9.4 - In the Spotlight: Walt Lees
A couple of years ago Walt found out how much he could sell his house for in London, and how much loose change he would have if he bought one in Scunthorpe. So he relocated ASAP!
London’s loss is Hull’s gain and we are delighted that Walt has become a member of HMC. Not just a member, but one who fully participates in our events. His popularity and reputation was demonstrated when, at his lecture for HMC earlier in the year, he attracted an attendance in excess of many of our international visitors. Walt Lees was born in Lincoln during World War II and lived at home until 1968. He decided to try his luck in London and fell on his feet, straight away, when Ron MacMillan took him on as a Svengali demonstrator. Walt worked for Ron for seven years, initially doing Ideal Home Exhibitions all over the place, then in Selfridges, Hamleys and Harrods. During that time Walt edited Ron’s magazine Info and then took over Pabular when the first editor, Fred Robinson, retired. Later he handed it to Stephen Tucker so that Walt could devote his time to establishing a business as a children’s performer and he’s been entertaining children since 1981. In 1984 Geoff Maltby asked Walt if he would consider helping him to revive Repro Magic’s Club 71 magazine. Walt agreed and expected that it might last a couple of years, but he’s been editor for twenty-one years! Along the way he’s written a number of books. That idea came from Lewis Ganson. He wrote a book of some of Walt’s stuff in 1980, and Walt learnt from watching how he did it.
What started your interest in Magic?
The first magician I ever saw was Wilf Smith of Lincoln. He came to my in fant school when I was f ve, with a road safety magic show. From that moment, I never wanted to be anything but a magician. Wilf dressed in Chinese costume, and I thought that you had to be Chinese to do magic. So when anybody asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I used to tell them a Chinaman.
A few years later I saw Harold Taylor at the Nottingham Empire. He did Edward Victor’s Rope Routine from Magic of the Hands. It really impressed me. Funnily, Edward Victor was on the same bill, doing hand shadows. Another strong influence was an act called Sunya & Sylvani who worked the open-air theatre on the seafront at Skegness. (I recently found out that his real name was Bob Nicholson and that he hailed from Blackpool way.) You could stand outside the fence and watch for nothing. They did three shows a day and I watched every one for two weeks. I was about eight then. I can still remember every detail of everything he did, including one routine that I have never seen anybody else work.
What type of magic do you enjoy?
I like to watch everything! My profession is being a children’s entertainer. I regard that as my ‘work magic’. My hobby is close-up, especially cards. I used to do professional close-up but stopped about fifteen years ago. I wanted to have one branch of magic that I did purely for my own amusement, free from the constraints of having to please anyone other than myself. Nowadays, I just do the things that entertain me. If other people enjoy them, all well and good, if not, tough! My other hobby is stand-up comedy magic. I was British Magic Champion of Comedy in 1992 – everyone seems to have forgotten that, so I thought I would just remind you. Not entirely true; I still occasionally get booked for society dinners but not as many as I would like.
Who is your favourite magician, and why?
I suppose my all-time favourite must be Fred Kaps. He truly understood how to get the most out of everything he did. On a personal level, my two favourites were Fred Robinson and Ron MacMillan. Both were good friends and, in their different ways, incredibly skilful and dedicated. I admired them for opposite reasons. Fred just loved magic for its own sake and never sought any form of
personal gain from it. Ron was the consummate professional. He had played top dates all over the world and understood the magic business, lay audiences, agents and bookers. Not many people appreciate that he gave it all up for Teresa and became a magic dealer so that he could work from home.
Have you followed another profession?
Since leaving school in 1960, I have had three ‘proper’ jobs. None lasted more than five years. I was a Civil Service clerk for a few years straight from school, then I joined the Lincolnshire Chronicle as promotions manager. I had to dream up and implement schemes to boost circulation. We used to arrange variety shows and I used to appear in some of them, beauty competitions and (the one that got me fired) the first ever pop festival. This was at Lincoln City Football Ground and nearly bankrupted the company. We booked every group in the Top Twenty that were in the country, plus Jimmy Saville to MC. I even got a letter from Kenny Everett begging to be allowed to come along and do a stint for nothing, just to be on the bill. I wish I had kept that. In 1976, while working on the magic counter in Hamleys, I got fed up one day and applied for a job with Rowntree Mackintosh as a sales rep. That lasted four years; then I decided to go back into magic.
What has been the highlight of your magical life so far?
I suppose winning The Magic Circle’s Close-up Competition in 1972. I have won more prestigious things since then but that was my first real taste of victory!
Do you have any other hobbies?
Not any more. I used to do a bit of amateur acting and went along to an evening class in Walthamstow in 1991 to brush up my technique. After going for a year or two, I gradually worked my way up
to assistant drama teacher and was often called upon to take classes when nobody else was available. So, although unqualified in any way, I found myself giving lessons to evening students, special-needs groups and all sorts, as well as producing plays, designing and building scenery. I also recently completed an Open University course and got a BSc (Hons). But I have now forgotten everything I learned! I just wanted to prove to myself that I was not completely stupid! I go jogging (six miles, three times a week) and do weight training at the local gymnasium. I suppose you could call that a hobby, although I regard keeping fit as an important part of my work.
What don’t you like in magic?
Self-serving people who just want to exploit it as a means of getting on in show business. The Magic Circle these days is full of sharp young(ish) folk whose only real aim is to become a celebrity. To me, these people seem to be milking magic rather than putting anything in it. If any of them invents something, their only interest is to market it and make money.
Do you have a favourite magic book?
I have just finished reading Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz, and I have been bowled over by it. Every magician should be forced to read it – at gunpoint if necessary. It is THE BEST book on showmanship and presentation that I have ever read and I have read Maurice, Maskelyne & Devant, Fitzkee, Nelms et al. Ortiz begins where they leave off.
Any comments about Hull Magicians’ Circle and its events?
I sometimes feel that things are a little bit too tightly organized. Some of my best nights at The Magic Circle have been when a few of us would sit around a table showing tricks and discussing
magic in general. But perhaps that’s just me. I am sure that if you were to have club nights where nothing was arranged, a lot of people would stop coming. Perhaps it can only work in a place like
TMC where over a hundred people turn up every week.
Have any amusing incidents occurred in connection with performing?
Lots! There was the time in Harrodswhere I mistook the Queen for my aunt. But it is a long story and has to be told verbally. Then there was the posh little five-year-old girl who, when I asked,
“Have you had your eyes checked, or have they always been that colour?”, replied, “Of course I have, my mummy’s an optometrist!”. It killed me!
What non-magical music, films and books do you enjoy?
I am not very musical but I like Gilbert & Sullivan and stage musicals generally. I do not go to the cinema much - I think the last time was twelve years ago. In my early teens, I discovered that live
theatre was much more immediate and gripping. However, anything with the Marx Brothers gets my vote; I also creased up the first time I saw The Producers - brilliant. If I still lived in London,
I would have gone to see the stage show by now. As for books, I mainly only read magic books nowadays, but in the past I have enjoyed anything by P.G. Wodehouse, The Dairy of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith and the poems of Ogden Nash.
Close-up or Stage?
My hobby is close-up, my work is stand-up. I like both equally.
Best night at HMC and why?
Pocket Trick Drive. You get to show a lot of close-up magic and to see other people doing it. You also get to talk to people in a way that is not normally possible at meetings.
Red or Blue backed cards?
Red – it’s a political thing!
David Copperfield or David Blaine?
Neither – I prefer magicians not creepy American icons!
Sawing in Half or Levitation?
Sawing in Half. I am fast coming to the conclusion that I am the only magician in the world who is not especially thrilled by levitations.
What is your favourite trick that you perform?
The Unequal Ropes – it must be because it is the only trick that has never been out of my repertoire since Peter Wentworth taught me how to do it in 1959.
What question haven’t you been asked that you wish you had been?
What would you have been if you had not become a magician? Answer Rich!
Anything else you want to add?
Do I get paid for this?
London’s loss is Hull’s gain and we are delighted that Walt has become a member of HMC. Not just a member, but one who fully participates in our events. His popularity and reputation was demonstrated when, at his lecture for HMC earlier in the year, he attracted an attendance in excess of many of our international visitors. Walt Lees was born in Lincoln during World War II and lived at home until 1968. He decided to try his luck in London and fell on his feet, straight away, when Ron MacMillan took him on as a Svengali demonstrator. Walt worked for Ron for seven years, initially doing Ideal Home Exhibitions all over the place, then in Selfridges, Hamleys and Harrods. During that time Walt edited Ron’s magazine Info and then took over Pabular when the first editor, Fred Robinson, retired. Later he handed it to Stephen Tucker so that Walt could devote his time to establishing a business as a children’s performer and he’s been entertaining children since 1981. In 1984 Geoff Maltby asked Walt if he would consider helping him to revive Repro Magic’s Club 71 magazine. Walt agreed and expected that it might last a couple of years, but he’s been editor for twenty-one years! Along the way he’s written a number of books. That idea came from Lewis Ganson. He wrote a book of some of Walt’s stuff in 1980, and Walt learnt from watching how he did it.
What started your interest in Magic?
The first magician I ever saw was Wilf Smith of Lincoln. He came to my in fant school when I was f ve, with a road safety magic show. From that moment, I never wanted to be anything but a magician. Wilf dressed in Chinese costume, and I thought that you had to be Chinese to do magic. So when anybody asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I used to tell them a Chinaman.
A few years later I saw Harold Taylor at the Nottingham Empire. He did Edward Victor’s Rope Routine from Magic of the Hands. It really impressed me. Funnily, Edward Victor was on the same bill, doing hand shadows. Another strong influence was an act called Sunya & Sylvani who worked the open-air theatre on the seafront at Skegness. (I recently found out that his real name was Bob Nicholson and that he hailed from Blackpool way.) You could stand outside the fence and watch for nothing. They did three shows a day and I watched every one for two weeks. I was about eight then. I can still remember every detail of everything he did, including one routine that I have never seen anybody else work.
What type of magic do you enjoy?
I like to watch everything! My profession is being a children’s entertainer. I regard that as my ‘work magic’. My hobby is close-up, especially cards. I used to do professional close-up but stopped about fifteen years ago. I wanted to have one branch of magic that I did purely for my own amusement, free from the constraints of having to please anyone other than myself. Nowadays, I just do the things that entertain me. If other people enjoy them, all well and good, if not, tough! My other hobby is stand-up comedy magic. I was British Magic Champion of Comedy in 1992 – everyone seems to have forgotten that, so I thought I would just remind you. Not entirely true; I still occasionally get booked for society dinners but not as many as I would like.
Who is your favourite magician, and why?
I suppose my all-time favourite must be Fred Kaps. He truly understood how to get the most out of everything he did. On a personal level, my two favourites were Fred Robinson and Ron MacMillan. Both were good friends and, in their different ways, incredibly skilful and dedicated. I admired them for opposite reasons. Fred just loved magic for its own sake and never sought any form of
personal gain from it. Ron was the consummate professional. He had played top dates all over the world and understood the magic business, lay audiences, agents and bookers. Not many people appreciate that he gave it all up for Teresa and became a magic dealer so that he could work from home.
Have you followed another profession?
Since leaving school in 1960, I have had three ‘proper’ jobs. None lasted more than five years. I was a Civil Service clerk for a few years straight from school, then I joined the Lincolnshire Chronicle as promotions manager. I had to dream up and implement schemes to boost circulation. We used to arrange variety shows and I used to appear in some of them, beauty competitions and (the one that got me fired) the first ever pop festival. This was at Lincoln City Football Ground and nearly bankrupted the company. We booked every group in the Top Twenty that were in the country, plus Jimmy Saville to MC. I even got a letter from Kenny Everett begging to be allowed to come along and do a stint for nothing, just to be on the bill. I wish I had kept that. In 1976, while working on the magic counter in Hamleys, I got fed up one day and applied for a job with Rowntree Mackintosh as a sales rep. That lasted four years; then I decided to go back into magic.
What has been the highlight of your magical life so far?
I suppose winning The Magic Circle’s Close-up Competition in 1972. I have won more prestigious things since then but that was my first real taste of victory!
Do you have any other hobbies?
Not any more. I used to do a bit of amateur acting and went along to an evening class in Walthamstow in 1991 to brush up my technique. After going for a year or two, I gradually worked my way up
to assistant drama teacher and was often called upon to take classes when nobody else was available. So, although unqualified in any way, I found myself giving lessons to evening students, special-needs groups and all sorts, as well as producing plays, designing and building scenery. I also recently completed an Open University course and got a BSc (Hons). But I have now forgotten everything I learned! I just wanted to prove to myself that I was not completely stupid! I go jogging (six miles, three times a week) and do weight training at the local gymnasium. I suppose you could call that a hobby, although I regard keeping fit as an important part of my work.
What don’t you like in magic?
Self-serving people who just want to exploit it as a means of getting on in show business. The Magic Circle these days is full of sharp young(ish) folk whose only real aim is to become a celebrity. To me, these people seem to be milking magic rather than putting anything in it. If any of them invents something, their only interest is to market it and make money.
Do you have a favourite magic book?
I have just finished reading Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz, and I have been bowled over by it. Every magician should be forced to read it – at gunpoint if necessary. It is THE BEST book on showmanship and presentation that I have ever read and I have read Maurice, Maskelyne & Devant, Fitzkee, Nelms et al. Ortiz begins where they leave off.
Any comments about Hull Magicians’ Circle and its events?
I sometimes feel that things are a little bit too tightly organized. Some of my best nights at The Magic Circle have been when a few of us would sit around a table showing tricks and discussing
magic in general. But perhaps that’s just me. I am sure that if you were to have club nights where nothing was arranged, a lot of people would stop coming. Perhaps it can only work in a place like
TMC where over a hundred people turn up every week.
Have any amusing incidents occurred in connection with performing?
Lots! There was the time in Harrodswhere I mistook the Queen for my aunt. But it is a long story and has to be told verbally. Then there was the posh little five-year-old girl who, when I asked,
“Have you had your eyes checked, or have they always been that colour?”, replied, “Of course I have, my mummy’s an optometrist!”. It killed me!
What non-magical music, films and books do you enjoy?
I am not very musical but I like Gilbert & Sullivan and stage musicals generally. I do not go to the cinema much - I think the last time was twelve years ago. In my early teens, I discovered that live
theatre was much more immediate and gripping. However, anything with the Marx Brothers gets my vote; I also creased up the first time I saw The Producers - brilliant. If I still lived in London,
I would have gone to see the stage show by now. As for books, I mainly only read magic books nowadays, but in the past I have enjoyed anything by P.G. Wodehouse, The Dairy of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith and the poems of Ogden Nash.
Close-up or Stage?
My hobby is close-up, my work is stand-up. I like both equally.
Best night at HMC and why?
Pocket Trick Drive. You get to show a lot of close-up magic and to see other people doing it. You also get to talk to people in a way that is not normally possible at meetings.
Red or Blue backed cards?
Red – it’s a political thing!
David Copperfield or David Blaine?
Neither – I prefer magicians not creepy American icons!
Sawing in Half or Levitation?
Sawing in Half. I am fast coming to the conclusion that I am the only magician in the world who is not especially thrilled by levitations.
What is your favourite trick that you perform?
The Unequal Ropes – it must be because it is the only trick that has never been out of my repertoire since Peter Wentworth taught me how to do it in 1959.
What question haven’t you been asked that you wish you had been?
What would you have been if you had not become a magician? Answer Rich!
Anything else you want to add?
Do I get paid for this?
Comments
I was interested to read about Harold Taylor and wonder if it could have been my uncle. He was a professional magician - I know he performed at the Windmill Theatre and also entertained Charles and Anne at Buckingham Palace years ago. He was also on TV I believe. My father died in 1958 aged 45 and after about 1962 we lost touch with Harold - none of the family have heard about Colin, Harold's son for many years. One of my cousins is doing our family tree - it would be so nice to find out. Thanks for listening.
on 15/07/08 17:34