Genii Speaks Richard Kaufman Contact us by calling 301-652-5800, e-mailing [email protected] or surfing our website at www.geniimagazine.com CHANNING POLLOCK is gone. For lay- required to perform his trick “One Face South,” described men, he vanished from their radar as a performer on p.22. Learn this, carry the props we’ve given you over almost 40 years ago when he suddenly retired in the past four months, and you will have a miracle that will 1969 at age 43. For magicians, however, every make your reputation—all without a single bit of sleight of time we see someone produce doves or do card hand. We also have a new version of the Magic Square from manipulations, we are seeing someone doing a Harry Lorayne, an eye-popping coin routine from Reed poor imitation of the master. If ever there was McClintock, Jim Swain’s handling of the “10-Card Poker a magician who seemed like a god, it was Deal,” a wild illusion from Matthew Dowden with a rub- Pollock—unspeakably handsome and charis- ber band and a noodle (yes … a noodle), a great card matic, doing the most perfect dove productions and card transposition from Rob James which he did for me in Las manipulations imaginable, a superb performer and a gen- Vegas in February, and something from David Acer at the erous, humble man—a gentleman in every sense of the end to burn you up. • The elegant prose of Jim Steinmeyer word. Our coverage begins with a round-table discussion reappears with the latest “Language of Illusion,” where he moderated by Mike Close with John Thompson, Lance discusses Robert-Houdin’s “Ethereal Suspension” and Burton, and David Berglas participating. In addition, I makes you feel bad for asking why they can’t get rid of the interviewed David Copperfield, and Eugene Burger and second broom. • Jamy Swiss, Dustin Stinett, and David Patrick Martin have written tributes. All these gentlemen Oliver finish things up with a raft of reviews of the latest were close friends with Channing and it’s hard to imagine books, DVDs, and tricks. Enjoy. a better memorial issue. Norm and Lupe Nielsen gave us access to excellent photographs of Channing, as well as rare film and video footage which you will find in the arti- cle—most of this has never been reproduced before. Channing performed his entire act in a short film called European Nights, made in London in 1959. In order to give you a feeling for what his performance was like (and all it can be on the printed page is a ghost of the original), we are reproducing frame grabs of his act down the right side of the entire article. In order to devote most of that space to a full appreciation of his remarkable and original dove productions, I’ve had to severely abbreviate the stills of his card manipulations—but make no mistake: he was among the finest manipulators who ever lived. In addition Channing Pollock’s method for stealing and producing a dove is explained on p.74. The original (incorrect) descrip- tion has been rewritten by John Thompson and myself, and we have supplemented it with a flip book (p.77) for Genii participated in the World Magic Seminar Teen Contest in you to assemble which shows—with frame-by-frame Las Vegas this February by doubling the prize money donated photographs from European Nights—Channing producing a by Lance Burton. The teen stage contest winners were: First dove. Between the written description and the flip book, Place, $1,000—Sterling Dietz; Second Place, $600—Jayson you should be able to improve your own technique in short Morrison; Third Place, $400—Vinny DePonto. order. • We’ve been presenting excerpts from Jim Swain’s Tony Valentine novels to you pretty much every spring for After spending three days at the Blackpool Convention in the past few years—this year it’s a double header, with England (something you really need to see at least once in Deadman’s Poker and Deadman’s Bluff coming out within your life if you’re a magician), I went down to London for 30 days of one another. Not only do we present an excerpt some fun and, among other things, spent a day with David from Deadman’s Poker on p.42, but also Jim’s latest ver- Berglas. Late in the evening he did the most remarkable sion of one of his most famous effects, “Poker Inter- card effect I’ve ever seen. We were both standing and, change.” You can purchase both books through the ama- during a conversation in which he segued from normal talk zon.com links on the Genii Forum. • In addition to that, we into the patter for the trick without my realizing it, he stat- have an unusually long “Magicana” this month, in which ed that he would show me something I would never forget. Bob Farmer finally explains the crop circles with cards that He also asked me to remember everything that happened have been appearing in these pages, one each month (which I tried to do, though the genuine significance of this since February. No, they don’t portend the coming of would only become clear five minutes later). Then he aliens who worship a pasteboard deity—they are the props asked me to name any card. That’s it—just name any card. 10 GENII Now Performing I named the Eight of Diamonds. He asked me to look at a THE MAGIC CASTLE LAS VEGAS china cabinet across the room and notice the drawers. He MAY 1 TO 7 Compiled by David Neubauer (FLICKING FINGERS) (www.dnmagic.com) indicated that I was to open the drawer on the right and in it Amazing Johnathan I would see several decks of cards—I was to pick up any one Close-Up Gallery Early: 7:00, 7:45, 8:30, 9:15 10 pm, (Dark Thurs.), Sahara of the decks, then close the drawer. I followed his instruc- Martin Eisele Jason Bird tions, removed one of the cased decks (there were about half Late: 10, 10:45,11:30, 12:00 The Shops in Desert Passage— a dozen in a pile in the drawer), and sat down at a table. He Stephan Kirshbaum Aladdin. Main stage, near the “V” was standing at least six feet away from me during this. The Parlour of Prestidigitation Theater, Thurs.-Mon. Various times from 1:15 pm to 8:15, Free Following his instructions, I opened the case and removed Early: 7:30, 8:45, 9:30 Jörg Alexander Bite (Vampire Strip Revue) the deck. It was face up. I turned it face down and placed it Late: 9:45, 11:15, 12 Antonio Restivo (fire manipulation) on the table as he requested. He then asked me to cut the Nikolai Friedrich 10:30 pm (dark Thurs.) deck and look at the face card of the portion I cut off—I did, Palace Of Mystery Stratosphere and it was the Eight of Diamonds. The hair on the back of my 8:30, 10, 11:15 Buck Wild neck stood up. Berglas was nowhere near me during any of Thomas Fraps, Helge Thun, Nathan Burton (as a redneck Ben Profane, Pit Hartling, magician), 7 pm covered shows this. With his permission, I looked in the other drawers to see Manuel Muerte, Gaston Mon.-Wed. & Sat. 9 pm Topless if there were other decks of cards stashed around the room MAY 8 TO 14 shows (Over 18), Sahara (Dark Fri.) … I found none. Don’t think I’ve ever been so badly fooled. Close-Up Gallery Lance Burton, Master Magician Early: Terry Lunceford 7 pm Tues.-Sat., As reported on MagicWeek.co.uk: Something Wicked This Way Late: Rafael Benatar 10 pm Tues. & Sat., Monte Carlo Comes wins the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Enter- The Parlour of Prestidigitation Collin Foster—Quicker Than The Eye tainment. London Theatre Guide reports: “The dashing Derren Early: Agustin Aristaran 4 & 6 p.m. (Dark Mon.) Late: Daniel Ketchedjian Comedy Zone, Plaza Brown … was presented with his statuette by Michelle Palace Of Mystery Tyas Frantz, Chris Karpiak, Collins, who will soon be seen in the West End in Daddy Jon Stetson Seth Grabel Cool. This latest vehicle for Brown’s unique mixture of hyp- Scott & Muriel Beacher's Madhouse 10 pm, nosis, psychology and sleight of hand saw Derren making his MAY 15 TO 21 Hard Rock audience act oddly with subliminal messages and doing Close-Up Gallery Haunted Vegas Tour & Show things with broken bottles that looked like they really hurt.” Early: Paul Green Robert Allen & Jac Hayden & Late: Derek Del Gaudio Zamora ,9 pm tour and show … The Laurence Olivier Awards, which are presented annu- The Parlour of Prestidigitation (Dark Wed.-Thurs.), Greek Isle ally by the Society of London Theatre, are the UK’s most Early: David Regal Illusionary Magic of Rick Thomas prestigious theatre awards and the highlight of the West End Late: Rafael Benatar 2 & 4 pm, Stardust (Dark Wed.) calendar.” The Olivier Awards are England’s equivalent of Palace Of Mystery La Femme Broadway’s Tony Awards. Terry Seabrooke Stephan Vanel, 8, 10:30 pm Hans Davis (Dark Tues.), MGM Grand I met Gene Maze very early in my magical life—in 1972, when George Saterial Mac King Comedy Magic Show I graduated from hanging around at Mike Tannen’s shop Circle MAY 22 TO 28 1 & 3 pm, (Dark Sun. & Mon.) Close-Up Gallery Harrah's Clint Holmes Theater Magic, and started going to his brother Lou Tannen’s shop on Early: Todd Lamanske Penn & Teller 1540 Broadway.