This is my original routine for the color-changing knives, a great classic effect of close-up magic. This is called “The Intricate Web of Distraction.” The routine is available on DVD fromSchool for Scoundrels, and the knives designed for my routine are available from Joe Mogar as the Whit Haydn Color Changing Knives.
I have been digitizing a number of video tapes for my new website at Pop’s Website, and I have one more to go to complete the set.
There are half a dozen stage and parlor clips and a dozen close-up clips at my Video Gallery.
This is from a performance in the Close-Up Gallery at the Magic Castle in 2007. This is my Cards to Pocket routine, a card trick I have been doing since about 1985. The ending was inspired by a magic move of Johnny Paul’s, where he vanishes the deck and then pulls it out of his waistband, fanned.
This is a newly uploaded video of a 2007 performance in the Close-Up Gallery at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. This is my own version of Coins Across/Winged Silver.
I like this routine for the false explanation of the method. The common explanation of magic is that it goes “up your sleeves.” Here, the spectator’s common explanatory concept of coins going up the sleeve becomes the effect itself.
I found this video of one of my published routines, The Chicago Surprise, being performed by an Airforce Staff Sergeant.
I thought he did a great job, and I complimented him on it. Here is his reply:
“My name is Wilder Rua I’m 31 years old. I have been loving magic since I was 12 and started practicing when I was 17 and found a magic shop in my home town in New Jersey. I mainly enjoy close up to small parlour style of magic. I joined the air force in 2001 have been married twice and am still married.
“Plans are to start to do close up walkaround professionally while still on active orders and continue full time when I retire the military.
“I started off with simple color Monte and easy to do effects and then I moved on to more advance books and vhs tapes. Art of astonishment was a big influence early in my life them moved on to more performance style books like Eugene burger.
“Some influences have been Paul Harris, Derek Dingle, Larry Jennings, Pop Haydn, Doc Eason.
“Where a lot of magician tend to start with children magic, I have tried my best to avoid it. I find myself to be more of an adult performer kind of like Rich Morotta. I don’t have a character per se when I perform and find that it plays well for me to just be myself the magician. I have always gotten compliments for being that way. I have been told that it gives me better rapport with my audience. Ah, its a good thing in some ways and maybe hinder me in others cause I can’t do certain effects that rely a lot on being a specific type of person. Ie Ted Lesley or Rick Mauer where their bizzare magic and mentalism takes a specific style of performing.
“I have been in the Air Force since 2001 and have been stationed in Wyoming, Iceland, Montana and Texas.
“I reside in Texas as of right now and even though I am a military police officer by trade right now I work as a combat arms instructor.
“Magic has made of possible for me to speak to large crowds and has helped me relate to people. I use magic in my classes and pretty much any time I can.
“I hope to visit the Magic Castle one day just to see where many like yourself and other icons have performed.”
–Wilder Rua
Thanks for your service, Staff Sergeant Rua, and for doing such a nice job with my routine. Cheers!
I will be appearing in the W. C. Fields Bar at the Magic Castle in Hollywood on October 14th and 15th. Continuous shows from 8:00 pm until 12:00 am. I will be doing some new things. It should be a lot of fun!
I will be performing on the stage tomorrow at the 2011 Old Time Fiddlers’ Convention in Goleta, California.
Magill and I are looking forward to a wonderful time. It is a beautiful place and I think it is going to be a beautiful day. We will be hoping to see a lot of our friends out there.
Rancho La Patera & Stow House
304 N. Los Carneros Road
Goleta, California 93117 Ticket prices $25 General admission
$20 Seniors and Students with ID
Free 17 and under
Had a great time Sunday night at the Magic Castle with my friend Ajit Badrinath, aka “AJ the Unusualist.” Ajit is joining the ship Paradise for Carnival Cruise Lines in Long Beach this week. He will be doing close-up circulating magic on the ship on a six-month contract. AJ is from Mysore, Karnataka, India, where the magnificent Mysore Palace is located, and now lives in Bangalore.
AJ does his magic with a theme of the American Old West and gambling.
It was a good week at the Magic Castle. AJ got to see shows in the Palace with Tom Burgoon, Joseph Tran, and Mystina, and David Sandy in the Parlor. We had some interesting discussions with Tony Picasso and Jay Leslie, and AJ did a close-up set to a large group at the Palace Bar Close-Up Table, and was very well-received.
We look forward to seeing AJ when he gets back into Los Angeles.
Happy Birthday to Irene Larsen, one of the co-founders of The Magic Castle. Irene is a lovely, vibrant lady, one of our real treasures at the club. She is always a lot of fun to be around. Her husband Bill Larsen, and she, along with Milt Larsen (Bill’s brother) originally put together the Academy of Magical Arts and its world famous clubhouse in Hollywood, The Magic Castle.
Irene is a past-president of the Magic Castle, and affectionately known by everyone as “Princess Irene,” a stage name she was given by her first husband, magician John Daniel.
Irene is Honorary President for Life and Ambassador-At-Large for the Academy of Magical Arts and a current member of the Board of Trustees.
Pop Haydn is not originally from the 21st Century himself, but has been trapped here with a bunch of other maroons from another, very different time and place.
Pop is a magician, comedian, musician and medicine pitchman. He is a past Vice-President of the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, and has been named performing "Magician of the Year" six times, winning in the categories--Stage, Close-Up, Parlor, and Bar.
He is the co-founder with Chef Anton of School for Scoundrels.
Friends of Soapy Smith
Website for the friends of badman Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith, the King of the Frontier Con Men. Run by his great-grandson and biographer, Jeff Smith.
Nancy Magill
Pop Haydn
Pop's Soapbox 