I think a lot of people just assumed I came to L.A. to do more television and get into show business.

I love amazing people. I love dazzling them. That's why I think performing magic is one of the greatest things a person can do.

Sitting with a deck of cards in your hand all day is an obsession. Visiting print shops and bookstores and libraries is an obsession. And writing about this is an obsession. I think, in general, most collectors are obsessed. I think the only form of a rationalized greed is when you're collecting something you are supposedly serious about.

I like being fooled. When I watch someone who does sleight-of-hand and fools me, it's a great feeling.

Not only do I lie, I take real pleasure in lying, in the transmission of magic effects.

My father was the Formica King of Long Island, and my mother was the daughter of a Bengal Lancer in India.

Unlike other Jewish families, we didn't go out for Chinese food on Sundays, but we spent our time in a world of baking powder biscuits and the best shrimp cocktails that ever were.