* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #176 Date: Sunday 25th May 2003 Editor: Alan Watson www.magician.co.nz www.alan-watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor’s Message   2. The Mantel Of Magic - Jane Stuart - The J. Marberger Stuart Foundation, Inc.   3. The Mantel Of Magic Diatribe By Phil Temple - Peter Reveen Answers   4. Happy Fifth Birthday To WAM (World Alliance Of Magicians)   5. Tribute To Clifford Warne’s Life   6. Highlights From The 33rd Annual Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolic   7. Trying To Find Uday Magic World India   8. FISM Just Before I Could Register   9. Phil Cass On The Footy Show - Channel 9   10. Convention Web Page For The British Ring   11. Fast Jimmy - TV Appearance   12. 73rd Annual Magi-Fest, Feb. 5, 6, & 7   13. Society Of Young Magicians Assembling In Tarzana   14. Paul Romhany On The Love Boat   15. The Laugh Meter - Peter Marucci   16. Peter Marucci Lectures   17. MindMasters   18. Free Monthly E-Zine For The Mentalists   19. Want To Sell Your Magic!   20. Siegfried Attends Lance Burton's Show   21. The Amazing ‘Orchante’ Saga - Vol. Two - The Australian Years   Magic New Zealand   22. e-zine archives   23. Subscription Management ------------------------------------ 1. Editor's Message ------------------------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One The NEXT Magic New Zealand e-zine will be published on Thursday 29th May due to Michele and I attending the Wanganui Mini Convention that weekend (Queens Birthday holiday weekend). Consequently there will be no Magic New Zealand e-zine on Sunday 1st June. We’ll be back to normality after the weekend holiday and will publish the again on Sunday 8th June. ------------------------------------- Re Clifford Warne: Received a large number of personal tributes to Clifford Warne who passed away last week. Unfortunately couldn’t publish them all due to space. Kent Blackmore wrote an excellent tribute refer item number #5. Also below are links to articles published about Clifford Warne’s life and his contributions to magic. Go to: http://www.anglicanmedia.com.au/news/archives/001266.php http://www.fm1032.com.au/News-Detail.asp?NewsID=26 http://www.fm1032.com.au/News-Detail.asp?NewsID=27 -------------------------------------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ---------------------------------- 2. The Mantel Of Magic - Jane Stuart - The J. Marberger Stuart Foundation, Inc. ---------------------------------- Message from Jane Stuart - The J. Marberger Stuart Foundation, Inc. Personal interviews with Jane Thurston, Moi-yo Miller (Dante's legendary Assistant) and, during his lifetime, Arturo Montes (Dante's famed builder of Illusions) have shown to the J. Marberger Stuart Foundation, Inc. (home of the DRAGON Award) that Thurston passed the Mantel of Magic to Dante and Dante did indeed pass the Mantel of Magic to Lee Grabel and Lee Grabel has passed the Mantle to Lance Burton. Therefore, it is the position of the J. Marberger Stuart Foundation, Inc. that 1) The Mantel of Magic exists and 2) It is now in the possession of Lance Burton. Moi-yo Miller is now living in Australia. In our opinion, she is the authority on the Dante show. For more information about the J.Marberger Stuart Foundation or the DRAGON Award see our website go to: www.dragonaward.org ------------------------------------ 3. The Mantel Of Magic Diatribe By Phil Temple - Peter Reveen Answers ------------------------------------- Message from Peter Reveen (US) After reading the “Mantel of Magic” article that appeared in the #175 issue of Magic New Zealand e-zine, I couldn’t help but wonder what was behind the thinking that caused such an article to be written. Could it be jealousy? A feeling of unfulfillment? Getting even for a presumed slight? I do not know, It just seems strange and somewhat diabolical. To set the matter straight, Dante saw a Lee Grabel Performance, and after a lot of discussions and meetings, chose Lee Grabel as his successor. Dante even arranged for his stage manager, friend and prop builder Arturo Montes, husband of co-star Moi-yo Miller, to work with Lee Grabel before he took over the show. It was the untimely death of Dante that stopped the event from taking place. The snide arrogance towards Lee Grabel, a true gentleman in every sense of the word, is deplorable. Lee after retiring from the stage, became a visionary developer who created great living environments and communities for families. (Built on lands that he had purchased from profits he had accumulated from his magic tours). In this endeavour he became both highly successful and very wealthy. Lee is a revered member of his community. An honoured Rotarian, a Scottish Rite Mason and a Shrine Member. When Lee Grabel passed the mantel to Lance Burton on the afternoon of May 12, 1994, so many of the magical luminaries of America and other countries were present. Jane Thurston Sheppard sent a beautiful letter attesting to the truth of her late father’s intention to pass his mantel onto Dante. This was read out loud to all and met with great applause. The Dean of American Magicians, Jay Marshall, presented Lance with a lifetime membership to the Society of American Magicians. William Larsen gave the honor of a lifetime membership from the Magic Castle. Moi-yo Miller gave a beautiful speech and all 50 of the dignitaries present rose to their feet for a thunderous standing ovation, led by the legendary Channing Pollack. There was not one discordant note from all the men and women present. Could the fact that Phil Temple was not invited have caused a festering sore that has never healed? What a pity that such a pathetic article was ever written. ---------------------------------- 4. Happy Fifth Birthday To WAM (World Alliance Of Magicians) ---------------------------------- Message from Walter Zaney Blaney, WAM President Emeritus Yes,it was five years ago, May 18, 1998, when WAM was founded as a California non-profit corporation. It began when a concerned group of professional magicians met at The Magic Castle for two days of discussions on how best the world magic community could combat the horrific exposure of many of our top stage illusions on the FOX-TV series "Breaking the Magicians Code...Magician's Secrets Finally Revealed." The meeting was chaired by Magic Castle president Dale Hindman, and hosted by Magic Castle's founder Milt Larsen. Ed Thomas represented the SAM (now current International president of SAM). IBM was represented by David Sandy (now International president elect of IBM). Magic Magazine was represented by editor Stan Allen. Don Wayne and I represented the magic illusion inventors. Mark Wilson was there as Magic Castle president emeritus. David Baram was a Magic Castle member magician and an attorney specializing in entertainment law. He was also a legal consultant to David Copperfield. Mr. Baram convinced the group that the magic community must quickly speak out against what the FOX-TV network was doing...a "speak now or forever hold your peace" situation...before a precedent was set by FOX-TV because magicians had not protested the FOX-TV exposure shows. FOX-TV had already aired two such shows scoring a huge viewership of 24 million and 20 million homes. A third show was due to air in just two weeks in late May. It was decided that magicians could have the most clout against FOX-TV if we formed a federation of all the major magic societies around the world....thus our name WORLD ALLIANCE OF MAGICIANS (WAM). Officers chosen were Walter Zaney Blaney, president; Chuck Jones, vice president and treasurer; Frances Willard, secretary; David Sandy and Kevin Spencer, directors. There was also an impressive Advisory Board of a dozen internationally known "names in magic." We immediately hired a prominent Hollywood public relations firm, the David Brokaw Co., to help get out the magician's side of the story regards the mass exposure of our craft's secrets. There were many national TV interviews by the likes of Mark Wilson, Milt Larsen, and other professionals. Our story appeared in hundreds of newspapers throughout the country. Millions who had wondered why the magicians had not protested the exposure of our secrets now heard the reasons why it was wrong and hurtful to our business. Two weeks later when show number three aired, the audience was cut to only 8 million homes. Whatever a few naysayers may think, 8 million viewers is a LOT smaller than 20 or 24 million. Between show number three and show number four WAM now had several months to lay out a calculated plan to thwart FOX-TV and hurt them in their pocketbook. There would be no "screaming and hollering", no boycotts of sponsor's products, no picketing, no lawsuits by WAM. Instead, in a quiet, reasoned, businesslike way we made a list of all the corporate sponsors of the shows. We wrote directly to the firms' CEO's, their Advertising Executives and their Public Relations Managers. It was a cordial letter saying that magicians understood that they surely had not realized what kind of new TV shows FOX-TV was producing with their "Masked Magician" show. They could not have known the harm these shows were causing, not just to the hard working magicians around the world who were supporting their families by bringing the age old art of magic to the world stage, but even more harm to the public itself by taking away and destroying the wonder and delight that magic and mystery bring to all ages. We immediately received back letters of apology from dozens of these corporate executives all agreeing with WAM and saying they would no longer sponsor such shows. Among them were Coca Cola, McDonalds, Kelloggs, Wendys, Robitussin, MMM to name but a few. And guess what...show Number Four had only THREE national sponsors, the rest were all just promo ads for other FOX network shows. Not only that, FOX-TV had their smallest audience yet. It was over a year before they tried one more such show, this time exposing Close-Up magic secrets, and the ratings were still the lowest of all. Last month NBC aired a show exposing so called "psychic's secrets." It was actually another show exposing this time "Psychic Entertainer's Secrets." It was produced by Nash Entertainment, the same producers of the former FOX-TV exposure shows. WAM is again writing the various sponsors, and will make the list available on our WAM website for others who wish to write letters. Most magicians are not aware of the further activities of Valentino after he was let go by FOX-TV. He went on to produce a weekly exposure show in Brazil on Globo TV for ten months in 1999. The Brazilian magicians, with initial help and advice from WAM, were able to get Valentino thrown out of their country. They then bravely fought the gigantic Globo TV with a lawsuit that lasted these past four years. Just this month the Brazilian court ruled in favor of the magicians, and Globo TV must pay lost income to the 22 magicians who filed the suit, a considerable amount. The story was sent out by the Associated Press worldwide. Our congratulations to the Brazilian magicians for their hard work, their perseverance and their big success. Valentino then did the same thing in Japan with three big two-hour national TV exposure shows. Again WAM assisted the Japanese magicians in a writing campaign to the sponsors. More recently WAM has shifted our focus to try and stop the rip-off magic builders and dealers in the magic world. These pirates simply build and market very cheap copies of all the successful illusions designed by the inventors who make their living producing and marketing their own new creations. Some of these "rip-off guys" have dealers around the world who handle their stolen illusions. WAM will soon reveal our plans on how we can help thwart this flagrant stealing of the intellectual property of our best magic inventors. We have had the advice and thinking of many of these inventors who see the strong need to protect the incentive to continue their creative efforts for the benefit of all magicians. We hope you will consider joining WAM. This can now easily be done at no cost by going to our WAM website: www.magiciansalliance.com Of course a contribution would certainly help WAM's beleaguered treasury if you agree our goals are worthwhile. A FIFTH BIRTHDAY PRESENT WOULD BE MOST WELCOME Please send any checks to: WAM, c/o treasurer Chuck Jones, 5959 Sitting Bull Place, Simi Valley, CA 93063 ---------------------------------- 5. Tribute To Clifford Warne’s Life ---------------------------------- Message from Kent Blackmore (Aust) CLIFFORD WARNE, O.A.M This is a modified version of a “This Is Your Life” tribute to Clifford Warne in 1997, compiled by Peter Wood of IBM Sydney Ring 102 and extended by Kent Blackmore. Clifford Warne, Australia’s gifted and loved entertainer, broadcaster, writer and communicator died, aged 73, on Wednesday May 14. The service, attended by several hundred, was held at North Sydney on May 19 and included tributes from illustrator Graham Wade and radio broadcaster Kel Richards. Clifford is survived by three sons and several grandchildren. It is difficult to look just briefly at the life of Clifford Warne. A friend to everyone, his activities were so widespread that few would know the full extent of his talents. Right up to the last, Clifford was travelling and lecturing, with a workload which would have exhausted younger men. As a child, Clifford would be exposed to a lot of live entertainment; There was no TV in those days. His interest in magic was sparked when he saw magicians at the Tivoli, namely the comedy inept magic duo "Null & Void" and Chang's great Chinese magic show called "A Night in Hades". These performances were memorable ones for Clifford and inspired him to pursue his own interest in magic. So Clifford began learning little magic tricks he read in the boy's magazine "Popular Mechanics". Clifford's father also was an amateur magician, but his magic cupboard was kept 1ocked and any snooping was strictly forbidden. But, if little Clifford was like any young boy, he would have found an opportunity to get into that cupboard and investigate the forbidden fruits therein. By the time Clifford was 18 he was working for Qantas, but was becoming quite established as a popular magician and ventriloquist. It was at this age he met his mentor, Dr Paul White, alias the Jungle Doctor, author of the famous Jungle Doctor stories. The two soon formed a very important relationship; one that would last right up until the passing of Paul White a few years ago. Clifford had the desire to be on radio and Dr Paul White (a man of considerable influence) was able to arrange that. So from 1948 to 1951 Clifford moved to Inverell where he did the breakfast show on radio 2NZ as well as the station's afternoon children's programme. Once a week, Clifford wrote and produced a weekly radio pantomime using his ventriloquist character "Dudley" and a full supporting cast. This earned Clifford an award from the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal in 1948, though at the time he was performing under the stage name of Rex Clifford. Clifford enjoyed radio in Inverell for three or four years, but much bigger things were in store for him. Television was coming to Australia and Dr Paul White knew that Clifford was made for that medium. So in 1951, at the age of 21, Dr White arranged for Clifford to work with the Scripture Union organisation to prepare them for the arrival of TV. Five years later, Dr White sponsored Clifford to go overseas for ten months for training in the art and technique of TV production. He spent 3 months in Britain, 4 months in the U.S. as well as time in Africa and Europe. In New York, Clifford appeared on the NBC network, then on CBC Toronto and CBS Hollywood . Since then, Clifford kept Australian audiences chuckling for 40 years with his magic, puppetry and ventriloquism. In 1957 (six months after ATN 7 began telecasting) Clifford appeared twice weekly on the "Captain Fortune Show". Every Tuesday he amused and amazed the Captain and Reg Quartly with magic, and on Thursdays gave voice to his wooden-headed sidekick, Gus. Clifford also hosted the "Ruff and Ready Cartoon Show" each week, Monday to Friday for a couple of years. By this time, Clifford was the Director of the Anglican Television Society (then known as the Church of England Television Society). He produced the religious programme "The Wotsaname Show" which featured Martha Nixon and Clifford's puppets. "The Wotsaname Show" ran for about 15 years on ATN 7 and numerous regional stations. As Director of Anglican Television, Clifford regularly produced adult religious programmes for ATN. Among them, he hosted the panel programme "Time to Talk" for more than two years. For some time, Clifford had been wanting to produce a children's, or more a family show which would not only be entertaining, but would be a vehicle for teaching important Biblical truths. In the 1980's, this desire became a reality when "Sing Me A Rainbow" commenced production initially on the 9 Network, then in 1989 it moved over to the 7 Network. "Rainbow" was the only religious programme to obtain a "C" rating under the old system. This meant that the station could count the show under the points system as an approved Australian children's programme. Up to the late '90s Clifford appeared on or produced a show on Channel 7 every week since 1957. As a scriptwriter, Clifford transcribed Dr Paul White's "Jungle Doctor" fables for recordings, filmstrips and television. He wrote the dramatic radio series "Encounter" which has been broadcast on over 70 radio stations throughout the world. He wrote television commercials for Mortein, Pepsi and the Commonwealth Bank and wrote and directed many films on location in New Guinea, Thailand, Italy, Israel and Switzerland. As well as doing, Clifford also taught. For many, many years he was resident lecturer in Speech Communication at Moore Theological College and also lectured at the London college for Contemporary Christianity, the Moody Bible College Chicago and other colleges in Africa, Asia and New Zealand. He regularly lectured for Church groups as well as teaching showmanship and presentation to entertainers as he did for the magic clubs of Sydney on numerous occasions. The presentation of his lectures was always a good example of his own advice. As an author, Clifford wrote many books ranging from children's stories to textbooks on communication. His stories have been published in almost every country and language and his textbooks should be on every entertainer's shelf. On Australia Day in 1983 in the Queen's Australia Day awards, Clifford Warne received the Order of Australia Medal for services to religion in the media. Clifford, your many friends are extremely proud of you and your achievements. Your wisdom, your generosity with your time and possessions, your knowledge and your willingness to share are an inspiration to us all. We thank you for your contribution to the world. ---------------------------------- 6. Highlights From The 33rd Annual Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolic ---------------------------------- Message from Obie Obrien (US) This annual get-together of keen close-uppers, organised by Obie O’ Brien and held on the last weekend in April every year at the Holiday Inn, Batavia, NY, never fails to deliver a jam-packed program of outstanding lectures, shows, performers, camaraderie and fun. This year was certainly no exception. Over the very full three days and nights there were eight lectures, a workshop, four formal shows, and plenty of time to cruise the extensive displays in the dealer’s room. I’ll run through the lectures first and then mention some of the highlights from the four formal shows. The “weekend” started on Wednesday evening with the Pat Page lecture. Pat started by removing his jacket and producing a pint glass of beer from one of the sleeves. Next he performed a “matching cards” card routine, explained his version of the top change, performed a coin though silk effect (which is explained on one of the videos in the ASM library), and then a simple ace cutting routine with a Jumbo coin production. Pat then gave a detailed explanation of his Sucker Colour Change Silk routine and Miser’s Dream routine. After Pat’s lecture it was then time to visit the hospitality room for free donuts and coffee, and some informal close-up. There were three lectures on Thursday; Rey Ben from Argentina, Jean-Jaques Sanvert from France, and Meir Yedid from New York. Rey Ben is known for his hyperactive “baby” act, but also gave a good lecture with some clever ideas. His “button” trick was a great idea for the corporate performer. He also showed his cap in bottle routine (previously popularised by Daryl) and a very clever addition to a four ace routine, which allowed a clean display of the ace and three indifferent cards in the leader packet just before the packet changed to the four aces. He also had a clever idea for stealing items off the table while performing Crazy Man’s Handcuffs, as well as a clever gimmick for repeat cigarette productions (or crayon productions). Jean-Jaques Sanvert described his own version of some classic card routines, beautifully performed. First an excellent version of the Cannibal cards, followed by a version of Invisible Palm Aces where the Aces change into a Royal Flush in Spades at the end of the effect. His version of Roll Over Aces was very strong and had a number of successive climaxes, with the deck finally ending up in new deck order. Not everything required difficult sleight-of-hand however. He had a clever new “shiner”, and also an ingeniously gaffe d card case for taking impressions of “thought of” cards. Meir Yedid was this year’s guest of honour and his lecture contained about 50% unpublished material and 50% of his published favourites. He started with his Meir Mix, a series of running false cuts, and finished with his Cardinal Cards, a very pretty Wild Card routine, which he uses to finish laymen shows because it is such a strong effect. In between these opening and closing effects Meir covered a lot of solid card material. A personal favourite of mine was “Fade Out”, in which a freely named card proved to be the only card in the pack that hadn’t “faded away”. Also on Thursday there was a Teach-a-Trick session where about 10 performers taught a favourite routine. It was nice to see a seasoned performer such as Hank Moorehouse take a simple trick (silk or thread from bill using a thumb tip) and with appropriate patter and staging turn it into an effect which could play for several hundred. Karl Norman (one of the original performers at the Forks Hotel, where FFFF started) taught his card under box routine and his mental fan force routine, and clearly explained all the “outs” required. Marc de Souza taught a beautiful ring on string routine with a clever ending where the ring vanishes from the string and appears inside a card box. Friday morning started with a workshop on “Solid through Solid” which was hosted by Pat Page. Pat taught a couple of ring off rope moves and then introduced various performers who each taught a trick. These included David Neighbours, David Regal and Tony Eng, who each performed a different version of coins through table, while Bob Swadling performed a coin through hanky effect. Tom Craven taught a version of rope through body, Peter Tappan taught rope through thumb, and Ali Bongo had quite a different version of ring on rope using a small shopping bag. Early Friday afternoon there was a lecture by Pavel on silk and rope magic, which was quite fascinating because it clearly demonstrated that there are always multiple solutions to any magic effect. His first trick was a simple silk on rope, but he showed us four different ways to achieve the same effect. And they were all good methods! He also demonstrated several methods of performing the classic Blendo effect, both with and without additional apparatus. The rest of the lecture was concerned with rope magic and it was again fascinating to see the variety of very visual effects that could be obtained with some coloured ropes, some magnets and some fake knots. Pavel quickly ran through Invisible Rope, Fantastic Knot, Chameleon Knots, The Black Knot, The Green Knot Mystery, and also included some effects with rings on ropes and rings and ribbons. The last lecture on Friday, starting around midnight, was the famed street performer Cellini. This was a combination of classic magic, expertly performed, accompanied by many entertaining stories from his life on the road, as well as very practical advice on how to be a successful street performer. This ranged from the type of clothing to wear, the different styles of tables available, how to attract a crowd, how to keep the crowd, and how to get the money at the end of the show. Some of the effects he performed and demonstrated were the vanishing and appearing wand, the cups and balls, and a beautiful two-ring routine. Saturday morning started with the Boris Wild lecture. Although this was the third time Boris had lectured at FFFF the lecture was completely new and contained half a dozen extremely strong and entertaining card routines. One of the highlights was his “Bikini Prediction”, which involved predicting the winner of the Miss Bikini beauty contest from amongst the 52 beauties displayed on the “Hooters” brand of playing cards! This was a fascinating trick in many ways; very entertaining, lots of by-play, and a very cleverly constructed force that fitted the presentation so perfectly. Definitely worth taking the trouble to find the special cards required for the effect. Other clever routines were “Wild Monte”, where the back of the money card kept changing colour (although this didn’t help the sucker find the money card), “Chain Reaction”, a sort of wild card effect with a full deck, “I Can See Clearly Now”, a routine in which a freely chosen card is found while the performer is blindfolded, and “Mindbuster Video”, in which a freely selected DVD is successfully predicted by the magician. Boris also performed his new packet trick “Very Wild”, which is visual magic at its best. The last formal lecture was by David Stone early on Saturday afternoon. This was very similar to the lecture he gave here in Melbourne last September. He opened with the “Splash Bottle” production and followed this with some of his excellent coin magic, including various four-coin productions. He went through his “Quit Smoking” routine in detail and then did a few card moves, including a snap change handling, his “card shooting”, and a new card on seat routine. The four formal shows take place on the Friday and Saturday afternoon and evening and each feature approximately 12 performers. There isn’t enough space to mention all the performers so I’m just going to mention a few personal highlights, and seeing Bob Sheets again was certainly one of them. Bob is well known for his walnut shells and pea routine as well as his new dice routine and he was performing these throughout the convention, but on the Saturday night show he performed a standard apparatus trick, “Cube-a-Libra” (six blocks in a tube keep changing position), and showed how to make it ENTERTAINING. It was a real lesson in presentation. John Carney also appeared on the Saturday night show and performed” Zone Zero”, Ramsey’s “Three Coins in a Hat” routine, a nice 10 cards across routine and a very impressive diminishing cards routine. David Stone performed as well and did a brilliant card stab routine. At one stage he had a card selected, signed and shuffled back into the pack. Just before springing the cards into the air he rushed across to the French magician Bebel and grabbed one of his crutches, swung it into the air, and impaled the selected card on the crutch. It was a very funny and startling effect! One performer new to me was a young French magician by the name of Mathieu Bich. He does some VERY original material which is both excellent and not particularly difficult to perform. He has several effects on the market and they are well worth looking at.  A couple of young English performers, Richard Pinner and Nicholas Einhorn, also both made big impacts. Richard performed an hilarious Three Card Monte routine using three standard Colouring Books! The entertainment he got out of this was just sensational. Nicholas also performed an excellent act which started with the “Splash Bottle” production, which seemed rather strange as David Stone had already performed it several times that day in his lecture. But it all made sense at the end of the act when a signed, selected card was revealed to be INSIDE the bottle of wine produced at the start of the act! Nicholas also performed a lot of impromptu magic outside the formal shows. He has a great new method of producing four coins from a spread deck that uses an old gimmick in a new way. Another highlight? Seeing David Williamson performing his Strike Vanish. In his hands it looks completely impossible. With so many other performers it simply looks like the object to be vanished is just thrown into the other hand. But then David perorms all his sleights immaculately! He and John Carney also teamed-up on the Saturday night show to “interview” a poster of Max Maven. John hid behind the poster and immitated Max’s voice (and sounded exactly like him) while David played the part of the interviewer. It was totally hilarious and had everyone in stitches. The MVP (most valued performer) this year was David Stone, and next years Guest of Honour is to be Pat Page. I’m sorry this report can only scratch the surface of what is always an incredible magical experience. There are so many more highlights to mention, just not enough time to write them all down. But just ask me about them when you see me at the club! David Jones ---------------------------------- 7. Trying To Find Uday Magic World India ---------------------------------- Message from Craig Mitchell (South Africa) I am attempting to contact Uday's Magic World in India but am having no success. If anyone has contact details (tel, fax or email) which they know to be correct & working - please would you forward them to me ... info@magic.org.za Many thanks Craig Mitchell www.collegeofmagic.com ---------------------------------- 8. FISM Just Before I Could Register ---------------------------------- Message from Richard Mark Registration closed for FISM just before I could register. If any one has registered and is unable to attend please let me know. Richard Mark at Rimark@pol.net ---------------------------------- 9. Phil Cass On The Footy Show - Channel 9 ---------------------------------- Message from Philippa (Aust) Comedy magician, Phil Cass is expected to appear on Australian television performing his rope routine on Thursday 29th May during The Footy Show on Channel 9. ---------------------------------- 10. Convention Web Page For The British Ring ---------------------------------- Message from Peter Scarlett (UK) Just to let you know that on the Convention page of The British Ring web page you can now download a full colour brochure in pdf format plus a registration form in either pdf or Word format. Go to: www.britishring.org.uk The registration opens on August 1st and no registrations will be opened before then. ---------------------------------- 11. Fast Jimmy - TV Appearance ---------------------------------- Message from Fast Jimmy (Aust) Australian magician Fast Jimmy was featured on the Y? show channel nine Australia wide performing magic on thursday the 15th of May. His performance included the crazy mans handcuffs routine and also producing a motor cycle helmet out of a briefcase. ---------------------------------- 12. 73rd Annual Magi-Fest, Feb. 5, 6, & 7 ---------------------------------- Message from Jep Hostetler We are happy to announce that the 73rd Annual Magi-Fest, Feb. 5, 6, & 7, 2004 will be having the close-up stars: Boris Wild, Paris; Henry Evans, Argentina; Obie O'Brien (Past International President, IBM) Dan Garret, Georgia; and Mike Powers, Indiana. MAGI-FEST inquiries to: MagiFest@yahoo.com and Web: http:\\www.magifest.org ---------------------------------- 13. Society Of Young Magicians Assembling In Tarzana ---------------------------------- Message from Chuck Le Fever Chuck Le Fever, Magician Leader Society of Young Magicians Los Angeles California (S.Y.M.LACA) 5930 Reseda Blvd. Apt 47 Tarzana, CA 91356 Phone: (818) 708-7112 SYMLACA@aol.com Society of Young Magicians Assembling in Tarzana Tarzana, CA-- May 12, 2003 - If you're at least 7 years old, but not yet 17, and sincerely interested in magic, you can join the new Society of Young Magicians (S.Y.M.) Assembly forming in Tarzana. Members receive many benefits including workshops where experienced magicians teach them the art of magic. Members of the new S.Y.M. Assembly will join the International S.Y.M. under the Society of American Magicians. International dues are $20 per year and are paid directly to the international. Members receive a membership pin and a subscription to the society's monthly magic publication The Magic SYMbol filled with news, tricks, members' photos and performance tips and are eligible for other benefits from the national organization. According to magician Chuck Le Fever, the adult leader forming this new S.Y.M. Assembly "Magic is a wholesome hobby, encouraging young people to build character and develop personal greatness. Learning the art of magic empowers young people. They gain greater self-confidence, increase reading skills, develop better coordination, and gain valuable life-long public speaking and communication skills." Members of the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) formed S.Y.M. in 1984. The Society of American Magicians, founded on May 10, 1902 in Martinka's famous magic shop in New York City, New York, is the oldest and most prestigious magical society in the world. For over a century it has promoted the ideals shared by Kellar, Houdini, Thurston and over 30,000 others worldwide who have held membership in the society. These ideals include the elevation of the Art of Magic, the promotion of harmony among magicians, and the opposition of the unnecessary public exposure of magical effects. The S.A.M. offers the opportunity to unite and associate with leaders in the World of Magic - not only professionals, but with amateurs, manufacturers, magic dealers, book authors and magic collectors. Through its monthly publications, annual conventions, and with over 250 "Assemblies" throughout the world, the S.A.M. provides the necessary forum for the advancement of magic through discussions, lectures, research, performances, and exchange of magic secrets within the magic community. Qualified members of the S.A.M. will be among those providing adult supervision and instruction to the members of the new S.Y.M. Assembly. Members of the S.A.M. including such well-known performers as David Copperfield, Harry Blackstone and Shari Lewis support and encourage S.Y.M. membership. Inquiries by current or prospective members of the Society of American Magicians interested in helping this new Society of Young Magicians Assembly get started are welcome. For information on membership or sponsorship contact magician Chuck LeFever by email at: SYMLACA@aol.com or leave him a telephone message at (818) 708-7112 with your name, mailing address, email or telephone number. ---------------------------------- 14. Paul Romhany On The Love Boat ---------------------------------- Message from Paul Romhany (NZ) Here we are again on the New Love Boat ... the Pacific Princess. What a wonderful ship, it feels like the cruise ships of old would have been. The show room reminds me a little of working the Magic Castle and it's the perfect size room for my act. Since we left Sydney we have made our way up to Hawaii having been to French Polynesia and Fiji and Samoa. One of the most amazing experiences Natalie and I have ever had was swimming with the sharks and stingrays.... and we managed to capture it on film ... real magic. We had a great surprise as Gavin and Patty McCleod are on board for this 19 days cruise (we have just finished a 15 day cruise and now on a 19 day cruise up to LA) and last night they treated the passengers to a wonderful two person play entitled "Love Letters". You will remember Gavin as Captain Stubin from the TV show The Love Boat. I sailed with Gavin last year on the old Pacific Princess, a very approachable man. We will be heading up to Alaska then I am off in Vancouver where Natalie and I will set up base ... very excited about that and getting back on land and starting over in Vancouver. ---------------------------------- 15. The Laugh Meter - Peter Marucci ---------------------------------- Message from Peter Marucci (Canada) Effect: In the course of his routine, the magician tells a joke (or does a humorous trick) and the audience laughs. The magi immediately whips out a Laugh-Meter from his pocket and bounces a ball in front of it to see how high the ball will bounce and, thus, how funny the joke was. This is repeated a couple of times during the act. Finally, the magi comes up with a gag that falls flat (on purpose -- we hope) and again whips out the Laugh-Meter. However, this time when he bounces the ball, the ball simply hits the floor and lies there -- as dead as the joke the magi just told. Working and Presentation: You'll need a set of bounce/no-bounce balls, available from most joke shops and magic dealers and who-knows-where-else. My wife bought me a couple of sets some time back, figuring I could make up a trick with them. You'll also need a Laugh-Meter. This is just a strip of cardboard about two feet long and four inches wide, hinged in the middle to make two one-foot sections. (This way it folds up and fits in my jacket pocket without being too awkward.) From top to bottom on one side, I have letters spelling out LAUGH-METER; on the opposite side, there are gradation marks, like a thermometer -- supposedly to indicate the level of humor in the joke. The Laugh-Meter is in the left jacket pocket, the balls are in the right. (See Second Thoughts below for a different handling.) Proceed as above and I think you'll be amazed at the audience reaction. Second Thoughts: One magician did this as in IQ test, between himself and an audience member, proving that the magician was a genius. His presentation was for a magic club and he could get away with that in such a venue. However, I would be just a little uncomfortable using that approach with a lay audience, particularly one made up of people that I knew nothing about. At best, you might get hurt feelings; at worst, you might get a broken nose. And so I came up with the Laugh-Meter; it's always better if the joke is on the magi, rather than the audience, and that's true with every sucker trick -- the Die Box, Stop Lights, you name it. If you really want to carry this to its illogical extreme, have a BIG Laugh-Meter made up, that stands on stage with you all during the show. Naturally, for stage work, the little, dark balls won't be very visible. Not to worry! Did you think I'd take you this far, only to abandon you? Toy shops carry a range of balls, about tennis-ball size, that are very squishy. When you try to bounce them off the floor, they "die" when they hit, and just lie there. These are made up to look like big golf balls, small baseballs, and normal tennis balls, and come in a range of colors -- including a bright yellow that looks just like some tennis balls. Are you ahead of me yet? Get one of the squishy balls and a matching real (and very bouncy) tennis ball for your stage-sized Laugh-Meter and you've got a sight gag visible from the back of the biggest theatre you'll ever have to play. Peter Marucci 270 St. Andrew St. East Fergus, Ontario, Canada N1M 1R1 ---------------------------------- 16. Peter Marucci Lectures ---------------------------------- Message from Peter Marucci (Canada) In mid-August of this year, I will be appearing at the Mid-West Magic Jubilee in St. Louis, as performer and lecturer. For those who won't be able to make it, I will be touring with my current and most popular lecture, Bizarre Magic, the week before the Jubilee and the week after. I'll be driving U.S. Interstates 75 (from Detroit to the Dayton, Ohio, area) and 70 (from Dayton to St. Louis, Missouri). If your club or magic group is in the area, and you think your fellow members might be interested, contact me, to book the lecture, at the address, below: Peter Marucci showtimecol@aol.com A little background on both me and the lecture: For each of the past eight years, I have given a new lecture to magic clubs, and conventions in Canada and the United States, most recently a lecture tour in Ohio, at Michigan Magic Day in Lansing, MI, and at the South Eastern Alliance of Magicians convention in North Carolina. In addition, I have written the Showtime column in the Linking Ring magazine since 1991, and write monthly columns in a number of e-zines, including my Bizarre Bazaar in Visions, and a regular article for the New Zealand magic society, as well as regular contributions to BizarreMagick.com, Dragonskull, and M-U-M magazine. I have been performing for the public since 1957, everywhere from living-room birthday parties to Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada's leading performance stage. For the past 10 years, I have also done table hopping and bar work in a number of restaurants, pubs and the like. My current lecture, and the one that has proved most popular, is titled Bizarre Magic. Those who are familiar with my work will know it is mainly comedy magic, so the bizarre format is a bit of a departure, although it has met with considerable success where I have delivered it so far! Meet the OTHER side of funnyman Peter Marucci as he takes you on a tour of the occult world with seven fully scripted routines of bizarre magic: How are gargoyles born? How does the curse of The Monkey's Paw work? What is in the Message from the Titanic? Who is singled out by the Finger of Fate? What is the tragic story of the Witch of Glastonbury? What is the awesome power of Bell, Book, and Candle? Who is the witchfinder-general and what is his secret? Be prepared to shock the socks off your audience as you relate supernatural tales from these 16 spine-chilling pages of award-winning Linking Ring columnist Peter Marucci's lecture notes. "If you are looking for ideas on how to use some old (tried and true) simple tricks to weave a spooky story BUY THESE NOTES." - Larry White, magic editor for M-U-M magazine, the journal of the Society of American Magicians. To book this popular lecture, contact: Peter Marucci 270 St. Andrew St. East Fergus, Ontario, Canada N1M 1R1 Phone: (519) 843-5570 Fax: (519) 787-2373 e-mail: showtimecol@aol.com ---------------------------------- 17. MindMasters ---------------------------------- Message from Paul Alberstat (Canada) Name of the event: MindMasters What the event is about: The Psychic Entertainers Association is proud to present Saint-Germain: mind-reader AND Psiman: master of the hypnotic arts in their new hit college tour show MindMasters where they perform feats theatre considered impossible. These two men have been called "walking x-files". When the event takes place: Friday, June 6, 2003, 8 p.m. Where the event takes place: Ramada Hotel (Grand Ballroom), 708 - 8th Avenue S.W. Ticket Information: Tickets are $15, available at the door For more information: Call Paul @ (403) 650-7335 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Name of the event: Psychic Entertainers All-Stars Show What the event is about: The Psychic Entertainers Association is proud to present some of the world's leading Psychic Entertainers from around the world including Ted Leon and Liz (direct from Las Vegas), Pascal De Claremont (France) and Ted Lesley (Germany). Wandering palm-readers and table top entertainment will also be on hand. When the event takes place: Saturday, June 7, 2003, 9 p.m. Where the event takes place: QC's, 609 - 7th Avenue S.W. Ticket Information: Tickets are $20, available at the door For more information: Call Paul @ (403) 650-7335 ---------------------------------- 18. Free Monthly E-Zine For The Mentalists ---------------------------------- Message from Dave Boyd (Aust) The Eye of Horus, our new locally grown free monthly e-zine for the mentalist, paranormal. bizarre and psychic performers, has been out now for about 3 weeks, The subscriptions have now topped a 1,000, from 8 countries, Considering this is still not listed on the search engines yet, it has all come from word of mouth, and other letters & e-zines like your own, we are very pleased with the results. If anyone has any contribution they would like to make in the way of an article or questions etc. they will need to get them to me in the next couple of days. The site can be found at http://horusmindmagic.homestead.com there are email links on the site, if they send an email with horus subscription in the subject line, they will be notified as each monthly edition comes out. The email address is horusezine2@hotmail.com BE LISTED FREE IN THE WORLD WIDE MAGICIAN'S DATA BASE http://magicianandclowndatabase.homestead.com Check out Web Page for International Entertainment available. Also Magicians can find a great range of magic for sale http://mountainmagicaustralia.homestead.com For entertainment on the Sapphire Coast New South Wales Australia http://entertainmentbega.homestead.com The Eye of Horus E-Zine for mentalists http://horusmindmagic.homestead.com ---------------------------------- 19. Want To Sell Your Magic! ---------------------------------- Message from Paul Diamond Want to get your money's worth for the magic you don't use anymore??? Auctions, selling it to the club or collectors, will not do that for you. Ask me for further information on how to get real value for your used or new magic that you are not using. These past 2 years I have make lots of people happy. There will be no cost to you. Ask me how its done Many References Available !! You'll be pleasantly surprised... ---------------------------------- 20. Siegfried Attends Lance Burton's Show ---------------------------------- Message from Contact: Wayne Bernath, Director of Publicity for Lance Burton Lance Burton hosts a meeting with magicians Siegfried and Darren Romeo after his show. Singer Tony Sacca also happened to be on hand for a photo op. Siegfried & Roy were among the first magicians to endorse Lance Burton saying, "He is great for the art of magic because he brings his own touch of class to the stage." Lance Burton is the headlining star of the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino and recently announced that members of the military and their spouses and children are eligible for a 20 percent discount on show tickets. His show times are 7 and 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays and 7 p.m. only on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Call (702) 730-7160 for reservations. ---------------------------------- 21. The Amazing ‘Orchante’ Saga - Vol. Two - The Australian Years Magic New Zealand ---------------------------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Page 7 ‘Krait’ Here’s a more in-depth analysis of this famous but little known former Japanese fishing boat. A robust little vessel - 70 feet (of teak planking) long, 11 foot Beam and a copper-sheathed hull - with a range of 11,000 miles and a top speed of 6.5 knots; she begun her life as the ‘Kofuku Maru’. Before WWII she operated from Singapore in the abundant fishing grounds off the Malay and Dutch East Indies Coast. When the war in the Pacific broke out in late 1941, the Kofuku Maru was seized by the British Government in Singapore and interned. A few weeks before the rapidly advancing Japanese Army occupied the colony early in 1942, command of the vessel was bestowed upon Bill Reynolds, an Australian who had lived in Malaya and knew the local waters extremely well. Reynolds sailed the Kofuku Maru to the Rhio Archipelago, where she was put to work as a ferry to evacuate the hordes of refugees fleeing before the Japanese, down the Malay Peninsular. Apart from acting as a human ferry, she also doubled as a guide ship for all the smaller boats trying to cross the Straits of Malacca. The Kofuku Maru - more than likely, was the only Japanese vessel to be commanded by an Australian during WWII. She carried out her duties brilliantly - under the very noses of the advancing Japanese. Finally it was time for Bill and his new vessel to flee also. Strafed by Japanese fighters she ran the gauntlet of the Malacca Straits and disappeared into the vast Indian Ocean. At last the Australian sized Japanese fishing boat made it to Ceylon, a little battered but still sea worthy. From there she was sent on to Bombay, India. A name change was now in order so whilst at Bombay she was given a new name - Krait, which would forever become part of Australian Naval history. Aptly named, for Krait is the name of a tiny but highly venomous snake found on the Indian subcontinent. Very appropriate, for like the reptile she was named after, Krait was able to strike swiftly and surely before her victim(s) realized she was there. She had originally been sailed to India from Singapore, after its fall to the Japanese, where she was commandeered by Military Intelligence for ‘Possible Future Use’. At this point of time in India, a plan to hit back at the all-conquering Japanese was being hatched. This plan included striking at Japanese shipping at the now occupied island of Singapore. Being Japanese built and of a type very common in the waters around the former British Colony, krait seemed the perfect choice to infiltrate enemy lines. As for the approaches to Singapore via Ceylon or India were heavily patrolled by the Japanese, the best starting point for such an operation was Australia. So it was that Bill Reynolds was ordered to sail Krait on the long and dangerous journey across the Indian Ocean to Fremantle in Western Australia. ‘OPERATION JAYWICK’ This was a seemingly suicidal plot to destroy Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour, and was one of the most daring raids of World War II. September 1943 - ten Australian and four British servicemen struck at the heart of the Japanese supply line to New Guinea. The heroes of ‘Jaywick’ travelled 5,000 miles through enemy infested waters to sink Japanese shipping, and destroy the Japanese’s confidence and moral. This is the story of the ‘Guts’ and determination of Australian ‘Diggers’ and Sailors (as well as the British, among many other nationalities), striking an extraordinary blow against the Japanese during the bitter hostilities. Departing from Exmouth in Western Australia, Krait, laden with weapons, limpet mines and rubber canoes, headed north toward the Lombok Strait in the extremely dangerous and occupied waters around Surabaja (Surabaya), Java (Indonesia). She was sailed to within 21 miles of the ‘Singapore Roads’ where the canoes were loaded with rations and water for one week plus operational stores and weapons. The canoe borne raiders arranged their rendezvous with Krait for the night of October 1st at Pompong, 28 miles from the advanced operational post, for which Dongas, eight miles from Singapore Harbour, had been selected. CONTINUES ------------------------------------- 22. Magic New Zealand e-zine archives ------------------------------------- Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.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) Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. ------------------------------------- 23. Subscription Management ------------------------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand e-zine: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Magic New Zealand e-zine is published weekly, on Sunday. The opinions expressed in this e-zine are those of the individual contributors and not those of Magic New Zealand. Neither Magic New Zealand or Alan Watson can 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 that they will not hold Magic New Zealand and/or Alan Watson liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed herein. We reserve the right to edit, correct or, in our discretion, choose not to publish any submissions provided to Magic New Zealand for potential publication. Magic New Zealand welcomes readers to submit timely articles or news items which appear to be of interest to our readers. Those submitting to this e-zine agree that we have permission to publish their submissions and that they have the full copyright to the material submitted. All works published by Magic New Zealand are fully protected by international copyright as provided by law, and articles cannot be published for profit by anyone other than the individual author without the written permission of Magic New Zealand. >>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 2003 Alan Watson