Escape to "Big Al Catraz"

One of the most prominent sights in San Francisco looms in the distance across the bay. Alcatraz island rises out of the water as a monument to the inescapable. There is a question to this day as to the validity of its stated record saying that during its 29 years as a penitentiary, no prisoner had successfully escaped. It is known that 36 prisoners attempted, two men trying twice; 23 were caught, six were shot and killed, two drowned, and five are listed as presumed drowned. The question as to the "presumed" drowned became one of the most famous escape movies of all time, "Escape From Alcatraz" staring Clint Eastwood.

But probably the most cheesy use of this as a backdrop for an escape was done by David Copperfield. This takes me back, back to a time when magic was... well... cheesier than a warm brie wrapped in a wine port cheddar..mmm so tasty.



Escape has been a part of my life for many years. As a young magician many of us read of Houdini and realize the impact escape can have upon an audience. I don't really know why audiences like to watch a person free themselves from bonds, prison cells, etc. But they do enjoy a good escape performance when it is done with the proper flair and death defiance.

I made a small undeserved reputation as an escape artist when I performed my strait jacket escape dangling by the ankles 300 feet in the air from a burning rope. I've even performed an underwater handcuff escape. And I was at one time attempting an underwater strait jacket escape which resulted of my being pulled from a pool and given mouth to mouth resuscitation. And now you know why I wasn't that famous as an escape artist. 

Big Al Catraz performs at pier 39 in San Francisco

Many magicians have an escape or even two in their repertoire. And a magician who goes by the name of "Big Al Catraz" was no different. As I walked to the back of the Pier 39 shops, there was a very large crowd looking upon a small outdoor stage.There tied to a chair, was a working magician in all his cheesy magic show glory performing a comedy escape for the tourist crowd and an audience filled with children screaming with delight. It was a classic performance of an often performed escape. I hadn't seen him actually get tied up, but there he was dancing a rendition of that famous of musical numbers "The Hokey Pokey." It certainly made and interesting addition to his chair tie escape.


Because of Al's "bigness" it made the performance even better. There is something about a big guy doing the "hokey pokey" while tied up to a chair. Of course he eventually falls over and threatened to fall off the stage onto the kids who were at one time clamoring to be in the show. They of course backed up rather quickly when he tumbled.


And the show wouldn't have been complete without him taking his bow to the crowd and his pants dropping to the floor revealing his boxer shorts. I believe that the most successful escapes can be made even better by adding corn ball cheese to them. Maybe this is what made Copperfield so famous. But I'm not sure he was trying.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Al for a while after his performance. I wanted to find out more about him than meets the stage floor. So we talked about the creation of his character of "Big Al" and how it came about. One thing that differentiates Al from other magicians is that he studied acting and was an actor before he became a magician. This gives him a great background with which to derive his character. When he first decided to become a "pro" magician, he knew he wanted something iconic to be associated with San Francisco.

He actually thought of the name when he was driving by a "Big Al's Clothing" store. We talked about how lucky he was to have a permanent stage show. And we talked about a couple of interesting things, one of which was the "DEATH OF MAGIC." Al hasn't been a magician for that long, only ten years. I think that may have shaped his thinking. You see Al doesn't believe that magic is dead at all. In fact he thinks it is thriving. He sees the Internet as promoting and distributing magic to young people, not ruining it's potential.

"The kids who are watching magic on the Internet are absorbing information quicker, they are taking the principles which they learn and creating new ways to use them, better than ever before... I think magic is going to live on, but it is going to change. And people don't like change."

Worries about and early death because of his weight.

He does think that kids posting the secrets to the tricks they learn is a problem, but he has chosen to ignore the magician doomsday preachers and naysayers who say that magic is in a decline. (Of course it is a lot easier for a guy who has an audience every day in a tourist venue such as he does.) And believe me he is lucky to be there and he knows it. Most magicians have to work everyday to find a paying gig. So lucky are the guys who work at Theme Parks, or tourist traps such as Pier 39. But he hasn't seen or felt the decline as many magicians struggling to get a paying gig have. And it would follow of course that he wouldn't fear the death of magic.

He may not have been afraid of the death of magic, but this big guy did express a fear of his own death. He confided in me that he has been concerned for his weight and health. Like all of us, magicians are just people too. I know that is an astonishing revelation, and as such, we worry about things like weight and dieing before our time. It seems that Al's father died when he was too young and Al told me he worries that he too will suffer the same fate. But he is doing something about it. Al has been working at losing "big" from his show through a newly adopted diet and workout. Of course when the subject turned to that I had to tell him about Lions, Tigers, and Bears OMG! my web page and future book for guys in the midst of a midlife crisis.

Of course how could we turn to a discussion of LTBOMG without a workout picture for all of you overweight guys with a lowering libido. (not saying Al had a lowering libido just for the record) So before I go on to my next blogging opportunity, I'll leave you with a picture of Brittnay doing one of her workout poses. I hope this is motivational to you and your lowering libido, LOL. I know it always motivates me.

Well on to Reno then Boise... keep living the magic!

Escape to San Francisco

As I took a picture from the window of my Jeep, a Hells Angel appears from nowhere.

It was difficult to leave Southern California behind with it's amazing people and beautiful beaches. Los Angeles is a city of angels (hells angels?)  and even more a city of kings. (think hockey.)

However, as I crossed the bridge into San Francisco, I marveled at the magical  mysteries in front of me. It is a city like no other, a bay often clouded in mysterious mist, with a history as colorful and rich as the gold which filled the leather satchels of the forty-niners during the gold rush. To this day the song still rings out "open up those golden gate, California here I come."

The city by the bay has a flavor (mostly Chinese) and temperature all its own. It's often said, "the coldest winter I ever spent was the summer I spent in San Francisco." But even after purchasing a sweatshirt because of an unexpected temperature on July fourth, San Francisco is an easy place with which to fall in love. I've often felt as I do now that, "I left my heart ... in San Francisco." It is beautiful, has amazing food, but I'm sure that living in San Francisco must have it's ups and downs (that's a joke.) I once walked up and down the entire city from downtown to the bay. If you don't have good shoes, and strong legs, take the trolly car.

When I got to San Fran I had two wonderful friends to stay with, Mike and Lisa. Lisa reminded me that we have a tradition for spending the 4th of July together. I'm not sure she recalls our very first, but many years ago, 1998 to be exact,  we were out with her and her boyfriend on 4th of July in Martha's Vineyard, and I was friends with her boyfriend and really didn't know her all that well. After a night of drinks and fun, I told her and my wife at the time, that we needed to go home. She told me, "A, it isn't happening, and 2, you're a f%$#ing @#!hole" So the next day I brought it up jokingly and she was embarrassed about the incident. So in order to defuse any tension, I told her that now because of that, we were going to be friends for life. I figured we had to be friends because she had my number, and it was the number: "2."

Mike and Lisa and new baby.

Mike and Lisa were great hosts, and we spent the 4th of July at a family BBQ. Of course it wasn't over 'til I did a little magic. Then one of the little girls told me that she knew a trick. Of course it was one with 21 cards. (An inside joke for magicians) You see almost everyone in the world that "knows a trick" wants to show you the 21 card trick. So much so that my friend, magician, Jon Racherbaumer, (from an earlier posting) wrote a book dedicated to what to do when someone brings up the 21 card trick,  which is available at H&R Magic Books.

Louie, Louie, Louie, Louieeee

I had a wonderful time and I usually wouldn't complain about anything, but I think this is worth a mention. You see, their dog, Louie, must have had one too many sausages at the BBQ. Seems that he is "sausage intolerant." That dog passed gas sitting next to me that made my eyes water. I had no idea such a cute little guy could be so powerful. I think that Louie would be a great weapon of war because he seems to be filled with deadly gas. However I do believe that I need to switch gears and write about magic, since farting dogs really have nothing to do with magic at all. Unless you need to make an audience vanish, in which case Louie would be a great addition to the show.  Okay back to magic.


I had no idea where I'd meet a magician in San Francisco to interview. But, as fate would have it, when I got there Mike told me that right around their house lies a little magic shop. One of the last of a dieing breed. Most Magic shops have pretty much disappeared from existence because of competition with the online magic sites. But there are still a few spread around the country and this one is called, Misdirections Magic Shop. I thought that I had found my magic connection for San Francisco, as I hadn't really booked a magician to talk to and just  figured that the magic universe would somehow provide one for me. Now I could just walk around the corner and talk to the proprietor about the vanishing magic shops around the country and once again, the death of magic.


But I found that magic was indeed dead. At least July 3rd through 5th, as the shop was closed for the holiday. So much for my theory that the universe was going to provide everything so easily. I decided that I'd have to go down to Fisherman's Wharf and see if I could find a magician working the street. If not then San Francisco could end up being a total bust.
I found a place to park and wandered the streets for a while searching for someone doing magic. Instead I saw and smelled amazing sea food. My search was looking somewhat bleak, as I wanted to get on the road before 3:00 in the afternoon so I would make it to Reno before night fall. I was beginning to think my San Francisco search was a bust, however, it was a beautiful day down at Fisherman's Wharf and I so I stopped in the oldest seafood restaurant in San Fran. It established in 1925, a place called Alioto's, and at least the food was magical. Of course when you are in San Francisco, at the Fisherman's Wharf, there are two things which I believe you should eat. First and foremost, Crab in garlic butter dip and you have to absolutely have some clam chowder. And this is exactly what I did before I continued my search for the elusive San Francisco magician.A delicious meal and I was once more invigorated to find a magician.

Then I saw someone that I just new would point me in the right direction. It was as if the very gold of the gold rush had come to life to show me the way. There he was a shining pedestal of gold. Of course I gave him a dollar and asked him if he knew where I could find a magician performing. "Sure," he replied, "Just go on down to pier 39, you'll find one there." Just as the forty-niners before me I had struck gold.

When I got to pier 39 life was once again shouting, "MAGIC!!" at me. There was a magic shop on location, a theater showing a magician three nights a week, and as I wondered to the back of the pier area, there was the prize, a real live magician performing. His name was ""BIG AL CATRAZ." 

.... next time we talk to Big Al about the death of magic.