There are certain performances that come to mind as high watermarks on my journey over the years. Richard Ross at my first British IBM gala show… Lance Burton appearing in competition at FISM in 1982… at the same convention, I first saw Jerry Andrus… and hanging out with Fred Robinson and Eric Mason at the Marlborough Arms Pub after seeing them at The Magic Circle. There were more, but I want to highlight one here that was formative.
It was a performance that made a lasting impression on me, and came at the point when I was in a sponge-like state. (That’s very apt, to describe the man at the heart of this story.)
At that point in my life, I was indeed soaking up many things, and my personal universe was in flux. I was about to become involved in a publication called Opus, a magic magazine. My part in Opus was driven partly by frustration, looking for a creative outlet for my line drawings and fledgling attempts at design. Because Opus dealt with magic—hoorah!—my twin passions could be combined.