251: Day One - T.A.O.M. Convention 2015

The first Day of TAOM 2015 was only a few hours long, but what a few hours it was! If you are anywhere near Austin, then you should get here immediately! This has been a great day to kick off another great convention. Thirteen dealers from around the world (from Germany to Oregon and Japan to Ft. Worth, Texas) we have it all. The afternoon kicked off with a nice dealer's show followed by an outstanding lecture by Jay Scott Berry.

the evening Masters of magic evening show was hosted by Robert Baxt and featured Ken Scott, John Carney, Paprika, Bob Fitch, Mark Merchant and Peter Samelson. After the show, Peter Samelson gave a lecture followed by another lecture from Randi Rain. Then Brian Brushwood presented "Scam School Live" with some guests from previous episodes making guest appearances like David Rangel and Diamond Jim Tyler.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:11 - Scott and Don Wiberg (Past International President of the IBM) talk in the car about the upcoming convention. This is Don Wiberg's first TAOM convention.

00:06:11 - President, Trixie Bond talks a bit about her expectations for the convention and some of the surprises in store for registrants.

00:09:47 - Oscar Munoz and Ken Scott talk about school shows and library shows and how they differ.

00:18:52 - Fumio Inagaki, seven time winner of TAOM's Comdy Award, talks about his invention of the bar code (UPC) gag.

00:29:40: - Walter "Zaney" Blaney has had a long road to completing his dream of building the perfect vanishing bird cage. Here you can hear his woes that will hopefully end with good news soon.

00:50:44 - Ventriloquist Mark Merchant talks about being topical in his scripting that makes him asuccess on cruise ships

010:58:55 - Mandy Nicot tells us about the surprise wedding she and Roger had at the FFFF convention earlier this year.

01:01:21: Brian Brushwood is the podcaster for Scam School and host of Life Hackers on the discovery Channel. He is also more than just a close friend. Brian is like one of my own children. Find out why in this chat..

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250: At Home With Lupe & Norm Nielsen

After the 2015 MAGIC Live! convention, I stayed over for an extra day so as to visit with one of magic's legends: Norm Nielsen. I spoke with Lupe about coming over to their home to chat and see the poster collection. She told me that the bulk of their collection is now in Chicago preparing to be auctioned off by Potter & Potter over the next two years. But I was still welcome to come by for coffee and a visit. So I did.

Fortunately, I had visited their home and collection in 2007 when I also snapped some lovely photos which are on this blog. I also posted some pictures from this year's visit. Perhaps you can tell what a difference eight years makes.

Lupe talked about Norm's poster collection at the Order of Merlin breakfast at the combined IBM/SAM convention in St. Louis. You can Click Here to hear that interesting, historical presentation. Unfortunately, you cannot view the beautiful posters that she showed in her presentation, but the stories are interesting.

00:01:56 - Norm Nielsen and Lupe talk about their magic poster collection, how he came to start collecting and what is happening to it now. He also talks about his long career as a performer and builder and creator. He has many stories about other magic legends he has met along the way, not the least of which was his good friend, Tobias "Theo" Leendert Bamberg "Okito" (1875-1963) . During this chat in Norm's living room, his lovely wife, Lupe, fills in some details and gives us some additional background information. David Sandy and Lance Rich are also in attendance "in the studio audience" who ask some relevant questions, too.

00:59:07 - After our chat, we go out to the workshop where David shares a funny story about Faucett Ross. This is a legendary story that is Mac King's favorite story and has to be heard by this larger, podcast audience in order to preserve it for posterity.

Check back with Potter & Potter from time to time to see when the Nielsen Poster collection will be put "on the auction block".

249: Tom After Tom

Tom Mullica was one of the featured entertainers at the 2015 I.B.M. convention in Jacksonville, Florida. He was seen almost everywhere throughout the convention and he was outstanding in everything he did: lecturer, performer, and master of ceremonies. As a lecturer, Tom did double duty, lecturing in the evening to all the registrants then again with a completely different lecture for the breakfast meeting of the Order of Merlin members (those with 25 or more years of consecutive membership in the I.B.M.).

After performing a Tribute Act to Red Skelton in Branson, Missouri for 17 years, Tom felt that it has run its course and plans to return to magic. I'm not sure what that means insofar as where he will be appearing, but it is probably a sure bet that you will be seeing him being a bit more active on the magic convention scene in the near future. One new direction Where Tom has focused his interest is in pickpocketing. He has been breaking in this new act at magic conventions this summer like he I.B.M convention and the Midwest Magic Jubilee in St. Louis.

Tom allowed me to record his breakfast lecture and post it here. After that lecture, Tom sat down with me to talk one-on-one, exclusively for the podcast. Hence the title of this podcast, "Tom After Tom".

Runny nose gag - During Tom Mullica's presentation at the breakfast meeting of the Order of Merlin group during the I.B.M. convention in Jacksonville, Florida, Tom described a gag. Essentially, you have a mouth full of water and wait until the time is right. then let the water dibble out of your mouth as you run your arm under your nose.

This is the gag he performed during his morning speech.

A vintage video of magician Tom Mullica performing his magic

00:02:16 - The first part of this podcast is a broadcast of his specially prepared lecture on "Naivete" wherein he talks about trusting people which usually turned out great, but sometimes severely injured him financially and emotionally.

00:21:39 - In the second part of the podcast, Tom talks candidly about his life and tells some stories that you won't hear elsewhere. In one such story, Tom opens up emotionally to talk about "coming out of the closet" and telling his mother (and the world) that he was gay.

Now through March 15, 2016 Meir Yedid has reduced the price for a download of a remastered "An Evening at the Tom-Foolery," with all proceeds going to his husband, Stephen. The price for the download is now only $10.

251: Day One - T.A.O.M. Convention 2015

250: At Home With Lupe & Norm Nielsen

249: Tom After Tom

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