* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * New Zealand's MagicNZ e-zine * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #62 Date: Sunday 25th February 2001 Editor: Alan Watson www.magician.co.nz www.alan-watson.com e-mail alan@watson.co.nz ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editors Message 2. The Magic Circle Heritage Auction 3. Martin Lewis Lecture Tour 2001 4. The Blue Room 5. Re: Price Under Cutting 6. Tony Griffith (UK) will be lecturing in the USA 7. Leave for United Arab Emirates 8. Wolfgang Riebe Lecture Tour 9. The Phoenix Gathering 2001 10. 'The Gimmick' Back to Life 11. Next Australian International Convention - June 7-10, 2002 12. The Orchante Saga #18 13. Diarise these events 14. MagicNZ e-zine archives 15. Subscription Management ------------------------------------ 1. Editors Message ------------------------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One NOT to be missed, Peter Marucci article "In Your Ear!" will appear in next weeks issue. As Peter says "It may be frustrating for a lot of magicians but, sometimes, the simplest things have the strongest impact on a lay audience." If you enjoy reading the MagicNZ e-zine please e-mail it to a magical friend. Just received a message from Robin saying that Mike Easterbrook ended up in hospital on Thursday after fracturing his heel bone. Will post more detail soon. Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: alan@watson.co.nz ---------------------------------- 2. The Magic Circle Heritage Auction ---------------------------------- Michael Bailey (UK) President The Magic Circle Vernon * Chung Ling Soo * Goldin * Charlton * Servais Le Roy * Harbin * Maskelyne * Devant * Martinka * Just some of the star names featured in THE MAGIC CIRCLE HERITAGE AUCTION at The Centre for the Magic Arts Sunday 6th May 2001 (part of The Second Heritage Weekend) Following the success of the auction at the first Heritage Weekend in 1999, The Magic Circle offers for sale another spectacular array of material superfluous to its own holdings and on behalf of other vendors. The material will include posters, apparatus, books, catalogues, signed photographs and other memorabilia of quality. Admission to the Auction and a copy of the catalogue is part of the inclusive Heritage Weekend ticket (see advertisement in this issue). The illustrated catalogue (giving entry to Auction) can be purchased separately at a cost of just £10 ($20 inc airmail postage). The catalogue can be ordered now for delivery in April. Send your name and address together with a cheque (payable to The Magic Circle) or credit card details to The Magic Circle Heritage Auction 12 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD, UK or by fax on 020 7387 5114 The Auctioneer is Henry Lewis FSVA MIMC Bids by post or fax will be accepted; full details in the catalogue ---------------------------------- 3. Martin Lewis Lecture Tour 2001 ---------------------------------- Message from Susanne Lewis (US) M A R T I N L E W I S "Visiting Magician of the Year" (Magic Castle) and his BRAND NEW LECTURE Can be seen: March 2nd - IBM 55 - Phoenix, AZ - N March 5th - IBM 46 - Oklahoma City, OK - N March 6th - IBM 65 Tulsa, OK - N March 8th - IBM 286 Longview, TX - N March 10th - SAM 52 IBM 18 San Antonio, TX - N March 11th - H&R Magic Books Humble (Huston) TX - N March 13th - IBM 308 Searcy, AK - N March 15th - IBM 27 New Orleans, LA - N March 18th - IBM 194 Huntsville, AL - N March 19th - IBM 9 Atlanta, GA - O March 23rd - Richard Parker Tallahassee, FL - N March 28th - IBM 252 Fairfax, VA - N April 2nd - IBM 4 Rochester, NY - N April 4th - IBM 50 Washington, DC - N April 5th - Pino Magic NY, NY - O April 10th - Marc deSouza Philladelphia, PA - N April 11th - IBM 94 Hagerstown, MD - N April 12th - DKOM Wilmington, DE - N April 14th - Denny & Lee Baltimore, MD - N April 16th - SAM 24 Albany, NY - O April 20-22nd - Cape Cod Conv. North Falmouth, MA - N April 24th - IBM 122 Boston, MA - O April 25th - Perfect Magic Montreal, Canada - O April 26th - IBM 17 Toronto, Canada - O April 29th - IBM 205 Findlay/Lima OH - N May 1st - IBM 22 Detroit, MI - N May 2nd - Midwest Magic Chicago, IL - N May 3rd - IBM 68 Toledo, OH - N May 4th - IBM 71 Cincinatti, OH - N May 7th - SAM 31 Indianapolis, IN - O May 8th - IBM 64 Louisville, KY - N May 10th - IBM 58 Knoxville, TN - N May 14th - IBM 56 Henderson, IN - O May 15th - IBM 132 Springfield, MO - N May 17th - IBM 129 Kansas City, MO - N May 18th - SAM 7 Omaha, NE - N May 19th - Twin Cities St. Paul, MA - N May 21st - IBM 304 Thunder Bay, Canada - O May 22nd - IBM 40 Winnipeg, Canada - O May 24th - IBM 250 Ft. Collins, CO - N May 25th - MHMS Denver, CO - N May 29th - IBM 193 Salt Lake City, UT - N June 16th - IBM 96 Long Beach, CA - N Sept - Hocus Pocus Fresno, CA - N Sept - IBM 192 Sacramento, CA - N Sept - Misdirections San Francisco, CA - N Sept 8rd - IBM 225 Spokane, WA *) Sept IBM - 70 Tacoma, WA *) Sept 10 - Tony Perri Reno, NV - N Sept 12 - SAM 78 Las Vegas, NV - N PLEASE NOTE: Some clubs want to see the brand new (=N), some the original lecture (=O), Contact: susi@magikraft.com Susanne Lewis Tel/Fax: 909 247 1666 www.magikraft.com ---------------------------------- 4. The Blue Room ---------------------------------- Message from Sefton Pryce (NZ) I've still hadn't had much success in regards of the Blue Room topic I posted. As I'm doing a lot of research into this effect I believe there was a write up in a magazine does anyone have a copy of the article? ------------------------------------- 5. Re: Price Under Cutting ------------------------------------- Dave Harris (NZ) When I first started doing my klowning thing I was quite cheap and a lot cheaper than the other people in Dunedin. The main reason was not that I was there to under cut anyone else, I considered that I was charging what I was worth. My opposition who tried to undercut me are now out of business. It seems to me that people often do not set out to undercut anyone. If you are new to things you might not know what others charge, you might not be very good yet...I charge about the same as the others in Dunedin because I am now good enough. If you think you are being undercut and are losing business maybe you need to look at how much you charge? If that is not the problem you could increase your marketing. Many customers ring a former employee of mine who has gone solo that rings me to compare prices. I get the work as I am a lot better, I often things that she cannot and that is why I get it. I know what she can and cannot do and I make sure that I can do what she does and I can do what she can't. Being in Dunedin gives me an advantage because I am the only local klown, of any quality. (We have a lot of good magicians) I do not see under cutting as a problem, what really irks me more is local business losing work to out of towners. Is that fair? No reflection on you Nick but you were at the Dunedin 150th events at Forbury Park being paid to entertain which you did and VERY well. BUT what frustrated me was no Dunedin Entertainers were getting the work. I contacted the city council time and time again but "we don't need you" It is not your fault of course but it is really frustrating being told we would rather have out of towners! Is that fair?" ------------------------------------- 6. Tony Griffith (UK) will be lecturing in the USA ------------------------------------- Message from Tony Griffith (UK) Saturday 19th May - Raleigh NC Sunday 20th May - Winston Salem NC Tuesday 22nd May - Lynchburg, VA Thursday 24th May - Washington DC Friday 25th May - Baltimore MD Tuesday 29th May - Norfolk VA Tony and Judith will be looking forward to meeting new and old friends in the former colony www.tonygriffith.co.uk ------------------------------------- 7. Leave for United Arab Emirates ------------------------------------- Message from Paul Romhany (NZ) Leave for United Arab Emirates on 26th February for three weeks work in United Arab Emirates where I will be working and staying at the Renaissance Hotel, doing my Chaplin shows several times a day plus playing piano and close-up magic at night, all as Charlie Chaplin. The shows with my Chaplin stage shows and at night Charlie takes over the hotel as I play piano and do bar magic. It sure will be a full packed three weeks. Leave on the 22nd arrive in Sydney on the morning of the 23rd March to open for a Las Vegas Entertainer that night ... two shows a night plus other corporate work around Sydney. Will be home in New Zealand around the 3rd April. ------------------------------------- 8. Wolfgang Riebe Lecture Tour ------------------------------------- Wolfgang Riebe (South Africa) Wolfgang Riebe will be presenting his Magic Castle lecture at the Singapore IBM Ring on 24 March and at the Hong Kong IBM Ring on 26 March. Any magicians that want to meet up while I am in the Far East, email me at entertrainer@wolfgangriebe.com ------------------------------------- 9. The Phoenix Gathering 2001 ------------------------------------- Message from Eric Henning (US) The Most Unusual Magic Gathering In The World Is Coming Back! The Phoenix Gathering 2001 http://www.phoenixgathering.com May 31st - June 4th, 2001 Owings Mills (near Baltimore), Maryland, USA !! Register NOW at http://www.phoenixgathering.com !! WHY REGISTER? BECAUSE ONLY ONE HUNDRED (100) PAYING ATTENDEES WILL + MEET Guest of Honor: HIAWATHA (Featured on PBS' "The Art of Magic") + LEARN the "Real Work" with: Alain Nu Tatiana Nu Stan Davis Just Alan John Tudor & Rebecque Margaret Steele Kevin Dunn Harley Newman + HANG OUT with surprise visitors (in 2000 they included Bob Neale, Bob Fitch, Hiawatha and Brother Shadow!) + RECEIVE Powerful Feedback Sessions where caring, working pros will critique your "work in progress." + JOIN Small Circle discussion groups where friends help you take YOUR magic to the next level! + WITNESS the most amazing close-up and street magic in private performances exclusively for Phoenix Gathering attendees! + EXPERIENCE "The Language of Magic," GALA EVENING SHOW featuring some of the most creative, unusual acts in magic! + ENJOY the "between" times to hang out, make new friends and catch with old ones, where a good deal of the REAL magic happens! (We cannot CONFIRM or deny rumours that this year Jeff McBride will be popping in!) NO CONTESTS - everyone helps each other grow MAGIC MARKETPLACE - for attendees, not dealers, with their OWN creations for sale Whether you are a full-time pro, part-time pro, or amateur "lover" of magic - IF YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR MAGIC MORE MAGICAL, then PHOENIX GATHERING 2001 is for you! http://www.phoenixgathering.com WHY REGISTER NOW? http://www.phoenixgathering.com BECAUSE - Before March 1, 2001, registration (which includes all events) is only US$250.00. - After March 1, 2001, the price goes up to US$300.00 - Hotel rooms go quickly. - Most of last year's participants are returning to PHOENIX GATHERING 2001 BECAUSE....of the wonderful things YOU'LL DO! DON'T MISS IT! http://www.phoenixgathering.com ------------------------------------- 10. 'The Gimmick' Back to Life ------------------------------------- Message from Salil Kumar Kundu - Solyl Kundu, (India) 'The Gimmick' - a quarterly magic magizette, Edited and Published by me ran for continuous 16 years before it came to an end due to my ill health and financial crunches in 1998. Many well known magical personalities like late Edwin Hooper, late Bruce Posgate, late Tony 'Torino' Kardyro, late Sid Lorraine, Ian Adair, Bob Olson, George Johnstone and many others used to contribute to that little publication. Now I have decided to bring the 'The Gimmick' back to life. It will be published from April 2001 once in every three months. And I request one and all to support this magizette. Please send articles and news for publication. Dealers are requested to send their ads and products for review. For details, please send e-mails to Solyl Kundu at solylkundu@yahoo.com ---------------------------------- 11. Next Australian International Convention - June 7-10, 2002 ---------------------------------- Message from Kent Blackmore (Aust) While we're not at the point of releasing any formal publicity, people might like to know that a committee is active, made up of members of both Geniis and IBM Ring 102. It is quite likely that we will be back at the same venues which proved so excellent in 1998, the Riverside Theatre and the Carlton (formerly 'Gazebo') hotel. The Convention dates are planned for June 7-10, 2002. ---------------------------------- 12. The Orchante Saga #18 ---------------------------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) 'SO - YOU'RE A FIRE-EATER! NAME YOUR POISON!' THE FUEL - back in the 'Dark Ages', fire-eaters used petrol, until they started turning a lovely shade of blue - from Lead poisoning. These days, most use Lighter fuel, and some mix up exotic combinations. Kerosene, which is very slow burning, makes for great fire-balls, but it stinks. Many years ago I realised that blowing the biggest, longest fire-ball DID NOT mean you were a 'great' fire-eater - presentation and entertainment value rode high above all other factors. The biggest complaint I've heard continuously, for years, from bookers the world over, is the terrible black smoke, stench, blackened ceilings, and soot that fire-eaters left behind in the venues - and on the customers. I resolved to find a fuel which was practically smokeless, and which did not stink out the venues. In Sydney Australia, I spent considerable time with the Chemists at the Shell Refinery discussing the problem - they mixed up all sorts of concoctions - finally came up with one they called, appropriately, 'Shellite', which worked very well - enabled me to perform in venues which wouldn't touch fire-eaters with barge poles. When we immigrated to Britain in 1985, I could not find 'Shellite' in the country, so started the whole process over again at a big Refinery in Edinburgh, Scotland. They finally came up with a product called Petroleum Ether -- it was fantastic - far better than the Australian Shellite, but, it was lethal, in more ways than one, as I was to find out ten years later. It was so volatile and had such a low boiling point that static - or a decent sneeze - could set it off!, so it had to be transported in a special container. It was totally clean burning and odour free - burnt very brightly, and produced an extremely hot flame. The heat was unbelievable. It took some time, even with hypnosis to get used to it - and boy was it fast - deadly fast. I used to blow fire-balls 20 feet plus, no problem, with the Shellite, but with this stuff - maybe 10 feet. If you tried to hold more in the mouth, to spray out, you just wouldn't get it out quick enough. Blowing multiple fire balls was totally out of the question. You couldn't just buy the stuff at a Hardware store - it was only available at chemical Laboratories - had to sign for it, as it is supposed to be for professional use only in Laboratories. Over the ten years I used this stuff, I must have gone through countless gallons of it. 1995 - I've gone to a supplier, as I am running low, and the chemist says 'oh, by the way, you had better have these'. He gave me a large envelope on which was written in large red lettering IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS! AS REQUIRED BY LAW:- HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK ACT. The Chemicals (Hazard information and packing for supply) regulations 1994. THIS ENVELOPE CONTAINS SAFETY DATA SHEETS FOR CHEMICALS SUPPLIED ON YOUR ORDER. There were four A4 sheets - most of the information was way above my head, and intended for laboratory technicians. Here are the 'bits' relevant to me. 'Petroleum spirit 40 - 60 degrees C. Skin contact: wash skin thoroughly with water. OBTAIN MEDICAL ATTENTION Handle with gloves; high grade PVC Eye Protection; Goggles or face shield Other precautions; Plastic apron, sleeves, and boots. Flash Point -45 degrees C Explosion limits; Lower 1% Upper 8% Toxicological information: After inhalation of vapours, Irritation symptoms in the respiratory tract. After ingestion: nausea. Risk of aspiration upon vomiting. Possible symptoms; pneumonia. After absorption; headache, dizziness, agitation, spasms, unconsciousness. Cardiovascular failure, respiratory paralysis. For those who may be interested, here is an excerpt from a letter written to my doctor by the Consultant Physician; Quote; 'I saw this interesting man in the clinic today, and spent some time discussing with him our clinical findings.... Going back into the history - he certainly has variable symptoms, and his wife feels he has been breathless on exertion for about 7 years, but symptoms have obviously increased since..... He has also inhaled significant fumes in his fire-swallowing activities. He is going to give me details of the fuel he has been using over the last 10 years....... His transfer factor for carbon monoxide is very low at 25% and I am sure this is explained by significant emphysema.' Unquote. I CURSE THE DAY I STARTED USING THE PETROLEUM SPIRIT - IT HAS COST ME MY LIVELIHOOD AND MY LIFE. However, I've still got my sense of humour - a little sick at times - okay, very. I'm still breathing, with Nebulised drugs - oxygen tanks will come next, and after that, well, we all have to go sometime. Self-hypnosis and a positive attitude keeps depression at bay 99% of the time. I've got a loving wife, and 'me mate, Martin' helps keep me happily insane with our own brand of medicine, and a lot of folks around the world seem to enjoy my misadventures via Alan's e-zine. Thank you, All.. NOW - WHO WANTS TO BE A FIRE-EATER? NEXT WEEK - 'Beds of Nails? Ooooh - OUCH!' ------------------------------------- 13. Diarise these events ------------------------------------- The 26th NZ Magician's Convention will be held at the Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre, Mt Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand from Thursday 27 December 2001, and concluding with a New Year's Eve Celebration on Monday 31 December 2001 ------------------------------------- 14. MagicNZ e-zine archives ------------------------------------- Back issues of the MagicNZ e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: ezine Password: newzealand When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001nov0699.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (nov06) and the last next two numbers the year (99) If you want to print copies of MagicNZ e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/ezine-archive ------------------------------------- 14. Subscription Management ------------------------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the MagicNZ e-zine: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html MagicNZ e-zine is published weekly, on Sunday. The opinions expressed in this e-zine are those of the individual contributors. Neither MagicNZ or Alan Watson can vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via MagicNZ e-zine. We reserve the right to correct any errors or omissions as we see fit. >> This publication may be freely redistributed to other magicians if copied in its ENTIRETY << (c) Copyright 2001 Alan Watson