* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment * www.Alan-Watson.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #721 Date: Sunday 10th January 2010 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. Dai Vernon/Bruce Cervon Auction Now Online! 3. Eric Jones Added To S.A.M. Convention Close-Up Roster 4. Kyle Eschen Will Appear At the S.A.M. Convention 5. January Preview For Genii 6. More Remarkable Magic #24 - Nick Lewin 7. Tony Brook in Conversation with Dal Sanders - Part 1 8. Neil and Jeanne's Final Concert of Magic 9. The Innovention Suncoast Hotel & Casino Las Vegas 10. Magicana Tony Eng Youth Fund CAM contest 11. Wanting To Buy Harold Chandler's Ringoff 12. No Freakin' Way (iPhone App) 13. e-zine Archives 14. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- Over the years, Tony Brook has written for us many times. Last week, (Item 8) he wrote an intro to his new series for our e-zine. It begins this week and because of the nature of these articles and to do full justice to the guests, we may have to run them in separate parts over two or three weeks. Tony has some truly wonderful guests lined up for this series. We are pleased to welcome Tony back and look forward to his interesting "In Conversation" articles. " Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. Dai Vernon/Bruce Cervon Auction Now Online! -------------------------------------------- Message by Gabe Fajuri Bid on a piece of history! The collections of Dai Vernon and Bruce Cervon, complemented by an assortment of rare books, apparatus and ephemera, will be conducted by Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago on January 30th. Highlights of the auction include props, photos, correspondence and personal memorabilia owned by Vernon and his student Bruce Cervon, as well as historically significant and collectible books, tricks, and posters. For those that cannot attend the auction, online bidding is now open. Visit the following link to browse the catalog and place your bids: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/20344 To purchase an illustrated catalog, or make specific inquires or request additional information, please contact: Potter & Potter Auctions, Inc. Attn: Gabe Fajuri 1719 W. Leland Ave. Chicago, IL 60640 info@potterauctions.com www.potterauctions.com. -------------------------------------------- 3. Eric Jones Added To S.A.M. Convention Close-Up Roster -------------------------------------------- Message by George Schindler - (Dean) Society of American Magicians RG Smith, producer of the S.A.M. convention shows announced the addition of Eric Jones to the list of great close-up performers to appear June 30 thru July 3 at the Society's annual convention in Atlanta, GA. The young performer best known for his unique card and coin effects has gained accolades for his work at the Magic Castle, Fechters FFFF convention, at the World Magic Seminar and at Bob Little's Super Sunday and has been featured at IBM and SAM magic club lectures around the country. Mr. Jones will join other close-up artists such as David Goodsell, Ice McDonald, Aldo Colombini, Arthur Trace, Dan Garrett and the "Balloon Guys" - all of whom will also be lecturing at the convention. More information is available at www.magicsam.com -------------------------------------------- 4. Kyle Eschen Will Appear At the S.A.M. Convention -------------------------------------------- Message by George Schindler - (Dean) Society of American Magicians Nice to see that Kyle Eschen having a great write-up in MAGIC magazine. Now at 16 he has a nice following - BEST YET - Kyle will appear at the S.A.M. convention at the Atlanta Hilton - (June 30- July- 3) He in one of the performers on our "Rising Stars-Magic's Great Young Professionals" show. -------------------------------------------- 5. January Preview For Genii -------------------------------------------- Message by Richard Kaufman (US) The January issue of Genii, now in the hands of most subscribers, features things you won't find anywhere else in any magazine or website around the world. We begin with full coverage of the hottest ticket in magic, the Los Angeles Conference on Magic History to which fewer than 250 people are invited. It is here that a Who's Who of magical greats gather every two years for incredible recreations of illusions from the past never seen elsewhere, and for lectures on fascinating subjects. Writer Dustin Stinett and photographer Damon Webster make you feel as if YOU ARE THERE at this unique event. Immediately after the Conference, the annual It's Magic show was held in Los Angeles at the same theater where the Academy Awards holds the Oscars. Milt Larsen's incredible lineup included Shimada, Lance Burton, Mac King, Joseph Gabriel and his wife Katalin, Jorge Blass, Rudy Coby and Kevin James. Hosting was Hollywood star Neil Patrick Harris and Milt himself. World famous children's performer David Kaye was there, and brings it to you in complete detail, accompanied by photographs from Kari Hendler. You've all heard about the 17-pound extravaganza of a book from Taschen, the German publisher, called Magic 1400s-1950s, written by Mike Caveney and Jim Steinmeyer. Possibly the greatest visual feast of magic ever presented in a single volume ... but have you read any of it? ONLY in Genii will you find an excerpt from two of Jim Steinmeyer's chapters accompanied by an array of amazing illustrations, photos, and posters from the book. Our selection of magic tricks in this month's "Magicana" by David Acer contains a lost effect by the late Jack Parker and five other great pieces of magic for you to perform. Among them is the premiere of a new column by Max Maven, "Lost Horizons," in which the world-renowned mentalist selects hidden gems from among the thousands of his previously published items on mentalism and presents them for your pleasure. Two of the most well-known figures in our field died toward the end of last year, and Genii as usual offers the best written memorial coverage of Carl Ballantine (by Joan Lawton) and John Booth (by Clay Shevlin). The bestselling author of magic books in the world, Roberto Giobbi, continues his superb bi-monthly column "Genii Session." Jon Racherbaumer writes about recent real-world books related to magic. And Danny Orleans, Dustin Stinett, and Jamy Ian Swiss review the latest tricks, videos, and books--reviews from people you know whose opinions you trust. Genii is now entering its 73rd year and it's a great time for you to subscribe and join the world's oldest independent magazine devoted to our art. A one-year subscription in the US is only $54 (you are paying for only 9 issues but actually receiving12!), and all new subscribers will receive the Harry Anderson-Jon Racherbaumer 32-page NEW issue of The Jinx which appeared in the center of our October 2009 issue. Please visit www.geniimagazine.com today and subscribe. You can talk online about magic at the best discussion group on the Internet at the Genii Forum: www.geniimagazine.com/forum Be a part of magic history by visiting www.magicpedia.net, the largest FREE internet encyclopedia of magic. Finally, Kaufman and Company is still running it's "3 for 2" sale: buy any two books and get a third (or equal or lesser value) absolutely free. Visit www.kaufman.geniimagazine.com and get your free books today! -------------------------------------------- 6. More Remarkable Magic #24 - Nick Lewin -------------------------------------------- Message by Nick Lewin (US) Get out your reading glasses! As I approach my middle years (OK, only if I grow biblically old!) I find I need more and more pairs of reading glasses. I have to approach them like some NRA 'wack job.' Just as they feel it is necessary to have multiple guns scattered throughout their homes within 6 feet locations, such is now the way I have to handle reading glasses. If you need reading glasses I suggest you follow my lead as there are 3 great new books for your collection. I just received a copy of Ivan Amodei's highly entertaining new book 'Magic's Most Amazing Stories" and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Famous names, both past and present, in the magic world are represented with humorous stories that will appeal to any magician. It is a fast and easy read with plenty of scope for re-reading (and indeed re-telling) the stories it contains. I met Ivan at the Magic Castle recently and was introduced by Steve Mitchell who assures me that Ivan is one of the very best of the current crop of 'Young Turks' in the magic world. I suspect that many magicians will purchase (at your local magic store/or online) and enjoy every page of his opus. Reason number two for polishing up those reading glasses is the recent publication of the Revised, Updated, and Improved version of the great 'Koran's Legacy'. If you love magic then you MUST own this book. It promises to be the most important reissue in magic's history. Martin Breese is publishing the book and I suspect that in his normal manner he will do so with a style and elegance that fully represents his position as magical connoisseur par excellence. To be less wordy and more practical it also promises to give the 'real work' on Koran's Headline Prediction, hot and heady stuff to any working magician. I must have mentioned 4 or 5 times in these columns the high respect I hold for Richard Kaufman's publication of Ron Wilson's 'The Uncanny Scot'. I consider it possibly the most useful book anyone could purchase when contemplating a career in magic. It has always grieved me therefore that there was just one literary work from 'The Uncanny One' . Well I am pleased, proud and delighted to say that Ron has just finished writing a personal memoir called 'My Friends in Magic.' When you are Ron Wilson a book that delivers on a title like that is pure gold. Ron has mixed with and been an equal and inspiration to some of the most prestigious characters in magic. It is filled with insider stories and living pieces of magical history. Within its pages is the most vivid and accurate description of the characters that have made the Castle what it is. I couldn't put the manuscript down and now I'm ready to read it again. This isn't a book of tricks; go buy a secondhand edition of 'The Uncanny Scot', (If you can find one) if that is what you want. This is a series of economical written essays on the greats, by a man who really knew them. Enjoy reading as Ose, Crandall, Goshman, Miller, Skinner, Jennings, Lawton, Ramsey, McComb and a host of other legends are revealed as people, not just magicians. Equally fascinating to read is the way Ron created that 'Third Act' that evades most performers. He quit performing while still at his very peak, and started a whole new career as one of the top variety agents hiring magicians onboard premiere cruise ships. Always one jump ahead, Ron. There is so much to enjoy in this compact and authoritative little gem of a book that I feel sure it will become a classic. As soon as I have details of its publication, I will alert you via Magic New Zealand. Email me at nicklewin1@me.com -------------------------------------------- 7. Tony Brook in Conversation with Dal Sanders - Part 1 ------------------------------------------ Message by Anthony Darkstone Brook - Europe/USA Dal Sanders is one of the leading Magicians in Texas. Based in Dallas, he has been a Professional Magician for some 30 years and has literally performed in all 50 States. He is currently a RVP for The Society of American Magicians and it would not surprise me in the least if he will be its President some day. I am delighted to have met him several years ago and I look forward to seeing him whenever I am in Texas. In private life, he is a quiet, gentle and friendly man with a great sense of humor and an infectious smile. In performance, he is a formidable entertainer and lecturer. At his lecture in Houston 2008, several top names attended. I was fortunate to be there at the time. His lecture content, pace of delivery and showmanship were outstanding. After his lecture, we hung out with some other mutual friends. The after-meal conversation turned to our favorite topic, the performance and presentation of magic. Dal knows about stage craft and how to create meaningful stage magic. An accomplished performer in all aspects of magic he is a much sought after corporate entertainer and producer. www.StageMagic.com TB: Hello Dal. Thanks for taking time to chat a while. Let's begin by me asking you about running for Second Vice-President of The S.A.M. How did that get started? DS: Hi Tony. Thanks for inviting me as a Guest. Well. my interest in running for National Office for the S.A.M started in 1993 when my friend Dan Rodriguez was the National President of the Society. Way back then Dan started talking to me about stepping up and getting involved in leadership on a national level. Over the years, there have been several other National Officers and PNPs who would encourage me to run for office. In 2005, I saw what the Society of American Magicians did to help out various entertainers who were victims of Hurricane Katrina. I realized how important an organization the S.A.M. can be. After that, I started researching the many programs that are part of the Society and I realized that this is more than "just a magic club". This is an organization that recognizes those pivotal moments in time and has the courage and the resources to respond to them. When you combine that commitment level with the fun of magic...well, that's something that I want to be a part of. TB: .And we in The S.A.M are glad & fortunate that you are indeed a part .an integral part. Like most Pros when I am "off-stage" I am not in the habit of making Predictions but I know that many of our friends will certainly support you in your campaign for 2nd VP. As a result, and as I mentioned in my intro above, I wholeheartedly endorse your running and eventually becoming President of our great Society. It has been my distinct privilege to have personally known and, in some instances, worked with many Past Presidents and so I can, with all due respect and humility, state that you will be a very worthy addition to the list. Without actually telling us your entire plans and indeed campaign strategy, what do you, in a couple of sentences, see as the main theme for your campaign? DS: I want to do whatever I can to help grow the Society and to strengthen the middle word of our Kabala. Of course I am talking about the "Unity" of the S.A.M. I see "Magic" as the cornerstone of our organization. It is the thing that brings us together in the first place. And we have "Might" because of our combined strength as a group. However, the glue that holds the Magic and the Might together is our "Unity". This is our ethos and I believe that it is the very thing that separates The Society of American Magicians from other fraternal groups of magicians or entertainers. TB: Well, sounds like a good basis to me. I know for a fact, and this may embarrass you somewhat, but it needs to be publicly stated that you and Cinde (Dal's wife) worked tirelessly to provide and organize entertainment for people in shelters and indeed organized funds from the S.A.M to aid fellow Magicians in distress after Texas and other places that got hit by Hurricanes Ike & Gustav soon after the 2008 TAOM. As you will recall, the Houston International airport was shut literally the day after I left. Houston got hit big time. Places I had been at a few days before were completely totaled. Cell phones and power were out, communication was not possible. Fortunately, I managed to reach Walter Blaney, Bill Palmer and few other friends and my sisters via their land-lines. Katrina in New Orleans got world-wide news coverage; the scale of Ike and Gustav, was on par and in some cases more deadly than Katrina. Tell us a bit of days that followed and how you and others spread some cheer and smiles in the weeks that ensued? DS: When I first became RVP, I expected the job to be great fun with very little stress. In fact, many officers and past officers described the job as "the most fun office in the S.A.M". I understood that my main job was to visit my assemblies and potential assemblies and to help spread S.A.M. goodwill. I started by taking my magic lecture to the various assemblies throughout Texas. As you already mentioned, shortly after I visited Houston, Hurricane Ike hit and suddenly all of my friends in the area were struggling just to maintain their lives. Some people did not get electricity back for 2˝ months and one S.A.M. member still hasn't been able to move back into his home in Galveston more than a year later. Brad Jacobs contacted me almost immediately. When he reached me on my mobile phone I was entertaining hurricane victims who were in shelters, trying to help them (especially the kids) forget about their plight for a little while. I could see the devastation on the faces of hundreds of people as P.N.P. Jacobs detailed what the Society could do through the Endowment Fund. All I had to do was to ascertain who needed help. Aid was not limited to members of the S.A.M. or even just to magicians. Help was also available to related entertainers including clowns or jugglers. It took me over a month to track down the various Society members and other displaced entertainers because so many of them had fled to higher ground. Being able to recognize and respond to these life-changing moments is just one of the things that make our Society great. While it is certainly true that "the most fun office in the S.A.M" became much more work for me, it was magnificent being able to work with Brad Jacobs and to help those people. I will always be thankful that I was able to serve those in their time of need. TB: I like Brad, he is, as my pal Walter Blaney would say, "one of the good guys in Magic". I also like Brad a lot because he let me "steal" chips from his bowl all thru a S.A.M pre-Council meeting. But seriously Dal, how right you are and I appreciate you sharing those little known behind the scenes aspects of The S.A.M. Let's converse a bit about our favorite topic. The Presentation & Performance of Magic, especially Stage Magic. Do you recall some of our conversations at The S.A.M 2007 convention in Dallas? We hung out with our dear friend Cherie Kay, and a few other notables in Chris Mitchell's room slurping on Bud Lights and chatting about Stage Craft. I vividly remember you saying, "If I see another Magician walk into his table on stage, I will yell!!!" You have been in the business as a Pro for over 30 years. Please share with us some of your thoughts on this most important aspect of Magic. DS: As you know, I was an actor long before I became a magician. While still in Junior High, I was taught the importance of blocking, rehearsal and memorizing a script. Too many magicians have no regard for these basics of stagecraft. They seem to believe that their "cleverness" can compensate for their lack of professionalism. It cannot. When an act bumps into his props, wanders aimlessly on stage or obviously doesn't know what to say next then that performer makes all magicians look bad. The general public thinks that everyone in the business is only as good (or as bad) as the most recent act they have seen. Entertainers are more forgiving because we know there are good acts and bad acts but the general public (our paying customers) do not realize this. Every time they see a magician, they judge all magicians by that act. They decide whether or not they want a magician at their event or in their theater or even at their kid's party because of that most recent exposure to magic. This is something else that our local S.A.M. assemblies often help with. They provide "would be" performers with the tools to not only fool people with their magic but to entertain audiences in a professional manner. TB: In my In Conversation article with George Saterial, he told me he preps by doing jumping jacks and then lying prone. Roy Davenport does the lying down prone thing, one well known pal of mine (no names ) sips whisky disguised as orange juice, we all have our ways of prepping before we go on . . Care to offer some tips and friendly advice to budding performers about Stage Fright? DS: As I said, before I was a magician I was an actor...so, for me, stage fright is good. When I am in "performance mode" those butterflies, help me to focus like a laser on my act. My concern with what might go wrong helps me to spot those potential problems before they even occur. It's not uncommon for me to change portions of my show during the performance. Because my act is made up of several different "entertainment modules" I can unplug one module and replace it with another without interrupting the overall flow of the show. I call this "Flexible Modular Structuring" and as you know, it is something that I share in my lecture. End of Part 1 - Check In next week (Hidden in this article are deliberate grammatical & spelling mistakes. After much hard work, my proofreader and I have included these to please those who enjoy finding them.) Send comments & corrections to:- tbrook47@gmail.com -------------------------------------------- 8. Neil and Jeanne's Final Concert Of Magic -------------------------------------------- Message by Dale Salwak (US) Dale Salwak would appreciate hearing from anyone who has photographs or can help to locate photographs from Neil and Jeanne Foster's FINAL CONCERT at the August 1977 Abbott's Magic-Together. These will complement a feature article on the subject to appear in The Linking Ring. High resolution e-mailed photographs will work fine if you don't wish to part with the originals for a short while. He is working under a 3 to 4 week deadline. E-mail: dsalwak@citruscollege.edu; Address: P.O. Box 8054, La Verne, California 91750. -------------------------------------------- 9. The Innovention Suncoast Hotel & Casino Las Vegas -------------------------------------------- Message by Paul Stone The Innovention at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on October 4, 5, 6 and 7, 2010 will be a really different Convention, and our aim is to offer people a very high quality event presented at a superb and intimate venue with world class performers, shows and workshops, and unrivalled access to all the performers and presenters. We are limiting the numbers to just 375 to guarantee that everyone attending has a good seat for every event. The line-up of talent is outstanding and we will be adding further to it in the next couple of months and we will also be announcing a couple of very special surprise bonus sessions. And the weather will be great, with temperatures predicted to be a very comfortable 75-80 degrees. The website and Registration will be up and running on Sunday January 10th. We are offering a special introductory discount for bookings made by January 31st. The website address is www.innovention2010.com -------------------------------------------- 10. Magicana Tony Eng Youth Fund CAM contest -------------------------------------------- Message by Julie Eng - Toronto, Canada We are nearing the fast-approaching deadline for the Magicana Tony Eng Youth Fund CAM contest. Magicana in partnership with Kent Wong and the Canadian Association of Magicians are sponsoring a young magician and his/her guardian to attend the CAM in Kitchener, Waterloo, Canada which promises an ALL STAR line up! BC's very own Shawn Farquhar will be a featured presenter alongside several other outstanding international acts including FISM Winners: Tim Ellis and Sue-Anne Webster, Henry Evans, Lennart Green and Marc Oberon among MANY others. Sponsorship includes return air fare, three nights' accommodation and two convention passes for a resident from Western Canada (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba). It's really easy to enter. All details and entry form can be found here: http://www.magicana.com/teyf/youth-CAM.php?vSec=win Please help spread the word to young magicians. This is the last chance for an unbelievable prize!! Julie Eng Toronto, Canada -------------------------------------------- 11. Wanting To Buy Harold Chandler's Ringoff -------------------------------------------- Message by Ken Ring (NZ) I am wanting to buy one of the late Harold Chandler's effects called Ringoff, if anyone has one they wish to sell. Please e-mail: ken@mathman.co.nz -------------------------------------------- 12. No Freakin' Way (iPhone App) -------------------------------------------- Message by Caul Andrews Freak people out every time! Someone thinks of "Any Card" in the deck. Your iPhone scans their finger and runs through the deck finding the card they were thinking of. No voice activation, they do not have to name a card out loud. They could write down a card on paper or pull out any card from a real deck of cards with everything in their hands, and it really can be ANY card. What makes "No Freakin' Way" the most amazing and deceptive iPhone card trick on the market? Unlike ALL others . . . 1. Everything is done openly, right in front of the audience. 2. There's nothing on the screen to hide -- from even the most observant viewer. 3. A simple swipe and all the dirty work is done without the audience suspecting, let alone detecting anything. The magic happens with your iPhone in the spectator's hand. People who experience this miracle will shriek, "NO FREAKIN' WAY!!! Review From Slapapp.com New to the iPhone card trick market is an app that'll leave people saying No Freakin' Way! No Freakin' Way cleverly disguises itself in plain view of your audience, so the onlooker is mystified as to what's really going on in front of them. As far as they know you've told them that you've got an iPhone app called No Freakin' Way that'll pull whatever card they choose just by reading their body's energy. If they choose the 4 of clubs and then press their thumb on the screen, the app vibrates, puts on a show, flips through the deck of cards, and shows the 4 of clubs. It's only natural that people's first reaction is to say NO FREAKIN' WAY! The app works well, and definitely confuses even the most observant onlooker. No Freakin' Way is worth checking out. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/no-freakin-way/id335246766?mt=8 -------------------------------------------- 13. 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) -------------------------------------------- 14. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to any other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand® E-zine at www.Alan-Watson.com Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday. The opinions expressed therein are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of Magic New Zealand®. Neither Magic New Zealand® nor Alan Watson 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 they will not hold Magic New Zealand® or Alan Watson, jointly or individually liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed therein. Magic New Zealand® reserves the right to alter, correct or disregard any articles submitted. Readers are encouraged to submit timely articles or news items which may be of interest to subscribers. By submitting articles to this e-zine, the authors grant Magic New Zealand® the right to publish such articles and such authors confirm their copyright of the material submitted. All works published by Magic New Zealand® are protected by international copyright legislation and articles must not be published for profit by anyone other than the individual authors without the written permission of Magic New Zealand®. Notwithstanding the foregoing, 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 2010 Alan Watson