Magic New Zealand® E-zine

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* Magic New Zealand®
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Issue Number: #1729
Date: Sunday 20th August 2023
Editor: Alan Watson QSM
www.watson.co.nz
E-mail: Editor@magicnewzealand.com

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Hi here is the latest news
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1. Editor's Message
2. Walk Around At Magic Live's Dealers Room
3. Potter & Potter Auctions
4. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #121
5. Magic Word Podcast - Convention Reports
6. PCAM Convention 2023
7. Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 43
8. Tales From The Fantastic Magic Center - #54
9. He who knows... - John Carey #207
10. E-zine Archives
11. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice

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1. Editor's Message
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If you would like to read the Magic New Zealand e-zine in HTML format go to: https://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2023-Jan-to-Dec-2023/1729-Aug20-2023.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

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2. Walk Around At Magic Live's Dealers Room
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Enjoy the walk around with Lupe Nielsen at Magic Live's dealers room.

https://www.facebook.com/vegaslupe

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3. Potter & Potter Auctions
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Message by Rebekah Kaufman
617-955-7215
rebekah@potterauctions.com

I am excited to announce Potter & Potter Auctions' upcoming 379 lot Magicana sale, to be held on Saturday, August 26th starting at 10am.

This well curated sale includes a strong offering of century spanning magic props produced by the world's most respected companies and craftsmen.

Please see the attached press release and highlight photos for more information.

Gabe Fajuri, President of Potter & Potter Auctions, is happy to speak with you in greater detail about this sale. He can be reached at
gabe@potterauctions.com or 773-472-1442.

My contact information is below if I can be helpful in any other way.

Thank you in advance for your time and interest.

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4. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #121
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Message by Paul Stone (US)

In last week's article I wrote a report about the Magic Live Convention which had just ended at the Orleans Hotel & Casino here in Las Vegas. Or to be more accurate I talked about my three favourite moments at the Convention.

Due to having to complete my article in time to make the copy date, and also being aware that I was going to be heavily involved later in the day at a VIP Cocktail Party at Siegfried & Roy's Jungle Palace home, hosting tours of that iconic property for many of Las Vegas's dignitaries, I'd written the article with the last day of the convention still to run.

I had planned to call in to the convention for a couple of hours on the last day to watch the final General Session. I was keen to do so because Mat O'Neill was to be the opening speaker. Mat, you may remember is the young magician from Los Angeles that I had mentioned in my article a couple of weeks ago after I'd seen him perform in the Future Stars Week at the Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Mat walked around the theatre prior to the General Session greeting individual members of the audience as they took their seats and, as the lights dimmed, he took the stage, and asked everyone he'd spoken to, to stand up and then to sit back down as he called out their name.

We are not talking about half a dozen or even ten names, he had memorised nearly one hundred names having literally met the people for a few seconds each. Unsurprisingly, he received a huge ovation. Mat then did a short Q&A with the host Alex Boyce giving some out some useful memory tips.

As impressive as Mat was, it was another presenter that followed that gave one of the best talks I've ever heard. For me he was worth the price of admission on his own! Yes, he really was THAT good!

I'd actually never heard of him before. His name is Danny Buckler, and I'm proud to say he's British!

Danny had performed a spot in the opening night's gala show which I'd unfortunately missed, although I had heard that he'd performed a card trick whilst singing a song from Les Miserables, so I suppose in hindsight I should have been expecting something special.

His talk was titled 'To Fill A Stage … With Nothing! For the first couple of minutes, I have to admit, I wasn't sure if I liked him, and I even mentioned this to my good friend and fellow Brit, Roger Blakiston, who was sitting next to me.

But my opinion very quickly changed! Danny, who was like a comedy version of movie star Bob Hoskins, talked about a very famous British comedienne, comedy actress and writer of several successful TV sitcoms, Victoria Wood. In England she was a household name and extremely popular. She was married to English magician Geoffrey Durham, aka The Great Soprendo.

Victoria was best known for sitting at a piano and singing her hilarious comedy songs, and Danny told the story of working in a show with her, and how she had told Danny that this would be the last night she would ever use a piano on stage.

When Danny queried why, Victoria told him that she was getting rid of the final 'crutch'. She felt that the piano had always been the 'safety blanket' between her and the audience, and that it was always there as a backup in case her comedy wasn't going well.

She had gradually, little by little, moved away from it, firstly not sitting on a piano stool, then leaning against the piano whilst delivering her gags, and now she'd decided that she wanted to get rid of it completely, and just perform her stand-up comedy routines with no props.

Danny then recounted a story of his first experience as a comedian on a cruise ship. His act, which had a lot of magic props in it, had gone well, but it was when he went to watch the veteran cruise director Leslie Jon perform his one man show that completely changed his performing life.

His act which was an evening of song and music, centered around three hats, each one representing a figure from Leslie's career.

Danny focused on one of the songs that Leslie performed, Mr Bojangles, and how he literally became the characters in the song and transformed the audience into believing that the characters actually existed there in front of their eyes.

In Danny's words 'Leslie didn't just sing songs, he created worlds. He pulled our imaginations out of our heads and onto the stage with nothing but words and movement'.

This performance inspired Danny to get rid of his props and find a way for HIM to be the show. To fill the stage and create magic … with nothing.

In his all too short talk, Danny demonstrated superbly how to do this, and whilst very few magicians have his extraordinary talent, it is a valuable lesson to learn. Try not to have too many 'crutches' in your show!

I could have listened to Danny for hours, he's not only a funny comedian, he's a wonderful story teller. It was an absolutely outstanding talk.

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5. Magic Word Podcast - Convention Reports
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Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star

Convention Reports and Dana Daniels on the Magic Word Podcast

It has been a busy month beginning in July with my magic convention attendance at the S.A.M. in New Orleans followed immediately by Abbott's Get Together then jetting out to Las Vegas for MAGIC Live! Add to all of this, I am in the midst of a move across Texas from Houston to the Austin area. If you missed any of the daily reports or you would like to hear what you missed (or to re-live it again), then please visit the website for exclusive photos and videos from all of these events. Or you can always listen to back episodes through our archives or wherever you get your podcasts.

While we were at MAGIC Live! we found out that the magic dinner theater, Warren & Annabelle's in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii burned down as part of the tragic fire in the area. Just 24 hours earlier we recorded a podcast episode with Dana Daniels, who was one of the regular performers at Warren & Annabelle's. You can hear the joy in his voice of how much he loved working there and his excitement of returning. My, what a difference a day makes.

You can visit the website at
https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/783-dana-daniels
where you can also get a link to the Go-Fund-Me account to help raise money for the staff and employees who lost their jobs, their homes, and most of their possessions.

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6. PCAM Convention 2023
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Pacific Coast Association Of Magicians
90th Anniversary
November 9th - 12th 2023
Carlsbad, California

The Pacific Coast Association of Magicians (PCAM) is an organization for professional, semi-professional and amateur magicians, that incorporates chapters around the entire Pacific Rim, including Japan, Hawaii, California, and Western Canada.

Founded in 1933, they host a well-known annual magic convention, which is limited to a few hundred registrants and gives out awards in several different competition categories including the Pro-Challenge. We are the longest running, continuous magic convention in the world and our PCAM family refers to it as the "biggest little magic convention in the world".

Our 90th edition of the PCAM Convention will be held in Carlsbad, California in 2023.

https://pcammagic.com/

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7. Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 43
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Message by Wittus Witt (Germany)

The most famous magic trick produced by the Janos Bartl company was most certainly the "Silk Wonder". A small, silver container that could be shown absolutely convincingly empty and yet subsequently have a plethora of silks appear from it. The feat was introduced to the market around 1920 by Bartll.

Somewhat later, the Davenports company in England was also allowed to produce it. Both company owners were on friendly terms. Many magicians of the time performed the "Silk Wonder" again and again in their programmes. One particular demonstration was even done by Paul Daniels, who performed it in one of his television shows in an extremely entertaining way that was very amazing for all viewers.

I have several versions of the utensil in my museum. Also some so-called pirate copies.
In the beginning, the cabinet could only be shown empty through two open doors. A little later Bartl brought out the extension "Silk-Wonder-Perfect". In this version, all four sides of the cabinet could be opened. Of course, this increased the effect even more.

If you want to see Paul Daniels with the Silk-Wonder, you can do so on my channel at:
https://youtu.be/y9q_L0OlSC0

Until next week

Wittus Witt
www.hamburger-zaubermuseum.com

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8. Tales From The Fantastic Magic Center - #54
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Message by Kent Cummins, Director (US)

Fresh Fish Sold Here Today

Last week, I told you about my rope trick with comedy signs. After my convention performance, I happened to be sitting next to Arnold Furst, who had just released a book called, "Magic for monsters." (It's about doing magic for children!)

Arnold (Mr. Furst. I was still a kid.) told me that he liked my act, and offered suggestions for several more comedy signs. I was impressed to meet him, because I knew that he invented the magic trick called, "Fresh Fish Sold Here Today".

The trick is a funny story in which the magician tears each word off the sign, explaining why it is not necessary, and then has to restore it before the angry fish monger calls the police.

I was inspired by the ways Mark Wilson used magic tricks to promote his sponsors on "The Magic Land of Allakazam" his precedent-breaking television show. I think he used the Fresh Fish trick to promote "Delicious Kellogg's Corn Flakes Sold Here Today" or something similar.
So, even before I graduated from college, I was performing "Delicious Pepsi Cola Sold Here Today". Later, when I was running a chain of sandwich shops that was introducing Frogurt Frozen Yogurt, I made up the same trick for Frogurt. I have also used it in various corporate gigs. It is one of my favorite and most versatile "Magic with a Message" routines.

Some of my favorite examples of Magic with a Message were created by Harry Blackstone, Junior. Like Mark Wilson, he had a knack for using magic to promote his sponsors. Large posters and sample materials are on display at The Fantastic Magic Center.

The Fantastic Magic Center is dedicated to preserving and sharing the art of magic. But I can't do it without your help. My Patreon account is the same place as my free weekly podcast:
www.FantasticMagicCenter.com
kent@magichotline.com

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9. He who knows... - John Carey #207
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Message by John Carey (UK)
http://www.johncareymagic.co.uk/

Making the spectator the star in a routine is such a strong premise. It's almost like you are merely stepping back and letting an audience member take the limelight. That's a good thing. The piece I'm about to discuss creates the illusion of a spectator having mind reading super power as they correctly locate a card the mystery man is merely thinking of. It makes great use of a superb Dave Forrest application of my friend Michael Murray's beautiful Springboard technique from his book a Piece of My Mind.

Whenever you want to perform this effect simply cut either red three spot to the face of the deck. With the deck face-down execute a couple of slip shuffles retaining the red three on the face of the deck. Hand the deck to a willing helper. "Mick, have you ever listened to a song on the radio and simply couldn't get it out of your head all day? Happens all the time to me! Funny thing is though it can happen with other things too. Earlier today I found a playing card on my kitchen floor and simply can't get the identity of that card out of my mind. Let's try a little test of your intuition and instincts to see if you can get into my mind!"

So with the premise set we will now covertly direct our helper to apparently read our mind. Sound like fun? Read on! Ask your spectator to look at the face card of the deck without anyone seeing it. Continue by asking them if they believe the card you are thinking of is the same colour as that card (a red three) or the opposite colour? Let's say that they believe it's the opposite colour-black. Now ask them if they believe your card is lower or higher in value? This is why we use a very low spot card. They will say higher. You then ask how many higher? This is Dave Forrest's brilliant application of the Murray Springboard concept. It comes from a routine called Amalgam in his Ebook Read Me. We will for example and teaching purposes assume they say 5 higher. So if you think about it, they have mentally forced in this example a black eight on themselves!

"Mick would you spread through the deck and based on what your intuition just told you, remove the card you believe I am thinking of please?" Direct them to table it face-down and take back the deck. Casually ribbon spread the deck face-up across the table as you recap what has taken place. Mentally note which black eight spot is still in the deck. Suppose it's the eight of Clubs. Therefore you will name the card you are thinking of as the eight of Spades, the spectator will react and turn the card over and the crowd will respond accordingly!

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10. E-zine Archives
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Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e- zine go to:
www.magicnewzealand.com

Click on the red button centre 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)

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11. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice
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Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday.

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