Crafty Fingers
The street mage is always a fascinating encounter. Bringing your buried wonder to the surface when you least expect it. They dazzle you with awe and confusion as they manipulate your reality. Bending and breaking the laws of physics and reason. Stating that you have to watch carefully. “Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.” They do all this right in front of your face. Sometimes right in the palm of your hand. But the city street is not the only place they appear.
They show up in carnivals, malls, state fairs, Las Vegas shows, and even the dreaded birthday party. Ever see a clown magician? Or even worst, a mime magician? That’s some creepy $#!+!
So, they show up at all these places and perform. Then pack up their bits and bobs and move on. Ever wonder what they do when they are not performing? Well, the really good ones are always performing. 1/4 of their time in front of people and almost 3/4 of the rest of the time practicing. These magi are always practicing, experimenting, and learning. It is a very strict lifestyle. One that makes them as good as they are. They never stop.
In contrast to the “magicians” of today; what do you think they were like before tables, chairs, and brass sippy-cups? Like way before electricity and plumbing. There are quite a few very old manuscripts in The Magic Castle that only the higher-up members have access to. Stuff so secret, that you have to be ‘way beyond’ a professional. Secret handshakes, and funny looking hats type stuff. You know, that Lord of Illusions sort of vibe. Do you think they perform rituals like the Freemasons? Might there even be a cult like mentality? Or is the whole thing all about what we have come to believe about sleight of hand and misdirection? The stuff you see on TV. Penn & Teller, The Unknown Magician, and the slew of reality/competition shows streaming on all the networks. Might there be more? Could there be some hidden hypnosis type trickery in that clever patter they weave into our ears?
How far, really, are some “illusionists” willing to go? I shudder to think that the extent of it is deboned doves and deathtrap bird cages. Is it all just clever props, smoke, and mirrors? Burning cigarettes in a diner jacket just waiting to be pulled out?
Here is the real meat and potatoes of the inquisitive frame of mind I am in. What lengths of unbound morality are the truly gifted willing to tackle? Not that fantasy/sci-fi stuff that Ed Norton, Christian Bale, and Hugh Jackman performed for us. The real world possibilities. How many super-thieves have pulled off heists without anyone ever knowing. Ever. Because they were just far too good at “magic”. Do you think those people are out there? The movie Now You See Me and NYSM2 touched on this very premise. Granted, the second movie didn’t succumb to the obvious missed opportunity of its potential title. It would have been a great series. Let alone a tv show that could have added to the genre of shows like Lie To Me, Leverage, The Magician, and The Mentalist… Anyway, the premise of taking from the rich and dishonest by way of knowing how to do “magic”. The character Morgan Freeman played in these two movies was not that far off from mirroring a real famous magician, and as a twist, was playing both sides of the moral coin to boot. Some would say it is a very clever nod to the late great man of mystery and strength.
Eric Weiss, he was actually on to something during his career. Being the stage magician that he was. He truly wanted to believe there was something more, somewhere out there. So he sought it out. Traveling all over the globe, seeking out claims of such phenomena to debunk them flat out to the public. But never loosing that hope that one day he would be able to touch the untouchable.
Maybe that is a small part of what a lot of us hope for. What those concrete wizards allow us onlookers to witness. An ever so slight peak behind the vale of what we call reality.
Is there really a man behind that crimson curtain?
