125: MINDvention 2013 - Day One

I know what you're thinking. The answer is yes...sometimes.

The tenth annual MINDvention in Las Vegas is underway. Co-sponsored by Danny Archer and Robert Allen, this event is always intimate (around 100 attendees) and always chock full of information shared among the top mindreaders in the world. This year was no exception with attendees from a dozen countries with the largest out-of-the-U.S. contingency from Israel with about a dozen people.

The opening event was the Attendee Show that kind of turned into a dealer show, but there were some nice effects in there. The afternoon lecture by Thomas Heine & Rainer Mees (from Germany) had a few technical problems but it didn't prohibit them from giving some great advice on some solid routines. They came back later in the evening for a lecture on Theory and Presentation, both very important in mentalism.

Paul Draper hosted a panel discussion on "Magic in Mentallism"  with Joe Atmore and Paul Vigil. It was a lively discussion with some interesting, if not somewhat heated exchanges, during the Q&A portion with the audience. Apparently not everyone agrees with everything and/or everyone's opinion. Michael Weber packed the house including some local magicians who came to learn some incredible and creative presentations.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

The time stamps for this podcast are as follows: 

00:00:00 - Excitement builds as I depart Houston for Las Vegas. 

00:01:55 - I ran into Bob Cassidy (Guest of Honor at this year's MINDvention) at the airport so we chatted about a lot of stuff. Bob went off into many nooks and crannies on mentalism including his new book which is being premiered today. I'm glad I had my recorder on to catch all of this one.

00:17:23 - Danny Archer and Robert Allen talk about some of the people who are attending this year's convention and some of the surprises in store for this year. 

00:24:15 - Bill Gladwell is headlining his own show called "Headcase" at the Iris Theater in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and bringing in big crowds. TripAdvisor.com lists his show as tops in the area. Be sure to see his show if your travel plans include Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.  More information at: http://www.iristheater.com/bill-gladwell.html

00:29:24 - Banachek talks about shooting their last episode of this season's Criss Angel's TV show on Spike TV. He also talks about Criss's upcoming surgery and those who will be filling in for him for a few weeks. He also talks about some of the upcoming traveling shows he is involved with in addition to a possible second season for Criss on Spike TV. We talked about his passionate dislike for "magicians" who are exposing magic. We chatted about Banachek's Magicians' Pledge which is posted below. Many clubs should post this on their websites and require all members swear to uphold the pledge.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here.

122: The Jon Stetson Dinner Experience

"Better than 1,000 days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.." - Japanese proverb.

Jon Stetson passed through Houston for a private engagement. While here, we met for some serious steak and serious conversation. The conversation starts off with a little noise in the background but that diminishes after about 20 minutes so please be patient. We talk about the importance of being yourself and finding magic/mentalism that is right for you. He also talks about the three most important "self" awards: self-reliance, self-respect, and self-awareness (know who you are). These are some important points that every one of us can benefit from and put into practice. He gives us some solid, real life examples and great stories.

Jon quotes Dai Vernon who said: "the greatest travesty in magic in the past century is the trivialization of magic based on contrived presentations."  We discuss the meaning and impact of that quote. Among the many subjects, Jon also talks about why he attends select magic conventions, how he transmogrified from magic to mentalism, restructuring mentalism shows from looking like one prediction after another prediction, Tuesday Night Magic which he helped co-found, and he talks about one of his heroes, Ross Johnson, ethics in magic (buying versus stealing), among so many other topics.

During our chat, Jon talked about teaming up with Bob Kohler to present a Mentalism Performance Workshop after the MINDvention in Las Vegas in November. This Workshop will cover intensive Q&A training, new market opportunities, character development, unpublished routines, and more. This workshop will be presented on November 13-15, 2013. For more information, Click Here.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here.

Magic & Martinis Thursday

Here is a holiday idea for marshmallow Peeps. Put one glass dish inside a larger one then line the inside with Peeps of the season. Finally, insert a colorful plant arrangement. Peeps are available in assorted characters for many holidays like Halloween, Valentine's Day, Summer, Christmas and, of course, Easter. More information at http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/

108: MAGIC Live! 2013 - Day 3

Day three was another fun and exciting day that began with the Opening Session hosted by Justin Flom  A highlight of the show was Xavier Mortimer's incredibly innovative routines. He is currently featured in the Cirque du Soliel show here in Vegas, "Michael Jackson One".. But it was Wayne Dobson being interviewed by Jeff McBride which received a standing ovation.  

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

00:00:07 – Tom Vorjahan, Daniel Herron and Eddie Wade give a recap of the Documentary Live 1 show from last night that featured the Long Beach Mystics hosted by Stan Allen and Mike Caveney. It featured David Deeble, Victor and Diamond, Michael Weber, Dana Daniels, Mark Kalin and Jinger, Armando Lucera, Kevin James, and James Hamilton (as Alexander Hamilton).

00:08:33 – I give a short review of the General Session that was hosted by Justin Flom and featured Master Payne, Bill Abbott, Xavier Mortimer, and Wayne Dobson being interviewed by Jeff McBride.

00:13:00 – I chatted with random people dining at the In ‘N Out and how much they enjoy this place. It is one of my regular, mandatory places to dine while in Las Vegas.

00:15:02 – Simon Coronel talks about creativity and how he developed his routine.

00:26:00 – Photo time with Criss Angel

00:26:50 – David Hira talks about this convention and conventions in general and their appeal to different age groups.

00:34:45 – Scott Hunstler was one of the winners on the Sunday night Welcome Party. He talks about what he won. Mark Weidhaas, S.A.M. Past President, and Errol Lipschitz, from Vancouver, talks about their experience of this convention.

00:39:56 – We viewed the documentary about Ricky Jay’s life, Deceptive Practices. Here I get to talk with a few people who know Ricky and have a perspective and opinion on the movie. It isn’t anything like Siskell & Ebert, but I think you will enjoy this discussion by Peter Samelson, Tim Felix and Jon Stetson.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file through FeedBurner or directly by Clicking Here then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here.