One of the few unfortunate things about doing Magic for 41 years is ample opportunity for embarrassing moments. It's almost disturbing how many I've had. Here is just a small sample:

1) I was the opening act for Robert Klein at a comedy club in Florida. There was no MC that night so I was to introduce Robert after my set. I had totally horked up my finale and was completely thrown off by it. So much so, that I had total brain lock and could not remember who the headliner was. I could not remember who it was to save my life. He had to introduce himself. He made fun of me throughout his whole act. Oddly enough, I was never called back to perform there.

2) I got food poisoning once and barfed in the middle of a kid's birthday party. (I didn't charge for that show)

3) Doing a close-up show in the late '70s at a teen-ager's birthday party. One of my tricks was "The UFO Dice" which uses a UFO shaped dice dish. After passing the dish out for examination, the birthday kid's little brother whipped the dish at me and it hit me right between the eyes. I was dazed and had a bump the size of a golf ball before the show was over. I don't even remember how it ended.

4) Doing a birthday party where I did not see ALL the parents leave. The kids went crazy and attacked me to get at my props. I honest to God fought them off with my Sword Thru Neck Sword. They wanted to kill my doves to see if they were real. I wanted to do the same to the parents.

5) Although there are many more stories, the #1 MOST embarrassing thing: I auditioned at Six Flags Over Georgia once in full Wizard robes with beard and tall pointy hat. My dove "Marlo" came out of the "Dove in Balloon" like a crazed homing pigeon on crack. He circled me once and flew out an open window. I can only imagine what the Park guests thought as a tall, gangly Wizard ran full tilt through the park screaming "MARLOOOOOOOOW!!! COME BAAAAAAAACK!" Oddly enough, I was not called back for a second audition...

AND let's not even mention the potato chips that came out in the 80's with "Olestra" or whatever the hell it was that caused (I'm NOT making this up) as a side effect, "anal leakage"...