What is it with magic dealers named Brad?
Since we have now tumbled down the rabbit hole known as ellusionist, I am compelled to address the subject of its owner. Mr. Christian started up ellusionist.com, and his online biography tells us that “Brad Christian has performed and made his living doing phenomenal street magic on the streets of New York.” Really? His bio also informs us that Mr. Christian has actually performed for two celebrities: Nicholas Cage and Eric Roberts.[4] For those who have not ventured into the ellusionist site, I will summarize the contents. Brad Christian has promoted himself into a position of standing of sorts in this small but profitable world of street magic. He has made a series of instructional videotapes; the first of which was called “How To Do Street Magic.” Later volumes have catchier names like “Ninja – Stealth Technique ” and “Ninja 2 – Weapons,” which, believe it or not, are about card magic. The general impression one gets of Mr. Christian on his videos is that of a bland, middle-aged,[5
