich Bloch. I haven't seen Dave since perhaps my last Magi Fest twenty years ago. Tim and Rich are praised in the community as top dog entertainers in their markets. I was not disappointed and really enjoyed seeing these guys work.

Dave was the jester comic headliner, Tim was the coin master at the close-up table and a southern preacher of mentalism on stage, and finally Rich was a typical attorney doing magic tricks, nevertheless enjoyed. Overall, it was a great convention and time to see old friends and make some new ones, to see some great (and not so great) magic, to perform and sell books...to do all these things, wow!

It was a very good time!

Best magic to you all,

Shawn Greer

Winter Busking (Street Performing) February 2006

Here we have Joe The Juggler along wit Annie & Jake From Slim Pickens


Artis worked Friday afternoon with Slim Pickens


Annie & Jake doing their thing


It was a good day at the market. Lots of talent, entertaing eagar eyes, ears and hearts. I was happy to be a part of it.

Slim Pickens Plays Sweet Sixteen • Click Here

Full Size • Click Here

More music from Michael Andrew Frank

Mike is accompanied by Erik Peterson on piano and vocals. On this live recording they start out with a song that Mike wrote called, "There's A Reason", then the go into a nice version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Strangely, my kid sister Margie requested that Mike play this song at her funeral. I never quite got that, why would a teenager make a request like that. I don't think about what I want played at my funeral, hell, I don't think about my funeral or dying at all.

Music can soothe the soul, and mine needs some soothing. Like a bridge over troubled water. . . . I will ease your mind.

There's a reason > Bridge over troubled water • Click Here

For All We Know • Sung by my brother Mike

For All We Know • Listen Click Here

Here are a few pics I took at the funeral


Mike Frank & Brian Crumb


Jimmy Frank


Nikki


Porter Family

All the while I wondered if it was in bad form to take any pictures at all. Someone told me to do whatever I felt was right, so I snapped a few shots.

My Mom and Step Dad