Marvyn and Carol Roy. Electric by name and nature, icons of magic!
There is a tiny group of people in the magic that just make you feel better for knowing them. You sometimes don’t even know why they affect you in that manner—they just do. Right at the top of this select list of truly special people are Marvyn and Carol Roy. I really don’t believe you could find two people who better demonstrate this unique quality than Mr. & Mrs. Electric.
This is a column I wrote about Marvyn & Carol just before Carol’s passing. We lost one of the great characters in magic when we lost Carol. I thought there was plenty in the column to re-print it here on my blog site.
My earliest memories of seeing this dynamic duo was watching them on the family television set when I was a kid growing up in England. As a budding magician I remember watching in amazement at that seemingly never-ending string of lit bulbs emerged from Marvyn’s mouth. It was one of the coolest pieces of magic I had ever seen.
Even as a novice magician I was very aware that a real team was at work when the Electrics performed their wonders. Carol was the first female I remember seeing in a magic show who transcended the role of assistant and became a fully-fledged partner. I didn’t know what a fabulous character she was until I got to meet her in person.
Years later I was to get the opportunity to work with Marvyn and Carol in one of my first club dates in America. I was 21 years old and couldn’t believe I was to share a bill with this legendary act. It was particularly exciting to watch them perform their full-length show. It was a special delight to see them perform a perfect electric chair routine.
After the show we went to grab a late night meal at a local ‘Bob’s Big Boy’ and I got to meet the people behind the magical icons. Nothing in my magical experience
had prepared me for the pure adrenalin rush of a post-show Marvyn Roy. His enthusiasm and expertise were all focused on helping this newcomer to see a vision and future for his show. It was a delightful avalanche of advice and magical wisdom.
OK, I didn’t change my name to Link Lewin and make a career out of linking things, but I certainly thought about it! I certainly did go out the very next day and buy a Himber Ring at the suggestion of Marvyn. It proved to be one of the best purchases I ever made in magic. Who knows maybe I should rethink the name thing!
Several years later I had the opportunity to work with Marvyn and Carol in a series of shows at a very upscale mall in Vancouver. They worked so hard between shows preparing for the next show that I felt guilty as I re-stacked my Multiplying Bottles and set my linking rings. However the real joy was getting to renew our acquaintance and spend some time with Marvyn and Carol before and after our shows.
I recently read the wonderful memoir that Marvyn penned called ‘Mr. Electric Unplugged.’ I can’t say enough about what an inspiring and enjoyable book this is. Not many magic books grab your interest and hold your attention like this one. This book is so good that you begin reading at a feverish pace, until you realize you are half way through it and then you slow down so as to treasure every story. Thank you Mike Caveney for publishing this gem.
REMARKABLE MAGIC 