248: Day Four - MAGIC Live! 2015

The General Session for the final day was hosted by Mark Kornhauser who talked about lessons to learn from his monthly column "For What It's Worth:. Charlie Frye talked about the subject of Character and the importance of building one. Axel Hecklau talked about how to produce your own show in your own area. And the feature was the panel discussion hosted by Bill Malone with Ron Conley and Steve Forte as they talked about the differnce between gambling moves and magician moves.

In the Focus (breakout) sessions, Tony Clark discussed Slydini;s "Paper Balls Over the Head:; Mike Bent and Buster Balloon talked about "Monster Kids" and Joseph Barry blew us away with his card handling in "There's Always a Beginning".

The evening show was hosted by Justin Willman who was a standout highlight with an affable character that easily broke the fourth wall. Mark and Jinger Kalin premiered a new illusion and closed with a double "thin model sawing" with a twist. Xavier Mortimer put in not one, but two outstanding, original performances including a self levitation while "jumping rope". Den Den and Hun Lee both did very nice manipulation acts. The Evasons were stellar with their two person mind reading act. Dan Sperry reprised his fantastic, creative and bizarre bird act from the Illusionists tour. But the real highlight that got everyone talking was the 17 year old juggler, Ty Tojo who eaily juggled seven balls with alarming aplomb.

The Farewell Party featured an opportunity for some lucky registrant to win either $500, $1,000, $5,000 or $100,000. The lucky winner played a gamer wherein he selected certain tiles (similar to large Scrabble tiles) that had the value of one of the denominations inside the envelope. Whatever five numbers the person drew would be the amount he/she would win. The winner drew five $1,000 envelopes so he won $1,000.

My signature Coin in Bottle routine being performed at the 2014 TAOM Magic Convention in Fort Worth Texas

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:26 - Sean Popp talks about the Rubic Cube and Show Cues updates that are coming.

00:05:55 - David Deeble talks about being the MC for the morning session and a synopsis of his presentation.

00:13:26 - Master Payne talks about working Renaissance Festivals and Kozmo talks about working on the street.

00:28:35 - Axel Hecklau talks a bit about the presentation he gave on puting together a venue in your own community.

00:37:28 - Kayla Drescher talks about working behind the scenes at MAGIC Live!

00:39:43 - Richard Myer and Steve Bedwell give their comments on highlights from the convention.

00:47:02 - Tony Clark talks about his presentation on Slydini's "Paper Balls Over The Head"

00:53:21 - Giovanni Livera and Ian Pigeon are joined by Rafael Benatar as they talk about some of their highlights from the convention. Ian is the creator of "My Pet Boris" spider app and he talks about the creation of this variation of Jim Pace's "The Web".

01:19:15 - Dan Sperry says hello and goodby then we chat with Rory Johnston about his participation in the production of MAGIC Live!

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226: John Gaughan - Magic's Builder

As an epilogue to my six part series from Hollywood, I offer you this special podcast featuring John Gaughan, magic's premiere illusion builder. It was such a thrill to spend time in his workshop and magic salon where we talked about magic, magicians past and present, and illusion building. Then the special guided tour of his salon was quite impressive, too. I recorded the tour with my iPad and posted the videos on YouTube which are linked in this blog.

For those few magicians in the world who may not have heard of John Gaughan as well as those who do know him, I'm certain that all of you will learn something about one of magic's greatest illusion builder.

This podcast came in response to a listener who suggested that if ever I had the opportunity, then I should interview John Gaughan. So, when I knew that I was going to be traveling to the Los Angeles area, I contacted John well in advance to schedule a convenient afternoon when he could spend time and show me his workshop. I was delighted that he was in town and not off somewhere around the world installing or consulting but would actually be in town and have time to chat. I know you will enjoy this podcast as well as the videos.

Antonio Diavolo, the mechanical trapeze artist created by Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871), performed by John Gaughan and Ricky Jay.

John talks about his roots as an illusion builder when he first worked with Leo Behnke and others on Mark Wilson's "Magic Land of Allakazam" when he was just a prop painter. His progression to becoming a master craftsman and woodworker is fascinating. And he talks about some of the illusions he has built for many of the celebrated magicians over the past 50 years. He also talks about what makes for a good illusion and some of his failures. He concludes with a look into the future with where magic and grand stage illusions might be headed.

If you have not yet made your reservation for your hotel room at the Hyatt Regency for the Jacksonville convention which takes place July 15th - 18th, 2015, your time is running out! After June 15th, the convention rate of only $99 will end, and th… — If you have not yet made your reservation for your hotel room at the Hyatt Regency for the Jacksonville convention which takes place July 15th - 18th, 2015, your time is running out!

After June 15th, the convention rate of only $99 will end, and there will be no guarantee of availability of additional room reservations.

If you are planning on attending the Jacksonville convention which promises to be a fantastic event, register for the convention, and MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION NOW!!!!

You can register for the convention here: https://www.magician.org/convention/online-registration

You can make your hotel reservation here: https://aws.passkey.com/g/20902549 or by calling the Hyatt Regency directly at 1-800-421-1442.

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099: My Week at Hollywood's Famed Magic Castle

After a 17 year absence since my last appearance at Hollywood's famed Magic Castle, I decided it was time to return. In retrospect, I don't know what took me so long. I had forgotten how much fun it was: audiences that are excited to see magic, a chance to see old friends, time to spend quality time with those friends plus meet new people, too.

My magical mystery tour of California began with a flight from Houston to Los Angeles, renting a car, the obligatory stop by In-N-Out burger, then a long seven hour drive up the coast to Oakland to visit my childhood friend, Walter Turner. We toured some wineries in Napa Valley and did the tourist thing in San Francisco at Fisherman's Wharf. My wife and I drove back to Los Angeles on Monday June 10th to check in to the Nirvana Apartments which is just across the street from the Magic Castle. The Castle provided accommodations for me in the newly remodeled and redecorated Don Lawton suite. Very nice. When I arrived for my performance in the Close-Up Gallery, I was surprised with the nice gifts that awaited me in the dressing room: a bottle of wine, a Magic Castle wine opener, some chocolates, and a deck of Magic Castle playing cards. Also, one of the nice touches throughout the week is the "butler" that is assigned to each performer who looks after our every need for food and drink. They are at our beckoned command. it was an awesome touch.

One of the things I love about LA is the robust magic activity in and around the area and the many accomplished magicians who reside there. On Wednesday afternoon I took advantage of my long locks and took my head to Dean's Barbershop in nearby Glendale. Unaware as I was, apparently Wednesdays are magic days at Dean Dill's shop. So while only planning to get a haircut, I stayed to over two hours and had a chance to meet some of the local guys and learn a few tips from Dean. What a great guy and what a great place. Be sure to visit there when you are in the area. http://www.deandill.com/shoppe.htm

On Thursday afternoon, I traveled to Venice to visit with Chris Korn who was working the early evening shows with me in the Close-Up Gallery. Since it was Magic & Martinis Thursday, we enjoyed a special martini at his favorite bar, Hal's Bar & Grill. We then went for lunch at Gjelina's which was exquisite. The Marinated Beets, Avocado, Citrus, Hazelnuts & Sherry salad was one of the best things I had all week including my visit to Napa and my dinner Tra Vigne. We then went back to Chris' apartment where Paul Vigil had just checked in as an overnight visitor. We got to enjoy a very nice chat.

I performed at the member's lunch on Friday and enjoyed seeing Peter Fryer, another long time friend who was transplanted from Texas to Los Angeles.

Saturday afternoon I drove to Vista, CA (outside San Diego) to present my lecture "Alternate Streams of Revenue in Magic". I started off with lunch upon my arrival with Jeff Pearson and his wife, Laurie, There was a good turnout at 3 Generations of Magic who sponsored my lecture. BTW, I recommend that if you are anywhere near San Diego that you stop by this shop. It is fully stocked with all the new stuff and James will be glad to help you out. Great place.

On Sunday I was joined by Cameron Ramsay who was a fellow podcaster on Dodd Vickers' "The Magic Newswire" for our weekly "This Week in Magic" podcasts. Cameron was in town for a few weeks while working on a film project. Cameron helped me load in my lecture notes and stuff for my afternoon lecture at the Castle. There was a healthy turnout despite the occasion of it being Father's Day. I appreciate all those who attended and especially those fathers (and their families) who sacrificed the afternoon to be with me and listen to my lecture.

And all to soon, it was all over and I woke up from the dream as I winged my way home to Houston early Monday morning. What a great time and memorable experience. I was fortunate to have been given the time of many friends who spoke with me for the podcast that you can enjoy here.

On the red carpet in front of the Magic Castle.

This is the Golden Anniversary (50 years) of the Magic Castle and I was glad to have been one of the performers in this most prestigious year. I also want to thank all those who came out to say hello, see my performance and attend my lectures. Here are the time stamps for the chats I had during my week at the Castle:

00:02:15 - Walter Turner, a childhood friend who inspired me to find an interest in magic

00:13:37 - Dean Dill talks about his barber shop, his creative process, and a story about his association with Johnny Carson

00:29:00 - Mark Wilson and Nani Darnell discuss their magic class for adults that they teach at the Magic Castle. Mark also talks about the popularity of the Mark Wilson Course on Magic. They also talked about their experiences of performing in China for the first time. For information on signing up for the Student Pass, then please contact Nani at NaniWilson@SBCglobal.net or call 661-257-6070

00:55:35 - Paul Green talks about his long association with the Magic Castle

01:08:12 - Howard Hamburg tells us a few interesting stories about some of the legends of the Castle including Dai Vernon, Larry Jennings, Charlie Miller and others.

01:24:51 - We sit down with Chris Korn for Thursday's "Magic and Martinis" but begin with a quick story about seeing Mac King in Las Vegas. Chris chats about the Magic Castle and some of his television projects.

01:38:23 - We moved from the bar to Chris's home where we were joined by Paul Vigil who, along with Chris, shared his philosophy of creative process. Please forgive the quality of this section of the podcast as we had some severe technical difficulties. But I felt that the quality of the content was too important to lose just because of the audio quality.

02:03:22 - Darren Romeo, the "Voice of Magic", talks about his association with Siegfried & Roy and where he was and how he handled the tragic end to their run at the Mirage.

02:16:00 - Cameron Ramsay, my friend from our days of podcasting together on the Magic Newswire, talked about what he's been up to over the past few years.

02:25:35 - Jack Goldfinger, Entertainment Director for the Magic Castle, and Doc Eason talk about the Magic Castle. Lots of great stuff in this chat. I suggest that when listening to this one you might want to have a pad and paper to jot down some of the "gems of wisdom" that Jack dropped on us.

02:57:00 - Shoot Ogawa talks about moving to the U.S. and in particular his move directly to Los Angeles just to be near the Magic Castle.

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248: Day Four - MAGIC Live! 2015

226: John Gaughan - Magic's Builder

099: My Week at Hollywood's Famed Magic Castle

The Magic Word