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The Curious, Astounding Collection of the Magician Ricky Jay
- js2 5y agoIf you somehow don't know who Ricky Jay was and only have a few minutes, I like his appearance on Arsenio Hall for a 5 minute introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jKuHiY397U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jKuHiY397U (I've watched that damn thing two dozen times and what I've concluded is that Ricky Jay was capable of actual magic.)
- michaelsbradley 5y agoMy favorite: 4 Queens 3 Ways https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNUepjt6QmI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNUepjt6QmI
- owlninja 5y agoI'll share mine, he doesn't say a word here. https://youtu.be/5aeav3gVlAM https://youtu.be/5aeav3gVlAM
- js2 5y agoI wish there were a high resolution high speed capture of some of his card manipulation so you could appreciate how he does it. Penn & Teller show off how one of their tricks works (supposedly!) and it doesn't detract from its enjoyment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhnATlPdG6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhnATlPdG6A
- js2 5y agoAh, he did the same thing with Steve Martin. https://www.vanityfair.com/video/watch/ricky-jay-performs-three-card-monte-with-steve-martin https://www.vanityfair.com/video/watch/ricky-jay-performs-th...
- simonw 5y agoI really enjoyed this much older (1993!) profile of Ricky Jay in the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/04/05/secrets-of-the-magus https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/04/05/secrets-of-the...
- bewatson 5y agoOne of my all time favorite pieces of (non-political) journalism. A beautifully told story about magic and one of it's greats.
- sytelus 5y agoI wish Jay would have made will and donated his collection to Smithsonian or similar museums. Now his wife is cashing out on these rare items which will be lost forever into wealthy billionaire’s basement.
- op00to 5y agoRead the article. No museums wanted his stuff.
- TigeriusKirk 5y agoMost items are in the 4 figures range. Expensive, but not out of reach for a lot of people reading this. Most of the collection will end up in the hands of collectors who appreciate it, which is the circle of life for stuff like this.
- hownottowrite 5y agohttps://archive.md/Ckwgv https://archive.md/Ckwgv
- ggambetta 5y agoSurprised it mentions his film appearances, but doesn't mention The Prestige.
- ubermonkey 5y agoThat struck me, too.
- a2tech 5y agoIs he in the Prestige? I've seen that movie a bunch of times but I can't recall where he shows up
- evgen 5y agoHe was the magic coach on the film and played the magician who appears in flashback as the one who employed Bale & Jackman as audience plants in the past as they were up and coming (in addition to Jackman's girl as his ill-fated assistant.)
- chinigo 5y ago"Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants" is a classic performance: https://youtu.be/FtgUSUHnzLI https://youtu.be/FtgUSUHnzLI
- ddoran 5y agoDirected by David Mamet and exec produced by Joel Silver. I didn't see that coming!
- tptacek 5y agoJay was a frequent collaborator of Mamet's; he was in House of Games, Heist, and The Spanish Prisoner, as well.
- listenallyall 5y ago...and Mamet's Things Change and State And Main. The latter had him working with Philip Seymour Hoffman and William H. Macy, both of whom later appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights and Magnolia along with Ricky Jay. (Jay actually had 2 roles in Magnolia, the Narrator and as What Do Kids Know's director or producer)
- gameswithgo 5y agoHe was an amazing dude, I watched Deadwood the tv show recently and there was a guy in the show who I thought “i don’t know who that is but I think he is a big deal”. sure enough it was ricky jay! not a master of acting like he is with sleight of hand but he does pretty well!
- tptacek 5y agoHe's a solid actor! His best role was probably in Mamet's Spanish Prisoner.
- evgen 5y agoHe was also great in a small bit in Heist. My awareness of Ricky Jay started as Ricky as character actor and it wasn't until a few years later that I came to realize just how much of a magic and sleight of hand wizard he was. If you get a chance I recommend 'Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay' in addition to the Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants mentioned elsewhere.
- tptacek 5y agoI saw him live in his Rogue's Gallery show in Chicago; he's as good on stage as he is in anything else. A consummate storyteller.
- jedimastert 5y agoIt's odd to think how influential Ricky Jay was to me. I loved magic, especially card magic, when I was younger (I still do), but the way he told a story, and the way he embodied this niche history. I wonder if he ever mentored anyone the way Dai Vernon mentored him. I know he held that form of learning very highly, and to my mind he was one of the most knowledgeable people about the artistry of illusion deception on the planet, possibly of all time. I truly hope he got to pass that on, even more so than the immense good he did passing on the history of the art form through his shows.
- Fezzik 5y agoA fun read about the collection of a curious mind. I highly recommend his video Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants - it is an astonishing display of sleight of hand melded with deft storytelling.