Hi Pete,
Can you tell us about your relationship with Fred Kaps?

We just hit it off right away.

I don't remember the first meeting, but we started to correspond on a regular basis. Just like I did with Ken Brooke.

Dick Koornwinder says he has over 100 of the letter I wrote to Fred in his files.

Kaps was a true man's man, and a real family man with a great wife and two daughters.

He was probably, as Ken Brooke said, "The best all-around magician of our time." He could do close-up, cabaret, TV and stage illusions.

He, in his native language was really funny, working for years in the "Snip Snap Review."

I watched him several times in Holland working such simple things as the Professor's Nightmare, the Spot Card and the Chinese Sticks and get HUGE LAUGHS.

In the review shows he did two acts, the talking act with the above effects, and the silent maniulation act most magicians have seen via video clips, with the Smoking Thumb, manipulations with paper money instead of cards and the long salt pour.

For magic convention he only did the silent manipulation act and he added some difficult stuff.

In my letters to him, I would keep him informed as to what was happening in the U.S., and would give him ideas for things I had come up with.

Three things I gave to him worked their way into his performances.

One was an Electric-powered, motorized Devano Style jumbo rising card deck.
Another was a special set of Linking Coat Hangers.
The third, and one I am most proud of, as he featured it twice (that I know of) on major Television Specials, one in England the other on the continent.

And that was my borrowed finger ring that is vanished and is found on the stem of a wine glass. The glass had to be broken to return the ring.

You can see a complete write up of this in, I believe, the Oct. 2007 Genii magazine.

One anecdote: Fred was driving us to lunch and he spotted a parking place, and at the same time another guy saw the same spot. Fred just beat him to the spot. The guy, angrily, rolled down his window, shaked his fist at Fred and shouted, "MAGIC ISN'T ENOUGH?"

Thanks Pete, that was great! I will have to check out that Genii issue you mentioned. The borrowed finger ring on wine glass stem sounds like a great illusion, I will have to check youtube for a demo! Thanks again for sharing your memories.

Taj

If you find it on You Tube, or anywhere else, please let me know.

Pete,do you know who the guy is on the Fred Kaps video"s on Youtube,I think he"s an American guy and the video"s look like home made recordings as though Fred is a guest at this guys home.
This guy cracks me up,he seems a smashing bloke {smashing-great} Fred tells the guy that this trick is an "old classic" and he puts a wand on the table and then says "do you know what this is?" the guy replies "It"s an old classic"...Fred- "That"s not an old classic,it"s a wooden stick".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JpFZbE-UhM

That is Bro. John Hamman. This was filmed at Phillipe Fialho's home in the South of France.

Fialho, now deceased, was a wealthy magic enthusist who used to invite various magicians to come stay at this villa for a week at a time. I believe his family owned LOURDES resort and spa and ere alo in the fabric business.

Fialho had a really amazing and funny close-up act where he did a Chink-A-Chink routine and to prove he couldn't move the chips, he actully NAILED on to the table... and it still moved.

Really? Bro John Hamman.
Good god,I had no idea.
Thanks very much,Pete.

Unfortunately I don't own this Genii issue, but this does bring to my mind the only Pete Biro piece of magic I know which is a ring effect from Pabular magazine called Glittering , which is brilliant. Took me awhile to set it up but its really creative, especially if you're a flash paper fan.

I don't own Pete Biro's books as I'm a card guy. Do you have any card stuff published Pete?

Regards,
~ Feras

Hi pete,

i´m angry with myself, because I have seen this effect just recently some where in the net.

he was working in kind of bar setting, was bringing two persons up on stage. they where seated on 2 barchairs in front of the bar, he was behind it and was doing your thing.

was great theater, he built this small trick up, that it was a pleasure ... nice framing and so on, just well done for tv.

I will look around again and hope to find it ... if you don´t write down, where you have found things exectly this days, then it is so difficult to find it again.

I will try to remember ...


rené

ps: it is out there!!!

Thanks, if you find the link, please let me know. Somewhere I have a bad video tape with it included. I was supposed to get a first generation video. Will shake the guy out that promised it.

Do you know if the Fred Kaps Copper Silver routine was published anywhere?

I don't think so, but it could have been in Europe. You can ask Dick Koornwinder. He's at dkmagic@planet.nl