The Genii Forum

Jeffrey Cowan

Crap.

Joe was a very kind guy on top of his considerable talents as a craftsman.

Jeffrey Cowan

Definitely a shame. David was generous with me when I presented myself at the FAO Schwartz magic counter in 1986 and asked for some feedback on the palm to palm change I had been learning from his video. He then did it for me with sets of dice, switching two for two. It was perfect and an ephiphany....

Jeffrey Cowan

Does video of his show exist? I saw it at the IBM convention in DC in 1976 or '77 (forget which), and it burned a wonderful memory in my adolescent brain.

Jeffrey Cowan

The Washington Post published a superb obituary yesterday about Al. It does him justice.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ob ... story.html

Jeffrey Cowan

That's good news for today's and tomorrow's magicians. I logged many, many hours during my teen years studying the Book of John.

Jeffrey Cowan

Link?

Jeffrey Cowan

Neither. Get Kaufman's Coin Magic and/or the Latta book.

Jeffrey Cowan

Watch video of Goshman or Del Ray working for a live audience. You'll know.

Jeffrey Cowan

Tom was a craftsman (I think he spoke once of making some stuff for Vernon), a purveyor of Bill Gusius products at Castle swap meets -- and a very nice and generous guy once you got past the sometimes gruff exterior. I met Tom in the mid 1990s, and he ended up inviting me to his home in Van Nuys and...

Jeffrey Cowan

You can see Illusions/Magicopolis during the looting at about the 7 minute mark here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbxTqyW ... D3cz1bxcgQ

Jeffrey Cowan

What distressing news. Harvey was very generous in helping me during the two years I worked as a full-time pro between college and law school. He had some terrific techniques, and -- more important -- Harvey was very devoted to his daughter, whom he invariably brought up or was thrilled to discuss w...

Jeffrey Cowan

My mom updated me today that the New York Times had a passing reference this week to a new Houdini biography. See https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/books/review/new-this-week.html Given that Yale University Press published it (and the author has some impressive writing/literary credentials), I'm as...

Jeffrey Cowan

Kudos. What a great mitzvah.

Jeffrey Cowan

Deferring Magic Live to 2022 not only eliminates competition with FISM (folks with jobs and kids can justify only so much time away from home for magic conventions) but also returns to the convention's early history when Magic Live was only every 3 years anyway.

Jeffrey Cowan

Consider exploring if a local middle school or high school library -- or a boys and girls' club or a local church/synagogue's youth group -- might want some of the magazines. Or solicit among your social network. A few years ago, someone in my area was giving away a large batch of Genii and Magic Ma...

Jeffrey Cowan

I think Tom is referring to this new video by the Dixie Chicks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbVPcPL30xc

Jeffrey Cowan

For those in the NorCal area who have not seen Brad in action, he's a superb performer and magician. Carpe diem.

Jeffrey Cowan

I'm not a Vernon scholar, but I find this historical research and analysis fascinating. Thank you for posting.

Jeffrey Cowan

Richard Kaufman wrote:We will have a full writeup of the convention by Chloe Olewitz in Genii.

Likewise looking forward to it. My buddies who attended said it was terrific (leaving me in a continued state of regret that I wasn't able to make this one).

Jeffrey Cowan

Still available.

[My office address is 9401 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Beverly Hills, California 90212; see www.cowan-law.com]

Jeffrey Cowan

I unfortunately cannot attend the Genii Convention this year due to family commitments that I'm unable to circumvent. Hopefully my loss (the GC two years ago was superb) is your gain. If you want to buy my registration for what I paid for it, let me know via email: jeffrey at cowan dash law dot com....

Jeffrey Cowan

Fresh off the presses (but not a copycat of the New York Times article; this has been in the works for at least two months).

https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2019 ... BLxikvWdA#

Jeffrey Cowan

David Blaine hit the ball out of the park and got a deserved standing ovation for his talk at the 2017 Genii Convention (which included two effects that are part of what I understand is his working repertoire). He has evolved and grown immensely from his first tv special and -- as Richard says -- ca...

Jeffrey Cowan

Some of you may get a kick from this profile interview that the ABA Journal decided to run about my work representing magicians in its June 2019 issue. [Back-up set of Paul Fox cups in photo courtesy of Bob Kohler 25-30 years ago.] http://dashboard.mazsystems.com/webreader/61383?page=14 Best, Jeffrey

Jeffrey Cowan

It really depends on the routine. Jeff Haas: you foreshadow my comment. I regularly performed for laymen the routine of which I believe you're thinking -- John Bannon's Oz Deposit -- for 15+ years (until I became a dad and stopped having time for part-time pro stuff). No one ever surmised that the c...

Jeffrey Cowan

Anyone able to help me figure out how to run on my Windows 10 PC the Windows 95 "Magic Multimedia" program of Anton the Magician that Kevin James used to sell back in the day? It's designed to let you print a person's photo on a court card. I was lucky enough to receive one probably 20 yea...

Jeffrey Cowan

The New York Times did a great feature article on them a few years ago: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/nyregion/auschwitz-magician-nivelli-war-play.html Huffington Post also did an article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/werner-reich-and-the-magi_b_3037452?guccounter=1 Props to Scott for ensurin...

Jeffrey Cowan

Richard Kaufman wrote:It's so easy for an editor to pick a photo that makes a magician look like an idiot. Poor Amos Lefkovitch.

Indeed. Amos was a superb magician, and often got a good reaction from lay audiences when he chose to make expressions like that one.

Jeffrey Cowan

Thanks! Problem solved. Greatly appreciate the help.

Jeffrey Cowan

Anyone not using one of the small red purses that unzipped into a full zipper (or started as a zipper and could be folded/zipped into a purse? I think Hank Lee (perhaps among others) marketed/sold them; and Scotty York used them in a few of his published routines. Thanks for your help in tracking do...

Jeffrey Cowan

Many of the greats who made impressions on me are gone (e.g., Slydini, Del Ray, Goshman, Conover, Marlo), but I strongly recommend that you capitalize on any opportunities to see the following greats in person if you have not already done so: Bob Kohler, David Williamson, Bill Malone, Armando Lucero...

Jeffrey Cowan

I try to add a Ten Card Deal phase to everything I do even the balloon animal routine where I end with an endangered species then the balloon bursts and I tell the kids that means that all the penguins are now dead. Through their tears I pull out the cards and end strong by beating the birthday chi...

Jeffrey Cowan

Anyone know someone who can attach soft leather on one of these purse frames so that it is a real purse that would match an empty frame? I have no idea what kind of crafts/trades person to approach? [I'm trying to create a matching set; the purse frame from the set I've been using for 30 years wore ...

Jeffrey Cowan

This is now sold.

Jeffrey Cowan

Thank you for the heads up, Richard. I just got one for my office.

- Jeffrey

Jeffrey Cowan

A jury trial whose date has changed several times is going to keep me from attending Magic Live. If you're interested in buying my registration, let me know. [I also can try to transfer my hotel reservation at the discounted rate to you.] Best way to reach me is via direct email: jeffrey at cowan-la...

Jeffrey Cowan

I like it very much, Al. Seems like a step forward from Milt Kort's copper-silver routine in Bobo.

Jeffrey Cowan

Concur with Richard, but you want the relatively recent annotated version of The Magic of Slydini. Gene Matsura adds some great tips and details that Lewis Ganson missed (or Tony didn't share with him). I recommend that you first buy/study the Magic of Slydini and The Best of Slydini and More before...

Jeffrey Cowan

Craig, many thanks for your detailed, candid reviews. I always appreciate them when I'm unable to attend FISM (as is again the case this year).

Jeffrey Cowan

I laughed too.

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