The Inside Story -- Mark Wilson

[Bill Palmer]

I read Dustin Stinnett's "The Inside Story," which contained an historical account of the development of certain aspects of the Mark Wilson show. I noticed there was a very important element missing. Nowhere in the story was the name "Bev Bergeron" mentioned. Too bad. Bev was a major influence on the show.

Long before John Gaughan was associated with the show, Bev Bergeron, AKA Rebo the Clown, was, shall we say, an inspiration of several of the illusions and/or presentations that Mark did, including the Platform Levitation.

In 2000, I did an historical overview of Magic in Texas for the TAOM program. Nani jumped all over me for spending so much time on the influence Bev had on the show. But his influence and creativity are undeniable.

It would make some interesting reading if Dustin could get Bev's POV on the article. I'm reasonably sure that Bev will send a letter to the editor about this.

There was some really heavy fallout when Mark tried to keep Bev from using "Rebo the Clown" after he left the show.

[Richard Kaufman]

Bill, Dustin Stinett did not write "The Inside Story." That was Mark Wilson's bi-monthly column. Are you referring to that, or to the story on the TV show "The Magician" which Dustin did write?

[Bill Palmer]

Ah, my mistake. That was, indeed, Mark's column and not Dustin's work.

I don't suppose that Mark will be adding any of Bev's comments at all, then! :)

[Dustin Stinett]

Not to take away from the contributions of Bev Bergeron, but my take on Mark Wilson's November article is not necessarily who was the inspiration for or what led to the conception of these illusions, but simply the vast number of times Nani Darnell has been levitated (in particular) and suffered through assorted slicing and dicing devices. I think it's a safe bet that Nani holds some kind of record in that respect.

You might want to check out the August 2003 issue of Genii and the fourth installment of The Inside Story in which Wilson speaks highly (albeit in only a couple of paragraphs) of Bergeron, his contributions and skills. Its also worth noting that, while certainly not concentrating on himit is, after all, an autobiographical columnWilson does mention Bergeron several times throughout the rest of the series (the November issue is the tenth installment).

Dustin