Acts of Violet(22)
NORIKO TOMLIN: That’s a warped way to look at it. Violet wasn’t telling us to live a lie, she told us to bravely pursue the life we wanted, with no limits and no apologies. Did you ever attend one of her motivational seminars?
JANET LURIE: I’ve seen some of the bootlegged video footage: the light show, dramatic music, her over-the-top costumes … literal smoke and mirrors. Seemed like the usual pomp and circumstance but with more talking and fewer actual magic tricks.
NORIKO TOMLIN: Yeah, none of those crappy recordings come close to what it was like to be there in person. I spent a summer following her You Are Magic tour. The audio sensory experience she created night after night was … transcendent. It was a spectacle, sure, but only Violet could’ve pulled off something so inspiring and moving. This wasn’t your typical motivational speaker, walking around an empty stage being too earnest or high-octane or smug. Violet was a badass high priestess reaching her hand into your soul and switching on your inner light.
RON VEST: If she “switched on your inner light,” as you put it, why’d you need to go back again and again? Did she turn that light off at the end of the night to get more money from all you suckers?
NORIKO TOMLIN: Have you heard your favorite song or eaten your favorite food only one time? Had only one orgasm your entire life? No. We like to re-create our best experiences, chase that exhilaration. That’s what Violet’s shows were for me. Pure exhilaration. And each one was a little different. You never knew what to expect. You could be crying cathartic tears as she led a funeral service for the death of your former self. You could be dancing in a conga line made up of hundreds of people. You could be covered in glitter, feathers, Silly String, fake blood, flower petals. Night after night, here was this tiny woman commanding the stage, being nothing short of astonishing.
VIVA VOX: Honey, she was that way from day one. It was her brand of charisma. Violet didn’t try to look like anyone else or follow fashion trends—she’d wear combat boots with ball gowns and look amazing—and she said things no one else had the guts to say, like calling out TV presenters when they were being sexist or homophobic. She didn’t play the fame game; she created a new game of her own. It felt like her very sense of being was revolutionary.
JANET LURIE: Why, because she was outspoken, wore outrageous garb, and challenged gender and sexuality norms? Plenty of celebrities who came before her did that, from Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn, to Cher and Bette Midler, to Madonna and Courtney Love. The 1990s in particular were rife with feminist assertions—between the riot grrrls, vampire slayers, warrior princesses, and endless calls for “girl power,” I’d say Volk was part of the bandwagon, not leading it.
VIVA VOX: All the people you just referred to were musicians or actors. Violet started out as a magician, dominating in a male-dominated field, which made her stand out that much more. I wouldn’t have the career I have today without her, though of course I’m not the magician she ever was.
RON VEST: You got that right. I must’ve been on vacation when you got booked at the Alcazar, because when I saw your parlor act, I was underwhelmed, to say the least. You have that in common with Violet.
NORIKO TOMLIN: Ron’s just bad-mouthing Violet because she turned down his advances.
RON VEST: I don’t appreciate your little accusation there. I may be old-school about some things, but I’ve never been inappropriate with women. There were some jackoffs at the Alcazar back in my day—probably still are—but I was quick to ban anyone who was disrespectful, men and women.
CAMERON FRANK: Why was Violet banned? Was she disrespectful?
RON VEST: There was an incident the first night she performed. A security guard caught her threatening a magician who will remain nameless. I can say this much: he was one of the old-timers, well known and beloved, and there was Violet cornering him in a supply closet, one hand around his throat and the other pointing a dagger—one of the antique ones she used in her act—at his dick. I threw her out then and there and banned her for life.
VIVA VOX: Did you ever wonder what the circumstances surrounding that might’ve been? Like maybe Violet was defending herself?
RON VEST: This guy was ancient—no way was he putting her in danger. And if he was getting frisky, she should’ve reported it instead of going all Thelma & Louise on him.
NORIKO TOMLIN: Because you would’ve totally believed her over a “well-known and beloved” old-timer, right? And let me guess, he wasn’t banned from the Alcazar, right?
RON VEST: Actually, he was, Miss Know-it-all. Not that night, and not while I worked there. It was a decision made by new management. Just like it was their decision to unban Violet and name her Magician of the Year in 2003. She declined the award and never set foot in the Alcazar again. Such nerve. To this day, that’s some of the highest recognition you can receive as a magician. Nobody ever turned down that award before—or since.
NORIKO TOMLIN: Which is a shame, considering Violet was only one of—what, four women who were named Magician of the Year by your little boys’ club? Two of whom were part of a husband/wife duo. Versus dozens of male performers recognized over the years.
JANET LURIE: This is actually something I looked into. Up until recent years, women have made up approximately eight percent of the magic population. Between 1964 and 2014, four women and forty-eight men were given the Alcazar’s Magician of the Year Award, factoring in the husband/wife teams you mentioned. That breaks down to eight percent of the recipients being female, which is in line with the portion of the magic community they represent.