The Storm Lake Pilot Tribune has a very nice and rather detailed portrait of Cletus and his love for magic. It chronicles his life in the art from first watching and being enraptured by the magic of a stage performer: "When I was a young man just back from World War II, I happened to the Clay County Fairgrounds. I found myself at a magician's stand there, and I was just suckered in from that moment on. It's almost like an addiction. He sold me a deck of magic cards, and I've been at it ever since," said Cletus.
Cletus has done approximately 10,000 shows over his careerwith approximately 200 shows each year. His comments on the current popularity of street magic is worth considering:
"Every generation revises magic, but its really the same thing with a new look. In my generation, the magician wore a tux, and now it's long hair and strange clothes. But magic is still there, and it still works," he said. "Even with all the technology today, magic will still be around in the future. People still love to try to figure out an illusion that they can see right in front of their eyes."
Congratulations to Cletus. Here's to another 50 years.
Steven Bye is featured in today’s Maitland Mercury from Australia for his efforts to raise money for the Starlight Foundation. Mr. Bye has loved magic for years and performs close-up magic is again organizing a concert of illusionists and close-up performersset for May10, 2003. Mr. Bye has been partially paralysed down his left side since he was two years old, and admitsmagic is a “challenge.” He told the paper that it was well worth the effort and he constantly encourages others to take up the art. “I enjoy seeing the smiles on people’s faces. It’s hard and you have to be committed, but the satisfaction I get from the joy I bring to people’s lives more than makes up for it,” said Mr Bye. Check out the full article at the Maitland Mercury on-line.
The Honolulu Advertiser reported on the the passing of Dr. Terry Chen Yi Wong a noted physician with a specialty in adult diabetes and a great love for magic. He was known in Hawaii for his willingess to show a trick at the drop of a hat and literally carried tricks with him at all time. The paper reported, “He manufactured and sold magic tricks to dealers throughout the country, and collected old magic apparatus that he scattered about the house, and constantly tinkered with. His wife said he always carried a trick in his pocket ‘just in case the opportunity to perform ever arose.’”
Our prayers are with his wife, Kathleen; his four children; his brother, Ronald, and his sister, Jean.
First of all, thank you to all of you who have stuck with us over the last couple of weeks as we migrated once again to a new web server and rewrote the code to go from a "blog" to a full-service, web presence. We sold the old truck and even got rid of the tent from the old Red Circuit show to pay some developers to write and re-write the code until it seemed to come pretty close to accurate. I am sure, like my uncle's beard, we're going to find some bugs but hopefully they'll be dead and easily removed with scissors. On the new site we've got some new stuff — hence the name, "new site." We've got the calendar (not new); the classifieds where you can sell, trade or meet people; the bulletin board, The insidemagic.com Lounge; and the guestbook (sort of new). The Lounge is going to be very cool. Unlike some of the magic bulletin board systems out there, we don't have many set categories that you mush fit you comments or thoughts within. In fact, I think there is just four or five right now, but by registering, you can set up any magic-related category you choose. It is such an honor to have Ed as our guest columnist for the new site. His work brings magic together with the poetry that is created by and during the performance and watching of magic. Let us know what bugs you find and we'll get right on it with some scissors and tweezers.
The West Palm Beach Mall decided one year (with some major prodding from the Magic Fun Wagon staff) that instead of having Santa Claus arrive as he had for years in a helicopter or fire engine that it would be great fun if he magically appeared on stage following a fantastic Christmas magic show arraigned by the Magic Fun Wagon. For about a year before, Barry Gibbs and I had revived the nearly nonexistent local IBM Linking Ring 117 from 3 members (including one charter member) into a thriving membership of about 50 to 60 members. It was composed of quite a few “old timers” with experience in stage and theater magic. When we approached the club about the Christmas magic show everyone was thrilled and we were able to easily select all the acts we needed. We asked each magician to time their act to work with the schedule we blocked out for the entire show and each was allotted a specific time slot. Barry was to MC and I was the comedic foil as Snickers the Clown with running gags throughout the show. The mall provided the raised stage and draping and the whole thing was set up at the main entrance where everyone could see the show. One important item was the production box that would magically materialize Santa in all his glory. It was a full size production box on wheels built to appear as a large brick chimney with a door in front for Santa to appear from. Nothing spectacular but the illusion worked.
I can still remember all the excitement leading up to the show, the mall was abuzz with anticipation (or maybe it was just the whirlwind of anticipation we all felt). The mall did real HEAVY promotion for the show with newspaper, radio, and TV ads. There were smiling faces everywhere when “our” day arrived and the mall was packed literally from end to end. The turnout was much greater than expected and you could not get close to the stage if you had a crowbar. The estimate was 3000 people, but they kept coming especially the kids, lots of kids. But we were prepared, we were all professionals.
Arnie Barnett owner of the Magic Fun Wagon provided the musical accompaniment on piano. He actually played quite well and it was rumored that he once played with Liberace. We all fiddled backstage with last minute preparations while Arnie merrily played Christmas tunes and got the crowd even more worked up (as if that was possible). Barry grabbed the mic and the show was on and after a bit of fun between Barry and myself as Snickers the Clown the first act was introduced. The first magician was well received by the crowd and when complete Barry and I were back on stage for more fun and to introduce the next act.
In hindsight I suppose it would have been better if we had a dress rehearsal, you know checked out the acts, timing, relevance…
I don’t remember the magician’s name and it’s probably best that I don’t. But it seems that his act was revived from the one he did in Vaudeville and I suppose he was a bit rusty here and there. But once he was on stage there was no…
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