| By Ellyce Field Special to The Detroit News STERLING HEIGHTS Magic is Gordon Russ' bread and butter, so to speak. Ten years ago he quit his day job and turned his attention to sleight of hand. These days the former children's recreation director is directing balloon missiles and redirecting ketchup and salt. Weekends you'll find him table-side, doing his wacky brand of stand-up magic at Sterling Heights' family diner, Roger's Roost. "It's a job, I guess," Russ says. "I love making kids laugh." Taking a family by surprise is Russ' specialty. "I start off by opening a salt shaker and pouring the salt into my fist and the salt disappears. I toss the salt shaker into the air and it disappears and reappears in the kid's sleeve and salt just pours out." Using everyday objects is Russ' specialty, honed early in his career on the streets of Europe and Australia, where he entertained as a street performer with just a piece of rope and a hat. As Roger's Roost, Russ might make a ketchup bottle go right through the table. He might blow up missile balloons and shoot them across the room, turn balls into giant spiders, or throw a whole deck of cards into the air. The card the child is looking for always seems to end up on Russ' forehead. While many of his tricks carry a "don't try this at home" warning label, Russ makes dining out a memorable experience. |
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