Susanna Clarke’s bestselling novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, is tearing-up the charts on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.She admits, however, that her opinion of our Art matched the sentiment ?Magic is not respectable.? That was before she began her odyssey of writing the 800 page monster of a great read.Now she respects us; sort of.
We?ve been following Ms. Clarke?s book since it was still in galley-print and we were in England.Initially, the UK press dismissed the early notices of this book: ?A Harry Potter for Adults,? or ?Harry Grows Up and Tells All.?Consequently, the U.S. press considered the book carefully, read every page, considered the greats of literature and their product through the years, and then proclaimed: ?A Harry Potter for Adults,? or ?Harry Grows Up and Tells All.?
We?re not saying the New York Times Book Review or Publishers Weekly are sycophants.We?re just saying they revere their brethren on the other side of that which we call the Atlantic.Which is okay.It was just that they were wrong.It?s a great book and deserves what we call ?respect.?
Heck, it made the list for the prestigious Booker Prize.It was knocked out of the shorter list and the British Press, now a big fan of the book, was outraged.
We?ve never met Ms. Clarke.We hope to one day.We?d tell her that we admire her story and her love of magic.She told the press, “I’d been writing all of my adult life but I’d never finished anything,” she said. Frustrated, she decided to give up writing, she… Continue reading Magic Regains Respect
Murray Hatfield and Teresa will be appearing at the Canadian Association of Magicians convention, June 16 – 18, 2005, in beautiful in Kitchener Ontario, Canada.(Kitchener is just hour or so over the bridge from Buffalo, New York).
So what will Canadian Magic?s First Couple of Illusion do for the next seven months?How will they stay busy?They could pick out their music and record it to one of those cool mini-disk player thingies you always see at conventions.They could start sewing special pockets in their costumes ? unless they are like us and have to wear their costumes to their real jobs and they?re not allowed to alter the uniforms.
(In our day job we?re not allowed to mess with the uniforms, ?no belly shirts, no big-waist pants, no tying the front tails up in a knot Island-Style.Remember, the uniform is not your property but must be passed on to your replacement.? McDonald?s Franchisee Dress Code).
Maybe they could go to the local magic store and see if they have any new tricks they could do or hang out at the lumber yard and see if they?re throwing away any scraps of wood suitable for a big box in which they could jump in or out.
Or, they could fret and worry and ruin the lives of those around them for the next seven months.
Jaq Greenspon put together a really neat essay/article/review for Las Vegas City Life today.He notes, ?In a city built on artifice, it seems rather ironic that the most truthful thing is deceit itself.? His article traces the history of magic in the Glitter Gulch with a real understanding of both our art and the commercial realities of Las Vegas.
He posits Siegfried & Roy?s appearance within the 1967 hit Tropicana?s FoliesBergere and 1990 move to the Mirage did not cause the ?flood that followed.Really all they did was show that a magic act could hold its own on the strip.? The duo spawned imitators and other ?classic? magicians such as Lance Burton.But in all the commotion, the avant-garde entered the big tent with seemingly rebellious approach to magic.
Mr. Greenspon considers Penn & Teller?s philosophy: “Most magicians, like comedians, measure success by the audience’s reaction, not how well they’re getting their point across. If it gets a big reaction, then it’s a good trick. F–k them. If it does what you want it to, then it’s a good trick.”
Kellar, Houdini and Tim Quinlan (R to L)
It is the visceral smashing into the intellectual that matters to the Bad Boys of Magic. Kevin James agrees with this approach: “Magic happens in the head and not on stage.”
The next big thing will be likely be the next new thing.
Jaq Greenspon put together a really neat essay/article/review for Las Vegas City Life today.He notes, ?In a city built on artifice, it seems rather ironic that the most truthful thing is deceit itself.? His article traces the history of magic in the Glitter Gulch with a real understanding of both our art and the commercial realities of Las Vegas.
He posits Siegfried & Roy?s appearance within the 1967 hit Tropicana?s FoliesBergere and 1990 move to the Mirage did not cause the ?flood that followed.Really all they did was show that a magic act could hold its own on the strip.? The duo spawned imitators and other ?classic? magicians such as Lance Burton.But in all the commotion, the avant-garde entered the big tent with seemingly rebellious approach to magic.
Mr. Greenspon considers Penn & Teller?s philosophy: “Most magicians, like comedians, measure success by the audience’s reaction, not how well they’re getting their point across. If it gets a big reaction, then it’s a good trick. F–k them. If it does what you want it to, then it’s a good trick.”
Kellar, Houdini and Tim Quinlan (R to L)
It is the visceral smashing into the intellectual that matters to the Bad Boys of Magic. Kevin James agrees with this approach: “Magic happens in the head and not on stage.”
The next big thing will be likely be the next new thing.
There is an interesting, if self-contradicting, story in today?s Las Vegas Business.The report commemorates the start of demolition within the now-closed Siegfried & Roy Theater at the Mirage.
The paper quotes Mirage President and Chief Operating Officer Bill McBeath on several aspects of the transformation planned for the theater.
Mr. McBeath notes the $100 million dollar cost for the transformation is within reason ?in light of the loss of foot traffic with the demise of the Siegfried & Roy show.We lost 10,000 people a week flowing through the building.That made a direct contribution to the bottom line.?
Okay.Hold the cellular phone, Babe.
Mr. McBeath then apparently says the Siegfried & Roy show was on its way out anyway.
“[The Siegfried and Roy show] was starting to get tired,” McBeath says, “We reduced it from 10 shows to seven. We had talked about winding it down [before the accident]. Two years ago, [Mirage Resorts CEO] Bobby Baldwin was talking to Laliberte [Cirque du Soleil founder] about developing a show. When we got closer, it fell into place and made sense.”
Not to be cynical or bitter or angry but what the heck is he saying?I know Mr. McBeath cannot be saying, can he, that the tragic end of the Siegfried & Roy show came at a good time?Is he saying two years ago ? one year before Roy was nearly killed ? they were getting ready to… Continue reading How Important Were Siegfried & Roy? An Open Letter to Mirage
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