I've been at the extreme fringe of magic--and not the mascara-wearing and body mod end either--for about 40 years. I have no skill, no repertoire of tricks that I can use to entertain, but I do have a couple of things to say.
Recently, BoingBoing.net published this item about R. Paul Wilson's forthcoming documentary on magic featuring interviews with some of the leading performers and thinkers in the field.