In a chat with the Hollywood Reporter, Neil Patrick Harris discusses the recent fire at the Magic Castle which we covered in detail on my last podcast.
Harris, who is president of the Magic Castle, said he was shocked when he learned a fire broke out in the attic of the Hollywood mansion. Twelve fire trucks were called to the scene.
“We dodged a lot of bullets,” Harris told THR. “It could’ve been much, much worse. It was minutes, floorboards away from being a huge, huge disaster.
He added: “I think we’ll be able to open relatively soon again and get back to business."
Harris, a lifelong magician (in his Doogie Howser days he did a funny trick on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson), said the club has started what it is calling the "Inferno Fund," to which anyone can contribute. He’s been impressed by the many magicians who have reached out wanting to help, even if it means grabbing a bucket and mop.
On October 31, 2011 (Halloween), at approximately the time that Harry Houdini died, the magic community learned that our American clubhouse, the Magic Castle, was on fire. In this podcast, we catch up with Irene Larsen, Erika Larsen, West McDonough and Milt Larsen and are provided with an intimate and first hand look at what happened, what caused the fire, the extent of the damage and what the future holds for the Castle. All of this on the eve of a soft re-opening of the site to members and guests.
LISTEN TO OUR COVERAGE OF THE MAGIC CASTLE FIRE WITH ERIKA LARSEN, IRENE LARSEN, WEST MCDONOUGH AND MILT LARSEN::
Michael Carbonaro makes his third appearance on the Tonight Show as "Magic Clerk." Creative assistance provided by Beth Einhorn, Derek DelGaudio and Derek Hughes.
A fire erupted at one of magic’s most hallowed grounds, The Magic Castle today. Around 12:30 p.m. fire crews were called to the Hollywood landmark to battle a greater-alarm blaze that reportedly started in the attic and burned into some of the walls. About thirty minutes later, the Los Angeles Fire Department called in additional aide to combat what L.A.F.D. spokesman Matt Spence called “a stubborn fire.” The crew, consisting of roughly 120 firefighters extinguished the blaze in a little over an hour. Thankfully no injuries or fatalities have been reported.
While the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, several reports have pointed to maintenance that occurred earlier in the day as a potential factor. The Magic Castle has stated that “we are officially closed tonight as we regroup and assess damage. We will have updates regarding our re-opening as soon as we know more. Thank you for your support and understanding. This community is a tight-knit one and we certainly feel the love coming in from around the world.” While the fire is said to have mainly damage the attic and a couple of walls, it is not the only issue at hand. Extensive water damage may also be a concern at the venue which opened under its current title on Jan. 2, 1963.
The fire stops short the Castle’s “Inferno Week,” with the fire ironically starting at the exact hour of Houdini’s death. This is truly a sad day for the magic community as one of its greatest landmarks has been hit by tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who are being affected by this event and I hope that the Castle and its rich heritage will survive.
John Rotellini Jr. is a magician and student at the University of Wyoming.
UPDATE: I just received this email from Jonathan Pendragon: West went to the Magic Castle when she was called early this afternoon to represent her family, she just got home. This is her report: Everyone got out safely. There is some damage, but not as bad as it could have been. Crews will be on site tonight working to repair the damage. It is hoped that the Magic Castle will reopen this weekend. They were even able to joke that the Castle should excommunicate the person who came up with this year's Halloween theme, "Inferno" !
UPDATE 2: From the Board of Directors of the Magic Castle: As you may already know, the Magic Castle experienced a small fire this morning, starting in the attic above our administrative offices. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the incident, and the Los Angeles Fire Department was quick not only in responding to the scene, but in resolving the situation and minimizing the impact to the building.
The Castle has experienced some damage to its roof, as well as to some ceilings and fixtures. With sadness, therefore, the Board of Directors has decided to close our operations for the next several nights and, once our assessment is complete, will be announcing whether we'll be closed for business beyond that. We believe that insurance will cover any financial losses, and have notified our carriers.
We, the Board of Directors, would like to sincerely thank the LAFD (for their usual excellence and going “above and beyond” with their help), the AMA staff (who reacted with great poise and professionalism), and also all the concerned members and friends we've heard from today. We want to assure everyone that we'll do everything we can, to get our beloved clubhouse back to her original condition as soon as possible.
This message was approved by the Board of Directors.
The Houdini Museum recently had a story with a picture in the Scranton Times. It mentions the original three key Houdini Commandos, Dorothy Dietrich, Dick Brooks(z) and Steve "Bingo" Moore, who made the replacement of Houdini's bust at his grave site possible and Mayor Dorerty proclaiming October 31st, 2011 as Houdini Commandos day.
It also mentions fund raising plan we have started to repair Houdini and other magicians whose graves around the world need help. It will be called the Houdini Gravesite Fund. It will be a separate fund kept by The Houdini Museum, a 501 C-3 non profit museum that has been set up through the Internal Revenue System of the Department of Treasury.
If you are interested let us know by responding to this post. We will get in touch with you as time and ideas permit.
Please send in your suggestions of other sites around the world you know of that should be addressed.
Just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio on a 250 acre horse farm, eight feet below ground in an abandoned mine shaft, there exists a legendary collection of magic props and artifacts. It is of course, Ken Klosterman's "Salon de Magie." On this episode of the Magic Newswire's Spirit of Magic podcast, we talk with Ken about his love of magic, how he bagan collecting and why he has decided to part with some of his treasures in an upcoming auction. He also shares a few antic-dotes about magicians visiting the Salon such as Teller and David Copperfield.
I have become a willing captive of my own cocoon, my past and present woven around me. Soon I will sleep and in my sleep I will dream about the future; what will I become? I pray the Dream Lord will visit me. Only then will inspiration make its presence known. Only then will I have the aid of prescient sight.
Salvador Dali proclaimed that if you knew what a painting would look like before you painted it, there was no reason to paint it. Discovery is critical to the creative process, although process may be too organized a term... more like creative panic attack. How often does the proverbial lightbulb go on over your head? Almost never.
It may surprise many to learn that an idea can be kicked around in your subconscious while you sleep. Suddenly, the next day, the idea crystalizes in your mind and you exclaim Eureka! or I have found it!
Archimedes is said to have cried this in a bath tub when he discovered the Archimedes Principle: that a body is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the water it displaces. Vitruvius, the guy in the square-circle (the drawing by Da Vinci, not the trick) tells the story that Archimedes was given a crown by Hero II, and told that Hero had supplied the gold for the crown, but was concerned that the goldsmiths had replaced some of the gold with silver, keeping the gold for themselves. Archimedes was to determine if this was true, without melting the crown down. Archimedes considered the problem several days while reclining in a bath (a technique employed regularly by Jonathan Neal), and the method was revealed to him when the water level rose above the top of the bath and spilled over. So the lightbulb went on, but not without the toil of thought and experimentation, such as it was.
This is not a discipline magicians are fond of and why should they be? Grab a magic DVD and a notebook and you are ready to do research. If you are still not sure how you would present the magic, then fire up the PC and check out the graveyard of performance: YouTube. Here hundreds of routines are presented and endlessly revisited. What need is there of discovery? What need is there for a new idea when the gods of pixels can stream an existing presentation directly to your neocortex for consumption?
My wandering in the wilderness (my chosen euphemism for the time spent in jail) revealed to me that, if I wanted to return, I would need to reinvent myself yet again, and to rethink my material in order to match a new persona. So I find myself, once again, in the process. This is not a deterrent to me; with everything I have done (riding big waves, cliff diving, extreme skiing, etc.), the biggest rush I have ever experienced has been the realization of a new idea. I have learned that I cannot escape my past; rather, I must find a way of interweaving Metaphysics with Jonathan Pendragon: Illusionist.
When I began my quest, I never expected this. But I have discovered that, as I rebuild my performance, the bath water keeps running over the tub. Sometimes it is the excitement of a new project with Jim Steinmeyer, and sometimes it is the familiarity of greeting my dog on stage. My future begins to take shape in my conscious. I no longer fear what lies ahead.
I wanted to wall up Jonathan Pendragon: Illusionist, with all the dispassionate resolve of Montresor. But he refuses to stay buried. Listen... do you hear that noise? Tear up the floorboards! It is the beating of his accursed heart! [Poe... sort of]
In a chat with the Hollywood Reporter, Neil Patrick Harris discusses the recent fire at the Magic Castle which we covered in detail on my last podcast.
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