By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The bejeweled turban and sparkling cape were telltale signs that this wasn’t going to be a typical interview. The next clue came seconds later when magician Steve Israel mentioned an I-Phone, then pulled at a purple silk scarf, revealing a rotary phone with several plastic eyeballs stuck to it.
“Part of magic is just being goofy,” Israel said, obviously enjoying the joke even after sharing it with countless audiences.
Israel first fell under the spell of magic around 8 years old. His fascination was rooted in his desire to understand the inner workings of everything from a small clock to a rabbit pulled from a hat.
“All my life, I’ve wondered how things work,” he said.
His fascination was elevated by the Saturday morning children’s show “Magic Land of Allakazam.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” with his eyes glued to the screen, trying to figure out how the magician made his lovely assistant levitate or disappear.
Thus began his dabbling in the art of magic. As an amateur child magician growing up in Sioux City, Iowa, he made the rounds on several playgrounds. “I used to be a big hit at the Blue and Gold Banquets” for Boy Scouts, he said.
As a teen, Israel was mystified by Abbott’s Magic Catalog, and attended the annual “Magic Week” in Colon, Michigan, declared the “Magic Capital of the World.”
But then came adulthood – with children and jobs and bills.
“Do you know the difference between a large pizza and a professional magician?” Israel asked. “A large pizza can feed a family of four.”
So like many amateur magicians, Israel’s magic props were tucked away in a closet where they sat untouched for decades.
When he retired, the lure of hocus pocus beckoned him back.
“Many of us go back into where the magic tricks are tucked away,” Israel said.
His ability to conjure up tricks came back quickly. With nimble movements, he makes a “zombie” ball float in the air, candy overflow from a dish empty seconds before, an egg disappear and then reappear in a bag, a scarf change colors, coins disappear, and pulls candy, scarves and a pair of men’s boxer underwear out of a seemingly empty cylinder.
For full effect, Israel needs an unsuspecting audience member (that would be me since I was the only other person present) to use a noisy ray gun – or “candy duplicating gun” – to make candy cascade from a dish.
While the loud announcement of “abracadabra” is important, a good magician also engages in nonsensical patter to distract his audience.
“Most magic tricks are stupidly simple,” Israel said.
Magicians operate under a code of conduct advising them to never reveal the secret behind a trick, and never repeat the trick so spectators can dissect the sleights of hand. But Israel is ready to spill some secrets to get amateur magicians interested in the craft.
To share the allure of magic, Israel is offering beginning magic classes for others interested in learning the tricks of the trade.
The free classes, for all ages, will be held at Maumee Valley Unitarian Congregation, 20189 Dixie Highway, Bowling Green, on Sundays from 1 to 2:30 p.m., on June 2, 9, 16 and 23.
Apprentice magicians will learn rules of conduct and the Magician’s Oath. During each class, participants will learn the secrets behind tricks like making items disappear, card palming, table mind reading, quick change artists, and finally how to “saw a man in half.”
Students will be taught to be suspicious of black surfaces, and will learn how to use a Svengali deck of cards.
Students should go home from each class with a new trick to perform for family and friends. And importantly, Israel said, the amateur magicians will learn to use critical thinking to decode some of magic’s mysteries.
Israel previously worked with a magic club at the Unitarian location, but the group disbanded during COVID. If there is enough interest in the classes, the club may return to meeting monthly.
