WHY Do You Do That? Part 2





Answers are seldom simple.  A question like, "Did you feed the cat?" could have a complex answer, like, "My day consists of hours toiling at a job, which I receive compensation for bi-weekly.  This compensation is directly deposited into my bank account, via a complex series of secured technologies, thus enabling me to have access to said compensation, which allows me to purchase goods at any number of retailers.  One such retailer specializes in products for a wide variety of pets, including felines... So yes, through a combination of labor, economic alchemy, and shopping, I do feed the cat!"  On the other hand, the answer might be, "No. Did you?"



Like answers, Edward Underwood is a complex man.  He is most certainly a magician, and a great one at that, but that is only part of his puzzle.  He's a musician, composer, comedian, writer, thinker... With a heavy emphasis on "thinker."  He and his lovely wife Karen perform various shows in Branson, MO, from magic to music to improv... the list never ends.  With Karen, he recently published a book entitled, "Wicked Branson," exploring the seamier side of this vacation mecca for the older set.



When I hear the words, "Working Magician," Ed comes to mind.  He's a working performer, grinding it out day after day to make a living.  There are no Vegas casino deals, no corporate backed tours, just a man, driven to perform, happy to make a living that way.  When I first considered the question, "WHY do you do that?"  I hoped Ed would answer.  He did...

Why do I do magic? I've heard it said that magic chooses you. Without getting too zoomie or metaphysical about I believe that was true about my experience. The images of magic, the colors, the mystery all shot straight through to my core imagination.

   Now I do magic to push back on a very crappy world. Magic-especially unexpected magic in daily life is a way of thumbing your nose at all those hard and fast rules. It's an experience in asymmetrical thinking and an encounter with an unexpected outcome. 

   You should never be sure of what no one can know!

 You hear these rules from the day you are born. Things like "you can't jump on the couch cushions", and "there will be levitating without visible means of support in this house mister!" Well this newly materialized fan of cards in my hand seem to contradict your presumptions!

 I'd like to thank Ed for his thoughtful, complex answer.  There's so much more to his story; you can begin to know more on his Facebook page.

  More to share soon, but for now, it seems I need to feed the cat...

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