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mrmagician Regular user 124 Posts |
Does anyone have any bizarre Carazini stories? I first saw him perform on Ed sullivan, as a child. He was the "drunk" that blew smoke rings and made humorous facial contortions.
Garry Hayes |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
I knew Jay Carazini. He was from Kentucky or West Virginia, if memory serves. He lived in Houston for several months while he performed at The Million Dollar City Dump.
I met him in 1977, when I moved back to Houston after having spent the first 9 months of the year trying to make magic props in Abilene, Texas. I had lost many of my contacts, and Carazini helped me out by ordering custom props which I made for him. He always paid me more than I asked for. It was his way of helping out a magician who needed a leg up. Whenever he went out in public, he always had a long silver teaspoon with him. He had an odd kind of smoke producing gimmick, which he kept a deep secret. This thing was ready to go at a moment's notice. He would pull the spoon out of his pocket, bend it into the shape of a pipe and smoke it. It turned a lot of heads.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
mrmagician Regular user 124 Posts |
Hi Bill,
Jay was from Pineville, KY. I am recollecting my first encounter with him. Pineville is a poverty, coal mine area. It sits at the bottom of the mountain leading to Middlesboro, KY. I will tell my experience with him in the next couple of weeks. It was so bizarre. This would have been around 1986 / 1987. I might be able to tip the "smoke gimmick". Is it ok to that on the Magic Café? Garry Hayes |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
PM'ed you about the smoke gimmick.
Jay was an interesting character. He was always "on." Is he still among the living?
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
mrmagician Regular user 124 Posts |
Last time I checked with friends in Southeastern Ky, he was in a nursing home. He was not coherent. I might give some of my folks a phone call. Pineville Ky was an intersting little coal mine town. At least four magicians came from there: Jay Carazini, William Preston Slusher Jr (Preston the Magician), Loyd Crabtree, and Charles Bingham. Two of them were knowns, Carazini and Preston. Preston was the INTL IBM President one year. Garry
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
That's too bad. Carazini was a one-off.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
JNeal Inner circle I used to have 999 posts, now I have 1617 Posts |
Bill, you are right about Carazini always being 'on'. One time I was driving out to Palm Deser in Valif. to do a one nighter and I stopped into a 7-11 for a coke. Out in the middle of nowhere was Carzini buying a pack of cigarettes ...and doing his ENTIRE smoking act for the amazed (and otherwise bored) kid behind the counter.
I had seen Carazini do his act many times in the front lobby of the Magic Castle, so I dropped a buck on the counter and left. CRAZY! And a true story!!
visit me @ JNealShow.com
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
One Sunday afternoon, Jay, my wife and I went to a local Chinese restaurant. He proceeded to smoke his spoon. The guests at the restaurant were their usual "inscrutable" selves. He finally got them to respond, though.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
mumford Special user 652 Posts |
I really enjoyed Carazini on the old Carson show and heard he did his act on the stairs at the Magic Castle. Don't know if this is true or not because this is a second hand story. I heard for a while he had some sort of delusion where he thought he was being chased by the CIA or was under FBI surveillance. Anyone know about this?
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Actually, Carazini did have a "past," which I would rather not go any further into here. As far as the FBI or CIA being after him, I don't believe so. There may have been an angry relative, though!
Jay once told me that he had thought that magicians always walked around in white tie, with a top hat and performed constantly.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts |
What a fantastic life that would be!
Quote: On 2009-06-17 01:22, Bill Palmer wrote:
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
Jerskin Inner circle 2497 Posts |
Carazini was booked on a cruise. He showed up in the suit he wore all week & onstage. They wanted him to do 20 minutes but his act was only about 10 so he did it twice back-to-back
GrEg oTtO
MUNDUS VULT DECIPI |
Pete Biro 1933 - 2018 18558 Posts |
I saw him on the street one night doing his act for just a couple of people.
STAY TOONED... @ www.pete-biro.com
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