Rod Cannon.
-master magician and a dangerous gentleman.
I first met Rod in L.A. on Venice Beach's Boardwalk. Years later I met him again in New Orleans.
The first thing I noticed was his character, which to me was, by his tone and dress, an American dapper with a suspicious hint of someone who could handle himself in a rough neighborhood.
I knew I was in the presence of a natural street royal.
Years later I found out that, in spite of his dapper appearance, he was very capable of self defense and hard manual and mechanical labor. Not to mention he’s a biker.
At the time I was getting tired of the Big Circle Show phase that I was in and I was looking for something more rewarding.
I watched his Close Up Sidewalk Table Act and was inspired to go back to close up magic.
Watching him made me remember why I wanted to do magic in the first place. Circle Shows for me just suck all the enchantment out of it, and turn it into an impersonal display of ego.
Watching him was the best thing that could happen to me at that time.
The thing about him is, his show looks and feels like real magic from beginning to end.
He’d stop the people and start a show, by waving his hands over bottle caps that seemed to move on their own as he spoke a mysterious narration.
Probably the most magical and technically perfect version I’ve ever seen of the Shadow Coins or Chink A Chink Trick.
In his hands, it is a beautiful mystery indeed.
He had a nice little act of various effects and his sleight of hand manipulations 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 they were genuinely interested in what he was doing.
When I first came up to him in New Orleans on his pitch, he thanked me for inspiring him to follow his dreams all those years before, and now he was doing what he loved.
And it showed, the audiences really loved him.
He's legitimately a nice guy and he brings fun and happiness to the sidewalks.
He dares to do what so many other magicians working the streets won't dare to do, he does magic, ha ha, no really.
He pays attention to the details, creates the atmosphere that you can literally feel while standing there watching him, all at the same time making the audience feel at ease, like their hanging out with an old friend.
So many magicians feel they have to use cheap gimmicks like insulting the audiences, or use harsh blue humor, or steal other performers material 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 New Orleans Busking scene, which is filled with gossip and competitiveness.
On one of my trips home to New Orleans, there was a lot of tension from some of the egotistical performers there, and Rod made the spots that me and him were working on, a good place to work.
I chose to work around him and I felt like I learned a lot about our art-form, how to present it, and how to behave around our peers.
I’ve gone on a lot of long work trips and road trips around the country with him, and my wife and kids consider him family.
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.
A great performer and a good friend.
Thanks Rod.
You are a great example to us other Magi.
We all see how hard you work and how great magic can be, when in the hands of a professional.
Thanks for your life’s work
Your Pal Jimmy
If y’all want to tip me, you can do that here.