David Ben Interview

[Magic Newswire]

David Ben is my guest on the latest episode of the Magic Newswire Spirit of Magic podcast. David contributed two pages to the Genii 75th Anniversary issue of Ted Annemann's Jinx.

Listen to my chat with David Ben here.

To recap where we are to date on this, you can also listen to my interviews with the other JINX contributors as listed below:

Interview with Harry Anderson

Interview with Jon Racherbaumer

Interview with Marvin Miller

Interview with Banacheck

Interview with Bob Cassidy

Interview with Barrie Richardson

Interviews with Max Mave, Mike Caveney,Jonathan Levit, Eugene Burger and Mac King

As always, you can find my complete list of previous interviews on the left side of MagicNewswire.com as well. Enjoy!

[Jim Maloney]

I'm only about ten minutes in and really enjoying this interview so far.

Thanks Dodd and David!

-Jim

[Steve Bryant]

Finished listening to Marvin Miller yesterday. Also fascinating.

[Michel Andenmatten]

Thanks, Dodd. That was excellent and much too short. A personal highlight in the series for me so far. Please have David Ben as a guest again... and again... and again...

[Magic Newswire]

Thanks, Dodd. That was excellent and much too short. A personal highlight in the series for me so far. Please have David Ben as a guest again... and again... and again...

Thanks Michael,
Part Two of my Chat with David will be up asap, so never fear, there is more with David to come!

[Magic Newswire]

Finished listening to Marvin Miller yesterday. Also fascinating.

Marvin was great! I was thrilled to manage to connect with him. Still working on a couple of other contributors, but Stephen Minch will be up next.

[magicman1953]

Dodd you da man
excellent imo

[Magic Newswire]

Part two of my interview with David will appear shortly!

[Jim Maloney]

Dodd,
I've moved your notice here (rather than in the thread about David's "And the Oscar Goes To...") since it's more relevant to this thread.

And I'm looking forward to Part 2! I just downloaded a bunch of your interviews onto my mp3 player and am listening to them there. Great stuff.

Also FYI, for David, I save all my e-mails, at least partially for the reasons he went into in the first interview.

-Jim

[Tabman]

Great work, thanks.

-=tab

[Magic Newswire]

My pleasure!!!

Part two is now online HERE

[Magic Newswire]

Dodd,
I've moved your notice here (rather than in the thread about David's "And the Oscar Goes To...") since it's more relevant to this thread.

And I'm looking forward to Part 2! I just downloaded a bunch of your interviews onto my mp3 player and am listening to them there. Great stuff.

Also FYI, for David, I save all my e-mails, at least partially for the reasons he went into in the first interview.

-Jim

Thanks Jim!

[Nathan Muir]

I found the David Ben interview very interesting. It's shame you can't interview some of Vernon's living students and put some of Ben's opinions to them.

[Mark.Lewis]

I was chattering away to Vernon's son Derek some time ago. He seemed to agree that I was just as much a genius as his father. Naturally I heartily agreed with him. I shall be meeting David this morning and will inform him of that fact.

[Richard Kaufman]

Jeez, Mark, you certainly have balls.

[mai-ling]

I was chattering away to Vernon's son Derek some time ago. He seemed to agree that I was just as much a genius as his father. Naturally I heartily agreed with him. I shall be meeting David this morning and will inform him of that fact.

I made stickers that said
"My Parents are Legends and I'm a Genius."

Someone actually wrote that to me (in longer form).

After I had the stickers made, I brought some along
for the Magic Collectors Weekend in 2008.

It was fitting that Sandy Marshall and I wore the
sticker with our name tag all through the weekend.

[Mark.Lewis]

Richard I do indeed have balls. I never use them and am in fact not quite sure what they are for.

[Steve Hook]

I was chattering away to Vernon's son Derek some time ago. He seemed to agree that I was just as much a genius as his father. Naturally I heartily agreed with him. I shall be meeting David this morning and will inform him of that fact.

Mark (or whoever wrote this):

I've supported Mark Lewis in the past. I like his tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.

But...this post is just plain stupid, not funny. I wish your humor was more bulletproof, Mark. It's just as important to know what's not funny as what is.

Whenever you come under fire, it's always because you went beyond edgy towards embarrassing.

Stop letting your fans down!

Steve Hook

[Mark.Lewis]

Hook old chap. I remember you as not being supportive in the past. In fact I remember distinctly telling you to sling your hook. If you don't know what means I suggest you ask one of your British colleagues who will no doubt translate it.

The post was not supposed to be funny. I was merely reporting the facts. Derek Vernon was kicked out of the Genii Forum because he was fond of partaking of the devil's buttermilk in too vast a quantity. I therefore made friends with him and dragged him kicking and screaming into another forum where I was a moderator.

He soon realised that he was in the presence of genius and when he was sober he would praise me to the skies and he did indeed say that I was just as much a genius as his dad. When he wasn't sober he was somewhat less complimentary and I remember getting great amusement when he called Paul Pacific a bare footed freak. Paul forgave him though and everything was hunky dory.

I like Derek Vernon very much and if you require witnesses to Derek's fulsome praise of me then I have plenty of witnesses some of whom are on this very forum.

[Steve Hook]

He seemed to agree that I was just as much a genius as his father. Naturally I heartily agreed with him...

...The post was not supposed to be funny. I was merely reporting the facts.

Your memory is as faulty as your knowledge of physiology. I did indeed support your tongue-in-cheek posts.

As far as the above quote goes, surely you're jesting once again.

But wait...that was one which wasn't funny.

"Stop letting your fans down."

- Steve H

[Mark.Lewis]

I shall say it again. It wasn't supposed to be funny. I was merely reporting what someone else said. And he DID say it.

[Jolly Roger]

I know that some of you may think I am being untruthful, but Derek Vernon was also a big fan of mine........seriously! Ask Mark. That makes two Dereks I like...Lever and Vernon. JR

[Tom Frame]

Uh, this is the David Ben thread, right?

[Richard Perrin]

Tom, yep... it's the topic you're asking but somehow one jump in about himself other than David Ben interview.
Shall we stick to the topic, please.

[Richard Kaufman]

Who died and made you moderators? :)

[Richard Perrin]

Heh heh heh

[Mark.Lewis]

David Ben is very modest and doesn't mind sharing the limelight with Mark Lewis. I expect he isn't quite so enthusastic about Jolly Roger so perhaps we should depart this thread, Roger. Methinks there are bad vibes here.

[Jolly Roger]

David Ben is very modest and doesn't mind sharing the limelight with Mark Lewis. I expect he isn't quite so enthusastic about Jolly Roger so perhaps we should depart this thread, Roger. Methinks there are bad vibes here.

Nonsense Ronnie! You have no idea how enthusiastic Mr. Ben is about Jolly Roger. He may be as big a fan of yours truly as Derek Vernon is! JR

[Nathan Muir]

David Ben is very modest and...

I don't know. In that interview he loosened his collar and indulged in some fulsome analysis of his talents.

[Mark.Lewis]

Nonsense. It is well known in the Toronto magic community that David is a paragon of modesty. A bit like Jolly Roger and myself come to that.
Besides even if you are correct he can at least back it up.The locals here consider him to be the best magician in Canada.

[Jolly Roger]

Is it my imagination, Ronnie, that you told me once that years ago David Ben used to pitch Svengalis? JR

[Richard Kaufman]

I think many of us who worked at a magic shop for even a brief period in his youth probably pitched Sven decks.

[Mark.Lewis]

Why do I get a vibe that Roger is subtly trying to cause trouble all the time? I can't prove it-I just get a vibe of it.

David did indeed in his youth pitch svengali decks. He worked for a scoundrel of the first magnitude that I know very well.I shall let you all guess who it was.

Come to think of it Jay Sankey also worked for the same scoundrel around the same time period. I watched him work and was greatly amused that he wished all the customers "have a nice day" at the end of the demonstration smiling sweetly at all and sundry. At least that is what he was doing at the very beginning of his first week. At the end of the said week he was no longer smiling. He was snarling and hissing. However being Canadian he still bade the customers to "Have a nice day" I don't think he meant it though.

[Jolly Roger]

Why do I get a vibe that Roger is subtly trying to cause trouble all the time? I can't prove it-I just get a vibe of it.

David did indeed in his youth pitch svengali decks. He worked for a scoundrel of the first magnitude that I know very well.I shall let you all guess who it was.

Let me be the first to guess......."Mark Lewis!" JR

[Mark.Lewis]

Correct.
Now I KNOW you're are trying to cause trouble. There goes David's reputation in the magic community.

[Jolly Roger]

Correct.
Now I KNOW you're are trying to cause trouble. There goes David's reputation in the magic community.

I am not trying to cause trouble, dear boy. I am simply psychic! JR

[Mark.Lewis]

Psychic? That reminds me. Perhaps I and Roger should depart this thread before it is all shot to hell and pontificate about psychic matters elsewhere. It occurs to me that I know rather a lot about psychic matters. I may start a thread about the art of doing readings.