Blau credits the original idea to fellow Texan Sam Gainer, with contributions from himself and Sam Hawkins. Blau began work on it in 1974 and claims it isnow perfected. From a magician's stand­point, it's a good trick: angles are not implastic (sic), and Blau has refined the device to make it lighter, easier to handle and more visual in motion.

 

Highlights of his juggling routine include the parasol coin roll with stopping and starting the coin several times, back catch off a high triple, boomerang cards and back catch of a deck of cards. The most recent innovation in his act is, of course, the phenomenal four­color changing ring sequence.

 

This latter ability to invent the new while in his eighties is the product of an accomplished and hectic life. His recently published "Bob Blau's World of Magic" (order direct from the author at $10) reveals the details of his Spirit Cabinet routine, one of his long time signatures, the Coin on a Fan, boomerang cards, common sense "thumb tip" tips and more.

 

He now has a juggling book in the works that promises to fill the gaps left by most other books: midlevel novelty tricks, including the side-by-side seven ball shower he learned during a visit with Bobby May.

 

He continues to be tremendously versatile, showing his honest vaudeville roots, doing juggling, magic, mentalism, stage spiritualism effects, fire eating with hand and tongue burning, fire juggling, and delivering lectures on Houdini and off-the­cuff recitals of the biographies of great jugglers and magicians.

 

It's typical of this forward-looking gent that he lists among his heroes Anthony Gatto, a fellow some 70 years his junior - and with only one Halley's Comet under his belt!