Can you talk about Doug’s moral issues with performing in Vegas?

Sure! By 1982  – Doug was frustrated with Vegas. He didn’t like the smoking, drinking, and gambling of the town. He felt like he had to work extra hard to overcome the energy of the city to stay spiritually pure.  And he basically said, ’I’m done with Vegas.’ 

In fact, in 1986 when he really needed money, Jerry Goldstein told him to go to Vegas; because they’d pay well and on top of that he’d get housing and food, and so forth.  And Doug wasn’t having it.  And that’s the year he took out the small show that ended up being his last tour ever. That tour did get him out of debt though! But it wasn’t too long after that, that he retired completely from magic.

And as I said earlier, In the 90s magic was exploding in popularity. Siegfried and Roy at The Mirage opened in 1990, and that was a spectacle that really changed the town. It actually drove hotel reservations to The Mirage.

Down the Strip at the newly built MGM Grand, a show called EFX opened, and I think the goal was to outdo S&R in terms of spectacle. I think it was a direct reaction to the S&R success. It was not a magic show per se, but it had a lot of magic effects peppered throughout the show. And, it had some magical characters like Merlin, PT Barnum, Harry Houdini, and so on. The show had a lot of musical numbers built around a loose plot. And it starred musical-theatre star, Michael Crawford, who was fresh off of his starring role in Phantom of the Opera.

The show was super physical, and Crawford was injured on more than one occasion,  and eventually he decided to leave the show. And who did they offer the starring role to? A guy who had some experience starring in a few shows that had musical numbers based around a loose plot: Doug Henning!

I’ve seen two numbers reported here, but Doug was offered either 30 million dollars or half-a-million a week; either way, that’s a lot of money! And this is ‘94 or ‘95, so by that time Doug was effectively out of show business. It would have been a coup to get him back onstage. 

It’s interesting for me to think of what might have been. Over the course of its run, every time a new star came into EFX, the show was rewritten and restaged to that particular celebrity’s talents. Michael Crawford’s version was very theatrical. David Cassidy’s iteration was a bit more approachable – he played an ‘everyman’ character dropped into an extraordinary situation. Tommy Tune got to dance! And Rick Springfield’s revamp was more like a theatrical rock concert. It would be interesting to know what Doug might have done – especially at that time in his life.

One more little thought on that subject:  Back in the 70s, Siegfried and Roy privately complained that Doug produced a tiger at the end of the Bump routine. They’d made their mark in town with ‘big cat’ effects. But then, S&R were both called out for lifting an idea or two from Doug’s show and using it in their own act which was, at the time, at the Stardust. And I guess they paid Doug, retroactively, for the use of his ideas. All of this drama played out behind the scenes. I do wonder if having an actual magician (meaning Doug) star in EFX, a show which again I maintain would not have existed if not for the success of Siegfried and Roy at The Mirage, would have reignited some old rivalries.

What has the response been to the book?

I don’t think I could have asked for a more positive reaction! It was pre-released at Magic Live last year, and that supply sold out fast.

The review in Genii was really great; and kind of a pinch me moment. Something about seeing the book reviewed in a magazine that I grew up reading, made it feel for real somehow. David Copperfield said some extraordinarily nice things in the foreword that he wrote for the book. And other big Vegas names, like Mac King and Mat Franco, have said things that really made me feel good. Beyond that, I’ve received emails and messages from people who genuinely enjoy the book. These personal messages really make my day!

Mike Caveney sent me a video testimonial that said, “For a history book like this you need two things; You need a great story, and a great storyteller.  And in this case we have both.”  When it comes to engaging storytellers of magic history, I think Mike has changed the game as both an author and publisher. So, from him, that endorsement is powerful!

And the thing is, I wrote a book that I wanted to read. I didn’t want something dry and academic. And I wrote a book that I wanted my mom to also be able to enjoy. She’s not a magician, and cares very little about Las Vegas, but she likes to read and she likes good stories. My hope was for this book to be just that; a series of interesting stories told well.

Do you have any plans for another book?

Yes and no. I have some thoughts for research based projects like this, but nothing firm. Nothing on paper.

But a few months ago I did start writing a novel that’s loosely tied to Neon Dreams.  There are a few stories that didn’t quite fit the tone of my ‘historical research’ book. There are some big characters and scandals that have loosely – very loosely – inspired a work of fiction. 

But, I just had to capture them on the page. So, we’ll see if that turns into anything other than that proverbial ‘unfinished novel in a drawer.’

 How much fun was this to write?

Now that it’s over, I can say it was fun! If you’d asked me while I was in the throes of it, you might have heard a different answer!

After the Expo when Josh and Andi reached out to gauge my interest in writing the book – I started making notes and writing passages.  And I was thinking about little turns of phrase and about how I wanted to organize the book.  It was fun!

And then… I actually signed the contract.  And then it became a job! That’s not to say it wasn’t still fun, but there was now a voice in my head saying,  “Oh shit! I’ve got to  finish a book!” My partner, David Sandy, likes to joke that he didn’t see me for a year.

The research, the conversations, the deep dives into rabbit holes – that is fun to me. Especially because it was about a subject that I love so much. The actual writing;  that’s the hard part, but it’s also the most rewarding.

A very special thanks to Lance.

To purchase “Neon Dreams” please visit: HERE