Where I Stand — Siegfried & Roy: A town of survivors

Friday, Sept. 1, 2000 | 10:46 a.m.

Editor's note: Today's Where I Stand guest columnists are illusionists Siegfried & Roy.

Because of what has become an intriguing test of life on television, summer 2000 will go down in history as the "Summer of Survival." Sixteen people from all walks of life battled and tested all the odds in a quest for the ultimate payback ... a million dollars.

But did they?

Aren't we all survivors? Don't we test life every single day until the end? Don't we confront the surprises thrown at us on a daily basis?

We, too, are survivors.

We had a poor childhood in war-torn Germany. We had family, yet we were alone. We grew up being told that we were no good and that we were going to be nothing.

We each had a bedroom. There was a bed. There were no toys, computer or television. There was no support, no love. But we had our imaginations. We had fantasies. We had a radio and made pictures from the words we heard.

We met by chance on a ship. We each had a suitcase full of dreams; our minds were canvases painted with hope. We didn't set any boundaries, so our spirits could fly free.

We survived the daily rigors of any performances we could find across Europe. We did it alone, more concerned about our animals than ourselves.

Then we arrived in Las Vegas only to be told, "Magic doesn't work in this city." Our imagination, which was our reality, had us already performing on stage. To us, this wasn't an illusion, it was real.

We were already ordinary guys with an extraordinary life.

It was a matter of believing. The brightest and darkest lay next to each other. You just have to view it from your point of view, which part you want to take. Pain is part of the road to survival; gain is irrelevant. Without going through the pain, it's not worthwhile.

We had already created our world, always seeing the possibilities. We had established our destiny.

We faced each challenge, temptation and demon. These are all parts of the road to survival.

We set trends. We continued our commitment, for ours was not just a job; we had a destiny, a lifelong fulfillment. Our pocketbook did not measure our state of mind and fame.

Our level of success is measured by the achievements that brought back the royal white tigers and magical white lions from the brink of extinction, sharing them again with the world and for future generations to enjoy.

It may seem that we have achieved everything we ever wanted. To that we respond ... the day that you're satisfied, you're dead.

We are like Las Vegas, the city, not only that we work in, but also that we have called our home for more than 30 years. We reinvent ourselves all the time.

We and Las Vegas have grown together. We have both evolved. We have both created our own cultures.

There's magic here. There's the magic we create on stage for our audiences, and then there's the magic created by the people who live here. It's a one-of-a-kind place. It's incredible how we have seen it grow and survive since we arrived here. Now you can travel the world without leaving the Strip.

We came here with a head full of dreams and a cool cat on a leash. But it still had the magic. It was a canvas that any magician could paint any picture on ... that's why it became home.

Las Vegas is a city we love, and that love has been returned a hundred fold.