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Bob Read
12th September, 1940 - 20th November 2005
Remembered by Ian Keable
With
the death of Bob Read, the UK has lost one of its few internationally known
magicians who was respected and revered throughout the magic world. He was one
of those handful of magicians, such as his great friend Ricky Jay, who was both
a superb performer and a supremely knowledgeable collector and researcher. In
addition he was as naturally a funny raconteur as I have ever known, both on and
off-stage.
As a stand-up performer in an informal setting, Bob Read was unsurpassed. To see
Bob Read produce a wine bottle or witness his hilarious Knife through Coat to
any audience, whether they were magicians or lay people, was to see him at his
best: and Bob Read at his best was better than any other magician around, bar
none.
Bob only turned to full-time magic late on in his life, after a very successful
career in the wool industry. But he never regretted such a decision. He loved
the freedom of the magic enthusiast combined with the financial security of a
proper job; and I suspect the magic world benefited from that as he was free to
pursue what he wanted to do, and was best at, without the restrictions of the
commercial straitjacket.
His collecting speciality was the Cups and Balls and, unlike many collectors, he
also knew his subject inside out. His own performance of the Cups and Balls was
both funny and wonderfully executed. He had the finest collection of drawings,
prints, paintings and cartoons relating to this trick in existence, not to
mention a set of original Hofzinser cups. Many of the prints have been
reproduced in numerous magazines and books. The first reproductions I saw were
in Pabular magazine (initially edited and illustrated by Fred Robinson and Eric
Mason), which also chronicles Bob's exploits of blowing away visiting magicians
with his impromptu performances in the Marlborough Arms.
Bob's publications include the Penultimate Cups and Balls, The Cups and Balls in
19th Century Graphic Art, Transpo Tumbler, his supreme Knife Through Coat and
his wonderful earliest work, Thanks to Pepys. The latter book sums up his
philosophy for performing magic, as well as detailing much of his unique
repertoire. In 2005, for The Magic Circle Centenary, he produced Bob Read's
Magical London, sub-titled An idler's guide to the magical capital of the world
- a labour of love and brilliant research. Naturally he was also booked to
perform at the Centenary.
Bob suffered his fatal heart attack in the US a few days after he had talked at
The 9th Los Angeles Conference on Magic History. He had given (to quote one
attendant) a "very, very funny lecture about trying to trace Arthur Watson whose
material somehow found its way into Sidney Clarke's The Annals of Conjuring".
When Fred Robinson died, Bob wrote "this is the saddest day of my life". For
many people Bob Read's death will probably provoke a similar sentiment. He was
truly a one off and we will not see his like again in the magic world.
Ian Keable, November 2005