Magic & Martinis Thursday - Aug. 29, 2013

This was a week for recuperating from hand surgery. All went well for my carpal tunnel and I am on the mend and able to do double lifts though I can't do the Erdnase Palm Shift very well. But then again, I never could. :) My doctor was funny. Before I could ask him if I could play the piano after the surgery (you know the old joke), he told me that I could play the piano ONLY if I played it before the surgery. Wise guy. He stole my line. So this past week I have been working on mentalism and performing tricks not requiring much sleight-of-hand.

During this past week, I performed John Archer's "Blank Night" (sold by Vanishing Inc.) to great success plus the Magic Square. If you are considering performing The Magic Square, then you have to buy the  Luis DeMatos DVD on The Magic Square Very well done and complete with professional routine and a bonus effect plus stickers for your marking pen. I have also continued to use To-Do VooDoo by Rick Lax. I impressed my doctor as well as our Sunday School teacher. It is a great impromptu trick that can easily be carried in your wallet. I wish I was compensated for mentioning any of these tricks, but just so you know, I paid full price like everyone else for all the products I mention. I only rely on your generosity through PayPal donations (see the upper left hand corner of this blog).

Later this weekend, I will be traveling to Dallas for the Texas Association of Magicians (T.A.O.M.) annual convention. I will be riding with Jamie Salinas who is one of the product reviewers for the M.U.M. magazine. It was Jamie who put me on to To-Do VooDoo. I ran into Rick Lax at the recent MAGIC Live! convention in Las Vegas and showed him a little improvement created by Jamie. I also told him about the presentation that Banachek shared with us. Rick was pleased to hear that we are enjoying his effect so much and thrilled that we are putting a different spin on it.

And speaking of Jamie and mentalism, he will be selling his Lotto Fever at the T.A.O.M. which is a killer effect that plays for audiences both big and small. It is another effect that can be carried in your wallet though you can also use other "sorcerer's sidearms" to aid in the effect, if you wish.

Enough for now. I'm off to see the wizards in Dallas. If we run into each other at the convention, please shake my left hand. :) Be sure to watch and listen for my updates from the T.A.O.M. Cheers! 

Martinis aid in the recovery of my hand surgery. 

082: Part 5 - The End of the World/Year Podcast

We conclude this “End of the World” podcast by featuring three more magicians. You can pick up our chats at the following time marks:

00:00:00 – Eric DeCamps had success with producing his one man show, Pure Magic – A Performance of Contemporary Conjuring. In this chat, Eric talks about how he put his show together and gives advice and suggestions for those who might be interested in producing and marketing their own show. http://www.ericdecamps.com/

0:24:18 – Craig Mitchell jumped into the magic convention business with both feet and made a big splash with his immensely popular IMX conventions in Las Vegas. His next sojourn into the magic convention scene will be “adventurous” to say the least. Here we talk about magic conventions and what might be the secret of success in organizing such events. We also talk about the importance of youth to our art and his six year program in the College of Magic and how we can sponsor an underprivileged student. http://www.sponsorastudent.co.za/

00:47:02 – Paul Draper, mentalist, anthropologist and speaker, brings it all home with his research and perspective on the Mayan (or is it Aztec) calendar and the end of the world.

I want to sincerely thank each of my friends for taking the time out of their day (or night) during this busy season to chat with me for this very special podcast. Please join me by showing them your appreciation and listening to their thoughts, advice and prognostications…and visiting their websites where you can drop them a “thank you” email.

Happy Holidays to all of you from The Magic Word.

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