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BOOKS

From the mid-1970’s until the late 1990’s, live magical entertainment was just a short ride away for many Chicagoans.  People flocked to the magic bars to share the laughter and awe generated from the miracles of Chicagoan magicians.

 

In NOW YOU SEE THEM, NOW YOU DON'T, Bill reflects on the history, the performers, the magic, and the still-told stories of the magic bars he worked: Schulien's Restaurant, New York Lounge, Little Bit O' Magic (I & II), Bit O' Magic, Houdini's Pub, and The Magic Theatre.  Joining Bill in looking back to those good old days are dozens of people who were there: the magic bar owners, Bill’s co-workers, and fellow magicians who frequented the places.

Chicago has a rich history of magic performed in front of your eyes in bars. Bill Weimer has been an integral part of it. From an insider’s point of view, he captures priceless stories, memories, and historical details that are a ‘must-read’ for any fan of close-up magic. - magician Jim Krenz

Now available in 2 Versions!

For Magicians (left) – the original version, which also includes the book-within-a-book IF YOU HAVE TIME… which details the genesis and workings of ten comedic magic routines Bill created and performed at the magic bars.

 

For Everyone Else (right) – The Special Edition, without the magic technical talk and the IF YOU HAVE TIME… magic routines, offering the lay audience an inside look at the long-gone magic bars and clubs where it was “fun to be fooled.”

For more details, go to www.magicbarbook.com

In GOTCHA GAS - DEBACLE NEAR ROSWELL, Ramon Sanchez’s search for a long-forgotten town in New Mexico reveals the fifty-year-old legend of a colossal service station called Gotcha Gas.

 

July 7th, 1947, dozens of outraged motorists are stranded and unaware they are within the blast radius of a poorly-planned US Army bomb test. A motorcycle gang, a police manhunt, and “The Pickle,” an Army helicopter in the final leg of its pre-test reconnaissance, join the pandemonium. Can everyone be saved with just one hour before detonation? Ramon learns about a boom town on the verge of bankruptcy, the mayor’s get-rich-quick scheme, and the broken Coke bottle that triggered the episode. He also uncovers the connection between events at the gas station and a fallen weather balloon near Roswell.

 

A madcap, side-splitting story of military bungling, ham-fisted police, crooked politicians, mob rule, and big business, GOTCHA GAS will forever change your view of the Roswell Incident.

 

Co-Written with M. A. Banak

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