Acts of Violet(77)
Violet runs to the tank, ready to climb in and rescue her niece, but then this little hand comes out of the water, then part of an arm. A trapeze is lowered over the tank, the hand grabs hold of it, and the girl is slowly pulled up, soaking wet, stunned like all the rest of us. And as her bottom half emerges—if you’re guessing mermaid tail, ding-ding-ding! It’s iridescent and gorgeous and I kinda want one.
If that’s not a mic drop moment, I don’t know what is.
Now pardon me, I need to go watch it again.
Strange Exits
Episode 8: “Use Her Illusion”
CAMERON FRANK [STUDIO]: If I looked at your book collection, I’d bet there’s a fifty percent chance I’d find a copy of You Are Magic or Life’s Great Illusion—maybe both. To date, the books have sold a combined total of over fifty million copies. They’ve been translated into dozens of languages and make periodic reappearances on bestseller lists, particularly around the holidays. The two titles also spawned a successful line of journals, workbooks, and page-a-day calendars. It would not be an understatement to call Violet Volk’s brand of self-help a global phenomenon.
Violet was instrumental in building this phenomenon, touring the world as a motivational speaker in support of her books. In fact, she spent much of the five years leading up to her disappearance on the road.
And by her side during that time was Rudy Serrano, who I’ll be speaking with today.
Rudy was born into theater royalty. Both Tony Award winners, his father, Javier Serrano, has been one of Broadway’s most lauded directors and producers since the 1970s, and his mother, actress/singer/dancer Linda Driscoll, still graces the Great White Way, currently starring in the musical adaptation of Requiem for a Dream. Having followed in his parents’ footsteps, today Rudy is a Tony Award–nominated Broadway theater producer and talent manager. Earlier in his career, he was Violet Volk’s tour manager. And there are few people who can provide a better glimpse into her life during those final years before she vanished.
CAMERON FRANK: Rudy, it’s good to have you on the show. To begin, talk a little about how you and Violet first met.
RUDY SERRANO: My parents were good friends with Joyce Belote, Violet’s manager. In the mid-nineties, I was just out of high school and still living at home, working various theater jobs. Joyce would come around to dinner once in a while, and I tried to be around for those meals. The woman was a character: in her sixties, foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, with a red bouffant wig and bright green eye shadow. She was funny, bawdy, and sarcastic, like all four Golden Girls rolled into one. And she’d tell the best showbiz stories.
CAMERON FRANK: Did she talk much about Violet?
RUDY SERRANO: Oh yeah, like a proud grandmother, bragging about the bookings she got for her, that sort of thing. But I didn’t actually get to meet Violet for a few years, not until after the Vegas show closed and she came to New York for a couple of weeks. Joyce threw a small dinner party for her. This must’ve been sometime in early 2002.
CAMERON FRANK: What was your impression of her? Were you already a fan of her work?
RUDY SERRANO: So, about that. Um … not really. I was more of a snob back then, and I didn’t consider stage magic high art. So even if I saw Violet in passing on TV, I might’ve watched for a minute, then changed the channel. If anything, I was just happy for Joyce, that one of her clients got so popular. Even if I did think of that client as a cheesy attention whore.
CAMERON FRANK: And what did you think seeing her in person?
RUDY SERRANO: Not as cheesy as I considered magicians at large, but still very much an attention whore. Joyce sat me beside her, so I had to endure an entire evening of Violet turning forks into spoons, making bread rolls levitate, changing the white wine into red, you get the idea. The other guests found it downright delightful. I pretended I did, too, but I just wanted to eat my dinner in peace, without her making my broccoli burst into flames. Then there was Joyce, who sat on my other side and gave me these encouraging smiles throughout the night, talking me up to Violet, how smart and ambitious I was, how I was moving up in the world. Then I remembered she’d mentioned Violet being divorced, and how she was always on me about meeting someone special … I couldn’t believe it. The whole thing was a setup.
When Joyce went to check on dessert, I followed her into the kitchen. I mustered up something about how lovely and talented Violet was, but firmly stated she wasn’t my type.
Joyce burst out laughing and said, “What kind of fucking idiot do you think I am that I’d set up Violet with a gay man?”
At that point, I still hadn’t come out to my parents, but Joyce said she could tell as soon as she met me.
CAMERON FRANK: So if it wasn’t a romantic setup, why was she talking you up so much to Violet at dinner?
RUDY SERRANO: To lay the groundwork for Violet to see me as a professional figure she could trust. I’d been working with some touring theater companies for the last couple of years, and Joyce had been hearing great things about me. She felt I was ready for the next step and offered me the opportunity to be Violet’s tour manager. I said yes without knowing anything about the type of show it would be, the pay, nothing. I know, so much for my highbrow ways.
CAMERON FRANK: Why were you so quick to accept the position? Didn’t you have misgivings, considering you weren’t a fan of magic?
RUDY SERRANO: Some, but I trusted Joyce. She’d never steered me wrong before when I’d asked her for professional advice—hell, her life was dedicated to shaping other people’s careers. If she believed this was the right move for me, I’d listen to her.