WHY Do You Do That? Part 3

I have a magic bucket list, filled with magicians to see and magic places to experience first-hand before the bucket tips.  So far I've been lucky enough to experience David Copperfield, Dan Sperry, Jeff Hobson, Shim Lin, and several others on that list live, and I've also visited the Magic Castle in LA and Eclectica magic shop in Rome. Still, I have so many to see, so many places to be.

Visiting Magicopolis in Santa Monica would mean two ticks off the list, as the incredible Steve Spill holds court there.  

Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Steve's theatre packs 'em in for a magic show only he could do, because there's nobody quite like Steve.  I'd give you more of his background, but honestly he does a much better job than I ever could in his book, I Lie For Money, which anyone who has even a passing interest in magic, comedy, and the entertainment industry must read.  Suffice to say, he's been there, done that in entertainment, and manages his permanent magic home as smoothly as he can find your card, any card.

I "met" Steve and his wife/stage partner Bozena on social media, and I'm constantly impressed by what they've accomplished, and the endless happy audience member faces they post.  They work it, and work hard to assure the audience gets what they paid for, and then some.

Steve certainly came to mind when I started asking, "Why do you do that?"  He's been in the entertainment industry for many years, and could certainly leave magic behind for other gigs in the that world.  Here's why he says magic continues to be his passion:

I’ve logged more than half-a-century in this obsession, that was my stepping-stone to awareness of the unity of all art and creative activity.  More than a job, or a career, or even a passion, it is a calling - an urgent, undeniable, impossible to resist way of life – a large part of that love is the metaphor of magic, the subliminal message that’s says nothing’s impossible…  and that magic is about the art of concealing art, which gives a performer the sensation of feeling they’ve gotten away with something.  

And even after all these years communicating with audiences, often from different parts of the country or the world – tour groups, swinging singles, retired seniors, overcaffeinated twerking tweens, our local Silicon Beach dwellers and their families including kids, as well as ordinary rich people and garden variety celebrities – people eight to ninety-seven - I know you thought I was going to say ninety-eight, but the cutoff is not a day over ninety-seven, sorry, rules are rules – but being on the receiving end of their laughs and gasps still gives me an absurd amount of pleasure.

I hope to get to Magicopolis some day and meet Steve and Bozena (at the very least to thank Bozena for liking all the pictures I post of my Grandkids), and judging from his response, they'll be there waiting for many years to come!  And seriously... buy his book.  It's one hell of a ride!

Next - an old Friend and one of the most prolific magic inventors in the world answers, "Why."