We Know Who You Are, Earl.Inside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

“Hey, you know Joe Blow, right?”

“No, who is he?”

“Oh, he’s the most famous magician in the world. Everyone knows him.”

“No, I don’t think I know him.”

“He’s really famous.”

“Oh.”

Earl Nelson

When we were reading the Prescott Arizona Daily Courier’s feature article on one of the giants in our industry, we couldn’t help but wonder if we were in another universe. The article was written as if the reporter had to be convinced by others that Earl Nelson was actually a magician, and a world-famous one at that.

The reporter describes Mr. Nelson as a “semi-retired magician who has worked both Los Angeles and Las Vegas, [and] now calls Dewey, Arizona, his home and occasionally works a local event.” To corroborate Mr. Nelson‘s modest claim that he is known in the magic community, Mike Cavney speaks on his behalf.

?You have to spend years and years practicing these moves,? Cavaney (sic “Caveney”) said. ?For Earl, it is not work. It is joy. He found something that he is passionate about and has spent his life studying it and practicing and performing…

“Hey, you know Joe Blow, right?”

“No, who is he?”

“Oh, he’s the most famous magician in the world. Everyone knows him.”

“No, I don’t think I know him.”

“He’s really famous.”

“Oh.”

Earl Nelson

Of course, the reporter also doesn’t know “Mike Cavaney” (sic “Caveney”) from a hole in the wall. He identifies Mr. “Cavaney“ as “a book publisher in Pasadena, California.”

Mr. Nelson ” Nelson acknowledged that he is largely unknown to the public because he has performed mostly at a club for magicians in Hollywood and before private parties in the entertainment industry.”

Some have called the “club for magicians in Hollywood” The Magic Castle.

As the reporter concedes, “Earl Nelson is known throughout the magic world for his sleight of hand, industry experts say.”

It is interesting to note Mr. Nelson‘s modesty. He apparently did not proclaim his collection of awards and accolades, his inventions and writings. If you didn’t know better, you would think Mr. Nelson was just a kindly gentleman who did a few tricks every once in a while. But of course, you do know better.

Read the full article here.

Check out the line-up for the Academy of Magical Arts 33^rd Annual Award Show (2001) where Mr. Nelson was up for Parlor Magician of the year here.

See the Shade site (unofficial) listing Earl Nelson as the actor portraying the character “Earl” by clicking here.

Click here to visit Mike Caveney‘s Magic Words website where you can buy his new and improved version of Mr. Nelson‘s classic Variations text, Variations Revisited (with introduction by some guy named “Dai Vernon”).