Acts of Violet(21)
Before we delve deeper into Violet’s personal history, I thought it was important to discuss her legacy. For better or worse, she left an indelible impression on the entertainment industry, on popular culture, and on countless people who encountered her work.
In selecting this specific group of participants, I wanted to ensure a balanced roundtable discussion, including detractors alongside devotees. I found it necessary to show varied opinions and interpretations of Volk and her legacy, from the perspective of a superfan, cultural critic, current performer, and magic industry insider.
Let’s get back to it.
NORIKO TOMLIN: Way to contradict yourself, Ron. Which is it, that she used her sex appeal to get ahead or that she wasn’t sexy? You can’t have it both ways. And both opinions are disgusting.
RON VEST: Violet did the best she could with what she had. She never rang my bell, but those tight pants did it for plenty of other guys … and girls.
JANET LURIE: I find it interesting how quickly we pounce on personal appearance as soon as we’re discussing a woman’s accomplishments.
It brings to mind Minerva, one of Houdini’s contemporaries whose ability was comparable to his but who was sexualized in a way that he never was. She did a water barrel escape, and despite being more heavily bound than Houdini, people fixated on how her clothes clung to her when she came out of the barrel soaking wet. You could perhaps understand that line of thinking in the early 1900s, when women still lacked the right to vote—incidentally, the leader of the women’s suffrage movement was paid to get sawed in half at magic shows. But for women today to still be assessed on their looks in conjunction with their societal and cultural contributions … it’s disappointing, to say the least.
VIVA VOX: I can see both sides here. Do women get judged more harshly for their looks than men? No question. But it’s naive to ignore how much appearances matter, especially in the entertainment industry. I’d argue VV deserves more credit for achieving what she did without relying on her looks. And she came up in the decade when we were worshipping supermodels. It’s interesting how she was a fan of Barbra Streisand because, like Babs—and I mean this with no disrespect to either diva—Violet was not what you would call beautiful in the traditional sense. Both women had to hone their talents to get noticed.
RON VEST: Funny how Jackson Cleo noticed Violet’s “talents” in a strip club.
VIVA VOX: I don’t have the energy to explain the difference between burlesque and stripping to you.
RON VEST: Both involve shaking tits and ass, so I don’t see much difference.
NORIKO TOMLIN: Funny how much you’re sounding like the douche-lord who wrote the Violet takedown. Of course, you couldn’t have written it—
RON VEST: Why, ’cause it has too many big words?
NORIKO TOMLIN: Way to step on my punch line.
RON VEST: Serves you right for using stale material.
CAMERON FRANK: Let’s all play nice.
VIVA VOX: Ron, interesting you mention tits and ass. Let’s say Jackson Cleo did go to Marabou for those two reasons. Violet Volk didn’t have much of either. I’d bet all my wigs there were women at that club who were better eye candy than Violet. Obviously it was her magic act that set her apart and captivated him.
NORIKO TOMLIN: And when you watch her on Later Tonight, you’d be an idiot to suggest she was there for any reason other than her talent. Come on, Ron, even you have to admit that was an impressive piece of magic.
RON VEST: It was fine. A little showy for my taste.
VIVA VOX: Being showy in showbiz, quelle horreur!
[Sounds of escalating voices talking over each other]
CAMERON FRANK [STUDIO]: This continued on until I flashed the bedroom lights and they quieted down.
CAMERON FRANK: I love the passion you’re all bringing to this discussion, but let’s give everyone a chance to speak. Janet, you look like you want to say something.
JANET LURIE: I do, but I don’t want to get dragged by Noriko and Viva.
VIVA VOX: Dragged? I see what you did there.
CAMERON FRANK: Healthy debate is encouraged, Janet. You can speak freely.
JANET LURIE: All right then. It’s not the showiness that bothers me, it’s her overall lack of sincerity. This is a woman whose entire brand is based on artifice. She loves being a puzzle—she prides herself on it. Violet reveals different pieces of herself to different people, and nobody ever gets to see the full picture. I wonder if any of the pieces she revealed were genuine. In some ways, she was a precursor to the influencer culture we see today wherein people curate their lives for reality television, social media, et cetera.
VIVA VOX: Violet would’ve killed it on social media. She’d have so many followers, she’d be more popular today than ever.
JANET LURIE: You say that like it’s a good thing.
VIVA VOX: Do you know how much you can get for a single sponsored post? Thousands if you’re midlist. Hundreds of thousands if you’re A-list. And if you’re doing video content? Hell, there are ten-year-olds making millions on YouTube.
JANET LURIE: I would argue all this vying for empty accolades and exorbitant wealth is not healthy for society. I’m not saying Violet invented the cult-of-celebrity concept, but it does feel like she turned it up several notches during the height of her popularity. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bothered by the accolades she received for her stage work—magic isn’t my preferred avenue of entertainment, but I won’t deny she was talented and dynamic. What does bother me is how she never stopped performing. How her entire being, from her public behavior to her written work, seemed to promote the cultivation of artifice. Particularly her second book, Life’s Great Illusion, where she essentially offered a blueprint for how to live a lie. It’s challenging enough to discover your authentic self without having a bold voice encouraging you to wear a mask instead.