Friday, February 11, 2011


How to obtain the good life. One way is to be adventurous. Be David Copperfield. He recently got a new nose, he has walked through the Great Wall of China, he made the Statue of Liberty disappear and he has levitated over the Grand Canyon. All on a stage in Las Vegas all in the name of Magic. He ia a magician and an illulginast. He lives and works in a world where anyone can smoke indoors anywhere, and they do. He works at the MGM Grand and performs 15 shows a week, 2 shows a night every night, no evenings off and 3 shows on Saturday. He and his nose looks great despite all his work.
His secret is to take 20 minute naps whenever he can. Playing approximately 500 shows a year can be grueling. His career began being a vantriqualist but realizing he can never be as good as the already established Paul Winchell or Jerry Mahoney he soon changed his focus. Illusionists can make 20% more money than magicians, so, that is what he calls himself. It takes about 2 years to create an illusion. It takes so long because it starts with models and then mark-ups and so on and it must be large in scale. He incorporates one-on-one magic as well as large grand things.
His magical skills and numerous shows have allowed him to purchase 11 islands in the Bahamas. Yes, one is not enough for this guy. They are located in the lower Bahamas the Musha Cay. The Uxmal Islands are considered the most beautiful on earth. He has named them the “ Islands of Copperfield Bay” and is a private resort . Musha Cay is the main Island. So, take your private jet. A G-5 take it to the big island next to his and take a boat to his island. Or, if you prefer, he has his own little airport on one of his little islands but you can only take small planes to his airport. So, there are many ways to get there.
It cost him millions of dollars but he makes millions of dollars. Kim Bassinger owned a town outside of Atlanta for awhile after all. He also owns 80,000 items of magic memorabilia. And, the worlds largest collection of Houdini memorabilia. Is he on the verger of being a hoarder? Not yet. He puts all that stuff in a place called a museum. He calls this collection a private museum. Yes, he does not just let anyone see his stuff. You have to be a scholar or somebody who is working on a movie or associated with a school that teaches the art of illusion or magic. . This place for this stuff is called “The International Museum & Library of the Conjuring Arts.”
This life is involved with a lot of secrets everywhere. From the stage to his islands to his museum. Collectively, he owns the largest group of magic memorabilia anywhere. He occasionally does exhibitions but never reveals secrets. He is a man who believes in the integrity of his art and vows to hold its craft with a sense of respect even though for years people thought of his passion as stuff only good for a traveling circus show. The laugh is on us. He is taking this side show all the way to the bank.

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