Rob Zabrecky

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Rob Zabrecky
File:RobZabrecky.jpg
Zabrecky in 1992 at Al's Bar in Los Angeles
Born Robert Zabrecky
(1968-06-02) June 2, 1968 (age 55)
Burbank, California, United States
Residence Los Angeles, California
Occupation Actor, musician, magician, auctioneer, songwriter
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)

Rob Zabrecky (born Robert Zabrecky, June 2, 1968 in Burbank, California)[1] is an American songwriter, actor and magician. His career began as a musician while being the front man for the band Possum Dixon. He later found success as a magician and actor.

Life and career

Zabrecky was born and raised in Burbank, California. From 1989 to 1999 he was the singer-songwriter and bassist for the Los Angeles group Possum Dixon. The band, originally hailing from Silver Lake, released three albums during the 1990s.[2]

During the mid-1990s, he stumbled into magic and has since become a performer and award-winning magician at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. In the mid-2000s he began a career in acting and has since landed roles in films, major network television programs, and commercials.

Actor

Zabrecky appeared in the 2012 film After The Triumph of Your Birth, which garnered favorable reviews.[3][4] In 2013 he starred in the psychological thriller, Decay, playing a middle-aged groundskeeper at a theme park with a terrible case of OCD.[5] In 2015 he appeared in Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut Lost River, playing the master of ceremonies at an underground fetish nightclub.[6]

As a television actor he has appeared on CSI: NY, The Mentalist, Brothers & Sisters, "Bones", and in several episodes of MTV's ROOM 401.[7] In theater, he graduated from the Associate Program at Theatre West, where he has appeared in theatrical adaptations of the television classic, The Twilight Zone and other productions.

In addition to television and theater, he has appeared in several short films and in a variety of commercials for a wide range of companies.[7][8][9] In 2014 he starred on the side of Erin Cummings and Dan John Miller in Luke Jaden's The Listing.[10]

Magician

After his music career ended Zabrecky has worked throughout the United States and Japan as a magician.[11][12] In magic, he is best known for an aberrant magician character in which he combines irreverent dark humor, mentalism, and the artful use of elongated pauses during performances.[13] Since 2002 he has been a regular performer at the Magic Castle. In 2003 he formed the off-beat magic trio, The Unholy Three in the basement of that establishment by presenting a provocative Dada-esque combination of wizardry and off-beat humor.[14] In 2011 and 2012 he was voted “Stage Magician of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts.[15][15] In 2014 he was voted "Parlour Magician of the Year" by the Academy of Magical Arts.[16]

He has also been the featured magician at annual magic conventions worldwide and appeared on the cover of magic-related journals and periodicals including Genii and the Mandala.[17][18]

Was host of Who’s Hoo, an on-line interview talk show for members of the Academy Arts at the Magic Castle, which he co-created with his wife, Tommi Zabrecky. Since airing in 2008, Zabrecky interviewed over 85 Magic Castle luminaries and performing members including co-founder Milt Larsen.

In 2011, Magic Magazine described him as, "A unique persona, highly reminiscent of Norman Bates, with a bit of Rod Serling in the mix — a psycho from the Twilight Zone, doing magic."[13]

Night of Zabrecky, a one-man variety show, directed by John Lovick, was premiered and developed at the Steve Allen Theater from 2010 - 2012.[19] The show featured highlights from his Magic Castle act, song & dance, conversations with the moon, and audience interaction.[20] "These new shows, at the Steve Allen Theater, allow Zabrecky to combine his many talents — acting, music, magic and dance — into one highly entertaining bundle with a distinct point of view." (L.A. Times)[21]

Musician

As the front man for Possum Dixon, Zabrecky became a notable figure in the early 1990s emerging Silver Lake independent music scene. During those years he wrote, recorded and performed with several musicians and producers including Beck, Earle Mankey, Tom Rothrock, Pleasant Gehman, Carla Bozulich, Tim O'Heir and others.[22]

In 1998, Zabrecky, with Possum Dixon released New Sheets, which would be the last album by the band. The LP, produced by Ric Ocasek, featured co-written material with Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Dave Stewart and Pat MacDonald.[23] Shortly after the breakup of Possum Dixon he spent time singing for the Los Angeles art rock band, Human Hands and played bass in a Gun Club tribute band alongside original members Ward Dotson and Terry Graham.[24][25]

In early 2010 he appeared on-stage with Maria McKee at a fund raiser in Hollywood. The pair sang a duet to Lou Reed's Satellite of Love.[26] The pair performed the song again as part of a Night of Zabrecky performance at the Steve Allen Theater in 2012.[27]

Auctioneer

He is a skilled auctioneer, trained by Bonhams auction house (known then as Butterfield & Butterfield), during the late 1990s. For over a decade he has helped organizations such as the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Laguna Art Museum and many others with fundraising events.[28][29][30][31]

Print

Zabrecky has appeared in magazine and print advertisements for Mothersbaugh Eyewear, Vogue Italia, UNICEF and Oliver Peoples among others.

Personal life

Zabrecky lives with his wife, whom he married in 1998, in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, California.

Interviews

  • Three Thousand, Melbourne [16]
  • The Magic Newswire, 2012 [32]
  • The Avant/Garde Diaries, 2012 [33]
  • Dan & Dave, 2012 [34]
  • The Alibi; Illusion Noir, 2012 [35]
  • Los Angeles Times, 2011 [21]
  • Pop Culture: Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie, 2011 [36]
  • Carson Daly, 2010 [37]

Publications

  • Music for Deaf People chapbook (1992)
  • Smartish Pace Art/Poetry Journal (contributor)
  • The Underground Guide to Los Angeles (contributor)
  • Stories of Famous Magicians (contributor)
  • Secrets of My Friends 2 (contributor)
  • MAGIC, The Magazine for Magicians (contributor) [38]
  • MUM, The Society of American Magicians (contributor) [39]
  • An Exploration at the Intersection of Magic and Theater (2010) [40]
  • Genii - The Conjuror's Magazine (Cover Feature, April 2013) [41]

Awards and Nominations

  • 1999 LA Weekly Award for Best Pop/Rock Band (Award)
  • 1999 California Music Awards (Award)
  • 2008 Parlour Magician of the Year, Academy of Magical Arts (Nomination)
  • 2009 Parlour Magician of the Year, Academy of Magical Arts (Nomination)
  • 2010 Parlour Magician of the Year, Academy of Magical Arts (Nomination) [42]
  • 2010 Stage Magician of the Year, Academy of Magical Arts (Nomination) [42]
  • 2011 Lecturer of the Year, Academy of Magical Arts (Nomination)
  • 2011 Stage Magician of the Year (Award) [15]
  • 2012 Stage Magician of the Year (Award) [15]
  • 2014 Parlour Magician of the Year (Award) [43]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/articles/2011/03/24/features/features04.txt
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 http://www.magiccastle.com/ama/awards/index.cfm
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ http://www.laweekly.com/content/printVersion/902940
  23. ↑ http://test.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:abfrxqqjld0e[dead link]
  24. ↑ http://www.humanhands.com/band.html,
  25. ↑ http://www.jeffreyleepierce.net/interview.html
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ http://trepanyhouse.tix.com/Event.aspx?EventCode=509416
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ http://killthemic.blogspot.com/2008/09/silverlake-conservatory-of-music.html
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ http://www.magiccastle.com/visiting/calendar.cfm?id=990
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ http://sweetteapumpkinpie.com/2011/03/26/robzabrecky/
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ A Skeptical Prediction, page 59, October 2010
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 http://www.magiccastle.com/visiting/announcements.cfm
  43. ↑ http://melbournemagicfestival.com/rob-zabrecky-magician-of-the-year/

External links

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