My Crowd by Ben Robinson

Because of several inquiries requesting a description of what my life as a professional magician is like, I think a partial answer might be that "I have done what I set out to do." A bit of background: I was initially bitten by the magic bug in 1967 after witnessing the great Dutch magician Fred Kaps follow the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show on TV. At 14, I gave my first paid performance.

At 18, I met Milbourne Christopher, who guided my early professional attempts. I paid my way through college performing a lot of shows everywhere from cub scout assemblies to strip clubs. Upon being graduated from Connecticut College, with Christopher's help, I pulled a rabbit from my mortar board, and my career was set in motion. I've had a dream, and I followed it. And if David Bamberg's edict that "it takes 20 years to make a magician," is correct, then, at this point, I am just beginning.

My concerns are for varied experience, the transcendental exploration of human consciousness and the representation of spirit through the art of illusion. That's enough to keep anybody busy through a lifetime. Christopher always responded to reporters by saying he became a magician so he could "sleep late and see the world." In addition to those perks, I have also had the opportunity to have a lot of interesting people cross my path. While this article is broadly titled "my crowd," it should NOT be inferred that the all folks that follow (alphabetically) are necessarily my close friends, or that I have any professional ties to them. They are writers and artists, humanitarians and politicians, inventors and scientists, mountaineers and film makers, TV stars and magicians. Each of them has graced me with a wink or a nod, and in a few cases, have become close pals. So, one answer to what I've been up to since that first rabbit came out of my hat, is this very brief look into "my crowd."

	Charles Addams : It was the great cartoonist himself who inspired the title for this piece. I had an idea for a cartoon which I presumptuously thought "Addams-esque" enough to pitch to the celebrated artist. Mr. Addams was kind enough to send me a hand written note explaining that my idea was perhaps a little too broad for The New Yorker. Well, it was thrilling enough to actually get a response from the man who really was married in a pet cemetery.
Harry Anderson: I first saw Harry on TV about 1977, and I had a strange reaction. I felt like I knew him. I didn't think much of it until I saw him again on a cable show hosted by Tommy Smothers in 1980, and then I knew someday I had to meet him. Well, just before his giant fame on the TV show "Nightcourt" Harry and I spent some time together, and he ended up graciously writing the foreword to my book. It wasn't his rising celebrity that created this collaboration, it was the fact he had done the bullet catch over 100 times and spoke from, "die-hard experience." In 1997 Harry's fellow Left Hand League pal Mike Caveney was in my house for a party and he was rather quiet. Yet, when I asked if he'd sign my copy of his book about Harry titled "Wise Guy," Mike wrote generously "For Ben, another wise guy."
	Dick Bass: Go to Snowbird, Utah and spend a great week skiing. Tell'em I sent ya. OK, commercial over. I promised Dick that in return for performing at his fantastic resort I'd always plug his place. Dick and I met in 1987 at his 1950's college room mate's birthday party. I was the hired entertainer. We shared a room at the house afterwards. And if you've ever met the man, you know he can talk. Well, Dick talked, expressed interest in having me come to his place and perform, and that was the start of the most incredible adventure I've ever had. Dick Bass was the first man to climb the highest peak on each continent, and at the time I met him, the oldest to conquer Mother Everest. In 1989 I joined a trek Dick organized to Everest where I conjured almost every day during my travels from new York to Seattle to Tokyo to Bangkok to Kathmandu and then a 150 round trip walk to the Base Camp of Everest and back to the little town of Lukla. In 1990 I was back at Snowbird again working and Dick was with me when my mother died. I owe him.
Bev Bergeron: is one of the few people who can rightfully say of show biz "Been there, done that." He's done it all. Clown on network TV, 15 years at Disney, doing 6 shows a day, a real vaudevillian. We originally met in 1989 when I was performing in Orlando, FL for the Chairmen of American Express and AMEX travelers cheques (I had been their TV guy a while). So, having admired Bev for years, I got up the courage to call him and invite him to breakfeast at my hotel. We exchanged signed copies of books and have since stayed in touch.
	John N. Booth: It would take 1000 pages to list the accomplishments of the Unitarian Reverend, Dr. John Nicholls Booth. He's had 4 different careers: nightclub magician, travel film maker (decorated by the King of Morocco for his film about that country), writer for newspapers, and man of the cloth. I have met him in 3 countries, and he graciously was one of the editors of my book. For more information about the man whose visited 148 countries, fought famine with Albert Schweitzer and attended Gandhi's assassin's trial, click here.
John Calvert: In 1980 I hitchhiked from New Milford, CT to Boston and back in less than 12 hours to see a man I 'd read about in history books named John Calvert. Though, I thought I was going to see his son, as the man who had crashed planes and yachts, performed in every country in the world (except the former USSR), could surely not still be working, much less living...so I thought. I was wrong. At 91 this August, Calvert is still driving 1000 miles between one nighters and I get reports almost weekly as do many "Calvert watchers." I've gotten to know him over the years, and I am honored to call him and his lovely wife Tammy my friends.
	Milbourne Christopher: In 1973 I read Christopher's Illustrated History of Magic and was taken with the tales of conjurers for 5000 years past, and the writing style. Percussive. Succinct. Dramatic. It excited me. So, in 1975 I found his phone number, and nervously dialed. He answered the phone himself! I hardly knew what to say except that I was a kid, read his book, and liked it. He was polite, but business-like and recommended a few other books I should read, and hung up. Three years later, I called again, this time, with some experience (so I thought) under my belt, and he put off the interview I requested. After I had sent him an article about myself from my college newspaper, which surprisingly ended with a quote similar to something he had said almost at the same age (unknown to me at the time), did he grant the interview. After his death I learned that both our father's lives ended the same way and were in the same profession. Milbourne Christopher was my magic teacher. When I came back to my college dorm and told a friend I had just met the man who put magic on network TV in the US and starred on Broadway, he looked up from his beer and said, "That's one hell of a connection you just made."
Dr. Edwin A. Dawes: is probably the most highly regarded magic historian walking the planet (as well as being an esteemed professor of biochemistry). And as I approached John Booth, so did I also contact Eddie Dawes. In fact, when Eddie introduced me as a speaker in Eastbourne, England in 1986, he remarked that had he known John Booth was also editing my book, he would not have joined up. As it happened, he and Booth discovered that I had gotten them both on board to help our little ship sail without either knowing about it. I'd like to think that Eddie admired my moxie. He still speaks to me.