GM River Days Festival

Amazing Clark Live!

Is Brad Pitt really that tall? (Life in the fast lane)

Honestly, the last thing I want to do, after a seven hour flight, or even a twenty-two hour flight, is sight see. I always feel some sort of jet lag, and rarely am I ready to go out and take on a new city. I usually need a few hours of sleep, just to feel normal again. Anyway, arriving in Cannes, for the festival, turned out to be quite an adventure to say the least. Not only was I tired, but I literally had to perform within two hours of arriving. I had no idea that a chance meeting with Brad Pitt would be on the itinerary. I secretly wanted a stiff drink as the limo took me away. It was 7:00am and I probably slept all of about one hour on the plane. Not to mention, a shower would be nice. I had to be at the press preview event to start at 9:00am. "This is murder", I thought. You know, when you get talked into things by your agent, sometimes you regret them later. My head had been filled with the ideas of glamorous parties, and lots of exciting people, not to mention the scenery. Of course, everything I just mentioned was true, I just wish I could have experienced it after having a nights sleep.

I arrive at 8:50am to the press event. The crowds were huge so early in the morning, and I new right away, I was at the festival. This was not your ordinary press preview. There were body builder types, with large, ferocious looking dogs on leashes, standing all the way down the red carpet. I still don't know if I fully understood the significance of this, in retrospect. I stepped out of the limo, ready to make an entrance and as my agent approached, who was standing next to him, but Brad Pitt. I nodded, not knowing what to say, or make of the k-9 scenario, and followed as we all walked inside. The cameras were clicking away feverishly, and for a brief instance, my mind was somewhere else. I was given a cup of coffee and a croissant. I thought "some continental breakfast", gobbled it down, and entered the room at 9:00am on the nose. Talk about being on time. Travel is sweet that way, sometimes.

After working the crowd, I looked around realizing that I hadn't seen my agent or Brad for an hour and a half, when I am tapped on the shoulder. A bouncer type, escorted me to a room filled with chairs and cameras. I was asked to stand on the side. ( I figured this was part of the perks along with the continental breakfast) I enjoyed the Q & A, and then dashed to my hotel to catch a few z's before my next gig. Life in the fast lane can be real fast sometimes.

Another Day at the Office

The Magic business is always challenging, and rewarding at the same time. I fly in and out of a variety of jobs, where one minute I am performing card tricks for the Dali Lama, and the next minute I am performing illusions at MGM Grand. Regardless of location, I am always intrigued by the people I meet. Each performance is a unique opportunity for me to try and engage the audience, entertain, and learn something new all at once. Most of the time I feel successful at this, but, there is the occasional experience that may not result in a positive outcome. One such moment comes to mind, when I ran into Sylvester Stallone, in New York City, at a club, and he wanted to see some magic, so I performed a card trick for him, which he liked, but, then Donald Trump appears out of nowhere, and steals the limelight. Suddenly, I'm performing card tricks for myself. Thats the breaks. Either way, it was a good experience.

I am looking forward to performing at the Time Magazine corporate event. I've been perfecting some new illusions along with fire-eating, straight jacket escape, and others. This should be a fun time. Can't wait!

www.amazingclark.com