The news unleashes a memory

This morning, I got a news alert that “The Amazing Kreskin” has died. I vaguely remember him being on TV a lot either side of 1970, but I don’t remember much about his appearances or even what his voice sounded like. I think part of the reason for that is that I was far too young.

The first thing I did think about was “related merchandise”: When I was a kid I was given his game (or whatever it was), “Kreskin’s ESP”. The game was released in 1967, but I have no idea when I was given it: It could’ve been Christmas that year or a later year. However, I didn’t think it was very interesting because it was very easy to manipulate the egg-shaped thing on a chain.

There was another thing about that, though: I don’t remember ever playing with it with a friend, and if it was 1967 or 68, that figures: In 1969 we moved to another town, one where there were a lot of other kids in my neighbourhood, but in the town we moved from, there weren’t. So, up until late 1968, I spent a lot of time by myself, and that could explain why the “Kreskin’s ESP” thing didn’t really stick in my memories.

To be clear, I didn’t hate the game, and I absolutely remember playing with that egg-shaped thing on a chain and the cards that it swung over to supposedly revealed answers to questions. It’s just that it didn’t stick with me, and that might simply be because I was playing with it alone.

I think that my parents gave it to me, and if so, it goes to show that back in those days it wasn’t automatic that preachers rejected all non-Christian supernatural-ish things. However, I do remember my parents being angry about the movie of Rosemary’s Baby, which they said was mocking the Jesus birth story, and they were concerned that “The Exorcist” (the book) might encourage some people to imitate some devilish (literally) behaviour, something that never actually happened. By the late 1970s, they were past that sort of reaction, around the same time the fundamentalists were ramping things up.

Another thing the memory of the game reminded me of is that I later found out it was also easy to manipulate a Ouija board, though that was definitely with friends. Maybe I was born a sceptic. In any case, my parents certainly didn’t prevent the growth of my scepticism, and I think that’s the bigger gift they gave me.

It’s interesting the path one’s mind can meander along, especially, like today, when it’s sent on its journey by a random news alert about someone I barely remember. Being human is pretty weird.