Mark Lewis

[Guest]

I am sure that his detractors are numerous, and I am sure that he does try Richard's patience, but I, for one at least, have found Mark Lewis's posts informative and refreshing. He often makes me laugh.

0pus

[Bill Mullins]

If Mark wanted to be a part of this community, I'm sure he could. But in most every post, he is condescending, arrogant, superior, smug, disdainful, etc. His favorite word is "I". He tries to set himself above and apart from this group, and I can't blame Richard for punting him once more.

Is he anything like this in real life? Or is it just his online persona?

When you filter through his BS, he obviously knows a good deal about front-line magic. I've enjoyed his posts on the Jam Auctions, and others. But it's tiresome reading over and over his opinions on post-1954 magic, who he is smarter than, who he is better than, who doesn't know as much as he does, ad infinitum.

Tone it down a notch, Mark.

[opie]

You just said it, Bill: When you wade through Mark's bs (which I find entertaining), there are gems of wisdom and knowledge...

I will miss him here....but probably not for long; hopefully Richard, who is a fair man, will rescind Mark's banishment....(please Richard; Mark is just having fun; those with ultra-thin skins are the ones who should be banished....

opie

[Jeff Eline]

It's a shame he can't control himself. There are times he's both entertaining and informative. However, he dominates so many threads with his baiting games that it gets very tiresome.

[opie]

It only takes a click to get past Mark's posts...Sometimes, I search for his posts just to have some laughs and maybe even learn something...I would bet that he has more fans than foes....

opie

[Guest]

I'm with Opus & Opie (I feel I should change my name to something that starts with Op).

Although I don't know what caused his expulsion this time, I have found Mark's posts to be both entertaining and informative.

The basis of improvisation is the use of the '...yes and...' technique. When someone posts that they are the greatest performer ever, I just take him at his word; 'yes (you are) and (maybe you can enlighten us). If someone says they are a psychic reverend, I go along with that too. There's no need to get upset if someone uses the word 'I' too much.

I'm glad Mr. Lewis has posted on these board & I wish for his safe return.

[Richard Kaufman]

Mr. Lewis will not return. Can't tell you how many e-mails I've received from people since last night, all very happy that he is gone.
And gone he will stay.

[opie]

Don't you just love the haters who do not know how to click over that which offends them? Such thin skins! (not to mention the loss to the web of viewer time).

I would still bet that Mark has more fans than foes.

opie

[Guest]

Richard, I started this thread because I know that Mark Lewis rubs many magicians the wrong way. I just wanted to say I found his posts entertaining and informative.

He is a character.

I am sure that some of the more revered practitioners also irritated others (Marlo? Vernon?). Weren't they abrasive?

Anyway, I think those who objected to Mark Lewis's statements and opinions should just lighten up.

I liked the spice Mark Lewis added.

0pus

[Bob L]

Yeah, I found Lewis' posts annoying at times. However, his online style is so tongue-in-cheek that I can't imagine why -- over the long haul -- people would find him offensive. The "greatest magician" and "psychic reverend" stuff is so clearly intended for satirical and/or teasing effect that it borders on the ludicrous. I found it generally entertaining.

Oh YEAH, he IS opinionated but not, as far as I can tell, uninformed. Yes, he does whack people in public, but he's at least up front about it. And he isn't alone in this forum for harboring grudges.

I fully understand why Mr. Kaufman and the others who are responsible for maintaining the quality of life on this forum might not want to deal with the inevitable irritations that Lewis' abrasive style causes. Still, IMHO, it's too bad that he is no longer spouting off in this neighborhood.

And -- to Lewis' discredit -- it's also too bad that he appears to court these banishments.

[John Bodine]

I too enjoyed Mr. Lewis' posts and believe for the most part he knows what he's talking about. He rarely makes personal attacks at people on the forum, and if one reads through his pompous style there's loads of good to be found.

Shame he had to be banned.

johnbodine

[Guest]

Posted by Bill Mullins:

But in most every post, he is condescending, arrogant, superior, smug, disdainful, etc. His favorite word is "I". He tries to set himself above and apart from this group, and I can't blame Richard for punting him once more.

If this is criterion for exile, this will be a much lonelier board.

Place me firmly on the side of enjoying the right Reverend's contributions to the Genii Forum (and they are significant), firmly against those lacking the ability or good humor to ignore irrelevant behavior, and bowing down to Richard Kaufman's absolute fiat over Forum content and contributors.

--Randy Campbell

[Robert Allen]

When I was a kid my parents taught me that it wasn't nice to tease people. Mark Lewis does it all the time, and on Richard Kaufmans dime. The boards are already laboring under the load. For each one of Mark Lewis' posts a bunch more (like this one) taking sides and arguing about things other than magic would be spawned, for no good reason.

I agree that, rarely, Mark Lewis said something of interest, however the majority of the time it only appeared so, as he would hint at great mysteries but provide little in the way of concrete help. If he wants to do that, fine, but let him pay for the resources. Look at the fellow who runs the Magic Circle Jerk. He's offensive, but his diatribes have clear points which are made, and hey, he's paying to publish his opinions. [Of course I am biased. I think he's hilarious :) ]

Perhaps this is a cheap shot, or hypocritical of me, but Mark Lewis would do well to learn a bit about the old concept of netiquette, or providing posts that had at least a reasonable signal to noise ratio.

I wasn't agitating for him to be gone, but I certainly don't miss him.

[Bob Gerdes]

Am I the only one who thinks he's already back?? (I've been reading his posts here for so long, I can recognize his writing style pretty easily)

I, for one, think he's extremely funny. I guess its a love him or hate him kind of thing.

[Richard Kaufman]

He was back, but he's gone again.

[Robert Allen]

Sort of like the smell of mildew...

[Bill Mullins]

Originally posted by Robert Allen:
Sort of like the smell of mildew...

Has anyone ever seen Flash Mildew and Mark Lewis together????? Maybe they are the same person . . .

[Jeff Haas]

Bill, it pains me to say this, but Mark Lewis is more competent than Flash Mildew could ever hope to be.

Jeff

[Guest]

For what little it is worth I like Mark.
Steve V

[Jeff Hinchliffe]

I too, enjoyed the rantings and useful info contained within from the "Great Psychic Reverend." However, living in Toronto, I have the advantage of being with the great Mark Lewis live and in person, something apparently many of you would like to see...

[Guest]

i also do not mind mark's presence on this board, but if he is ever banished for good he can often be found at the browser's den in toronto. sometimes he'll even step behind to counter to demo and peddle his manuscript to the owner's chagrin.
a few weeks ago i was "lucky" enough to be sitting behind mark at the den's annual show. i could hear mr. lewis' venomous commentary through all the performances quite clearly. somewhat entertaining but far from enlightning.
and to answer mr. mullins question, yes, mark is just as abrasive in real life as he appears here.

[Guest]

Hi,
Bring him back....was he offensive..ie bad language etc....I dont think so..just seems some people didn't like him or have known him for a long time...Democratic vote I say...gregory

[Guest]

How can you NOT laugh at his antics?

[Stefan Nilsson]

The posts by Mark Lewis are in my opinion among the most informative and valuable ones in this forum. It's too bad if there won't be any more. Also, it's too bad if we cannot accept a person just because he isn't nice to us.

For a year and a half I supervised a student diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. His social skills were nonexistent and I didn't get any positive feedback what so ever from him. However, he was a very interesting and intelligent person with an unusual sense of humor and I learned a lot from him. It wasn't nice but the experience was very valuable to me.

By the way, a good magician should be able to handle people of all sorts, even psychic reverends.

[Guest]

When someone likes to cause trouble, when someone likes to stir the pot up and when someone who is so full of venom that attacks when someone says that they do not agree with them and will do so on other boards behind their backs as well, you have to draw the line and say enough, we do not need your childish, iresponsible behaviour here no matter how good and informative your posts can be.

Despite having the luxury of living in a domcratic society (or at least under the illusions of living in such a system) with apparent freedom of speach, this as are all the other boards here, are PRIVATELY run and held and as such Richard can banish whom ever he wishes on HIS whim. THAT too is all due to living in a free country.

So tell me now, where do you draw the line? Mark has been given far more chances than I would have given him and each time Richard allows him back, Mark hangs himself with his own rope. I for one applaude Richard Kaufman and his team for their actions and urge these posts to stop as they really have nothing to do with magic anyway and are keeping us away from far better things magical.

PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat
AB Stagecraft
http://www.mindguy.com/store
Where mentalists shop world-wide

[opie]

I do not believe I have ever seen Mark attack anyone the way Paul just attacked him. That thin skin I was talking about is really stretching thinner. Just the facts, folks. opie

[Wolfgang]

I for one like people with an opinion, be it mine or not, At least you know were they stand. I found Mark Lewis' post entertaining and at times insightfull. If he offended someone than don't act like a little kid. Fight him back by providing better arguments, the public opinion be the judge. If you run into a post were you feel like Mark is rambling on than just jump to the next one.
Quite honestly if the ramblings of Mark Lewis in an online magic forum upset you or you feel attacked, than I realy would like to know how you handle life in the real world out there.
I wish that Mark would be allowed the freedom of speach that makes this country great, however I will have to respect Richards choice. :whack:

[Guest]

opie, if you think Pauls comments were unwarranted, go back and read ML's posts, under various names, and see how many people he put down
and made derogatory remarks about. You may not have noticed because none of them were you
from
Ford

[Guest]

Can someone please go give Ford a hug? I would but you East Coast people have snow and icky stuff like that.
Steve V

[opie]

I have known Mark in his many characters on several forums...

Mark and I used to get toe to toe frequently, but, as adults, we both knew it was all just a game....That is something a lot of people need to learn about forums...They are a family circle, filled with all the friendly banter that real-life families have or should have....

I would bet that many of his staunchest critics never enjoyed the cutting locker-room banter of men's sports or the rapport-building banter of a military organization...

Thin skins need not apply even in their own families....

opie

[mark]

I have never tangled with Mr. Lewis. I have never complained about Mr. Lewis. I have watched him target several individuals during his various forays onto the Genii Forum in various guises, and make himself a pest. However it was that they became his target, from that point forward he dogged their steps until they didn't even wish to take part in discussions anymore, because they knew that Mr. Lewis would spend his evening trying to twist their words or meanings until he could best make them appear a fool. This is not someone who is thin skinned, or who has been a target of him, this is just me, relating what I have seen. As far as his 'informative' posts go, he has always promised far more than he ever delivered. Now any of you, his defenders, may reply that he has provided far more than I have on the Forum, but I will say this - I have never promised you the secret to anything as Mr Lewis did, and I haven't failed to deliver like he did. Remember all of those instances where he teased you with the secrets of the universe, and then later on said, "Oh, now you've gone and angered the great and mighty Oz, I cannot in all good conscience see my way clear to give you the secrets that I promised you. If it hadn't been for that mean old rude <insert target of the week here> I would have told you all the secret of the Indian rope trick, but now I can't. You should all be *really* angry at him now." Needless to say, I am not going to miss his version of the sandbox, I would much rather get back to the old boring version of adults acting like adults.

[opie]

Oh, now I understand...Mark was thrown off because he would not reveal how the Indian Rope Trick was done...ah man! Now I am mad at him...

Hey Steve, give Jens a hug; he is in California...

...and here I thought he was thrown off for no good reason...

opie

[Richard Kaufman]

Not only is Mark no longer on the board, but I'm not interested in hearing about him now that he's gone. Topic closed.