|
|
stevehw Veteran user Collinsville, Mississippi 303 Posts |
Is Paul Diamond still around?
He is/was quite a controversial guy. Any Paul Diamond thoughts, stories, etc.? |
floridamagic Regular user lakeland Fl 157 Posts |
Paul's still around, he came to one of my close up sets last year at Downtown Disney. One of his family members works for the main Disney store in Orlando.
|
Greg Arce Inner circle 6732 Posts |
I am so happy to hear that. I spent twenty years in Miami and he had the first magic shop I visited when I moved down from New York. I was ten at the time. I remember entering the shop and he popped open an appearing cane and said, "You need this, kid." I bought it. The next year I came in and he remembered me and everything I had bought a year before. I grew up being one of his friends and spent some time watching him teach my friend magic. He is a funny guy and a great magician. Watch him do his reel and rope magic and you wil rush out to buy a reel.
Greg
One of my favorite quotes: "A critic is a legless man who teaches running."
|
stevehw Veteran user Collinsville, Mississippi 303 Posts |
Thanks guys. I haven't seen Paul since about 1979, and haven't heard much about him in recent years. So I didn't know what his status was.
Greg did Paul ever talk much about his friendship with people like Tony Slydini, Milton Berle, etc...? I got a big kick out of just knowing that he hung around with those guys. When I spent some time at his house trying to learn his Symphoney in Silk routine, he would point over to a little room off of the dining area and tell me that Tony stayed in there and finished his last book while sitting at that table by the bed. Anyway, that's about as close as I ever got to the great Slydini. Steve |
Steve Hart Veteran user Cocoa, FL 388 Posts |
Paul will be performing and acting as MC for one of the shows at the up-coming Florida Magicians Convention, May 23 - 25th, 2003 in Cypress Gardens.
You can get all the details for that convention by going to: http://www.floridamagic.org You can reach Paul at mrhumble@prodigy.net . He would be glad to hear from you. Steve Hart Cape Canaveral, FL USA
www.SteveHartSpeaks.com
www.magic2motivate.com "Motivational Magicians are some of the highest paid magicians, find out why?" |
Greg Arce Inner circle 6732 Posts |
Steve, I was actually at Paul's home when Slydini came for a visit. I remember Paul telling me this crazy story of how Slydini had fooled everybody with his way of guessing which card was peeked at. Paul told me the story of going into the bathroom to talk to Slydini and he watched as Slydini pulled out his shirt and a few pieces from torn corners fell out...that's how he had guessed the cards. Well, years later I read a story in one of the magic magazines and it recounts this story. I was shocked to see something I had been present at.
Do you also know that Ricky Jay had studied with Paul in his early years? Paul did an incredible double lift that he could shoot across the longest bar and the cards would not come apart. He did the most impossible looking faros because it looked like he just jammed the pieces of the deck together with brute force but it was always a perfect faro. He booked me many years ago to do close up magic for some insurance convention. It was five other magicians and Paul. I remember watching all the crowds end up at Paul's table. I still do something he taught me that day and I do it his way. Paul is a one and only in the magic world. Greg
One of my favorite quotes: "A critic is a legless man who teaches running."
|
stevehw Veteran user Collinsville, Mississippi 303 Posts |
That is great Greg. I would have loved to meet Tony. I didn't know Ricky Jay was one of Paul's students. He did tell me he was teaching the country singer David Allen Coe his Symphoney In Silk routine around the same time I was learning it.
Steve (Hart), I lived right down from you (A1A) back then (1978-1980) while stationed at Patrick AFB in Cocoa Beach. Did you ever know a magician from Palm Bay, FL named George Danchuk? I spent a lot of time learning magic from him while I was there. Is he still around now? Steve |
Greg Arce Inner circle 6732 Posts |
The name George Danchuk does not ring a bell. I grew up with people like Ace Gorham, Morty Rudnick, Syd Bergson, Paul Duke, Fantasio, Russ Burns, Sam Shwartz, etc. I got my best training from Paul and Fantasio.
I grew up in Coral Gables and belonged to Ring 45... I was actually vice-president for a short time. Ah, those were the days. Greg
One of my favorite quotes: "A critic is a legless man who teaches running."
|
stevehw Veteran user Collinsville, Mississippi 303 Posts |
I did not know Fantasio was from around there. Did he have any input to Paul's Symphoney in Silk routine? Just wondering, since it used the canes and silks.
Steve |
Greg Arce Inner circle 6732 Posts |
I don't believe Fantasio had anything to do with the silk routine. And just so we are on the same page, was the routine the one that used hank balls in it? If it is the same one I'm thinking about then he taught one of my friends that routine many years ago.
Oh, Fantasio has lived in Coral Gables for many years now. When I was living out there, he was a few minutes from my house. I spent many great weekends over there discussing and inventing magic. I was there when the first prototype of his deck switcher was made. He cut up a yardstick and made one to see if it would work. He's a really creative guy. Greg
One of my favorite quotes: "A critic is a legless man who teaches running."
|
Lior Inner circle 1961 Posts |
Paul and Andy are great. They took care about my wife and I in our first IBM convention in St. Louis and then in the SAM. He also came to Israel and gave a strong lecture. His 4 ace routine was my favorite in the days I used to do close up.
I think that Richard Kaufman hates him.
The Lior Touch
https://1amagic.com/ PEA Dave Lederman Award 2009 PEA Dunninger Award 2001 Life Time Achivmeant IUPA 2016 |
Paul Inner circle A good lecturer at your service! 4409 Posts |
re:
I think that Richard Kaufman hates him. Do you know why? I saw him shoot that double across a table years ago. Impressive. Paul. |
JohnMartin New user 20 Posts |
I saw him shoot a double across a long table and when it came to a stop it separated. One of the attendees at the lecture chuckled at this "mistake" after Paul swore that he never missed.
The chuckling stopped abruptly when Paul separated the cards and showed us he had actually thrown two sets of doubles. Even more impressive!! |
Greg Arce Inner circle 6732 Posts |
Absolutely right. He could shoot a double across the longest bar and it would stay a double. Most magicians looked at it as a great show of skill, but Paul used it for a bit a mentalism. He would shoot a card across a table and say, "That's my prediction." Someone would pick a card from the deck and Paul would walk the selected card to the double sitting there and place the single on the double... then he would separate the double to show the match. Great stuff.
Greg
One of my favorite quotes: "A critic is a legless man who teaches running."
|
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Did you hear the latest? » » Paul Diamond??? (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.02 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |