Vanish Magic Magazine no. 39

We entered an extremely large
suite. It included a large dining
room table, and Ali was sitting at
it, along with several others.
I went to the head of the table,
and as I emptied items from my
close-up case I engaged Ali.
“Ya know Champ, I used to box
when I was a kid.”
Ali was quick to reply. “What did
ya box? Oranges?”
I immediately realized how inane
my comment was. My brief career
in the Gold Gloves was so completely
meaningless to the man
who was arguably the greatest
heavyweight who ever lived.
At the time, I didn’t know that Ali
had recently been diagnosed with
Parkinson’s disease. And although
he could still speak fairly well,
his delivery lacked the vibrant
enthusiasm that was his unique
trademark.
I did my show, and it was a good
one. These guys were hollering
and shrieking with each bit and
each effect. It was a nice reward
after a long day on the trade
show floor. Ali would periodically
interrupt, wanting me to show him
how it was done. His eyes would
seemingly pop out of his head
when a card would change, or
something else amazing happened.
At one point I looked at him and
asked, “Who’s the greatest now,
Champ?”
Without missing a beat he looked
up and said, “You’re the second
greatest.”
I was careful not to get to clever
with him. He had the kind of personality
and wit that could captivate
the room without even trying,
and I didn’t want him to steal my
thunder. As any performer knows,
you can never lose control of the
room.
My only regret was that I had Ali
sign a card for the “Card in the
Wallet” closing effect. That wasn’t
my regret though. Frank Garcia
had always gifted the deck to
74 VANISH Magazine www.VanishMagazine.com