Sunday 22 January 2012

Rumours

The media caught up with the story of the accident over the last two days and, as was to be expected, changed the truth somewhat, seeking far more dramatic descriptions than the story I told in my blog.

I thought I had best bring you all up to date with the situation. Yes, it was awful but turned out to be better than I thought it was going to be. The story about my forefinger being sewn back on was a bit of an exaggeration. True, the saw did rip through the top knuckle area of my left forefinger but it never came right off and it is already healing up. The little finger of the left hand has a tiny bit missing from the tip but it never touched the nail. The middle finger is untouched. The worst bit is that I have lost the top section, the part that had the nail on it, of my ring finger.

That means that I will have to adjust and re-learn some of the moves of which audiences should be unaware. I can do that. Until the bandage comes off it I won't know how it affects the general handling of props. More adjustment may be needed.

All that aside, I have been back in the workshop but it is awkward working with one and a half hands. It's still awkward to type, and I can't get used to my finger not hitting the e, d or c. I will have to have a pointy bit stuck on the end.

The comments on here, Twitter and Facebook have been, in the main, supportive and are really appreciated. Sadly it will be impossible to answer them all. Magicians that you won't know from all over the world have been very kind to me and it was great to hear from two you will know, Penn and Teller.

What else? Debbie and I are going to be appearing on the TV game show, Pointless (which seems appropriate, and on the Adonia, a cruise ship (am I pushing my luck in the light of the recent disaster?) Oh yes... with a bit of luck I will soon be able to add some Irish venues to the Spring Tour date list. Final negotiations are now taking place.

Best of Wishes to you all.

PD

7 comments:

Jason Arnopp said...

Good to get the story directly from you, sir. I was shocked to hear about the accident, but I'm very glad that it wasn't as severe, at least, as it might have been.

If it's any consolation, I believe that Tony Iommi, the legendary guitarist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath, has played for decades on end with at least one fake fingertip.

I know you'll adapt and conquer all over again. You're certainly accustomed to using a thumb tip!

Billysugger said...

Shocking accident, but glad it's not worse and you got such high calibre care. Get well soon! ;-)

Klown Dave said...

Thanks for the update Paul. I was saying to a friend I hope Paul is not to badly injured but will wait to get an update from him on what the story is and not believe what else I hear. Take care.

Pete Biro said...

Keepini' your pecker up?

Carnegie said...

Glad to hear you are ok and healing. Be CAREFUL!!! Good luck with the upcoming tour.

Mike Scott Thomson said...

Goodness Paul, very sorry to hear this. Hope you're on the mend. Russ Conway, the pianist, did something similar I think. Eew!

Still, at least you're in the profession where false fingers and thumbs are relatively easy to come by :)

FunkyourJunk said...

All is not lost, it might be worth contacting Toni Iommi from Black Sabbath. He uses push on tips on his fingers to allow him to play guitar.