Magician entertains Isaac's lineups
Courtney Kaminski
Issue date: 11/2/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Raimondo has been hired by Isaac's, Brock's on-campus pub, to entertain the long lines outside on Thursday nights.
As a close-up illusionist, Raimondo has been practicing magic for most of his life, crediting his passion to seeing a flashy disappearing act by David Copperfield at the age of six.
"He was performing his last illusion of the night and he pretty much vanished from the stage. Sirens and lights went off and he ended up in the stands about 10 feet away from where I was," said Raimondo. "Seeing that when you're a kid that really leaves an impression. It was the first thing I ever saw and I think that's what got me into it."
"With magic you have to start slow, so when I first started out I would read easier books that had effects that were self-working. Then when I got into my teens, when I was a little bit better I started reading professional material by professional writers," he said.
With his new position at Isaac's, Raimondo hopes to attract people to the pub with something a little out of the ordinary.
"First of all, it's for the school. Plus, people just hate to be in line," said Raimondo. "I don't think anyone else around here has a magician doing magic in bars and I think that will just help make Isaac's stand out more than others, because magic's something you don't really see everyday."
Many people are familiar with the work of famous illusionists, but Raimondo prefers to perform tricks on his own terms.
"I absolutely hate it when people always call me David Blaine or Chris Angel," he said. "I look up to the writers more than the performers. David Blaine and Chris Angel have amazing on-air personalities, that's why they're successful ... it's the showmanship not the magic."
Still, audience reactions are by far his favourite part of performing. He said,
"I get a kick out of it sometimes. I've been asked if I was a child of God or a child of the devil. I've been asked if I'm allowed in the casino."
Of course, with magic there will always be skeptics, but Raimondo prepares his effects with the non-believers in mind.
"I have special effects that I save just for hecklers that don't believe that will convince them. But for people that ask questions, instead of answering the question, I'll ask them a question back. Usually it's something along the lines of, 'Don't bother asking and just believe it.'"
