* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #539 Date: Sunday 14th October 2007 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. Houdini Lives, Alive In Miami Beach 3. News Updates From Stan Allen 4. "Carney's Wonders" - CA. Next Weekend 5. Max Maven Thinking In Person 6. Remarkable Magic #26 - Nick Lewin 7. Creativity in Magic: Outward Thinking - Kyle Peron 8. Entertaining On The Ocean #5 - Paul Romhany 9. Vancouver Magic Circle - Weekend Of Magic 10. Reflections Is The Latest Book From Tony Griffith 11. The Magic Capital Of The World Colon Michigan 12. Motor City Close-Up Convention 13. There Are No Camera Tricks - Don Drake 14. A Night With Ian Buckland And Elio Simonetti 15. European Tour, Roadrunner Cull DVD And Lost Luggage 16. The December/January Issue Of "Magicana" 17. What Scares The New Faces At Meetings Away? 18. Shore City Magic At The Rose Theatre Auckland 19. Auckland Shore City Magicians Club And "Shore Is Magic!" 20. The Amazing Orchante Saga 21. e-zine Archives 22. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- Nick Lewin recently had a very bad fall when he fell down a stairway on a cruise ship and injured both his ankles. Drop him a message as he love to hear from you. nicklewin@earthlink.net I know all our "Remarkable Magic" readers who look forward to Nicks articles every week will join us wishing him a quick recovery on those magic ankles of his. ----------------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. Houdini Lives, Alive In Miami Beach -------------------------------------------- Message from Adam Steinfeld (US) Houdini Lives, Said to be Alive and Well, in Miami Beach Magician contends famed escape artist appeared 40 years after his death. Miami Beach, Fla., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- What if, Harry Houdini, world famous magician and escape artist, did not die on October 31, 1926, but faked his own death, reappearing forty years later in 1966. To read full PR newswire press release, click here; http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-05-2007/0004676898&EDATE= Additional photos & info available at; www.HoudiniLives.com -------------------------------------------- 3. News Updates From Stan Allen -------------------------------------------- Message from Stan Allen (US) Letterman Eric Buss will be on The Late Show with David Letterman on Friday, October 12th with his "Spring Snake Symphony." The ninety-second piece features between 375 and 900 spring snakes, depending on which report you believe. While "actual number of snakes may vary," the laughs at previous performances (MAGIC Live! and It's Magic) have been off the charts! Eric taped the show on Monday, October 8th, so it's basically... in the can. (Sorry.) Phenomenon NBC's new show, Phenomenon, will begin its five-week run on Wednesday, October 24th. The show, which is spin off Uri Geller's The Successor, will have a special two-hour episode on Halloween night. Unlike the Israeli version, Phenomenon is not to name Geller's successor, but rather "an intensive hunt for the next great mentalist." Ellen Hans Klok will be performing his Nu-Switch illusion on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, slated to air on Halloween, October 31st. The show is syndicated, so check your local listings or go to http://ellen.warnerbros.com/about/whenitson.php. Dinner: Impossible The Dinner: Impossible episode taped at MAGIC Live! in August will air on the Food Network at 10 p.m. on Halloween night. The thirty-minute show features mega-chef Robert Irvine, along with special guest Neil Patrick Harris, serving up "illusionary food" to sixteen celebrity magicians and their guests at the opening night party of MAGIC's Sixteenth Anniversary celebration. And now a word from our sponsors... The 2008 MAGIC Calendar features a year-full of amazing images from two highly acclaimed magic photographers: Richard Faverty (Las Vegas) and Zakary Belamy (Paris). In addition, we've added important magical dates, past and present, to each month. Please visit http://www.magicmagazine.com to order yours... just in time for the holiday season! And if you're having trouble deciding what to get that magical friend... MAGIC Magazine's Gift Subscription offers twelve months of gift-giving. And it's easy: either order at www.magicmagazine.com or call Florence at (702) 798-0099, ext. 103. -------------------------------------------- 4. "Carney's Wonders" - CA. Next Weekend -------------------------------------------- Message from John Carney (US) My theatre show "Carney's Wonders" which will be in Oceanside, CA. next weekend, for three nights only, Oct 19, 20 and 21. The Sunshine Brooks is a beautiful old 250 seat theatre, and it would be great to see lots of smiling, encouraging faces in the seats! For tickets, details, and photos go to http://www.carneymagic.com/wondercab.html Carney's Wonders combines world class sleight of hand with colorful characters and smart presentations into a unique evening of entertainment. Have a magic lesson with Faucett Ross! Chill as Dr. Klien makes a ghost appear and flex its muscles! Visit Johann Hofzinser's 19th Century Viennese Salon! Catch Mysto-mania with Mr. Mysto! "... a blessing ... Carney's an amiable, quick-witted Iowan with a twinge of sarcasm under his breath ... seamless technique ... makes a mockery of empiricism and the known mechanics of the universe." LA Weekly "... fresh and unique ... inventive ... go see it!"... he will astound you with his unique magic and charm you with his stories and characters." The Tolucan ----------------- 5. Max Maven Thinking In Person ----------------- Message from Message from Nick Lewin (US) I had a great deal of response to my article last week about Max Maven. I chose to concentrate on his outstanding abilities as a writer and teacher of magic. However his performance of his own special brand of Mind Magic is always a joy to watch. Max has remounted his full evening theater show and I want to give details of this very special event-it is not to be missed! Max Maven Thinking In Person: an evening of knowing and not knowing now playing every Saturday (October 13, 20, 27 & November 3) at the CFI Steve Allen Theater 4773 Hollywood Blvd. (just west of Vermont); free parking available. For more information call 800-595-4TIX -------------------------------------------- 6. Remarkable Magic #26 - Nick Lewin -------------------------------------------- Message from Nick Lewin (US) Remarkable Magic and outrageous comedy from Terri Rogers One of the great things about spending so many Saturday afternoons in Ken Brooke's magic studio was the people you met. Someone who stands out in my memory is the brilliant ventriloquist and superb magical thinkers Terri Rogers. She was a wonderful person who always took the time for a friendly and encouraging chat. When I first met Terri I knew she was a ventriloquist but didn't know too much about her show and this might have been a good thing at my tender years! Terri later made a big mark in the magic world with her carefully written and skillfully constructed books on magic. The books were published by Martin Breese and are well worth checking out. The first time I actually saw Terri working was during a visit home to England in the late 70's. My wife Susan and I met up with Terri in Ken's Magic Studio in the afternoon and after a cup of tea or two Terri said that she was working at a club in the West End that night and asked us if we would like to come along. I replied that we would love to and it was arranged and set. The Club that Terri was playing was called Monkberries and it was one of the hottest and hippest nightclubs in London. We arrived at midnight and were seated at a nice table. Looking around the room I was astounded by the sophistication of the very up-scale audience. There were several celebrities scattered around the room. Britt Ekland was seated with a group of friends at the table next to us. Surveying the room I made a mental note that this was a very tough audience for any specialty act. When Terri walked out onstage she looked like a dowager duchess dressed for a garden party with a small tiara nestled in her hair. She started to explain to the audience about "ventriloquism or the art of speaking from the stomach." It seemed to me that the next thirty minutes were going to be more disastrous than a honeymoon cruise on the Titanic. Then Shorty her dummy partner turned to look at her and spoke. In one sentence had the room in turmoil. The next thirty minutes flew by and I will always remember it as being one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. Shorty was the foulest mouthed and most disgusting little character I had ever seen on any stage. His uncouth and triple XXX rated comments combined with Terri's slightly unraveling air of gentility were a comic masterpiece and left the audience on their feet cheering and howling. The next time I met up with Terri was in the early 80's; I literally bumped into her walking down the main shopping street in the Caribbean island of St. Thomas. We discovered we were performing on the same cruise ship and walked back to the ship together. As we walked Terri told me she was having the worst week of her life. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line had introduced a new concept on their ships- a late night 'adult' comedy show. Terri had recently made quite a splash on an HBO comedy special and was hired to kick off the project. The trouble was that their idea of adult comedy did not include using any of the language that Shorty used on stage! Without the inclusion of these words Terri assured me the act not only ran 4 or 5 minutes but wasn't even funny! Terri managed a special triumph onboard the ship that week, not only did she manage to control Shorty's vocabulary but she was very funny. Best of all in my humble opinion she included some of the finest and technically stunning magic I had ever seen performed onboard a ship! The show was a big hit but Terri assured me that she never, ever would want to mix her magic and ventriloquism in one show again. Terri is sadly no longer with us but she was a truly unique and wonderful entertainer. As always send any bricks or bouquets to nicklewin@earthlink.net and check out my website at http://www.NickLewin.com -------------------------------------------- 7. Creativity in Magic: Outward Thinking - Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message from Kyle Peron (US) Magic4u02@aol.com So many magicians and manipulators are caught in this realm of inward thinking. By this I mean that whenever we seek creative ideas for acts or routines, we immediately go to our magic videos, DVDs, magazines or books and seek ideas and suggestions. Now there is nothing wrong with being inspired or using these inward sources for your magic. It can get your juices flowing. The problem is relying too often on it as the ONLY source for creativity. The problem with this inward thinking is that it does not allow the magician to be as creative as he or she could be. With inward thinking, we are funneling our mind and creativity so much that we are not allowing our mind to open up to new possibilities. What tends to happen is that we start to copy things we see and like. We start to reuse ideas that we recall from before. Sure you can create a fun and entertaining act this way but are you really being as creative as you could be? My answer is simple. NO! I like to be creative through a form of outward thinking. Outward thinking is an approach I learned in art school and in my job as a graphic designer and illustrator. I was taught that creativity stems from creating something new or different. It is to take common things and do them in a different way. To be creative one must train the mind to think outwardly. By this I mean think away from magic for your creative ideas. Put the magic books, DVDs and videos away. You already know all of that stuff and you already have and own more magic than you will ever need. Look outward away from magic and your creative juices can really start flowing. A creative thinker is one who allows him or herself to really see. Now you may be saying to yourself, "Learn to see? I see just fine." However what I am referring to is REALLY learning to see. Let me explain. As a child we learn to see things in very specific ways. When asked to draw a tree, we might draw a stick and then maybe a round circle form on top of it. That becomes our representation of a tree. Nothing is wrong with this. The problem lies in the fact that the mind remembers these symbols or ideas. So when asked in the future what a tree looks like, our mind immediately goes back to what it remembers. It brings back the symbols our brain has recalled earlier on. The idea of being creative is learning to really see that there is more. It is about retraining the mind to look past what we THINK we know. For example a tree is more than what our mind wants to recall. When you really learn to see you realize that each tree is different. Each has its own shape, texture and color. So outward thinking is realizing that you need to see there is more to magic than magic itself. Learn to look at other sources for your creative inspiration. You can be amazed at what ideas for manipulative acts can come from a simple walk in the park. You can get an idea from listening to music and allowing your mind to create visual imagery in your mind. Culture and furniture and poetry all can spark ideas if we only allow ourselves to look past the obvious. Now I am not going to lie to you. Being creative is hard work. The reason is quite simple. It is something that has to be practiced and used often to get good at it. But like any good habit, you learn to get better at it through the art of doing. Force yourself to not fall into bad habits. It is so easy to go out and buy a trick that tells you the patter to use, how to move and what to do. But is this being creative? Is it allowing yourself to grow with your magic? No it is not. It creates more magic clones of which we already have way too many of. Learn to take a risk by thinking creatively. Yes I said risk because being creative puts YOU in the spotlight. When you use another routine you saw or a part of an act inspired by someone else, then if it does not play well, it is so easy to blame it on someone else's work. It was not you they did not like. When you are creative then you are putting yourself out there for your audiences to judge you. There is nothing to hide behind. Like a good artist, your work is out there and it should speak for itself. Do not be afraid of this. Sure you may fail at first but failure to me is never failure when it comes to being creative. Failure is only failure if you fail to learn. If you learn even one thing, then failure is a stepping stone to success. So take that risk, think outwardly with your magic. Allow yourself to be creative and practice at it every day. Your audiences deserve that of you and you will see the difference it really makes. As always, I encourage you the readers to let me know your thoughts. So if you have any thoughts on my articles or suggestions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me directly at magic4u02@aol.com. I would love to hear from you. Kyle Peron Magician and Illusionist Graphic Designer and Illustrator (Specializing in Logo creation) www.kyleandkellymagic.com Chair Suspension Ebook Author http://www.magicenhancer.com/ChairSuspension.html -------------------------------------------- 8. Entertaining On The Ocean #5 - Paul Romhany -------------------------------------------- Message from Paul Romhany (NZ) I am very pleased to have this week's contribution from what I consider to be the best and most entertaining instrumental act that I have worked with on any ship. This husband and wife duo have worked many high end cruise lines and are very well respected. They are based out of Australia and work internationally having put ships on hold as they are in such demand in the corporate market. This is a great story about how two musicians developed their own theatrical style and put an act together, worked incredibly hard on it and achieved amazing results. A great example for anybody who wants to achieve something in show business. It is my pleasure to introduce String Fever - on-again off-again cruise ship entertainers from 1997 to the present (currently off-again) www.stringfever.com.au This is their story as told by Brenton. "We are a wife and husband double-act - Jacqui and Brenton Edgecombe - originally from Adelaide, Australia, and now living in Melbourne, Australia (with nine years in Sydney in between). Prior to becoming entertainers we were both orchestral musicians - cello and violin - and we met as members of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. In search of a seachange (absolutely no pun intended) we moved up to Australia's "big smoke" of Sydney ready for an adventure. We had no idea we were about to be sucked into the bottomless whirlpool of The Ships! Our very first contract was as a piano-bar duo which we called Edi's Duo (seemed like a good name at the time). The duo comprised of me (Brenton) playing piano and singing and Jacqui playing obligato-style cello lines. We loved the duo, but unfortunately no one else did, so pretty soon we got into the cabaret thing and formed String Fever - electric violin and cello, vocals, piano, choreography, comedy and theatre, backed by big-band or backing tracks. A huge leap from the comfort zone of two serious symphonites! We played our first gig as String Fever on November 5, 1998 at Auburn RSL Club in Sydney's West to a crowd of stunned and drunken regulars hoping for an Elvis impersonator. But despite our humble first steps we were instantly hooked on this bizarre career, and from that day to this, our whole life has revolved around String Fever - sad but true. Since then we've played clubs, halls and theatres all around Australia, and of course we rejoined the cruise circuit, working for Princess, Holland America, Radisson (now Regent), Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Seabourn, Norwegian Capricorn, Cunard and Crystal. We've also won 5 Australian Entertainment Industry 'MO' Awards, and 7 Australian Club Entertainment Awards, including Club Entertainers of the Year and Variety Entertainers of the Year. And we don't miss orchestral life for a minute. However, we did miss land life (or 'real life' as non-shippies call it) during our eight long years of almost-constant cruising, and right now we're taking an extended hiatus from The Ships. Although we loved a lot of aspects - particularly meeting and working with so many wonderful and talented people - we really wanted to cook our own meals, drive our own car and watch bad TV shows whenever we felt like it. If you've never worked on a ship you'll probably think this sounds weird, but if you have you'll probably know exactly what I'm talking about. So now we've started on a quest to make a living from corporate and private shows and from our recording studio, and things are progressing. Ironically, almost every gig we've had during this first year as born-again landlubbers has been from contacts we've made through cruising, so we've come full circle. In a few years we'll probably be playing a corporate Christmas party at the Melbourne Hilton when someone says - "You guys are great - have you got a card? I can't promise anything, but I reckon I might be able to get you a job on a cruise ship!" A friend of ours once said "Vaudeville didn't die - it just went to sea", and how often the truth is told in jest. Right now we're trying our darndest to get Variety Entertainment back into the real-world where it belongs. But if we fail, it's always good to know that they're still building monster cruise ships at an alarming rate, and they're all hiring. -------------------------------------------- 9. Vancouver Magic Circle - Weekend Of Magic -------------------------------------------- Mike Norden (Canada) Ring #92, the Vancouver Magic Circle is hosting its Weekend of Magic on October 19th-21st, 2007 in Vancouver, BC Canada. This little Convention is one of the best for the price as the early bird price for members was only $75! The acts scheduled to appear include Michael Finney, Woody Pittman, Murray, Clinton W. Gray, Bruce Meyers, Rod Chow, Nicholas Chow, Gary Savard, Tony Eng, Matthew Johnson, and more! The event stars at 5pm on Friday October 19th and you can still register by visiting www.ibmring92.com - go join the fun in Vancouver! -------------------------------------------- 10. Reflections Is The Latest Book From Tony Griffith -------------------------------------------- Message from Tony Griffith (UK) Reflections is the latest book from Tony Griffith, in what is to be the first of a trilogy of books detailing with some of the routines Tony has used to make his living over the last 30 years or so. Along with the routines Tony has added amusing stories about the interesting people and events he has encountered over the years. The routines reflect the wide variety of shows that Tony performs, from trade shows, close up, to his highly successful after dinner talk/show The Art Of The Magician. There is both close up and stage, some neat card items and mentalism. The routines include a rope trick that was marketed by the Unique Magic Studio as a separate item many years ago, Tony's version of the Danson Diary trick, his award winning poker routine, an origami trick, a magic square give-away, his presentation for Pseudo Psychometry that won the award for 'The best trick published in The Linking Ring 'for the year 2000, several items for the children's entertainer, and more. One of the areas where Tony has had great success is his Magic Of Science show which he presents in schools. You will find ten items here from this show to whet your appetite. Along the way there is a section called The Magic Answer Game where Tony discusses the often neglected business side of magic. He poses many questions for you to consider, in areas such as marketing, dinner/banquet shows, trade shows, corporate entertainment, personal organisation and much more. The book has 104 pages on good quality paper, is comb bound with glossy covers, and over 70 illustrations. The Foreword is by Steve Beam. Here are a couple of quotes from reviews already published:- "For me the book is worth every penny .......the new material is better than good and for anyone who hasn't dipped their toe in the Griffith pool, now is a good time (and place) to start". Al Smith. Abracadabra "A lot of good things come in trilogies, and REFLECTIONS is certainly one of them..... A real smorgasbord of commercial conjuring that will appeal to the tastes of many - stuff that has been used professionally for many years and honed to near perfection .... this is great value, considering the caliber of material.....In these pages you will find the secrets to Tony's success" Grant Willcox www.magicweek.co.uk "There is a lot in here.............. all worthwhile" Matthew Field. The Magic Circular The book retails for £15 ($30) plus £3 p & p in the UK. (£9 airmail overseas). Payment in the UK by cheque. Overseas... contact Tony on tony@tonygriffith.co.uk for Pay Pal arrangements. Dealer enquiries welcomed. Tony Griffith, 33 Davids Road, Whitchurch, Bristol. BS14 9JH Tel/Fax +44 (0) 1275 837017 -------------------------------------------- 11. The Magic Capital Of The World Colon Michigan -------------------------------------------- Message from Rick Fisher (US) On Saturday October 27th the magic capital of the world Colon Michigan will celebrate the life of legendary magician Harry Houdini with a death defying upside down straight jacket escape in downtown Colon at 3pm! Magician Steve Pignataro's life will be literally dangling from a 55 foot boom in an attempt to recreate the late master magician's stunt. There will also be two FREE magic shows at the FAB Magic Shop, 111 East State Street in Colon on the 27th at 1 and 6 pm - all of this to commemorate National Magic Week which has been proclaimed by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm! Come see the excitement..a once in a lifetime opportunity! It is all FREE of charge to the public and we expect a huge crowd so don't be late..contact FAB Magic @ 269.432.4017 for more information -------------------------------------------- 12. Motor City Close-Up Convention -------------------------------------------- Message from John Luka (US) Things are beginning to fall into place for the 11th Annual Motor City Close-Up Convention. This year it takes place the weekend of November 9-11, 2007. David Acer, Jon Armstrong, Diamond Jim Tyler, and John Rogers are the featured performers with a special performance by Brad Lancaster. Take a peek at the website http://www.johnlukamagic.com/ for more information. -------------------------------------------- 13. There Are No Camera Tricks - Don Drake -------------------------------------------- Message from Don Drake (US)  I now have 6 videos on my web-site depicting some great black art, but I swear to you there are NO camera tricks. All of this happens exactly as you see it. I really wanted to thank all of you who have been so kind to Sharon and I in our hour of need. Sharon is now back home from the hospital, so I guess I won't have to do the dishes -:) DD -------------------------------------------- 14. A Night With Ian Buckland And Elio Simonetti -------------------------------------------- Message from Paul Bowen (Aust) The Magic Circle of Victoria Inc. would like to invite you to: A Night on The Couch with Ian Buckland and Elio Simonetti. Don't miss this rare opportunity to spend a night with Ian and Elio as they discuss all things magic. Ian is one of the legendary figures of Australian Magic and Elio is recognised as Australia's most inventive and artistic magician. This Monday 8:00 p.m. Monday 15th October. Upstairs Bells Hotel. Cnr Moray & Coventry St's South Melbourne. Victoria. Australia. Everyone welcome. -------------------------------------------- 15. European Tour, Roadrunner Cull DVD And Lost Luggage -------------------------------------------- Message from Kostya Kimlat A few days ago I started a 20-city, 30-day lecture tour of Europe. I arrived in Switzerland, but my luggage did not. So, for my first few lectures I have had nothing to wear and nothing to sell! But the magicians have been very welcoming and I am enjoying myself none the less. While spending time on the trains, I have created a new web-site for magicians. I am very proud to announce the release of the Roadrunner Cull DVD. Along with live performance footage and detailed studio explanations, Michael Ammar and Vito Lupo join in for some special sessions. You can find all the info here: http://web.mac.com/kostyamagic/ If you click on the bottom link entitled "Live on Tour" you can see my whole schedule. If you are in any of these countries, I hope to see you there! Best, Kostya Kimlat P.S. You can see the DVD trailer here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1GYRuWzuKkI -------------------------------------------- 16. The December/January Issue Of "Magicana" -------------------------------------------- Message from Michael Woolf (NZ) The December/January issue of "Magicana" will contain an extensive interview with John Fisher and details of his magnificent new book on Cardini. Fisher was interviewed in Las Vegas in August at Magic Live. Also appearing is an exclusive interview with Cardini's daughter Carole. "Magicana" also features an extended biography of Orchante - Tommy Orchard as well as regular feature columns from Bernard Reid, David Ginn, Terry Seabrooke, Richard Webster, Ken Ring, Wayne Rogers and Roderick Mulgan. (Editor's note - To subscribe to "Magicana" please check the "Magicana" website www.magicana.co.nz or email Editor Michael Woolf at mail@michaelw.co.nz ) ---------------- 17. What Scares The New Faces At Meetings Away? ----------------- Message from Dan Stapleton At a local meeting last night, the discussion of "What scares the new faces at meetings away?" An eager young magician attended a meeting a few months ago, ready to show everyone all the cool things he learned from Ellusionist. This was his first meeting and he was not prepared for the answers when asking the club members..."Have you seen this before?" Most of the time the answer was "Yes!" Most of the time the teen was met with helpful hints or "This is the way (I) do it" comments. Nothing wrong with that but he had so much to share and, when assuming that all the "old farts (not me of course) could not have possibly seen this or that, he wanted so to impress "the guys". It didn't impress us as he had hoped and he has not been back to the meeting since. Now, to be fare, it was only a few months ago and his not returning might be for other reasons, and although it was concluded that the members really didn't do anything to "scare" this potential new member away, it brings to mind what club members can or should do to "welcome" the visiting magicians. One thing that we agreed on was that we felt that we are all guilty of being too (openly) critical of other magicians, primarily those on television. And I admit that I am guilty of this. This young visitor more than likely is inspired by Criss Angel or David Blaine. Imagine how old we all looked by being too critical of this boys "hero". It's always different to hear comments from those we know personally, but from strangers...I imagine it doesn't look very uplifting to our art. Now, here also is what I have done...and do at nearly every meeting I attend, to bring a visitor back to a meeting...and it works. At every meeting that I attend I PERFORM SOMETHING and...I ALWAYS use one of the visitors as my assistant. I guarantee they will always remember that moment. Sometimes I bring a small, inexpensive trick that I purchased, even from the Dollar Store, and give it away to a young visitor. It means so much to these people. You can even say, "Now take this, practice it, and bring it back next month to show the club what you can do with it. Then you can keep it." It doesn't even matter that it might be a lousy trick. When starting out, if you recall, there weren't that many "lousy" tricks...they were all cool. The point being is that every club should embrace the visitors and new club members and make each one of them feel as though they are part of the family. Too many times I have heard about "unfriendly" clubs. And you know what?.....Some very good ideas have come from those with little experience. I, along with others who worked in magic shops, came up with original ideas from not reading "the instructions". As I have explained to my son, sometimes we have to "dummy-down" and make it appear as though we are more naive than we are. It makes that other person more comfortable and in due time, they will figure out for themselves if they want to accept us or not...if they want to return to The Old Fart Club...or not. Dan Stapleton (A middle aged fart) ---------------- 18. Shore City Magic At The Rose Theatre Auckland ----------------- Message from Brent McLeod (NZ) Just a note of thanks to all members of Shore City Magic club who performed and helped at the fabulous shows at the Rose Center last Sat evening show. To say I and guests enjoyed the show would be an understatement- to see and enjoy such a show of true class performed by a wide variety of ages and your members was fabulous for the lay audience watching. Congratulations to the time and effort for a entertaining evening of Magic, Mystery and clowning and comedy - the glowing orb ball and Crystal casket Illusion appearance at the start set the tone. The talent on display from your club members was a reflection on the senior and junior members working together. The acts from the very beginning of the show with the younger members were skillful, entertaining and a delight to watch at the evening show we attended. Mark Robinson's beautiful Dove act finished the night well-Very visual and obviously a bit of Jason Byrne influence there, Mark spent a weekend on the recent World Festival tour with Jason-everybody loved the act and was fitting finale, definitely a top act in NZ. All combined in with some fabulous acts from the senior members and lots of comedy from MC Malcolm Silverman. I hope Auckland and local magicians support this show 26-27 Oct at the Dolphin Theatre, This show is true class and will surprise many who see it by the quality and work that has gone into this. Your friend in Magic ---------------- 19. Auckland Shore City Magicians Club And "Shore Is Magic!" ----------------- Message from - Mick Peck President Shore City Magicians Club Inc Auckland magician Mark Robinson was featured in the North Shore Times last week discussing the "Shore Is Magic!" public shows held on Auckland's North Shore last weekend. The article is currently available to view online at: http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/4217059a22400.html The SCMC is also currently featured in a fantastic three page article in the October edition of New Zealand's Metro magazine. "Shore Is Magic!" shows: The club had a great turnout for the three shows held in Belmont and received very favorable comments from the public. There will be three final shows at Onehunga's Dolphin Theatre at the end of October. The Dolphin will be familiar to most Auckland magicians as the venue used in the past for the IBM Magic Day events. Final shows are October 26 and 27 - evening shows 7:30pm, Saturday matinee 1:30pm. Tickets are available at www.iticket.co.nz and at the door - presales are highly recommended. More details at http://www.scmc.co.nz ---------------- 20. The - Amazing Orchante Saga ----------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Page 21 Please note - this was first written 4 years ago - 2003 - I had celebrated my 60th birthday! Well, after a week of 'celebrations', I have sobered up enough this week to realize that I'm now on the wrong side of sixty - by 14 days (now 4 years) (today is Sept. 27th 2003); it's enough to drive a man back to drink, although everybody has tried to cheer me up by saying "You don't look a day over fifty nine.!" 'Sympathetic bastards'! 'Stuff it', I'm back on the 'Cocky' trail again. Cocky, you know, birds - the feathered type. We named our Major Mitchell/Pink Cockatoo 'Aussie' - how original! Two years old, and hand reared. He was very tame, affectionate and full of character - an absolute delight, especially after our recent experience with the "Come near me and I'll bite your bloody hand off", Sulphur Crested 'nightmare'! Aussie, like all pink cockatoos, was stunningly gorgeous, startlingly eye-catching and talk about vain.; Veronica gave him a largish mirror to play with, well it was until he nibbled his way around the edges of it and in time gradually reduced in size. He would cart it all over the floor in his beak, propping it up against various objects and have a chat with himself, while admiring his reflected splendor. Can't blame him really; here is a description of the male Pink cockatoo. Length: 360mm, including 160mm tail. Back, wings and tail, brilliant white; forehead, face, neck, breast, upper abdomen and under wing-coverts - salmon pink; undersides of flight and tail feathers strongly washed with deep salmon-pink; tail and under tail-coverts, white; head adorned with narrow, forward-curving erectile crest which is bright scarlet, with central band of yellow and tipped with white. Iris very dark brown, almost black; bill a horn coloured whitish-grey and, legs grey. Staying in Eastwood, we shifted from our flat and moved into a large house - plenty of room with a sizable backyard which was perfect for our miniature poodle 'Misky', and of course 'Aussie'. I think I may have mentioned earlier that we don't like keeping our pets, especially birds, caged up. Parrots and cockatoo's - all birds for that matter, are used to the 'wide open spaces' and being kept locked up in a cage is tantamount to you and I being locked up in a tiny prison cell for the rest of our lives; you wouldn't like it, so why impose such a terrible life sentence on our pets that we supposedly love? It would be a different story if you had a large aviary such as you see at a zoo, but how many of us have that sort of space to erect one, or the finance to build it; only the professionals, zoos and the very rich can afford that! Besides, you would lose all personal contact with your pets, and cockatoos crave company (that's why you see them in flocks), especially human company if they have been hand reared, and are raised as a member of your family - exactly the same as a pet cat or dog. Cockatoos become very attached to their owners, and many go into a state of shock and suffer mental stress if they are separated from their family; they pull their feathers out in despair, depression and loneliness. I have seen it, and it is not a pretty sight! It is most heart wrenching and you would really have to be a hardhearted person not to be emotionally affected and perhaps shed a tear or two in sorrow. The street that we resided in was lined with large trees and the elderly woman who lived next door to us had one in her front yard. One day there was some sort of commotion going on, and we could hear what sounded like the screeching and squawking of a parrot or cockatoo. Going outside to investigate, we discovered our next-door neighbour standing beneath her tree brandishing a stick. She pointed up into the tree and there, about 20 feet up, was a very large Sulphur crested cockatoo - and he was kicking up one hell of a racket! Now our neighbour was a quiet, unassuming woman and she wasn't too pleased at all the attention the cockatoo was attracting. All she wanted was to get it to fly away from her property and put a stop to all the embarrassment it was causing her. Some people are strange folk! Racing around to our backyard, I grabbed my ladder, dashed back and propped up against the tree trunk. With my neighbours stick in hand, I climbed up; Damn, I could only get within two branches of the cockatoo who, by this time had fallen silent, and was watching me like a hawk (no pun intended). After my experience with our last cockatoo I was, understandably, more than a little nervous. Very slowly I pushed the end of the stick (it was about eight foot long) towards the bird, saying all along - "Hello cocky, who's a pretty boy then .", and other silly human/bird 'talk' noises, fully expecting it to take-off or, at worst, attack me! Bugger me if he didn't step calmly onto the stick, and started sidestepping down. It's a wonder he didn't fall off, I was shaking like a leaf. He worked his way all the way down to my hand, up my arm - bloody hell he was heavy, then onto my shoulder; I got the shock of my life when he pushed his huge head against my face, put his massive beak up to my ear, I thought he was going to bite it off, and then, as clear as a bell, said - "HELLO"! -------------------------------------------- 21. Magic New Zealand e-zine Archives -------------------------------------------- Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/fezine.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) -------------------------------------------- 22. 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