I see on Twitter that Al Seckel has passed away. Al was not a magician, but was a fellow traveller, at least. He was a scholar and collector of optical illusions, and recently put together an ebook on Jerry Andrus's illusions. He gave a presentation on illusions at the 2011 Magic-Con.
He was active in the free-thought and skeptic movements. I met him at one of the Gathering for Gardner meetings, and have a couple of his books. His TED talk is interesting and worth searching out (it is online). An interesting (but not altogether complimentary) profile: link.
RIP Al Seckel
-
- Posts: 5911
- Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
- Location: Huntsville, AL
- Contact:
- Richard Kaufman
- Posts: 27046
- Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
- Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
- Location: Washington DC
- Contact:
-
- Posts: 83
- Joined: August 25th, 2008, 7:47 pm
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Contact:
Re: RIP Al Seckel
I think you nailed it Richard.
-
- Posts: 2095
- Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
- Location: Providence, Utah
- Contact:
Re: RIP Al Seckel
Wow, I had no idea about the other aspects of Al Seckel's life. I really, really liked his books and his parties must have been amazing. Perhaps Mark Setteducati can write something about him for GENII?
Here's a blog with some additional information, indicating that his body was found at the bottom of cliff in France on July 1st.
http://lippard.blogspot.com/2015/07/al- ... posed.html
Here's a blog with some additional information, indicating that his body was found at the bottom of cliff in France on July 1st.
http://lippard.blogspot.com/2015/07/al- ... posed.html
-
- Posts: 2095
- Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
- Location: Providence, Utah
- Contact:
Re: RIP Al Seckel
This website has some interesting anecdotes by Seckel about Richard Feynman, the great physicist. Some of them involve magic, such as how Feynman correctly deconstructed two feats James Randi had performed for him (Randi tells the same story elsewhere) and how Seckel took Feynman to see Penn & Teller but Feynman was unable to deconstruct Teller's "Shadows."
http://www.fotuva.org/online/frameload. ... seckel.htm
http://www.fotuva.org/online/frameload. ... seckel.htm
- Zig Zagger
- Posts: 504
- Joined: March 20th, 2008, 6:59 pm
- Favorite Magician: Aldo Colombini
- Location: Germany
- Contact:
Re: RIP Al Seckel
A fascinating read, especially the Oppenheimer article, about a man who seems to have created an entire world of optical and verbal illusions around himself.
Thank you for sharing these links!
Thank you for sharing these links!
Tricks, tips, news, interviews, musings and fun stuff: Have a look at our English-German magic blog! http://www.zzzauber.com
Advancing the art in magic one post at a time (yeah, right!)
Advancing the art in magic one post at a time (yeah, right!)
Re: RIP Al Seckel
Richard Kaufman wrote:Sounds like he was quite a con man.
Sounds like a man after my own heart.
Last edited by performer on September 28th, 2015, 7:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Richard Kaufman
- Posts: 27046
- Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
- Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
- Location: Washington DC
- Contact:
Re: RIP Al Seckel
Thanks for the link, Dick. Seckel was an even bigger fraud and bully than the other article described.
I wasn't planning on running an obit on a con man who jumped off a cliff.
I wasn't planning on running an obit on a con man who jumped off a cliff.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine
-
- Posts: 83
- Joined: August 25th, 2008, 7:47 pm
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Contact:
Re: RIP Al Seckel
Richard Kaufman wrote:Thanks for the link, Dick. Seckel was an even bigger fraud and bully than the other article described.
I wasn't planning on running an obit on a con man who jumped off a cliff.
That's assuming that he did in fact pass away, right?
- Richard Kaufman
- Posts: 27046
- Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
- Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
- Location: Washington DC
- Contact:
Re: RIP Al Seckel
I read the report that stated he was found dead at the bottom of a cliff in France. I'm not going to speculate on its truth at the moment. It's pretty easy to identify a body these days.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine
Re: RIP Al Seckel
Al Seckel & I both graduated from New Rochelle High School (N.Y.) in 1976.
We were minor friends throughout school, but he hung out with the real school brainiacs (i.e. the "A" science students)...definitely not my crowd.
Al was the typical geeky school genius nerd...I did respect his thirst for "How" & "Why", and his upper-level knowledge that alluded typical students.
I would perform my Magic & Escapes at his home parties, and I'd like to think that just MAYBE in a very small way - that helped inspire his life-long appreciation for Magic, Magicians, & visual illusions.
I would attend the mid-1980's Skeptics Group presentations at Cal-Tech, in Pasadena, Ca. whenever a magician was a guest (i.e. Randi).
I only knew his first wife, Laura.
After 1990, I lost most all contact with him, and I have no comment on what kind of man he ultimately became.
I will miss the Al Seckel that I knew.
RIP
We were minor friends throughout school, but he hung out with the real school brainiacs (i.e. the "A" science students)...definitely not my crowd.
Al was the typical geeky school genius nerd...I did respect his thirst for "How" & "Why", and his upper-level knowledge that alluded typical students.
I would perform my Magic & Escapes at his home parties, and I'd like to think that just MAYBE in a very small way - that helped inspire his life-long appreciation for Magic, Magicians, & visual illusions.
I would attend the mid-1980's Skeptics Group presentations at Cal-Tech, in Pasadena, Ca. whenever a magician was a guest (i.e. Randi).
I only knew his first wife, Laura.
After 1990, I lost most all contact with him, and I have no comment on what kind of man he ultimately became.
I will miss the Al Seckel that I knew.
RIP