Magic for All

October at the Museum of Childhood sees a week of Magic.

'Simply Magic' is Simply Fun.

Book now to avoid disappointment...

I was tagged

by Brian Sibley
to reveal six things of relatively little importance. Quite hard to do as so many small unconsidered trifles often have far more important consequences in the future . . .



* During a game of ‘chain he’ a friend, at the end of the line, fell and broke his front tooth.

* A small child on a small bike swerved into my bike so that his pedal stopped my front wheel, abruptly - I went over the handlebars and broke my front tooth.

* I went to to a recording of ‘The Frost Programme’ and saw Cleo Laine sing.

* I learnt to drive on a series of old cars and vans and so became used to a variety of control layouts and conditions of vehicle necessitating various ‘tricks’ to keep the engine running.

* During childhood the TV broke down and my family lived for several years with no television, to the scandalous surprise of friends.

* A porter at a hospital where I once worked during the college vacation would often stand, staring into space. He was, he said, trying to work out why his own business, making packaging, had gone bust. He never did reveal his solution!

Updated Web Page

A new page containing; apart from some more pictures of me in action; a role call of spectators you may have heard of and a series of quotations from various e-mails that express good responses to my performances.




Visit page to see the rest...

Web-site ~ at last

After much time, well years actually, there is now more than just a 'holding page' at this address

Inconsequential Trivia

Back in 1966 I started to keep a record of the magic shows that I performed; details of venue, times, audience, effects performed and income generated.

Apart from a total number of shows for each month and then year, I kept a running tally of the total number of performances.

This week I passed the 4,000 mark.

Likings & Loathings

Back in February Brian posted 'Likes and Dislikes' relating to a particular letter of the alphabet; many others joined in the game and I too, requested a letter.
Late, but here is the letter:

LIKES:

Men and Mates and in particular My Man (Brian) and, in the past, Michael

A boy's best friend ~ My Mother

The goddess of the night, that pale satellite of the earth, the Moon

On the Moon these are found and on the earth too, those magnificent enduring lumps of geomorphological creation Mountains

To make me Mirthful or Mournful or Meditative or a combination of all of them ~ Movies

My hobby and my job, Magic, and a writer about this, the late Billy McComb

Meals, Meat and Muffins (better than crumpet)

The human quality of Magnanimity

DISLIKES:

Muddle and Mess in thought or lifestyle

Mispronunciation of the word 'Homosexual'. The root being Greek for 'same' rather than Latin for 'man'

Misunderstanding of the root of the word 'Chairman'; from the Latin in which the person who is invested with the power at a meeting, rather than assigning a gender. If this were understood then the word 'Chair' for this task would be replaced correctly with 'Chairman'

Misunderstanding of the Millennium and the proper understanding of when it started; at the end of the year 2000.

Mealy-mouthedness ~ call a spade a shovel

Misguided philanthropy, Misanthropy & Meaness of spirit

Munitions. When did they ever actually solve anything?

Misappropriation: theft of videos, films, ideas of others.

Managers who believe in top down, rather than bottom up, style of management. This is exemplified, perfectly, by the continual government legislation of education

Medicine that has so many side-effects that it does more harm than good in the long run

Members of Parliament. In fact most politicians who have their own interests and desire for power taking precedence over the well-being of those they should be serving.


Oh dear I seem to have more dislikes than likes ~ I blame the letter!

I'm It!

Brian certainly likes to keep his reader's busy.
Firstly, I foolishly asked for a letter of the alphabet in order to compile a list of 'Likes' and 'Dislikes' , which I have yet to complete; and now, this game of 'Tag', which feels more like a truth game that used to be played late at night by students after a glass or two, too many.

Five little known facts about David:

1) My first public, magic performance from which time I kept records, was in 1966 at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, Kent, to the staff and some patients. It was the only time I used a female assistant throughout the act ~ someone who thought they knew what was best suggested this. She was fine, but for my money, superfluous!
Tonight I perform my 3,524th show since keeping these records.


2) Whilst still at school worked in a sound studio on a pilot production of 'The Tempest' with Fiona Walker (Far from the Madding Crowd) and Robert Powell (Doomwatch, Mahler et.al)

3) Adapted, directed, recorded and edited my version of Ray Bradbury's 'The Fire Balloons' whilst in year 11 at school. Interesting and fun.


4) Spent several hours in a cell at Swanley Police station, whilst still a teenager. DPP decided not to proceed ~ nuff said.





5) Joined the Bexleyheath Society of Magicians at 14 years old. The club lowered their joining age in order to let me in! Later I won their Stage Magician competition.






If you are reading this then consider yourself tagged!