Magic New Zealand E-zine Issue Number: #1710

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* Magic New Zealand®
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Issue Number: #1770
Date: Sunday 28th July 2024
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. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article 164
3. Magic Shop San Diego Destroyed by Fire
4. August Genii Magazine
5. The Magic Word Podcast
6. Magic & Mystery School Events
7. Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 83
8. Tales From The Fantastic Magic Center - #95
9. The Gift - John Carey #240
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: http://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2024-Jan-to-Dec-2024/1770-Jul28-2024.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. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article 164
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Message by Paul Stone (US)

Just following on from my article last week about the Mirage Hotel & Casino, one thing I didn't mention was that a couple of months after Siegfried & Roy's spectacular show opened in 1990, I brought a tour group of 150 magicians and their wives over to Las Vegas from UK.

We all stayed at the Mirage, and obviously went to see Siegfried & Roy's show. We saw their second show - they were performing twice nightly - after which we were asked to remain in the showroom so that Siegfried & Roy could come out to greet us.

Siegfried & Roy not only came out to see us, they stayed for over an hour and took a photo with every single one of the group. It was the experience of a lifetime and an incredible memory that everyone fortunate enough to be present will never forget.

Anyone who has visited Las Vegas in the last 30 years will have seen the huge statue of Siegfried & Roy on the Strip near to the Mirage Hotel & Casino. Now that the Mirage has closed its doors for the final time, the statue is being relocated to the Neon Museum, which I understand is also shortly to move to a new home in the Arts District of downtown Las Vegas.

Another interesting fact about the Mirage, just a few hours after it first opened its doors in November 1989, a 76 year old retired gentleman hit the jackpot and won $4.6 million on a $1 slot machine! When the Mirage opened, it was said that the casino would have to make $1 million a day to pay its way. It far exceeded that from day one!

In one of my previous articles speaking from a Show Producer's viewpoint, I stressed the importance for magicians to perform material that best suited them. I was reminded of this a couple of days ago when I was invited to see a comedian friend perform her spot at a local comedy club.

On this particular night there were three acts and an emcee, and each of them got progressively dirtier in their material, including my friend. Some people did laugh, but probably more out of embarrassment than anything else. But funny is funny, and in my opinion, this definitely was not.

Now, I have to be honest, I am full of respect and admiration for anyone who can get up on stage at a comedy club. I know I couldn't. Maybe I'm old school, however I'm not a prude, but having been brought up watching and booking some fantastic comedians, names like Bob Hope, Robin Williams, Dave Allen, Billy Connelly, and many lesser known comedians in the Northern Working Men's Clubs in England, a place where dozens plied their trade, and where I learnt the business, none of them needed to resort to this type of base material, because they were actually funny.

I'm looking forward to meeting a number of magic friends from around the world who will be visiting Las Vegas in a couple of weeks for the Magic Live Convention. These include an old friend of mine from Italy, Walter Rolfo, the organiser and driving force behind next year's FISM in Turin. Walter is also the man behind the annual Masters of Magic Convention, which a few weeks ago took place in the beautiful town of Saint Vincent close to the Alps. Walter always produces a class event, and I'm sure that FISM will be no different.

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3. Magic Shop San Diego Destroyed By Fire
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Message by Gregory Wilson (US)

Hello, I am Magician Gregory Wilson.

You may have heard about the recent devastating fire at Magic Shop San Diego, owned by my friend James Kellogg, Jr.

James has been a cornerstone of the magic community for over 50 years, and now his family business and their future have been devastated by this tragedy. The shop wasn't just a retail space but also housed a magic manufacturing facility and a printing operation for packaging used by magic creators.

I'm reaching out to our magic community in the hope that we can come together to support them in rebuilding their business and continuing their legacy. If you're able to contribute, please consider visiting their GoFundMe page and donating.

Additionally, sharing the GoFundMe https://gofund.me/3f27bade on social media would mean a lot to me.

Thank you for your support during this difficult time.

Regards,
Gregory

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4. August Genii Magazine
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Message from Richard Kaufman - Editor Magazine (US)

Join Genii today for as little as $35 and you'll be able to make a reservation to visit the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, get 12 new issues over the course of a year, and have access to all back issues of Genii and MAGIC magazines at www.geniimagazine.com.

And … 25 years has passed in a blink: August 1998 is when I called Irene Larsen and said I'd heard that Genii was for sale. After a quarter of a century, I am retiring as editor with the January 2025 issue, along with my wife Elizabeth Kaufman, our most talented art director, and my associate editor Dustin Stinett, truly my right-hand man for many years. Creating a new issue every 30 days has been both exhausting and rewarding, but we are most definitely not going to miss that deadline.

Our owner since 2016, Randy Pitchford, has big plans for Genii and its brand, but I'm not the person to share that news. What I can tell you is that the remarkably talented Julie Eng has completed her run as chief of Canada's Magicana and is now in charge of all things Genii related, of which there will be many - the magazine will be just one part.

For my job, we needed someone who has been in magic their whole life, knows pretty much everything and everybody in the field, can write, edit, meet deadlines, and so on. There are not a lot of people who have the necessary experience and expertise. I thought of one name, and one name only: Jim Steinmeyer. We are the same age and, like me, he always has a million and a half things on his plate. And yet, after much discussion with both myself and Julie, he embraced the offer and will be your executive editor for 2025 as the new team takes shape. What a coup for you, my readers! We have found someone I am genuinely thrilled to take my place and who can certainly do the job as well or better job than me.

Jim will be backed up by a team of excellent associate editors and writers. Some will be new to you, others you already know. Their names will be revealed in the coming months. Some of Genii's columnists will remain, others will depart. I am delighted to be working with Julie, Jim, and the new team on the next iteration of Genii. Wonderful things will happen.

On our cover this month, a magician I've greatly admired for many years, Canada's Shawn Farqhuar. He's been a working pro his entire life, and became FISM Grand Champion in Close-Up Magic in 2009. He did great sets at FISM in Quebec in 2022 and is really at the peak of his powers as a performer. Watch his Topsy Turvy Bottle routine closely next time you have the chance - there's no gimmick. Dustin Stinett takes Shawn down memory lane.

Once each spring since the pandemic the Tenyo Company of Japan has been holding an annual fan meeting in Tokyo. Each year, the most dedicated Tenyo fans attend and are treated to lectures and interviews, plus a special gift. This year that gift (the Japanese call it "omiyage"-oh-me-ya-gay) is an ingenious new handling of a flexagon for the revelation of several chosen cards. Called "Anakarakuri," we have a video demonstration of it in this issue embedded in Yuki Kadoya's report on the event.

Get thee hence to New World Stages in New York City by September 1st to see Swedish magicians Peter Brynolf and Jonas Ljung in their 90-minute show Stalker if you can. Carl Mercurio did, and it was so good that he decided to write about it for Genii. Tickets here: https://stalkershow.com/tickets/.

And I'm sorry to report the death of my old friend Andy Galloway, the sole student of the Scottish genius of magic John Ramsay. The material in his Ramsay books really came alive when he did it (fortunately both of Andy's videos on Ramsay are available via streaming from International Magic: https://www.internationalmagic.com/.../the-magic-of-john...). Dominic Twose memorializes him.

Our columnists this month run the gamut: John Bannon, Jonathan Friedman, Krystyn Lambert, David Regal, Jon Racherbaumer, Jamy Ian Swiss, and of course the latest doings at The Magic Castle, and reviews of the latest books, tricks, and videos.

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

Cody Clark and Joe Devlin on the Magic Word Podcast

Last week we featured an episode with Cody Clark, a young autistic magician who is making his way in the world as a professional magician. He gives us lots to think about when performing for audiences who might have members who are higher on the spectrum. More than a magician, Cody also performs and speaks to various special interest groups about autism. This is an inspirational episode about which one listener said, "This interview has more information about the business side than any other podcast/book has given."

You can listen to this and other episodes wherever you get your podcasts, but to view videos, see photos, read the blog, listen online and more, please visit: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/843-cody-clark

This week we chat with Joe Devlin about his experience of touring with not one, but two separate illusion tours. He also talks about his 37 years performing on cruises, his early work in New York City at Mostly Magic and the Magic Townhouse. He concludes by talking about performing his tribute to Richiardi in Criss Angel's "Amysika" as well as his consulting work for Criss Angel.

In this week's episode we also reveal the names of the winners of the recent contest for Richard Wiseman's new book, "Magic Your Mind Happy." You can watch our chat on YouTube and Spotify or listen by visiting the blog at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/844-joe-devlin

If you enjoy listening to The Magic Word Podcast and if you have the financial means, then please consider pledging your support. We have recently had a number of patrons who, for whatever personal reasons, had to cancel their pledges. We need to make up for those losses and now would be a great time for you become a Friend of the Magic Word. You can donate through PayPal on our website or through Patreon at: https://patreon.com/themagicword We sincerely appreciate your consideration for helping us.

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6. Magic & Mystery School Events
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Message by Jeff McBride (US)

August 2024 - Magic & Mystery School Events
2 & 9 - Fire Magic 2024 Summer Summit - Live On Zoom with Jeff McBride & Kevin Axtell

3 - The Magic & Mystery School Experience, Session 1 - Live In Las Vegas with Jeff McBride

8 - The Magic & Mystery School Experience, Session 2 - Live In Las Vegas with Jeff McBride

September 2024 - Magic & Mystery School Events
23-25 - Medicine & Magic Seminar - Live In Las Vegas with Jeff McBride, Larry Hass and Ricardo Rosenkrantz

27-29 - Weekend of Wisdom - Live In Las Vegas with Jeff McBride, Larry Hass, and Tobias Beckwith

October 2024 - Magic & Mystery School Events
17-20 - Master Class for Mentalism 2024 Session 1- Live In Las Vegas with Jeff McBride, Larry Hass and Ross Johnson

21-24 - Master Class for Mentalism 2024 Session 2 - Live In Las Vegas with Jeff McBride, Larry Hass, and Ross Johnson

November 2024 - Magic & Mystery School Events
8 - 10 - Magic & Meaning Conference 2024 - Live On Zoom with Jeff McBride & Larry Hass

https://shop.magicalwisdom.com/events

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7. Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 82
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Message by Wittus Witt (Germany)

It's done. A new book has just been published. In German, but no less important because of that. But let's start from the beginning. It was the early 1970s when I met Peter Hackhofer (May 13, 1947 - June 26, 2022), the doctor and magician. He lived near Cologne at the time, not far from where I lived in Düsseldorf. In Düsseldorf, I discovered a rather large collection of magic books at an antiquarian bookshop. When I asked about the previous owner, I was told that the books came from the collection of Dr. Kurt Volkmann. What a surprise. I told Peter about it, and he was immediately thrilled and bought the collection. That laid the foundation for his magnificent collection.

A first part of his collection was auctioned on June 8 at Potter & Potter. In the catalogue, I found one number particularly interesting. No. 256: Marvelli Collection. This includes manuscripts, photos, program booklets, and other ephemera. Years ago, Peter told me that he had an unpublished manuscript by Fredo Marvelli in his collection and that we wanted to publish it "someday." Unfortunately, that never happened.

But now, after having acquired the collection, I was able to realize this dream. Fredo Marvelli (May 4, 1903 - May 6, 1971) was one of the most significant magicians of his time, after Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser. Later magicians like Adrion and Punx built on his work. In 1940/41, he was invited by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to North Africa to keep the soldiers entertained. His experiences and impressions are vividly recorded in this manuscript. Additionally, there are many unknown photos of him, some showing him in freezing cold conditions.

Here is a glimpse of the book: https://youtu.be/5cI5LkBNmNk

See you next time,
Wittus

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8. Tales From the Fantastic Magic Center - #95
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Message by Kent Cummins (US)

"Ride the Wild Surf" LIVE!

Last week I told you about promoting the 1964 movie, "Ride the Wild Surf." We were going to float a girl in a bikini on a surfboard…but not in the water. In the air! It wasn't easy finding a surfboard in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but we finally obtained a large, hollow, locally-crafted board made of plywood.

And it was even harder to find, in 1964, a girl in a bikini! But Gordie, the marketing manager of the theater, had found a girl who agreed. The problem was that she worked at a health club across town from the theater. And she didn't get off work until 6:30.

We placed the surfboard on display by the box office, with a sign saying that this surfboard would float in the air with a girl in a bikini.

We had a full house at 7 pm, and I started performing my magic show. I remember Linking Rings, because they could stretch and take a long time.

Finally, I saw Gordie in the back of the theater with a girl in a terrycloth robe. She shrugged off the robe, and when she arrived on stage, it was the first time we had met.

I performed the Head Cremation with her, explaining in stage whispers what was coming next. Finally, two "Beach Bums" ran up the aisle with the surfboard. I hypnotized the girl (I never knew her name) and she reclined on the surfboard. The Beach Bums let go, and she was suspended in the air! I passed a red Hula Hoop over her.

Box Office Magazine did a nice piece, with photo, on the promotion.

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. The Gift - John Carey #240
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Message by John Carey (UK)

Magicians and friends around the world. A wise man once wrote that today is a gift and they call it the present. Well, I have a present for you all today.

Grab a deck of cards and shuffle them. They do say that all good things come in threes, so push off three cards and drop them face-down on the table in front of you. Now repeat that again, dropping another three cards on top of the first packet. Then do that once more and drop three cards on top of the packet on the table. Discard the rest of the deck. Shuffle that packet please.

Now further mix the cards by dealing one to your left and another to your right. Repeat that over and over until you run out of cards. You're doing great. Please pick up the packet on your right and mix it and place it back on the table. Now pick up the packet on your left and mix that too. Take a little peek at the bottom card of that packet and lock the thought of that card into your mind. Drop that packet on top of the other packet and square up.

So you're thinking of a card. A card I couldn't possibly know right? Mix the cards one last time by dealing one to your left and one to your right. Continue doing that until you run out of cards. Now drop the packet on the right on top of the other packet.

I did say I had a present for you remember? I'd like you to deal one card at a time into a packet on the table and spell out loud the word PRESENT, one card for each letter. Now just make a wish and turn over the last card you dealt. You truly are amazing!

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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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Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
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