"Give me an eye witness and I'll get you a conviction"

(I don’t doubt that this may be covered elsewhere, but I have failed to discover just where.)

It is quite remarkable what our audience's remember from their experience with us. Their version of the “facts” may often be a surprise and place us in the league of urban legends. What are some surprising “memories” you have had presented to you?

This is one of the most outrageous recalls we’ve heard about ourselves.

It happened at a return engagement. We had performed a fund raiser show two years previous. At that time the organizers asked us to make a publicity appearance at the local mall. Surrounded by the mall-going audience we “caused a volunteer to become rigid as a board and laid her across the backs of two chairs”. That was it. No standing on the tummy. No smashing of cinder bricks. Nothing. Just build up and presentation.

As we set-up for our performance two years later, we had one of the organizers approach us and inquire if we would be performing “that chair thing” again. Apparently it created quite the stir; the girl becoming so stiff as to support her own weight. And how, while totally surrounded, I had removed first one, then the other chair from beneath the lady as she stayed suspended in mid air! (Gee, I wish I had seen that!)

I explained to the organizer that we had decided not to bring that effect with us on this run as so many people remember it and the impact would be lessened!

(Now where can I get me one of those surrounded, perform anywhere, do it with a volunteer, levitations?)

While tablehopping, I have given up trying to count the number of patrons who have asked me, in different words: "Did you see the TV special where David Copperfield made the Empire State Building vanish?"

I have long since given up trying to point out that it was the Statue of Liberty.

But, in their minds, they actually "saw" the Empire State Building vanish!

In the hockey league that I play in, they call me David Blaine, because one time, I did a couple of tricks for them at the bar afterwards. Everyone asks me how he does his levitation, so I one day before I got in my equipment, went into the corner, and did the levitation, I absolutely floored them. I distracted one of the other teams players so much, he could hardly handle the puck.

Jeff

Another suspension story.

(Background: Mr. Scott Imler manufactured a version of the broom suspension for us. It is designed to look and function as a microphone stand.)

We often meet with members of our audience after a performance and ask them what, in their perspective, were the highlights of the evening. On the occasions where we have performed with Scott’s wonderful prop, the suspension is regularly brought up. They marvel at how Brenda was somehow suspended in mid air (forgetting the microphone stand was even there). There was an audience member who stated, “well, she must have been some how attached to the mic stand but beats me how.” To which two of the others responded, “What mic stand?”