It Had To Be Magic
Posted: October 27, 2012
Friendly City Files
I started to regret my decision as soon as Michael J. Fox walked off the stage.
I went to Indianapolis last week for an interactive marketing conference. Around 4,000 people attended, lots of big-name companies and lots of big-name entrepreneurs.
(I was representing Inc. magazine, so I was treated a lot better than I deserved. I feel sure I will never again see a man in a suit, standing in front of a town car, holding a sign with my name.)
Fox was one of the speakers. Granted, his connection to interactive marketing is pretty flimsy … but, hey, he’s Alex P. Keaton and Marty McFly, so it worked for me. He told childhood stories, acting stories, Parkinson’s stories, talked about his foundation … he was really good.
So, when MJF waved and walked offstage — I’m positive he was waving at me, so I now consider us to be on an “initials basis” — I thought, “Man. Now I sort of wish I was staying to see David Blaine.”
The conference ran from Tuesday through Thursday. I was fine being there Tuesday since my man MJF was speaking that evening and I knew Alice, the public relations associate I was assigned, had lined up a number of interviews for me.
Staying for Wednesday’s session also made sense since I had more interviews and there were two presentations I really wanted to see.
Thursday? I had decided not to even though David Blaine — illusionist and endurance artist who has spent days encased in a block of ice, under a tank of water, standing on top of a pole and standing in the middle of a million volts of electricity — was performing that day.
So, when I left Wednesday evening, Alice said, “I get to see David Blaine and you don’t … ”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, feigning disappointment, but secretly glad to head to the airport … where I ran into David Blaine.
While I like to pretend I’m too cool for a photo with a celebrity, the real reason is I’m embarrassed to ask a famous person to take a picture with me. But I had to ask David Blaine: One, there are the YouTube spoof videos of him that the kids and I really like (and can quote), and two, I figured I could one-up Alice and her, “I get to see David Blaine and you don’t,” attitude.
“I’m disappointed I won’t get to see you perform tomorrow,” I said as we posed.
“Wait. You were at that conference?” he asked.
“Yep. I’m leaving today.”
“Hang on,” he said. “Tell me about it.” He knew nothing about the venue or the audience and we talked for 10 minutes or so.
Pretty cool. But then it got better.
In the YouTube spoofs, the actor playing David Blaine often says, “Interesting … ” I sometimes do, too, in the same way I sometimes say, “Help, help, I’m being repressed!” and the kids know I’m referencing Monty Python. (And they roll their eyes.) Me saying, “Interesting … ” is like you channeling your inner Tony Montana and saying, “Say hello to my little friend!”
Silly, I know, but it’s what I do.
I said to David, “There are two giant screens flanking the stage and at least four cameras so, even though it’s a big crowd, you won’t have to play to the back of the room.”
And he said, “Interesting … ” and I almost laughed out loud. Life had just imitated satire.
But wait — there’s more! I emailed Alice the photo and said something mature like, “Ha ha … I saw David Blaine before you did … ”
An hour later, she sent me a photo of her with David Blaine. “And now I have one, too,” she said. “By the way, he passed along his thanks for your pep talk.”
Turns out that’s not all he passed along. He put his phone number in her cell, and she claims she doesn’t know how, but somehow, some way — it had to be magic! — he got her phone number, too. He called her later that night, but she didn’t answer.
Some tricks don’t work out. Even for David Blaine.
Interesting …
I went to Indianapolis last week for an interactive marketing conference. Around 4,000 people attended, lots of big-name companies and lots of big-name entrepreneurs.
(I was representing Inc. magazine, so I was treated a lot better than I deserved. I feel sure I will never again see a man in a suit, standing in front of a town car, holding a sign with my name.)
Fox was one of the speakers. Granted, his connection to interactive marketing is pretty flimsy … but, hey, he’s Alex P. Keaton and Marty McFly, so it worked for me. He told childhood stories, acting stories, Parkinson’s stories, talked about his foundation … he was really good.
So, when MJF waved and walked offstage — I’m positive he was waving at me, so I now consider us to be on an “initials basis” — I thought, “Man. Now I sort of wish I was staying to see David Blaine.”
The conference ran from Tuesday through Thursday. I was fine being there Tuesday since my man MJF was speaking that evening and I knew Alice, the public relations associate I was assigned, had lined up a number of interviews for me.
Staying for Wednesday’s session also made sense since I had more interviews and there were two presentations I really wanted to see.
Thursday? I had decided not to even though David Blaine — illusionist and endurance artist who has spent days encased in a block of ice, under a tank of water, standing on top of a pole and standing in the middle of a million volts of electricity — was performing that day.
So, when I left Wednesday evening, Alice said, “I get to see David Blaine and you don’t … ”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, feigning disappointment, but secretly glad to head to the airport … where I ran into David Blaine.
While I like to pretend I’m too cool for a photo with a celebrity, the real reason is I’m embarrassed to ask a famous person to take a picture with me. But I had to ask David Blaine: One, there are the YouTube spoof videos of him that the kids and I really like (and can quote), and two, I figured I could one-up Alice and her, “I get to see David Blaine and you don’t,” attitude.
“I’m disappointed I won’t get to see you perform tomorrow,” I said as we posed.
“Wait. You were at that conference?” he asked.
“Yep. I’m leaving today.”
“Hang on,” he said. “Tell me about it.” He knew nothing about the venue or the audience and we talked for 10 minutes or so.
Pretty cool. But then it got better.
In the YouTube spoofs, the actor playing David Blaine often says, “Interesting … ” I sometimes do, too, in the same way I sometimes say, “Help, help, I’m being repressed!” and the kids know I’m referencing Monty Python. (And they roll their eyes.) Me saying, “Interesting … ” is like you channeling your inner Tony Montana and saying, “Say hello to my little friend!”
Silly, I know, but it’s what I do.
I said to David, “There are two giant screens flanking the stage and at least four cameras so, even though it’s a big crowd, you won’t have to play to the back of the room.”
And he said, “Interesting … ” and I almost laughed out loud. Life had just imitated satire.
But wait — there’s more! I emailed Alice the photo and said something mature like, “Ha ha … I saw David Blaine before you did … ”
An hour later, she sent me a photo of her with David Blaine. “And now I have one, too,” she said. “By the way, he passed along his thanks for your pep talk.”
Turns out that’s not all he passed along. He put his phone number in her cell, and she claims she doesn’t know how, but somehow, some way — it had to be magic! — he got her phone number, too. He called her later that night, but she didn’t answer.
Some tricks don’t work out. Even for David Blaine.
Interesting …
Jeff Haden lives in Harrisonburg and is a bestselling ghostwriter and featured business columnist for Inc.com. He can be reached at www.blackbirdinc.com.