The Church Basement
Magician
The
Church Basement Magician by Mike Rogers
The Church
Basement Magician..................... Who was
he?...................... Where is he?
I was
raised during the 1950s is the small mountain
town of Lander, Wyoming with the closest large
city being Denver, an entire day's drive. Denver
was unique, at least in my youthful eyes, for
Denver had a magic shop. Trips to Denver were
out of the question when I was growing up, for
I think I was only there twice during my youth.
So what did it matter that a magic shop existed
there if I had no opportunity to visit? It mattered
because my father did travel to Denver, and
it was through his eyes that I enjoyed the wonders
of a magic shop. He was not the magician in
the family, but he was the family member who
most behaved like a magician. He visited, bought
and told. I listened and received. It was wonderful.
So what
does this have to do with a Church Basement
Magician? In my small town if there were family
gatherings and community social functions it
seemed as if the church basement became the
focal point for such functions. If not a church
basement then perhaps a grange hall or the VFW
meeting room. Since we had more churches than
granges, and only one VFW, the church basements
would win hands down when it came to places
for group social functions. These functions
often had entertainment in the form of musical
programs, slide shows, and even magic. I was
the magician and the magic came from the magic
shop in Denver.
So my
first performing experience as a magician was
on the "Church Basement Circuit." My guess is
it was much the same throughout small town America
during that period. I would assume that hundreds
and hundreds of magic shows occurred in church
basements. Likewise, the magic was probably
much the same. Popular effects on the church
basement circuit were; Rice Checkers and Silk,
Cut and Restored Rope, Clippo, Milk Pitcher,
Mis-Made Flag, and an assortment of brightly
painted boxes having symbols with no meaning.
To me that was magic in the 1950s.
I'm not
a magical historian but during the half century
that has passed since my church basement days
much in magic has changed..... Or has it? I
can't name the frontiers of magic, nor do I
even care to try. I can, however, name what,
to me at least, have been turning points in
the directions magic has taken. I'll list a
few turning points now.
The appearance
of the floating ball effect called Zombie has
to have been a major turning point, for with
the Zombie magic embraced advance technology.
I suggest that any who doubt this spend . some
time trying to repair a ball cock valve in the
family toilet. Upon having done this task you'll
quickly agree that Joe Karson did indeed brush
with advanced technology in using part of such
a valve as a floating ball. Today, of course,
technology and magic go hand in hand, but I
think Zombie started it all.
Another
turning point had to be when close up magicians
actually started being paid to be close up magicians.
In the heyday of the Chicago magic bars, which
is where I believe commercial close up magic
got its foot in the door, the magic bartenders
were not paid to be magicians. They were paid
to be bartenders and the magic was simply a
vehicle for gratuities and added business. Bert
Allerton might have been the one to break the
trend for he actually got paid to perform close
up magic. Every close up magician today should
pause for a moment of silence to Bert Allerton
when they approach a table and roll out the
little close up mat.
Another
turning point might be when magicians finally
realized that feather dusters don't look like
flowers, no matter how brightly colored. This
probably happened at about the time magicians
realized that their funny looking props didn't
resemble anything that actually exists in the
real world. As a result these funny looking
props were replaced with other funny looking
props that also don't resemble anything seen
in the real world. Still it was a change.
Somewhere
along the line clowns got into the act and decided
magic was fair game. Almost as if being a single
unit clowns discovered how to make a silk vanish
in a thumb tip, stretch three ropes, and perform
the Invisible Deck. This was a turning point
where magic took a dive.
Mentalists
and their methods of presenting their material
have also made drastic turns. I don't know when
it happened, but they finally decided that taking
15 minutes to discover or reveal three words
just wasn't good entertainment. Since then mental
magic has progressed beyond what anyone might
have dreamed. Today some of the working mentalists
lead the pack when it comes to magical presentations.
A disgusting
turning point might have been when magicians
decided it was necessary to wear goofy attire.
Sorry to put it that way, but I don't know how
else to call it. Much of the attire worn by
magicians is just plain goofy. Period! The appearance
of the traditional magician just about doesn't
exist. I wonder why? Pilots still dress like
pilots, Doctors still dress like doctors, lawyers
still look like lawyers, judges still wear robes,
bartenders still wear vests, bellmen still dress
like bellmen, chefs still look like chefs, and
men of the cloth have made no changes in their
appearance. Yet find a magician that looks like
a magician.
Another
major turning point was when Mark Wilson proved
that a big magic show would look good on TV.
Today the TV magic specials are the rage. Everyone
involved, including those of us who enjoy them,
should send a note of thanks to Mark Wilson.
He's the one who started it all.
I'm not
certain it's a turning point, but perhaps, is
when magic conventions started becoming specialized
or vertical. Today we have close up conventions,
mentalist conventions, and kid show conventions.
In my eyes this is all quite good, but I say
that purely for personal reasons.
There
was a time when you eagerly waited several months
or longer for the appearance of a major new
book on conjuring. These books, for the most
part, were written by people who knew how to
write, and by people who had actually used the
material in a lifetime of performing magic.
Somewhere along the line books started popping
up faster than corn in a Kansas farmers field,
quite often written by magicians having no professional
performing experience and by writers who could
neither spell nor punctuate. Through it all
prices have climbed . (I paid $15 for my first
copy of Greater Magic.)
Another
turning point had to be the opening of the Magic
Castle and the assorted copycat clubs. These
clubs have provided a performing venue for hundreds
and hundreds of magicians who otherwise may
have never had the chance to test their skills.
I could
ramble on and on. These are just some of the turning
points in magic that come to mind as I sit at
the word processor. There are more of course,
and certainly of more significance. I wonder,
though, if somewhere in a small town in middle
America if there isn't a community function having
a covered dish dinner with a magician entertaining
in the corner of a church basement. I'll bet his
tricks are: Rice Checkers and Silk, Cut and Restored
Rope, Clippo, Milk Pitcher, MisMade Flag, and
an assortment of colored boxes. I hope so.
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