THE AMAZING JOE JOE

the amazing JOE JOE

home pitch; MYRTLE BEACH

JoeJoe has traveled through
38 States, performing his
unique brand of magic and
illusion on Main Street USA.

joe joe is legendary. regretfully i have not met him yet, but have admired his work and reputation for many years.

he sent me a small bio and i'm gonna post it because i think it is best in his own words;

Background: "When I was 18 living in Ocean City I was working the usual dead end jobs - you know, dishwasher ... busboy ... mcdonalds.

It seemed I was always looking for a new job, and got the bright idea that as a street performer I could make money anywhere in the world without ever having to actually apply for a job.

It didn't happen overnight, but eventually I figured out how to do it".

Influences: "To me, Penn and Teller are successful street performers. Harry Anderson is a successful street performer.

The one thing they have in common is they are not actually working the streets. I hope I get that break and get off the streets, as all the streets are just dead ends.

I don't care how much money you can get in a hat ... it is still nothing compared to what Robin Williams can earn just for showing up at a party! I am amazed at how many street performers don't realize this little fact.

Your goal should not be a fat hat, your goal should be a great act - that is what makes a street performer successful".

Mentor: "There is an old timer here in town, Master Magician Jim Lee - he is featured on my Floating Street Lamp video. I've been working with him for roughly 15 years now. You want a who's who, he would be the one to do one on.

He is the real deal, toured with the carnie circuit doing the bed of nails longer than I've been alive. I don't know how old he actually is, but I hope I'm in as good shape when I'm his age".

The Act: "I try to be original and do my own thing. I think my sword-through-body is the people's favorite. It is tricky to pull that off when half your audience is under 13, but I figured out how to get away with it. Its really not the kids I worry about, its the parents - they are so over sensitive.

I grew up watching Tom and Jerry and the Road Runner ... my sword is nothing compared to cartoons".



here's his site;

http://joejoeonline.com/showtimes.htm


here's his blog good stuff;

http://joejoeonline.com/blogger/

joe joe has a large body of video clips on his site and throughout the internet displaying his talents with illussions on the street...which is a rare nitch.

watch him lure with spectacle.

MANDRAKE {Ed Rhodes}

Name:

Ed Rhodes

Age: 52

home pitch: rhode island.

Occupation: Wal*Mart Associate (sigh)

Part time busker (week end warrior) Coming up on my 2nd year of performing.

Specialty: Cut and restored rope ~ Cups and Balls (Mark Wilson)

Mentor: None (Not by choice) My Uncle Bob introduced me to magic, but never really "mentored" me by any means.

Belonged to the S.A.M. twice, membership lapsed.

John Sturk

John Sturk
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Location: Chicago, IL
Teachers/Influences: Chris Capehart, Eric Evans, Whit Haydn, Gazzo, Cellini
Time in magic: 4 years
Time busking: 2 years

Weekend busker. My day job is a project coordinator for FUN Incorporated, America's largest magic manufacturer. I sell magic all over the world, but only perform in a small part of it.

I hope any busker in Chicago will look me up; happy to get together and session. My website is www.johnsturk.com.

GADDY

name: Gaddy

town: San Francisco

time spent busking: less than a year...
time in magic: started as a kid, got out of it, got back in about 3 years ago!

Teachers: Jerry Salazar, Jim Fassbinder

DOC ANDREW

Doc Andrew out of Dallas, Texas area.

His teachers are;Eugene Wilkes, J.B.Bobo, and Dal Sanders.

Sidewalk magician/elixer salesman.

Fast talkin, fast dealin, Doc Andrew works up and down sidewalks all over the world.

I first met Doc back home in New Orleans years ago.

I was learnin how to street perform and I saw these 2 guys with all this stage and illussion equipment out in front of the St. Louis Cathedral in the square they were tryin to build a crowd….needless to say it’s a tough town to build a crowd and what makes it worse there’s people everywhere but their not stopping.

Eventually they stopped a crowd and did a funny and bazaar magic show using some effects that fooled and impressed me.

The 2 guys were Bizzaro and Doc Andrew.

Doc already a seasoned vet on the street by that time, was showing Bizzaro the ropes at busking New Orleans. Bizzaro had been doin magic for years but busking New Orleans is a whole different world.

Bizzaro got the hang of it but he preferred to do larger shows and me and Doc wanted to work the sidewalks for awhile, so we shared the pitch on St. Peter and Decatur.

Show after show, Doc whipped em out. Fat hat after fat hat, givin me a run for my money.

For doc it was like taking candy from a baby. He does a brilliant elixir show that can play for any size crowd. The patter is authentic from the day and so is the costume…. Your left with no tell, that your in this century.

The thing, once again, about doc’s show, is it can play any size crowd but packs small really small.

The basic ideas is he’s doin an vintage elixir or medicine sales pitch as a sort of historical show of what you might have seen in the late 1800’s. As the magic happens Doc gives the bottle of medicine all the credit for the miracles that happen before the spectators eyes.

he looks like a carpetbagger and gives off that same sort of sneaky/ shifty personality.

it really is genius and I remember people saying they never thought they ever would see such a great show on the street.

JERRY SALAZAR

JERRY SALAZAR,

Student of Cellini master in his own right.

San Francisco - Fisherman’s Warf ‘s sidewalk Icon.


full time working pro on the sidewalk for over 40 years probably a lot more I don‘t remember how long.

Cellini talks about him in “The Royal Touch” he’s been around for years.

you can not see it in the picture, but he’s wearing knickers, it’s his signature look.

When I first saw jerry I had no idea who he was. He was doing a 3 ring routine on the sidewalk in the Fisherman’s Warf area.

He did it to music through his amp but he didn’t speak till it was over, then he went into patter for his cups and balls which had a couple of interesting moves, one that will fool you… another one of his signatures.

He was protective of his spot, very old school in his ways of thinking about territory, and this has worked well for him over the years in one of the most dangerous places to work in the country.

I asked him if he wanted to see my show and he gave me permission to work his spot for the one show. He was very strict and it was all business till I started performing and his face changed.

He was like a little kid I saw his first smile and he got excited, I realized that he just loved magic and show business you could tell why he got into it and why he had stuck with it for so many years.

After my show he took me out for coffee and we spent the evening talking shop and smoking cigarettes.

He told me about the old days with Cellini and all the old pros.

If you get a chance check him out, if your ever in Frisco on the Warf.

Class act, fun to watch, very elegant atmosphere. What I loved was he still does the trick called, “the sidewalk shuffle.”



HE HAS AN EXTREMELY CONVINCING CHARACTER OF A RUDYARD KIPLING PROFFESSOR TYPE, VERY CHARMING AND INTERESTING, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE SPECTATOR NOT TO BE INTERESTED.

He’s written a book on the rings, you can track it down on the web.


to show you how much of an icon he is. he's in this mini documentry of buskers on fishermans warf, frisco;

TOM PICCARD

TOM PICCARD,

another one of those legends from the day.


Student of Cellini, master in his own right.

Tom Piccard has been performing since 1970

In 1981 he met Cellini in New Orleans and took to the streets, Cellini helped him a great deal with learning how to build a crowd, keep a crowd, and on magic.

Sonny Holliday told me Tom started out as a clown, but told Cellini he wanted to learn our art.

Much of that clown is still showing;




In 1986 he toured with Cellini in Italy.

The following summer he returned to Europe and has been performing at various festivals and events there ever since.


Piccard also won the European Championships for street magic 4 times...At age 59 he is still at it..

Working 4 months out the year and then wintering in Thailand.

He’s living my dream. A full time pro and has been for along time. You hear about Tom up and down pitches all over the world.

I have not met him in person yet, but I will this season, I’ve kept in touch with him through mutual friends and via the internet.

I have mentioned him here, because he’s important, I’m also gonna list others here I haven’t met yet in the future, because I think there’s other guys who should be here…I just haven’t got to meet em all yet.

Tom is a great example of how a large body of working pros, who will work in the first world and live in the third. Gypsy genius.

Visiting his myspace is visiting another world. Theres plenty of footage and fun strange things to see….but if your like me you’ll make it your business to try and meet him.

http://www.myspace.com/piccardmagick





Piccards Cup Routine

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Tom, Gazzo, and Patrick





Thanks Tom, for the life time of devotion