CBS recently launched a new television series, Same Name, which pairs up celebrities with average citizens who happen to share their same names. For instance, the actor David Hasselhoff and another fellow named David Hasselhoff switch lives and see how their namesake lives.
Although I don’t foresee ever watching a single episode, the program reminded me of some amusing guests who have come to visit at my Chamber Magic shows in New York.
One week I had a man sitting in the front row whose name was Sherlock Holmes. The very next week, there was a man in the audience named James Bond. Of course I asked both of them to show me their drivers licenses, and sure enough those were their actual names!
Another month or so passed, and a fellow in the audience was named Bruce Wayne. (Batman’s alter-ego)
Is there a trend of fictional crime-fighters that […]
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I read some good advice written by Lee Earle. I’m including it here on my blog to REMIND MYSELF, and also to pass it on to you.
An old-time vaudeville, burlesque and U.S.O. Camp Show entertainer named Don Seth told Lee:
“In every audience you entertain, there will be a little boy who had to save his nickles and dimes to be able to come to see your show. It may not be much money by your standards, but it is a lot to him. Give him his money’s worth.”
Don continued, “Every time you step on stage, there is a little boy in the front row who is seeing his first real, live magician. The image you create in his mind is the one which will stay with him for the rest of his life. Make it a good first impression.”
“And somewhere in every audience,” he continued, “is a little boy who could be playing in the park, or watching television, or doing his homework but instead has chosen to spend his one, precious, irreplaceable commodity – his time – with you and your show. You must reward his good faith with an equal effort of your own. You owe him the very best performance you can give.”
The next time you step on stage, look over your audience and, in each and every person present, be sure to see that little boy.
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by Susan Lehman, Lexus Magazine
MAGIC SHOWS AREN’T JUST FOR KIDS anymore. In fact, master conjurer Steve Cohen prefers that children not attend the dazzling shows he performs at tony hotels around the world — where, instead of pulling rabbits out of hats, he turns one-dollar bills into hundred-dollar bills. Known to some as “the millionaires’ magician,” Cohen stunned an audience of top CEOs when he performed that feat on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Non-CEOs can witness Cohen’s miracles at his weekly magic show at the Waldorf Towers in New York. Here, in a gilt-ceilinged suite, Cohen reads minds, turns coins into bricks, stops his pulse, and, using only force of mind, moves watch hands forward […]
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I love stumbling across historical gems — here’s one from The Sphinx magazine (a well-known magazine for magicians) that ties together two of my loves: magic and the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. This hotel, now located on Park Avenue, was previously located at the corner of 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, but was torn down in 1929 to make room for the Empire State Building.
Editor William Hilliar reported this closing in the May 1929 issue, and wrote about one of the Waldorf’s most famous employees, Oscar Tschirky. If you’ve been to my Chamber Magic show, you know that I summon the ghost of Oscar nightly to assist with a magic trick. It turns out he was actually a bit of a magician himself, as you’ll see below.
Here is the text I found […]
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July 14, 2011 at 12:30 PM
by Mark Anthony Green, in GQ.com
Vera Wang referred to Steve Cohen as the best-dressed magician she’d ever seen. Cohen was hoping for just best dressed. When the dandy magician isn’t shocking the who’s who of New York City from his private suite at the historic Waldorf Astoria, he’s conjuring up bespoke suits from London and ties from Tokyo’s finest men’s shops. In between ducking in and out his closet to show off more “gems,” we asked Cohen a few questions about his personal style influences and the importance of always dressing the part.
GQ: You go by the Millionaires’ Magician. You probably have a lot of well-dressed spectators.
Steve Cohen: [Hesitant laugh] Oh, sure but I wouldn’t particularly be able to say who’s well-dressed, because sometimes you get wealthy folks who come through who are dressed in casual clothes. Sometimes people, especially the nouveau rich, will intentionally not dress to look wealthy. They call it “Stealth Wealth.”
GQ: Let’s talk about the dress code. It’s a pretty audacious move to tell a room full of millionaires what to do.
Steve Cohen: One time I had a fellow come to my show who was wearing […]
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by Herb Scher The New York Times, June 24, 2011 EVEN if the scores of magicians visiting here for New York’s first magic convention in nine years were to disappear in a puff of smoke, there would still be plenty happening on the local magic scene this weekend. Saturdays typically find conjurers getting together to […]
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By Graeme Wood, THE DAILY
On Feb. 6, 1922, 27-year-old magician Dai Vernon broke this rule before the toughest of audiences: Harry Houdini. The bold gambit was one of the most storied events in the modern history of magic. Houdini, 47, was not only the world’s most famous magician but also its most famous debunker. He bragged he could figure out any illusion he saw three times, and he repeatedly proved second and third demonstrations unnecessary. Houdini had an enviable reputation as a card manipulator, and after diversifying into escape artistry, he had begun a third career exposing so-called “spirit mediums,” conjurers and seers. Some of the conjurers used elaborate setups, but Vernon challenged Houdini with nothing more than a blue-backed deck of Aristocrat playing cards. […]
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“For the uninitiated layman, everything Steve Cohen presents in “Chamber Magic” must seem totally impossible and could easily convert anyone to believe in the paranormal.
“Other mentalists and all magicians should watch Steve carefully. Not so much for the actual effects but for his superb patter, timing and presentation. Few other entertainers are able to create the kind of intimate and mysterious atmosphere that this evening offers and, in the best show-business tradition, he leaves them wanting even more!”
–David Berglas
I was honored to receive this praise from David Berglas, one of the living legends in magic. David and his wife Ruth visited my show in London, and we’ve remained in touch over the years. A few years back, they visited New York City, and I organized a lavish luncheon in David’s honor at the Waldorf-Astoria. Here is the personalized menu from the Peacock Alley private dining room […]
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Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and her longtime collaborator, pianist Lambert Orkis are good friends of mine. Last weekend, we had a lovely dinner at Bar Boulud in NYC immediately following their recital at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. It was the last performance of Anne-Sophie’s year-long residency with the New York Philharmonic.
As dessert was served, Lambert casually mentioned something that instantly caught my attention – his rules on how to always give a perfect performance. He called these rules “The Seven C’s.” Coming from a Grammy award-winning veteran performer, I knew that his rules would be worth memorizing, and recording here on my blog for others to learn from.
He was kind enough to write up a summary of our conversation, and I’m honored to present his rules on my blog.
Here are Lambert Orkis’ Seven C’s:
CALM, CONCENTRATE, COUNT, COMMAS, COURAGE, CHOICE, CONSISTENCY
Stay CALM: Your higher mental functions are blocked when […]
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Before serving dinner at a dinner party in Manhattan, my host asked that I do “a little something” for the guests. I declined politely — I don’t like to perform when I’m not actually working — but when people hear that there’s a magician at the table, they expect to see a trick. These were not children, mind you, but some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in New York.
I turned to the woman next to me and asked for one of her earrings. She was hesitant to remove one of her diamond studs for a magic trick. She thought I might damage it. But when our host nodded his approval, she allowed me to remove it.
“The Flying Earring Trick!” I announced, holding up my hand to silence the guests. The glittering diamond earring rested in my left palm, shining in the light from the chandelier overhead. I slowly closed my hand into a fist, and explained that I would make the earring fly – invisibly! – from one fist into the other. All of the guests looked at me with skepticism as I opened my left fist: empty. They craned their necks in closer. I then opened my right fist: also empty. The lady’s face turned pale.
“If the earring didn’t fly into my other hand, it could only have gone one other place.” I pointed to […]
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