The Magic Castle announced to the membership that they have procured the talents of Mr. Earl Nelson as the Castle's House Magician. This means that he will be appearing there several nights a week, according to the announcement. This is great news for the Magic Castle, and for all of us. It harkens back to "the good old days," when Al Goshman was in residence. Okay, I'm not old enough to remember THOSE good old days, although I had the pleasure to see Al perform at the Castle. But I digress...Earl Nelson is in a league of his own, and he is a fine performer and a gentleman.

This is some of the best news I've heard this week.

Is this their response to John Carney quitting?

I really wish that I lived a lot closer to the Magic Castle!

An interview with Earl Nelson was published in the August 2001 issue of "Genii". In that interview, Earl Nelson's reply to the question 'do you perform at private parties and trade shows?' was:

"Very rarely. I've never been one of those magicians who can push themselves to go out and look for work. I don't like to work the phone to get bookings - I don't know how and I can't stand it. I'm very bad at that and I have the bank balance to prove it. That's why I'm so happy working at Caesar's. It's great to be able to go to the same place each night and not to have to explain myself. I know exactly what I'm doing. I don't have to walk up to somebody's door and say, "Hello I'm the magician." Bless the guys who can do that, but I can't. I did do it a lot in the 1980s, but I'm really glad that part of my life seems to be over."

Reading the above response, I can understand how being appointed House Magician would suit Earl Nelson perfectly. I'm certain that Earl Nelson could make 'big dollars' by working trade shows, corporate functions, and private parties, but it's obvious that this type of performing doesn't appeal to him.

I hope that Earl Nelson enjoys a lengthy tenure as the Magic Castle's House Magician.