ALOHA PETE BIRO
BY NICK LEWIN
It was very sad news to hear about the
passing, on December 26th, of Pete Biro.
Pete was a funny magician with a fund of
knowledge and one of the real movers
and shakers in magic. He suffered a stroke
about a year ago, and his death seems to
be an aftermath of this event. I first met
Pete in London in the 1960s in the magic
studio of Ken Brooke in London's West End.
Biro got serious respect while visiting 145,
Wardour Street because he drank English
style tea rather than coffee. Pete was a firm
friend of Brooke and they had enormous
respect for each other. I just met Biro the
once at Ken Brooke's Magic Place; however,
Pete was the kind of guy you met once and
felt you had known for years.
sigh a little and wish Aloha to Pete. If there is
some form of heaven, I hope that Ken, Pete,
Harry, Dean, and Ricky are all there together
catching up and sharing moves and tricks.
The next times Pete came into my life was
in the mid-1970s when I was working at
the Magic Cellar in San Francisco. Pete
would stop by the Cellar and we would
gossip and talk magic, Pete always had
an idea for a gag or joke to add to the
show. Biro had a mind like a magnet
and a wonderful sense of what material
would work for a fellow performer. He was
always very generous with his time and
knowledge. It was at this time I realized
that in addition to his skills as a magician
Pete was also a world-class and highly
talented race car photographer.
I continued to bump into Pete over the
years, and we always enjoyed a lively
conversation; he was one of those
friends with whom you could pick up a
conversation exactly where you left of a
year or so before. Always the mark of a
good friend. I have followed Pete's writings
over the years and have always been
impressed by his ability to get right to the
commercial heart of a routine. Biro will be
sorely missed throughout the magic world
for his formidable knowledge and quirky
performing style.
I will certainly miss bumping into Pete
at the Friday luncheon at the Castle,
and our occasional exchange of notes
over the Internet. Sadly with Pete Biro's
passing, we have lost another of magic's
real characters. All of us here at VANISH
Magazine send our sincerest condolences
to his family and many friends. 2018 took
a heavy toll on the magic world. I will just
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