|
|
GS121002 Veteran user but he still can't help build a border wall with only 313 Posts |
These are some of the highlights of my experiences and interests in magic over the years and how it affected me.
My first experience with magic was in 1951, at the age 5, when I visited the Jokes & Magic Shop in Huron, South Dakota to spend my weekly 25 cent allowance. I remember asking the proprietor what the difference was between a joke and magic but I really didn't fully grasp his explanation. I bought a pewter Imp Bottle, which I confess, I never mastered because I had no one to help or guide me. I did visit his shop every Saturday thereafter purchasing mostly jokes to pull on my friends and my mother. She hated the cigarette loads and exploding matches but I loved the attention it got me and became known as the Joker. I even named my dog Joker. Years later, we had moved to Iowa City, Iowa where there were no magic shops. I do remember when I was about 10 or 12, developing my own card trick that I performed for all my family and no one could ever figure it out. I thought that was really cool! During a magic performance at my high school by a local magician, I was again mesmerized by the art but had nowhere to seek an outlet. I sought out books from the local library on magic to read but the selection was limited. I was a big comic book aficionado and sometimes there were ads in the backs of comic books for magic tricks. I think I bought them all, even the X-Ray glasses that would lead to an effect I would create years later. However, the only magic being performed in Iowa back then was on the Ed Sullivan TV show and I never missed an episode. I dropped out of college after my freshman year at the University of Iowa in order to serve my country and hopefully see the world. After two tours of duty in Vietnam; I found myself in San Diego, California where I got a job with NCR Corporation as a Field Service Engineer. I was still pulling jokes and doing small magic tricks for the people I worked with. I created an effect I called the X-Ray Camera that had people rolling in the aisles. While on vacation in Las Vegas, I stopped to watch a Magic Masters demonstration at Caesars Palace and was bitten hard by the magic bug. I purchased a Wellington Magic Switchboard, and several Johnson coin products that I could always carry in my pocket. I started to practice and perform for anyone who would watch. I loved seeing people feel same effect I felt when I first saw magic being done. I sought out San Diego's only magic shop, Brad Burt's Magic Shop. I soon found I was spending almost every lunch hour and all my Saturdays at Brad's shop being amazed at everything he showed me. I took every class he offered. I started trading out computer services with Brad for magic. Hooray, free magic…. Well, almost free. At Brad’s encouragement and sponsorship, I joined the IBM, the local IBM Chapter (Ring 76), the SAM, and the Magic Castle in Hollywood. It was at his shop that I met and became friends with J.P. Jackson, the famous magic collector. J.P. had a two story home that every room was filled with magic collectibles floor to ceiling. J.P. wasn’t just a collector, he was a hoarder but I was envious of his accomplishment. I went on to frequent magic conventions across the US and planned my vacations around them. I even worked my business trips into convention schedules. I was solidly hooked! I couldn’t walk into a store without thinking, “How could I use that in a magic routine?” I had developed a full working kid’s show, a solid adult close-up show, and a small parlor show. I loved entertaining and performed for whoever would watch. It was during one of those business trips to Chicago that I stopped by Magic Inc, and met Jay Marshall and his friend, Lefty. Jay was one of the warmest and most wonderful people I had ever met. I think I spent the entire day there listening to his stories. I noticed Jay’s copy of a Hieronymus Bosch painting, The Conjurer, hanging on the wall of his shop. I asked if it was for sale and he shook his head no because it was one of his favorite possessions. It took me another four hours, a dinner, and a bottle of wine to convince him to sell it to me. And now is one of my favorite possessions. Thank you Jay and I shall never forget you. It was at a local IBM Ring 76 meeting that I had to good fortune to be asked to deliver a San Diego City Proclamation to our guest lecturer, Eugene Burger, proclaiming that day, “Eugene Burger Day” in San Diego. Eugene was like a little kid bubbling with joy as I made the presentation to him. It was then that I became a big Eugene Burger fan buying everything he produced. It was my first experience into the bizarre side of magic and that affected my performance style. I was amazed that some people could actually be scared of things voodoo and the afterlife. Perhaps it could be a little too real…… Along the way, I had developed a love of the History of Magic and that into collecting historical magic memorabilia. J.P. had guided me in what items I should look for and purchase. (I remember him telling me, “Buy anything you find labeled Thayer!”) I had collected lots of colorful parlor props, over 600 books and video tapes, a number of Collector’s Workshop pieces, one of the few complete collections of Genii and Magic magazines, and my most prized collectible, a Card Sayer (aka the Demon’s Head). My collection grew and grew to where it filled a large room in my home. I would bet most of you reading this have been there too. I found that with my engineering and electronics background, it was easy for me to invent & created magic effects. I really enjoyed making props that I could only hope would one day be collectible. However, I never marketed anything commercially although the capability certainly exists. Back then, the internet didn't exist. The only access to magic electronically was through dial-up Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) which I became involved with. I was one of the inovaters trying to get various BBS system operators to standardize their software and consolidate their message bases so magicians world wide could communicate with each other. For my 50th birthday, we rented a bus and took 35 close friends and family to the Magic Castle in Hollywood. It was a night to remember and I am planning another such trip for my 70th birthday. If you ever find yourself in L.A. do not miss going to the Castle! Fifteen years went by since I saw that demo at Magic Masters in Las Vegas and for reasons I won't go into here, I began to lose interest in magic and sought other hobbies such as fly fishing and wood working. Even though I left magic, I never stopped loving it. I did learn that when children show in interest in magic, there needs to be someone there to help them foster that interest. Plant a seed and see what grows. Fast forward; I retired after 40 years in the IT industry and bought a retirement home up in the mountains outside San Diego. I had boxed up all my magic and was storing it in a spare room when my wife asked me, "What am I going to do with all that junk when you are gone?" I told her I would seek outlets to sell it and became a member of the Magic Café thinking that it would be a good outlet for getting rid of all those items I loved so much. Then something magical happened.... I rediscovered my lost love for magic. My heart started to beat again. Instead of getting rid of things, I found myself collecting again. Thus, here I am today. And how do I explain this to my wife? “Honey, I’m working on it but let me show you this…..” Hello, my name is Gary and I am a magiholic…….
Gary Salisbury
San Diego, CA It's a fact! - Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. (This line censored by Dave Scribner because it is in Latin) - What you believe is real, is real! Who was that masked man and what is he all about? - https://www.pinterest.com/garydsalisbury/ |
Mary Mowder Inner circle Sacramento / Elk Grove, CA 3659 Posts |
Hi Gary.
I enjoyed your introduction and I can appreciate your problem. Both Tom and I are Magicians and we too are having trouble doing the kind of curating that a Magic collection requires. Not collectables, just a collection that accreted over the years. Still, I guess one box at a time, you'll either find lost treasure or realize that you will not need an old gag with a Telephone handset and twisty cord and the like. We lived in San Diego for a while (Tom grew up there) and we miss the magic scene. It is so beautiful there. -Mary Mowder |
Julie Inner circle 3936 Posts |
Hello Gary
What a wonderful magical story and so well written. Welcome to a great group of fellow Magicians at the Magic Café. Above all, I wish you continued FUN! Julie |
GS121002 Veteran user but he still can't help build a border wall with only 313 Posts |
I have met so many wonderful people in Magic (and a few turds) but let's focus on the positive. Looking back, I wish that there had been someone there when I was young to help me foster my interest in Magic. If there had been, my life probably would have taken a totally different direction. So my urging to you is to look for that child or youngster who was like myself and be their mentor. Guide them, show them, teach them. Plant the seed and see what grows.
Gary Salisbury
San Diego, CA It's a fact! - Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. (This line censored by Dave Scribner because it is in Latin) - What you believe is real, is real! Who was that masked man and what is he all about? - https://www.pinterest.com/garydsalisbury/ |
markcall New user 28 Posts |
It's amazing how we never REALLY loose our LOVE of Magic...
You are in the right place and I LOVED your story. Thank YOU for sharing. - Mark |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Our new arrivals » » Highlights of my experiences in magic over the years.... (1 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.05 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |