My EJC Loser Plate

I met some great Brits at this year's EJC in Svendborg. Luke Burrage, Mini Mansell, Mike Armstrong, Ewan, Mandy, Rob Stone, and many more. One of the traditions in which they so graciously included me was the Public Show Piss-Take. After the public show, at Renegade, a group gets up and mocks the acts that were in the public show. Luke Burrage gives a great description of it on his website forum. When Ewan got up to imitate me breakdancing, he had this plate taped to his back. Afterwards, I just had to have it signed by the members of the cast.


My Donald Grant Original Art

This story still makes me smile. At my first IJA festival in 2000--Montreal, Donald Grant, from whose books I learned how to play diabolo, taught a master workshop. I attended along with the Spin Doctor, Bill Gilliland. We sat there gaping at the Master as he threw tricks the likes of which we had never seen. As his class was coming to an end, Donald said that he had come up with an idea for a whip catch, but he hadn't pulled it yet. He said that he would buy a beer for anyone who pulled it off in front of witnesses. I pulled it on the second try, and today it remains the highlight of my Montreal experience. Donald was nice enough to accompany Bill and I to lunch, bought me a beer later that night at Renegade, and before we parted gave me a piece of his collection of drawings from his Crazy Cradles and Baffling Body Moves book, which I treasure to this day.


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