] V A N I S H M a g a z i n e
" You know you ’ re on the B circuit when you wait for the food to come before you perform ..."
You live in Toronto ; Canada , is it hard to maintain a suntan while you ’ realways in David Ben ’ s shadow ? To keep the tan I use Vernon ’ s ashes ( acquired from the David Ben collection ), a little goes a long way and is a constant reminder that Houdini couldn ’ t do any magic .
Being the true dilettante I am , for the ashes on the palm trick I only use Vernon ’ s . You want to do everything high end .
Given your profoundly unambitious approach to magic , practice and performance overall , would you consider what you do work or some sort of cheap dodge or hustle ? Its work , but I hire most of it out . It ’ s not like I need a crowbar to open my wallet . Sometimes you want to hire out the hard stuff . Also : Why do now what you can put off until later .
For the record : David Ben ’ s particular genius is to be able to make small things play big , and how to block and light material accordingly . I freely admit that I often reference him first when working on a new piece and look to his writing for guidance . He ’ s also been a real help with business . No real instruction , just hanging out and listening . You learn a lot that way . Who the heck would pay for that service when you can have drinks instead ?? He used to do a bit with rubber olives and a martini glass . It was brilliant . He never published it . The bastard .
10 NOVEMBER | 2023