RIP Mark Wilson
- Dustin Stinett
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RIP Mark Wilson
Greg Wilson has reported that his father passed away this afternoon. Our condolences to Nani, Greg, and Mike.
- Krenz
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
I am so glad for having met Mark briefly, and for his course in magic, which deeply inspired me. I ordered it off of the back of Magic magazine (way before Stan's) and those pages, text and illustrations were a foundation for me. You are missed Mark!
Re: RIP Mark Wilson
That's sad. We didnt get to see his TV specials in New Zealand, but I've had his book for many years and just pulled it out this summer to go through again.
A number of influential people passing away lately...
A number of influential people passing away lately...
- CraigMitchell
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
His definitive book introduced so many to the incredible world of magic ... what a remarkable legacy.
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
An irreplaceable loss to our community! Deepest sympathies to Mark's loved ones. I just recently picked up another copy of his complete course to replace the one I'd given away to a young aspiring magician years ago. A tremendously valuable resource.
Bev Bergeron Siegfried, George Goebel, Joe Porper, David Roth, Mark Wilson - all gone within what seems like a heartbeat of one another.
As some members probably already know, Bev Bergeron helped write the Wilsons' Magic Land of Alakazam shows in the early 60's and played the character, Rebo the clown, on the show. https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Mark_Wilson_(magician)
Here's a nice commemorative piece about Mark. Love the story of how he stepped in last minute at the Castle when in his 80's to do a half hour show (filling in for a magician who had an emergency), using just a borrowed deck and silk hanks.
https://www.newsfromme.com/2021/01/21/m ... son-r-i-p/
Bev Bergeron Siegfried, George Goebel, Joe Porper, David Roth, Mark Wilson - all gone within what seems like a heartbeat of one another.
As some members probably already know, Bev Bergeron helped write the Wilsons' Magic Land of Alakazam shows in the early 60's and played the character, Rebo the clown, on the show. https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Mark_Wilson_(magician)
Here's a nice commemorative piece about Mark. Love the story of how he stepped in last minute at the Castle when in his 80's to do a half hour show (filling in for a magician who had an emergency), using just a borrowed deck and silk hanks.
https://www.newsfromme.com/2021/01/21/m ... son-r-i-p/
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
I remember being around 9 years old visiting family in the Philippines and watching reruns of the Magic Circus on some obscure Filipino television station on hot, humid, summer afternoons.
Fast-forward back to the temperate states to my early teens, and I receive my junior membership card in the mail from the Magic Castle personally signed by Mark Wilson.
I was lucky to be around the Castle when wizards roamed the halls. Everything about their persona imbued the magical. Mark Wilson was one of those figures, along with Billy McComb. The same glow and feeling one gets when experiencing the wonder of magic for the first time was rekindled just by being in the same room as them.
Fast-forward back to the temperate states to my early teens, and I receive my junior membership card in the mail from the Magic Castle personally signed by Mark Wilson.
I was lucky to be around the Castle when wizards roamed the halls. Everything about their persona imbued the magical. Mark Wilson was one of those figures, along with Billy McComb. The same glow and feeling one gets when experiencing the wonder of magic for the first time was rekindled just by being in the same room as them.
- erdnasephile
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
Another legend---this one really, really hurts.
If Mark Wilson wasn't there on Magic Circus inspiring me as a kid, I don't know whether I would have ever become a magician (and my life would have been all the poorer for it).
My sincere condolences to Ms. Wilson, Greg, and Mike.
If Mark Wilson wasn't there on Magic Circus inspiring me as a kid, I don't know whether I would have ever become a magician (and my life would have been all the poorer for it).
My sincere condolences to Ms. Wilson, Greg, and Mike.
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson absolutely started my magic interest. I watched the Magic Land of Allakazam faithfully in the early 60’s. I got to meet Mark many years later at a magic convention. I also sat and chatted with Bev Bergeron at a convention banquet. He was excited to bring back his “Water Act”.
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
Edward Pungot wrote:...I receive my junior membership card in the mail from the Magic Castle personally signed by Mark Wilson.
I was lucky to be around the Castle when wizards roamed the halls. Everything about their persona imbued the magical. Mark Wilson was one of those figures, along with Billy McComb. The same glow and feeling one gets when experiencing the wonder of magic for the first time was rekindled just by being in the same room as them.
Those sound like wonderful, nostalgic memories. And a source of great inspiration. I've only been to the Castle once, back in the mid-nineties. I met Larry Jennings that night, and mustered up the courage to do a trick for him at the bar. It's an old packet trick called "You must Have Been Drinking." I doubt it fooled him, but he said he liked it and that he’d never seen it. I love that trick, and still perform it to this day. The cards have lasted because they came laminated.
Today, I got out Mark's Complete Course book, revisiting some of the great moves and routines I had learned, and also checking out some new ones. Everything is taught so clearly with such a remarkable attention to detail and great tips. I have long performed the wonderful “Bigger Card Trick” (p. 134) coupled with “The Applause Card” (pp. 138-139) at stand-up shows. The banner with the words “THANK YOU” printed on it (easy to make) that drops down from behind the Giant Card after its surprise revelation from the paper bag, provides a perfect applause cue. Highly recommended.
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
MagicbyAlfred wrote:I met Larry Jennings that night, and mustered up the courage to do a trick for him at the bar. It's an old packet trick called "You must Have Been Drinking." I doubt it fooled him, but he said he liked it and that he’d never seen it. I love that trick, and still perform it to this day. The cards have lasted because they came laminated.
Are you referring to Oliver Mackenzie's "Drink Trick" (done with buckle counts) from Ken Brooke's book Magic: The Unique Years? Juan Tamariz has a nice analysis is this trick in his book The Magic Rainbow.
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
Edward Pungot wrote:MagicbyAlfred wrote:I met Larry Jennings that night, and mustered up the courage to do a trick for him at the bar. It's an old packet trick called "You must Have Been Drinking." I doubt it fooled him, but he said he liked it and that he’d never seen it. I love that trick, and still perform it to this day. The cards have lasted because they came laminated.
Are you referring to Oliver Mackenzie's "Drink Trick" (done with buckle counts) from Ken Brooke's book Magic: The Unique Years? Juan Tamariz has a nice analysis is this trick in his book The Magic Rainbow.
No, actually, "You Must Have Benn Drinking" was (I am almost sure) created by Nick Trost. It is a highly entertaining and baffling routine, where you give the spectator kind of a sobriety test to see if they've been drinking. (Jennings had been that night at the Castle, LOL). Each of four apparently blue-backced cards (say, for example, the tens) magically turns face down, then face up again in the spread. Next, all of the cards are all shown to be face up. Then, in the following phase, the backs are all shown to have changed from blue to red (via the flustration count).
For the hilarious denouement, the magician says, "Well, I'm sure you must have been drinking - in fact, I know you've been drinking beer, because, look, you got beer all over my cards." The backs are then shown each to have a different colorful, true-to-life beer logo, Budweiser, Coors, Coors Light and even the Budweiser dog, Spuds McKenzie. It's a beautiful series of transpositions and transformations.
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
PS On second thought, as the cobwebs begin to clear away from my memory banks, I believe "You must Have Been Drinking" was actually created by Jerry Somerdin, not Nick Frost (no buckle counting in the handling). It was a commercially marketed packet trick that I purchased in the early 90's at a magic store in Coral Springs, Florida, called "Magical Moments," which was owned by a fabulous magician named Cory Allen.
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
I had read that David Roth wrote the coin section for Mark's book.
- Zig Zagger
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Re: RIP Mark Wilson
That may well be. In the book, David Roth is credited as a contributing writer, together with Larry Anderson, Fr. Jim Blantz, Earl Nelson, Tom O'Lenick, Peter Pit, Brick Tilley, Alan Wakeling, and U. F. Grant (as special contributing author).
The entire Course was coordinated by Larry Anderson, assisted by Don Wayne.
The entire Course was coordinated by Larry Anderson, assisted by Don Wayne.
Tricks, tips, news, interviews, musings and fun stuff: Have a look at our English-German magic blog! http://www.zzzauber.com
Advancing the art in magic one post at a time (yeah, right!)
Advancing the art in magic one post at a time (yeah, right!)