Thomas Solomon

American Escape Artist

2011-05-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

So, the 2011 Society of American Magician's Salute To Magic is now a memory. As I write, I am still sore with bruises on my forearms, wrists and knees. American Escape Artist is a tough show to do and while people tend to think that because escapes are part of magic that it is all theatre, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. While I do take liberties and use magic techniques, when all is said and done, I am still escaping irons, shackles, chains, knives and, in this case, a nuclear water storage tank. These items are real and can, and do, pose injury, even when everything goes according to plan. I will be getting an MRI later this week on my left knee that was injured in the water tank and which of late, is steadily increasing in pain. The tips of my fingers and the insides of my wrists are still painful, but are healing. But, these are the realities of this show and though it might sound like it, I am not complaining. I love the show that I do and love crafting magic and escapes based on the shared experiences of the audience. I would not have it any other way. We began rehearsals off-site more than a month before the show. I introduced several new escapes into the show that evening, including, World Without Oil, Amen which is my performance of a challenge lockable pair of sunglasses, also, I debuted The Tennessee River Water Faucet Torture Test another challenge device which consited of an aquarium that is filled with water and penetrated by 38 cutting instruments. An AC electric winch below is chained to my hands and when the winch is turned on, it slowly pulls me into the tank of knives unless I can escape beforehand. Performaing this in the show, I heard gasps coming from the audience. Another new attraction was the Red Tape Escape which was my rendition of a roped to a chair escape but done with red tape and all the symbolism and metaphor that brings with it. There were handcuff escapes as usual utilizing my Cabinet Obscura and my full view escape from an MTA New York City Subway Revenue Collection Bag. The stage set, which was a rendition of and inspired by my old attic rehearsal studio at my home in Maplewood, New Jersey was designed by George Allison and built the week before out on my driveway. We had priced a local scene shop to do the actual work, but because it was cost prohibitive, we decided to do it ourselves. So George and I spent a week outside measuring, cutting and painting the wood planks that when trucked to the theatre would be assembled on stage to give the appearance of an old attic. We built the set of stairs that I would ascend from below the stage up to the stage in front of the audience, giving the appearance that I was walking into my attic. Part of the platforms of the stage were removed and we crafted a dummy platform to fit over the space in which the stairs would be located. After cutting the wood assembling, and painting, everything was doused in fireproofing material and left to dry. George and I worked four days, eight hours a day out in the sun constructing the set. On Friday, everything was picked up and trucked to the theatre in pieces where it would be assembled on stage. We had eight hour rehearsals on Friday and Saturday with the show beginning on Saturday at 8pm. The set was constructed and assembled on that Friday and while George was supervising the workers on site in this task, I was preparing the magic and escapes so that we could do a run-through of the show that afternoon. Well, as things usually happen, we only had a bare bones run-through of the show late Friday afternoon, before having to leave (theatre rules) by 5pm. On Saturday, we had set a goal of two run throughs and one dress rehearsal even as Paul Hackenmueller and his lighting team worked around us. As Maia and Natalie and I ran lines, George was having the final stages of the set built, Paul was lighting the stage and Adam our stage manager was working closely with George and the technical director Rachael. Our first run through took five hours!!! We then broke for lunch--actually they did--I did not eat and then we did a second run-through and this time it was much faster coming in at 90 minutes. Our audience would consist that evening of many people from the construction field in New York, workers at the World Trade Center Memorial, wounded American soldiers who were guests of Fisher House/Hope for the Warriors and magicians, lots of them.

By this time, it was very close to showtime. We reset the stage and I went to my dressing room for last minute preparations before the premeire of "American Escape Artist."

Tickets on Sale--2011 Salute To Magic

2011-03-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Tickets for the the 2011 Salute To Magic will go on sale today. Ticket prices are $50.00 and can be purchased by going to the Society of American Magicians Parent Assembly 1 website at www.sampa1.com

Seating is reserved and is extremely limited. I do not do too many shows in New York City that are open to the public. Most of my events are for corporate or television and are not open to those not directly involved in the event. If you are in the New York City area on or about Saturday, May 14, 2011, please come down or up (depending on where you are) to see a great show in Manhattan. The theare is the El Teatro Heckscher Theatre and it is located at 1230 5th Avenue at 104th Street.

The official handout was released to the public yesterday.

God Speed

2011-02-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the group that I helped found, Patriotic Performers, USA, was commissioned to work at Fort Detrick, one of the largest Army Bases in the Northeast and a Level 4 Medical research arm of the United States military. My partner and co-founder, Adam Rand an award-winning writer and columnist and I made the four and a half hour trek from Northern New Jersey to Frederick, Maryland.

Here, at this base, a sprawling community and dare I say, "city" in semi-rural Maryland army researchers and scientists work to find cures for cancer in humans, as well as agricultural and crop diseases. The United States Department of Agriculture has a large building on the north side of the campus dedicated to research into farm animal and crop diseases.

Our show began at 12:00 noon sharp and went for one hour. The crowd was very appreciative and enjoyed it very much. With this show, Adam and I have now performed at several military bases/hospitals throughout the Northeast. At various times, we have worked for soldiers about to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan or for soldiers who have retuned wounded from these same wars. Most heartbreaking were meeting the soldiers in the "Wounded Warrior Transition Unit" at Fort Dix in New Jersey. All told, these men and women remain some of the greatest groups of young people I have ever met. Doing a show for the military men and women who serve our country is really some of the most rewarding work a performer can get. We do not get paid, but instead donate our time to this most rewarding of performances I have ever done.

When you worked as many nightclubs and tough crowds as I have throughout my career, you sure notice an immediate difference from the moment you cross the threshhold of a military base. So, respectful without the usual bravado of a nightclub audience, these soldiers welcome your prescence there and are immediatelty engaged in what you are doing. I am a firm believer in karma and what these young people are doing in the service of this great country cannot, and should not, go unmentioned or unrewarded. Since the founding of this organization one year ago, we have performed at Fort Dix, Lakehurst Naval Base, McGuire Air Force Base, Fort Detrick Army Base, the United States Marine Base at Quantico, Virginia, and Walter Reed Army Hospital. We are slated to perform at Fort Belvoir on Friday, July 15, 2011.

Patriotic Perfomers, USA is always searching for new performers to join us. You are not obligated to work every gig, infact the whole idea of the troupe is its fluidness. Performers come and go as their schedules befit. You must be willing to give of your time--there is no pay. In the past, we have hired, singers, dancers, and comedians. Many performers work with us only for a short time until a more steady gig may arrive. Others, work for us continuously as their schedules become availible. Adam and I, because we are the founders, attend and perform at every show. Our goal is to bring joy, mystery, and happiness, through artistic expression to those who are fighting for our country.

Below is a picture with two commanders at Fort Detrick yesterday. To the right is a group show with soldiers inside of the "Wounded Warrior Transition Unit" at Fort Dix in New Jersey. As the title of this blog begins, "Godspeed to all those fighting for this great country." Your service does not go un-noticed. God Bless the United States of America.

2011 Salute To Magic

2011-02-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

Hi all--so I have some very interesting news as of late. This is the first time I am sharing this, so here goes: The Parent Assembly number 1 of the Society of American Magicians (SAM) Board of Directors based in New York City has selected me as the sole performer for the 2011 Salute To Magic. (Cue: Champagne bottles popping) Apparently, they tell me----this is quite a honor. It is a show that has occurred yearly or thereabouts for more than 102 years. It began soon after the founding of the SAM in 1902 in New York City. Many of the greats of magic have performed or headlined at the Salute over the years among them: Harry Kellar, Harry Houdini, Frederick Eugene Powell, Sam Marguiles, Hardeen, Nate Lepizig, Josseffy, Doug Henning, Topas, Eric DeCamps, Paul Daniels, and most recently, Paul Gertner. Soon, I will be added to that list and sometime in the future, someone else may be writing a blog about THEIR selection and then will mention all of the great magicians of the past who worked it and my name will be included!!! Whooo hooooo.

Anyways, back to Earth. The 2011 Salute To Magic is being held this year at the Teatro Heckscher Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. (See pics above and below.) The exact address is 1230 5th Avenue off of 104th Street. I went to view the house when we were still in the negotiating stages and I must say, it will be one of the best places I have ever worked. The theatre seats 599 people. Most of the sightlines are good except for the front row. (Don't buy tickets to the front row!) I have included some pics of the theatre so you can check it out. The theatre is an old Broadway house directly across the street from Central Park and I believe was built in the 1920s. I will be performing my show, "American Escape Artist" which is a combination of my award-winning escapes coupled with magic. The show will run about 75 minutes and will be
unlike anything the SAM has done before. Many of you have asked but I will not be divulging any parts of the show here--you must come and see it. Tickets are $50.00 and they tell me are selling fast. There is only one show--so if you want to go, better make your reservations.

Seriously, I talk to alot of people on this site that I would characterize as my fans--(at least that is what they tell me, lol) So, now, I need the help of you all. This is your chance to see a great show.

The set design will be created by George Allison, a great friend of mine who has contributed much to my success over the years. Lighting is being engineered and created by Paul Hackenmueller, probably the best in the business. That is as much as I will reveal here. I hope to see you all there.

The Tao of the Magic Performer

2010-01-21T13:22:00.000-08:00

So, I have been hired as of recent to create and design the magic for "The Cherry Orchard", a play by Anton Chekov that is playing Off-Broadway in New York City. The script is calling for several different illusions, which all happen in Act III of the play. The first is the appearance of a woman from behind a rug that is lifted and then dropped onto a bare stage. The others require teaching a character in the show finesse with a deck of playing cards. Both of the pics shown are of me teaching Julie, the lead actress in the show how to handle a deck of cards like a court jester. More important than the actual effects in the show is the ability for the actor(s) to handle the props of a magician as if they are/were "magicians." This is the Tao of Magic and is in many ways, what great magicians have achieved. It is the perception of magic rather than the naked effect that creates the illusion. As I often tell actors and other magicians, the magic really happens in the audience's mind. To that end, there are techniques, some very subtle that will convice the audience of a particular character's "magic." Actors in this role need to have the body language and the inner psychology of the magician. That is what I am trying to teach Julie in these photographs.

More on the production and the subsequent illusions I am creating as we move forward.

Stay tuned!

The Real Thing

2009-02-09T06:40:00.001-08:00

The House of Cards made its initial debut this past Saturday, when I went to the T Schreiber Studio to coach the actor in the use of the card house, how to set it up, store it, and drop it on cue. (See picture at left). The show itself, The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard debuts on February 25. It is directed by Terry Schrieber. It is a really enjoyable play for anyone who is not familiar . . . terrific script and an excellent group of actors. The set, courtesy of George Allison, is brilliant as usual.

I was asked by set designer George Allison and producer Cat Parker to come in and work with the actor and the production assistants as we went through the order and mechanism of the card house. It does take some learning to make sure that the card house functions properly. In rehearsal, the actor with practice was able to handle it very well, but I suspect that after six weeks of performances, the cards will suffer a little from wear and tear. Afterall, they're only cardboard. The creation, methodology and psychology behind this effect is highlighted in an earlier post. Scroll down, if you'd like to read more.

Recursive Acronymns hidden in poster

2009-02-03T14:28:00.000-08:00

All:
This is one of my new posters, highlighting my successful escape from a regulation straitjacket 150 feet above the street. Since I love word play and have, for years hidden messages in almost all of my posters, decks of cards, and other materials, this time I wanted something different. So, for you wordsmiths, and puzzle fanatics, I have placed within the text AND design several recursive acronymns.
Can you find them? I've placed a little hint, to make it slightly easier. Each acronymn is connected to another word, so look carefully.
If you have trouble reading the text, just click on the poster to enlarge it.
Good luck . . . oh and in case you hate puzzles or can care less about wordplay, I hope you can at least say you like the poster straightaway.

Peace

A House (of Cards) divided by itself cannot stand

2009-01-15T06:25:00.000-08:00

I was recently hired to create a house of cards effect for an Off-Broadway show. The play, "The Real Thing" by Tom Stoppard is being presented by the T Schrieber Studio on 26th Street in Manhattan. My good friend, a very talented director, Cat Parker, will be producing the show with Terry Schreiber directing. This is not the first time, I have worked at T Schreiber and I always find what those guys ask me to create, a welcome challenge. T Schreiber performs some of the most cutting edge and unique theatre in the city and with their very talented in-house designer, George Allison, they have created effects here that, I kid you not, rival what's being done on Broadway and on television. Just a sampling: In "Night of the Iguana" they (we) created a rainstorm (yes, a real rainstorm, ladies and gents, with water) on the 7th floor in an old building equipped with the usual old plumbing and electrical systems. An incredible and risky challenge that was rewarded with standing ovations every night. It was incredible, to say the frickin' least.

So now, I was asked to create a "House of Cards" that would collapse on cue. George Allison, the designer, created a rendering of what he had in mind. (See picture) In the bottom right corner you see the actor stacking cards. The effect will be that this actor is stacking cards methodically, a door slams and the entire house collapses.

So, creating this posed for me several challenges. First, the card house had to be set-up quickly every performance yet had to fall on cue in a logical manner, the way a real card house would fall. Moreover, the audience would have to perceive the card structure as authentic which meant no obvious tape or other fastening agents or glue. People understand and have handled playing cards and so, these cards had to act and behave in ways that people know they should. Also, for all intents and purposes, the card house could not stretch the credulity of the audience, in other words, no cards hanging off the end or positioned in such a way that would fly in the face of physics. So, with George's initial phone call a month ago and with the above cavaets in mind, I began. Honestly, when I first heard of the effect, I thought it would be simple. Well, I thought wrong, this was . . . not by any stretch of the imagination easy. Three weeks of drawings and concentration, one complete roll of packing tape, two coat hangars, seventeen one inch metal washers, three pieces of cardboard and more than eight decks of Bicycle Playing cards later, I emerged with a prototype (pictures above and left). I'm proud to say, that after much trial and error, I came up with a combination tongue and groove/tape process that collapsed on cue in enough of a believable way to scare my dog (who jumped everytime it collapsed). The card house resembles a puzzle in that all pieces consist of two, three or four cards. The entire house is built upon one hinged, load bearing wall at the very bottom. A hidden wire, (see picture above of back of house) when pushed by the actor will knock over the load bearing wall bringing down the entire house in several seconds. I will have to train the production assistant and actor in the set-up of the house as it does require some practice. Once you know where all the pieces go the house can be put together in about 30 seconds.

One of the first problems, I encountered initially, was to get the house to fall in a believable manner. If you were to really build a card house, it would consist of single cards leaned on top of, around, or against each other, forming each story. Since a standard poker sized playing card is 3 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches, any cards that appear above other cards have to be justified in the audience's mind with a logical reason, in this case a second, third, or fourth story upon which cards sit. Often times, when I would initiate the collapse, several pieces would fall but others would remain standing. After much experimentation, I decided to conceal metal washers inside of the top steeple of the house as well as the top and side floors. These metal washers, taped inside of two sandwiched cards would add weight and bring the house down in a uniform manner sandwiching upon itself.

The second problem also arises in any disturbance of the house. When set-up, the house will withstand a herd of elephants walking past it as long as the table on which it sits is not nudged. A small tap or nudge of the table could bring it down prematurely. Since the rendering shows the actor at close proximity to the audience, it was decided that an usher would stand near the entrance as the audience arrives to make sure no would-be knuckleheads decide to topple the house. Strengthening the house in any manner, with wire or additional tape would prevent its rapid collapse thus compromising the overall believability of the effect.

Experimentation last night and dinner with George and crew has resulted in some minor changes to the prototype card house before the production begins.

Stay connected for more details.

www.thomassolomon.com---------steampunk

2008-10-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

All:

As of 10pm EST last night, October 28, the new content on my website--thomassolomon.com--- has gone live. This remains only the second major overhaul of the design and content on my website since early August, 2001.

There are lots of new features incorporating a totally new look. Most of my work, since 2001 and prior, including the several television shows I have done is represented in some way with pictures or articles on the site.

There is a new flash intro with audio and a whole new look to the site, incorporating a newly flourishing genre, called "steampunk" which, I am happy to say, has been a hallmark of my act for at least ten years. It is only within the last year that other clever people have coined the term for this new genre. Before that, it was "just a look." Now, thanks to other artists following a similiar format, someone has given it a name.

Back to the website. There is a mission statement page that outlines my 'reasons' as they apply

to magic; a new gallery page with pictures that you can click on and download if you so desire, there is a re-written and streamlined biography and milestones page with links to my fan site where you can read press about my career as well as a link to this very blog.

The 24/7 store allows you to purchase posters and limited edition decks of playing cards in your pajamas at your convenience by a simple click of the button. (How great is that!!!) Posters remain availible but decks of cards are on a first-come first-served basis, since quantities were limited.

So, if you have time . . . put on a pot of coffee, mute the TV, shut off the phone and find a comfortable chair. Then, log on to----thomassolomon.com-----tool around the site, read the articles, order merchandise or just look at the pictures . . . hopefully . . . you like : - )

As always--thanks for your interest.

Peace

Official Thomas Solomon Deck of Cards

2008-07-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to announce, they are finally here! For months, I have been responding to emails "When are they coming?" "When are they coming?" Well, as of July 1, the Official Thomas Solomon deck of cards is now availible. Made of high quality casino stock with Linoid and Air Cushion Finish, these cards have a back design I am most proud of. Working with my graphics guru, we created an unusual design for both box and cards utilizing one of my favorite publicity photos taken in New York City back in 2002. The actual photograph has been converted to art work and when viewed a short distance away has all the attributes of a photograph. In addition the Jokers have been replaced with Trixster cards with artwork converted from pictures of my upside down straitjacket escape performed in the rain in Portland Oregon back in 2006.
The Ace of Spades has also been retrofitted to fit not only my performing style, but the style of the cards.

The poker-sized, plastic coated, linen finish cards are a limited printing and are going fast. They handle well if you are a magician and will last eons if you use them to play cards. And, for all you poker and Black Jack players, these cards WILL win you the money, ever since I blesssed them with my special mojo. : - ) Ah . . . just kidding, well hey, a little faith can't hurt, right?

Email me if you are interested. They are $6.00 per deck.

This deck of cards has been designed to promote my upcoming History Channel show, "No Jail Can Hold Me."

Fedex and the magic of Inattentional Blindness

2008-04-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

As a former columnist for The Magic Circular, the house organ of the prestigious Magic Circle in London, England, I wrote a bi-monthly column for five years titled "Escape Velocity." This column talked about my adventures as a full time professional escape artist and related some of the unusual experiences and challenges I have faced over the years. In some articles, I imparted knowledge about picking locks and crafting an escape act, others were strictly about my tales in the performing arena. If you're interested you can download some of these articles by going to: thomassolomon.com/fans and clicking on the Escape Velocity link.

In one of these articles, I talked about the phenomenon of "Inattentional Blindness", the notion that often times, though we may be looking at something, we do not see it. I related an experience in Chicago in which one night, performing my handcuff escape act, I inadvertently and unknowingly tapped into the Inattentional Blindness of the audience, which brought my act to a successful conclusion. This was not planned. I had no idea this even existed. Later, I reflected on what happened. I had convinced the audience I escaped all of the restraints. In reality, I escaped all but one. Again, to read further details about this escape please locate the article through the URL above.

Now . . . you might be wondering. What does any of this have to do with FEDEX? Years ago, I discovered a real-world example of Inattentional Blindness within the logo design of FEDEX. I was reminded of this the other day as I walked up Lexington Avenue in New York City. Among the lunchtime crowds and traffic gridlock were several parked FEDEX trucks. Look carefully at the logo in the photo above. Do you see the white arrow?

OK. Now look at the close-up photo to the right. Do you see it now? If you still don't see it, here's a hint. Between the red capital "E" and the small "x" is a geometrically correct right pointing arrow. It is formed by the precision joining of both the "E" and the "X". The beauty of this is that once you see it, you'll always see it. Now, go back to the photo at the top of this posting with the FEDEX truck in the distance. Easy to see now isn't it? Cool . . . right?

This is "Inattentional Blindness in the real world. Sobering to think of the many other things that are there, under our noses, just waiting to be "seen."

Zen . . . and the art of playing dead.

2008-04-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

My last post talked exclusively about my Off-Broadway show, "Theatre of the Macabre" which played for three years in New York City. While I don't plan to talk anymore about this show, the thought occurred to me that you might want to know about one of the more unusual publicity stunts I did to generate buzz for this show. I make reference in the title to Zen . . . as I think that what I did, had a certain amount of Zen to it.

First, a little history. My co-writer Robin Reseen had an interesting publicity idea for Theatre of the Macabre. He wanted to have a dead women lying in a bathtub filled with blood in the lobby of the theatre (as a reference to one of our characters). We looked at different old bathtubs with which we could purchase cheaply. I looked at how much 'blood' would be needed and how long it could last. We toyed with the idea of hiring an actress or placing a fake body in the tub. Eventually the mechanics of having a tub full of 'blood' in the lobby of a theatre became a logistical nightmare. Robin and I talked about other publicity ideas which included outdoor underwater handcuff escapes. One night in Robin's apartment, we were throwing back and forth silly ideas when we came upon the 'corpse' stunt. It went like this: We would have a corpse on the street with a knife piercing a flyer for the show through the corpse's back. At first, it seemed ridiculous, but the more we talked about it, the better it seemed. Robin thought we should hire an actor to be the 'corpse' and we ran several ads but nobody we found, when they were told what they were to do, had the necessary courage. And so, we put the idea on hold.

A month later "Theatre of the Macabre" opened at the 13th Street Theatre on 6th Avenue in Manhattan. I spent an inordinate amount of time handing out flyers (see left) to the show and would stand on street corners in the East and West Village for hours several days of the week trying to drum up interest in the show. One time, I even worked the line at TKTS handing out my flyers to that evening's performance. We gave out half-price tickets, free tickets, I had posters stuck with wheat paste placed on poster boards throughout the city and I ran display ads in the Village Voice--all to get people to come to the show. Still, handing out flyers as I did night after night was exhausting. As any New Yorker knows, it is extremely difficult to hand out anything paper on the street. People are inundated with requests and most are savvy enough not to take them or if they do take them they usually end up as litter a block away. You must be very clever to reach a jaded New Yorker, with the old rule being that if you want someone to take your notice, your coupon, your announcement, your half-off ticket . . . you better include something to eat with it.

Anyways, we had a difficult time handing out flyers so Robin and I decided to make our 'corpse' stunt a reality. Since we could not find any actors with enough courage to undertake this, I decided to do it. The time frame from when Robin and I first talked about the corpse until its final execution (pun intended) was about two months. Here's how it would appear: You and your friends would be walking down a busy street in New York City on a Friday or Saturday night or Sunday afternoon. This could be West Fourth Street, Broadway, Houston or Astor Place. Suddenly, usually at a corner you would come upon a body on the sidewalk with a sword in its back. After your initial shock, one of three people would quickly hand you a flyer to the show and you took it, because you were curious.

This stunt got our flyers into the hands of thousands of people who in a different scenario would not have taken them. It worked better than anything we did to shock the jaded New Yorker with the end result being that every show was either sold-out or close to it. Below is a picture of me lying on the very busy corner of Houston and Broadway on a Friday night in the SoHo District of Manhattan.

The 'look' and mechanics were carefully crafted. I wore black pants, comfortable black boots and a blue, sometimes red sweatshirt. The back of the sweatshirt had a small hole cut in the center. Under the sweatshirt, strapped with Velcro to my body was a large iron plate. Welded to the plate was a half cut sword sticking upward perpendicular to the plate. The handle came off of the blade so that once the plate was strapped to my chest and the blade was fed through the hole in my sweatshirt, the handle could be placed on. I also carried a very small pillow that my girlfriend at the time had made for me. It was about three inches by three inches and was packed tightly with foam. I would place this under my head on the street and it would be concealed in my long hair which fell around the sides of it.

I had three people watching over me. My girlfriend, Francesca, her friend, Craig and our stage manager, John Graffeo. You are very vulnerable when you lay on the street and I depended wholeheartedly on these three individuals to prevent people from stepping on me, shining light into my eyes, pulling my hair, kicking me, trying to grab the sword, etc., etc. In fact, if you look at the above picture closely, you will see I have curled my fingers under my hand. I did this after having them intentionally stepped on so many times before. As for Francesca, Craig and John Graffeo, I could NOT have done this without them. They were the ones who did the real work while I just laid there . . . usually for 90 minutes while the three of them 'watched my back' and gave out thousands of flyers.

To do this effectively, I entered a Zen-like mediation concentrating on only this moment in time. Since I am not that good at complete meditation, I could hear and was aware of the boisterous reactions of people on the street who encountered my 'lifeless' body. Occasionally, people got down on the ground at eye level with me to try and make me blink. My modus operandi was to blink when others were not looking at my face. When people were staring at me, I stopped blinking. With my side view of the street I saw their footsteps inches from my face. I learned to recognize the shoes of my helpers and it gave me great comfort to see those shoes near me as I knew they were watching over me. I remember one girl getting down on the pavement next to me and putting her face so close to mine, I could feel her breath. She wanted to see if I was real. I did not blink and kept my eyes wide open until she gave in and stood up.

I had people trying to step on me and grab the sword. Most of this I was unaware until told about it later. Sometimes I would hear Craig or Francesca or John arguing with people who were trying to touch me. It was quite a surreal scene and I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall of the Crate and Barrel on the corner observing. One time, as I was lying there, I heard a police siren. Francesca ran out into the street to talk to the police. Apparently they had asked her "if I was all right." She informed them that it was a publicity stunt and they laughed and let it go. This was Houston and Broadway in SoHo. Our dealings with the NYPD in Times Square however would not be so friendly.

One time, I decided to perform the 'corpse' as we later called it on Astor Place. The only person working with me this night was my stage manager, John Graffeo. I laid down on the corner at Astor Place and Lafayette and left it up to John to hand out flyers and keep people from touching me. Well, that proved extremely difficult. John had to protect every side of me and it was a daunting job. I remember a group of kids riding their skateboards very close to me trying to run over my hands. John would shoo them away and they would come back with more friends on skateboards. Some kids even showed up on bikes. Pretty soon, they started jumping over me. I could hear the wheels on the pavement and feel the wind as they moved over me. It was the longest 90 minutes of my life and was probably the same for John.

In Times Square, things were considerably different. On one 'corpse' night I was laying there when a police officer walked over and kicked me. Francesca and Craig who were working with me this night screamed at the officer. He kicked me again and then I moved. This time, the NYPD did not take kindly to the stunt. After all, tourists were there and 'what would they think of a dead body lying in the street, with a knife in its back' no less. This was the new Times Square, the amusement park Times Square. Didn't want to scare the tourists.

So, we abandoned the 'corpse' stunt for the short run we had in Times Square, but brought it back when we moved back down to SoHo and the Village. All told, over the three year run, excepting the seven months we were on 48th Street in Times Square, I performed the 'corpse' stunt more than a hundred times and due to the excellent work of Francesca, Craig and John Graffeo, I can fondly remember this difficult event enough . . . to recall it here.

Heath Ledger was right . . . sort of . . .

2008-04-04T07:53:00.001-07:00

Recently, I was reading one of the last interviews with Heath Ledger where he talks about his role of the 'Joker' in the upcoming "Dark Knight", Batman film. He described the Joker as a 'disturbed, murderous character with zero empathy' and further states how it became a difficult role to shake off once filming wrapped. According to Ledger, the persona of the 'Joker' remained with him and, as of the date of this interview, contributed to his inability to concentrate and sleep. His subsequent death weeks later, his autopsy and later toxicology analysis revealed that he had died of a mixture of otherwise harmless medications. Sad to say, this guy was on pills to relax, to give him energy, to keep him awake, and help him fall asleep. The deadly mix is what got him and its kind of troubling to see a young person, movie star no less, that feels he needs pills to get through daily life. But aside from that, I do believe Heath Ledger was accurate about being troubled over the character of the Joker. I too, experienced the same thing.

In 1995, I starred in an Off-Broadway show, titled "Theatre of the Macabre". See the picture below taken during the show.

I co-wrote this show with a partner of mine, Robin Reseen. Furthermore, I designed and engineered all of the magic and escapes within the context of the show. Theatre of the Macabre was conceived as a very dark show revisiting the lives and deeds of some of history's worst killers, and extracting what little dark humor we could from those stories. There were elements of Grand Guignol Theatre within the context of it. It was a bloody show, but alot of fun to do. It ran for three years playing three times a week (at one point four) at the 13th Street Repertory Theatre, the Kraine Theatre in the East Village, the Trilogy in Times Square and the Wings Theatre off Greenwich Street in the West Village, respectively. Three quarters of the shows in the three year long run were sold-out in advance. Two actresses, one with a speaking part and the other without, joined me in the show. Over the course of three years we had maybe a dozen or so actresses. All were very good in their own way and lent their unique personalities to their roles in the show. Theatre of the Macabre played at midnight with a matinee on Sunday at 3pm and get this, the ticket price was only ten dollars!

The initial conception of and subsequent writing of the show took more than a year. Before any writing, there was the months and months of research. Every afternoon, I would sit in the reading room of the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue with books spread out before me on those large oak tables and yellow legal pads filled with notes from materials that could not be removed from the library. It was here in the quiet, away from the noise of the street, I studied and read about history's greatest crimes and criminals. I made much use of the copier services and reference center and took alot of notes (all before the internet made researching at home in your pajamas a reality). From 10am--3:15pm, when I headed off to my night job, I studied the lives of some really terrible people; despots, sadistic rulers, all to find a base of characters for the show. Ted Bundy, Henry Lee Lucas, John List, the Hillside Stranglers, the Zodiac Killer, John Wayne Gacy, Peter Sutcliffe, Caryl Chessman, Gary Gilmore, and Richard Speck. On microfilm, I read the newspaper accounts of Albert Fish, the serial killer of the 1930s who ate the children he murdered, Albert DeSalvo, the "Boston Strangler" who gained admittance to women's apartments by saying he was an electrical repairman, and Ed Gein, the lonely "momma's boy" who made soup bowls out of the skull's of his female victims and on whom was based Hitchcock's thriller "Psycho." Elizabeth Short the victim known as "The Black Dahlia", Leopold and Loeb, the two rich kids who, in the 1920s killed a classmate 'just to see what it would be like' and Dr. Sam Shepherd who horribly murdered his wife in the 1950s became characters in the first draft of the show. Political criminals; Heinrich Himmler, Robespiere, Vladimir Lenin, Pol Pot and much later, the unknown person with the moniker of Jack The Ripper all were considered.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Robin was doing his own research. We would then write seperately away from one another's influence. Once we completed our scene's we would meet up and read to each other what we had. Often times, Robin would suggest an element to my scene that I had not thought of and vice verse. To this day, I still feel it was the best way to collaborate--it brought out the best in both of us.

Later, we completed the first manuscript on a Remington electric typewriter in Robin's 54th Street studio apartment sometimes re-typing an entire page to make one sentence change.

Most of the characters in the show; Elizabeth Bathory, the queen who bathed in the blood of murdered girls, Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian Prince who impaled his enemies, and in some cases, his friends on wooden stakes, then ate at a banquet in front of them; Lewis Payne, one of those who conspired to kill President Lincoln; Peter Kurten, the "Dusseldorf Ripper" who sadistically murdered young girls, King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, who lived well but died horribly; Anne Boelyn who suffered and was later beheaded in a gruesome fashion by her husband; Dr. Ignatius Guillotin, inventor of the Guillotine who eventually lost his head in his own invention. Dick Turpin, the dashing seventeenth century English highwayman who danced with women along the road before he robbed them of their jewels . . . were real people whose lives and deeds we dramatised and added dark humor too.

Other characters were created by us such as Guy Keltick, the incompetent hangman of Hyde Park who ended up torturing his victims because he couldn't learn the proper mechanics of hanging; the Duval Bros, consisting of Claude, imprisoned for counterfeiting, Francois, for forgery, and Alain, for anarchy all who escaped the medieval dungeon they were chained into; Mr and Mrs. Samuel Walcott, whose bodies were consumed by the roots of an overzealous apple tree; Ellen Davenport, the master poisoner who, after killing each husband, had them buried in the fireplace in her home, were characters we had entirely made up based on amalgamations and dramatizations of real-life occurences.

Each story was concluded through magic illusion or escapes. The setting was the drawing room of a mansion where skulls exploded, pictures moved and the slitting of my assistants throat took place as she sat in a chair. I, was the lonely, duplicitious, unctuous, trecherous, evil host who made these things happen all while I told the stories of others. I brandished a sword and was not above slicing my assistant if I felt like it. I wore alot of make-up and concoted this role of a dark, sadistic, trecherous character. I laughed at the pain of others and glorified in the most depraved and sadistic of their deeds because . . . that was my role and I played it convincingly. I worked on the presentation. Costumes and make-up were designed to help me get into the role. 2000 performances over the course of three years were done and like Heath Ledger, I had a hard time shaking the persona. Many people have wondered why a show that was repeatedly sold-out is not still playing. Well, that was one of the reasons. I felt the role slowly changing my life, I was becoming this person.

When I performed other shows I found it hard to step out of the role. Even without the clothes or the make-up, I could still feel that voice coming back. It was tough . . . and I know completely what he meant.

There is truth to the fact that roles can overtake you. Even still, I think trying to conquer this problem by mixing and matching medications is not the answer.

Celebrity Death Match: Jesus vs. Atlas

2008-03-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

There are alot of strange juxtapositions in the great City of New York that, unless you live here, and walk the streets day in and day out, you usually miss them. I have lived and performed in New York for close to twenty years and have discovered, mostly by accident some of them . . . but

the great thing about New York, is that it still holds wonderful, interesting and most importantly new surprises that can make you laugh, cry . . . or in this instance . . . just wonder.

So here goes . . .

My brother and his wife were visiting New York City last week on Easter Sunday and one of the places they wanted to go to was St. Patrick's Cathedral. Being that it was Easter Sunday, we attended a 5:30pm church service. Now, St. Patrick's Cathedral is on Fifth Avenue in the heart of midtown Manhattan between 50th and 51st streets. The main doors of St. Patrick's, the large iron doors that are thrown open before and after mass lead directly out to Fifth Avenue. Rockefeller Plaza is across the street running between 48th and 53rd Streets and from 5th Avenue to 6th Avenue.

Across the street from the Cathedral is a section of Rockefeller Plaza that hosts a large, beautiful iron statue of the Greek God, Atlas (see picture) From my reading of Greek mythology, I remember Atlas as the Greek God who was punshed by Zeus and made to hold up the heavens. Because the image of "the heavens" is not really tangible, he is often pictured supporting the world on his shoulders. This iron statue supported by a concrete base stands on the Fifth Avenue side of Rockefeller Plaza facing the cathedral. Its an amazing statue, probably reaching twenty feet high. Its been pictured in movies, in books, and on television.

I'm sure you know where this is going.

I have always been aware of the Atlas statue AND St. Patrick's Cathedral but never both in relation to each other that is, until this past Easter. So we attend Mass. The church is crowded-standing room only. We are lucky, we get the end of a pew on the main aisle about halfway up toward the altar. After the Mass, we leave the pew and following the crowd we turn around for the slow, crowded procession down the aisle toward the exit and out onto Fifth Avenue. The large iron doors are open at this moment and what is the first thing you see, framed perfectly within the opened doors??? It is the pagan Greek God, Atlas.

How bizarre. We have just spent and hour listening to the Word of God and the stories of God Made Man. Of course, the monsignor's homily on the Resurrection of Christ and the effect it had on those who were witness to the event implies the idea of one God. One God, who 2000 years ago walked on the Earth as a human being.

I thought more about the Atlas statue later. Framed perfectly within the open doors at St. Patrick's, its not right or left. You do not have to strain to find it. If you wearn't looking for it--it would hit you in the face. Its there--easy to see with almost no effort. One wonders . . . was this planned? Interestingly enough, it was John D. Rockefeller Jr. not his father, that built Rockefeller Plaza and even though he was Christian, a Baptist I believe, I think it was the architects who commissioned the various works of art around the plaza, including the more famous, golden statue of Prometheus (see picture below) another Greek God which resides down in the sunken plaza in front of the ice-skating rink.

So, I think the conclusion here is that it is just a coincidence, not a symbolic stab by the Rockefeller family at Christianity . . . which, truth be told . . . might have made a better story.

Your watching . . . No Jail Can Hold Me . . .

2008-03-07T13:42:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's March already--where does the time go? I have been hard at work the last two months working on new material--magic and escape material. I am very proud of some of the new escape effects I am working on.

The television pilot, "No Jail Can Hold Me" that I spent the better part of last year shooting is now complete and, as we speak, still under consideration for a possible series by The History Channel. It would be a weekly show comprised of an hour in which I would tell the story of three historical escapes and would then, in the course of the show recreate them. For the pilot episode, I told the story of Harley Caswell, an endurance driver in the barnstorming 1930's who was hired by a promoter to test how long he could drive a 1931 Chevrolet without stopping. To insure that he did not cheat by getting out of the vehicle Harley dreamed up the effective idea of having himself handcuffed to the steering wheel. All is fine for the first day as Harley drives around Glens Falls, New York greeting the mayor, the press and the townspeople who came to see him. When later it began to rain, Harley sought shelter inside of a large barn. In the 1930s hay was not baled so instead the floor of the barn was covered in several inches of loose hay. The catalytic converter, hot as it would be on any running engine came in contact with hay and in seconds started a smoldering fire under the car. With an entire barn filled with the stuff, it doesn't take a genius to understand that soon the whole undercarriage of the car is ablaze- with Harley still handcuffed inside! I won't tell you what happened to poor Harley but I can tell you that I recreated the stunt with two sets of handcuffs on either wrist and a 1990 SAAB which pyro guys set on fire. Despite having the oil pan, oil filter, carburetor, gas tank and struts removed, the pyro guys mapped out exactly where and how the fire would travel around me. But alas . . . the best laid plans Of Mice and Men . . . it was not to be. Since we had to do this outside on a racetrack (fire marshals prevented us from recreating it inside a barn) we were at the mercy of a gusting wind which several times sent the roaring fire in the direction of my face! It was crazy and I just made it out before getting burned.

Other stunts included escaping from a cell at Eastern State Penitentery where both Al Capone and Willie Sutton were imprisoned. In fact, we re-created Willie Sutton's tunnelled escape from the prison by digging a 40 foot tunnel of our own and filling it with water and rats, while I was inside. I have the bite marks to prove it. Fun . . . fun . . . fun. On a tamer note--I visit a locksmith shop and demonstrate some lock picking skills, we go to the streets where I escape various police officer's handcuffs, I throw myself out of a moving car onto the hard pavement--and in actual filming--did this a number of times--breaking my hand in the process.

Finally, we head out to New Mexico to tell the story of Billy The Kid's imprisonment there and I perform a few more escapes. Keep your eyes peeled for this show as plans will be for it to aire soon.

On another note, I am continuing my work on my live show which I should be bringing to New York City in the very near future. I am also toying with the idea of bringing back some of the outdoor publicity escapes I used to do years ago. I have always wanted to do an escape at Coney Island and this may be a reality later on this year. Truth is, with each passing year some of these escapes become more difficult to do. I don't necessarily mean physically, as I am in very good shape and actually can escape faster than I did twenty years ago. What I think is different with me is the level of risk-taking that I am willing to put my mind through. The escapes are dangerous and whereas it did not bother me as much when I was twenty--it starts to become a reality later. I don't know--maybe mortality is setting in.

Its something we all face and it is only mental--but like anything--it is important that your thoughts be as sharp and as positive as any physical skills you need for success.

Keep the faith.

Happy Holidays

2007-12-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy and healthy, holiday season. Will be pretty busy with the usual spate of shows over the holidays going into the first part of 2008.

Two Thousand Dollar Poster

2007-11-21T06:40:00.000-08:00

Hi-

This poster is also currently unavailible. The good news is . . . that due to the many requests received this one will be reprinted. I will post again when it is availible.

Meanwhile, there are other posters for sale if interested. Log on to: thomassolomon.com and click on "Store"

Thanks for your patience.

Most Requested Poster

2007-11-20T14:31:00.000-08:00

To the right is the original poster for my upside down straitjacket escape performed last December in Portland, Oregon. I wrote about this in a posting last year. Since that time, I have received a number of emails asking if there are any left. Unfortunately, there are not. There were 2500 printed initially (a small number) and they went fast.

Thomas

Broken Hand

2007-11-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

I'm back.
Sorry. I have been away for awhile----shooting a television special. This special will aire on a "major network" early in 2008 and is filled with many types of escapes (handcuffs, jails, locks, etc., etc.). There will be a retrospective on my twenty-five plus year career in the escape field at the beginning of the show. We were shooting on location in New Mexico, Texas, Pennsylvania and Maine and when I mention "we", I mean myself and the wonderful production company that has been behind me on this. Escapes and magic are difficult to shoot for television (being a live performance art) and admittedly we made several stumbles in the run-up to this production, but nevertheless I think we have finally found our groove. Myself and the writer (an Emmy award winner) come from different backgrounds and while it was a challenge to find out how to work together in the beginning, I think, through this process we have come out more informed, and better artists. It was a Trial by Fire so to speak. He has made me see things in a new light, I'm sure the same is true for him. We finished our initial shoot in June and then had to go back and re-shoot new scenes in September. On the shoot in September, I had broken my left hand in one of the stunts. Since this happened on the second day of a four day shoot, I had to manage the last two days working with a broken hand. My hand was not severely broken, but rather was a "longitudinal fracture of the fifth phalanx of my left hand. " I was able to carry on for two more days before it was X-rayed and then splinted.
Currently, two editors (one in Califonia and the other in Maine) are hard at work taking over 30 hours of raw footage and funnelling it down to an hour show of hard-hitting escapes. That, as far as I'm concerned, is the real magic.

Also have been busy writing several articles for the new "Encyclopedia of Escapes" that is being updated and re-printed this year. This book is on sale only to the magic community, but in it, I have decided to tip several of my methods for this new edition. First published in 1965, it was, when I was a kid one of the very few books on escapes. Hungry for information, I read it spiral bound cover to spiral bound cover many times and recall learning almost everything in the book. Meeting the author recently was a humbling experience and I readily agreed to be part of this new edition.

To all who have sent well wishes and/or read this blog, thank you. The best to all of you this Thanksgiving. I for one, have much to be thankful for.

Peace,
Thomas

07.07.07, 07.13.07 and Robin Hood the Magician

2007-07-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is July 7, 2007 . . . commonly written as 07/07/07 unless you are in Europe . . . then it is written 07/07/07 (!!!) and next week . . . is Friday the Thirteenth!!!

Seven is the luckiest of all numbers so tomorrow, should be a good day, while next Friday . . . well, we'll see . . .

I tend to be a superstitious person--believing that success is often times set in motion by certain days, hours, times and locations and one's place within them. I believe in the magic of numbers--although I don't live my life by them. I think there is something to the zodiac--esp. Sun signs--although I also agree with Thomas Aquinas' assertion that those who do not believe in the zodiac--have its attributes fit them like a glove. (Believing its possibilities--he thought--allowed you to exert free will, thus negating the controlling power of the zodiac). I also believe in sympathetic magic in all of its various forms esp. that a parallel person's success will almost always lead to mine. Various times in my life I have traced my particular success in something directly to another person's success. I know its strange and I'm not entirely sure its real . . . only that I tend to believe in it.

One example I can relate of karma or sympathetic magic working in my favor occurred many years ago on the streets of NYC. This is probably around 1990--1991 after I quit working cruise ships. I was desperate for any success as a magician. I worked tons of dive clubs, sometimes I wasn't paid. One time I had some coins I used in my show stolen off a table at a trade show I was working. Another time I was stranded in Philly because the organizer stiffed me and I had no train fare back. It was just horror show after horror show and somehow, miraculously, I lived through it all. Well, a good friend of mine, Polaris, an excellent magician, was doing street performing in NYC about this time. He would work usually all day on the weekends and at the end of the day could make some pretty good cash.

I thought street performing might be good and lucrative. So, I created an act . . . magic incorporating escapes and for about a year I worked everyday at lunch hour on the streets of New York. My favorite places to work were in front of the Plaza Hotel right under the General Sherman statue and along Sixth Avenue from about 47th to about 53rd. In the warm weather, the sidewalks in front of the McGraw Hill and Time Life Buildings were filled with people and it became my daily audience.

I kept some of the money myself but gave most of it away. I did pretty well. I met many people and got alot of business cards. Roughly three months into it, I met someone who was a promoter. (He shall remain nameless). We became friends and he often took me out to dinner. Over food, he would tell me of the outlandish pranks he had conceived over the years--how he had fooled the NY Times into publishing his obituary and on and on. He was an interesting guy.

We talked about what I was doing on the street and he offered a suggestion that he thought would take me to the next level. He said that I should play the character of a wealthy business man who did not need to work and instead wanted to make people feel happy by performing magic. At the end of my set, instead of soliciting money from people, I would give it away. (You heard right). I would produce money from an empty top hat and before leaving would give it away. If anyone tried to tip me, I would refuse it. He suggested I get some business cards which read: Robin Hood The Magician--and hand these out if anyone asked questions. People who wanted further information were to contact my manager, him.

Well, it sounded interesting--and within a few days we had an agreement. But I must tell you, the prospect of giving money away when I had so little, absolutely killed me. Many days I went without eating after a day of performing in which, playing the wealthy "Wall Street Executive", I gave away money. Somedays, all I had left was the "Robin Hood" business cards. Well, I did that for five months--I figured I had given away about $1000.00 keeping just enough money to pay my rent and get some food. Everything else was gone. In the picture to the right, I have just concluded my act and have produced money out of an empty hat, which I gave away to stunned spectators.

Eventually, the "manager" and I had a falling out and we parted. Soon after, I quit the Robin Hood thing. I pursued other work from people I had met on the street--for awhile working as a regular at The Front on Seventh Avenue South in the Village, then Cafe Bonjour on 53rd and Lexington. I even got booked at The White House!!! I soon forgot about street performing and the brutal Robin Hood image. Whenever, my mind went back to that crazy time, I thought about how much money I had given away and would always wonder when I would get it back--since my belief in karma always said that money freely given will be received back doubled.

Well, about a year afterwards, I was contacted by a researcher for a publishing house who was doing a book for Harvey Mackay on business practices and the unusual lengths people would go to secure a dream job or to boost their business. Someone, she informed me had been watching day after day--as I performed and then gave away money to astonished spectators. They thought it was a wonderful method of standing away from the crowd and marketing oneself. They listened to people wondering out loud who this mysterious figure was--why on earth was he giving away money? Is he crazy? Who is this?
Remember, this was before websites and the proliferation of email and camera phones--so the word of mouth would spread thus increasing the mystique. I would see some of the same people every day--oh but with ten new friends they had brought. I began to wonder if they even cared about the magic or the escapes--or if they just wanted money.
Anyways, this person followed me--she noted the reactions of the spectators and must have seen the crowds as they increased everyday. Most importantly she remembered me and kept the business card I probably gave her. About a year later, the publishing house she worked for contacted me and offered me $2500.00 to publish my "Robin Hood" story in HarveyMackay's next best-selling business practices book.

Ripley's Believe It or Not!!!

2007-06-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have been away for awhile--lots of new things to tell you--some I will post soon, others will have to wait. I've received more than a few emails from people asking--where have you been? Are you dead? More on that . . . the dead thing I mean, later. That in itself is a story. Again, lots to say and will be making more frequent posts updating everyone as to what's happening.

I was notified recently that my work as an escape artist is being profiled in the new Ripley's Believe it or Not!!! The Remarkable Revealed in stores on August 7.

These are annual hardcover compendiums put out by Ripley's with its usual fare of the unusual and the bizarre. They are large books about 8 1/2 x 11 size.

I feel sort of honored since I use to read the small bantam paperbacks of Ripley's back in the day-- when I attended grade school and we would go to the library every Wednesday morning. One of the books had a picture on its cover of a penny with a needle going through it. In small print down at the bottom right corner of the cover it said: "to learn how to do this turn to page 41." So, over on page 41 there was a diagram that showed how it could be done. You were to get two wooden blocks of wood that were longer than the needle. Placing these on the workbench standing upright, you would then get your penny and place each edge on one side of the block of wood. So the center of the penny would not be resting on the wood, only the edges. Then you were to get a cork and push the needle into the cork until the point started to come through the bottom. Then, you would set the cork on the penny. Taking a hammer (and here was the hard part) you would, with one straight downward blow strike the cork which would push the needle straight through the penny. When I first saw the diagram, I was intrigued. That night at home on my father's workbench, I broke alot of needles until I learned that you had to strike the cork squarely and sharply with the hammer. There was no second chance--otherwise the needle would bend and then break. Well, after about an hour and many attempts --it worked--exactly as the book had mentioned. I was so excited--I kept it for years--as an oddity I had created from the pages of Ripley's Believe It or Not!!!

Back to their annual book--The Remarkable Revealed--I have not seen the article done on me and am not sure what the layout is--I don't know if it is a full page spread or one column. I was told there are some pictures and a bio detailing my work on both English and American television. Mention is made of my escape from a locked safe under thirty feet of water and of my many escapes from handcuffs.

So, if you find yourself near a bookstore after August 7, run in and check it out. You don't even have to buy it (unless you want to, of course). But, I get no royalties for this.

Also, I may be performing escapes as part of the book launch--and may be doing some media around the country--possibly in the Chicago area. As soon as I know, I will post the information here. So, stay tuned.

Peace

"Artistic" Madness Gone Awry?

2007-03-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

No matter where you live in the country, I'm sure I am correct in assuming you've heard of the street shooting occurring here in New York City several nights ago. It happened in Greenwich Village on a series of streets (since the gunman was running) that included MacDougal and Bleecker which are bounded by Sullivan and Houston Streets in the heart of Greenwich Village. My first Off-Broadway show played three years at a theatre that was literally down the block from where the shooting first began. We spent many a night in and around the West Village, eating at its restaurants, looking in its stores, sitting in Father Demo Park, and gorging on Marzipan and Canoles at the italian patisserie shop around the corner. We've eaten in DeMarco's Pizzearia (where the murder spree began) and carried pizza out of there several times. Tragically, four people, including the gunman were killed. (An employee of a Pizzeria--probably the initial target, then two Auxiliary and unarmed "civilian" police officers that gave chase and finally the gunman.)

I was reading the newspaper accounts of the killing spree AND the killer. Apparently, the killer was something of a filmmaker--actually probably the wrong phrase--he was an aspiring filmmaker. He had self-financed several different short films and by the account of one of his actresses had almost started a fight during one of his street shoots. Most who knew him well said there was something not right about him--a hidden anger if you will. One of his surreal film scripts involved a US Marine who goes on a shooting spree(???!!!) Interesting since he was asked to leave the Reserves after several years.

Those who knew him in a professional sense, his colleagues from the Wall Street Journal where he worked as a typographer said he was quiet and that there was nothing overtly unusual about him. Besides his short films, he had conceived of a Goth reality series entitled "The Darklys" and was apparently shopping this around. He told people he was a Pulitzer prize winning journalist. Some suggested that while the gunman craved recognition and had some talent as a filmaker and writer, he was unwilling or unable to put in the work to achieve success.

Now, I don't mean to trivialize what has happened. All artists live with frustration, depair, disappointment--but if you truly love what you do--as Picasso said--you cannot be doing it for the money. If you do it for the love--then the money and recognition will come. That's the thinking. Of course this takes a tremendous amount of faith in oneself. The fact that he was unwilling to 'work' for what he wanted suggests to me that he really did not 'love' what he was aspiring to do--rather he wanted fame, notoriety.

A search of his apartment in the Bronx found disguises and more guns including a speed loader and over a hundred rounds of ammo. The night of the shooting spree he carried a backpack that contained another semi-automatic with another 90 rounds of ammo. This was clearly someone who was planning damage . . . lots of it . . . and more of it.

This individual was a landmine . . . sitting . . . sometimes unnoticed . . . just waiting to be detonated. How many more people we see and interact daily are like this? Simmering . . . just waiting for that moment.

You know, its not the large things that send a man over the edge. Rather its the continuing series of small tragedies . . . a shoelace that snaps with no time left . . . a cancelled train when trying to reach an appointment . . . a firing from a job . . . a rejection from a lover . . . that do you in . . ."

Mozart's and Beethoven's

2007-02-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

For several months now, I have been working to solve two creative magic problems. My rehearsal space (read: attic) in my home is filled with various props and notes/drawings in all stages of development. Many ideas I have are simply waiting for a presentation to be created. Sometimes I have the presentation, but no effect. Other times, I spend all my money to build a prop that works in my head . . . only to find out . . . that's the only place it works . . . in my head! It can be very daunting. At this moment, I have two excellent effects that need motivation, meaningful presentation and a better method. I know they're excellent because I've shown them, in their bare bones state to several people and have received great reactions--Still, I'm not happy with them. To me, they are more than just a "Wow! That was cool." These could be meaningful and powerful effects beyond their visual if I could only find 'what that something is.' Leaning back in my chair trying to solve this problem reminds me of a theory I have had. I'd like to share it with you.

(drumroll)

It is the Mozart--Beethoven Theory.

It goes like this.

Creatively speaking, there are two kinds of people in this world, Mozart's and Beethoven's. "Mozart's" are people who have the gift of creativity flowing within them. Their creative output appears effortless and can seemingly be tapped at will. They seem to be devoid of any of the struggles that overtake artists and--to boot, their output is always the best--never a hint of mediocrity. "Beethoven's" on the other hand are people who must struggle for their creativity, they must suffer the rejection, shield the self-doubt and mask the despair of disappointment. They may have many wonderful ideas, only a few may ever be recognized.

Mozart if you remember was a prodigy. He could play the harpsichord at age three (imagine?) and was writing compositions at age four. He wrote his first opera at 13 and was said to be possessed of almost perfect pitch ( a feat never equalled). His companions were amazed when Mozart could learn minuets and trios in a half hours time. His short life produced an incredible body of work (600 compositions). Even more incredible, Mozart had no musical influences, making him one of those rare creative artists who was completely original. His observation that his music came to him completed, already in his head only waiting for his transcription is, at its very worst, astounding.

Beethoven is a different story. He was also considered a prodigy but with a completely different method of creativity. His talents were recognized early by his father, who nurtured these abilities (when he wasn't drinking) with the goal of turning him into "a little Mozart." (shades of John Stuart Mill) Beethoven was forced to tutor under a variety of musical teachers in his early teens including Hadyn. Within a few years he had produced a number of piano sonatas and Symphony 1. His magnum opus, the Ninth Symphony took him four years to write. Beethoven's early life was wracked with abuse at the hands of his father. In life, he was plagued with self-doubt at the same time he dealt with depression, loss of his hearing and severe financial hardship.

Still, Beethoven and Mozart's influence are lauded today with musical compositions that are performed around the world.

Creatively speaking, Beethoven had to work, and work hard to find and then nurture his now recognized genius. He often struggled over each note, each pause, re-writing and re-writing over and over again, never truly happy with what he created.

And so it is--music has parallels in all the creative arts, including magic. I often think of Beethoven and how aspects of his life mirror mine. I constantly struggle over this presentation or that presentation to the point of distraction and . . . despair.

If I could ask for one thing . . . I would ask to be a Mozart.

Fair Lawn, NJ and the mystery man, George

2007-02-06T07:02:00.000-08:00

Fair Lawn, New Jersey is about a thirty minute drive from my home in Maplewood, NJ on the Garden State Parkway (provided there is no traffic). This show was this past Sunday February 4, Super Bowl Sunday, and thankfully there wasn't too much traffic on the roads. My performance was scheduled for 3pm but as usual I arrived about thirty minutes prior to set-up and familiarize myself with the surroundings. A very nice couple was throwing a birthday bash for their ten year old daughter who loved magic. In all there were about thirty people in attendance and the performance took place in their living room. These I find are some of the best shows. There is something about performing in someone's home that makes everything better. Perhaps it is that people are usually on their best behavior when in their own (or their friend's home) or maybe its just the energy that is prevalent when someone is within their own space. Nevertheless, there were about 15 adults and 15 children--ages ten to about 16. Adults ranged in age from late 30's to mid 70's. An excellent group. I performed a variety of magic (no escapes) choosing various pieces from my repertoire which included playing cards, coins, silk handkerchiefs, fire and money. There was alot of food catered for this event and I was invited to stay (after the performance and partake in the food festivities) but I declined. After the show I met with many of the adults and gave out my entire stack of business cards, hopefully securing some shows for the future.

As of this writing, I continue to hone the script for my stage show, The Escapist. I am adding more of my personal experiences (lockouts, safe cracking, etc.) that I encountered in my years as a locksmith in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I hope to open The Escapist somewhere (preferably Las Vegas) in the near future. My partner George, one of the best idea men and certainly the best graphic/set designer I have ever met will provide the visuals. He will be storyboarding sections of the script and provide illustrations for the lobby display and some of the effects.

More about the mystery-man, George. In every artistic endeavor, I think it is important for the artist to be able to bounce ideas off of someone else, to have a partner in their creativity. George is such a man--many of my ideas were only half ideas until I told George about them and then he breathed new life into them. Several times, he re-designed and rebuilt props I had been using for years, making them better in the process. He has created posters and flyers for events I have performed around the country. George is a great guy and is one of the most talented people I have ever met. George also knows everybody--well, not everybody--but enough people in the industry--that also are able to help. George created the segments that you can see on YouTube as well as The Escapist logo and key art animation. One interesting story about George--on one of our many meetings, I had mentioned that I needed to shoot a brief host segment for a Discovery Channel pitch. I was thinking of just taking a hi-8 camera and shooting myself on my driveway. George heard me say this and like the masterful director that he is--sprang into action. We were not going to do this on my driveway--he informed me. So George started making calls, right there in the diner where we were having lunch. Inside of an hour he had a theatre space, a camera crew and a design for a set that looked better than anything on television. So, can Vegas be far off with George at the helm? I think not.

I have a few shows scheduled out-of-state in the next few months, including one in Fort Lauderdale Florida.

Peace

Coney Island, Fort Lauderdale, London

2007-02-01T06:45:00.000-08:00

Its been awhile hasn't it?
January has been a pretty busy month for me, with numerous shows every week. Some were magic, most escape artistry. Thankfully, they were pretty much local (tri-state area). For those unfamiliar with that term, it means New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Shows performed in the past four weeks have left me with a dozen new handcuffs to add to my ever-growing collection. I was able to escape an antique shackle that held my wrists close together and was padlocked on top. Don't know how old it is and the owner was unsure as well. Also was able to escape and keep a set of bilboes and an interesting Belgian Handcuff made by FN Herstal that is secured with a magnet!

I am putting the finishing touches on a new lobby exhibit that will display some of the more unusual handcuffs that I have escaped from over the course of 25 years. It is very cool and I think those attending my shows will find it interesting.

While many of you may be watching the Super Bowl this Sunday, I will be performing in Fair Lawn , New Jersey. This show will be strictly magic (no escapes) and will feature some of my original presentations in sleight-of-hand and platform magic.

I am considering two outdoor publicity events for this year. For years, I have wanted to perform an event at Coney Island and many times I came close to doing it. This year, I would really like to nail something down there. Coney Island is such an iconic piece of America--its like performing at the Empire State building. I have some ideas I am working on there and do not want to betray anything yet. I will post it here first when details become availible.

I have several television projects in the works (some closer to development than others) and I may be heading to Las Vegas in the next few months. In the middle of March, I will be perfroming my escape show in Fort Lauderdale for one night only. London, England is also a possibility this April if a new BBC show pitched to me gets the green-light. Weather is finally back to normal in New York City (temperatures where they should be at this time of the year). the tourists have left town, the subways are less crowded and generally everything is allright with the world.

To the many who email me with ideas and advice, thank you. I apologize for not being as prompt in getting back to you. Managing this blog on a daily basis has been challenging. Please be patient. I will personally answer all those who take the time to write.

World events have made me more introspective and the recent troubles in the Middle East have reminded me of an interesting quote I once read. I will end with that.

Best to all--T

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead

Happy New Year

2007-01-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

It is 2007--can you believe it? It seems like yesterday it was 2000 and . . . before that . . . 1995 and . . . oh . . . I better stop. I am betraying my age. The weather here in New York is very strange--temperatures yesterday were in the 50s and are supposed to hit 60 degrees by this week--and this is friggin' January (?!) when the average temperature should be 37 degrees!!! People say I shouldn't complain--but I can't help but wonder--what all this climate change means. First you have Arctic Ice melting, snow in Las Vegas and unseasonably cold temperatures in Southern Europe. Pretty scary---

Even though it's not SUPPOSED to be 60 degrees in January, this would be the perfect weather for a handcuffed escape in the East River.

Performed New Years Eve for a very rich, very well-connected family. I have been in alot of beautiful homes, clubs, etc., etc.--but I think this home had to be near the top of the list. The foyer was covered in marble--the countertops slate, the rugs oriental, the floors parquet and on and on and on. In fact there were so many rooms in the house that many were left unfurnished. There was an unbelievable amount of food for a relatively small number of people. I performed in the hallway with my audience sitting on the bottom steps of a large winding staircase.

Very nice group of people--reacted to every effect I did by looking at one another and speaking in Ukranian!

Was asked today to consider writing a column for a new trade magazine called "Street Magic." When I expressed an interest, I was told that I would need to write an article about 'arrogance in magic.' On the surface, it sounds like a valid topic but as I considered accepting this job, I tried to envision this 1200 word article in my mind and I realized that all artists on some level are arrogant. I personally, have never met an artist who wasn't arrogant. I'm sure others have called me arrogant. So, I am still contemplating whether or not I will accept---

To those reading this . . . Happy New Year and may we have Peace On Earth.

Tidings of Great Joy

2006-12-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

I worked a Holiday party recently for Employment Horizons in New Jersey.

Employment Horizons is a company that provides work for its program participants who have a variety of disabilities, some physical, some mental, some psychological. These wonderful people do some very important work and take an immense amount of pride in what they do everyday.

So, I was scheduled to perform at their annual holiday party. They had a large room which had been converted to an open dance floor with a DJ. When I arrived, the party was in full force. The dance floor was crowded as well as the surrounding tables. I was announced over the PA system and immediately I had an enthusiastic crowd come over to me to experience magic first hand. I have to tell you--I have worked many, many gigs in my life--I have worked corporate events for some very high-profile people, have worked The White House for two Presidents--and have done several television shows in Britain but I don't think I have ever seen such enthusiasm AND more importantly--such Joy from one group of people. Their immediate joy was infectious and . . . contagious!!!

I cannot help but wonder . . . maybe here is the great lesson for humanity . . .

I met many people of all ages (from 18 to 70) and every single person was laughing and smiling
They welcomed me with open arms--literally--they shook my hand, patted me on the back, gave me hugs, even before they knew my name! Many came up to me to ask: "Was I okay? Did I need water? Did I want to to rest?" I spent an hour performing some of the best sleight-of-hand that I know. I could've easily worked all day for this audience.

After an hour--it was over--more events were scheduled at the party including a fashion show made up of the consumer products that are packaged there.

Returning home--I received this email from Elaine Berman:

"Thomas--I work at Employment Horizons where you performed today. I just wanted to let you know that I was so impressed by how well you worked with our clients. Your prescence and showmanship made the show so much fun for them (and for the staff as well). You are quite a talented guy. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy performing schedule to spend the morning with us."

Happy Holidays to all

Peace

Oregon

2006-12-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back in NYC from a cross-country trip to Portland, Oregon to do a promotion for Cricket, a new cell phone company in the Pacific Northwest.

I mentioned this before--this was the event where I was to be fastened into a straitjacket and then be suspended upside down by my ankles from a crane 250 feet over the streets of Portland, Oregon. Days before the event, weather reports I checked on the internet were forecasting heavy rain and gusting winds in excess of 30 mph! As fate would have it, they were not wrong and with each passing day, the weather reports remained the same--windy and pouring rain.

Arriving in Portland on Sunday I began the preparations for the event which was to take place on Monday, 12 noon. A rehearsal was scheduled with the crane operator, Monday morning at 6:30am. We wanted to work before the sun came up so as to not draw attention since we were in the middle of the city. I left my hotel and walked the three blocks to the square in pouring rain--I mean, we are not talking about drizzle--we are talking pouring--like cats and dogs. The wind was whippin--probably about 20 mph--not exactly the best day to be hanging upside down from a crane.

At the square--I met the event promoters, photographers and the crane operators--it was determined that we would do a once-over before it became light. My ankles were secured in the rigging and I was hooked to the crane and due to the wind raised to 100 feet. Everything from below (they tell me) looked good so I was lowered down.

Fast forward to 12 noon--the event promotion is in full progress--there are tents filled with cell phone promotions, staff answering questions, food, live music, etc., etc. All of this mind you in the pouring rain?! Now, it is my turn. I am introduced by the MC and make my way to the stage. Two police officers take the leather and canvas straitjacket, examine it and then fasten me tightly into it. The stage, which is covered, keeps us all dry. fastened, I step off the stage down to the square into a cordoned off area in which sits a chair. With the rain pounding down on us--I sit down and have my ankles secured to the crane hook by my assistant. Slowly, I am raised 100 feet into the air--where I begin my escape.

As I look ahead of me--there is a sea of people--most wantching through the clear roofs of the large tents in the square. Office workers lined the windows of nearby office buildings. Photographers and news cameras film away while guests hold up personal camnera phones and snap pictures as the crane lifts me off the chair. At 100 feet--the MC calls for a countdown--and I begin--I do everything I can to get slack--the rain pours down in my face, my eyes, nose--the jacket is more difficult to manipulate cause its wet--everything is much harder because of the weather--wind blows rain sideways into my ears--and my hearing is now dulled--

I am told it took me a minute and a half to finally shed the jacket--I drop it to the street and take out a cell phone. From 100 feet up, I dial the number of Neil (Cricket's CEO) who stands on stage--He answers the phone. From 100 feet up (miked--so the crowd can hear) I say:
"Hey Neil--I've freed myself. Now, its time for Portlanders to free themselves
with Cricket."

Thuderous applause--end of show. I am lowered to the ground.

YouTube

2006-12-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

All:

In answer to the many requests for footage of my escapes, I have decided to post five performance clips to YouTube. You may view them by going to the YouTube home page and then typing my name into the search field.

Other news:

I will be leaving for Portland, Oregon this week to perform an upside down straitjacket escape on Monday, December 11, 2006 at 12:00 noon in Pioneer Square. If you happen to be in the Portland area on this date, please come by. It is a free show, open to the public and will no doubt be exciting. I will be straitjacketed by the Portland Police Department and then raised by my ankles upside down to a height of 250 feet where I will escape the straitjacket.

My one concern is the wind--since at that height it can be pretty damn windy . . .

Opening this lock

2006-11-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

The famous anthropologist Jane Goodall once said:

"If you really want something and really work hard and take advantage of opportunities and never give up, you will find a way."

This quote has always inspired me. I have it written here on the front of my computer and when I sit down at my desk to write new scripts for upcoming performances, I cannot help but to view that quote. On days when I am feeling discouraged or I am stuck creatively, I always try to remember that hard work and determination will always win out.

Someone with passion and determination will always trump someone with in-born talent.

Escape Artistry presents daily challenges. I sit here at my desk, a legal pad in front of me. I am attempting to find my way out of a lock that I have been challenged with. I may use this in my next performance--if I can find a way to pick it. So far, I have been unsuccessful--and the show is next week. I am out of ideas--but am hoping something will come to me . . .

Another Day . . . Another Handcuff Defeated!!!

2006-11-06T07:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was hired to work a show in Oradell, NJ. It was a large retirement party and the person on whom the party was thrown was retiring from a construction company after 40 years. When I was first hired, I was told this gentlemen was a huge fan of magic. Originally, I had a conflict with the date of their party--I was to be out-of-town doing my escape act. When I tried to bow out of this party--the organizers offered to change their date!? Now, this rarely happens--unfortunately much of the general public feels that magicians are interchangeable--that, "if you've seen one, you've seen them all." So, most people in this situation would just hire another magician, right?

When I questioned further, the real reason surfaced. Turns out this gentlemen, was a fan of escapes--not magic. He had heard of my show and knew (through publicity and various websites) that I would accept challenges to get out of various devices.

So, to make a long story short, they changed the date of their party and booked me to perform my Challenge Handcuff Act. For those who have seen it--it involves accepting handcuffs from the audience and escaping from them in full view of the audience. Yes, that's right--full view of the audience. I don't want to explain any further--since you must see it--to believe it.

Anyways, Jack (the subject of the party) brought some of his own handcuffs--three pairs actually. They were of Chinese origin with markings from the Chinese Government. As is my stipulation--I asked him if I could keep them if my escape was successful. He agreed . . . after some cajoling.

So, at 4pm the performance began--I usually go through an introduction of various restraints and their importance in history before we get to the spectator portion of the show. Finally, I brought Jack to the stage--he talked about the handcuffs and how he came into possession of them (turns out his brother was in the military and was stationed in Japan and received them from a friend who had been in China during the Japanese occupation in the late 1930's)

The handcuffs were rusted and difficult to operate. The key barely opened them and was rusted enough that on any turn it could break. Very carefully, he locked them on my wrists behind my back. I entered my cabinet obscura at about 4:30pm and began the escape.

They turned out to be easier than I thought and I was out in minutes--and with this I have three new additions to my handcuff collection.

Another day . . . another handcuff defeated.

The Golden Age?

2006-11-02T08:11:00.000-08:00

All:

Opening the newspaper this morning, I noticed another glowing review of the just released motion picture, The Prestige. It is so good to finally see the coolness of magicians and escape artists exploited in these mainstream movies for the general public (The Illusionist being the other film I am referencing). Magic seems to be entering its second Golden Age. There seem to be magicians and magic references everywhere and this can only be good for the state of the art.
I am in talks with the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, California to sign an exclusive contract for them. This would be a production of my escape show including my Challenge Handcuff Act. As of yet, the details are still being worked out.

I am taking a break from a rehearsal to write this. In my home, I have a rehearsal studio in my attic and the few people who have actually seen it--think it is one of the coolest spaces they have ever seen. Since my creativity is enhanced when I am surrounded by the tools and props of my art--my attic is awash in those objects; my magic awards, magic objects, tools, lockpicks, padlocks, chains, my four straitjackets that I have won in challenges, not to mention handcuffs of every possible description. My computer through which I write and hone my scripts sits against the only window which looks out over the neighborhood.

Speaking of this window--here is something you might find bizarre--outside, a power line runs horozontally in front of this window and on numerous occasions I have looked up from my writing or rehearsing to see a number of black crows--sometimes two or three--other times as many as six perched on the wire staring into the window! Sometimes we stare at one another, wondering what each is thinking. It reminds me of the Carlos Castaneda (The Teachings of Don Juan) observation he made while watching a beetle walk across the sand--he said: Though he and the beetle both inhabited the same world--their experiences of it were vastly different.

And so it is with the crows--we both exist in the world yet experience it in different ways.

Back to my attic. My actual performance space is in back and here is where I try out my new material. Sometimes I am up here all day--entering in the morning and not returning downstairs to the evening--except to use the bathroom and find out what my two dogs are barking about.

The creative process is a torturous thing and I have a myraid of escapes and magic ideas in various stages of development up here. Some never leave the development stage--some are half completed and end up being merged into another routine--some I can never make work. But, every now and then, a great and wonderful idea that is workable springs forth from this place and in the end I can say--but for that one moment-----which I am in constant search of--
it is all worth it!

Happy Halloween

2006-11-01T06:02:00.000-08:00

All:

I just received a very interesting email from a very nice person who goes by the name of "YP". Based in Southern California he says he is a 'new fan.' So, YP--if you are reading this: thank you--and I hope you don't mind that I will post some of your message here--its very flattering when others recognize and appreciate your work. Being an artist is a thankless job--and my state of normalcy is that, I am either ecstatic or deeply depressed--I am rarely in the middle.

I don't yet know where I am today--but the following email might push me toward the former.

Here is some of the contents, paraphrasing as usual:

From: YP wutidoo@yahoo.com
Hi, I just read through much of your website. I was truly impressed by the stories of your real escapes. My perception of most of the escape artists i have seen or read about is that the escapes were tricked or otherwise somewhat gimmicked. I've always been fascinated by the concept of escape artists challenges. I've read enough about escapes to know the trricks that one uses to obtain slack and other advantages. But when i read about some of your hardest challenges, i realized that you can succeed even when your challengers have done their homework. That all-leather straitjacket escape in NY sounded truly heroic. The tension in the room must have been like that in Houdini's day. Do you have any more pics of this? Do you have any public shows coming up in the So Cal area?
A new fan
YP

Are you f%#^ing crazy?!

2006-11-01T05:44:00.000-08:00

Hi All:

I have just signed a contract with a major cell phone company to perform a promotion in Portland, Oregon on December 11, 2006. The deal is: I will be restrained into a regulation straitjacket by officers of the Portland Police Department. Then, twenty feet of chain will be wrapped around my body over the jacket to prevent my escape. An on-site crane will secure my ankles to a block and tackle and I will then be raised upside down feet, 250 feet over the city of Portland--The plan is, I hope to escape :-)

Now, I have been doing these upside downs for many years and they never really faze me--since I am not afraid of heights--But, I have to tell you--when I was finalizing the plans on the phone with the crane operator--the subject of height never came up. Finally, I said "by the way, how high will I be raised" Without missing a beat he says "Oh--250 feet." I didn't think much of it until several hours later when I was walking down 42nd street in NYC near the Chrysler Building. Then, it hit me. 250 feet! That's 24 stories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways--I have tried to put it out of my head for now--a really great flyer was created which you can view and download if you go to myspace site:
www.myspace.com/escapemaster

The flyer has generated the same responses from people who have seen it:--they all say "250 feet! Are you %&$*&$^ crazy?!

If you happen to be in the Portland area near Pioneer Square on December 11 around noontime--check it out.

Peace

My Space

2006-08-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody:

It is now possible to view my presence on My Space.

Go to:

myspace.com/escapemaster

Of course, you can still leave posts here, on my email or at My Space.

All the best

New York City Events

2006-05-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

All:

I have just signed on to perform three outdoor escapes to be performed in New York City in July, October and culminating with an underwater escape in the Hudson River in December.

Stay connected for details. once I have them, they will be posted here and on the website.

In the meantime, some more emails:

Peace

From: obsigna@yahoo.com
Your underwater safe escape (shown last night on television) was the most sensational and terrifying gag of its kind that I've ever seen. Hope you might be doing one of your stage shows or other presentations in Ireland. Otherwise will travel to London to see you perform.
Paul

From: danny131@hotmail.co.uk
thomas
im one of ur biggest fans i practice lock picking just like u. im only 15 and live in glasgow. i seen ur show and saw you getting our of handcuffs like the scottish police have. they are very hard with a plastic bar across, no chain. just asking for a few tips on how to get out of them.
ur biggest fan
danny

New York to Las Vegas

2006-04-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks:

Still in negotiations for the upcoming Las Vegas show. Also, some new escapes happening live in New York are slated for later this year. Stay connected for details.

More samplings of emails continually arriving.

From: stratjacketking@sbcglobal.net
Dear Sir: I admire your work and very much enjoyed the GENII issue. Please let me know the next time your out in Chicago. I would love to catch your show. I have no interest in challenging you, i can't afford to lose my handcuffs. What's the hardest straitjacket you ever encountered. How long did it hold you? Take care, your pal, CS

From: ogearthemus@excite.com
greetings
Dear mr. Solomon: I'm kind of new as an EA (escape Artist) and i need alot of suggestion to get to know the escape field. i am from jakarta-indonesia and as far as i know there's no one doin escapes here so i was just wondering if i can ask you to be my mentor in escape field.

From: ironwill@singapore.com
Hi Thomas: I'm Will, and escape artist from Singapore (only one in my country). I'm 24 this year. I have been into escapes since August last year and I'd like to expand my social contacts with escape artists around the globe. I love your website and am very impressed with your work.

From: Codys@aol.com
Dear Thomas: I love your magic and it has helped me greatly to build my repertoire and skills over the years. Your unique style of performing is awesome. If i send you a playing card, could you autograph it for me or send me an autographed picture? Thank you for your time and your magic.

Have No Fear

2006-02-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

It struck me recently that most of you respond to posts on this blog by clicking on the link to my website and sending your comments to my email.

The only reason I can surmise for this occurence is that this blog does not accept anonymous posts or comments. Since some may believe that having to register before responding is a hassle, I can assure you, if you try it, you will be amazed at how easy it is.

Whichever you prefer (email or blog) is fine, however the open forum of this blog gives
myself . . . and others the ability to respond quicker.

All the best

Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

There have been many asking me via email lately about the when and where aspects of my new show slated for Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, I cannot say anything yet as the deal is still being worked. Interestingly enough however, I have been hired to possible perform in Los Angeles this year in which I will do seven shows compromising my Challenge Handcuff Act and nightly escapes (hopefully!) from the Nuclear Aquatic Containment Trap (aka 241).

Sorry that I continue to remain cagey about the Las Vegas show.

As soon as I have definite information, I will post on my website.

Thanks for your patience.

Peace

Happy Holidays

2005-12-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take the opportunity to speak to all the readers of this blog, the readers of my column and all those others who continually email me with questions, advice or comments.

Happy Holidays and the best of all things in the New Year to everyone.

I am off for a few days for some performances in Southern New Jersey.

Negotiations are still in progress for the lauch of my new show American Escape Artist in Las Vegas in mid 2006.

Peace

Update British Television

2005-12-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

The emails continue to pore in after the re-airing of my network special Thomas Solomon: The Escape Artist on CH4. Most are not unique (requests for autographed photos, copies of the television show or posters). Some are quite interesting and below is a sampling of the past couple of days.

From: Robgingibbons@btinternet.com
Dear Solomon:
I saw your tv special on channel four and thought it was awesome. I am a magician and have a book revealing how to escape from a straitjacket, but no straitjacket. Where can i get one?
many thanks

From: meirio@will716.fsnet.co.uk
I am fascinated how you can pick locks in such a quick time. i have tryd and tryd to try and pick a yale lock and was unsuccessful. Will u be able to tell me how to achieve this.
many thanks, Josh

From: matherupasinha@hotmail.com
hey i saw your tv show on channel 4 and am very impressed. i am 16 and have been interested in lock picking for a long time. could u please give me advice on how to learn.
yours faithfully

From: londonknights_rule@hotmail.com
I saw your show on channel four, I founded it very fascinating and intriguing.

CH 4 SPECIAL

2005-11-27T21:55:00.000-08:00

Here are some more emails recieved after the re-airing of my CH4 Special Thomas Solomon: The Escape Artist

From: morf@323gtx.co.uk
Hello,
I was wondering if you are going to tour the UK at sometime, as i'm sure after this show many people would be interested.

From: edmargwiazda@lycos.co.uk
Hi,
Just thought I'd let you know that I thought it was an excellent and fascinating show, I was glued!!! I hope to see more of you in the media!

From: xlr8tomtom@yahoo.co.uk
I think that you are amazing. I would like to be just like you and once, I am sure that i passed you in the city of London. I have heard you're name on many magic and escapology shows.

From: a1_mad@msn.com
Hi!
I saw your first UK program on Channel Four and I thought it was wicked!!!
Definitely beats that PRETENDER David Blaine.
Please let me know when doing any more UK appearances - on televvision I mean.

New show

2005-11-23T22:17:00.000-08:00

I have received many, many emails from the UK regarding the airing of my segment on the Secret World of Magic on Channel Five and the re-running of my special on Channel Four.

I will post some of the more interesting emails i am receiving here. For now, here are the most interesting ones today.

From: oliver_emale@hotmail.com
Subject: detail biography of Thomas
I first saw Thomas on CH4 in the UK in Oct, do you know if the show will be availible again or will it be made availble for purchase in video tapes/DVD. Also, are there details about Thomas, his heights, stats for example? he looks very fit.

From: DaviesSndr@aol.com
Subject: Biggest fan
I was wondering if you send signed photos or your autograph because over in the uk, I have just seen your tv special and waht you do is more impressive than David Blaine!

From: al_mad@msn.com
i am very interested in being an escape artiste. can you give me any tips on how to make lockpicks and getting out of difficult situations when using handcuffs, locked behind doors etc.
Sheffield, UK

From: caroline.sheldon@virgin.net
I loved your show on Channel Four - will there be more?

From: JohnD@MagentaSoftware.com
Dear Thomas
I saw your show in the UK last week and I really impressed by all of your escapes. Some of them reminded me of scenes in the book "Carter Beats The Devil."
Keep up the brilliant shows, Ihope you to continue to amaze and inspire people for many years to come.

From: steven@mclellands.fsnet.co.uk
hi after watching your show last night i thought you were brill (iant), please do you think i could have an autographed photo made out to me. thanks.

London Magazine Interview

2005-11-23T21:05:00.000-08:00

I have as of late been receiving a considerable amount of emails from magicians and those interested in the escape field as to where they could get a copy of the interview I did for the Magic Circle in London in October, 2005.

Unfortunately, this is a members-only periodical.

However, due to the interest, I asked my webmaster to post it on the thomassolomon fan site (link to your right) where it will remain for a few months before it is removed.

Hope you enjoy it.

Welcome

2005-11-21T22:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my new blog site.
On this blog, I will keep all of you updated as to what I will be doing in the field of magic and escape artistry.
Currently, I am in negotiations with three casinos in Las Vegas; the Luxor, Mandalay Bay and the Excalibur to host my show, American Escape Artist. At the same time, I am also in negotiations for a three series deal with the Learning Channel to host a reality show based on my abilities as an Escape Artist. For those of you who have seen my network special on Channel Four in Great Britain or my spots on the BBC, PAX television and Channel Five, it will be more of the same type of stylistic quality.

My column, Escape Velocity continues its bi-monthly run in the United Kingdom's Magic Circular, house organ of the famed Magic Circle.

Please feel free to leave your comments.

Many thanks----