The Departed...

 The last year or so has been rough for magic to say the least. The world is eating our workers and I want to talk about one of them.

An Amazing Guy

 I met Young Fred Gwynne Thom Peterson early on after moving to Vegas. He and his awesome wife Annabel was visiting and we chatted a bit at McBride's Wonderground. He was from MN and had moved to the UK so it was a rare sighting.

Right before the plague ship rolled into the USA, they had decided to move back to the states (good timing right?) and I got to see them a lot more, but looking back now, not nearly enough for my tastes. 

Now you might be asking yourself, "Who the $%^#& is this guy?" and you'd be right to do so. Aside from being in another country, he was a worker. That means sometimes no one knows who you are because you are so busy doing private gigs and corporate work you don't get to show off publicly too much. He was underground in plain sight. His lecture was full of original ideas and presentations, great magic, and clever comedy. (He created a topit that allowed you to access your pockets and have it reset again for Anubis' sake and no one knows about it!)

Thom and Annabel moved to LA for a change but when you ask the universe for that, you need to be VERY specific or it might change your world for the worse. Back in March, Thom succumbed to something wicked that came his way leaving behind a grieving widow and a legacy of unknown and amazing magic (as well as the memories of a great funny smart guy).

I'd been meaning to write a post since the day he shook off his mortal coil but never found the right mood. I mourn not only the loss of his physical form, but the ideas that will never be, the laughs never to be had, or the late nights discussing the unforeseeable future.

A future that is a lot less amazing for those that knew him.

End of an Era...

 

While everyone is on social media talking about knowing Amazing Johnathan, let's talk about the man himself shall we?

For those who might not know, he recently passed away and it sent a shockwave through the Las Vegas magic world. Most know him for his stand up comedy and magic. A lucky bunch of us got to know him on a personal level. Unlike other celebrities in our profession who kind of hide away and keep to their own little inner cliques, AJ was very giving with his time and information. His circle of friends and family grew every year because he liked to have fun and do silly things with silly people. 

Since he left this mortal plane, many of us have been talking about his legacy and what he has left behind. His body of work was vast and while he has been stolen from by countless hacks, no one has ever really been able to follow in his footsteps. I think the reason for that is that no one could. He was a truly unique animal that came into the entertainment world at the right time and place. 

His biggest influence on the world of magic was that he gave permission to all of the rest of us who wanted to do something different. His material spoke to many of us and said, "It's ok to be weird and do outlandish things in the name of fun! Magic is a tool and doesn't have to the be the focus.". 

For all of us touched by his noodley appendage, I think it's our duty to keep that going and let future performers know it's ok to take the piss out of magic and be a little over the top, even when the world might not embrace it at first.

 The world is a little less Amazing now, but that's doesn't mean it has to stop...