Magic New Zealand® E-zine

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Magic New Zealand®
* Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment Ltd (New Zealand)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Issue Number: #1363
Date: Sunday 12th March 2017
Editor: Alan Watson QSM
www.watson.co.nz
E-mail: editor@magicnewzealand.com
================================
Hi here is the latest news
================================

1. Editor's Message
2. Live Tribute To Daryl - A Lost Legend
3. A Piece Of History...
4. The Magic Word Podcast: Bob Kohler
5. The Magic Word Podcast: David Hira
6. The Magic Word Podcast: Stan Allen
7. Logos And Branding - #437 - Kyle Peron
8. Urgent - HoudiniOpoly On Kickstarter
9. Monday Night Magic Schedule (April)
10. Potter & Potter Auctions - Spring Magic Auction
11. Lance Burton Plans Disappearing Act From Las Vegas
12. New Zealand Magic Convention - Wellington, 20-23 Oct 2017
13. e-zine Archives
14. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice

--------------------------------------------
1. Editor's Message
--------------------------------------------
If you would like to read the Magic New Zealand e-zine in a HTML format go to: http://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2017-Jan-to-Dec-2017/1363-Mar12-2017.html

If you would like to write a regular column for Magic New Zealand or have some magic news drop me a line:
Editor@MagicNewZealand.com

--------------------------------------------
2. Live Tribute To Daryl - A Lost Legend
--------------------------------------------
Message by Michael Rogers
One GREAT magician....
Tribute to Daryl
https://youtu.be/iYLFt1OWiEY

(About 2 Hours!!!)

--------------------------------------------
3. A Piece Of History...
--------------------------------------------
Message by Gary Frank (US)

Thought you might enjoy another recent addition for the art of magic. Gary Brown created the blog. Tom Ewing and I have joined Gary in bringing another part of magic's past alive. The three of us are uploading more each day. It's not just a posting of throw out cards, as you will see, we're giving the readers more. Here's the link: http://throwingcards.blogspot.com

Hope this might be something to let your readers know about and invite them to visit. It's one more way of keeping magic history alive.

--------------------------------------------
4. The Magic Word Podcast: Bob Kohler - The Man Behind The Magic
--------------------------------------------
Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star

In the second installment of the Las Vegas Chronicles, we left Stan Allen's office to visit the home and studio of Bob Kohler. Perhaps not as well-known among some magicians, Bob has been an underground magician making a limited run, pro line of products and producing videos of some top-flight magicians sharing their pet effects and best material. In the heyday of the Brook Farm Inn of Magic in Chevy Chase, Maryland (outside of Washington, D.C.).

Shortly after the closing of the Brook Farm, Bob focused his attention on trade shows where he made a very good living. During that time, he did not seek to make a "name" for himself in the magic community by lecturing and performing at magic conventions. His appearances and lectures are about as rare as hen's teeth.

Bob worked with Daryl to produce a series of "Secret Sessions" videos in the early 1990's then later released a very special, super-secret device in collaboration with Bob Fitch. Bob was featured on the cover of MAGIC Magazine in 2003, but the focus of the article was more on the California Trade Secrets Agreement than on his career. Bob is currently working with Scott Alexander and releasing new pro-line magic products that should attract the attention of every professional.

You can watch a video of Bob performing one of his effects, "Aces in Their Faces", see some photos, read the blog, listen to the podcast online, and download the MP3 file at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/bob-kohler

At the bottom of this week's blog, be sure to read the statement from Daryl's wife, Alison, who answers some questions and makes corrections on reports of Daryl's death. Since Daryl had no life insurance, purchases through Daryl's website will help defray funeral expenses for his family. You can visit the website at http://daryl.net where you can find out how you can help the family.

--------------------------------------------
5. The Magic Word Podcast: David Hira
--------------------------------------------
Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star

On last week's podcast, David Hira spoke about how he connects with an audience in his magic performances and through his keynote speaking engagements. David was featured on the podcast because he was named in MAGIC Magazine as one of the top 100 lecturers plus he has a new Penguin lecture that has been getting rave reviews. So, in this podcast, we find out what makes someone tick who is relatively unknown in the magic community but wildly successful for the "real" world. David also offers the listeners a FREE gift through a link on The Magic Word Podcast web page in the form of a PDF download.

You can view a couple videos of David as a magician and as a keynote speaker, see some photos, get the link for a FREE gift, read the blog, listen online and download the MP3 file at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/david-hira

This week on The Magic Word Podcast we are quite topical as we release a chat with Marcie Hume, director and producer of "MAGICIANS - Life in the Impossible" within days of the documentary being released on Netflix. This film was four years in the filming and 18 months in editing and was premiered at the HotDocs Film Festival in 2016. It follows four professional magicians as they pursue their dreams: Jon Armstrong, Brian Gillis, David Minkin and Jan Rouven. It shows the ups and downs and behind the scenes with these magicians as they prepare and perform and "wind down" after and between their performances.

You can view a trailer of the film, see some photos, read the blog, listen to the podcast online, and download the MP3 file at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/marcie-hume

--------------------------------------------
6. The Magic Word Podcast: Stan Allen
--------------------------------------------
Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star

We begin the Las Vegas Chronicles with a Special Edition podcast that takes you on the road as we travel around Las Vegas from visiting with one local magician to another. This Special Edition is a sneak preview of those whom you can expect as guests on upcoming podcasts over the next few months. You can listen to that podcast on the website at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/las-vegas-chronicles-on-the-road-with-scott-wells

And in that regard, our first visit was with Stan Allen who (naturally) talks about the evolution of MAGIC Magazine, but also gives his prognostication about digital magic magazines. He also tells us about his plans for upcoming MAGIC Live conventions into the future. Without the magazine to format the convention, that could mean that he might have a new concept for future events. Watch a special video recorded in Stan's office of his MAGIC Live memorabilia, see some exclusive photos, read the blog, listen to the podcast online and download the MP3 file at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/stan-allen-is-not-mr-nobody

And to catch you up on the past couple podcasts, on last week's podcast, we released a chat with Marcie Hume, director and producer of "MAGICIANS - Life in the Impossible" within days of the documentary being released on Netflix. This film was four years in the filming and 18 months in editing and was premiered at the HotDocs Film Festival in 2016. It follows four professional magicians as they pursue their dreams: Jon Armstrong, Brian Gillis, David Minkin and Jan Rouven. It shows the ups and downs and behind the scenes with these magicians as they prepare and perform and "wind down" after and between their performances.

You can view a trailer of the film, see some photos, read the blog, listen to the podcast online, and download the MP3 file at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/marcie-hume

And don't miss out listening to one of our most popular and most commented on podcasts with David Hira from two weeks ago. David spoke about how he connects with an audience in his magic performances and through his keynote speaking engagements. David was featured on the podcast because he was named in MAGIC Magazine as one of the top 100 lecturers plus he has a new Penguin lecture that has been getting rave reviews. So, in this podcast, we find out what makes someone tick who is relatively unknown in the magic community but wildly successful for the "real" world. David also offers the listeners a FREE PDF download through a link on The Magic Word Podcast web page.

--------------------------------------------
7. Logos And Branding - #437 - Kyle Peron
--------------------------------------------
Message by Kyle Peron (US)
magic4u02@aol.com
http://www.facebook.com/perondesign
http://www.kpmagicproducts.com

Many of you use a logo and may understand the importance of it as a weapon in your marketing tool box. But you may not know that the quality of your logo can mean the difference between success and failure of your magic marketing. It really can be that simple.
Logos make up the most recognizable and international language in all the world.

Like magic, a good logo can be understood by most any culture or language no matter what country you live in. A good logo will communicate exactly what that company or product is all about and it will do this in a matter of seconds. We call this brand mark recognition.
For example: If you simply see the wavy swatch of the coke logo, you will immediately know it is Coke and that is a quality drink that quenches your thirst.

You will recognize it even without the word Coke or Coca-Cola even being there. Another good example of this is the Nike symbol. This is a logo that is recognized the world over as quality athletic products. You simply see the swoosh and know immediately what it stands for and what they are all about.

Good quality logos do this easily because they can cross many barriers and provide your magical service with a means of delivering to your customers a uniform message every single time. But, your logo must be a lot more than just a pretty mark on a piece of paper. Having the logo look good is not enough if it does not help represent your services to your intended market.

Keep in mind that often times your logo is the first impression a client may get of you and the services you want to provide to them. With this in mind, your logo needs to show professionalism, quality and value. Your logo should try and meet the following criteria:
Does your logo identify you and your services to your intended market?

Does it show your market exactly what magical services you are providing and offering to them?

Does your logo distinguish you from others with similar services within your marketplace?

Does it help you stand out from the crowd and show professionalism and quality?

Does your logo show to your customers the quality of service you provide to them?

When people see your logo, can they tell you provide a quality product simply because your logo mark shows that same quality and thinking?

Remember that your logo is a big part of your overall image. If your logo does not do some of these things that I mentioned above, then it is only working against you and your overall marketing plan. As much as a good logo can help you, a bad logo can really hinder your progress. If your logo is a hindrance, then it is time to think about updating it and possibly seeking some professional help to do it.

Your logo design really is that important to your overall marketing. Your logo is really a part of the foundation of your marketing and acts as a way to consistently send out the same quality message to each of your customers. It tells them the quality of your services and separates you from a huge number of similar services your customer may be confronted with on a daily basis.

I hope this has been some help to you and gives you a simple look at how important your logo really is and gives you some guidelines for which to see if your own logo measures up to what it should be.

If anyone would like to see some samples of what I am referring to in this article, please check out my gallery at facebook.com/perondesign

As always, I encourage you the readers to let me know your thoughts. 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.

--------------------------------------------
8. Urgent - HoudiniOpoly On Kickstarter
--------------------------------------------
Message by Dorothy Dietrich & Dick Brookz
The Houdini Museum
The Only Building in the World Dedicated to Houdini

Urgent. Last chance to be an original backer of HoudiniOpoly on Kickstarter. The only sure way to get this great game and collectible is now. Beat the clock and pledge by noon March 9 or miss out on this chance. Exclusives include signed and numbered proof of authenticity. Chance to get your name in the game. Free special play pieces. Please share this with your friends, on social media, and websites.

http://kck.st/2iXhChp
or
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1726279887/houdini-opoly-fun-exciting-legend-and-magic-hero-b
or
http://houdiniopoly.com

--------------------------------------------
9. Monday Night Magic Schedule (April)
--------------------------------------------
Message by Peter Samelson (US)

Monday Night Magic April Schedule (All Performers Subject To Change)

April 3rd: Michael Karas, Ben Nemzer, Peter Samelson, Todd Robbins
Close-up: Noah Levine, Eli Bosnick

April 10th: Dave Chandler, Michael Chaut, Chris Capehart, Todd Robbins
Close-up: Mike Patrick, Patrick Davis

April 17th: Will Shaw, David Corsaro, Eran Raven, Ben Nemzer
Close-up: Peter Samelson, Matias Letelier

April 24th: Boris Wild, Marcus Monroe, Harrison Greenbaum, David Corsaro
Close-up: Jason Suran, Michael Chaut

--------------------------------------------
10. Potter & Potter Auctions - Spring Magic Auction
--------------------------------------------
Our April 8th spring auction features magic memorabilia, books, posters, and apparatus for beginning and advanced collectors alike. Highlights include a brooch presented to Bess Houdini by Russian royalty, Carl Waring Jones correspondence, and three pages of rhyming verse hand written by Harry Houdini.

http://www.potterauctions.com/

--------------------------------------------
11. Lance Burton Plans Disappearing Act From Las Vegas
--------------------------------------------
Article forwarded on by Mel Kientz (US)

Las Vegas Review Journal

By Robin Leach

Master magician Lance Burton, who retired after 30 years of wowing audiences with his incredible wizardry, will be honored Tuesday evening at the 14th Annual College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame celebration at UNLV.

Also being recognized with The Koep Deans Medal are entertainers Carol Channing, the late Debbie Reynolds, actor-director Matthew Gray Gubler and legendary stuntman Willie Harris. George Grove of The Kingston Trio will be recognized as Alumnus of the Year.

The Hall of Fame was founded in 2003 to honor past and present Southern Nevada residents who have made a significant impact in visual and performing arts and have included The Killers, Penn & Teller, Siegfried & Roy and the late Tony Curtis and Liberace.

Lance is widely considered this century's "greatest stage magician." Magic historian Mike Caveney stated: "Take every magician in the world, line them up, and give them each 12 minutes. Lance wins!"

Now retired after headlining for more than a decade at Monte Carlo, Lance rolled up his sleeves to prove that he had nothing hidden for our Q+A:

How does it feel to be named into The Hall of Fame?

Wow, unbelievable! That was very, very sweet of them to think of me.

When you left the farm in Kentucky, did you ever think that you would wind up in a Hall of Fame?

No. I left Kentucky in 1981 and drove to Los Angeles, and I was in Los Angeles for about nine months and did my first "Tonight Show," with Johnny Carson, then I got booked into Las Vegas for "Folies Bergere." I drove over to Las Vegas. The car that I had at the time was a 1970 yellow Duster - Kentucky to L.A. to Las Vegas. By the time, I got to Las Vegas, the radiator was leaking.

I had to carry gallon jugs of water. I got milk jugs and filled them up. When I finished my show at "Folies," when I left The Tropicana at night, I would go out and I would open the hood of my car, and I would have to pour water into the radiator to make it home to my apartment. Then the next day, I would have to fill it up again to drive it back to The Tropicana.

How long did it take before you were able to afford a new radiator or get it fixed?

That car was on its last leg. I drove that car here in Las Vegas probably for the first year, then I bought a new car.

If Johnny Carson hadn't put you on "The Tonight Show," would your life have taken a different course?

Oh, absolutely, I would probably be back in Kentucky driving a tractor right now.

Do you ever get the urge to do that in retirement?

Yeah, I will - I will be moving back to Kentucky eventually. Within the next couple of years, I plan on moving back to the farm. I have my sister, and I have a farm there in Kentucky that was my grandfather's farm.

I built a house there for my parents about 20 years ago. My mom and dad are gone now, but that was always my plan, to move back to the farm and retire, to move into the house there and become a gentleman farmer.

You once told me that even though you stopped performing at Monte Carlo, you were not hanging up the "gone fishing sign".

Yeah, but now I've pretty much got around to almost hanging up the "gone fishing" sign. When I finished at Monte Carlo, there were a couple things I wanted to finish up. One was to finish the movie "Billy Topit: Master Magician." We finished that, as you know, because you were in it. We premiered it at film festivals and won awards. Now I'm working on getting the movie out so that everybody can see it, and that will be happening this summer.

People will be able to see it and enjoy the film. We're having another screening this spring. I've reached the age now where they want to give me awards! This July, the International Brotherhood of Magicians and Society of American Magicians are having a combined convention in Louisville, and they're honoring Mac King and me.

We're both going back home as Kentucky heroes to attend the convention, and we're having a screening of "Billy Topit" there at The Kentucky Center for the Arts. It's a beautiful building, a 2,500-seat theater. We're going to show the film there. I think that I'm going to use that opportunity to launch the film on DVD and digital downloads.

Lance, do you have any inkling to resume magic performances? Do you miss it?

Surprisingly, no! You'd think that you'd miss it after all these years, you know? I did 15,000 shows and 30 years onstage. It was fantastic, I had a great time, but now I enjoy doing other things.

What do you fill your day with, do you still take a deck of cards in front of a mirror just to make sure that your fingers are still nimble?

Very seldom. Every now and then, I do a little something for charity. I support Nevada SPCA, Variety Children's Charity and Shriner's. That's enough to keep me busy. Just a few months ago, I appeared at the 50th anniversary gala of St. Jude's Ranch for Children. I was at the 18th annual gala back when I first moved to Las Vegas and almost every year since. I think that they were looking for people who appeared in their gala in the old days. I was the only one still alive!

You look back on those 15,000 shows over 30 years of business, on the stage, you miss none of it, but can you recall highlights, things that made you feel very proud?

I don't know if it's fair to say that you don't miss it completely. Of course, that was part of my life for all those years, so I look back on it with a lot of pride. The shows and moments that usually stick in your mind are the shows that either went incredibly well and special or the ones that crashed and burned. I do look back, of course.

The highlights were performing for the president of the United States, performing at The Royal Variety Command Performance in London for Queen Elizabeth II and the Johnny Carson "Tonight" shows. I performed at The Ford Theater in Washington, D.C., for President and Mrs. Reagan.

That's where I met Louie Anderson. Louie was on the show, too. Louie and I were the only two who brought cameras to the reception. Everybody else was very, very cool, but Louie and I were the only two with cameras. We were still country boys at heart.

On the show, I did the sword fight, and after the show the president and first lady came up onstage, and the president made a few remarks. Then they both walked around and shook everybody's hand, but before leaving when he came up to me, Mr. Reagan shook my hand and said, "Well, now I'm going to be up all night long trying to figure out how you did that!"

Is that sword-fight trickery still your favorite illusion?

I think that's one of my favorites - if not the favorite, one of them.

Has magic changed since you first arrived at The Tropicana?

That's a difficult question. I don't know that magic has changed. The performers have changed, the guys who were working when I first got here all pretty much retired. New performers come along with new personalities. Criss Angel, of course, is doing gangbusters and, in fact, the sword fight is still being performed.

I gave Criss permission to do my sword fight. He's really added a lot of production value to that trick and made it a feature of the show. I'm very proud of him. He worked really hard on that, too. He worked for months to get that trick right. I had forgotten what a difficult trick it was to do because you do it every night. You just do it.

You forget all the months and years of experimentation that went on before it reached the stage. The gist of the trick is that the evil sword-fighting guy jumps out onstage and challenges me to a duel, and we have a sword fight. Then I hide underneath a tablecloth on top of the table, and the sword-fighting guy stabs me. He pulls the tablecloth away, and I've disappeared. The evil guy walks forward and takes off his mask, and it's me inside the costume. I was dueling with myself.

That subtext provokes the question, "Is that the story of your life?"

Yeah, yeah, it is, exactly. I think that's the truth. One of the things you can say about great art or magic, you can look at it in many different ways. One guy sitting in the audience goes, "Holy hell, where'd he go? Oh, there he is!" And the guy sitting next to him could say, "Oh, isn't that interesting, he was having this feud, this fight, but it turns out that he was just fighting with himself. What does that say about human nature?"

I think it also says something about you, which is going back to The Hall of Fame, do you retire, yes, no, when should I retire, yes, no? Should I go back to the farm in Kentucky, yes, no? All of those are questions that you deal with yourself, and you've answered them.

Exactly. I love Las Vegas, and if I go back to the farm, it doesn't mean that I can't come back to Las Vegas to visit. We have cars and airports in Kentucky. It's not all horse and buggies. I was the first to have a flying car onstage, remember?

It's been a good life?

It has. If I hadn't been a magician, I don't know, I ask myself that question every day. Where would I have wound up? I honestly believe that I would have been driving a tractor back in Kentucky if I hadn't found magic. Kentucky is a beautiful state, it's relaxing there, the farm's beautiful, and it's quiet, it's green, but there isn't much opportunity as an entertainer there.

At that time, especially if you wanted to be a magician or actor or standup comic, you had to go east or west. You had to go to New York or Los Angeles. I was 5 years old the first time I saw a magic show, and I wanted to be a magician. When I was about 10 or 12, I discovered Las Vegas on television through Merv Griffin, and he would come to Las Vegas for a week every year.

He would tape his shows at one of the big hotels, and he would always have the acts on his show who were appearing in town. He would have singers and comedians and jugglers and magicians. When I was a kid, I saw The Great Tomsoni, our mutual friend Johnny Thompson, and Siegfried & Roy on Merv's show.

I saw all these magicians who were appearing in this place called Las Vegas. That's how I became aware of Las Vegas. I didn't know where Las Vegas was. I was just a kid, I didn't know it was in Nevada. I didn't know anything about gambling or hotels, but I knew that there was a city called Las Vegas where all the professional magicians worked.

I said that when I grow up, I want to go to Las Vegas because that's where all the real magicians live and work. And I became one of them. Now The Hall of Fame, can you believe it? And I'm joining Siegfried & Roy and Johnny Thompson in The Nevada Artist Hall of Fame. I feel really honored. It will be a very special night on Tuesday.

--------------------------------------------
12. New Zealand Magic Convention - Wellington, 20-23 Oct 2017
--------------------------------------------
Message by Nopera Whitley (New Zealand)

Taking place in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, if you've always wanted to visit 'Middle Earth' there is no better place to start your adventure down under. Known for its coffee, galleries, theatre and movie making scene it's no wonder why Wellington is considered the cultural capital of New Zealand.

Take a stroll on the waterfront, go shopping on Cuba Street, or head over to Weta Workshop to see behind the scenes of Hollywood blockbusters including The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Avatar, Max Max, Narnia and many more.

If you've always wanted to come to New Zealand, there is no better reason to visit. With headliners like Shin Lim, Rob Zabrecky, Hector Mancha, Colin Cloud and Charlie Frye, it's no wonder that registrations are rolling in so fast.

With only 180 places available, and close to half of those are already taken, you'll want to register quickly or risk missing out.

-------------------------------------------
13. E-zine Archives
--------------------------------------------
Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to:
www.magicnewzealand.com click on the red button center right "Archives"

When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order in folders for each year and are Coded, e.g. 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.magicnewzealand.com

Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday.

The opinions and statements expressed therein are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of Magic New Zealand®. Neither Magic New Zealand® nor Alan Watson QSM 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 QSM, jointly or individually liable or responsible in any way for the opinions or statements contained 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.