Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Hand Is Faster Than The Eye

IllusionistWho is this man of mystery? His wry grin and impeccable outfit have graced our neighborhood bars on several occasions in the last week or so. But it's not just his old world charm that has captivated the imaginations of the pub patrons at Wonderland and The Red Derby.

This man, who identified himself only as Frank, has entertained and amazed us with feats of illusion. As dozens watched slack-jawed -- agape with wonder, or perhaps with Jamison -- he defied gravity by levitating cigarettes, made coins disappear and reappear, activated our cell phones with the power of his mind, astounded us with card trick clairvoyance, and generally made us wonder if we should have skipped the last drink.

The existence of this photograph of Frank and, er, someone else, proves that he exists, and is not a mere figment of my chili dog. I asked for a card, but of course, one who travels in the shadows cannot be encumbered by such mundanities. He did give me a web site, though, which I promptly text-messaged to myself: frankilliusionst.com. But alas, when I tried to visit his etheareal presence on the Internet, it was not to found. That domain name has never even been registered. I must have misunderstood what he said.

Or perhaps - he was never meant to be found.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like his mustache. It is so...male.

Frank is awesome.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is one mysterious guy. The skeptic in me says he's a scam artist and to beware, but who knows?

Jamie said...

Well - since he never asked anyone for any money, if he's a scammer, then I think his game needs some work. He definitely managed to get some free drinks from the bar out of it, but for the entertainment he provided to the other customers, that was a great deal for the bar.

Shannon said...

...Daddy?

Dave B. said...

He's a frank illusionist. Get it? Get it! Oh, a clever one, that.