The Basement wasn’t some made-up story or nostalgic exaggeration—it was real, and it mattered.
When I created and opened The Basement nearly 40 years ago, I had no idea it would become part of music history. It was just a vision… a place for bands to play loud, play real, and prove themselves.
Touring bands didn’t just pass through Dallas… they remembered it. They felt it. And years later, they’re still talking about it.
When Soul Asylum says The Basement rivaled CBGB back in the day… that tells you everything.
That wasn’t just another club.
That was a room with energy.A room where bands proved themselves.A room where the night didn’t end when the set was over.
Places like that aren’t built on money or hype…
They’re built on moments.
The Basement was one of those places.
And if you were there… you already know. The only place you
For 50 years I’ve been performing magic and illusions around the world. I’m often asked when I’m going to retire. I tell them I’m just getting started. This weeks audiences were great!
In the last 3 weeks I did 5 shows in 5 different performing art centers to sell out crowds down the coast of Florida with Masters of Illusion. We finished on a Sunday night in Jacksonville and Monday morning I was on a flight half way around the world to Tahiti. Arrived there late Friday night and boarded the a cruise ship. Sailed to Moorea, Bora Bora and ended up in Nuka Heva. Did 2 nights of shows there and the next Monday was back on a plane to half way back around the world to San Juan (48 travel hours) to board the a very upscale cruise line for another week in the Caribbean ending in Miami this morning. Made it home tonight!! Yay!!
The life of an entertainer!
After 13 years of doing bus and truck tours in major theaters, this is one of my favorites. This is the third time at this one. It’s got great stories of it being haunted, where am I?
One of my favorite illusions to perform. The fountain levitation created by Doug Henning in 1976. I first started performing it in 1996 and have performed it across the States and the world. This pic was shot at Ballys Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
I’m also lucky enough to also have Doug’s original fountain levitation that he first performed on that 1976 tv special then toured the country with it.
Just finished the northeast tour of Masters Illusions in Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey. Rock Star photographer Lisa Cutner-Piernot shot our sold out New Jersey show.
Both pictures in this post are actual untouched photos. Because the stage was not fully lit she had to adjust the exposure and focus which resulted in these incredible photos of me performing the floating piano illusion.
If you are looking for incredible live shots of your show, contact Lisa!!
You can message her or contact me and I will pass your information to her.
Playing the piano and floating is the one and only Amanda Louise.
When I was 17, I started going to Magic conventions. It was amazing to see all the magicians I had seen on TV live and in person. The first conventions I started attending where in Wichita Kansas in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1979 I met a magician right before he was going on stage to compete in the stage a contest. He was very close to my age. We were some of the younger magicians at the convention. I walked into the theater and watched him come out and completely destroy the audience with, a breathtaking dove act. Standing ovation !
The following year, I saw him again in Wichita Kansas perform his new version of the Dove act. Once again, standing ovation.
The next time I saw him he was on tonight show with Johnny Carson. This was the first person I knew that put together an amazing act, ended up on the Tonight Show and then at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, before headlining his own show at the Hacienda and then 15 years at the Monte Carlo. I am proud to call him a friend, his name is Lance Burton.
Today I just acquired one of his illusions from his Monte Carlo show to go into my collection.
Thank you Sheri Long! 
I first saw Doug Henning perform this illusion in the 70’s, I started doing it in nightclubs in the 80’s, ended up doing it 10,240 times in my show at the MGM in the 90’s. This was in Shanghai, China in 2013.
