Monday night:

I met Denis Behr, a magician from Munich. He was in town and I thought I’d get a copy of his book, and avoid paying the shipping. We’ve never met before, but it’s common to just phone or write other magicans and meet up in their city. We only spent a few hours together, but it was a good laugh.

I got the chance to show him around the Festival theatre and tell him a bit about The Great Lafeyette (and strangely forgot to tell him he was born in Munich), and Arthur Lloyd two of the most amazing performers who ever lived. That I live in this very city and can recount their story to visiting magicians or showmen is a recuring pleasure.

We popped over to the Marquee de Sideshow and we were able to grab a quick bite to eat and see Shep Huntly. Paul Zenon opened things up for the show and did a classic of magic with a lemon freshness. I said last week I was looking forward to seeing him compere, and he didn’t disappoint. I even had the bemusing experience of watching Frodo sprook for himself in the third person. Having all these guys within spitting distance is a rare treat.

First of all, it’s the credit crunch and we need more £3-5 pounds shows in Edinburgh.

Second you get to see some classic sideshow stuff, like blockhead and lifting car batteries with sensitive portions of the anatomy. I’ve seen the fomer many times and the latter in other forms, but it sure beats reruns of Cracker.

Third, it’s great to see some short and sweet shows this year. The shows they put on are 15-30 minutes long and running all the time.

So if you have an hour to kill between shows, the Marquee de Sideshow doesn’t just talk a good game, they deliver a show up close and personal. Check the nails yourself; I did. You may wish they were a little farther away to be honest, since in their own words they will do “what other people couldn’t, shouldn’t or wouldn’t”.