I was reading a very interesting book the other day called Mysterious Stranger, you may have heard of it. It is the part autobiography/part history of magic and part treasure hunt. (The treasure hunt, by the way, was solved in March 2004 by Sherri Skanes). The author is David Blaine. Now we all think that he may have lost the plot a bit, going from magic to performing various hair brained stunts but the book gives a great insight to the man. It charts his history from street and restaurant magician to mega TV star and beyond. In the book he reveals one or two simple tricks, but also some sound advice on entertaining difficult audiences. For instance the corporate affair where the delegates are far more interested in a pretty secretary that may pass by than watching a chap performing tricks. Also he says, quite rightly, that the last thing a party at a table in a restaurant want is some chap standing over them performing magic. He says he quickly learned how to overcome this sort of difficulty and gives good advice on how to overcome all sorts of situations similar to this. In the chapter, Discovery of Magic, Blaine tells stories of his childhood, of how he became interested in magic, and of his devotion to his late mother. In The Three Magi chapter, he acknowledges Robert-Houdin, Max Malini (Max Malini (born Max Katz Breit 1873 - October 3, 1942) was a magician who at his peak performed for several U.S. Presidents, had command performances at Buckingham Palace, and received gifts from monarchs across Europe and Asia. Magicians are said to revere him for his skill and bold accomplishments), and Alexander Herrmann (Alexander Herrmann (February 11, 1844 – December 11, 1896) was a German magician, better known as The Great Herrmann). As major influences; in Confidence, he cites Orson Welles and Titanic Thompson (Alvin Clarence Thomas sometimes known as the character he created, Titanic Thompson, (1892 - 1974), was "the" legendary American golfer, gambler, and, uniquely gifted, hustler), as inspiration for his street magic persona; and in Ehrich Weiss, he celebrates the man we know as Houdini. In The Man Ain't Right section of the book, Blaine describes the evolution of his street magic act and how a masterfully timed card trick cinched his television deal with ABC. Whatever people think of David Blaine he is first and foremost an excellent magician who has had to work his way up the showbiz ladder hard way. An easy but excellent read I am hoping to acquire this book for the library. Once again I have been delving into the host of books we have in the library. I never cease to be amazed at the diversity of subjects we have books on. I have been looking at the joke books that we recently acquired from a member. Then Ultimate Joke Encyclopaedia is a 350 page volume which contains jokes on almost every subject under the sun. A couple that caught my eye were: A gorilla went into a cafe and ordered a chocolate milk shake. The waitress was a little surprised that the gorilla could speak, but she gave him the chocolate milk shake and then called the manager. When the gorilla had finished he went to the desk to pay and handed the manager a £10 note. The manager didn’t think the gorilla would know anything about money so he only gave him £1 change. “Thank you for your custom,” he said to the gorilla, “we don’t get many gorillas in here.” “I’m not surprised,” said the gorilla “at £9 for a chocolate milk shake.” It’s an old one I know but it made me smile. The book is only one of many that we have containing thousands of jokes, humorous stories, one liners etc. on almost every subject under the sun. If your act lacks laughs, look no further than the BMC library. Once again, just as a reminder we are looking for any video or amateur film you may have of BMC members performing. The material would be considered for use in a DVD we hope to produce to show at the Bradford Industrial Museum next year as part of the Circle’s 60th anniversary celebrations. All contributions would be gratefully received. That’s about all from me for this month. See you all next time. |
