Las Vegas Weekly

May 26, 2011 · 2:02 PM

Why magicians and bowling don’t mix

By Rick Lax

This guy taught me more than all my high school teachers combined.

How does “Three Days of Nonstop Magic” sound to you? Either wonderful or awful, presumably. Well, if you fall into the “wonderful” group, then you should have been at The IMX Magic Convention this week. It was held at the Orleans.

The event brought together 20 or 30 of the worlds’ greatest magicians, who performed, lectured, and reminded me of just how much I still have to learn. Yes, Criss Angle came by. Yes, David Copperfield came by. Everybody came by.

The funniest moment took place during Tuesday night’s close-up show. The emcee, a hilarious German card magician named Pit Hartling said, “I have some bad news for everyone. Tonight’s midnight bowling event has been canceled. The performers don’t want to hurt their fingers before tomorrow morning’s shows, so, yes, we’re calling the whole event off.” We kept waiting for a punch line…but it never came; bowling had actually been canceled.

On Wednesday, I finally, finally got to meet Michael Ammar. This guy taught me more about magic than anyone else in the world, by far. His instructional DVDs are in a league of their own. The guy oozes Golden Apples. If Michael Ammar had home schooled me, I’d have gotten into Harvard.

He’s a really good teacher, is my point.

He lectured on secret pockets, reconstructed playing cards, destructed wallpaper, and why his baby doll hand coin vanish played so well at the Obama inauguration.

On Wednesday night, I reconnected with my old magic camp counselor Derrick Hughes, and saw some fine cardistry (modern card manipulation) from a ten-year-old Texan.

And now…I never want to see another card trick as long as I live.

Then again, that’s what I say after every magic event….

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