* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment * www.Alan-Watson.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #773 Date: Sunday 18th July 2010 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. Who Would Like To Win A Gig In Las Vegas? 3. SAM Competition Winners 2010 - Atlanta 4. The World's Biggest Magic Book Collection For Sale 5. Glenn Falkenstein Dies At 78 6. More Remarkable Magic - Nick Lewin #48 7. Seeing Through the Eyes of Another - #172 - Kyle Peron 8. Tony Brook In Conversation With Doc Haliday (Part 1) 9. Great future ahead for Jason Andrews 10. New Levitation Hoop By Blaney 11. The Innovention 2010 - Update 12. Melbourne Magic Festival Was An Amazing Success! 13. Second Hand Illusions For Sale In Australia! 14. Wanting To Buy Jeff Hobson's Red And White Thumb Tips 15. The Life Of The Famous Robert Houdin 16. British Ring Convention News 17. Three World-Class Lectures In Toronto 18. Sea La Vie Is Hosting A Comedy And Magic Night 19. e-zine Archives 20. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- As of today Magic New Zealand is sent out weekly to 15,294 magicians around the world. ----------------------------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. Who Would Like To Win A Gig In Las Vegas? -------------------------------------------- Message by Paul Stone Paul Stone and Showstealers are excited to announce the launch on August 1, 2010 of 'Vegas Dream Ticket'TM. Every performer has dreamt of appearing in a top Las Vegas Showroom in front of a sold out audience, but very few get the chance. Now we can help you to make that dream come true! This is genuinely the chance of a lifetime, a chance to perform in a top class professionally produced show, supported by 'live' musicians in a fabulous Las Vegas Showroom for an audience of 500 - 1000. This is a unique PR opportunity and a chance to increase your profile, credibilty and fees overnight. And Showstealers are the only entertainment company in Las Vegas that can make it happen for you. If you have a Stage or Cabaret Spot lasting between 5 and 18 minutes, and you are seriously interested in realising your dream, contact us on info@vegasdreamticket.com for full details. -------------------------------------------- 3. SAM Competition Winners 2010 - Atlanta -------------------------------------------- Message by Paul Critelli (US) The contest chairperson has released the names of the all the winners at the Atlanta Convention. Here are the recipients of awards for The S.A.M. Contest: Close-up: Chairperson's High Score Award - Johan Stahl Second Highest Score Award - Chaz King People's Choice Award - Johan Stahl Stage Contest: Chairperson's High Score Award - Ito Shinichiro Second Highest Score Award - Andy Hung (Andost) People's Choice Award - Ito Shinichiro Originality Award (to be presented in 2011) - Andy Hung (Andost) Mystic Craig Award for Professional Promise - Eric Gilliam Presidential Award - Close-up: Brian Roberts Presidential Award - Stage: Andy Hung (Andost) -------------------------------------------- 4. The World's Biggest Magic Book Collection For Sale -------------------------------------------- Message by Magician Mikael Vanheden (Sweden) The world's biggest magic book collection for sale. The Swedish collector of magic books, Ingemar Isaksson has decided to sell his collection. It will be on auction at Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago. http://picasaweb.google.com/ingemarisaksson36/MyMagicBooks Moore books will be added to the list day by day. Magician Mikael Vanheden Tredje Kvillangsvagen 14 S-422 43 Hisings Backa Sweden Tel: +4631-761 27 00 Mobile: +46708-80 13 00 -------------------------------------------- 5. Glenn Falkenstein Dies At 78 ------------------------------------------- Message by Michael Ammar (US) Glenn Falkenstein dies at 78; showman was known for his blindfold mind-reading act. The mentalist came to fame in the early 1970s when he was a staple at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and hosted his own Los Angeles call-in radio show. By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times July 17 2010 Glenn Falkenstein, a renowned mentalist who came to fame in the early 1970s when he was a staple at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and hosted his own Los Angeles call-in radio show, has died. He was 78. The complete article can be viewed at: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-glenn-falkenstein-20100717,0,7755209.story -------------------------------------------- 6. More Remarkable Magic - Nick Lewin #48 -------------------------------------------- Message from Nick Lewin (US) Remarkable Magic #48. Thoughts and musings on the Magic Castle past and present. I cut my eyeteeth performing at the Magic Castle but haven't worked there in 25 years. I will be visiting the Castle three times within five days this week. That is about as many times as I've visited in the last two years! Sunday was the memorial for Glenn Falkenstein and today I plan to go there for lunch. I can't wait to see the final version of Ron Wilson's book, which is now available exclusively from his website www.uncannyscot.com The limited edition of 100 copies are specially bound, numbered and signed cost $100. They are disappearing faster than a Dove into the back of Lance's Tailcoat! The regular edition is priced at $45, and both books include a bonus DVD. Visiting the Castle as infrequently as I have in the 20 odd years since I left Los Angeles, it is always interesting to observe the changes. I really get sick of hearing the inevitable, "It's not like it used to be." Of course, it isn't like it used to be; nothing is. There is a definitely commercial element that has snuck in, however to be realistic the gloriously casual 'Let's try this!' approach that made the Castle so special in earlier years might not cut it now. Everything costs more. It was interesting to see the Castle packed out on a Friday night was my first surprise, and then I realized that Friday and Saturday nights were no longer members only night. I didn't eat at the Castle (I have heard so many times about how the food has improved, only to find that it is overpriced and mediocre) so Susan and I had to wait in the non-ticket holders line for the Palace show. You certainly do feel a little second-class citizen vibe, however I can see the point. In the 'Old Days' when I would just nip through the back door of the Palace and catch the act I wanted to see. That privilege of having a Castle membership number in the 2000's has disappeared! The show was three quarters good. How's that for tact! The highlight of the show (and the reason for my visit) was comedy magician Adam London who destroyed the lay crowd with his high energy and slightly abrasive sense of humor. His initial shows were in comedy clubs and it shows, his sense of timing and pacing that make him outstanding. Look out for him to quickly become a first class contender in the performance world. It must have been a couple of decades since I had seen John Carney work. Wow, this guy really sets the bar very high for close up performers who want to be as commercial as they are skilled. I loved the material and I loved the way John performed it. He was performing in the Parlor, and it was refreshing to see that he had actually chosen 'parlor' tricks for his performance. He looked so comfortable and at ease that his skilled sleight of hand just looked like a natural part of him. Of course, a huge part of the enjoyment of a visit to the Castle is bumping into old friends. It was as always a joy to spend some time with Jack Goldfinger and Dove. Jack is doing a wonderful job with his booking at the Castle and he realizes that part of the job of a booker is to be cheerleader and coach for his performers. I remember that Jack's old business card read, "Jack Goldfinger; Creative Thinker." The Castle is very lucky to have his creative thoughts working for them. So was the Castle as much fun as it used to be? How could it be without the chance to gossip with Jules Lenier, Billy McComb, Dai Vernon, and all the other great characters that have left us. Is it still fun to visit, "You Betcha." The faults many of 'old timers' find are directly related to the way the Castle has been redirected towards a non-magician crowd and a commercial approach. As Frank Sinatra used to say so definitively "That's Life!" Give me a digital "Hi," at http://www.nicklewin.com -------------------------------------------- 7. Seeing Through the Eyes of Another - #172 - Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message by Kyle Peron (US) magic4u02@aol.com poofersgrl@aol.com http://www.kyleandkellymagic.com Do you recall the moment when the magic bug bit? No it is not really an insect and it certainly does not bite anyone. However, it represents that moment in time when you knew that magic was not something you "wanted" to do but rather something you "had" to do. Do you recall where you were? Do you remember what you were watching or who was on the stage? Do you remember the feelings you had at that very moment in time? Chances are you probably do. If you are like me, it probably puts a smile on your face every time. It is that moment we become true fans of the art of magic. I recall the exact moment it happened for me, but that is not what this article is all about. Rather it is about how we tend to lose that passion over the years and how we can be blind to the wonderment of it all. It is about how we forget what it was like the first moment magic ever meant anything to us. How it made us feel inside. So why do we lose this passion and desire? Well one can say we get accustomed to it. The more we do magic the more we tend to take it all for granted. The passion sometimes takes a back seat to the realization that we must bring in money to pay the bills. The desire is sometimes lost because we spend so much time trying to fool fellow magicians instead of entertaining audiences. The reasons are as vast as the magic effects we love so much. But the other day the passion and wonderment of this art form came back to me like a flood. It was as if the gates opened up and I could see through the eyes of that young child long ago who fell in love with magic. All the emotions and all the joy were right there again as if it had just happened. The amazing thing about all of this is that it was not anything I really did. In fact, it was finding that passion through the eyes of another. That other person was my wife Kelly. Kelly and I have been magical partners for years now performing vast numbers of shows every year. We enjoy it and the roles we play in each performance. Several months ago, Kelly decided to begin the journey of developing, creating and performing her first ever solo show for the day care market. As a day care teacher herself, we both felt she would be a natural at it. Watching her go through the process was an amazing and enlightening experience for me. We worked together to develop a character and style independent of me and tuned to herself. We developed routines and effects that highlighted her desire and love for storytelling. As I saw her go through the process, the smile on my face grew and grew. I wasn't really sure why I was feeling this way at first until one day it all became clear. I was seeing magic all over again through her eyes. The more she laughed the more I laughed with her. The more she smiled the more I smiled. When she had passion for learning a new effect, I too felt that same passion. I could literally see the joy and wonderment of our art simply by watching her experience it herself. It is so easy for us to forget the passion we once had. It is so easy to lose that love we had when that magic bug first bit. No matter how many years we end up performing magic, we must never lose sight of what it was like for us that very first time. That desire needs to transcend into every performance we do. I am not sure if the magic bug can ever bite someone more than once....but if it can, I think it took a big chunk out of me again. As always, I encourage you the readers to let me know your thoughts. So 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. - I would like to let everyone know that I just released a NEW book and E-Book to the magic Community. "Blue and Gold! The Complete Guide to Working The Scout Market!" is now available as a soft cover printed book as well as an ebook download. http://www.magicenhancer.com/Blue/Gold.html - "Encore! Creativity in the Art of Magic" Ebook. Order online now at: http://www.magicenhancer.com/Encore.html - "Tips and Techniques on the Chair Suspension" Ebook. Order online now at: http://www.magicenhancer.com/ChairSuspension.html -------------------------------------------- 8. Tony Brook In Conversation With Doc Haliday (Part 1) ------------------------------------------ Message by Anthony Darkstone Brook - Europe/USA Tony Brook In Conversation With Doc Haliday I love the Old West. I love collecting Western memorabilia. I love Texas and in particular the "cowtown" of Fort Worth. Although the International airport has the designation of DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) the city of Fort Worth is a separate city and is often referred to as, "where the West begins". Established originally in 1849 as an Army outpost overlooking the Trinity River, the city was named after Major General William Jenkins Worth (1794-1849) and is the 18th largest city in the USA and the 5th largest in the State. I've been to a couple of The TAOMs there. At the 2008 TAOM, I Hosted and Produced a Talk Show featuring a great Texas Magician , Walter "Zaney" Blaney who opened my show wearing a Stetson and twirling a lariat. Ft. Worth has Will Rogers, the Stockyards, Sundance Square, Billy Bob's, the world's greatest & largest Honky Tonk Bar and some of the best Magicians in Texas. One such Magician goes by the name of Doc Haliday. I first met Doc in the lobby of The Worthington Hotel. He looked splendid. He had stepped right out of my favorite book and series, "Lonesome Dove". In full western regalia including chaps & spurs, he was being friendly and helpful to all the Convention attendees. I went up to him, said Howdy and introduced myself. To my surprise, he knew who I was and we instantly, in Western parlance, became good pards. I told him I loved his authentic outfit and in particular his Lawman's badge. During our ensuing conversation he discovered I was a Collector and immediately offered to give me a badge from his collection. This he did the next day. It has pride of place in my collection. There's an old Rodeo saying, "There ain't a horse that can't be rode and there ain't a cowboy that can't be throwed". I heard Doc had taken a spill and so I called him up to chew the fat. TB: Hello Doc. Been a while. Heard you tried to rearrange your bones and have to take it easy for a while. DH: Howdy, Tony. I did do some damage to my back and now I am healing up just fine but I have to learn to walk again. TB: That's a tough break but good to hear you are on the mend. How and why that happened is done with. Let's focus on the fact you are healing and all is moving in the direction of positive progress. You know I love The West and I love Magic. You have successfully combined both. Let's talk about your Magical Character and how you came up with your Performing Persona. DH: Sure Tony. Be happy to. I have done a lot of work both doing caricatures and magic in Old West regalia. The idea of Western wear began in the late '80s. After I retired from the USAF, I sold homes and insurance for a while but had always wanted to see if I could make living drawing caricatures. I had started doing caricatures while I was still in service; they were parting gifts for people who were leaving our unit. I was in San Antonio at this time, which was a big tourist and convention destination. After my first day of drawing, I was successful and never looked back. I formed a loose partnership with another caricaturist, and we decided that people coming to Texas from other states or countries expected to see Cowboys, so we determined we'd show them Cowboys; we put together boots, chaps, spurs, bandanas, ten gallon hats, tied-down gunbelts and law badges. We called ourselves The Infamous Cartoon Posse. We even had badges made up with that name on them. There were just the two of us but we had enough bandanas, gunbelts, badges and hats that we could outfit eight or so other caricature artists for western themed events. We worked many conventions that way. TB: This wasn't just in Texas was it? DH. No, I've traveled to other States to do conventions where I was asked to wear my western duds. Let me tell you, I drew a lot of attention walking around Atlanta and Orlando in my chaps and spurs. I also have the dressy western costume of course, with the long frocked coat, colorful brocaded vest with watch chain and fob, topped off with an appropriate western hat. It's the Western Saloon gambler look. You asked about my Stage name .well, how I came to use my stage name, DOC HALIDAY: in the late '80s, when I started to costume up for catching tourists in San Antonio, I wanted a name from the Old West that everyone could recognize. Most people have heard of Doc Holiday, famous along with the Earp brothers for the gunfight at the OK Corral. I took that with a little bit of personalization; since my first name is HAL, I made it Doc HALiday. When I began to perform, my tag line was "A Magic Moment with Doc Haliday". Most people don't even get the subtlety of the change in spelling. TB: I guess not. But once they do it makes perfect sense. I know when I first heard it I thought the person had made a mistake referring to you. However, the subtlety works just fine. About the Performing outfit. You and I both feel strongly about the Magician dressing the part .share with us some of your thoughts . End of Part 1. (Hidden in this article are deliberate grammatical & spelling mistakes. My proofreader & I have included these to please those who enjoy finding them.) Send comments & corrections to:- tbrook47@gmail.com -------------------------------------------- 9. Great future ahead for Jason Andrews ------------------------------------------ Message by Tony Brook Anthony Darkstone Brook - Europe/USA "It is always good when a hard-working young Magician achieves further success in our Art. It is doubly rewarding when that young Magician is a friend and former Guest on my "Tony Brook in Conversation With" series. Both Nick Lewin and I predicted great things for him. And we were right! I was truly delighted to receive an email from Jason Andrews letting me know that he had just won the IBM's 2010 International Stage Magic & People's Choice Award. For the full version of my interview go to: : - http://www.vegasinsidetips.com/TONYBROOK.html " -------------------------------------------- 10. New Levitation Hoop By Blaney ------------------------------------------ Message by Walter Blaney (US) New levitation hoop by Blaney, and this one doesn't work Mostly to the owners of the Zaney Blaney Miracle Levitation Hoop.... and a few friends who may just enjoy this story. First, thanks to all those who purchased my trick levitation hoop over the years since I first placed it on the market in 1987, twenty three years ago. I hope you have enjoyed using it with whatever levitation or suspension you are performing. Many of you have dubbed it the "Rolls Royce Gem of Magical Apparatus", and for this I am grateful. There are about 200 of my hoops out there passing over floating ladies nightly around the world. Now I have for the first time just made available a polished stainless steel hoop that looks exactly like my trick hoop. It is a solid hoop, ungimmicked, and can of course be examined. It is a half inch less in diameter, so it easily fits in the same case with the trick hoop. What is the purpose of such a hoop you may well ask? I began doing my Ladder Levitation in 1965, and for these past forty-five years I have carried this extra solid hoop alongside my trick hoop in the same case. The first thing I do after the curtain closes is to remove the trick hoop from its stand and return it to its case. I take out the solid one and place it back on the stand still on stage. So if anyone ever secretly picks up the hoop to examine when you are not looking they will be satisfied it was a solid hoop you were using. This has happened any number of times in my shows over the years. Most will not feel a need for this extra, solid hoop, but for the few that do, it is available for the first time now at $795.00, plus shipping. I recently made my last appearance with my Ladder Levitation at the Magic Collectors Association convention in Chicago May 14th. Before doing it I told the story of the history of my illusion. I related one event, for the first time, how early on I saved the day by switching my hoops as I mentioned above. I was on the bill at an annual magic show put on by Lou Tannen at the Barbizon Plaza Hotel Theater in New York City. I featured my Ladder Levitation which was only a year old in that year of 1966. At the various magic conventions where I had performed it the previous year all that had seen it had been fooled. It was a very hot new item to see and caused a lot of talk as to my method. After the show, while I was backstage with the other acts packing up, the emcee, my friend Don Alan, ran over to me and said a couple of teen age magician kids were "fooling with my hoop" still on its stand. I whispered to Don that I had switched it out, and he was so relieved. I was relieved too of course. I watched them for a few moments as they pulled mightily on the hoop only to find it ungimmicked. Had it been my trick hoop they would have ruined it. I confronted them and they sheepishly left the stage. I told them that the first rule in magic is to never touch another performer's props. You would think that they might have learned a lesson, but no, they were at Tannen's Magic Shop the next Monday morning collaring everyone that came in with the story of their escapade. They swore to all that the hoop I used was not gimmicked at all. Another act on the show was my good friend John Moehring. When John dropped by Tannen's that next morning the two kids told him the same story. John then stayed and watched as the kids repeated the saga to everyone who came in the door. So the word quickly spread everywhere that my hoop was a solid one. That lead most all the magicians into thinking it must be some sort of magnetic field I was using. Great! I figure all's fair in love and war... and when a couple of kids break the magic rules. At the Collectors Meeting after hearing my story, some there who owned my trick hoop asked if I would make the solid one available to them. "And Now You Know The Rest Of The Story." Cheers from Texas, Walter Walter Blaney walter@walterblaney.com 3603 Spring Arbor Way, Kingwood, TX 77345 Phone: 281 360 8014 Fax: 281 360 0472 Banquet Show Website: http://www.walterblaney.com Illusion Website: http://www.walterblaney.com/illusions -------------------------------------------- 11. The Innovention 2010 - Update ------------------------------------------ Message by Paul Stone The Innovention taking place at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino in Summerlin, Las Vegas, from October 4-7 truly is unlike any other Magic Convention. This is not a marketing gimmick and we are definitely limiting the number of people attending to make sure that everyone has a great seat for every event and always has a good view. Where else can you find a line-up of Talent like the one at The Innovention? For a start Teller speaks at The Innovention. Yes, you really did read that correctly, Teller will be presenting his fabulous and rarely seen Lecture 'The Red Ball'. This alone will be worth the price of admission. A genuine Superstar of Magic. But that is just the start. Just consider the names of those presenting Lectures and Workshop Sessions. Johnny Thompson, Gaetan Bloom, Richard McDougall, Shep Hyken, Seth Kramer, Kevin James, Joanie Spina, and Magic Al. Then there's the unbelievably quick fire entertaining mindreading of Graham P. Jolley, and the hilarious Mel Mellers, both of whom are making their US debuts. You'll see the one and only Jeff Hobson as you've never seen him before! And the rare and exciting appearance of another major Star, Criss Angel at a Magic Convention. For Close-up fans there's the incredible Lennart Green, and the boss himself, Bob Kohler ( yet another top class performer you rarely see perform ) and a couple of other surprise guests! Add to that some really top Dealers including without doubt the best 'magic demonstrator' in the business Mark Mason, plus a terrific and intimate venue, great room rates, and lots of restaurants that stay open late at night. So, what are you waiting for? Do you really want to miss this one of a kind and one-off event? We do still have spaces left to fill, but not that many, so if you don't want to be disappointed, go now to www.innovention2010.com/specialoffer and register before it is too -------------------------------------------- 12. Melbourne Magic Festival Was An Amazing Success! ------------------------------------------- Message by Tim Ellis (Aust) The Melbourne Magic Festival is over for another year and we'd love to give a big thank you to all of the performers and the 7,500 magic fans who attended Of the 101 performances 53 were completely SOLD OUT while another 15 were 85-95% capacity. Not bad for a completely unfunded Festival run solely by the performers themselves! Our special overseas guest Shoot Ogawa was certainly a highlight and you can read some of the great comments he received at www.MelbourneMagicFestival.com And special congratulations to Dom Chambers for winning The Australian Junior Magic Championships in both the Close Up and the Stage Category. Next year the Festival will incorporate The FISM Oceania Championships Of Magic, a very special event held every three years, and we hope to offer at least 150 performances and attract 10,000 people! Any magicians in the Oceania region who'd like to participate in the Championships (in either Close Up or Stage) should visit www.fismoceania.com -------------------------------------------- 13. Second Hand Illusions For Sale In Australia! -------------------------------------------- Message by Tony Laffan (Aust) Tony Laffan - 'Illusionist of the Year', twice 'Entertainer of the Year' and six Times 'Sight Act of the Year' is selling off some illusions. It is time to move on and as I am heading in a new direction with my performance career after 20 years as an illusionist. I have a list of over 10 practical illusions, big and small, from builders from all over the world, such as Bill Smith, John Gaughn and Chris Murphy at Oz illusions for sale. Feel free to email me at magic@tonylaffan.com for your copy of the list. -------------------------------------------- 14. Wanting To Buy Jeff Hobson's Red And White Thumb Tips -------------------------------------------- Message by Larry Campbell Saw Jeff Hobson do his lecture and it was wonderful. But he sold out all of his red and white thumb tips. Does anyone out Magic Land know where I could buy a set? Thanks Larry (ZEEZO) email me at czeezo@gmail.com -------------------------------------------- 15. The Life Of The Famous Robert Houdin -------------------------------------------- Message by Henry Lewis Hon. Vice President of The Magic Circle, Emeritus Curator TMC has been invited to give an illustrated talk to IBM Ring 316 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on Wednesday 4th August 2010 on the life of the famous Robert Houdin. Father of modern magic, horologist and scientist of his day. This talk was well received in The Magic Circle Theatre London 2009. Enquiries to attend should be made to Greg Gibney e-mail: ring316@eastlink.ca -------------------------------------------- 16. British Ring Convention News -------------------------------------------- Message by Bob Hayden (UK) One of the country's most iconic magicians of the past half century is Wayne Dobson becoming a household name through his various television appearances in the late 1980's. A change in his approach to magic was necessary when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis but it did not stop him continuing to perform which he still does today, although to a lesser extent. Being highly regarded among fellow professionals he has found himself as a lecturer at societies and conferences. Together with his wife Marianne, who he married in 2005, he runs DTRIK, a business developing and marketing magic tricks. At Eastbourne we are being invited to 'An Audience With Wayne Dobson'. How did magic come into Wayne's life? He was just a youngster when he discovered magic for the first time. He recalls his earliest moment of magic was going to a children's party and watching a magician tear some tissue paper turning it into a bunch of flowers. Like any young boy, he couldn't get over it. But it was watching television that increased his passion to get involved. This was fulfilled when Mum and Dad gave him a David Nixon magic set as a present for Christmas. He fell in love with it and magic became an obsession, not just a passing craze that becomes boring. He wanted to find out more and more about the history of magic and how to perform exciting new tricks. Years later on a school trip to the British Museum he discovered Davenport's Magic Shop and wandered in. It was a treasure trove of magic, everything he thought a magic shop should be. Behind the counter was Pat Page who soon was showing him a series of tricks. One that blew him away involved three silver cups and three balls which turned into fruit and vegetables. Unable at the time to buy the 'Cups and Balls', he bought the book on how to do the trick and practised at home with teacups. Rigorously saving his pocket money it was the first prop he bought and the first professional trick he performed. Pat Page throughout his life was to become Wayne's great friend and mentor and later magical advisor to his television programmes. Through his teens he worked on his magic perfecting his skills and having great fun performing to friends and family and the occasional show at the local club in Leicester. He acknowledges it was David Nixon who had the greatest influence on him, watching his shows sparking off in him a future dream career. His interest in close-up magic was influenced by Dai Vernon, revered by all modern day magicians. At just 16 years Wayne was demonstrating a great flair for originality and started picking up local engagements and club work on a semi professional basis. Not knowing exactly what he wanted to do with himself he stayed at school until he was 18, then drifted into work in a sock factory. Wayne's magic skills continue to develop and in 1977 was a joint first prize winner in the Close-up competition at the British Ring Convention. This led to his TV debut on BBC's Blue Peter. At 21 he gambled as to what was to be his future career and became a professional magician. It was a gamble that would pay off handsomely. Wayne's original style of magic with fast talking patter and hilarious split second one liners achieved him great things on the difficult British Club circuit. A run of tours with some of the top UK performers ensued, opening for Freddie Starr, Shirley Bassey and the Shadows. He was picked up by TV companies and performed on a number of top shows. 1988 saw him on a comprehensive American tour accompanying Engelbert Humperdinck performing in the likes of Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Hollywood. In 1989 Wayne was chosen to appear in The Royal Variety Show where his uproarious routine with Frank Bruno and Harry Carpenter is still remembered today. Wayne was now in great demand making a weekly guest appearance on the Joe Longthorne show with a mixture of close-up magic and illusion. Next he was offered his own TV show Wayne Dobson - A Kind of Magic, a show which was to enjoy a run of three series. But there was a black cloud on the horizon. Wayne was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1989. Although he knew this would eventually come to limit his mobility he was determined to carry on working. Over the next two decades, in a wheelchair, even with his condition getting gradually worse, this he has achieved. He talks about his condition straight away at the start of his show putting people at their ease. Wayne has learnt to adjust his act to suit his disability. He knows he can't do certain things physically and will not attempt them. He says it is a case of finding new methods and adjusting and re-choreographing the act. If anything, Wayne feels that his illness has made him more positive. When people say to him you're so brave his reply is 'I'm not really, it's just the way I am. I want to get on with things. Anyone with a disability, with the right attitude and the right way of doing things, can contribute to society. What is important is the feeling you have made a contribution.' What an inspiring philosophy. In An Audience with Wayne Dobson, Wayne will talk about his life, answer questions and show video clips from his extensive career many of them having never being seen before. Make sure you are in the Congress Theatre on Friday morning for this star event. -------------------------------------------- 17. Three World-Class Lectures In Toronto -------------------------------------------- Message by James Alan (Canada) A Week of Magic in Toronto in August with Rafael Benatar, Gaėtan Bloom and Jim Steinmeyer. Mark the dates on your calendar for three world-class lectures in Toronto presented by Magicana. Wednesday August 18 at 6:30 PM Rafael Benatar and Gaėtan Bloom back-to-back Tickets $60 at www.magicana.com Sunday, August 22 at 2:00 PM Jim Steinmeyer Tickets $30 at www.magicana.com Or attend all three lectures for only $75 Grab your tickets now at www.magicana.com Rafael Benatar is charm incarnate! It permeates all of his work, from his exquisite card handling, to his polished performances. In his lecture, he will take you behind the scenes to show you his approach to magic to help you improve the technical elements of your work including structure, misdirection, timing, scripting and practice. Gaėtan Bloom is Diabolically Divine! He is an outstanding performer both close-up and on stage in Europe where he is a top nightclub performer and television personality. The magic he presents his highly original, innovative and furiously funny. He is simply one of the cleverest magicians you will ever have a chance to see. Jim Steinmeyer is The Man Behind the Curtain! Universally regarded as the best brain in magic today, Jim Steinmeyer is an acclaimed designer of deceptions large and small. Through his creations and published works, he has achieved unparalleled success within our community and with the general public. In his first Canadian magic lecture, he will perform, describe and discuss some of his latest inventions. Lectures will take place at 15 Madison Avenue (Bloor & Spadina) in Toronto. Grab your tickets today. Presented by Magicana www.magicana.com -------------------------------------------- 18. Sea La Vie Is Hosting A Comedy And Magic Night -------------------------------------------- Message by Fast Jimmy (Aust) Dee Why seafood restaurant Sea La Vie is hosting a comedy and magic night on the first Wednesday of each month showcasing Sydney magicians Nick Chappel and Fast Jimmy. Come along and enjoy a delicious 3 course meal and show at one of the northern beaches top restaurants and be entertained by our resident entertainers who love doing what they do. The show comprises of standup comedy, stage magic, mentalism, escapology and much much more. This show is all about having lots of fun with the audience and giving them a great night out with plenty of laughs. The address of the venue is: Shop 3, 4-6 The Strand Dee Why and telephone bookings are essential on ph: (02) 99848644 as the last two shows have been fully booked out. -------------------------------------------- 19. Magic New Zealand e-zine Archives -------------------------------------------- Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to www.watson.co.nz/fezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: magic Password: kiwi When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999) -------------------------------------------- 20. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to any other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand® E-zine at www.Alan-Watson.com Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday. The opinions expressed therein are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of Magic New Zealand®. Neither Magic New Zealand® nor Alan Watson vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via Magic New Zealand® E-zine. Subscribers to this publication and authors who contribute to it by doing so agree they will not hold Magic New Zealand® or Alan Watson, jointly or individually liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed therein. Magic New Zealand® reserves the right to alter, correct or disregard any articles submitted. Readers are encouraged to submit timely articles or news items which may be of interest to subscribers. By submitting articles to this e-zine, the authors grant Magic New Zealand® the right to publish such articles and such authors confirm their copyright of the material submitted. All works published by Magic New Zealand® are protected by international copyright legislation and articles must not be published for profit by anyone other than the individual authors without the written permission of Magic New Zealand®. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this publication may be freely redistributed, but not sold, to other magicians if copied in its entirety, including the copyright notice below and the above disclaimer. © Copyright 2010 Alan Watson