Rob Zabrecky
Rob Zabrecky is one of LA’s most interesting natives. —LA Weekly
There’s simply no other entertainer like Rob Zabrecky. Through a wide range of artistic work that spans acting, magic, and music, Rob Zabrecky has established himself globally as an original entertainer. In film, he’s best known for his roles in A Ghost Story (directed by David Lowrey), Lost River(Directed by Ryan Gosling), and Decay (directed by Joseph Wartnerchaney. In television he’s appreared in guest and co-star roles in Lady Dynamite, GLOW, Angie Tribeca, Comedy Bang! Bang! and many others. Currently, he’s shooting a reoccuring co-star role for the CBS biopic series, Strange Angel, based on the life of rocket scientist Jack Parsons. As a magician, he has invented a magical world through a series of strange and beautiful effects which he combines with remarkable timing and sensational theatrical edifice. His absurdist and deadpan humor have delighted audiences from Tokyo to New York City. Recognized for his efforts, he has received five awards by the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle. His performance on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us was widely praised and has been viewed on YouTube over a million times. Zabrecky’s career began as a musician while being the singer- songwriter and bassist for the Los Angeles group Possum Dixon, who released three albums on Interscope Records during the 1990s. Currently you can find Zabrecky performing magic or on his new series OTHER SIDE with ZABRECKY who’s guest have included Jack Black, Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, Kate Flannery among others.
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About Strange Cures
Strange Cures is a turbulent, against-all-odds memoir of self-discovery, success, failure, and reinvention, told by one of LA’s most interesting natives. With an unflinching gaze, musician/magician/actor Zabrecky recounts his bizarre coming-of-age tale and his quest to find a place in the arts—and the world. The author reveals a young life filled with both physical miracles and subversive role models, including an uncle who impersonated an FBI agent and, in a drunken delusion, shot and nearly killed him. He takes readers on a roller coaster ride through the nascent days of Silver Lake’s music and art community, as seen through the lens of his critically acclaimed band, Possum Dixon. We explore the left-of-center landscape of Jabberjaw, LA’s independent coffeehouse which featured the early talents of Nirvana and Beck; Zabrecky’s own struggles with drug addiction, love, and recovery; and finally his re-emergence as a magician venturing into the sacred world of Hollywood’s Magic Castle. Strange Cures is a trip through the thrilling and hazardous landscape of Southern California at the close of last century. His story is a revelatory look inside the Los Angeles underground music world of the early 90s—as seen through the alleys and doorways from a key insider.
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Praise for Rob Zabrecky
“Zabrecky’s eccentricity is the result of a fearlessly lived and delightfully examined life. Strange Cures combines magic and music, knowledge and innocence, humor and pathos into a singular and unique narrative. His story is a weird and worthy subject. As is he.” — Jason Alexander, actor, comedian, director
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Strange Cures is as unique as the ultra-cool dude who wrote and lived it.
— Paul Reubens
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“Zabrecky’s memoirs are surprising, addictive, terrifying, magical. He careens through childhood, rock and roll, and popular entertainment by driving on the shoulder, passing on the right, and then playing bumper cars with the cold, hard truth. You’re in for a fantastic ride.” — Jim Steinmeyer, President of the Magic Castle, author, inventor
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“Strange Cures chronicles Rob Zabrecky’s offbeat and amazing life. A suburban kid from Southern California, Zabrecky Houdini’d himself from the underground Silverlake rock’n’roll scene —and the substance abuse that went along with it — and miraculously transformed himself as one of the most renowned magicians in the world. You won’t be able to put this book down.” — Pleasant Gehman, author of Showgirl Confidential, poet, dancer,
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“With Strange Cures, Rob at last reveals the origins of the many oddly-formed pieces that add up to this puzzle of a man. A fascinating and harrowing autobiography of a true American original. ” — Gregg Turkington, comedian, actor, musician
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“Strange Cures is the odyssey of an artist possessed by ever-expanding creativity. Zabrecky’s unique craft in music, magic and acting have established him as an American cult figure three times over. The price paid for his commitment to performance provides tragic underpinnings to the triumph of Strange Cures. This book should be the fix that elevates the artist beyond cult status for once and all.” — Allan MacDonell, author of Punk Elegies, Prisoner of X and Now That I Am Gone
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“Strange Cures is an absolute SCREAM!” — Cassandra Peterson, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
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“Zabrecky is one of the most extraordinary people I know. The thought of his memoir makes one of my nipples tingle.” — Derren Brown, mentalist, illusionist, and author
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“Rob Zabrecky has long been one of the most unique and fascinating characters LA has to offer, and now he has become one of the city’s all-time great chroniclers as well. Strange Cures is a hilarious and incredibly moving depiction of a nearly forgotten corner of the city that produced one of its most dynamic artistic flowerings. Destined to go down as one of the great LA novels. — Richard Rushfield, Vanity Fair contributor, author On Spec, Don’t Follow Me – I’m Lost
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“From deep inside the recesses of one of the world’s most exquisitely cool and talented people comes a riveting memoir, deftly told, by an enchanting rebel hero in a special time and place. Strange Cures is a thrill ride I never never wanted to end.”
–Stacey Grenrock-Woods, author, I California
–Stacey Grenrock-Woods, author, I California
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“Rob Zabrecky invites the skeletons from his closet for a cup of tea and a hit of crack in his revealing, engaging, and ultimately inspiring story.” — Steve Moramarco, musician
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“I shouldn’t have been surprised that one of the greatest performers and most interesting people I’ve ever known would have lived one of the most amazing and harrowing lives I’ve ever read about. If the fates smile on Zabrecky, the memoir about the next phase of his life won’t be nearly as fun a read.” — John Lovick, author, magician
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“Zabrecky has always been one of my favorite artists. Strange Cures reveals the twisted origins of his creativity and brilliance. I loved him before I read this book. I love him even more now.” – Derek DelGaudio, magician, performance artist
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“Zabrecky is the real deal —a true artiste who wears his remarkable talents and turbulent troubles with an unforgettable ghostly-face. Do yourself a favour, eschew the vanilla, and read this fearless, hysterical, and remarkable work.” — Andy Nyman, actor, writer, director, and magician
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There are some voices, some lives, some stories that so uniquely and powerfully make up the blood of Los Angeles’ pulsing, and Rob Zabrecky’s Strange Cures is without a doubt one of them. A breathtaking journey through music, addiction, revival and literal and metaphorical magic by one of LA’s most cherished and significant pillars makes Zabrecky’s trajectory a read you won’t soon forget.” — Amber Tamblyn, Actress, Author, Poet
Rothco Press...Famous Last Words
When longtime unscripted producers Rob Cohen and Christine Roth launched their boutique television development shingle Co-Conspiracy Entertainment in 2013, they never dreamed that it would also compel them to become publishers…again.
“Getting back into publishing is about getting back to our roots.” says Cohen. Cohen and Roth published the L.A.-based literary magazine and coffeehouse staple Caffeine in the early and mid ’90’s. Though they published the likes of Charles Bukowski, Allen Ginsberg, Dave Alvin and Pam Ward, Caffeine also nurtured an entire generation of writers and poets.
“We’ve always been about finding great stories and amazing characters. This is simply one more way we go about it,” says Roth.
So why start a publishing company...again? The way they saw it, it’s about selectivity and spotting trends. With the advent of e-publishing, there’s a flood of fiction and non-fiction books on the market, with more published every hour. That’s created is a logjam of content; opportunities to discover great works are lost, timely stories are passed over and forgotten. And no one has the facilities to process all these properties for the purpose of optioning them.
To answer that need, Roth and Cohen, one an editor and ghostwriter and the other a best-selling author whose own books have been optioned and turned into successful TV shows—used their producers’ savvy to identify those works and connect with authors whose books, whether new, self-published, or out-of-print, not only interested them but have film and TV potential.
