168: Day 3 - IBM/SAM Combined Convention 2014

Lots of stuff again during this full day including the third and final day of the FISM North American Championships competitions. The early lecture was a 3D event featuring children show experts, Davie Kaye, Danny Orleans and Doug Scheer. The afternoon included a lecture by Christian Engblom. After the evening gala featuring the magic of Germany was a lecture by Xavier Mortimer followed by a late night show again by Richard Turner.

Available at http://www.dickbarrymagic.com/

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:02:09 - Danny Archer talks about his recent lecture tour and the upcoming MINDvention on October 12-14.

00:08:46 - Jim Steinmeyer brings us up to date about his new book project about Charles Morritt, plus his consulting on the hit Broadway show, Aladdin.

00:19:56 - Gabe Fajuri, Potter & Potter Auction, tells us about the upcoming auction on August 23rd featuring a lot of Houdini memorabilia.

00:23:21 - Bill Evans, Past International President for the I.B.M., was the emcee for the FISM North American Championships and I came on stage to chat with him in front of the whole audience in between the acts.

00: 45:43- Phillip Pound is the son-in-law of Pat Page and the photographer of the Page by Page book. Also joining us was Pat's daughter, Janette,

00:59:29 - David "Silly Billy" Kaye, was one of the lecturers from this morning. He has a book in the works that is a compendium of the 100 articles that appeared in his column in MAGIC Magazine.

01:12:20 - Rick Heath, poster artist for La Grand David show, tells us what it's like in the post-Caesaro Palez world.

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Magic & Martinis' Thursday

Joe Curcillo, Debbie Curcillo, Carol Garrett, Jim Cox, John Graybeal, Jarvis, Scott Wells & Kathy Wells

127: MINDvention 2013 - Day Three

The final day continued with exciting activites beginning with one of the best lectures of the convention by Docc Hilford. Lots of great ideas with sound thinking interspersed with humor. After lunch, Cashetta was attired in traditional garb (sans the cocktail dress and make-up) as he talked about development of his character. Nest, Danny and Robert assembled the "Dream Team" of authorities on the the Q&A (Question and Answer) for a panel discussion: Bob Cassidy, Jon Stetson, Michael Weber and Ross Johnson. Of course there was a lively question and answer period.

The afternoon lecture was another treat by a mentalist, (nee Psychic) who rarely attends conventions let alone lectures or performs. John Riggs gave us some real insightful and commercial ideas and material for "readings" and billet work. The evening show, "Masters of Mentalism" was hosted by the hit performer from the previous evening's show, Cashetta. John Riggs opened with some interesting routines using five volunteers. It was interesting that he seated them all on stage but used each for individual effects rather than all in one effect.

Bob Cassidy read the minds of several volunteers from the audience who were unsuspecting "muggles" from the casino who thoroughly enjoyed the show. Docc Hilford closed the show with some very entertaining mentalism using a book test with two volunteers. Danny and Robert closed the convention by presenting Bob Cassidy the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:08 - Paul Vigil talks about magic and mentalism and whether he considers himself as a magician or a mentalist.

00:07:33 - Michael Chaut and Jon Stetson talk about Monday Night Magic (in New York City) and the Mystery Lounge (in Boston, MA), respectively. To see who is on the performance schedule for Monday Night Magic, then visit their website at: http://magicalnights.com/ You can check out the Mystery Lounge (Boston's Original Cabaret) at: http://mysterylounge.com/Home.html

00:19:24 - Jeff McBride talks about his Masterclasses with MINDvention as well as other Masterclasses he hosts. More info at http://www.magicalwisdom.com/

00:29:30 - Andrew Goldenhersh enjoyed this convention and tells us some of what he's been up to in Japan.

00:40:50 - Danny Archer breathes a little easier as he gives us a recap from his perspective as a co-organizer. He also gives us the dates for next year's event: October 11-13, 2014.

00:46:00 - John Riggs talks about being a psychic in the Bible Belt of America plus a glimpse of some unpublished material from "The Messiah Complex Part 2" which may never see print. Listen to find out why. John make fine handcrafted products for serious mentalists. If you are interested, then contact him at JohnRiggs@comcast.net and request a link to his secret website.

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Thanks to Christopher Rose @MindControlArt who suggested that I have my own Twitter account. So now you can follow The Magic Word at @MagicWordPod

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.

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.

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