Paul Harris
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Paul's is one of the most prolific inventors and writers of close-up magic on the American scene today. Paul Harris is frequently declared with such praises as "the most innovative magic mind of our day" (Genii, December 1996). The self titled "Close up kinda guy", has given us many unique effects including linking playing cards, a solid deck, a convincing torn and restored card using one uprepared card, coins materializing from mirrors, a card that insists on turning an imposible ninety degrees when pushed into the pack, and even a torn and restored quarter just to name a few.
Paul has stated that he draws inspiration from works of art. Escher is a favorite of his and says that studying his drawings and etchings has given him a lot of ideas. It has been told that Paul doesn't view a pack of cards as just a pack of cards, but as a pile of fifty-two blank pieces of cardboard that can be bent, stacked, and stuck together in a seemingly endless array of variations. Paul is constantly reaching out for fresh methods of putting the art into magic.
Not much has been written about Paul's personal life. Early in his magic career, Paul hooked up with Chuck Martinez who owned a magic the shop on 30th street in San Diego, California. The magic shop was bought out, and eventually folded, but its young demonstrator, Brad Burt, went on to establish his own Brad Burt's Magic Shop in San Diego. During the glory days of with Chuck, Paul's publishing efforts were based in San Diego, but his creative efforts appear to have been based in Las Vegas. Paul hung around with the likes of Daniel Cros, Allan Ackerman, Looy Simonoff, Jimmy Grippo, Tayari Casel, Dana Betz, and others. Later, Daryl and Michael Ammar became part of the creative circle with some of their collaboration documented in "Brainstorm in the Bahamas".
Paul has performed at the Dunes Hotel and at other locations on the Las Vegas "Strip".
Many top magicians have presented Paul Harris effects including David Copperfield and Doug Henning. Doug performed the amazing Twilight routine on the third TV special (December 13, 1977). David Copperfield in 1984 special (the one where he made the statue of liberty disappear performed the stunning linking card effect "The Immaculate Connection".
"The Immaculate Connection", has been justifiably heraled as just short of miraculous. In this routine, the magician tears holes in the center of three playing cards in order to create three "frames". The illisuion consists in causing the frames to link and unlink withough damagin any of the cards. At the conclusion, the cards may be passed for inspection and no extra cards or gimmicks are employed.
Twilight, is truly a supernatural coin experience! It uses a mirror and a half dollar. The Half is transported into the twilight zone of its own mirrored reflection. While in this dimension, the coin is visibly condensed, dematerialized, recreated, and reproduced.
It has been said that almost all professional close-up magicians perform at least one Paul Harris effect or a variation. Those who share Harris' sense of humor and his flair for the melodramatic are apt to become addicts of his material.
It was a close-up magician's dream come true when Mike Maxwell released a compendium of Paul Harris effects in a three volume set called "The Art of Astonishment, Pieces of Strange to Unleash the Moment".
Recently, Paul has been a technical advisor for David Blaine's Magic Man and Street Magic TV shows
Paul has even collaborated on a movie back in 1987 with friend Chuck Martinez called "Nice Girls Don't Explode". Starring Michelle Meyrink, William O'Leary, Wallace Shawn, James Nardini, and Margot Gray, it's a silly comedy (with a memorable title) about a girl who causes things to explode, especially when she gets amorous.
Paul Harris Rerefence Guide (http://magicref.tripod.com/magref/pharris.htm)
