ROD CANNON

WORK TOWN: NEW ORLEANS.

i first met him in L.A. on venice beach's boardwalk.

years later i met him again in new orleans.

i watched his sidewalk table act and was inspired to go back to close up. he built a crowd with verbal bally and bottle caps "chink a chink" or as some know it as, "shadow coins", done with bottle caps.

in his hands it is a beautiful mystery indeed. he had a nice little act, and his manips were graceful.

it's a good act, but it's Rod's character that struck me enough to write about him here.

he didn't yell and scream like the rest of us do to get a crowd, he just let the magic speak for itself. people were drawn to him because they liked him and were genuinly interested in what he was doing.

when i first came up to him in new orleans he thanked me for inspiring him to follow his dreams all those years before and now he was doin what he loved.

and it showed, the audiences really loved him.

he's a legitimately a nice guy and he brings fun and happyness to the sidewalks.

he dares to do what so many other magicians working the streets won't dare to do.....

he does magic...lol....no really.

so many magicians feel they have to use cheap gimmicks like insulting the audiences, use harsh blue humor, or steal other performers "tried and true" acts to be a success.

Rod doesn't have too do these things, Rod is creative and talented, he belongs in this field of work.

Rod just does what he loves, on his terms.

He makes people feel good about themselves and believe in magic like when they were kids.

as far as the way he interacts with his peers;

he doesn't fight over pitches, or try and talk bad or down to other performers.

working around him was great especially in the gossip and competitive world of the new orleans busking scene.

when i went home to new orleans on my last trip, there was a lot of tension from some of the egotistical performers there and Rod made the the spots we were working an indurable place to work.

i chose to work around him and i felt like i learned a lot about our artform, how to present it, and how to behave around our peers.

So look for this guy if you're ever in new orleans i promise you his act will blow your mind and leave you with the feeling that there really is magic in the world.

great performer and a good friend.

thanks Rod.

you are a great example to us magi.

we all see how hard you work and how great magic can be when in the right hands of a proffessional.

your pal jimmy