Fresno Famous

Your dad

Hi there my name is Ron, I went to school with your dad from Elementry through Junior High, It was a sad day when I heard your dad died. I attempted to look at the myspace address you posted, but the page was not there. myspace/rono1957

My dad the Amazing Joe

If anybody remembers my dad the Amazing Joe, please visit myspace at theamazingjoe and you can see pics, videos and leave comments, thanks to all.

My dad the Amazing Joe

If anybody remembers my dad the Amazing Joe, please visit myspace at theamazingjoe and you can see pics, videos and leave comments, thanks to all.

idiot

you're a damn idiot

Joe Burrus

I am the third cousin of the man who knew the librarian of Joe's uncle's friend when he was a kid in the late 50's. I was saddened to read about his death just this year. I had no idea he died in 1986. He was a great magician. At least that's what my cousin's friend's uncle's third wife's priest said.

Amazing Joe Burros ...........

Joe was a good friend of my dad's (Steven Willingham) and when I was a kid Joe would always come over to our house and do magic tricks for us... I remember one time he put a silver dollar in one of our pepsi bottles (the glass ones) and told us that if we could get it out without breaking the bottle before he came back over the next weekend he would give us 10 bucks..... It gave my sister and I a weeks worth of fun and thinking but we never did get that silver dollar out.....

Joe was a good guy, loved to WOW people and did a damn good job at it too....

I'm sure my dad and him are kicking back in Heaven, lightin up a good one... =)

Not good on acid

I found this site searching for the video. Someone had it on TV when I was reallly really messed up on LSD and it was not cool.

Later on in the evening the same people had taken their dose and I was sobering up.. and it came on again. I made them watch it.

Just awful, but even worse on acid. Hard to explain the feeling.

I don't think it was a current affair, it was some "brush with death' show, and obviously this guy didn't just brush it, he became it. The moment where the mud heaves up then BLOOP it drops is heart wrenching.

Yep I remember that

I was on the air that night on KEZL and I remember people calling me in horror to tell me about the incident. We went out later and it seemed everyone was talking about it.

Joe jr,

I knew Joe and you i was in prison with him in Tenn. remember the magic show he did on the picnic area??? That even amazed an old convict like me, Joe loved those visits i know becouse i had to go back inside with him when visitation was over. man it was hell leaving our loved ones again but the joy we felt seeing loved ones was worth it Joe was my friend and i have never forgotten him,,fried and brother in life and in death..... DJ

fuck Brian ashkin

fucking florida spamer Brian ashkin for posting the fucked up message and link to another site.

Domain name: ultimatehypnosis.com
Administrative Contact:
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Brian ashkin (manhattanman2000@aol.com)
+1.9547269229
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Technical Contact:
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Brian ashkin (manhattanman2000@aol.com)
+1.9547269229
Fax:
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Registrant Contact:
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Brian ashkin ()

Fax:
7808 NW 60 Street
Tamara, FL 33321
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The Folly of Man

This is an odd discussion.

I’ve read both pages of comments and it’s unusual how many people here have claimed to either be related to Joe, or were there to dig him out. I feel sympathy for his family and anyone (especially children) that witnessed this terrible event. It is unfortunate some posters are not intellectually or emotionally honest enough to admit that Joe (accidentally) killed himself. The fault lies with Joe and Joe alone. It was Joe's stunt. Joe picked the people and equipment. If there was a breakdown along the way that resulted in his death, Joe is the one ultimately responsible.

It’s obvious this fatality was the result of poor planning, especially since there was no contingency should something go awry. Someone on this board even went so far as to proffer the excuse that Joe didn’t have enough money to test a lot of coffins, so he had to use what he had. Logic dictates that if crucial equipment doesn’t work you-don’t-go-forward. No one with a degree of common sense is going to get on a plane that MIGHT be safe to fly.

One thing that keeps popping up is Joe really wanted to be famous. It’s pathetic if you think about it. He appears to have been like someone facing down a freight train saying “Hey! Watch this!” What’s worse is that Joe was not the only victim that night. Imagine what kind of impact this not only had on his family members, but of strangers that were there. Children have enough issues to deal with and absolutely shouldn’t be subjected to the spectacle of a man’s death, especially because he has an ego that begs to be fed by fame and adoration.

The resultant psychological trauma for everyone present at the time of his death is undeniable. It’s not a little thing to watch someone die, especially for a child. It’s not a tangible injury like a broken arm, but it can follow someone for the rest of his or her life and should not be taken lightly. The fact that people discuss it nineteen-years after he was crushed illustrates that fact.

I wish all the best for his family and those that may have been scarred by his ignominious demise. It seems Joe actually got the fame he wanted, just not the way he wanted it.

Absolutely amazing

Joe was actually quite amazing, but I will say, the dumb ass with the wannabe statement should learn some respect, if he can't learn maybe someone needs to take him behind a shed and teach him some.

Dedicated?

Or stupid? What good magician doesn't plan his stunt to ensure his safety?

Joe was not a 'wannabe'

If anything, his stunt proved his skill as an escape artist. He had already slipped out of his chains and handcuffs when the coffin collapsed. To even make the attempt, to my mind, speaks of something more than skill. Call it 'chutzpah' or call it 'cojones,' it's something few people possess. Though he didn't plan it, i think this is the way he would have wanted to escape this world. In a blaze of glory, forever remembered as a fearless and dedicated magician.

Magicians make mistakes...

I've just spent a few minutes reading through some of the comments here. One poster suggested that because Joe was a Pro that he'd know about the weight of the concrete and therefore must have purposely faked the stunt. I can state that we often have a "show must go on" attitude once we've promoted an event. I know nothing about Joe or how he worked, but I can say that it isn't unusual for a magician to plan something dangerous and then push ahead at the last minute even if its starting to seem a bit dodgy. We generally don't want to disappoint our audience. So I guess what I'm saying is, this sure doesn't sound like a conspiracy to me. It sounds like an old fashioned showman who made an error in judgement and probably knew he might be in trouble going in. I'm sorry for his family, but very proud that they remember him so well. We magicians count on leaving a little magic behind.

Best Wishes,
Rick Bruce
The Wizard of Cambria

LAWL. TROLL.

LAWL.
TROLL.

CORRECTION IN MY COMMENT ABOUT MY GUESS ABOUT JOE BURRIS

Another guess I had after guessing part of Joe's criminal record was, the reason why I never knew about Joe's death until I saw the video, mainly about Bill's attempt, was because he was NOT famous for escape stunts. Just a criminal.

I had thought Joe had less concern for his life than Bill did

I had never seen this much of any video of Joe Burris's stunt that he died attempting. I watched Bill Shirk's stunt on tv, but not on the news, or as it happened. After Bill's attempt, they mentioned Joe Burris attempting the same stunt and was also unsuccessful and that he died. When they mentioned Joe after showing Bill's attempt, the first thing they showed before Joe's attempt which was only like 10 seconds long, were police searching him for anything illegal. Just from the looks of that clip, I assumed he was either a robber, or drug dealer, or similar. Even though not all suspects rob or do drugs. Still, my guess about part of his criminal record made me think Joe was even less concern for his life than Bill was for his own. Joe was way calmer during his stunt than Bill was during his own stunt. Another guess I had after guessing part of Joe's criminal record was, the reason why I never knew about Joe's death until I saw the video, mainly about Bill's attempt, was because he was now famous for escape stunts. Just a criminal. So I thought they either showed Joe's attempt only on the news, or also the moment it began. I saw Bill's attempt on World's Most Amazing Videos a couple of years ago, and even longer ago on Maury: Outrageous Moments Caught On Tape or some similar title of videos like this one that I like to watch only, but are less common on Maury. Once I started watching World's Most Amazing Videos and others similar, they became my favorite. In every episode. Unlike Maury. I have seen almost every episode, and I still enjoy watching them again.

Buried Alive

here is a link to the Criss Angle episode with a little bit of the Amazing Joe footage.

watch starting at the 3:15 time mark.
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=3875397309390065180&hl=en

here is another clip from a fox tv show.

Joe didn't die?

What the hell are you talkin' about?? Of course Joe died, I'm the guy who dug his body out of the ground. I put him in the ground and I took him out. I poured the cement as he instructed and when that coffin collapsed, he died from suffication. The immense weight of the cement and wet soil crushed him instantly and he couldn't fill his lungs to breathe. (assuming there was any air TO breathe) I pulled his body out and he was dead as he was stupid. The only thing I can figure, is that he must've had a death wish. Shortly after we had the coffin made, Joe jumped up and down on it and broke the lid. Yet, he insisted on doing the stunt. He was high when he did it, too. He smoked pot like there was no tomorrow, that's probably the REAL reason he died. When he was stoned, he thought he was really great.

the tape

my grandmother kathie has a copy of the tape. if you go by pauls transmission repair off of belmont and first, and tell my grandpa and uncles, gary and paul jr. who you are i'm sure they would give u her # to call and get the copy

THE GREAT AMAZING JOE, "UNCLE" JOE

HE WAS AN AMAZING MAN! AND SHAME ON ANY ONE WHO THINKS HE IS STILL ALIVE! MY MOM WAS GOOD FRIENDS WITH JOE AND SHE WAS THERE WHEN THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED. MY MOM USED TO TRIM PALM TREES WITH HIM AND HELP OUT WITH HIS SHOWS! I REMEMBER HIM AND HIS BOYS COMING OVER TO MY GRANDMA'S HOUSE AND HE'D DO TRICKS FOR MY BROTHER AND I WHEN WE WERE LITTLE. HE WAS AN AMAZING MAN! MY SYMPOTHY GOES OUT TO HIS FAMILY, HAVING TO ENDURE THIS. I REMEBER UNCLE JOE EVERY HALLOWEEN! I WISH THE BEST FOR YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY JOE JR.
-SARAH RUTLEDGE
Gay Cron's daughter.

joe burrus

Respond if you like but i was there when this stunt was performed my brother was 1 of the assistants and they did follow instructions and tried to tell him it was not going to work but when joe said do it or i will get others to do it they helped him better them that had worked with him help that night then those that had never did it before.

I am writing because a lot

I am writing because a lot of people are saying negative things about my dad the Amazing Joe. My dad died on Halloween night in 1990 at Blackbeards in a freak accident. I along with my entire family was there in the front row and know that he indeed did die. He did not fake his own death, he is not living somewhere else, he is dead, his ashes are at my house. I was there when he was pulled out of the grave, I have the video and have watched it numerous times and know he is dead. He had dirt and cement under his fingernails which indicated he fought for his life and suffered until the end. Many people say he poorly planned his show, and he did to some extent poorly plan the stunt, but he did not have a lot of money to test several coffins. He did however successfully complete the stunt a year before in Salem Oregon. The second time he did use a plexiglass coffin as well as cement, however the cement was only supposed to be a half a foot on the top of the grave so he could write his name after escaping. After watching the video, you could see there was well over 4 feet of cement poured into a 7 foot grave. The poor planning can also be blamed on his assistants for not following directions. I am proud to call the Amazing Joe my dad and know if he had made it out he would be bigger than Chris Angel, David Blane or anybody else who may come up. Magic was his life, he died at 32 years old and was doing magic over half of his life. The Amazing Joe is dead, but definately not forgotten and I guarantee his story will be told very soon. To those who have said nice things about him, thank you and to those who have said negative things, please shut up, if you don't know the truth, ask me. Thank you----Joe Burrus Jr.

are you kidding me

I am the daughter in law of the "Amazing Joe Burrus." I married his oldest son, Joe. To those who believe that he "faked" his death or that he is still alive, this is to inform you that in fact, he was cremated. His remains are in my home along with the cremation certificate. I never met him and until 8 years ago never knew about him. But when I met my husband and watch the home videos of his magic shows as well as coverage of that fateful nite, I was mortified. What hurts the most is that he wasn't present at our wedding, at least not in body, and he's not around to enjoy his grandchildren. I know my kids would have loved the magic shows as my husband still does some of his tricks.

I hope this puts to rest all of the rumors of him being alive. It would be an honor to actually meet him but it will not happen as long as I'm living

Josh Burris

Hi Josh-
After some 20+ years I can still picture your Dad talking to me and handing out the flyers a few nights before the trajedy. He had an energy about him that was magnetic. I wish I had got to know him better. The brief encounter with him reminds me of something Buckminster Fuller said about himself: "I seem to be a verb". IOW, your Dad was moving/flowing/full of energy.
I'm sorry you have to endure some of the non-sensical comments on this board. My best to you and your family. You were blessed to have such a Dad!
Scott
Capitola, CA

The Amazing Joe Burris

I was working in Fresno and staying at a motel that was "U" shaped and had a bar in the middle of the U shape near the road. About 2 or 3 days before Halloween and Red haired guy came in and was passing out Orange flyers and telling people to 'come see him' on Halloween night. It was Joe Burris himself. Just seemed like a high energy guy trying to drum up business. We said hi and I told him I might come see the show on Halloween. Sure glad I didn't. Felt really bad for his family for a long time. Worst part was that many people had cautioned him about the weight of concrete versus dirt, and he ignored their concerns.
RIP Joe

i heard all that shit had to

i heard all that shit had to do with ms-13.

Maybe that crazy Pipe Lady knows where he is.

She is into digging stuff up!
I bet she knows the real truth.

Joe was not cremated because

Joe was not cremated because Joe did not die! Cremation was just part of the cover up. It was known to many that Joe Burris was afraid of fire. Do you think that he would have been cremated? This was done to put a completion to Joe's life for those who might want to have harmed him. My source was correct and items such as this just continues to prove the point. Joe did not die that Halloween night, at least not physically. Amazing Joe is dead, but Joe Burris continues to live in seclusion under an assumed alias.

OC register story

http://www.aintnowaytogo.com/burrus.htm

Apparently a story that ran in the OC Register.

amazing joe

hi my name is josh i'm amazing joes youngest son, and u guys all r a bunch of idiots how can u say he didnt die?? i was there i seen it he was cermamted my brother and i share the urn.

Death at Blackbeards

Wow, do not remember that story. Why have I not heard of it since then? Reminds me of the scene in Kill Bill Vol. 2 where Uma Thurman it buried alive.

This makes no sense at all.

This makes no sense at all. In order to get that type of a deal, he would have to testify at trial. That's the deal when you flip and go to the feds. You have to testify later at trial. Did Amazing Joe ever walk into a federal courthouse and start singing? If not, then you know he died that night.

made up

if that was true then who's corpse did they dig out of the muddy earth?

you failed to mention that it had recently rained that day and the soil was heavy because of the water saturation.

I heard years ago from a

I heard years ago from a very good source that The Amazing Joe did not die that evening as many were lead to believe. The story that I heard was that Joe had some very important information that members of law enforcement were interested. The story goes on to be that Joe worked out a deal with these members of law enforcement, but was fearful for his life for being a "rat". The info dealt with Joe witnessing something very bad by some people in Southern California (russian mob I believe). The agreement was similiar to a witness relocation program, only with Joe faking his death and to be given a new identity and moved to another geographical location. Even his son has commented on this board on how great of a magician that Joe was, and I believe him. There is no way that a professional magician would test a plexiglass casket trick by using only dirt instead of the concrete that was used that evening. Joe knew that concrete was heavier than just plain 'ol dirt, he was a professional right? This was all just a way to get out of some trouble, and it seems to have worked. Anyway, if anyone knows the whereabouts of "The Amazing Joe" please post your info on this board. I, for one would love to hear his side of the story firsthand. Anyway, the person in power that Joe allegedly witnessed is no longer alive and poses no threat to Joe in any way.

Footage

I dug him out that night. Do you stil lown a copy, I would like to see it after all these years.

Amazing Joe Video

Shawn:

I dug the guy out of the ground. Do you still have the video? It has been a long time since I thought about that incident and wondered if anyone still had footage.

Lighthouse at Blackbeards

Here's one some of you Fresno people may have forgot from the 1980's

target="_blank">The Lighthouse at Blackbeards

Didnt something happen with

Didnt something happen with the pirate ship too??

Criss Angels episode Buried Alive

If you want to see some old footage of the Amazing Joe tragedy, look for a rerun of Criss Angels Mind Freak episode 'Buried Alive'. They briefly talk about the Amazing Joe stunt going wrong.

The Amazing Joe

I was working at KKDJ at the time. It was horible His wife and kids were there. There were posters all over town promoting the stunt. Everyone started stealing them. Mix 1027 was the sponcer!

Gnarley Charley Kiss Country

Amazing Joe

Three years ago after experiencing a ghost in my house and it freaking me out, I asked the next door neighbor if he knew who lived in my house through the years. He told me that no one died in the house that he can think of because he was around when it was built. This is a 30-40yr old house. Anyway he gave me five or six tenants and said that two women was friends with Amazing Joe. He would park his vehicle outside and spend the night at times. Just friends he said. Another thing, im not getting at that maybe he is the ghost, the ghost was child size. It was pitch dark but with the moon light somewhat coming into the house we saw a figure walking into my childs room (We wouldnt have seen the ghost if we had not heard the tacked up papers on my wall near my door by hallway next to my daughters room move back and forth) Its like i focused on the papers but then looked to the left to see the ghost going into her room.That night she was sleeping in our room,my husband didnt know it at that time because she was at the foot of our bed. He gets up to see if she was ok but me on the other hand knew that it wasnt her because i could feel her by my feet. I just watched to see what he was going to do. He turned on the light,went into her room and pooked his head out and looked puzzled. We went back to bed and now leave at least one light on everynight. And boy do i yell at my husband if he turns it off. I say that if i ever see it again even though no problem (nice ghost) I will move out so fast that he wont be able to stop me especially if it comes right up to me. By the way, we or should I say I havent seen it since. That was 3yrs ago,weve lived in this house over 10years. Yes there are ghosts walking or should i say floating around. If you dont believe me try turning your lights out once in awhile and look around, you just might see one or two. Haha. Rest in peace Amazing Joe. Oh and if you decide to come by and visit,give me advance notice so im not home,Joe! Happy Halloween.

Im Sorry

Since no one else has made any mention of your presence and their lack of tact, as much as i adore most of those involved, is a shame, i will apologize on their behalf for speaking of the deceased in such a crass manner.
unbeknownst to them, you are among the subscribers....that is if, you are in fact, the Amazing Joe's son.
so sorry. for your loss and our ignorance.
i remember that. and it was a shame.

She was....

either on the highwire, or spinning on one of those ropes that had a loop at the end and they put their neck through. I remember when it happened. It was mid-70's. The girl nextdoor was there, and she said they moved the spotlight away really quickly, had people over there and acted like nothing happened.

circus death

I kind of remember hearing stories of that, I think my cousin's may have gone to that show.

Was it a tight-wire walker who did not use a net?

I thought

I thought that watching a gal performer at the circus fall and die on the concrete floor of Selland arena was worse.

My dad

My dad was the Amazing Joe, and I don't appriciate all of the negative things about my dad. People are only going by what they heard on TV or read in the paper. My dad was a very successfull magician and excape artist, He died when he was 32 and was doing illusions since he was 18. He had excaped from many tricks and died during one mistake that was the fault of his assistants. He was not an idiot or stupid or anything else that people are calling him. He did not have a lot of money to to extensive testing on some of his stunts. But he was foolish in a lot of ways. He was desperate to be famous to provide a good life for my brother and I, and if he were alive today, he would be better than David Blane or Chris Angel. He made a lot of mistakes that anybody desperate for fame would have made. Nobody knows about the many good things he did while alive and even after death. When he died, his eyes were donated to two young girls who were blind and they can now see because of him. I wish people would not talk shit unless they know the facts. Its too bad people are that way, but unfortunately they are. I hope this sheds a little light on the situation. By the way if anybody has a tape of that night, let me know, I haven't even seen it. Thanks.

who are you

I did work at Blackbeard's and I want to know who this is.

what

I am the Amazing Joe's son, and I want to know who claimed to be his wife, he was not married when he died.