As readers of this blog know, I am somewhat infatuated by Max Malini, the extraordinary magician who entertained celebrities, tycoons and aristocrats. I’ve modeled my career on his, and have been tracking down Malini stories for years. Many of these stories are chronicled throughout this blog.

I recently acquired Malini’s advertising booklet at auction (circa 1926) and was delighted for two reasons simultaneously. First, it is an honor to own this historic memorabilia of a prominent magic figure. The booklet is in very good hands.

Second, the text of the booklet has confirmed that Max Malini stayed and performed regularly at the hotel where I’ve presented Chamber Magic for the last decade: the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.

In his advertising booklet, he includes laudatory letters from prominent figures, including President Harding. Here is one of the inside pages, containing personal notes from General Pershing and Vice President Charles Dawes [...]

Buzz Aldrin after my performance in New York: “I used to think Saturn V was a miracle. But your show – this was a real miracle.”

I performed magic last week for NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin and a fascinating group of space tourism supporters.

Buzz let me use his ring for one of my tricks – the ring HE WORE ON THE MOON!

Without a doubt, that experience trumps all the other notable rings I’ve borrowed in the past, including a Super Bowl ring, and Ellen Barkin’s wedding ring.

I still can’t get over it. I held the ring Buzz Aldrin wore while walking on the moon. And he let me use it in my show. What an honor.

After the show he also allowed me [...]

I’m a fan of movie star Renée Zellweger, and was thrilled when I found her sitting in the front row at my show last night. In this blog post, read what she had to say about the show [...]

Have you ever wanted to see the inside of the legendary Friars Club in New York City? It’s a private members-only club with rich show business history. Then read on, and enjoy a few in-action photos from my recent induction ceremony, held on September 20, 2011. The ceremony was held in the Frank Sinatra dining [...]

I love stumbling across historical gems — here’s one from The Sphinx magazine (a well-known magazine for magicians) that ties together two of my loves: magic and the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. This hotel, now located on Park Avenue, was previously located at the corner of 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, but was torn down in 1929 to make room for the Empire State Building.

Editor William Hilliar reported this closing in the May 1929 issue, and wrote about one of the Waldorf’s most famous employees, Oscar Tschirky. If you’ve been to my Chamber Magic show, you know that I summon the ghost of Oscar nightly to assist with a magic trick. It turns out he was actually a bit of a magician himself, as you’ll see below.

Here is the text I found [...]

“For the uninitiated layman, everything Steve Cohen presents in “Chamber Magic” must seem totally impossible and could easily convert anyone to believe in the paranormal.

“Other mentalists and all magicians should watch Steve carefully. Not so much for the actual effects but for his superb patter, timing and presentation. Few other entertainers are able to create the kind of intimate and mysterious atmosphere that this evening offers and, in the best show-business tradition, he leaves them wanting even more!”

–David Berglas

I was honored to receive this praise from David Berglas, one of the living legends in magic. David and his wife Ruth visited my show in London, and we’ve remained in touch over the years. A few years back, they visited New York City, and I organized a lavish luncheon in David’s honor at the Waldorf-Astoria. Here is the personalized menu from the Peacock Alley private dining room [...]

As convenient as the internet has become, there is no substitute for doing research the old-fashioned way – searching for rare books in the stacks of the New York Public Library. As long-time readers of this blog will know, I’m somewhat infatuated with the historic magician Max Malini. I’ve modeled my career on him, visited his home and even stood in the garden where he died.

So it was with great excitement that I located a passage in a non-magic related book that included a new story about Malini. The book is titled “Two Gun Cohen” by Daniel S. Levy. I’ve included the passage below, followed by some further comments from me. Two Gun Cohen was the nickname of Morris Cohen, a Jewish mercenary who befriended Sun Yat-Sen, worked as his bodyguard, and became a major-general in the Chinese army. He carried two guns, and was apparently not afraid to use them.

Here, then, is the Malini story which takes place in Shanghai, China, at a time [...]

“Aside from his success, it is Steve Cohen’s charm and elegance which separate him from all but a tiny elite of world-class magicians. However, Steve is the only magician from that elite and highly-select group to take his show to an elite and highly-select audience. It is a true one-off: an intimate caprice of parlour diversion by an enthralling and consummate master.”

-Derren Brown

I also dug out an old photo of Derren with my wife and children [...]

Yes, that’s me with master magician Lance Burton at the Friars Club in New York City. We were there tonight for the premier screening of a new magic-themed movie: Make Believe.

The Friars Club is a grand old club for entertainers and people in the entertainment industry. Past members include all the show business legends, including Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Ed Sullivan and Milton Berle. The street entrance looks like this [...]

I had an uncanny out-of-body experience this week. A gentleman from England sent me his uncle’s scrapbooks from the 1930s and 40s, and they were filled with memorabilia of a famous magician who worked for 18 years at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York. The magician’s name? Dr. Sydney Ross PhD.

He entertained aristocrats, dazzled celebrities, and stumped politicians – even several US presidents. For all intents and purposes, he was “The Millionaires’ Magician” of his day, and even worked in the same hotel as me!

Going through his clippings, photos and promotional material felt like I was reading about myself from the future. What a mind-trip!

According to his nephew, Dr Ross jokingly told people that his PhD was in “phinagling.” He must have been very good at it, since he was invited to entertain Franklin D Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt in the White House. More on that in a moment. [...]

Part-TED conference, part off-the-hook spring break, Summit Series 2011 was an extraordinary experience that I am proud to have been part of. My mind and body are still humming in excitement. I gave one performance on Saturday to a packed auditorium of 200 people, including top authors, scientists, entrepreneurs, astronauts and scholars. They generously gave me a standing ovation, and mobbed me the rest of the weekend. I’d call it a mutual fan club.

Summit Series 2011 was held on a cruise ship sailing out of the Port of Miami to a private, undisclosed island in the Bahamas. For three days, one thousand hand-picked people shared ideas, gave presentations, built friendships and expanded our horizons. The slogan of Summit at Sea was, “You can’t discover new lands until you have courage to lose sight of the shore…”

Thank you to Richard Hatch for finding this article online and bringing it to my attention. I particularly enjoy the reporter’s description of the tricks Malini performed for the Police Chief, detectives, and judge. The article gives a glimpse as to how Malini marketed himself. He would roll into town, perform for dignitaries and other [...]

Comic book illustrator Stan Goldberg visited me at the Waldorf the other night with his wife, celebrating their 50th anniversary. He’s best known as the illustrator of Archie Comics for the past 41 years. I grew up reading Archie, so it was a genuine thrill to watch him draw this picture for me after the [...]

Due to our mutual interest in magic, I’ve gotten to know legendary talkshow host Dick Cavett over the last several years, thanks to an introduction by Teller. CBS Sunday Morning did a great segment about Dick’s life yesterday, and he even announced that he’s ready to be back on the air with a new Dick [...]

I’ve posted several videos here from my National Arts Club award dinner on October 5.

Mark Levy gave a dynamic presentation, telling little-known stories about my private magic shows.

Legendary talk-show host Dick Cavett talked about his life in magic, and his experience with fellow magician and talk-show host, Johnny Carson.

Holly Peppe related how she began working with me 10 years ago. The final video shows National Arts Club president Aldon James presenting the award.

The following text is from Dick Cavett’s introduction at my recent award dinner. I can’t tell you how honored I was to be introduced by this legendary television host. Dick Cavett: I love magic, and when I saw Steve Cohen the first time, it was in front of this building. This fellow came up to [...]

Siegfried Fischbacher (of Siegfried and Roy fame) came to my Waldorf performance tonight. It was amazing having a Las Vegas legend in the audience. We spoke for ten minutes after the show, and he told me that he envied me. “I envy you,” said Siegfried, “because you present a perfectly elegant, very smart, one-man show. [...]

According to celebrity reporter Robin Leach: “Steve Cohen is the dictionary definition of ‘amazing,’ ‘unbelievable,’ and ‘baffling.’ There is nobody else in the world doing what he does and it truly is the most remarkable performance I have seen in all my years. I believe that his extraordinary and unique talents far surpass any ordinary [...]

Steve Cohen: Is there a basic human need to be deceived? Do people seek out scenarios where they can be willingly deceived? Why would smart and/or successful people who typically are in control of every area of their lives be interested in coming to a “magic show”? Leonard Peikoff: I absolutely disagree that there is [...]

Leonard Peikoff: That leads me to the other part of your question: how can you convince people, and create conviction? I would say that you can create only one kind of conviction, if you’re talking about a rational audience. It’s the conviction of your skill. You could not convince a rational audience that you have [...]

I am currently rereading one of my favorite novels, Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand (pictured above). Near the end of her life, Rand appointed Objectivist philosopher Leonard Peikoff as the legal heir to her estate. He is the world’s foremost authority on Ayn Rand’s philosophy. By a stroke of luck, Dr. Peikoff recently visited my [...]

Teller (of Penn & Teller) was kind enough to write an endorsement of my Waldorf-Astoria show. A few years back, he visited together with Dick Cavett. It was a great night. After the show, we talked extensively about Groucho Marx, Richiardi, and Slydini. Teller expertly performed a Slydini coin vanish, making my silver dollar disappear in the purest fashion.

Here is the full text of the quote that Teller [...]

Yoda visited Chamber Magic at the Waldorf last night.

Andy Nyman, my old friend and a truly wonderful man, brought him along. Of course, Yoda came in the form of his inventor, Frank Oz. He’s also the man behind the Muppets: Cookie Monster, Grover, Fozzie Bear, Bert, and Miss Piggy. After the show, we had drinks together at the Bull & Bear. What a thrill. During our conversation, he grunted in Cookie Monster’s voice for me, but I didn’t ask him to speak like Yoda. It just didn’t feel like the right thing to do.

Frank Oz told me that he once auditioned for [...]

Last night renowned sex therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer visited me at the Waldorf for my late show, Miracles at Midnight. During one part of the show, I magically pass one solid object through another. I call it a penetration effect. Last night, in a moment of inspiration, I asked Dr. Ruth to assist with this trick. I looked at her and asked, “Dr. Ruth, would you please help me with a penetration effect?” She answered, [...]

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

I was invited to entertain 125 guests last night at a private dinner celebrating Comcast’s new ownership of NBC Universal. All the heavy hitters of the two companies were there, including Jeff Zucker (NBC president), Ralph Roberts (Comcast founder), and Brian Roberts (Comcast CEO).

Orson Welles was no stranger to pranks, as we know from his 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds that drove America into a frenzy. It should be no surprise, then that Welles was also a keen magician and remained fascinated by magic throughout his life. [...]

NBA coach Phil Jackson came to my show last night. After the show was over, we took a couple of photos. I look like a shrimp. Fact is, he is 6 feet 8 inches tall. He has a great sense of humor, and is a cool guy. The next night, Phil Jackson was in the [...]

Just as singers have their favorite songs, magicians have our favorite tricks.

One of my all-time favorites is Think-a-Drink. The proper title of this routine is Any Drink Called For, and has also been known as The Bar Act. I’ve been performing this routine in my shows for the past eight years, but it has existed in various forms for over a century. The trick is so old, it’s new again.

A recent guest at my Waldorf show introduced himself as a relative of the great old-time magician, Max Malini. According to the gentleman, his great aunt’s second husband was Malini. A few weeks later, he sent me a piece of memorabilia from their family scrapbook – Malini’s calling card.

This image was drawn by the world-famous tenor, Enrico Caruso.

This art exhibition by Austrian designer Stefan Sagmeister is very clever and inspirational. The artist mounted 7200 bananas onto the wall, each at various levels of ripeness. It’s a Lego-like building environment, and the greenest bananas contrasted with the yellowest ones enough to spell out words: “SELF CONFIDENCE PRODUCES FINE RESULTS”

Once you’ve flown on a private jet, there’s no going back. I just landed in Cancun, on a Bombadier Challenger 605. And it’s all thanks to card tricks. My flight bag is loaded with six decks of Tally-Ho cards, a purseful of antique silver dollars, one red silk hanky and two false thumbs. Try explaining [...]

A major highlight in my performing career took place on April 26, 2009. The Waldorf-Astoria’s Director of Diplomatic Affairs invited me to entertain Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, of Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince and his royal court were staying in the Waldorf Towers during an extended visit to New York. After [...]

I lost track of time at my dinner with David Berglas. So did he, apparently, as he shared wonderful stories of his lifetime of experiences in magic, and also several amazing card tricks. I had brought my own deck of Tally-ho cards, and David performed a rapid-fire series of think-a-card tricks, the likes of which [...]