Brian Gillis 1946-2018

Not Brian Gillis. Damn. We lost another one. Brian Gillis one of the world’s best close-up magicians passed away two days ago of complications from heart surgery. Brian was 71.

Brian and I were friends for over 45 years. We first met in April of 1973 when we both attended our first 4F Magic Convention at the Forks Hotel in Buffalo New York. Brian had about 6 years on me but we were the only young kids back then at a convention made up of mostly old guys… at least they seemed old to us at the time. So, as two of the “kids” at those early 4F Conventions we bonded and stuck together a lot. At the time, we were both learning from Eddie Fechter, who was generously passing on his incredible knowledge and magic to both of us and we were like sponges… we soaked up everything we could. Brian and I both simply idolized Eddie and between us, his name was spoken with reverence…we knew we were fortunate to be learning from one of the best and we took advantage of the opportunity.

I watched Brian grow as a performer… each year adding new routines ranging from the silly puppet show he did with his feet and toes called Mr. Toejangles done to the song…The Great Pretender… to his own unique version of Fechter’s multiple card selection. That multiple selection routine of 8-10 cards was one trick I intentionally stayed away from because Brian had mastered it so well. He owned it.

For a few years Brian performed at Silver Dollar City in Branson and we stayed in touch as we both built our careers in different directions. Of course Brian eventually ended up in Hollywood near the Magic Castle and soon was appearing in television commercials and collecting a portfolio of photos of himself with celebrities he had performed for. I was not surprised when he nailed his first spot on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, a show he appeared on three times. If you were a magician and Johnny liked you… he really liked you. And Johnny really liked Brian a lot.

I remember after one of his TV commercials went national, Brian picked me up in Hollywood in a beautiful black Dodge Viper… a muscle car I had always lusted over. Of course having two young kids at the time I knew that was going to remain a dream for me. But Brian did not just dream about owning one… hell he went out and bought one!!! He always loved fast cars. When he opened the trunk to the Viper his close-up magic cases were in there all ready for his shows that weekend. I could not believe the organization of his magic case… every coin, prop, and deck of cards had a perfect spot and compartment just for that prop… the word fastidious comes to mind. I also was not too surprised when he told me about his new home in Redondo Beach. It was a magic castle style home that like his collection of sport jackets and fast cars was a little over the top… just the way Brian liked it.

His magic style was a take no prisoners approach, visual and technically excellent. He learned well from Eddie Fechter, a bar magician, so his card and coin magic was very direct and to the point. Over time Brian added other elements to his repertoire like mentalism, a wrist watch steal and with his excellent partner Sisuepahn a two-person mind-reading act that had them traveling the world for the higher paying shows for a large range of corporate clients.

I always looked forward to seeing Brian at a magic convention in another city or whenever I would visit The Magic Castle in Hollywood. A lot of our conversations sitting at the bar ended up being about Eddie Fechter, Karl Norman, Mike Skinner, Bill Okal and all the guys from the early days at the Forks… I’ll miss those conversations most of all. Now Brian will be a part of them, but from a different perspective, as one of the magicians no longer with us… that’s so hard to believe.

On one of my last trips to the Magic Castle, I had mentioned to Brian how I’ve noticed that when getting older my hands were a bit dryer, making some of the card work I needed to do more difficult. Brian immediately took out a small bottle and said: “Try this.” He dabbed a drop on my palm and said: “It’s what Vernon always used, rosewater and glycerin.” I picked up my deck of Bee’s and immediately performed a series of push off seconds that would make Richard Turner proud. I remember saying “That’s good stuff… I’ll have to get some of that.” He handed me the little bottle and said: “Keep It.” I did, and I have used that little bottle every day since then. I used it when I taped my latest spot on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, a spot that aired the same day that Brian passed away. I was so looking forward to telling Brian that his little bottle was a lifesaver on the show, and it made a big difference. But late that evening I read the sad news online and realized… that is one conversation we will never have. But Brian… I carry that little bottle… that last gift you gave me every day in my pocket… and I’ll carry you forever in my heart. Rest in Peace my dear friend.