The following text is from Dick Cavett’s introduction at my recent award dinner. I can’t tell you how honored I was to be introduced by this legendary television host.

Dick Cavett:

I love magic, and when I saw Steve Cohen the first time, it was in front of this building. This fellow came up to me, and he said, “Mr. Cavett…” And I said, “Get away from me, kid. You’re bothering me.” And he told me who he was. But it was a while before I connected him with the guy who was dazzling people at the Waldorf. I finally went with Teller, from Penn & Teller – by the way, he could talk – and I was stunned. Because I had seen great magicians. I’m old enough to have seen Blackstone the elder, Cardini, Slydini. And to see magic -again- that transported me, was thrilling. And that’s what I saw at the Waldorf.

You know, every art has a lot of crappiness. There are some people who can paint. Most people can’t. Some can sing. Most can’t. Millions want to be actors, and thousands are. A handful of them are great. Some are quite good. And it’s always that way. The cream goes to the top.

Johnny [Carson] was sorry, at times, that he didn’t continue with magic as his profession. He showed me his treasured suitcase as a kid that said, “The Great Carsoni.”And I went home and got my Marine captain stepmother’s World War two footlocker, and wrote, “The Great Cavetti.” Aren’t we all glad -grateful, really- that “Steve Coheni” just doesn’t work!

But anyway, here is a man at the top of that pyramid… Steve Cohen.