In my "In Box"

Prof. Gizmo here. Just saw that you were heading out. Man, I wanted to take you out for dinner. I thought you were leaving in Aug. You need to know that you did more for magic in Seattle than anybody ever has. Steve Minch included. Thanks for your kindness and hospitality. You will be missed. Jean wanted to give you a hug too.

I will look you up whenever I get to LA. My son and brother in law live there, so we will pay you a visit. We'll go out for dinner then. I wish you all the best. Thanks again for your kindness.

Tell Buster to keep on picking. He's picked up the guitar quickly. Hopefully he can make it pay. He's in the right town to do so. Please keep in touch when the dust settles.

Missing you already

-Gary & Jean (Gizmo)

In my "In Box"

From Wil

you are the best friends a fella could ever expect and as much as I will miss having you around I couldnt be happier to see you moving into such an exciting new place... I envy the stories you will create, the friendships you will have and the love you will always share.

you two have seen me through some of the biggest growths, happiest moments & most devestating experiences of my life, you've paced me step for step, carried me whe I couldnt walk and dropped me on my ass when I got lazy and kicked me in my ass when I needed it... I'll never forget any of the time we spent together be it sessions or swords, smoke or drink, ugly or beautiful it was all fucking amazing and I wouldnt trade a bit of any of it, even the hard times. If you ever need me you know where to look, you can have my ear, shoulder, roof or the shirt off my back... what's mine will always be your's for the
asking.

may each and every god and goddess shine on your path and keep you safe and happy... youve both got all of the magic you need to lead you to happiness few people ever even get a glimpse of, and that magic resides for you in each other and in the limitless possibilities you have before you. be well, take care of each other, give Polly a hard time and love her like only you are capable.

fuck em up, fool em bad and make em pay top dollar for the privelage!

may the wind be always at your back
may the road rise always to meet your feet
may your sails be full when you set out to the sea
and may it always be the other guy who says
have a seat my brother, this drinks on me.

all my love, all my thanks and all of my hopes that each of your days is wrought with magic, beauty, truth and an unbeatable buzz. take care boys and look out, I called the mayor of LA to warn him the Frank clan is heading their way!

your friend always,

Wil~

Goodbye Seattle

Life is filled with adventure

Life is filled with magic

Some is wonderful and some is tragic


So ends another chapter in my life. No, scratch that. This is really a whole new book I'm about to start. Same story, different book. . . kind of like Lord of the Rings.

Whatever. . . What I'm trying to say, is that this blog is really part of the last story. Getting my drift? I'll probably finish up when I get to LA. Maybe one more post to tell you all that I arrived safe and sound.

It's been an interesting experiment to become an online living soap opera. But as with most shows, eventually they get cancelled.

Thanks for all the support, friendship & love.

The haze has lifted and I'm finally through it.

All I can say about where I'm at is. . . "YOU AIN"T SEEN NOTHING YET!!!!!"

Pic du Jour - From the archives

Performing at a company pic nic in 1986. Cincinnati, Ohio

Last Day Pics • Click Here

Moon over Seattle

King of The Road

Trailer for sale or rent
Rooms to let...fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but..two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

Third boxcar, midnight train
Destination...Bangor, Maine.
Old worn out clothes and shoes,
I don't pay no union dues,
I smoke old stogies I have found
Short, but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

I know every engineer on every train
All of their children, and all of their names
And every handout in every town
And every lock that ain't locked
When no one's around.

I sing,
Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let, fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

Pic du Jour - From the archives

The year 1977. I was 12 years old performing at Mimi Lisner's 6th Birthday Party.

Packing

Leaving on a jet plane. . .

Well, Buster is off to spend the rest of the summer in Cincinnati with his mom. Next time I see him will be at LAX a week before school starts.

Over the last few months we hit heads a bit, but it all turned out OK in the end. Buster is onboard with this whole new life thing in Los Angeles and I just know he's gonna love it.

I hope he has a great tim back in Cincy.

I know I'm going to be having a great time with Polly during his vacation.

In my "In Box"

TF,

What up??

Could you resend that pic? It did not come through. some shit about it being in MAC format.

I am in Florida at the moment hanging with my pops. Then I am off to NY for a few days.

when are you leaving for LA???

Did I tell you.....

I asked if "Anyone know who Polly is?" at my internet panel discussion at the LVMI. There were about 10 people in the room that rasied their hands and smiled. You make history my friend!!! It was a cool moment.

Speak with you soon.

Asher

Lunch with Neil and his Mom

A delightful afternoon with friends at the Pike Place Market Bar & Grill.



I saw Mr. Stirton again at the Owl & Thistle on Wednesday Night. He brought 3 charming young ladies with him. Here he is with one of them.

Vernon at the Bob Marley School of Spliff Rolling

From the archives

The employees at my old magic shop in Cincinnati started this program where the would tape various slips of paper to the wall in the back room above my desk. Always made me smile to see a new one.



I had a great staff for almost a decade. Ryan Swigert was my right hand man for years. Brett Sears, Jason Wethington & Mike Johnson were all great as well.



I had a good run while it lasted in Cincinnati, probably the longest time I ever stayed in one place. I love being on the move. New dreams to discover, and old ones to remember.

Hotel California - Eagles - Acoustic

Quote du Jour

I have no special talents.
I am only passionately curious.

-Albert Einstein


How about one more, for good measure?


Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.

-Goethe

Jimi Hendrix

National Anthem sung by Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir & Vince Welnick

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

Happy forth of July as we celebrate Independence Day.

I am busy boxing things up in preparation for my move to Los Angeles. Buster will fly to Cincinnati for the summer and, as if in a giant puff of smoke; I will disappear from the Emerald City of Seattle only to reappear in Kansas, in drag, singing Judy Garland's part, badly.

Buster and I cooked out burgers in the back yard before he split with three chicks. So, here I am, taking a break from the cardboard and tape.

Polly and I have been talking about all of the history you run across while going through your shit. We love our shit, what can we say. I have a box full of cigar boxes that I'm just not ready to part with. Larry Pringle used to keep his magic props organized in cigar boxes. Card to Wallets, Himber Wallets, Z Fold Wallets in one box, Another filled with gaffed cards, and more still containing various clips, holders and fasteners, balls of all sizes, leather coin purses filled with a variety of tricks.

We talked about the pictures we were running across. Distant memories of the children we once were. Time flies by. What a long strange trip it's been.

I'm so fucking happy!!!

I have a strong intuitive feeling that things are going my way. The core of those feelings stem from a total commitment to move my life forward and to celebrate life, liberty in the pursuit of happiness. . . every single day.

Oy vey! At my favorite Cleveland deli!

Flashback

3 Nights of Magic

Life slides by like a car hydroplaning on a wet freeway. Nothing like the first rain in a while to bring up the baked oil to the surface of the asphalt. Giddy as a schoolgirl, I skip to the bus stop in a pigtail wig. Not really, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to put that picture in your head. Oy!

Been a busy boy doing lots of nothing. Actually it's been a roller coaster of emotions around here. A couple of days ago, I tried to be a grown up by acting like a child. The only way I can describe my behavior was, that my dad's worst nightmare crawled out of my mouth. My 16 year old son had pushed me too far so I pushed back LOUDLY. I had to go to the market and work. Trying to entertain an audience when your head and your heart is somewhere else can be a challenge. I worked hard to get a good vibe going for my show, but I wasn't feeling anything from the audience. As I often do, I exercised the bad judgement to deliver one of my "not funny" jokes, "What is this, a Xanax pep rally?" I pride myself on being able to do a good show. Unfortunately the audience was not meeting my needs, so I dismissed them. I loved the look on their eyes as they acted like they though I was joking. It wasn't till I broke down my table, took my doctor's bag, smiled and said, "Buh Bye" before they realized there was to be, no show.

To my credit, once disbanded; I set up again, easily got a crowd and worked for an audience that was into it. The hat wasn't great, but that didn't matter, it was about creating the art of magical entertainment. I'm constantly puzzled by the blank stares and vacant looks in the eyes of some people. I don't get it. Did the humor fairy come?

I used to think I was funny, now I'm not so sure. I am beginning to experiment with trying to be funny, by not being funny. I'll keep you posted on that. Film at 11

Last week had 3 magic nights in a row. Tuesday Nights at the Alki Beach Magic Studio will quickly be drawing to a close. There is a heightened sense of sentimentality and emotion surrounding my impending departure. I was never comfortable with the Guru status that the community seems to give me. I was just a guy with a dream. It's been fun. Neil from Scotland is in town and was ready to dive into some serious discussions about card magic. Tuesday night was well attended and many topics were discussed. I attempted to perform Dingle's Out Flushed for the gang and flubbed it badly, in a way that I have never done in all my years of performing it.

I would get a "do over" the following night in Tacoma. Nash, Neil & I met, Steve Dobson, Jack Carpenter, Rick Anderson and Wil Conine down at the Poodle Dog Restaurant. At a round table in the Pup Bar, we showed each other tricks and discussed secrets and technique. Both Steve and Rick helped my progress as I continue to try and improve the playing card insertion for the panoramic shift.


Jack working with Neil on some dealing moves.


Rick Anderson and Nash


Some of da boyz


Jack Carpenter


Wil's balance


Wil Conine

Thursday Night Jose was over for a private lesson. We went over two strong pieces of magic: The Tricky Wallet Trick and Out Flushed. It was a good lesson.


Trickey Wallet Video

An old MUM Ad from 1999

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Busker du Jour

Neil Young - Dead Man