DAVID COPPERFIELD :: INSURANCE SALESMAN

JONATHAN PENDRAGON & THE SEARCH FOR THE GRAIL :: PART 10 :: GRACE

Prophecy and Free Will, to me, have always been mutually exclusive concepts. I know theologians who would argue that. Hell, West would argue that! But the idea of someone manipulating my strings (and that will be the only metaphor explored) has always felt creepy to me. It doesnt help that I suffer from automatonophobia (fear of ventriloquist dummies), the result of watching too many Twilight Zone episodes.

My will is critical to my being. In many ways, this belief has motivated me to come up with the hyper-rational mentalism style I created for Metaphysics. I am happy to calculate the probabilities of my future, but seeing my future smacks of predetermination, and predetermination eliminates the need for will.

That said, the last year and a half has seemed more fated than figured. I am forced to consider forces greater than myself having a say-so in my life. I wouldnt call it magical thinking, because I always think of that term in a pejorative sense. Lets call it mystical thinking, or spiritual thinking

In Grail lore, the king does not realize the emptiness of his soul until it is filled. My soul was likewise empty, until it was filled with hope. In searching for the Grail, it never occurred to me that if I stood still, others might bring it to me.

In my life, work has been my greatest addiction. My friends would constantly point out that I was never happy unless I was struggling with some problem to solve. But my problems became impossible to contemplate, and so I just closed my eyes, with the intent of never opening them again. That didnt happen. Forced by Fate to journey on, I began to realize the miracle that is friendship. Friend after friend came to my aid, gave me support, and one even introduced me to a remarkable woman. The more I learned about her, the more it seemed that I was destined to know her... which really put a dent in my rational veneer.

I am a Romantic, and always have been; its just a part of me I tend to guard carefully, because there is nothing quite so vulnerable as a romantic heart. I happily admit that I cry every time I watch Iron Giant (and if you dont, I would find that suspicious!). My friends began to notice a change in me. Her friends began to notice the same. Somehow, whenever we were around each other, even if it was only on the phone, we just felt happier, and it was impossible to believe that could be a bad thing.  

This relationship was not without its problems. We were both still legally married, although separated. She represented her family, the Glovers, in negotiations with my family, the Magic Castle, so we had to be constantly wary about certain topics of conversation, and respecting each others boundaries and responsibilities. Yet nothing seemed to matter, because every day I learned something new about her, and every thing I learned made me love her more.

We began to have adventures. She began to travel with me, and to work with me on my material. Her understanding of magic was profound, and unbiased by the politics of the art. I could spend the next three pages explaining how wonderful she is, but it wouldnt bring you any closer to the truth: that her greatest gift to me was grace. Like the water that pours from the Grail itself, she healed the many wounds and scars I had collected. In my mind she created a field, beautiful and natural, where I could rest, knowing that I would wake up alive and eager to tackle some new problem, create some new presentation... because at my side was my best friend, my lover... and soon much more.

On March 11, 2012, during the Magic Castle Sunday Brunch, sitting with close friends in the Houdini sance room, I stood, said Excuse us, a prearranged signal to the rest of our party to leave the room. Unbeknownst to West, other close friends waited just outside the door. With just the two of us in the room, I asked the all-important question, and she gave me the all-important answer, and I placed a ring on the ring finger of her left hand. Then the room was flooded with good friends and family... and glasses of champagne.

Readers, I am proud to announce that West McDonough has agreed to marry me.

TELLER THE CHATTERBOX

In another interview for Smithsonian, Teller spoke with Joseph Stromberg "about the principles of magic, its relevance in everyday life and why used-car salesmen should make jokes when trying to close a sale."

Teller first became infatuated with magic around the age of 5, when he was bedridden with an illness and sent away for a magic set. “That toy became my obsession. I was magnetized to it. I worked these little gizmos till they frayed,” he says. “Nearly 60 years later, I’m still not cured.”

He is now known best as the smaller, quieter half of the performing duo Penn & Teller. In addition to being one of the world’s most famous magicians, he’s also contributed to the New York Times, the New Yorker and the Atlantic; written three books with Penn; edited two volumes on magic history; and published When I'm Dead All This Will Be Yours!, a memoir of his artist parents. Most recently, he directed a horror-influenced version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and in 2010 co-wrote and directed an Off Broadway show, Play Dead.

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TELLER TELLS SECRETS

Writing for Smithsonian Magazine, discusses how magicians use the spectators mind against them.

In the last half decade, magic—normally deemed entertainment fit only for children and tourists in Las Vegas—has become shockingly respectable in the scientific world. Even I—not exactly renowned as a public speaker—have been invited to address conferences on neuroscience and perception. I asked a scientist friend (whose identity I must protect) why the sudden interest. He replied that those who fund science research find magicians “sexier than lab rats.”

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MAC KING TO HOST MAGIC CASTLE AWARDS

Thanks to a post from 247-Las-Vegas.com, I've learned that Mac King hs been tapped to host the 44th annual Academy of Magical Arts Awards Show on April 1st. From the article:

Harrah’s Las Vegas Headliner and Comedy-Magician Mac King will host the 44th Annual Academy of Magical Arts Awards Show on Sunday, Apr. 1, at 7 p.m. gala inside the Saban Theatre on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills, CA. A recipient of the “Magician of the Year” award in 2004, King now joins a distinguished list of celebrity emcees, including Neil Patrick Harris and Bob Barker, that have hosted this prestigious ceremony which is considered among many to be “The Oscars of Magic.”

 “It is an honor to return to the stage as host this year,” said Mac King. “Winning ‘Magician of the Year’ at the AMA Awards show in 2004 is a proud accomplishment and memorable experience in my career and I look forward to being a part of this tremendous experience for other distinguished and outstanding prestidigitators.” 

The Academy of Magical Arts Awards Show, produced this year by Max Maven, is one of the magic community’s most highly anticipated events of the year. The event gathers magicians from around the world for an evening of magic, fellowship, laugher and amazement as they honor living legends and celebrate fresh new talent in the world of magic and illusion.

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AOL... YOU'VE GOT DAVID BLAINE

Thanks to Max Droge, I discovered this AOL video of David Blaine performing an underwater stunt in a Liberty Science Center fish tank and discussing the importance of supporting local museums.

JOHN GAUGHAN :: BOING BOING

Recent Magic Newswire podcast guest and a man that is simply amazing, John Gaughan finds himself as the subject of a new article on the Tech News aggregation blog Boing Boing.  In the interview with Joshuah Bearman, they begin by discussing the chess playing "automaton" known as The Turk and move on to the story of how an illusion inspired Charles Babbage to create one of the first "thinking magchines."

JB::  And I read that Charles Babbage, who invented the first computer, had seen the Turk and that was part of what inspired him.

JG :: Yup. People then didn’t know it was an illusion. They thought it was a thinking machine. And Babbage thought: “My god, if they can build a machine that plays chess, I should be able to make a machine that that can execute various rational functions.”

So it was later that he built the analytical engine.

JG :: Which was programmed with punch cards. And Jaquard, whose looms were programmed that way, may have also seen the Turk. And that was how computing began.

JB::  It’s crazy that the first thinking machine was inspired by a fake parlor trick version of a thinking machine.

JG :: The Turk seemed like modernity but turned out to be old magic. But in a way magic was modernity. Magic and machines were all bound up together. Most of the master magicians of the nineteenth century were also watch makers. Both require meticulous planning and mechanical ingenuity to build intricate, tiny, things. They would take the latest engineering and apply it to magic. And vice-versa: developing a certain illusion would lead to engineering breakthroughs.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE AT BOING BOING

Thanks to David Storey for telling me about the article. And, in case you missed my chat with John you can listen to it below of subscribe via iTunes:

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MNW #331 :: HATCH & ENGLAND TALK ERDNASE

Was he Milton Franklin Andrews, Wilbur Edgerton Sanders, E.S. Andrews, L'Homme Masque, or S.W. Erdnase? The search for the author of one of the most seminal works on the card manipulation is among the most hotly debated topics in the world of conjuring research. On this episode of the "Spirit of Magic" podcast, I am joined by guest co-host Jason England and special guest Richard Hatch. Richard is widely recognized for his research on the topic of Erdnase and the book "Expert at the Card Table." If you regularly perform close-up magic with cards, then you are certain to have been influenced by this book whether or not you are aware of it. We may just scratch the surface of this fascinating topic in this episode, but it is a fascinating and educational conversation that you need to hear.

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AMAZING JOHNATHAN INVOLVED IN CAR ACCIDENT

UPDATE (02/17/12): I just got off of the phone with Anastasia. Somehow, she hit the windshield and the dash but walked away with nothing more than a fat lip. Johnathan is home now, but against Doctors orders. He was having trouble breathing and had to be intubated. They are taking a few weeks off to recover but expect to be back at it soon. Oh, and no, it wasn't the Mustang... It was the '67 Camaro which is totaled.

Initial Report (02/16/12): I received several emails asking if I had heard anything about the Amazing Johnathan being involved in a auto accident. After a call to Adam, I confirmed that this was unfortunately true. Several people planning to attend his show were told that the performance had been canceled because he had been injured in an accident while on the way to the theater. Apparently, Jonathan and his girlfriend Anastasia Synn were approximately three miles from his home when they were hit head on. Anastasia has since been released from the hospital with "bumps & bruises" while Jonathan's injuries are slightly more serious. He is expected to be in the hospital for several days while doctors evaluate the full extent of his injuries. Obviously, we wish both of them nothing but the best and a rapid recovery. More info will be posted as I receive it.

Jonathan was last a guest on my podcast in 2008 for our Halloween special. In case you missed it, you can listen below.

LISTEN TO THE AMAZING JOHNATHAN ON THE MAGIC NEWSWIRE: ::

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IS THE MILITARY LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MAGICIANS?

Thanks to an article from the WIRED.com Danger Room blog, we have learned of a four million dollar project which hopes to "demonstrate and assess the operational effectiveness of advanced human-deceptive technologies on military ground, sea, and airborne systems."  

What? Magic on the battlefield? Who'd have thought!

If this all sounds a little outside the military norm, it shouldn’t. Magicians and generals have had a long-standing relationship — one that produced very real effects during wartime. Harry Houdini snooped on the German and the Russian militaries for Scotland Yard. English illusionist Jasper Maskelyne is reported to have created dummy submarines and fake tanks to distract Rommel’s army during World War II; some reports even credit him with employing flashing lights to “hide” the Suez Canal. At the height of the Cold War, the Central Intelligence Agency paid $3,000 to renowned magician John Mulholland to write a manual on misdirection, concealment and stagecraft. It was republished in 2009 as “The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception.”

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