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" V? /'\l ‘. .; ‘ ; k s 2 . 1 . \ .. \i . K . . Contrary to popular belief, there is life on Sunday morning and treasure to be had at car boot sales. y‘ams. Kirsty Knaggs
unday morning. Ilam. L'sually at this time I'm safely tucked up in hed.
nursing tny hangover. Btit this Sunday. my hangover and l are l‘raying the
outside world to experience what I atn assured is a popular Sunday morning activity. No. I’m not going to church. I’m off to lidinhurgh's (ireenside (‘ar Park to see how many bargains I can pick tip at the weekly car boot sale. .'\s I approach the building. I see hordes of people streaming ottt. laden with the most peculiar assortment of goods: dog baskets. ptishchairs. records. golf clubs. unidentifiahle lumps of rusty metal and carrier bags stuffed with heaven only know s.
My excitement mounting. l descend the million flights of stairs into the howels ot the car park. the stench of petrol growing stronger. doing nothing for my aching head. until finally I'm there. I stand there for a few seconds. overwhelmed by the vision ol stall upon stall of treasure. take a deep breath. and dive into the fray
Very quickly. l learn that this is no place to he polite. The phrase ‘eycuse me‘ has no context here. Elbows are no longer just a part of the body. hut a weapon to he used as frequently and as viciously as possible. Small children are to he pushed out of the way. and their parents are enemies to he defeated as we both spot the same hright shiny thing through the crowd. This is war. and the spoils are great.
I do a quick reconnoitre. amazed at the items proudly on display. It‘s incredihle to think that someone once thought that a hatwing. slash neck. purple and yellow inohair
— Q jumper was a good idea. Even more incredible that they think they might actually he ahlc
l T - to sell it. Then I spot my first prize: it's a video of the top 80s kids cartoon 'lm/n/oor. l
Can Lewis Barlow bring magic back into the swoop. and it‘s mine. for the bargain price of £1. I‘m on a roll now. and I head for the mainstream? Words: Allan Radcliffe comic stall. picking tip ati assortment of 70s
titles. .‘lniuring Stories 0/ Sits/naive. Sui-m ()i
t’s a driech June aftemoon and I've arranged to meet Lewis lit/933193 iii-it" " i ii ’1‘ 'l'lie (Tn/moan. .S'i'n/sm- 'Ia/m and ( )u/ ( )/ I’ln'v
Barlow — president of Edinburgh‘s Magic Circle — in a yr}; [5 a, 5-,. llhr/(I. Nostalgia is rearing its ugly head. and my
datnp beer garden. I‘m hoping the large black briefcase 1,1,5; next purchase is a porcelain llcult-slltqk‘tl l’ierrot he‘s brought with him contains some incantation that will i 7‘ ii" if ~ trinket box. the same box I distinctly rememher remove the large. black clouds. not to mention the pool of [if]??? (if. my sister owning hack when l’iei't‘ot was cyet‘y water I’m sitting in. V V " V M ‘1 girl‘s favourite sad clown.
I‘m uncertain what to expect. By day a Land Assessor ( ‘I mi": fit .2” “t: if " And then I see it: the ultimate pri/e. .-\ truly make contaminants disappearl’) Lewis seems too young to be _:«::4..;;y tacky 70s picture. fahric background. with an a Magic Circle grandee. too nice to be good mates with i [m , I a embroidered star—burst design in gold thread and iconoclastic conjurer Jeny Sadowitz. I‘d assumed that entry to W "if?" if” it‘ll multicoloured wool. I hay e to hay c it. The
any magic circle was contingent to being old and from the asking price is flit). hut alter much haggling. its north of England. preferably with fake tan. synthetic hairand a V I [I F mine for £7.50. I‘ve never hecn so happy. I penchant for ruffly blouses. W Writiiii Ii iii- i Mi” contentedly leave. resolving to return next week
With the exception of David Blaine (streetwise New Yorker to do battle once more. and purveyor of ‘Close Up‘ magic) high-profile magicians have never had much credibility with ‘the kids‘ beyond producing animals from hats at Sunday School parties. so I‘m intrigued to discover what led this fresh-faced. twentysomething. hirsute Scot to his vocation.
Credit in part is due to the millionaire Paul Daniels. ‘My dad took me to see him when I was a kid.‘ confesses Lewis. ‘After that I was hooked. I got magic tricks from relatives. but I remember being disappointed. thinking. this is silly. these are just tricks.‘
A rifle through the shelves of James Thin brought Lewis the practical knowledge he craved. ‘I found a book called Expert Card Technique. I thought. this must be bog-standard stuff if it's available to the public. but it was fascinating and I quickly learned all the words. terms and techniques but. spookily. that book is so rare that I 've never seen it again.‘
By now the drizzle is letting up and Lewis has begun performing ‘Close Up‘ magic for the beer garden punters. He has an easy rapport with his audience who seem genuiner rapt as he makes cards disappear then reappear. produces coins from thin air then multiplies them by two and three. He eventually hopes to turn this natural performing skill into a permanent residence. while continuing to promote the Magic Circle (check out his website at wwwlewisbarlowcom).
‘We‘re working on combining everyone’s skills to produce a really impressive spectacle.‘ he says. ‘I want to get to the point where Edinburgh Magic Circle is a “must-see" experience and an institution that will attract magicians of all age groups and backgrounds.’
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5—": a. '4’. ‘THE LIST 17