The Lives of a Showman

[Mark.Lewis]

I am most displeased with the response to my marketing research on another thread. I asked for a show of hands to find out who would be interested in purchasing my upcoming memoirs which are taking rather a long time in upcoming despite the fact that I am a subject of great importance.

I am getting psychic vibes of smirking from certain quarters about the lack of response.

I shall therefore ask again on this separate thread. If and when this wonderful opus sees publication who would be interested in purchasing it? Let me see if I can erase the above mentioned smirks.

Anybody?

[Richard Kaufman]

Don't take the lack of response by specific individuals as a lack of interest in purchasing the book.

[Mark Collier]

For instance: Some of us may be worried that if we express an interest in buying the book, perhaps people will smirk at us as well :)

[Pete McCabe]

I am always interested in learning from someone with as much experience as you have, Mark. But I would want to know first how the signal-to-noise ratio of the book compares with your posts on this forum. Do you have an excerpt?

[Mark Collier]

An except of my posts or of the yet to be published book?


Confusion will be my epitaph (lyric trivia).

[Mark.Lewis]

Mr Collier and Mr Kaufman have made very astute remarks. I hope the publisher takes note of them. Actually I was well aware of this possibility when I started this thread, particularly of the sentiments mentioned by Mr Collier. It can well be difficult for anyone to admit interest in what I say because of the reputation attached to my unholy name.

However it is a wise student who can learn to put up with the quirks of the teacher if he wishes to learn. Not that the book teaches anything particularly. It is a memoir rather than a textbook.

The McCabe personage wants an excerpt. There is nothing I would like better. The publisher however has kittens and becomes delirious when said excerpts appear. I am afraid that you will have to ask the illustrious David Ben if the not-so-illustrious Mark Lewis can post an excerpt or two.

Actually I have already done so. Two excerpts are on this very forum. Seek and ye shall find.

[mormonyoyoman]

Don't take the lack of response by specific individuals as a lack of interest in purchasing the book.

"Purchasing the book?" PURCHASING the book? I plan to break into Mark's garage and steal a copy. It will give me an excuse to drive through Canada again, and wander over to that beautiful Al/Can highway.

*jeep!
--Larcenous Grandpa

[Mark.Lewis]

I am afraid that you will have to break into David Ben's garage instead. He will have the books not me.
In any case I do not drive and never have done. I leave that sort of thing to lesser human beings. So I don't have a garage anyway.

[Jim Sisti]

Confusion will be my epitaph (lyric trivia).

I could care less about this proposed book but I do love King Crimson.

[Dustin Stinett]

I could care less about this proposed book but I do love King Crimson.

A man after my own heart.

When my daughter was a crawler, she started crying for reasons she couldn't communicate. It turned out she was terrified by the LP cover of In the Court of the Crimson King.

Dustin

[Jonathan Townsend]

Robert Fripp/Adrian Belew fans?

[Jim Sisti]

I could care less about this proposed book but I do love King Crimson.

A man after my own heart.

When my daughter was a crawler, she started crying for reasons she couldn't communicate. It turned out she was terrified by the LP cover of In the Court of the Crimson King.

Dustin

[image]http://www.robbierocks.ch/LP%20Cov%20SM/1969/03.-in%20the%20court%20of%20the%20crimson%20king.jpg[/image]

To bring this back on topic, maybe this could be the cover for Mark's book. I see a resemblance...

[Mark.Lewis]

Richard says that I am not allowed to be rude to this second rate magazine publisher so I won't. Instead I shall merely comment that I have heard great sniffing of disappointment over the latest issue from a subscriber who often looks in on this forum. He is a young restaurant magician and informed me that it isn't as good as it used to be. He told me that he wished he hadn't subscribed and when I asked why he made me laugh uproariously when he mentioned that he couldn't abide the rather silly Christopher Lyle whom I have to reprimand on a regular basis all the time.

Young Christopher will no doubt be along any minute to defend his rather odd opinions. He assures me that Sisti is a paragon of wonder and he worships the very ground that he walks on which of course is already a sign of his bad judgement.

[Jim Sisti]

We were probably better off off-topic...

Robert Fripp/Adrian Belew fans?

I never liked the Belew incarnation of King Crimson. Their last great album (for me) was Islands.

[Mark Collier]

It's not entirely off topic. Mark Lewis himself describes his name as 'unholy'.

From Wikipedia: "The name King Crimson was coined by lyricist Peter Sinfield as a synonym for Beelzebub, prince of demons."

[Mark.Lewis]

The information is a trifle out of date. I am publishing the book myself now and am making good progress towards it. I am thinking of using Sisti's cover after all. I hope people don't confuse me with Christopher Lyle.

A magic shop owner has suggested another title for the book. "Ducking and Diving" with the "The Lives of a Showman" being the subtitle. I will not be taking up the suggestion even though it did amuse me.

"Ducking and Diving" is a British grafter's expression and has nothing to do with underwater sports. The nearest definition I can think of is "doing what is necessary to survive"

[JJWagon]

I am very, very new to this forum but after reading the Are You a Member of The Magic Circle thread I quickly realised that Mark Lewis is a complete star. I will certainly buy his book...

JJ

PS. I do believe he is mentioned on page 22 of my very good friend, the late Fred Robinson.

[Ian Kendall]

And a welcome to JJ! Are you still in Portugal?

Take care, Ian

[Harry Lorayne]

Hey Jim: I think you mean that you couldN'T care less. Or do you really mean you COULD care less - which means that you DO care, and you could care less. Why do I have the feeling that what you really mean is that you couldN'T care less? Sorry; back to topic now. HL.

[Mark.Lewis]

I have never understood why Americans say they "could care less" when they actually mean that they couldn't care less. We British never use that silly expression "could care less" It is as silly as disgusting chewing gum and the lack of a Sub Judice rule.

Since we are on this grammatical kick I am a trifle puzzled about the capitalisation of three words. When I go on the internet to figure it out I get a headache. First and most importantly is the word "svengali" (as in the deck) capitalised or not? Ditto for the word Government and Embassy.

Anybody know?

[Jim Sisti]

Hey Jim: I think you mean that you couldN'T care less. Or do you really mean you COULD care less - which means that you DO care, and you could care less. Why do I have the feeling that what you really mean is that you couldN'T care less? Sorry; back to topic now. HL.

You are quite correct, Harry. In this specific case, I most certainly meant that I could not care less.

[Richard Kaufman]

Svengali is capitalized because it is the name of a character.

[Joe Pecore]

First and most importantly is the word "svengali" (as in the deck) capitalised or not? Ditto for the word Government and Embassy. Anybody know?

I think you capitalize the word "government" when used in the context of a foreign nation (e.g. The United States Government). See http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_you_capita ... government

I think I remember the same for embassy. Capitalize if attached to a specific country (e.g. Canadian Embassy).

[Mark.Lewis]

You won't have to wait too long for the book now. I have painstakingly gone through the book and have edited thoroughly with the help of friends. There are only three chapters left to edit and two of those chapters are very secretive indeed. The two chapters in question could almost be expanded into an entirely different book on its own.

Once the book is edited, I shall concentrate on collecting photographs. Then the book has to be laid out. And finally printed.

And from that point on I shall simply promote it in my usual low profile manner. First to the magic community and then within a few months to the public who it was written for in the first place.