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George Carlin

Posted July 21, 2008

This was a weekend of music, and as diverse as you can get. One night it was Peter & Gordon together with Chad & Jeremy, a remarkable show by icons of the British music scene, the so-called sixties British Invasion, which was an amazing show by these vets who have never before appeared together (until this tour). They all sounded fabulous, and I have photos of the night on my column here called Vegas Magic.

That happened Saturday night at the Cannery, and on Sunday, in the Suncoast, it was the Lettermen, another music icon, although only one of the originals is still going. We featured a great article on the Lettermen in last week's vegasinsidetips.com, if you missed it, check it out here. Great music, these guys had no many hits, they influenced music and gave great songs to Little Anthony and the Imperials and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as well, both of whom scored huge hits by remaking their original songs.

Posted July 17, 2008

Feeling like the magician on the Titanic, I did my second (and final) appearance in a show that has been called a "train wreck" by many of the prominent media in town. If you have read any releases or articles that mention that I will be in the show again, ignore them, as I will not be in that show (and I use the term lightly) again. Next week, (online Monday)I will explain what it was like attempting to fix the untalented...my weekly column on vegasinisdetips.com

Posted July 14, 2008 -

Just finished reading an article in the Sunday paper about the Golden Age of Sports, which according to most historians, seems to have been the 20’s and 30’s.

That’s when names like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and Joe Lewis dominated the scene. Hard to argue with that.

It made me stop and think about magic, and when the Golden Age of Magic occurred, if there is such a thing.

Some would say the early days, the 20’s and 30’s could also be the Golden Age of Magic, when Thurston and Houdini and Blackstone and the other greats of stage magic traveled with their elaborate props and sets, presenting illusions on stages in big cities and small towns, on world tours that have yet to be rivaled today.

My long-time pal Dai Vernon often told me stories of seeing some of the greats first hand, guys like Liepzig and Malini and Blackstone and Houdini. He could recall the exact routines they did and how they pulled them off. He used to say he Golden Age of Magic began in the 30’s and by the 50’s, magic was suffering from overexposure, with television beaming an act to thousands, if not millions of people, making their live appearances in clubs and theatres less attended.

How about the 60’s and 70’s? That’s when I was becoming keenly aware of the magic world and the magicians who ruled it. Harry Blackstone, Jr. was at the top of his game, enjoying the popularity that came from his father’s name and legacy. Harry carried on the tradition of the big illusion show and set the standard for elaborate productions that were updated for present day standards.

On television, it was Mark Wilson, with his “Magic Land of Alakazam” I watched faithfully, and then his Magic Circus Specials, who blazed the trail for others to follow with TV magic success, guys like David Copperfield began doing TV Specials, making him more popular than Houdini he likes to point out, and Doug Henning, who transformed the look and style of magicians and pushed the appeal level to all age groups.

Personally, it was during these decades that I was able to meet and watch many of the true masters performing magic that I will never forget. I was so deeply moved by their performances, I was forever doomed to a quest for perfection, as I remember they were all perfect in their technique and ability to entertain with their craft. Guys like Del Ray, and Billy McComb, Tony Slydini and Frank Garcia, Charlie Miller, Eddie Tullock, Tommy Tucker, Don Allen and Russell Swann. And Vernon. We shall never see their likes again.

In the 80’s, things settled down as many of the masters retired, setting the stage for another upheaval, with the arrival of the Siegfried & Roy era, when the duo became superstars in Las Vegas and became the often copied presentation of magic with live animals that were not little furry creatures or delicate white birds. As soon as Siegfried & Roy reached dominance in the Vegas magic and worldwide stage, with their white tigers and other exotic cats, magic acts began to pop up everywhere with lions and tigers. I recall my agent getting asked by a potential client “Does he have any big cats in his act?” as an almost standard request.

Doug Henning was gone from the scene, Vegas magic was heating up with Lance Burton popping onto the scene, and Harry Blackstone, Jr. was continuing to build on his dad’s legacy with high profile television appearances and live performances on Broadway and abroad, while David Copperfield TV Specials led to his Vegas headliner status and a touring sensation.

The 90’s and beyond, including the present day, are mainly ruled by two areas, Las Vegas and the television set. No less than 7 magicians are performing almost every single night in Las Vegas, with Lance Burton being the longest-running member of the magic pack, and many others, myself included, who have been performing on the famous Strip for well over 10 years, making this the long-acknowledged Center of the Magic Universe. And with “Mind Freak” on television getting millions of viewers who become fans of Criss Angel, magic is now as popular as ever.

I tend to agree with Vernon. The Golden Age of Magic was the 30’s and 40’s, when the big names ruled the earth and became legends on their own skills and reputations, without the benefit of television and high-priced publicity agents. They were the true master magicians, and remain as the inspiration for all magicians and future practitioners.

Posted July 7, 2008 -

It's Ringo's birthday, gang, and I did what he asked everyone to do on his birthday. "wherever you are on July 7th at noon, give the peace sign and say, "Peace, Love".

A simple request. And when I was walking into my noon meeting, I did it, and everyone else did it, and it was a cool moment.

Okay, I just had a computer meltdown. A complete loss of a bunch of files. And my email files were hit the hardest, I lost everything from 2 days ago, back to May. About 4 weeks of emails. I get about 2,000 a day, so that was a loss of at least that many emails.

I was upset for about a minute, maybe less. I decided real fast, when I realized the dta was really done and never to seen again, that it was a GOOD thing. I purged a lot of useless stuff, and wiped he slate clean. True, I lost some valuable stuff, but I figure that it will all come back to me if I really need it.

Meanwhile, it feels good to have a lot of that lifted away from me, it was a cleansing, a good thing.

Waiting for Cher to arrive. No, not the real Cher, but the real Cher impersonator, the top Cher impersonator in the world, actually. We are all attending the birthday party of Chef Roland Levi, who owns the 6 Tables restaurant where I perform my close-up magic show, and Miss Cher is coming to spice things up.

I have gotten over my lost data. These things are to be expected when dealing with these computers, we must accept that as a fact of life. And when we lose a bunch of stuff, it's the universe saying, "You have too much clutter".

Posted June 30, 2008

This was one of those weekends that makes living here in Vegas such a joy. Yes, it's hot now, we've hit the triple digit phase of summer and it will remain as such until late September, but the good outweighs the bad here, and besides, it's a dry heat, not a problem unless you're a street performer or construction worker.

It started on Friday with a performance for a group of doctors, all full of themselves and single malts, they were gathered for a health seminar or some such thing, and on their opening night in town, I was hired to entertain them in a private setting after dinner. At the end of my show, I produced a giant bowl of perscription drugs and all their beady little eyes popped open wide, and I made my way to the exit.

Saturday, it was rock and roll with the legendary Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone, or is it the legendary Peter Noone with his Hermits, or perhaps the iconic Herman and his Hermits. Oh, never mind, I think you get the idea - it's early and I haven't had the boffe yet.

The Cannery rocked as Peter returned and snag hit after hit, with his usual banter and fun in between the hits. He always seems to be "on", as only the pro's can do, and it is evident he enjoys himself immensely when he's making people smile.

We had scheduled a video interview for after the show, but he told me his travel plans had changed, and he was leaving that evening, so we agreed to do it the next time we all meet.

THe constrast was obvious the following night when we were guests of Clint Black at the Orleans. This was Clint's first appearance at the Orleans, and at 800 seats, one of the smallest venues he's ever played, since becoming the superstar that he is. His fans responded to this great opportunity to watch Clint up close and enjoy his music in a laid back, yet totally enjoyable show. Naturlly his hits gathered the most enthusiastic responses, and for an encore, he had the sold-out place all jumping and dancing in the aisles.

Unlike Peter Noone, who remains after the show to meet his fans, pose for pictures and sign the front of ladies T-shirts, Clint would have none of that. He never met fans after the show, which disappointed many people who were hoping fgor a chance to say hey to their hero.

I'm off to Palm Springs for meetings with Arnie the Manager. You can be sure at least one of those meetings will take place in a deli, Arnie knows all the best ones in most cities in California.

Posted June 29, 2008

George Carlin is gone, and boy you can just imagine how pissed he must be. He recently said in an interview he was planning his last HBO special, saying "15 is a nice number, a good place to end it all."

He also said - now that he had just turned 71, that when he hit 75 he'd start working on the memoirs. Knowing George, he had most of it written and stashed away in a carefully marked series of folders, just waiting for the time to be released to the world of adoring fans he left behind with his recent departure from earth.

One day, I recall back in the late 80's, I think it was 1988, I remember seeing something in the paper about a show Lili Tomlin was doing in Beverly Hills at a small theatre, the name of which escapes me while sitting here in the sunny morning of Vegas. I decided to zip over to the theatre as the box office was releasing the seats and the place would surely sell out.

I was standing in the line with a few other people, just a handful were there, waiting for the window to open and I spotted George Carlin walking to the box office window as well. He was dressed very casual, just like his stage persona, and was visibly uncomfortable as some people recognized him. I made contact with him as he seemed to stand awkwardly looking around and smiling that fake show-biz smile we have all perfected for situations like these. I made eye contact with him and gestured to where I was standing. He picked up on the vibe, and walked over and slipped into the space in front of me, as I was the first in line. NOw he was in a safe spot, and he became visibly relaxed, nodded and said to me, "I'm a big fan of Lili, brilliant artist."

That launched us into a wonderful conversation about Lili Tomlin, her style, and how similar she was in so many ways to George's own style. He said, "she has the gift of improv, few of us have it, she's sharp and stays in the moment, continues to explore to come up with layers of laughs, not afraid to lose the audience sometimes in the quest for more laughs. She always comes out ahead." He told me she was working on this show for a while and it represented a lot of new material, so he wanted to see how she worked with new material, compared to the familiar stuff she knew so well already.

We spent about 15 minutes - it was heaven - talking about comedy and comics, then the box office window popped open, and he quickly bought one ticket, then turned and said good-bye and good luck to me. He slipped off quickly and my head was spinning.

I have always been a huge fan of Carlin, he was a comedian's comedian, as well as a world class entertainer, he would shatter a room of comedians on a level that was even beyond how he was with regular crowds. He was so clever and his mind so fast that he was like a chess player on the stage, always about 5 to 7 moves ahead of the audience. Best when he delivered the stuff he had prepared, (in outline form at first, but eventually he would just commit to an unwritten script that was almost word for word every night, but you'd never know it), but he was off the charts as an improv guy. He could be in the moment and riff on things for the first time and make it sound like it was material he developed years ago. A rare comic genius and an icon of American comedy.

So long, Georgie, the Hippy Dippy Weatherman and beyond. Thankfully future generations will continue to enjoy you and all those vintage recordings of your act, those HBO specials and everything else left behind as a permanent record of a man who was a one of a kind. Long live George Carlin.

Posted June 11, 2008

Yep, here we are in Boston, I was here for the first 2 NBA contests between the Lakers and the Celtics, and I even attended the game Sunday, watching the Celtics rip part their arch rivals to take a 2 to nothing lead. Then tonight the Celts destructed in the final moments to lose the contest and bring it to a 2 to 1 series and now it's anyone's game.

I've enjoyed my visit to Boston, seeing old pals and family and basically relaxing for a bit before coming back to work on several shows, such as this Friday at Mandalay Bay, and my weekend shows at 6 Tables.

Posted May 28, 2008

As I predicted, the glut of magic in the afternoon here in Vegas has thinned out already. The show at Sahara, Brett Daniels, has vanished into thin air, and for most of the town, it was like he was never here. I don't think I ever saw one ad for the show. It was in the listings, and that was it.

Nobody talked about it, and most people I spoke with said they didn't even know it was here.

Well, it's not.

Nathan Burton started his afternoon show at the Flamingo, and he is very excited that his giant face will be plastered on the outside of the FLamingo building, where Tori Braxton's sexy photo now sits.

Personally, I think I prefer to see Toni Braxton's sexy shot on the building, but she's done with her gig there, so now it's time to promote the afternoon magic show, which means a gigantic smiling Nathan will be looking down on all of us for a while.

His show is at 4 pm, and again, that is not an easy spot to fill. We wish him luck, but he'd better be pulling loads of tickets out of his hat to keep this one floating.

The magicians of TEXAS get together every Labor Day Weekend for a wonderful convention called TAOM (Texas Association of Magicians) convention, and this year will be very special as good friend Walter Zaney Blaney - one of the biggest magicians I know - will be the guest of honor. And as part of that honor, a SAturday afternoon interview with our very own Tony Brook will highlight the event as Tony conducts a talk show-like session with Walter. Read all about it HERE.

Getting ready to travel across the US. Heading to Boston, looking forward to seeing many of my east coast magic pals and family members on a trip that is part business and mostly pleasure. I'll be back in Vegas in time for the show I am doing at Mandalay Bay, called "Find Your Sexy" winch is being presented in Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce club. It's a cool show, an old-fashioned burlesque show that I am the emcee of. Sounds like a fun night. It will be the first time I play at the Mandalay Bay, somehow I've missed working there.

I did play at the Hacienda once, which once stood on the same spot as the Mandalay Bay, but that doesn't count.

MAGIC FOR ALI BABA

I have recently made a deal with the folks who own the very popular restaurant-club Ali Baba here in town. It features authentic Lebanese cuisine, the place is gorgeous, and they have a small stage with video screens all around, making it the perfect spot for close-up magic.

I will be presenting a show called "Ali Baba's Night of Music and Magic", which will feature my band, the Classic Rockers, plus the country's top Rod Stewart impersonator. A wild night, with magic, music, food (the best of its kind in Las Vegas) on Friday June 27.

I am excited about it because I get to play drums with my band, playing classic rock, and then the magic happens, followed by more music and even dancing. Mark the date, come by and see us, it will be a fun night. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

When I a few moments to transcribe my notes, I will have a wonderful interview with Joey Molland, who is the rock band BADFINGER. Spent some great time with him, had dinner before his concert and after we discussed rock and roll and Liverpool and the Beatles, all my favorite subjects.

Posted May 8, 2008

Just watched the third night of "Magicians Week" on Letterman, this one was Dirk Arthur. He actually came across semi-alright, but certainly didn't score the home runs that the two previous magicians had done before him.

Letterman has a sort of love-hate relationship w3ith magicians, and he is so very unpredictable, one never knows if he will be accommodating and kind or less than cordial or even mean spirited.

He sometimes shows his disdain for the phony magic characters and their obvious props, and other times he will appear genuinely entertained by a simple trick.

SO, his introduction of Magicians Week is a bit sarcastic, although he likes magic and enjoys a good performance, he also enjoys poking fun at them.

The week kicked off with Lance Burton, who looked terrific, if somewhat tentative at first. He performed his version of the "backstage" illusion, and did a fine job of pulling it off.

Next up was Mac King, who did his signature gold fish from the mouth trick. The audience loved it and so did Dave. He ended with his vanishing head in the paper bag bit, and it's so easy to see why he continues to draw crowds to his afternoon shows, he is a master of audience management and comedy.

Dirk Arthur started with a shaky bit where he rolls up a plastic sheet into a tube. Took him 3 attempts to finally get it right, and then when he reached inside of it, had obvious trouble unlocking the chamber where the birds were hidden. Anyone who saw his act knows what I am talking about, so don't jump up and down and say that I am revealing a magic secret. Dirk revealed it on National TV, his face clearly contorted into an unmistakable "oh crap" expression. He fidgeted and pulled, then finally the birds were free.

He did a sloppy steal of the final load, then pulled the duck out from the now much-larger tube.

Then it was into the "Where Do the Ducks Go" routine, with the familiar bucket (I could easily see the mirror inside, and from the looks on some of the audience members, I wasn't the only one.

I have seen this routine many times, by many great magicians. I even used to do it until I go sick of the duck biting me. I must say, Dirk's execution is not very good, he telegraphs the hiding place of the duck, and if you don't believe me, watch the replay and you will hear only polite applause, and most of that is for the audience member.

Then it's was on to the tiger appearance, at the far back of the very dark stage, how many are really fooled by this? Then it was the tip over trunk, and the vanish of the tiger, again in nearly total darkness, it was obvious the tiger didn't go anywhere.

Open the tip over trunk, and pull the tiger out of the box. The tiger climbed out and it was clear he was spooked, and he decided he wasn't sticking around, so he headed to the wings, dragging Dirk along, who had that pained fake smile that was supposed to hide the fear he was feeling.

He quickly ran back out and smiled uneasily as he wondered if the tiger was chomping on someone offstage.

It was all pretty amusing.

Posted May 5, 2008

In the magic on TV department: It's "MAGIC WEEK" on the David Letterman show, with a different magician booked on each day of the week. Starting with Lance Burton, then Mac King, both of whom should score really well and represent Vegas magic proudly....the show goes downhill from there. That should pretty much kill off any chances of other magicians on the late night show for years.

Not really magic, but went to see Bill Medley, the surviving Righteous Brother, and through a magic illusion, he actually sang with his late partner at one point, and did a duet with his own daughter, McKenna Medley, who was nowhere to be seen, aside from on this giant screen that seemed to float over Bill's head. I checked, she was in Branson, not hiding somewhere backstage.

Happy to report Bill still has that unbelievable voice, sang all his hits and then some, and told many wonderful stories and jokes, joined onstage by his son, Darrin, who just happens to be the lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders, which sort of explains the nature of this otherwise unusual pairing of 2 diverse acts.

Works out perfectly. First, the true madman of rock, Paul Revere himself, blasts through the hits with the Raiders, 3 of whom have been with him almost since the very beginning. Their show is full of wild moments, huge laughs, lots of great familiar music and just a lot of really great rock and roll.

Then, after a brief changeover, a giant screen appears above the stage and the Righteous Brothers career and highlights beam overhead, culminating with the big man himself, Bill Medley onstage, singing one of his hits. As the lights gradually go up, you see that the Raiders, now dressed in less flashy all-black, are the backup band for Bill.

A magical night, and not a card trick in sight.

My Merlin Award

Posted March 31, 2008

THE MERLIN AWARDS

I was recently honored by the International Magicians Society, which we all know, is the world's largest magic organization.

The founder and president, Tony Hassini (pictured below in my office) made the surprise visit to my home to break the news to me. I was given a Merlin, the magic world's Oscar, for 2008 Close-up Magician of the Year.

Tony Hassini founder of International Magicians Society and 2008 Merlin award winner Steve Dacri for CLose-up Magician of the Year The thing weighs over 50 pounds, looks like real gold although I know its not, but a shining, Oscar looking metal thing that will be going into the trophy case (shoe box) in my office.

I'm told it will be officially be presented to me at some event in the future, so I will save my acceptance speech for that. I do want to thank Mr. Hassini and the board of governors of the IMS for this very much appreciated award, It is given out by my peers, making it extra special to me. Previous Merlin awards include Criss Angel, David Copperfield and Siegfried & Roy.

Surely this must mean that I will now start to be offered the really good jobs, both here in in other cities. Already, I have since been offered a very lucrative contract for appearances in Cleveland that we are now considering, so I know things are definitely heading to new heights. I'll keep you informed.