* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #222 Date: Sunday 7th December 2003 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com www.alan-watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor’s Message 2. "Golden Knight of the City Hall" - Magic Christian 3. Australian Magic Convention Update 4. Paul Daniels MasterClass 2004 - Jan 11th, 2004 - Las Vegas 5. Robert Lim Phang Wong, PJM 6. "Spooks On The Loose" 7. The Solution To The Knock-Off Problem 8. Martinka Auction XI Is Now Running 9. Lance Burton Entertains Children At Shriners & Handicapped Schools 10. Star Princess - Ross Skiffington 11. "The Dance" by Brad Henderson 12. Flicking Finger Helge Thun 13. The Amazing Orchante Saga 14. e-zine archives 15. Subscription Management ------------------ 1. Editor's Message ------------------- Message from Alan Watson – The Magic One I inadvertently sent out the wrong message with regards to Hans Klof!!! The message that should have been sent: Message from Kris Kardo It was reported in today's daily Dutch Newspaper "De telegraaf" that Hans Klof was bitten on the arm and his back by a tiger in performance. After his contact expires with the German Circus Althoff in mid January Hans said he will never use a tiger in his act again. ------------------- T.H.E.M means Totally Hidden Extreme Magic TV show Michele and I really enjoyed watching a talented team of young magicians perform outrageous tricks and stunts on the unsuspecting public in the 'Candid Camera' style magic special which was screened on TV two tonight here in New Zealand. We found it very entertaining and I am sure the program will be very popular with the public. ---------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ----------------- 2. "Golden Knight of the City Hall" - Magic Christian ----------------- Message from Magic Christian (Vienna) Some information about the distinction I got from the mayor of Vienna. It is the "Golden Knight of the City Hall". On special occasions the Mayor of Vienna gives this special award to persons which had made a name for their representation of Vienna worldwide especially for historical and cultural meanings. It is a six inch golden replica of the "Rathausmann", the knight on top of the City Hall. It was represented on November 21st 2003 to me by the Vice- Mayor of the City, Dr. Sepp Rieder on behalf of the Mayor Dr. Haeupl, who was unfortunately sick with the flue. ----------------- 3. Australian Magic Convention Update ----------------- Message from Tim & Sue-Anne Ellis (Aust) The 29th Australian Convention of Magicians is proud to announce a 5th International guest! PABLO KUSNETZOFF will be attending the convention with his friend HENRY EVANS and has agreed to perform one of his award-winning manipulation acts on the World Champions of Magic Stage show. Also Chris Murphy's Oz Illusions have joined us as a dealer. Check the convention website for more about Pablo, and all the latest convention news. http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/katzkin/AustralianConvention.htm ----------------- 4. Paul Daniels MasterClass 2004 - Jan 11th, 2004 - Las Vegas ----------------- Message from Andrew Lock (UK) Dear Fellow Magician, How would you like to benefit from the same techniques and knowledge that Paul Daniels has used throughout his career to become a magical multi-millionaire, a world-class entertainer and a household name in the UK? Due to the phenomenal success of the MasterClass series earlier this year, Paul is pleased to announce plans to offer a brand new, one day MasterClass in association with the World Magic Seminar 2004. If you would like to attend, you need to act fast. Visit: http://www.pdmasterclass.com for full details and you can take advantage of a special ticket offer, valid only until the end of December. ----------------- 5. Robert Lim Phang Wong, PJM ----------------- Message from Robert Lim Phang Wong (Malaysia) Robert Lim Phang Wong, PJM (Malaysia) write to say "THANK YOU VERY MUCH" for all the good wishes, visits, letters, phone calls, flowers and kind gifts that he received from all over the world. He is now recovering very well and still recuperating at the nursing home for another four to five months before returning to his residence, as follows: 21, Pintasan Dua Jalan Makloom 10150 Penang MALAYSIA Wishing all a Magical Christmas! ----------------- 6. "Spooks On The Loose" ----------------- Message from Vince Carmen Our Halloween Ghost show "Spooks on the Loose" at 6 Flags over broke all show records in October...Philip Morris & Mark Evans were our production team...Ghost Shows of the 60's are truly new again...best regards Vince Carmen ----------------- 7. The Solution To The Knock-Off Problem ----------------- Message from Tim Quinlan Last night, I read the story of two men with a group called Pirates With Attitude ("PWA"). The Feds (as opposed to the "Overly Feds," which describes me) claimed that the PWA folks were hacking software to take of the copy protection and thus allowed anyone on the Internet to download the software for free. This was premium software. PWA thought that because they did not charge for the downloads, they shouldn't be prosecuted of theft. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed. They stole, they got caught and now they go to jail. It got me thinking of a novel idea for the protection of inventor's rights in Magic. I don't know why this idea hasn't been suggested before - perhaps because it is either too obvious or unworkable. We, as magic-consumers, and we, as magic dealers/manufacturers, could be honest about what we are buying. You probably live in a much better neighbourhood than me so you might not be familiar with the guy that drives around in a van, pulls up a long side of you as you walk down the street, and offers to sell you great stereo equipment for rock bottom prices. I was offered a system that cost over $2,500.00 in the stores for $200.00 a while back. I didn't have the money on me as I walked down the street in my bad neighbourhood (near a major university) and I would like to think that even if I had $200.00, I wouldn't have bought the gear. "Where'd you get it?" I asked the salesperson who looked nervous and self-assured at the same moment. "Why?" he asked. "I'm just wondering," I responded. "I have a friend who had a store that went out of business and he didn't need it anymore so he sold it to me for nothing and I am just driving home. I have to get my money back before my wife finds out I spent it all on this equipment." Sounded plausible. Sure, that could be the case. I mean, it's possible that he had a friend who gave him a great break on stereo equipment and now the guy was having buyer's regrets enhanced by his knowledge that his wife would kill him if she found out he bought the stuff. But sounding plausible didn't cut it. It would be an excuse to allow me to suppress what I knew was really happening and allow me to excuse my participation in the transfer of stolen goods. Despite his explanation, I knew it wasn't the case. For me to buy the goods would make me a "fence" and a possessor of stolen goods. In our state, and probably yours as well, that is a crime punishable by more than a year in prison if the value of the goods exceeds $500.00 (the true value). The application to our current crisis in Magic isn't that difficult. Let's divide magicians and manufacturers into a few categories: first, brand-new magicians without any experience or knowledge of the craft's history; second, magicians with some knowledge of both the market place and the recent history; third, manufacturers or dealers just starting out in the business (such as a mom and pop shop); and finally fourth, experienced manufacturers or dealers that know the history of both the market place and the art of Magic. For the new magician, the seven to 14 year old boy or girl that saw David Blaine on television and now wants to learn to do tricks to impress friends or perhaps even perform in public, the standard is low. We should encourage them to purchase effects that they can perform and from the people possessing the right to sell them. Chances are, the younger magician will not be able to afford a counterfeit version of Origami. He or she will likely buy effects that are well-established in the Magic's public domain such as the Ball and Vase or Cups and Balls. The line of effects sold by Fun Incorporated are for the most part are tricks that fit this description. It would be helpful, though, as dealers and more senior magicians encounter these young students that they teach them about the craft's history and emphasize the need to respect the inventor's rights. They should be taught that magicians do not and should not purchase effects that are counterfeit or stolen from an inventor. It is not only a good practice, it is one of the requirements of our ethical agreement with several of the magic associations. The second type of magician, the amateur or semi-pro or pro, is best defined as a magician who should know better. We need to expect that a magician who has had even a slight knowledge of the business and the history of our Art knows or should know that it is very often not the cost of the prop that dictates price but the secret disclosed. As Carlos Blades has on his wall at the Garden City Magic Shop, "No Refunds. The Secret Is Told When the Trick Is Sold." I'm going out on a limb (but a sturdy one - even if I am one of the "Overly Feds") by suggesting all magicians know this maxim. It is the innovation in coming up with the secret to allow the presentation that we buy when we buy the trick. Certainly there are costs associated with the raw materials to assemble the product but we are primarily rewarding the innovator for developing the effect and the method to accomplish the effect. If you are with me so far - if you agree that a magician of virtually any experience beyond that of a child knows or should know that in purchasing the effect he is actually paying for the raw materials plus the innovation of the trick's inventor - the next part won't be that hard. Because we presume the magician knows or should know what he is truly buying, he has the added responsibility to buy the effect so that the correct person benefits from the purchase. If I were to have bought the stereo equipment from the back of the van, the nervous man selling it would receive the profit but the actual owner of the equipment would not be compensated. The actual owner in this case was likely not compensated at all - the stereo equipment was stolen from him. I had a responsibility to not enrich the person who either stole the equipment or received the stolen equipment. Why? Not just because the possession of stolen property is illegal but because it is the right thing to do. I would not want my 22 year-old Sony Betamax player stolen from my humble home and sold to a fence. It may not have much value to me but it is mine. (By the way, have you noticed there are less and less tapes available for the Beta format. The last "New Release" I have is The Daring Dobermans Go To France). But Tim, can't Just turn a blind-eye? How am I supposed to know who the true owner or inventor of the product is? I think you can come at this question from two directions. First, you can probably determine who the true inventor is not. You can walk into a magic store and see essentially the same effect, with the same materials, for two different prices; one dramatically lower than the other. You have to figure there is some reason for the higher price and it is doubtful the owner of the store will tell you that one of the two tricks is a knock-off. But there should be some concern and further investigation before you buy either of the two items. (Just because the effect costs more doesn't necessarily mean it is the original - it could just be more costly or have better quality than the other item). Remember, we're talking about tricks that are not in the public domain. After all, you can buy a Cups and Balls set ranging in price from $1.50 to $2,400.00 but I think we would all agree, this is in the public domain. The second method to ensure that the true inventor or owner is rewarded for his ingenuity is to ask. Again, it is unlikely the magic storeowner will volunteer the information but if asked, you might get some insight. But it is your responsibility as a magician to make reasonable inquiries to ensure you are not buying a knock-off. If you're reading this now, you have at your disposal a great tool for quick background information on virtually any effect on the market today through the Internet. Put up a posting on Magic Café or the Genii Forum or even in the Magic newsgroups such as alt.magic. I am willing to wager that with in a few hours of your post, you'll receive the responses you need to make the correct and informed decision. Magicians are good that way. You can turn a blind eye to the issue but you and I know that is wrong. By intentionally avoiding the truth or intentionally not seeking the truth, ethically you are responsible for knowing the truth nonetheless. So much for the buying community and their responsibilities. The manufacturer and dealers are held to a much higher level in my ethical model. Whether a "mom and pop" magic store or a sophisticated magic dealer or manufacturer, the dealer/manufacturer knows or should know the history of the effect they are buying and selling to the magic public. In the case of items they might find sourced by Collector's Workshop but are also available from a manufacturer overseas at a significantly reduced price, there is no reason a dealer should buy or sell the knock-off. If the dealer is not sure whether an effect has come from the inventor or his licensed distributor, it is the dealer's obligation to find out. The dealer should be held to the same standard as I would have been held to when approached by the guy in the van with the stereo equipment. As a former dealer, I know it is tough to make business work or at least avoid losing money each month. But we as magicians have to reward the dealers that act ethically and punish those that do not follow the rules and will sell knock-off materials. As for the manufacturers, they should be held to the highest standard. Before the manufacturer releases a product for wholesale or retail, the manufacturer must determine that the product is not a copy or knock-off of an established effect. This doesn't mean the manufacturer cannot offer an effect that is an improvement on a prior trick but we have to be honest about what is an "improvement" and what is merely some token change to justify ripping-off the inventor. I realize there is grey through out this map leading us to a solution but the fact that a situation is not clearly right or wrong does not remove from us the obligation to think and research before acting. If we as a community want rip-offs to stop, we can stop them. But if we are willing to turn a blind-eye to the problem and reward those who have stolen from those who should be rewarded, we will fail. If we fail, however, we damn our craft with mediocre effects without innovation. © Copyright 2003 by insidemagic.com ----------------- 8. Martinka Auction XI Is Now Running ----------------- Message from Ted Bogusta A quick email to let you know that Martinka Auction XI is now running, there are over 200 items online now and more are being added. You can view the items by visiting www.martinka.com/auction. The auction will be online until Sunday December 7th. Some of the items are from the old Martinka shop and others are consignments. Many items are priced well below market and have no reserve. A few highlights include: Apparatus: An Okito Card Star, Anverdi Rising Cards and Squeeze Play, P&L Dragon Base, Merv Taylor items, hard to find Tenyo effects and more. Books: Important Houdini signed book, Houdin books, Findlay books, World's Greatest Magic with autographs, Encyclopedia of Sponge Balls, Daryl's Ambitious Card Omnibus, Twelve Have Died, CW, Goldston Locked Books and more. Ephemera: Programs from Houdini, DeBierre, Goldin, Thurston and others, Abbott's Catalog #1, Rare Houdini Manuscript, Blackstone birth Announcement, large collection of vintage 8X10s, letters from T. Nelson Downs, Mulholland, Goldin and more. Posters: Kellar Centipede, Dell O'Dell, Ellen Armstrong, Newmann, Houdini Unmasking, Blackstone, many window cards and more. Tokens and pins: Coins of Czechoslovakia, Pins, assorted tokens. Cards: Christmas cards from Magic's past, Signed Okito card, Throw outs from Morro, Thurston, Downs, and others, League Back decks and more. Etcetera: Magic related collectibles, plates, boxes, models and more. There are many items that would make great Christmas gifts and we are now setup for fast holiday shipping, so that we can ensure a gift for you or someone else will arrive in time. If you intend to place a bid, please register as soon as possible by completing the quick registration form found at: http://www.martinka.com/membership/xudRegister.asp ----------------- 9. Lance Burton Entertains Children At Shriners & Handicapped Schools ----------------- Message from Wayne Bernath (US) The Shriners Christmas Party will be at 1 p.m. Sunday with Lance Burton, magicians Gary Darwin, Drew & Angela and Tommie Laing on stilts at the Zelzah Shrine Temple. This is at Rancho & Mesquite and will be 30-35 minutes long with hundreds of children and Santa Claus. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby started this tradition in the '40s and '50s and this same Shriners' Temple. Lance sponsors their transportation fund so the children can be treated. Afterwards we head to the Stratosphere to do Tony Sacca's Christmas show, which is filmed live from 2-3 p.m. Lance is scheduled for five minutes at the end of the program. At 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10 - Lance Burton will climb a 30-foot scaffold to join Trejo to raise toys for tots. Trejo is the morning DJ of KLUC-FM. This is on the corner of Valley View & Sahara just east of Valley View at Comp USA's parking lot. Lance Burton will donate some magic sets to help spur others to help this cause for needy children at Xmas. At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Lance Burton is scheduled to be at the Miller School at 1905 Atlantic St., Lance Burton will perform at the Variety School for Special Education on Sunrise Avenue at 11:30 a.m. and then on to the Variety Day Home at 990 "D" St. with The Shriners and The Variety Club Tent #39. He will do a half-hour show at each venue and a meet and greet. Lance Burton will be co-hosting "Vegas Live!" with Clint Holmes at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11 while Sheena Easton is on hiatus. This will take place at the Channel 8 studio. On Friday, Saturday & Sunday he will be doing a special show at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino at 8 p.m. called "Lance Burton's Magic & Comedy All-Stars." Tickets are $15 off with a Nevada I.D. ----------------- 10. Star Princess - Ross Skiffington ----------------- Message from Ross Skiffington (Aust) Just to let you know that Wendy and I are on board the Star Princess until February travelling between Australia and New Zealand. The ship is HUGE and has great facilities for artists. Two excellent venues, the largest being the Princess Theatre seating 750 with excellent facilities including a flytower and a superb lighting rig. The name reminded me of Melbourne's Princess Theatre where I played The Magic Show and worked on Beauty & The Beast. On my recent trip the USA I caught up with Larry Anderson (he played the role of the magician and recently produced the Eye Poppers video series) who remembered the time with great affection...Ah the Princess. The other venue is a smaller lounge room, The Vista Lounge, with equally great facilities for artists and audience. We are presenting Lounge Wizard as two complete and separate 50 mins shows and have reworked them to accommodate the facilities here on board. The ship is HUGE and attracts much attention when in port. Shows are packed and the crew really great. What a great pleasure to be working with professionals..... As Paul said, look out for it in port. ----------------- 11. "The Dance" by Brad Henderson ----------------- Message from Jeff Ezell This is regarding "The Dance" by Brad Henderson Let me start off by saying that I have never met Brad Henderson and only exchanged e-mails to buy his book and tell him how much I liked it. Now I am telling you. This is a book about "Cold Reading". I received my copy two nights ago and finished reading the book today. To say it is a goldmine is an understatement! This is truly the "Dance". Not what to say, but how to say it. Anybody can read a script, this book will teach you how to tie it all together. If you are afraid to "Dance" because you may have two left feet...this book will set you straight. This book compliments any other prints on the market. A definite must have! You will learn to listen as well as speak. You will DANCE with confidence. Everybody Dance Now! Order yours today! www.bradhenderson.com/dance.htm Dance, dance, dance! ----------------- 12. Flicking Finger Helge Thun ----------------- Message from Sean Taylor (Aust) Just in time for Christmas we have a special Magic Lecture Night organised for Wednesday 17th December 7.30pm. $20 including Gourmet Pizza and soft drinks. Andreas Buchty is a German magician and close friend of Flicking Finger Helge Thun. He is a professional close-up magician who also advises advertising and marketing agencies. He will present a lecture on close-up magic and also the marketing and advertising of this form of magic. He has lectured at the Ron McMillan International Day in London as well as around Europe. He has some unique ideas and definately thinks outside the square. Florian Schadlich is another German magician who is a close friend of Flicking Finger Pit Hartling. He is currently working in Sydney on a short term contract. He will also perform on this evening and hopefully show us some items from Pit's unique new card book which will be on sale that night. So there we are... A German Christmas magic night right here at Taylor's Magic Shop. Limited to 50 attendees. CALL NOW TO BOOK Tel. (02) 9411 6233 ----------------- 13. The Amazing Orchante Saga ----------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Foreword - Here and Now Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to my friend, Alan Watson, who has also been searching for me since the inception of his: ‘Magic New Zealand e -Zine’. Thanks Alan, I have been away far too many years. Your ‘Magic New Zealand’ e - Zine brings me: A LITTLE CLOSER TO MY HOME, THE LAND I WAS BORN IN - ‘GOD’S OWN’, NEW ZEALAND! Peter Zenner, thank you for your comments. I remember that Magic session in Edinburgh very well – I’m sure the year was 1986, possibly 1987. What do you mean – I ‘Appeared’ to be Master of everything I touched - I am ‘Master of…’! Apparently, the word had gone round New Zealand and Australia that I had - ‘kicked the bucket’! To all those who thought I had passed on and jumped up and down with joy - sorry to disappoint you, I’m still alive and kicking - just! To all those who are glad I am still around - Thank You! CHRISTMAS EVE 1995, Doncaster, England – I’ve gone for a drink at a local pub with my future brother-in-law. Within 10 minutes, the owner has thrown THE pack of cards from behind the bar to me – an automatic reaction. These cards have been handled by generations of Miners, and Farmers, playing Poker etc. Just to shuffle these cards takes enormous strength, as they are stuck together with an accumulation of booze, grime, coal dust and God knows what else. With these I perform Magic; Sleight of Hand - double, triple lifts, forces, you name it – with ‘Fingers of Steel’, developed by similar packs of cards from pubs and hotels all over New Zealand since the ‘60’s. I utterly refuse to carry my own packs of cards. My philosophy being that if you can perform your sleight of hand moves, including card fans (these are, admittedly, a little rough), with a pack of cards other than your own, just as well as the guy with his own, beautifully manicured, powdered ‘smooth as ice’ cards can, then you are, as my late friend Maurie Rooklyn often said to me, a magician! Not even the most hardened sceptic can then accuse you of having marked or trick cards, when they are his own! So overall, we had a BIG DRINK, and a ‘Magical Night’; cards, sponge balls, vanishing coins etc. It was the first time my (now) brother-in-law had seen me perform. I was most pleased to ‘Blow Him Away’, as he just happens to be one of those bloody clever, ‘Mensa’ blokes. CHRISTMAS DAY; wake up, and race downstairs to join everybody at the Christmas tree, to: open ‘The Pressies’. Suddenly, “Just like That” (Tommy Cooperism), I can hardly breath. I decided that I just may have over done it the night before, and had developed a God -Awful Virus of some sort. Have a two-week tour in Ireland January 1996, and I find it difficult to breathe doing our Fakir show. The Act was rather strenuous, and included - fire-eating, sword swallowing, psychic surgery and, the bed of nails, which involved being sandwiched between two beds of nails, with two of the heftiest guys from the audience standing on top – (at least 20 stone each). I realise something is seriously wrong when I can’t carry our suitcases up stairs (most hotels in Ireland don’t have Lifts or Elevators) and my chest is heaving trying to get air into my lungs after just four or five stairs. Arrive back to England; Doctor, then Specialist, followed by X-rays then, straight off for a Three Week tour of Norway (lots of fun driving there in Winter, with the roads 3 inches thick with ice). Show every night then back home; see the Specialist and get the results of x-ray. One is lung full of holes and the other just starting to go – ‘EMPHYSEMA’! ‘INCURABLE’! “However, we have this, that, and other drugs that will help keep you alive” “How Long?” “Don’t know” is the answer”, but you’ll have to give up your work – especially your type of work!” “ Oh, S - - t!” It’s now mid-March – my agent in Las Vegas (Sal Murillo of Unique Entertainments), sends a fax ‘You are booked for TV show in New York - air tickets on the way’ (Great money, but then TV gigs usually are, and Sal always gets ‘Top Dollar’ for his acts). Those tickets are still sitting here, at home. I had to cancel - too ill to fly! My health finished any chance of fulfilling that engagement Alan Watson has asked me if I would write -‘The Orchanté Saga’ (Starts next issue), from my early years and beginnings in New Zealand, until my forced retirement, here in the U.K. The Amazing ‘ORCHANTÉ’ Saga - Page 1 ‘IN THE BEGINNING’ The little boy watched fascinated, as the pencil, dropped a few moments ago inside the bottle, slowly, slowly, rose out from its glassy prison into the waiting fingers of his father. WHAM! - As he stood there wide-eyed, the MAGIC BUG struck – HARD, and another soul was forever lost in that wondrous world of all things magical and mystical. So began what was to become the career of one christened Frank Thomas Henry Orchard (glad they stopped there – my mother had a hell of a lot of brothers and uncles), who by the time he was fourteen had adopted the stage name (derived from his surname) and became known as: ‘The Amazing ORCHANTÉ’ (pronounced Or-Shon-tay). Tricky for some – I remember many years ago a compere in Auckland spent half an hour practising the pronunciation back-stage, then introduced me using a hard ‘k’! Boy, were there some red faces! That ’s when I decided to get my friend Barry Holland from Radio I Auckland, to do a professional announcement on tape for me. I think Barry is broadcasting on 1ZB now, but I’m not absolutely sure about that. I was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 13th September 1943, ugly as sin, all babies are – except to mothers and aunts. Years later I discovered I have a wee drop of Maori blood in me, from my mother’s side – I’m rather proud of that, and I found an old photo of a great-great-great aunt - her face fully tattooed – a thing of beauty in Maori culture. I often wondered what else is in me - English probably. The New Zealand Maoris are a proud, cultured people; for all you non-New Zealanders, back in the old days they used to be cannibals, and quite a few of Captain Cook’s men wound up in the cooking pot (hence the English). Puha and Pakeha they called it – puha is a sort of milkweed, and Pakeha is Maori for white man. My father was a policeman from the ‘old school’ – a good swift kick in the backside and a severe talking-to in front of your parents if you were naughty – but God help you if you were caught again. He wasn’t a magician – just knew a couple of party- tricks, as most fathers do. He lived the life of a policeman to the full and was never really off duty. Being the son of a police officer has definite disadvantages in the popularity polls at school. Those days were not my happiest. The one thing which saved me from getting belted behind the bicycle shed just because I was the local cop’s son, was my then budding magical and hypnotic skills. I’ll never forget that night of the school dance – black jacket, tie and shoes. I was made to wear my new BROWN shoes. The Headmaster sent me home ‘incorrectly dressed’. Dad, in full uniform, dragged me back, exerted his authority, and there I was, the only boy in brown shoes, looking like a dick-head (or should that be dick-foot)? That was fun! 1954 - TEN YEARS OF AGE My father is transferred to a tiny village called Raupunga. If you were to look at a map of the North Island of New Zealand, Hawke’s Bay on the East coast, you won’t even find Raupunga – it’s just a speck of dust between Napier and Wairoa. I believe there is now a motorway between Raupunga and Wairoa, but in those days, it was 26 miles from Wairoa on the worst, winding, up and down hills, loose stone chipping road in history with the resultant unbelievable clouds of dust, which hung in the air, forever! Believe me, it was a major journey – around an hour and a half in a car. It really was 26 miles of bad road – felt more like forty (Duane Eddy). My sister and I were the only two white kids at the local school – the brand new police house was only one of two homes not made out of corrugated iron. I can still remember trotting up the road to the nearest farm, billycan in hand, for our daily milk, straight out of the cow, still warm for breakfast. I’m trying to paint the scene of total isolation, miles, hard miles from anywhere. Why? Because this is where I saw my first professional magician. He was known as THE FUN DOCTOR (his real name was Norman Tate). He was so old my parents remember him from when they went to school. I can still remember him playing the piano with his nose, juggling, balancing tables and chairs on his forehead and one magic trick that has stuck in my brain to this day – where a small block of wood, threaded on a long string, would slide down and stop whenever he ordered it to. ------------------ 14. Magic New Zealand e-zine archives ------------------ Back issues of the Magic New Zealand 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: magic Password: kiwi When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999) ------------------- 15. 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 Magic New Zealand e-zine: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Magic New Zealand e-zine is published weekly, on Sunday. The opinions expressed in this e-zine are those of the individual contributors and not those of Magic New Zealand. Neither Magic New Zealand or Alan Watson can vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via Magic New Zealand e-zine. Subscribers to this publication and authors who contribute to it by doing so agree that they will not hold Magic New Zealand and or Alan Watson liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed herein. We reserve the right to edit, correct or, in our discretion, choose not to publish any submissions provided to Magic New Zealand for potential publication. Magic New Zealand welcomes readers to submit timely articles or news items which appear to be of interest to our readers. Those submitting to this e-zine agree that we have permission to publish their submissions and that they have the full copyright to the material submitted. All works published by Magic New Zealand are fully protected by international copyright as provided by law, and articles cannot be published for profit by anyone other than the individual author without the written permission of Magic New Zealand. This publication may be freely redistributed (but not sold) to other magicians if copied in its ENTIRETY including the copyright notice below and the above disclaimer.<< © Copyright 2003 Alan Watson