Saturday, July 5, 2008

Making magic for half a century

By Dan Hilborn
Published Aug. 6, 2005


He never performed in front of a crowd larger than his kids' Boy Scout summer camps or his wife's bowling league, but Burnaby magician John Ian McLeod has received one of the most prestigious awards in the world of prestidigitation.

At its annual convention in Reno, Nevada earlier this year, the International Brotherhood of Magicians presented its Order of Excalibur award to McLeod in recognition of his 50 years of membership.

But McLeod, who is 89 years old and losing his eyesight, was unable to attend the grand soiree in the biggest little city in the world, so a special presentation was held at his home in North Burnaby's Seton Villa highrise last week to commemorate the big event.

"I am totally surprised and very happy," McLeod told the Burnaby NOW as he was surrounded by some of the top magicians on the West Coast for the occasion and a video of the formal presentation played on a TV in the background.

McLeod, who once served as president of Ring 92, the Vancouver chapter of the international magicians' group, said his introduction to the world of magic was the same as most people - he received a magic kit as a gift when he was a child.

"I did a couple of 'shows,' but most of them were in our garage in Winnipeg," he admitted. In fact, McLeod's interest in parlour tricks began to fade as he grew older, until a chance encounter with a magician while he was serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force in Yorkshire, England.

"I was out with my buddies for a night on the town and a magician asked me to come up on stage and assist him with a trick," McLeod recalled. "Well, that got a laugh and it piqued my interest in magic again. So I started looking for ways to join, and from then on, that's it."

While he does not have a 'favourite trick,' per se, one of his more popular pieces was called 'Cupenetro,' in which he makes a coin from his hand magically appear inside a shot glass that is inside a glass tumbler. "It was a very effective little stage trick," McLeod said.

But when asked how he does it, the near-nonagenarian earned his first standing ovation in a long time. "I didn't tell you how I did it. I just told you what you'd see as an observer," McLeod said as the entire executive of the Vancouver Magic Circle hooted, hollered and clapped in admiration of his answer.

"That's one of the big things - always keep the secret," he said. "My stock answer whenever anyone asks, 'How do you do it?' is always, 'It's magic.' And sometimes even I believe it."

McLeod said he was happy serving as an organizer and president for Ring 92, which is the largest "magic circle" in Canada. In fact, the largest magic circle in the country is also home to some of the very best magicians in the world, such as Coquitlam's own two-time world champion, Shawn Farquhar, who travelled to Reno to pick up the award on McLeod's behalf.

Farquhar was among a handful of local magicians who came to Seton Villa to make the presentation to McLeod, including Ring 92 president Karen Eskilson, vice-president David Murdoch, treasurer David Wilson, sergeant-at-arms Dennis Chan and secretary David Watters.

Ray Medway, another local magician, said the International Brotherhood of Magicians was in fact founded by a Canadian, Len Vintus of Winnipeg, who started the group in 1922.

While McLeod typically only performed in front of small crowds, he did have his successes. Among the many awards he won during his career was the Ray Gamble Award for best impromptu magic, the H.B. McLean Trophy for excellence in close-up magic, the David Culos Memorial Trophy for the Golden Rabbit Award and the Magic Wand Award.

But despite his prowess, McLeod was never really interested in plying his magical trade for money.

"I wanted to stay an amateur because there were just too many darn good magicians in the professional part," he said with typical aplomb. "I did it for my own enjoyment and the entertainment. If you're a magician and you can entertain people, you'll make instant friends."

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