147: Day 1 - East Coast Mind Jam 2014

The East Coast Mind Jam is a one time only event that features some of the top names in the mentalism field today including Docc Hilford, Richard Osterlind, Marc Salem, Ted Karlilovich, Devin Knight, Joe Atmore, Patrick Redford (George Tait) and Jim Sisti. This event is also an opportunity for the convention organizer, Eric Citron, to honor the former owner and president of Tannen's Magic, Tony Spina, with a lifetime achievement award. That award will take place on Sunday afternoon. But first...

Day one featured an extra cost workshop for early arrivals by Patrick Redford and was attended by about 15 people. The evening show opened with a one hour show that was supposed to be filled with attendees who want to perform; however, only one brave soul did: Joshua Lozoff, who put on a great show and was given a great adulation by the audience and by the host, Docc Hilford. Docc filled out the hour, took a break then came back for the first half of a workshop, not a lecture, but a really great instructional workshop. After an hour and a half, he took another break only to return with another two hours of great material and advice. He could have gone on much longer and the audience was right there with him with nary a soul departing, but rather, hanging on his every word.

Here are the time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:00 - Leaving Houston and a recap of what's about to happen over the weekend.

00:04:42 - Convention organizer, Eric Citron, talks about putting together this convention and what we can expect this weekend.

00:12:47 - Richard Osterlind talks about what will be in his eight hour Monday workshop. He is excited about performing his one hour stage show on Saturday night that is rarely if ever performed for his peers. Tim Trono talks about how much fun this convention is because of its small size.

00:16:32 - Attendees, Ed Russe, John Sergott and Andy Hofer talk about why they came to this convention and what they are looking forward to seeing and doing here.

00:24:42 - Patrick Redford (George Tait) talks about what he was teaching in his workshop during the afternoon.

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146: The Largest Magic Auction in the Country

There are a lot of clubs across the country and around the globe that conduct magic auctions. There are also many online auctions and websites and social media that match buyers and sellers. Some magic conventions even include auctions as part of their schedules. But arguably the largest auction in the U.S. is held in the Spring in Austin, Texas. This boast is backed not only with the attendance (around 300 people) but also with the sales proceeds (last year exceeding over $27,000) and the sheer number of items put up for auction.

The 33rd annual Austin Auction will be held on Saturday April 5, 2014 but it is more than just a place to bring together buyers and sellers of new and used magic. It is a social gathering that is essentially o magic convention that attracts attendees from across the region and from coast to coast. And the night before always features a special get together of magic collectors who are led by Claude Crowe as they talk about all things that are collectible. And after the auction concludes, many visit the world famous "Esther's Follies" on 6th Street that features my favorite magician, Ray Anderson.

For more information on the World Famous Austin Magic Auction, visit their website at: http:AustinMagicAuction.com

Magic & Martinis' Thursday

Going, going, gone! Lots of stuff will be up for auction at this World Famous Magic Auction. I'm bringin' the gavel. Cheers!

Follow-Up to Auction - Notes on Live Auction from Ron Cartlidge

I'm sure you want to hear about the big items in the stage auction. So here goes. The first item that sold in the live stage auction was Abbott's "Goofus Plant). Kent got a bid of $60 for that item. Scott Wells then took over and there were four no-sales in the first ten items much to my surprise. The biggest sale was for eight 24" different solid colored Rice silks for $80. Grant Walsh then took the stage and sold the next ten items and included our first $100 sale and a tip of the fez by Scott Wells. It was the coin production trick Copentro. Other sales in this time slot were: Mikame "Heart of Gold" $80, MAK Moxahalla $75, Ultimate Die Penetration $70, and a Silver Nest of Boxes by Laflin $65. David Hira then stepped in for the next ten items and sold two one-hundred dollar items. They were a Rings and Things Chop Cup with accessories that included a second chop cup and Abbott's vintage Hippity Hop Rabbits. He also sold a Grant Double Load Pagoda that was very nice for $85.

At 10:15 a.m., about an hour after the auction started, we had sold $1,297 worth of magic from the stage. Other $100 plus items sold from the stage during the morning were: Tommy Wonder's Rubix Card ($100), Full Bloom both volumes by Gaetan Bloom ($120), Unique in All the World - Siegfried & Roy ($500), Gimpy's Cube A Libre ($550), Chaplin's Candle Collectors Workshop ($105), The Oracle Box ($100), The Ultimate Dancing Hank ($775), An Abbott's Classic Production Box ($300), a Viking Nite Club Table ($175), a Twister Illusion ($225), and a Modified Super-X Suspension ($275).

The Richard Garriott collection came up next with Brad Henderson doing the demos and David Hira doing the auctioneering. The lowest item went for $30 ( a second Rich Morrotta Mugged and the highest item went for $225 (Ninja Knives - House of Enchantment). There were some nice items here including OMG that brought $100, a Mikame Block and Rope Penetration that sold for $140, and a Lee Alex Happy Birthday Waistcoat (vest) that sold for $95. The Garriott items brought in an estimated $1,910.

There were several donations to Magic Camp from Steve Wyrick, Murray Sawchuck, Kent Cummins, and other magicians that drew bids. During the afternoon Drag-Gone! ($100), The Gravity Box ($120), Magic -the original book ($300), Wolf Magic Pea Shooter ($125), a Rice 25 foot streamer that was 1 foot in width ($110), MAK Turkish Turmoil ($100), Square Circle ($125), Dr. Chopper's Box ($150), Thayer Double Load Jap Box ($110), Misers Delight ProX - Mark Mason ($125), Framed original Carter Beats the Devil window card ($100), Framed original litho Les Magique Leons half sheet ($200), Epitome Board - Osterlind ($135), and a jumbo mixed bag of coin tricks & effects ($100). I finally dropped out of the stage area around 6:45 p.m. with 9 items to go, so there many have been a couple of other $100 plus items. By the way, after those first four no-sales in the first 15 minutes of the stage auction, there were only eleven no-sales the rest of the day. I'd say 15 of about 250 is a pretty good day. That's why the Austin Magic Auction can say, "If we can't sell your item at our auction, you owe us nothing". Remember, the seller pays only 12% of the final sale price and the buyer pays only what the winning bid is. See you next year!

145: Marty Hahne - Winner By A Hare

Andy Warhol was quoted as saying, "In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes." I say that as magicians, we should try to extend that fame for as long as possible. Longevity in "celebrity" and future bookings depends upon people remembering our name. Otherwise they may as well go to the first name that pops up on Google. Branson, Missouri magician, Marty Hahne has inadvertently and unintentionally found himself at the center of an issue that has given him worldwide notoriety since the summer of 2013 and continues to this day.

It all began in July 2013 with a letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture beginning with, "Dear Members of Our Regulated Community." Essentially they wanted to make sure that the animals used in his magic show were permitted. Moreover, he needed to have a detailed "Disaster Plan" on what he would do, where he would go and how he would treat his animals (specifically, his pet rabbit) should there be a disaster such as a fire, flood or tornado. Keep in mind that this is a requirement for one animal, not a Warren of rabbit.

The issue soon got national attention when he, along with a few other small entrepreneurs, appeared on a network television investigative show, "War on the Little Guy with John Stossel". His special interest story also appeared in many newspapers and magazines who all had a field day with the headlines, such as: "Watch him pull a USDA-mandated disaster plan out of his hat" and "Magician's Rabbit Get Tangled in Government Red Tape" and "Hare Brained: USDA Reportedly Orders Children's Magician to Produce 'Disaster Plan' for His...Rabbit". You can find a multitude of online articles and YouTube videos on this issue with a little search cross-referencing "Marty the Magician Rabbit Disaster Plan".

Others should heed his advice and find out if you need an animal permit for using your pet in your show in your area. The Washington Post posted a copy of Marty's "Emergency Management and Contingency Plan" posted on their website. Click Here to view the article and the plan.

Fox News Special, War on the Little Guy," hosted by John Stossel. Marty Hahne, "Marty the Magician," was featured with his story about all of the USDA licensing requirements to have a rabbit in a magic show, and how Marty finally got the government to back off after they passed a regulation requiring a comprehensive written disaster plan for his rabbit.

Although this story is nearly a year old, it still has relevance in the daily lives of every magician who owns and works with livestock in his/her show. In this podcast, Marty tells us the details of what he did, how he responded, the help he received and how he got so much publicity. Do you think he got more shows as a result of this publicity? Listen to his insights and stories and advice in this week's podcast.

At time stamp 00:57:02 I added an edited clip from an interesting chat I had with Nicholas Saint-Erne, a renown veterinarian (and magician). Here Nick gives us some sound advice on the care, feeding and handling of your animals. This was recorded last summer and the full chat can be found Here as part of my report of Day Two from the I.B.M. convention in Phoenix, Arizona.

In addition to being a full-time professional magician, Marty is also a magic dealer who owns Dazzling Magic. Marty will be a dealer plus lecturing at the Battle of Magicians (magic convention) in Canton, Ohio. He will talk about this experience plus he will be a dealer. Be sure to see him live in Canton where you can ask your own questions and get his advice on what you might need to do to be prepared for when the USDA comes knocking at your door!