World’s Greatest

When people ask me how I got interested in magic, and people ask me that a lot, I usually say something like “I was 4 years old and saw a magician on tv. He shoved a sword through his wife’s neck and I was like “Hey, I want to do that!” Well its kind of a lame joke and its kind of a lie so, here’s the truth. I really was 4, or maybe 5, but definitely not any older than that, and my parents had this big box tv in their bedroom, I remember sitting on the floor of their room late one night and watching The World’s Greatest Magic tv special. It was a rerun of a the recently aired annual tv specials which had been a hit for NBC in the mid-late 90s. I think they ran 2 or 3 of the specials that night, but again I’m not sure. I do remember a images of the show. Vividly I can remember seeing a huge box made of glass. I remember seeing a deck of cards spread on a table. And I remember seeing this sword go through some guy’s neck. My parents could see how excited I was about the show and soon got me some kid’s magic kits so I could get to work. Years later all of the World’s Greatest Magic specials became available on YouTube and I loved watching them all. When I got to the show that featured the sword through neck I was so surprised. The two hour show was filled with about 20 excellent magicians. Many of them are superstars in magic, many of them have become teachers and friends over the years. Then, there is the couple with the sword. The trick is ok, not great and otherwise it’s really bad. 80’s music, glittery costumes, over the top posing. Somehow, that was the visual that stuck with me as a kid. You don’t get to pick what gets you in. But, I’m so glad it was those tv specials.