The Genii Forum

I vividly remember as a very young man watching Uri Geller perform as he bent spoons , stopped watches and duplicated drawings he was an absolutely tremendous showman and the sensation he caused worldwide long before the age of the internet was amazing .

Many years ago here in Dublin a friend asked me and a couple of others to meet Gordon Bruce who we met in a hotel bar , after a conversation and a few drinks he preformed a truly astonishing card under glass it was a work of beauty to behold .

I only wish I could have seen Slydini , Vernon or Rene Lavand perform live

Watching Uri Geller work, IS a lesson in showmanship, presence, and charisma. I will never forget watching Uri Geller in a hotel ballroom, with a thousand people, half out of their seats, transfixed, while a key bends a quarter of an inch in his hand!

Geller can move and take his audience, to wherever he wants. He is one of those, who have "It" and knows how to use it, and does.

Watching Rene Levand is a magical highlight for many. After watching him the first time, I realized I was breathing fast with excitement....saying, "THAT'S what it can be, that's what it can really look like." Made you realize 99% of those in magic are just doing a bunch of magic tricks.
I remember one time at The Magic Castle in the closeup room, a number of very good, seasoned professional closeup workers, (who often played The Castle) were standing in the back, watching Rene for the first time. It was like Moses had walked into Pharaoh's court and the court magicians watching him do miracles! They were stunned watching his flawless technique and style, knowing they were watching what few knew, was even possible.

Too many to count. We've seen a lot of outstanding people in our lifetimes.

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, Juan Tamariz, Eric Mead, and (even though he's not really a magician) Steve Forte.

Pretty much anything I have seen Bill Malone or Chad Long do. As I mentioned on another thread recently, Johnny Palmer's final load of 3 live baby chicks in the cups and balls, followed by the production of a raven or vulture, stands in a class by itself, especially since it was done in a small intimate show where he was seated at a table. Jeff Hobson deserves honorable mention and I still have a sore jaw from when I saw Eric DeCamps perform the Joker's Wild with flash cash finish, followed by his floating cigar routine, in my apartment in Fort Lauderdale in the mid-nineties. There are, of course, others, since I've been involved in magic for 6 decades, but I'll stop there, for now....

As a footnote, I will add that my own stuffed rabbit from plastic party hat has never really impressed me.

Johnny Thompson doing the egg bag.

Bob Read’s wine bottle production.

Tom Mullica destroying (with laughter AND magic) a roomful of magis at a late '80s Midwest Magic Jubilee. The most entertaining thing I've ever seen in magic.

Dermot, how wonderful to see you here. I had no idea you were also an artist.

There have been a few tricks that shook me badly as to their impossibility.

Derek Latham performing Where Do the Ducks Go on the stage of the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, with what appeared to be an enormous goose. (I was sixteen and thought I knew everything).

The first time I saw Harbin's Zig Zag girl performed by Albert le Bas (1972).

David Berglas' ESPocology at a British Ring Convention in the 70's. It's in his book.

Max Maven performing the Four Sided Triangle. (PRISM)

More recently I have been hugely impressed by David Ben who gave a workshop and lecture in Dublin last year.
Michael Close's IKEA Card Tick (in Paradigm Shift - a delightful presentation).
An effect by Max Maven that is the most perfectly constructed routine with playing cards I've experienced. It's not published.

Tom Mullica's cigarette routine was the most hilarious and magical live performance I've ever seen.

Diego wrote:Watching Uri Geller work, IS a lesson in showmanship, presence, and charisma. I will never forget watching Uri Geller in a hotel ballroom, with a thousand people, half out of their seats, transfixed, while a key bends a quarter of an inch in his hand!

Geller can move and take his audience, to wherever he wants. He is one of those, who have "It" and knows how to use it, and does.

Watching Rene Levand is a magical highlight for many. After watching him the first time, I realized I was breathing fast with excitement....saying, "THAT'S what it can be, that's what it can really look like." Made you realize 99% of those in magic are just doing a bunch of magic tricks.
I remember one time at The Magic Castle in the closeup room, a number of very good, seasoned professional closeup workers, (who often played The Castle) were standing in the back, watching Rene for the first time. It was like Moses had walked into Pharaoh's court and the court magicians watching him do miracles! They were stunned watching his flawless technique and style, knowing they were watching what few knew, was even possible.

Thank you for sharing your memories Diego

Richard Kaufman wrote:Too many to count. We've seen a lot of outstanding people in our lifetimes.

Fair point Richard

Jeffrey Cowan wrote: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, Juan Tamariz, Eric Mead, and (even though he's not really a magician) Steve Forte.

Thank you Jeffrey , Lucero is the one I would love to see close up

MagicbyAlfred wrote:Pretty much anything I have seen Bill Malone or Chad Long do. As I mentioned on another thread recently, Johnny Palmer's final load of 3 live baby chicks in the cups and balls, followed by the production of a raven or vulture, stands in a class by itself, especially since it was done in a small intimate show where he was seated at a table. Jeff Hobson deserves honorable mention and I still have a sore jaw from when I saw Eric DeCamps perform the Joker's Wild with flash cash finish, followed by his floating cigar routine, in my apartment in Fort Lauderdale in the mid-nineties. There are, of course, others, since I've been involved in magic for 6 decades, but I'll stop there, for now....

As a footnote, I will add that my own stuffed rabbit from plastic party hat has never really impressed me.

Thank you Alfred for that great list , maybe the stuffed rabbit from plastic hat will make a dramatic comeback

Bill Mullins wrote:Johnny Thompson doing the egg bag.

Fabulous magician and routine

AJM wrote:Bob Read’s wine bottle production.

That I’ve never witnessed sounds wonderful

JHostler wrote:Tom Mullica destroying (with laughter AND magic) a roomful of magis at a late '80s Midwest Magic Jubilee. The most entertaining thing I've ever seen in magic.

Mullica was a genius a total one off

Q. Kumber wrote:Dermot, how wonderful to see you here. I had no idea you were also an artist.

There have been a few tricks that shook me badly as to their impossibility.

Derek Latham performing Where Do the Ducks Go on the stage of the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, with what appeared to be an enormous goose. (I was sixteen and thought I knew everything).

The first time I saw Harbin's Zig Zag girl performed by Albert le Bas (1972).

David Berglas' ESPocology at a British Ring Convention in the 70's. It's in his book.

Max Maven performing the Four Sided Triangle. (PRISM)

More recently I have been hugely impressed by David Ben who gave a workshop and lecture in Dublin last year.
Michael Close's IKEA Card Tick (in Paradigm Shift - a delightful presentation).
An effect by Max Maven that is the most perfectly constructed routine with playing cards I've experienced. It's not published.

Hello Quentin , what a pleasant surprise to see you hear and I hope you’re happy and well .

I’ve painted since childhood mostly in watercolour and a couple of Irish artists have some of my earlier works. I’ve made it my full time career for the last 15 years and thankfully am represented by various galleries in Dublin and elsewhere , I also sell from Merrion square on Sundays ( weather permitting ) if you’re ever about drop by and say hello would be lovely to see you.

Thank you also for that splendid list Quentin what marvelous never to be forgotten memories they are to have

I too was incredibly impressed with some of the above:

Williamson - almost everything he did!
Mullica's cigarette routine
Bob Read's bottle production. Fooled me even with the explanation!
Harbin's performance of the Zig Zag.

I'd like to add:
Tommy Wonder's C&B routine.
Jerry Sadowitz - the UK's greatest card magician IMO.
Fred Kaps was a genius. Everything he did was great, but I especially liked the Homing Card.
Johnny Hart's act.
Goshman's salt cellar routine.
Rovi was huge influence on me. He made a great impact on a lay audience with his card magic.
Blackstone Jnr's Floating Light Bulb.

I could go on and on, because Richard is dead right - I've been lucky enough to see many great acts! These are just the first ones that came to mind.

Conrejour wrote:

AJM wrote:Bob Read’s wine bottle production.

That I’ve never witnessed sounds wonderful

The International Magic 4 DVD set on Bob Read includes several presentations of it. It is my favorite magic video ever released.

Richard Turner from a distance of about 3 feet.