I.B.M. Member Profile

Karl And Bill Rabe

The greatest magician on the planet and his assistant, the greatest magician on the stage

About Karl Rabe

Karl Rabe has been inventing and performing magic as a hobby since he was twelve years old living in Sault Ste. Marie and his Father purchased him a copy of Dunninger's Complete Encyclopedia of Magic. The Abbott's Magic Catalog and the UPS Driver kept his love of magic alive in Sault Ste. Siberia as he likes to call it. His interest was further encouraged by visits to Romig Magic in Ferndale on annual trips to visit relatives in Detroit. As a lad, Karl actually bumped into Milbourne Christopher once at Romig. He didn't have the courage to speak up and meet him, but he did bump into him and mutter "excuse me". 

Karl had the opportunity to watch and meet a number of notable magicians because of his Father's occupation as a Public Relations man for The University of Detroit, Lake Superior State University and Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Meeting and watching Karrell Fox perform both at U of D and at Grand Hotel were a highlight. Karl first saw the Brainwave Deck and the Chop Cup performed by Karrell Fox.

Karl has performed in the Terrace Room, Grand Hotel's night club and as a teen he wrote, assembled and sold a magic kit for Grand Hotel entitled "Grand Magic". Grand Magic's theme was magic tricks anyone could perform with Grand Hotel match boxes (ubiquitous around the hotel at the time when smoking was the norm). Grand Magic broke all records, quite possibly because zero copies were sold.

Bill Rabe has been performing magic since 2010. Bill is an avid athlete and participates in Special Olympics Basketball, Golf, Track, Floor Hockey and Softball. In 2010, Bill and Karl were recruited to perform in a Talent Show to benefit Special Olympics.  Karl's interest in Magic was resurrected and a 9 month long effort to craft a unique magic act that would showcase Bill began. The result, "The Perverse Linking Rings" was probably their finest work to-date. The Bottle & Glass Trick may one day top that. Only time will tell.

Bill's natural charisma and Karl's natural ability to mess up tricks have made them a unique duo. They have been often compared to Penn and Teller; not compared favorably, but compared none the less.  This is mostly because both Bill and Teller rarely speak on stage.

 

As Karl likes to proclaim, he is The Greatest Magician on the Planet -- and as Bill likes to counter, Bill is The Greatest Magician on the Stage. One of them is most certainly right, and it isn't Karl.