is no one listening?

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Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 12:08 am

I understand that Beethoven was not a fun guy and that Einstein was not always faithful to his wife. Would you rather be related to a jerk who performed as expected or someone who burnt new trails in the firmament of his chosen field?

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: is no one listening?

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 5th, 2006, 7:17 am

At the final New York Magic Symposium in 1987 in New York, where Dai Vernon was the honored guest, I met his grandson--Derek's son (who lived in New Jersey at the time, I think). I said something along the lines of, "It must be wonderful to be Dai Vernon's grandson." To which he replied, "I wouldn't know, this is only the second time I've met him."

This was both eye opening and sad.
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Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 8:22 am

Originally posted by Vernon's son:
Would you rather be related to a jerk who performed as expected or someone who burnt new trails in the firmament of his chosen field?
Are those the only choices? If we could pick our parents, I'd choose ones who were not jerks, independent of accomplishments, which don't matter much to a kid...

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 8:43 am

Originally posted by Vernon's son:
Would you rather be related to a jerk who performed as expected or someone who burnt new trails in the firmament of his chosen field?
An interesting question. I think that most people don't really know their own answer - unless they've experienced it, they can only surmise what it'd be like.

But it's a thought-provoking question - thank you for it, it's made me think.

Dave

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 8:54 am

Derek (it's Derek, yes?), may I ask about your memories of the other magicians around your father, especially the NY Inner Circle bunch? Baker, Horowitz, etc? I guess I'm asking: how do you remember your father's friends?

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 9:09 am

Your question is far too broad. If you are asking me whom I was most impressed with in those golden days I would have to say it was Slydini. I saw the best including the Bambergs and Cardini but Tony Slydini impressed me the most.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 9:15 am

I'm interested in the person.

To me at least, Shelly's poem comes to mind suggesting that even blazing accomplishments in the firmament point to little more than an icon where a person once stood.

What we have left when we're gone is how we are remembered by people, as a person. These are comparatively small things like a smile or a decision or a few kinds words that folks may recall if we're lucky.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 9:27 am

Your post has made me think about those "golden years". I insist (and I have told David Ben that) those whom our family loved were Dr. Daley,Garrick Spencer, Sam Margulies, and Fancis Carlyle.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 9:34 am

Dear Mr. Verner:

In the New York Times (August 8, 1999) the danseur Mikhail Baryshnikov said, "Someone said, people in art shouldn't have children. I agree we are selfish animals. Stanislavski said art needs sacrifice. Yes, but the sacrifice falls on the shoulders of spouses, lovers and everyone around. But the artist doesn't feel that way."

As a magician I am truly grateful for the enormous intellectual contribution your father gave to our art. The fact that his passion for magic came at a great personal cost to you and your family saddens me. But, I want you to know that the gratitude I feel for your father certainly extends to everyone in your family who made great sacrifices.

Sincerely,
Levent

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 9:52 am

those whom our family loved were Dr. Daley, Garrick Spencer, Sam Margulies, and Fancis Carlyle.
Yes, thank you, that's very much what I was trying to ask about. Would you care to share any memories or stories about any of them interacting with you or your family, as people more than as magicians?

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: is no one listening?

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 5th, 2006, 10:26 am

Derek, Dr. Daley is an enigmatic figure in our field. We know he was a plastic surgeon at French Hospital, and that he was close friends with Vernon, but much of his material was never published in finished form and we don't know a lot about the guy, how he handled cards, and what kind of a person he was.
Can you tell us a bit about Daley?
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Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 12:12 pm

Dr. Daley was as close a friend of my mother as he was of my father, together they colaberated on several articles in medical journals and even Reader's Digest on non-magic topics.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 1:46 pm

Francis Carlyle did nothing for the family other than bringing some candy bars to us (we?) kids. We loved him because he was a mensch. Do any of you know he had an identical twin named Mathew who committed suicide?

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 3:04 pm

Originally posted by Vernon's son:
Dr. Daley was as close a friend of my mother as he was of my father, together they colaberated on several articles in medical journals and even Reader's Digest on non-magic topics.
Would you tell us a little about the guy? Was he a frequent visitor at your home for dinner?

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 3:48 pm

Here's something else I've been wondering since I read Ben's book.

He says your Mother wrote a book about her life with your Father. Will we ever see this work either in full or in part?

Thanks in advance.

Gord

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Re: is no one listening?

Postby Leonard Hevia » October 5th, 2006, 3:51 pm

I'm awestruck right now, too afraid to ask any questions. I wish I could sit down with you at Starbucks and talk over coffee...but I'd like to see David Ben produce a nice coffee table book of Vernon's memorabilia. Beautiful color photos of his Kit Kat Club Cups and Balls, the Iranian Cups and so on.

Your father gave magic so much dignity, beauty, and devious methods...I'm eternally grateful.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 4:03 pm

Gord:

My mother's book "I married Mr. Magic" - "Laughter is My Only Shield" and "Down the Rabbit Hole' (you pick the best title) was never published because it was thought to be too cruel and would not play to the many who thought Dai Vernon was some kind of god.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 4:15 pm

David Ben (that devil) managed to get access to the manuscript of her book from my brother. I have never even seen the complete version. His quotes in the biography are as much as I know about the manuscript.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 4:52 pm

Al Baker taught me a great deal about ventriloquism I remember Shari Lewis as a fellow student. I did a magic and vent show until I started to make money at it. Then my mother put the kibosh on the whole deal.

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Re: is no one listening?

Postby Steve Bryant » October 5th, 2006, 6:23 pm

Early photos show Dai Vernon as a hockey player, and later ones of him attending a baseball game with Charlie Miller. Did he encourage you in sports?

He also told me that one of his sons came up with the name "Triumph" for his seminal card shuffling routine. Do you recall that bit of history?

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 7:05 pm

Al Baker taught me a great deal about ventriloquism I remember Shari Lewis as a fellow student. I did a magic and vent show[...]
Had Shari developed Lambchop at that point, or was she working with a different character? What vent characters did Al Baker use? Who was your vent character? What were your favorite elements from your magic and vent show?

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2006, 8:27 pm

Richard
Do you think you could give good Mr. Verner here a column? His personal history would be an excellent read.

Gord

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 12:17 am

Hey guys - calm down. I only came here to correct the nonsense that was being posted about my dad. No one paid any attention to my early posts. Now you are getting rabid. What made the change?

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 4:02 am

Here is a story that has never seen print. My father called me to visit Francis Carlyle at Bellevue Hospital where he had been picked up lying in a gutter with a friend whose face had been eaten off by rats. I went, expecting the worst, only to see Francis at the top of his form. All the nurses loved him and he managed to charm the entire staff. Francis was someone you just had to love.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 4:15 am

As long as I am talking about Francis Carlyle it may be of interest that Frankie Finneran picked his name from the novel "Nightmare Alley". You may have seen this as a movie starring Tyrone Power.

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Re: is no one listening?

Postby Rick Ruhl » October 6th, 2006, 5:43 am

I'm curious how your dad decided to 'create' the Fitbin Drop move. He had such a good sense of humor and this was alot like the Berg move.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 8:57 am

Originally posted by Gord Gardiner:
Here is something I've been wondering.
In an article many years ago Ricky Jay is quoted as being disappointed in Vernon releasing his material to "The Unwashed." (I believe this is the phrase that Jay used.)

Gord
Hey Gord,

In defense of Mr. Jay (though he might feel the same way)
it was actually Persi Diaconis who said that.

Tim

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 9:34 am

It makes me feel very good that Persi and Ricky both found something ineresting about the professor.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 11:08 am

Ive read occasionally about Mr. Vernon playing the piano quite well, but this was never addressed in any detail. He approached magic as an art - I would imagine his approach to playing music was held to his same high standards in all of the arts he was involved with. Could you comment on his level of playing piano and what music(s) he was particularly fond of?

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 11:37 am

Originally posted by Vernon's son:
I only came here to correct the nonsense that was being posted about my dad.
Could you give us some examples and corrections?

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 11:45 am

Funny you should mention that. Dai spent many hours banging on the piano. He never managed to play very well. He tried boogie woogie and loved Fats Waller but never played well.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 10:13 pm

He read music, and knew about the theory of music. He could have taught a course on music. He could not play to save his life. Trust me -- I listened to years of him banging on the piano.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 11:05 pm

Well, that makes me laugh and makes me say 'kudos' to him.

Me and my gal teach music; just to have anybody get any joy out of creating and playing music is quite an accomplishment. It's no small gift to do so.

It's fun to hear of the Professer's antics that way. I especially like hearing that he enjoyed boogie-woogie and Fats Waller.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 6th, 2006, 11:15 pm

Originally posted by Vernon's son:
It makes me feel very good that Persi and Ricky both found something ineresting about the professor.
I only know Persi from the "Spirit of Magic" documentary.

He comes across as a most wonderful human being, I love his stories and the laughter in his eyes. A real mensch, like you call Carlyle.

And Ricky Jay... a good fellow of a different quality. But again, someone you immediately respond to with excitement and a smile. A mensch of a different color, always interesting, someone whose presence draws you close.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 7th, 2006, 12:13 am

Derek,
I am surprised you still have not talked about Faucett Ross or Charlie Miller, I thought they were close friends to your father.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 7th, 2006, 1:52 am

Ive never forgiven Faucet Ross for suggesting I be named after Nepomuk Hoffinzer. I was stuck with thr moniker "Neepie" for the first 12 years of my life.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 7th, 2006, 2:05 am

Charlie Miller. A genius at card magic. As a person he was best thought of as a dice man.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 7th, 2006, 3:17 am

Derek,
Thank you for your reply.
By the way, do you remember at what time your father usually got up?
What was a typical day like for your father when you were living as a family in New York?

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 7th, 2006, 8:13 am

My dad was very good at magic and he was briliant at cutting sillhouettes. He tried all his life to play the piano. He never made it. What does that say to you guys? If you ask me, I'd say follow your star and don't reach for something God never blessed you with.

Guest

Re: is no one listening?

Postby Guest » October 7th, 2006, 9:58 am

Originally posted by Vernon's son:
What does that say to you guys? If you ask me, I'd say follow your star and don't reach for something God never blessed you with.
Well yes, but if your Father gained some joy at pounding at the piano then it wasn't completetly a waste.

Gord


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