* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #272 Date: Sunday 4th July 2004 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. Mark Raffles Training Seminar - Teaching Pickpocket Act 3. Lecture Covering My Dad - Percy Abbott 4. Tony Wilson’s Magical Adventures 5. Upcoming Florida Events 6. World-Famous Tower Comedy Magic Bar and Restaurant Closes 7. "T.H.E.M." (Totally Hidden Extreme Magic) 8. Magic In Melbourne And Sydney, Australia 9. Too Many Wands - Wayne Rogers 10. The Miser's Giveaway - Peter Marucci 11. The Silver Gimmick Card - Jamie-G 12. e-zine Archives 13. Subscription Management ------------------ 1. Editors Message ------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One Over the last few days my ISP has been having major problems with there mail server!! If I have not answered or your messages have not been published, there is a good chance it has been lost in cyber space. --------------------------- Congratulation Tony Wilson As we go to press Tony Wilson from New Zealand will be installed as the new International President for the IBM. Tony will be the 7th International President to be elected outside the USA. ---------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ----------------- 2. Mark Raffles Training Seminar -  Teaching Pickpocket Act ----------------- Message from Jeff Hobson (US) Mark has been in show business as a full time working Pro for over 70 years! Although he has performed a very successful commercial Comedy Magic Act , his signature act and the one for which he is well known all over the world, and which he has performed in virtually every major theatre across Europe including the London Palladium, is his Pickpocket Act. Although Mark is still performing, he has decided at 85 years old that he probably needs to take things a little easier! So he for the first time ever, he has decided to present a one time Training Seminar teaching his entire Pickpocket Act. He has never done this before, and he will never do it again. It is a one time deal! The Training Seminar will be for a maximum of 12 people, and will take place over three days, Monday 13th - Wednesday 15th September 2004 ( in about 10 weeks time ) at a hotel either on or just off the Strip in Las Vegas. Mark has never visited Las Vegas before, so it will be a particularly memorable occasion for him too. Nothing will be held back! The Training Seminar will be presented by Mark, and produced by Paul Stone, and will be completely 'hands on' with two 90 minute - 2 hour sessions followed by a short recap session each day. Attendees will each receive a Training Manual, and a DVD of Mark in action, and it will also feature details of the training, and a working 'waistcoat'. Full refreshments will also be provided throughout. This is a fanastic opportunity to learn from a Pro who has literally earned his living over 70 years with this Act. If you are a working Pro who either already performs some Pickpocketing, or would like to do so, and then you really do not want to miss this opportunity. It will not come round again. The potential earning power of this Act is MANY times the price that Mark is charging, and the opportunity will be limited to just 12 people. So, first come, first served! The price for the 3 Day Training Seminar, to include all the reference and support materials is $4950. We are able to accept Visa or MasterCard as payment. To secure your place, we require a non-refundable deposit of $1500. For full details of how to register, contact Paul Stone on 480 - 239 - 5204 or email him on paulstone@unique-events.biz But HURRY! ----------------- 3. Lecture Covering My Dad - Percy Abbott ----------------- Message from Marilyn Abbott Richards (US) August 5th I am going to give a lecture covering my Dad, Percy Abbott - "The Man and His Magic". This is a first and a one of a kind. I only plan to give it ONCE and it will never be a repeat performance. After having lived my entire 65 years in magic, working for my Dad at Abbott's as I grew up, performing with him as our entire family did, growing up with the likes of Nicola, Les Levante, Cardini, Dr. Tarbell, Dorny, Duke Stern, Karrell Fox, Bill Neff, Bob & Ginny Lewis, and on and on - personally knowing my Dad and his business very well this is the first and only time I shall talk about it. FAB Magic Company of Colon, Michigan has asked me to do this - I also have decided I shall open up the forum to any and all questions. Should be an interesting afternoon - so if anyone wants they can check it out further on the FAB Magic Company site www.fabmagic.com. There is no charge but the seating is limited. Look forward to see old and new friends there. Cheerio, Marilyn Abbott Richards P.S. I'm also a member of the I.B.M. as well as the Australian Society of Magicians. :) ----------------- 4. Tony Wilson’s Magical Adventures ----------------- Message from Tony Wilson - IBM International President We had two uneventful flights from Vancouver to Chicago and then Chicago to Detroit on Friday 25th June and met by our friends from Troy, Michigan, Ken and Elaine Cook. We had met Ken and Elaine in Auckland New Zealand a few years ago when Ken and his wife were at the end of a package tour of New Zealand. Before leaving the USA he had called the International Office of the IBM St Louis and asked Darleen who to call in NZ and she said “Tony Wilson” We have been friends ever since! Ken had suggested a day trip north of his area to see some of the scenic attractions including some jet skiing at his nephew’s cottage. He had also promised a ribs meal which he provided and we had a great time. The rest of the weekend was spent at leisure, talking and sharing magic and computer technology. Ken and Elaine also kindly lent us a spare car to drive to Cleveland which we did on Monday June 28th ----------------- 5. World-Famous Tower Comedy Magic Bar and Restaurant Closes ----------------- Message from Doc Eason's (US) Headline: Disappearing Act Sub title: The closing of The Tower marks a page in history Inside head: Fall of the House of Cards By Adam Preskill Aspen Daily News Staff Writer (and former back up bartender behind Doc and Eric) The World-Famous Tower Comedy Magic Bar and Restaurant served up its last card trick on Saturday night the 10th of April. Not too many people noticed. Not too many people in the Roaring Fork Valley, that is. Elsewhere, the loss was felt particularly by loyal visitors to the Town of Snowmass Village who made The Tower a regular stop on their vacations for generations. "I've got an email list of almost 2,000 people from all over the world who are concerned, who are sad about it - who can't believe it", says magician  Doc Eason, who performed behind the Tower bar for the last 27 years. Cultural historians also have reason to take note: until it closed on April 10, 2004, the Tower was the longest-running Magic Bar in the United States with a life span of nearly 30 years. And there's one more little detail about The Tower that seems to have slipped from the valley's collective memory: for 22 years, the place was owned by Aspen icon John Denver. But after running The Tower since his death in 1997, Denver's friend and partner, Michael Shore, decided this year that the profits no longer justified renewing the lease. John Denver bought the bar in 1975, back when the town was still in its infancy, before the Mall was even a twinkle in a developer's eye. But business was slow that winter. One night, a young magician named Bob Sheets convinced Denver to let him take over the bar for the night. He packed the place with rowdy locals, gave out free drinks by the barrelful, and delivered an outrageous live show rife with mind-boggling magic that brought the house down. Denver was instantly convinced; a new art form had come to Snowmass. Sheets wasn't taking much of a gamble getting behind the bar at The Tower that night, although that certainly would have fit his manic Magic Bar persona. No, he knew exactly what he was doing for Sheets had studied under the great Heba Haba Al, one of the recognized masters of Magic Bar. Bar magic was present as parlor entertainment as early as Prohibition, but the uniquely American art form exploded in Chicago in the 1940s and 1950s. Heba Haba Al Andrucci was a legend in that scene for decades, dazzling audiences with his wicked wit and precise prestidigitation at bars like the Pickle Barrel and the New York Lounge. Sheets had already experienced the fervor firsthand: he knew Magic Bar would be a success in a young ski town like Snowmass. Two years later, Doc Eason hitched a ride from Berkeley, California to Colorado on the back of a motorcycle. He turned up at The Tower, saw Sheets working the bar, and found his calling. "Magic Bar is really such a unique thing in the way it's presented", says Eason, now 57. "You'll have a couple of old people sitting next to a pierced snowboarder and they're all totally affected by the vibe created by the magic. It's a pretty amazing phenomenon when it's working." For the magician, Magic Bar is an experience like no other, says Eric Mead, who has performed at The Tower with Eason for the last 14 years. "The magic bartender knocks over icons," Mead says. "He spits in the eye of propriety. There's a unifying feeling that you can't really get in any other venue. And you don't get a chance anywhere else to improvise all night like that in front of a crowd. Name another performer in any field who can  perform for six or seven hours straight- it's unheard of." Magic may have come to Snowmass straight from Chicago, but The Tower actually outlasted the great venues of Magic Bar's glory  days. Schulien's, the last of the vintage Chicago Magic Bars, shut down in the late 1990s, making The Tower the longest-running establishment of its kind in the country. So for many magicians interested in the history of their art, the passing of The Tower marks the end of an era. "In the world of magic, this is a giant ripple," Mead says. "It's one of the historic places shutting down." So great is the reputation of The Tower in magic's  underground subculture that world-famous magicians Penn and Teller - television stars with one of the top-grossing acts in Las Vegas for several years running made it a point to visit the bar this spring before it went out of business. "Teller called it, 'The perfection of an obscure art', Mead says. Unfortunately, obscurity is bad for business. Competition for declining tourist dollars with other restaurants and nightspots in Aspen and Snowmass made it tougher and tougher for The Tower to get by over the last few years. But if few people noticed the 27 years of lightning quips and astonishing revelations behind the bar at The Tower, maybe they'll notice the truly historic institution now that it's gone. ----------------- 6. Upcoming Florida Events ----------------- Message from Maria Ibanez - SAM Regional Vice President, SA States Florida is rapidly becoming a hub-hub of magic with events and conventions happening on almost a quarterly basis around the state. There are three events coming up in the immediate future that you should consider registering for (assuming you are procrastinating and haven't yet done so) because you will surely regret missing them..... August 5-7 Thurs - Saturday I'll gladly take your reservation money in St. Louis if you are at the SAM National Convention -- look me up and I'll get you a spot at this convention which will surely go down in our memories as one of the great ones. I have been invited to attend as Guest of Honor. Jay and I have accepted the Kirlin's gracious invitation and look forward to seeing you there -- 2004 Gulf Coast Magic Seminar Ft Myers, Florida Featuring: Tony Clark, Rocco Silano, Brian Tudor, Michael Ammar, Lee Asher, Tommy Williams, Jeff McGinnis, Alex Geiser and Kenny K. Contact Lori Kirlin 239-940-5674 partymagicshop@aol.com Hotel: Holiday Inn Select -- mention Gulf Coast Magic Seminar for special rate of $79.00 per night. 239-482-2900 (BE SURE TO MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS BEFORE 7/22 OR THEY MAY NOT HONOR THIS FANTASTIC PRICE) ---------------------- October 22-24 Friday - Sunday Magic on the Beach Miami Beach, Florida See Rick del Vecchio in Cleveland or myself in St Louis to register for this one -- it's filling up VERY quickly Featuring: Gaetan Bloom -  France, Malakatin -- Spain, Denny Haney,(formerly of Denny & Lee, Jon Racherbaumer Contact Rick del Vecchio 305-992-0703 rickydee@aol.com www.ring45.com ----------------------------- November 5-7 Friday - Sunday Daytona Beach Festival of Magic Daytona, Florida Jay and I have been invited to attend this year as their personal guests.....will we see you there? Featuring: Harry Allen, Eugene Burger, David Ginn, Michael P Lair, Jeff McBride, Chris Michael, Darwin Ortiz, Sam Sandler Contact: Irv Cook 800-346-2442 magi@daytonamagic.com www.daytonamagic.com Just three of the coming events in the state. This year Jay and I will attend all three conventions and are very excited about the happenings in the state. Be sure to look for us in St. Louis and say "Hello". ----------------- 7. "T.H.E.M." (Totally Hidden Extreme Magic) ----------------- Message from Loren Christopher Michaels (US) Magician, Illusionist and teacher Loren Christopher Michaels just had an NBC special air on June 23 called "T.H.E.M." (Totally Hidden Extreme Magic). He was the magic consultant and built the large magic props used in the special. ----------------- 8. Magic In Melbourne And Sydney, Australia ----------------- Message from Tim Ellis (Aust) Magic Monday - July 5 - DANTES in Melbourne Tim Ellis & Sue-Anne Webster on the bill with Barry Govan. Show starts around 7.30pm, tickets are $10. Dante's is on the corner of Napier & Gertrude Sts, Fitzroy. ----------------- Magic Night - Wednesday, July 7 - Hotel Shoppingtown in Doncaster. 6.00-7.30pm it's Close up magic in the restaurant! 7.30-8.00pm Tammii Twister presents 'New & Unusual Products', see the latest tricks and new release videos PLUS demonstrations of Henry Evans GREAT tricks if you missed them at the convention. 8.00-9.30pm - Simon Coronel and crew present a VERY SPECIAL Magic Night full of surprises! (Next month's Magic Night will be heading out Malvern way!) ------------------ Triple Deception - Wednesday, July 7 - The World Bar, Kings Cross, Sydney. "There is a new magic show in Kings Cross Sydney called Triple Deception which has it's very own theatre at the World Bar in Baywater road Kings Cross. There are three magicians performing in the show which runs every Wednesday night - Dale Sadler, Charlie Mortimer and Fast Jimmy. The theatre seats approximately 40 people and there is an elevated stage, curtain and a full sound and lighting booth. The show starts at 9.15pm and runs for approximately 50 minutes - tickets are $15.00 and are sold at the door." ----------------- 9. Too Many Wands - Wayne Rogers ----------------- Message from Wayne Rogers (NZ) At the recent Auckland and Melbourne conventions, Wayne Rogers launched his latest production effect Too Many Wands. www.nzmagic.com/productpg.html - toomanywands Six different coloured wands, all the same size, are produced from a single paper bag. Made in two sizes, regular or jumbo. A colourful eye popping effect that's great for all ages. TOO MANY WANDS was a sell-out in Melbourne. Contact Wayne direct and get yours now. Free post to anywhere in the world. (Free post applies to retail sales only) www.nzmagic.com/productpg.html#toomanywands TOO MANY WANDS is not available yet through US or UK magic dealers. In Australia contact Hey Presto Magic Sydney. Speaking of new effects, Tony Wilson IBM International President is currently on a world tour and performing Wayne's OPINION POLE in a special presentation featuring New Zealand themed magic. Tony will have some Opinion Poles available for sale, or visit: www.nzmagic.com/productpg.html#opinionpole ----------------- 10. The Miser's Giveaway - Peter Marucci ----------------- Message from Peter Marucci (Canada) One of the truly great routines in magic is the Miser's Dream. Some magicians of the past made their reputations on this one trick alone, yet it is seldom seen today among high-profile performers. Dai Vernon described it as the greatest trick in magic -- after all, what member of your audience wouldn't want to be able to pull money out of the air? And there are literally dozens of versions, from the Visible Miser's Dream (using a gimmicked glass to catch the coins), to ones using simple coin droppers, all the way up to astronomically expensive coin ladders. The Miser's Dream lends itself to almost every approach -- from a serious silent act to comedy -- and the possibilities for subtleties are as varied as the number of performers who do it. There is one small bit that I have been using for many, many years and it never fails to get a gasp from the audience -- especially, for some reasons, adults at children's shows. THE MISER'S GIVEAWAY By Peter Marucci Effect: The magician pulls a number of coins out of the air and tosses them into a bucket. At the end, he shows the coins to be real and gives one to a member of the audience. (Sounds pretty flat, doesn't it? Yet I have used this to open my children's and seniors' shows for years and it has never failed to grab the audience right from the start. It can keep screaming kids quiet and get staid adults to sit up and take notice. And there are NO gimmicks!) Method and Presentation: You'll need six or seven coins (in Canada, I use one-dollar coins; in the U.S., half-dollars would be the right size.) And you'll need a container -- I use a tin can, about four inches in diameter and seven inches high. (It's a standard size coffee can and it must be metal, to create the sound.) You can buy fancy and gimmicked champagne buckets from dealers, but why bother? The idea is that you are pulling coins out of the air with your bare hands, so the receptacle should be as commonplace as possible. The coins are ribbon-spread in the left hand, which also holds the can. This is a standard method, explained in Bobo's Modern Coin Magic and many other basic magic books. (Or, get someone at your Ring to show you how to do it -- that's what the I.B.M. is all about!) Holding the coins and the can in the left hand, you walk out to your audience: "Hi there, did you know there's magic in the air today? And there's something else in the air, too -- money!" Look around in the air as if you are watching a fly -- or a flying coin -- then reach out with your right hand and grab the imaginary coin and, in one continuing motion, drop the coin (?) into the can in your left hand, releasing one of the coins your left is holding at the same time. Shake the can, look into it, and take out the coin. "Money," you say, as you pretend to drop the coin back in the can. Actually you thumb palm it in the right hand and release another coin with the left; the illusion is perfect -- it looks and sounds as if you dropped the coin from your right hand into the can. Look around at the audience and say something like, "And there's more money here," as you take a coin from behind the ear of an audience member. (Don't leave this bit out; kids -- and adults -- expect you to pull a coin from behind somebody's ear and they LOVE it! (For years I pulled a coin OUT OF someone's ear, until a fellow magician mentioned that he always pulled the coin from BEHIND the child's ear, because he didn't want them trying this at home and injuring themselves by jamming a coin in their ear. (A word of warning to the wise!) Pretend to drop the coin in the can, palming it in the right as the left actually drops a coin. Continue working the audience, pulling coins from here and there (do your own routine here -- everyone has a different style for this) until your stash of coins is exhausted. You now have one coin still thumb-palmed. Produce it (from wherever) and toss it in the can. The left hand then turns the can upside down and pours all the coins into the right hand; the right hand then pours ALL BUT ONE of the coins back into the can. NOTE: This is what this whole routine is about: Examine the coin you are left holding and then hand it to someone in the front row (preferably the birthday child or some special person). "Is that a real (loonie, half-dollar, whatever)?" you ask. When they say "yes" -- and it may take a little prompting to get them to say anything -- you turn and walk away from them, leaving them with the coin. Then, as an afterthought, you turn back to them and say: "You can keep that one -- I can make lots more." Put the can away and continue with the rest of your show. Second thoughts: Sure, it's going to cost you a buck (or a half a buck) every time you do this -- but, believe me, you'll reap hundreds of dollars in publicity. Adults and kids alike are impressed with he fact that you gave away the coin; it's that sort of thing that plants the tiny seed of doubt in their minds: "Gee, what if it wasn't a trick, after all. What if he really could . ." And if you don't think there are top-flight magicians out there who would kill to get that kind of reaction from their audience, then you are definitely in the wrong business. Once again, the KISS principle is at work (Keep It Simple, Stupid): No fancy palming coins, no chrome champagne buckets, no suspicious gimmicks -- just a plain, ordinary, unadorned tin can, a bunch of legitimate coins -- and a hint of real magic at work. This is as close to the real thing as you will probably ever get -- and your audiences will love you for it. This is a strong piece and I only use it as an opening trick; it's fast, flashy and magical and gets the audience's attention right from the start. Put simply, you have shown them right of the bat that you are magical. Using this routine elsewhere in the show probably wouldn't garner the same response. If you do this, first of all, PLEASE rehearse it carefully -- and I don't mean practice palming the coin; I mean REHEARSE the whole routine until it becomes second nature. After all, you are supposed to be a magician and you should be able to pull money out of the air without even thinking about it. Secondly, never, ever pass over the bit where you pull a coin out of a child's ear; you will have an adoring fan for life! And, finally, don't worry about the trick costing you a buck or a half-dollar; if it bothers you, don't give the coin away. But, again PLEASE, if you do give the coin to an audience member DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES take it back. That would be cheap, chintzy, and most definitely un-magical. And that's certainly NOT what it's all about! Peter Marucci 270 St. Andrew St. East Fergus, Ontario, Canada N1M 1R1 e-mail: showtimecol@aol.com ----------------- 11. The Silver Gimmick Card - Jamie-G ----------------- Message from Jamie-G (Canada) Effect: A spectator picks a card out of the deck. The magician then takes the card, place's the card face up on a C.D. rubs the card on the C.D. and then tell the spectator that he just melted the whole back of the card with the C.D. by only using magic. At this point just watch their eyes pop out. (I'm going to keep this effect as easy as I can if you have been in magic for a while change it to suit you.) Props: You need this gimmick card, a normal deck of playing cards (poker size) and a computer C.D. or a music C.D. or any kind of C.D. that is totally silver on the back or front of it. Note: Make sure whatever your gimmick card is to remove the normal card that is in the deck you won't need it for this effect. Set Up: Your gimmick card at the bottom of the deck. You are going to get ready to force the card on your spectator. The force that I use is the Hindu shuffle. You can use whatever force you like best. Once you have the card forced on the spectator you place it face up on your C.D. Take you hand and rub it across the card. Tell your spectator that the magic has now happened. With the magical pass their card has now melted the C.D. and the silver has now stuck to the card. Set Up#-2: A little different handling is instead of using a C.D. you can place the card face up on the table and rub the face of the card with a silver coin or a piece of silver jewellery and say by magic you are going to make the back of the card silver with the help of the coin or jewellery or whatever you are going to use, and a lot of magic to change their card. Note: Make sure when you force the gimmick card that you don't flash the back of it or the game is over. For the most part have fun with it and make the magic yours. I'm here just to give you ideas only you can take your magic to the next level. Whatever you do don’t give in and tell others how to do it this will spoil a great effect like this. Have you tried the magic foil system it’s a new way to do killer close up magic if you haven't you are missing out on a whole new world. There are many uses for this card I'm sure that you will come up with your own ideas and I hope you do, that is what magic is all about. ------------------ 12. 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) ------------------- 13. 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 2004 Alan Watson