I’ve long been a fan of magician John Carney. His latest book, though slim, is a true gem. It’s a love letter to magicians for generations to come. Weighing in at only 91 pages, Magic By Design offers the growing magic student a practical overview of how to grow and improve as a performer.
How does [...]

Steve Cohen does not have the marquee name of a David Copperfield, David Blaine or Penn & Teller. What he does have, at 39, is Chamber Magic, five shows a weekend at the plush suite in the Waldorf-Astoria where Crown Prince Sultan of Saudi Arabia stays when in town. Mr. Cohen’s specialty is parlor magic, fusing close-up maneuvers and tricks with common objects for small audiences. He models himself after conjurers who entertained the aristocracy in European salons in the 1800s. He does not saw women or make elephants vanish. [...]

George Schindler, the beloved Dean of the Society of American Magicians, wrote a nice column about parlor magic shows in his monthly column in M-U-M magazine. I was delighted to host the Dean and his wife Nina to my show at the Waldorf-Astoria last year, and he wrote a kind review in his column this month (March 2010). Thanks George! [click title to read the review...]

The FedEx telephone agent said, “Sorry, we can’t change the weather.” I retorted, “Yeah, but you’re FedEx! What happened to your guarantee?” [...]

I was surprised to see a mention of my performance on Tuesday night in The Daily Beast website today.