325: How Garrett Thomas Looks At Magic - Part Two

More than a performer and consultant, Garrett Thomas is an artist. Brought up in an artist family, he talks this week about how he views magic, how it should be presented (i.e. without comedy), and the fallacy in some commonly held axioms (i.e. "a magician is only an actor playing the part of a magician," and "for those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't believe, no explanation will suffice.")

Garrett also tells us about his earliest memories of going to the Forks Hotel and Eddie Fechter plus his current work at a variety of restaurants in and around Buffalo. He also tells some interesting stories about David Blaine and how he became associated with him.

Tribute to the magic of Eddie Fechter at the Forks Hotel.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:56 - Garrett Thomas picks up where we left off from Part One where he continues talking about "Astonishment" then going further into how he looks at magic as an art and that he doesn't feel that comedy should be used in his presentations. He also talks about performing at the famed Forks Hotel outside Buffalo, New York (former home of the annual F.F.F.F. convention) and his consulting work with David Blaine.

01:04:05 - "Chardistry" DVD by Daniel Chard - ten tricks are performed and explained on this DVD that include tricks for the beginner to the advanced (easy to do to knuckle-busting). Recommended.

01:08:19 - "Jump" by Jordan Victoria is a utility gimmick that can be inserted into your Ambitious Card routine or utilized for other startling effects. Poor production value in the online video, but otherwise recommended.

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. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Click on the banner above to check out some of the tricks that have been reviewed on The Magic Word Podcast.

Congratulations to Tony Baronio, Robb Peffer and Shaun Rivera who won a FREE deck of cards for the "Anniversary Waltz". Thank you to 60+ people who registered for this contest.  Be sure to enter this week's contest for a FREE set of Loops by Yi… — Congratulations to Tony Baronio, Robb Peffer and Shaun Rivera who won a FREE deck of cards for the "Anniversary Waltz". Thank you to 60+ people who registered for this contest. Be sure to enter this week's contest for a FREE set of Loops by Yigal Mesika.

067: T.A.O.M. Day 1 in Houston, TX

The 66th edition of the Texas Association of Magicians (TAOM) convention in Houston, Texas is underway at the Hilton Americas Hotel. President Daniel Garcia and his team (led by Chairman, Alex Rangel) have put together a great line-up of talent that most people would never expect outside of Las Vegas or come other mega-convention. Aside from the stellar line-up that the team has put together, many of Daniel's friends are just coming to hang out. I have seen Bill Kalush and Carl Heine and Rico de la Vega, just to name a very few. And I noticed on the schedule that Rudy Coby has been added back in the line-up. He is slated to close the Sunday night stage show. I would not be surprised to see David Blaine show up. I'm not saying he will...I'm just saying that I wouldn't be surprised. It's just that kind of very, very cool convention. It already has a great vibe. I can tell now that this will certainly be one for the record books.

It is not too late to travel to Houston and register for this convention as there is a ton of great magic yet to be seen. All the details, schedule, list of performers and more can be found at http://www.TAOM2012.com/ If you cannot make it for the whole convention, then there are daily tickets available plus there will be public tickets available for the Saturday and Sunday night shows. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.TopTalentProductions.com/

This brief intro to the TAOM includes a chat with Treasurer, Dick Olson, who was helping with the registration. Then we went back stage prior to the stage contest to talk to some of the contestants and Jamie Salinas, Contest Chairman. This is a little different angle than we have taken in the past, but this is the first year the TAOM has ever offered a cash award for the winner. And we're talking $5,000 in cash!

Download a MP3 file of this podcast by Clicking Here then right click to save the file. You can also download the MP3 media file directly from the RSS feed by Clicking Here.

David Stone U.S. Lecture Tour

David Stone visited the U.S. to be feted as the Guest of Honor at the 42nd F.F.F.F. (Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic) Close-up Convention. He arrived early to lecture in several cities in upper Midwest. Following the F.F.F.F. convention, he continued through another 19 cities with his outstanding lecture.

He was not as well known in the U.S. but after this tour, I doubt that many people will forget him. And those who missed out, well...you can hear the stories.Many said his lecture was the best they had seen in many years. I hear that comment from time to time about other lecturers but never have I received so many saying the same thing as I have regarding David's lecture.

For example, one unsolicited testimonial I received about his lecture said, "David Stone was AWESOME!!! He is a fun, amazing, charming, phenomenally talented lecturer. We had a huge crowd, and I received many thanks from our members for bring him to Atlanta, and have heard and read ONLY rave reviews from those who were lucky enough to attend. Many have said it's the best lecture we've had in a very long time... and you know we have a LOT of lectures!

"David's communication leading up his visit was very pleasant and professional. His lecture material was accessible to all skill levels, and he covered a tremendous amount of highly commercial magic that appealed to us all. And the fact that English is his second language, it's nothing short of remarkable that he is such a strong instructor and that his lecture was perhaps the funniest I've ever seen!" - Debbie Leifer

His lecture contained many commercial, creative ideas that were well within the capabilities of any magician from beginner to professional. He covered coin and card moves all of which can be performed in a stand-up situation and great for restaurant or walk-around work. As he reached the end of his tour, I know that he was running low on many items and had to make a few "on the road" to replenish his stock for the next city. But no one was disappointed.

Pictured above in Houston - Daniel Garcia, David Stone and Ben Jackson

Beyond his skill was his presentation. As an actor, he portrayed the part of a magician with ease and aplomb. He said in our interview (hear the podcast here), David stated that he lacks confidence. But is was never evident from his lecture performance. He exuded confidence and hit every mark. For those who didn't buy any of his amazing items (though I can't imagine anyone who didn't buy at least something), I know they came away having been thoroughly entertained by a true magician.