David Roth first became interested in magic at the age of 11 after a gift of a Gilbert Magic set. At 16, he purchased J.B. Bobo Modern Coin Magic
Interviews by name:
David Roth - Marvin Berglas - Todd Diamond - Six - Kevin Parker - Daryl
Simon Lovell - Paul Carpenter
Interview with David Roth on August 10, 2007...
David: How did you get into magic?
Well, a friend of my dad pulled a coin from my ear. I was a studying classical music seriously, and then I started studying magic. Magic won; I dropped out of high school, went to Vegas, lied about my age, and got a job demonstrating magic at Circus Circus. I was friends with Siegfried and Roy before they were headliners, as well as Johnny Thompson.
David: What kind of magic do you love the most?
Coin Magic. Of course I went throught a magic set phase and a card magic phase. Coin magic really took hold for me. I created the original chinese coin assembly, the coin box, and the purse frame for the portable hole. I've also put a lot of my work in books; including longer routines with storylines. My books are available at Fantasmamagic.com.
David: The new David Roth Coin is there too, right?
Yeah, we looked at 50 vintage magic coins in coming up with the design. On the heads side, the coin says,'Coins don't like to be dropped', one of my favorite lines. It also says,'In Roth We Trust'. On the back it says,'Very Koindly'-David Roth. The back also has the image of a close-up mat, a coin box, a purse frame, and my hands doing chink-a-chink. And it's also a spinner!
David: Tell me about your time with the Professor.
I met the Professor when he was 80 years old; who knew he would live as long as he did. He lived another 18 years! He took me with him on the road. We toured Europe in 1980. The lecture tour was called,'A Day With Dai Vernon and David Roth'. We lectured in Belgium, France, and London. I was 28 years old.
David: That's an awesome experience; what other experiences could you share?
Well, Steve Freeman and I were at the Magic Castle one evening. Charlie Miller was performing in the Close-up Room. During his performance, he introduced us to the audience. Charlie gave an amazing performance, and afterwards told us it was the best performance of his life.
David: Having a great show when your friends are there is a great feeling! Who is your favorite magician?
Fred Kaps. Fred was the best magician I ever saw. And he died early, unfortunately. He could have been the next Professor.
David: During your career, you've received several awards for your talents an contributions. Tell us about them.
I was presented with an award that isn't presented anymore, The Visiting Magician of the Year Award, from the Magic Castle. It was an open category; meaning that the award could go to anyone from close-up to stage. I was presented with the award when I was 21 years old. A few years later I received the Magic Castle's Lecturer of the Year Award. In 1999, I received the Creative Fellowship Award, and in the same year, I was presented the Medal of the Inner Magic Circle with the Gold Star.
David: Those are some prestigious awards. And we can learn from you, tell us about the DVDs.
Paul Harris, Derek Dingle and I started producing Instructional Videos (on VHS) in 1985 with Tannen's. We made atleast 20 off them. Very few instructional magic videos have staying power. Among those few are videos from magicians such as Michael Ammar, Daryl, and myself.
In 2003, I worked with Dr. Michael Rubenstein, Michael Gallo and Geoff Latta. We did a Convention for coin workers called New York Coin Magic Seminar. The first three DVDs cover Copper Silver and the fourth covers Coins Across.
David: What's your view on books vs. DVDs?
Great question! I prefer books over DVDs. When you learn from books, you work harder and the performance you put together is your own. When you learn from a DVD, there is the potential to copy the guy sharing the information. J.B. Bobo Modern Coin Magic
David: Do you have anything else that you'd like to share with magicians out there?
Read books. Old books. I know you don't want to hear this, but that's where you'll find the good stuff.
Dai Vernon said to Al Goshman,"Learn 3 or 4 tricks better than anyone in the world."
