For all those looking for the perfect holiday gift, look no further than Lance Rich’s recent book “Neon Dreams: The Story of Las Vegas Magic.”

I was delighted that Lance was more than happy to answer some questions regarding it, as well as Doug’s time in Las Vegas. Enjoy…I know I did. 

What inspired you to write this book?

Here’s the short answer…
Bill Smith asked me to deliver a talk at the Magic Collector Expo in Las Vegas in 2021. Because the convention was held in Las Vegas, I was asked to do an overview of some of those performers who had made a mark on the town. Because of course, over the years Las Vegas has absolutely become a magic hub.

That talk was really well received – it got a standing ovation – and that’s not something that ‘talks’ usually get; so that was very surprising, and really very appreciated. The next day I received an email from Joshua Jay at Vanishing Inc. He and Andi Gladwin told me they thought there was a book in the talk and, ‘Would I be interested in writing it?’ And, after thinking it over for…oh, like five seconds …I agreed!

Was it something you had been interested in doing for a while?

Here’s the longer answer to your first question…
In a way, I feel like I’ve been working on this book since I was 16! I’m a 90s kid! And in the 90s, magic and Las Vegas were both in explosive periods of growth and popularity. And specifically, magic in Las Vegas was experiencing a renaissance.

In addition to my love of magic, I was kind of obsessed with Las Vegas. Throughout high school, I was always reading about the things that were going on in Vegas… I helped people plan trips to the city even though I myself had never been. In fact, it wasn’t until I was in college that I made my first trip there.

A few years ago I did write in an idea book a thought about a serialized telling of Las Vegas magic as a podcast, but it wasn’t anything I ever pursued. All that said, when I was asked to do the talk and then to turn it into a book… It all felt natural. This project is the result of these twin passions.

How did you go about researching and compiling everything?

Well for starters… I interviewed a ton of people! There are a lot of personal stories – almost oral histories – that came directly from people who’ve worked Vegas stages in the last fifty years or so.

I had dozens of these conversations, and they really give the book a lot of color. As far as research goes, I had so many people who were so generous, and opened their collections for me to use as research. That includes David Copperfield’s library, the archives at
the American Museum of Magic where Jeffrey Alan helped. Su Kim Chung at the UNLV Special Collections library was a great resource, and “Ask Alexander” and the “Conjuring Arts Archive.”

Aside from those collections, anytime I asked Julie Eng/Magicana, Mike Caveney, David Charvet, Michelle Ainsworth, and on and on… for any nugget of information or visual aid, they were always there with their file drawers open. And I want to say, there’s a linear line that connects Max Maven, Bill Mullins, Michael Claxton, Kenneth Marks, AnnaRose Einarsen, and Elizabeth Bowes. The book tells how each of these people played a roll…

As it pertains to Doug Henning specifically, I know I asked you (Neil), and Chip Romero for a few details. And John Harrison’s book was a great resource! But I do want your readers to know, Doug is peppered throughout the book in several places, but there’s not a stand alone chapter on him.

To Be Continued…

To purchase “Neon Dreams” please visit:” HERE