September's Gone

Fall is rapidly becoming more evident in these parts and as we have annually for the last five years at this time of year, we bid a fond farewell to the amusement park today for another season. I am happy to report that Sandy and I went out on a high note this year with four standing-room-only shows, a marked contrast to last year's final day which was totally rained out. We're looking forward to taking the family show to the Harwinton Fair this coming weekend with two shows each day at 1 and 4 PM.

September was busy for me with a number of private shows, including one for Verizon in the heart of Boston's financial district and another at Eastern Connecticut State University. It wasn't all work, however, as Sandy and I got a chance to get into New York City and spend some time with Louis Falanga, the president of L&L Publishing (he publishes my books) and also Joshua Jay, one of the finest young magicians working today (Louis produces Josh's instructional DVDs). We were able to take in an exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History that Sandy's been dying to see and also, thanks to Louis' ticket procurement skills, we were able to get 5th row orchestra seats to see Wicked literally five minutes before curtain. It was truly a great day.

Speaking of difficult tickets, thanks to our good friend, Jim Spinnato, we were able to attend an invitation-only concert at one of the local casinos to see Heart last week. The Wilson sisters were in fine form with Ann featuring a number of songs from Hope & Glory, her excellent new solo album. Speaking of new albums, I'm really looking forward to Bruce Springsteen's new one, releasing on Tuesday. It's going to be great if its first single, "Radio Nowhere," is any indication of the quality of the rest of the tracks.

By the way, the new album's title? Magic, of course!

Summer's Over...

August was a blur as Sandy and I found ourselves performing at two country fairs, an RV campground, possibly the largest backyard barbeque I've ever seen (there were hundreds in attendance at a private residence!) and, most strangely, in the middle of an indoor baseball field. I also had the opportunity to perform some close-up magic for the returning students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Sandy and I returned to the stage at Quassy Amusement Park by the middle of the month and we'll be continuing there with four shows a day every Saturday and Sunday through the end of September. Following that, we're looking forward to going back to the Harwinton Fair during the first weekend in October where I've performed for fourteen years!

We did manage a couple of getaways here and there, including a day trip along the Connecticut and Rhode Island shoreline and another oldies concert, this one featuring Deep Purple, Blue Öyster Cult (more cowbell!!) and Edgar Winter. And, if that concert didn't make me feel like an old fart, my oldest daughter turned 21 this month, officially confirming the fact.

However, as the great entertainer, Maurice Chevalier, was quoted as saying, "Aging isn't that bad if you consider the alternatives."

July Round-Up

This month began very inauspiciously when a raccoon that was roughly the size of a Sherman tank decided to play Frogger while I was driving home from a late-night show. It ran right out in front of my vehicle and by the time I saw the furry mutant in my headlights, it was way past too late. I felt bad at first but much less so when, the next morning, I discovered over $800.00 worth of damage to whatever plastic material passes for a front end these days. When the insurance adjuster asked me if anyone was hurt in the incident, I was compelled to mention that the raccoon had probably seen better days.

Luckily, the rest of the month was much better as I managed to perform an array of shows in backyards, city parks, and even one or two engagements that were actually indoors. One of the notable shows was one Sandy and I did for the city of White Plains, NY as part of their Sounds of Summer program. We performed at Battle Hill Park, which has the distinction of being the place where the Battle of White Plains was fought during the American Revolution. It was a cozy little park located right in the middle of a quiet neighborhood and the show was attended by area families out to enjoy a balmy summer evening together. It was quite enjoyabe to perform for them.

My youngest daughter, Heather, turned 18 last week and we had a party for her at the Señor Pancho's location in Prospect. Attended by lots of family and friends, it was a good opportunity to just kick back and celebrate another milestone. I also got the chance to spend some time with my older daughter, Rebecca, who's out on her own now and is about to reach a milestone herself as she turns 21 in August.

By contrast, I felt younger as Sandy and I attended a concert, also last week, called Hippiefest. The bill featured a plethora of oldies acts including The Zombies, The Turtles, Mountain, Felix Cavaliere (of The Rascals fame), and others. However, the audience featured more bald spots than a corn field that's been visited by aliens. It was a great show, however, particularly if you remember buying music on black, circular, plastic things.

In August, we're looking forward to performing at the Montville Fair this upcoming weekend and the Wolcott Fair later in the month. In the meantime, I'm keeping a sharp eye out for suicidal wildlife.

Breezing Through The Windy City

I had a ridiculous schedule for the last full weekend of June which had Sandy and I criss-crossing Connecticut and Massachusetts before winding up my final grad party performance in the wee hours of last Sunday morning. This gave us just enough time to pack for a lecture in Chicago on Monday night.

We flew into O'Hare with only about two hours to spare before the lecture for the Conjuror's Corner Magic Club which meets in the suburb of Roselle. It was a very enthusiastic and warm group and Sandy and I felt very welcome. We went out for a bite with a bunch of the local magicians after the lecture (great food!) and the following day, before flying back, we were treated to a tour of the city courtesy of Ozzie Maldonado, who is a Chicago police officer in addition to being a very serious and focused student of magic. We had a great time, particularly when Ozzie took us over to meet Tim Felix at Midwest Magic, one of the largest magic shops in the country (that's Ozzie and I at the shop.) It was too short a trip but we certainly made a lot of new friends.

I'm looking forward to some down time in July, starting with a Stevie Nicks concert tomorrow night (I know, I know...I'm old.) She's currently on tour to support her new Crystal Visions compilation and Sandy and I are looking forward to the show.

Here, There & Everywhere

Things continue to be busy, busy, busy.

While I have no pretensions of ever working Radio City Music Hall, I can at least now say that I've performed across the street. Last week, I journeyed into the Big Apple to perform for executives from Ernst & Young at a very tony midtown restaurant. It was a great group and we all had quite a bit of fun. Getting in and out of Manhattan can be a trick in itself but the trip was relatively painless once you get used to dodging the tourists who all seem to be looking up at the buildings rather than where they're going.

I also performed for Quinnipiac University's freshman orientation on two consecutive Saturday nights these past couple of weeks. This is the third year I've been a part of this event and the kids are always a ball to work for. The university provides entertainment and activities for the incoming class while they're getting the lay of the land. This is presumably to cut down on the number of freshman walking around with a dazed look in their eyes - probably the same look I had the first day I attended Boston University sometime back during the late Triassic Period.

I'm off to do a comedy club show in Massachusetts with Jay Rodrigues in a few hours...and then my schedule starts to get really nuts. June is certainly a hectic month every year but eventually the craziness comes to an end - unlike The Sopranos...

Getting Busy

There's a dichotomy inherent in blogging. When things are busy and interesting, there's no time to write about them. When things are quiet, there's all the time in the world to post but nothing to write about.

You can determine from the relative inactivity here during much of May that things have been very, very busy. Sandy and I started our season at Quassy Amusement Park and the new material is beginning to break in very nicely. We're still working on a new illusion that isn't quite ready for public consumption just yet, but we're hoping to have it out on the brand new Lakeside Theatre stage before the end of June.

We've also started our high school post-prom and post-graduation party season. Both Sandy and I have a number of high school functions over the next month. I usually do close-up magic for the seniors while Sandy does palm reading. A lot of magicians dislike this market but I have a great time with the kids.

This year, I had the unusual circumstance of performing at my daughter Heather's post-prom party. Unfortunately, her date had an early start at his job the following morning so they didn't make the party (at least that's the story I heard...) As it turns out, they've re-hired me for next year and since Heather's a Junior (her date was a Senior), I still have one more chance at embarassing her at a school function. Speaking of which, where does the time go? It just doesn't seem possible that my youngest daughter is going to proms...

In other events this past month, I had the opportunity to work with Jim Spinnato, one of the busiest (and funniest) hypnotists in the Northeast. Though he's one of my closest friends, we've never really had the chance to perform together. I opened a comedy club show for him last weekend, doing about thirty minutes of my adult magic show. Unfortunately, we had one less-than-model citizen in the audience who was a bit outspoken during my set but really hit his stride during Jim's show. Luckily, the management had the foresight to escort our friend to the door before everything got too far out of hand and Jim was able to bring his show to a successful conclusion.

Weirdness is by no means a rare circumstance in this business, however. For example, just the other day, someone inquiring about close-up magic for his private party actually asked me (cue Twilight Zone music) if it was necessary to interact with his guests. Really! I couldn't make this stuff up! Whenever something like this happens, a line from one of my favorite movies, As Good As It Gets, pops into my head. Jack Nicholson, as the splendidly cantankerous Melvin Udall, in response to a bothersome knock at his door, says, "Sell crazy someplace else. We're all stocked up here."

I'll try to write more soon.

A Day Off

Last Friday started off as a much-needed recreational day but it quickly began playing out like something right out of The Out-of-Towners as Sandy and I tried, against numerous obstacles, to get into New York City to see a concert. (Of course, I'm referring to the original 1970 film with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis; the 1999 remake with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn sucked canal water.)

In the film, Lemmon and Dennis play George and Gwen Kellerman, a hapless Midwest couple trying to get to a job interview in Manhattan but one thing after another - plane delays, transit strikes, even a mugging - stands in their way. Likewise, Sandy and I had tickets to see Loreena McKennitt at Radio City Music Hall but prior to settling into our seats, I had some emergency dental work, we were delayed in getting to the train station by an accident and then a three-mile backup and, once we finally got into the city, there were no cabs so we were forced to cancel a dinner engagement with an uptown friend before the concert.

We did finally make it to the show, however, and even with all of the trouble, it was well worth the trip. If you've never heard Loreena McKennitt's music, stop reading this right now and purchase either The Mask and Mirror (my favorite), The Visit, The Book of Secrets, or her newest recording, An Ancient Muse. You can thank me later.

On the business side of things, Sandy and I are looking forward to opening day at Quassy Amusement Park on Saturday. We have a brand-new stage, which we just checked out today, and the park did a great job. Weather permitting, we'll be doing four shows on Saturday and four on Sunday.