Probably not as much as this guy…
From the Twitter of @dougmckenzie.
Sponsored by
Here is a pretty cool stocking stuffer/birthday present for the magician who has everything, Harry Houdini’s “On Deception” has been rereleased with a new introduction by Derren Brown.
Both the foreword and the tome itself is described by the Guardian:
Practically every paragraph is pompous, overwritten and aching to get back to the “bitter self-aggrandising and petty point-scoring” described in a splendid new foreword by Derren Brown. Brown still treats Houdini, rightly, as something of a hero, but is the first to admit the feet of clay – Harry Houdini’s ego and love of kicking a rival long after he’s down shine like black light throughout.
A petty magician looking to take cheap shots at rivals? Why I never!
Qual é o Seu Talento?’ (’Brazil’s take on the ‘Got Talent’ franchise) has received many Magicians already, but the 3rd Season of the show featured a Magician that did not perform Magic at all but still got the golden ticket (or green, if you will) to the Semifinals of the show, expected to start airing around next October.
Fábio De’Rose performed his “scary as hell” as one of the judges points out, rendition of the Straitjacket Escape. Upon first stepping the stage that has already welcomed (some not so well) more than thirty Magicians one of the judges wondered if it was supposed to be a Comedy Act. After joking about how tight was the jacket “down there“, Fabio was challenged to free himself out within 1 Minute and 40 Seconds. Not only he managed to escape from the jacket, but also from the oh-so-feared Red Lights.
For the Second Round, Fábio promises a breath-taking rendition to the Water Torture Cell, being chained and cuffed by the judges themselves.
Some news for Houdini fans, an abstract sculpture created in honor of the most famous magician of all time is set to be removed and put into storage, at least for a few months while renovations take place.
“Metamorphosis,” donated to the city by Boldt Development Corp., will be put into storage sometime in the next month for at least a few months as the 1-acre plaza is reworked.
“We don’t know specifically when it is going to be moved, but we would like to have it removed by the time the downtown farm market begins in the middle of June,” Parks and Recreation Director Bill Lecker said.
“Metamorphosis” sits atop a red-brick platform that resembles a stage. The abstract metal box is balanced on the point of one of its corners and draped with a padlocked chain. The Richard C. Wolter sculpture, a tribute to illusionist Harry Houdini’s famous trick in which he escaped from a chain-bound trunk, stands more than 14 feet tall and weighs about 4.5 tons. The plaza marks where Houdini’s childhood home once stood.
The final decision on where the Houdini sculpture will be placed rests with Appleton Downtown Inc. If you would like to make your opinion known on the subject, email them with this form.
Or you can call them at: 920-954-9112
Or you can send them a strongly worded letter at:
16 N. Appleton Street
P.O. Box 2272
Appleton, WI 54912-2272
Remember folks, the statue NEEDS to be removed so it is not damaged during renovation construction. We just want it to be prominently placed when it is reinstalled. So when you contact these folks BE POLITE.
Most weekdays we have one of our iTricks.TV Staff members select one of the recently uploaded videos, post it here on the front page and explain why it’s awesome.
Click the thumbnail to see today’s video amongst the luxurious number of other magic clips.
Today, the staff member is Nick and the video is 
Houdini Makes Change For $50s…
“A historical video of Harry Houdini performing his rope escape. He would do this regularly along with handcuff escapes. Houdini, being a business man, would teach you how to do this for 5 easy payments of $19.95…”
This video is only one of nearly 2,000 available at the newly revamped iTricks.TV.
We are normally pretty skeptical about these super marketing essays. After all, if these folks were as good as they say they are then why haven’t we heard of the author before?
But still, here is one on how to build a personal brand like Harry Houdini.
Harry Houdini died in 1926. Yet he is still remembered as the greatest escape artist of all time. Even David Copperfield doesn’t come close in terms of brand and name recognition. That is the power of personal branding. Build a solid personal brand and it catapults you to success. Build a really good personal brand and it survives your death. Will your brand survive 80 years after your death? More importantly, will your personal brand help you while you are alive?
Just imagine how difficult it was to build a personal brand at the beginning of the 1900’s. There was no Internet. Houdini didn’t have a webpage or videos on YouTube. And he didn’t have the money to buy expensive newspaper or radio advertisements. So how did Harry Houdini create and publicize his personal brand? What can you learn from his rags-to-riches story?
SPOILER ALERT: before you get all excited about following this to the letter, the final step is “Die Mysteriously.”
The Guest:
• Ivan Amodei
We talk with the author of the new book Magic’s Most Amazing Stories tells us some of the best tales from the book including an all time classic embarrassing thumb tip story.
- Trick Shop Magic Find out what is new including great stuff from John Kennedy, Dave Bendix, Peter Nardi and a classic from Corrinda.
