234: FISM Italy - Day Three

On the third day, magicians created more magical moments. More stage competitions and the last of the close-up contests. That means tomorrow, I'll get to attend some lectures since there will not be any afternoon close-up contests to watch. 

But today, between contests, we talked with friends and made new ones as I chatted with some of the talent from the gala shows plus a perspective from a competitor. We also chat with the new SAM National President, Dave Bowers. 

the evening broke up the registrants into two groups. While one was at the Close-Up Gala, the other attended the "White Dinner" where everyone was encouraged to wear at least one white item, whether a white scarf, pants, Hat or carnation. The performers in the Close-Up Gala included: the Fat Brothers, Guy Hollingworth, David Williamson, Eugene Burger, and Armando Lucero with David Stone as the Master of Ceremonies.

the midnight show was actually a lecture by Dan Sperry on "the dark side of magic" And the midnight bar session featured Luke Jermay, Tony Montana and Juan Tamariz.

Street artists and their shills working the crowd during FISM 2015

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Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:33 - Dave Bowers, National President of the Society of American Magician

00:05:28 - Trigg Watson

00:12:08 - David Kaye, aka Silly Billy

00:23:03 - Topas

00:36:05 - "Mecki" Ludwig Gantner and Peter Pudill, from Vienna, Austria

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133: Magic Year in Review - Putting the Band Back Together

In this podcast, I am joined by most of the old gang from "This Week in Magic" that was part of The Magic Newswire: Dodd Vickers, David "Silly Billy" Kaye, and Cameron Ramsay. Chase Goforth was "under the weather" and unable to join us on this podcast.

Many have wondered what Dodd Vickers has been doing since his hiatus from The Magic Newswire and his plans for the future of the website. The movie business in Atlanta, Georgia has certainly kept him busy but he has not neglected The Magic Newswire. Some exciting things are in store that include The Conjuring Arts Center. David Kaye has been touring a lecturing abroad throughout Europe and Africa during this past year. David talks at length about the College of Magic and the important work they are doing for the youth in Africa. Be sure to check out their website to see how you can help. Cameron has been performing, attending lectures and working with Andrew Mayne's new television show.

At time stamp 00:40:24 we kick off our discussion of what has happened in the world of magic including magic in the movies, magic on television, live theatrical magic productions, magic conventions, and more. We also mentioned a few names of those magicians who have passed on during this past year.

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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. (please note: this RSS Feed subscription system may not work with Android systems). The built-in player above may not work on Apple Operating Systems due to their recent IOS update. Remember, you can download it through iTunes. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

Although the list below is not exhaustive, it does reflect the names of many well-known (and some lesser known) magicians, spouses and assistants who passed on in 2013. If you are unfamiliar with any of these names, then it would behoove you to do a little online search of what these people have contributed to our craft. If you have someone you think was overlooked, then please post the name in the comments below on this blog.

Magicians' Valhalla

Scott B. “Scotty” York, Jr. (DOD – December 28, 2012)

Imam Hossain (DOD – December 2012)

Kees Schoonenberg

Louis W. Chaudet

Robert “Bob” Steiner

William P. “Bill” Miesel

Harold F. Puff

Alexander Adrion

Maurine B. Christopher

Jerry C. Schnepp, Sr.

David Ball

Deyip J. Louie

Hans Moretti

Peter J. Reveen

Dr. Robert A. “Bob” Escher, Jr.

Johnny Lonn (Bjorn Lonnqvist)

Dennis R. Loomis

Vinicio Raimondi

Gene “Phantini” Grant

Amos Levkovitch

David L. Bendix

Richard A. “Dick” Staub

Richard W. “Rick” Walker

Albert Ching

Bart Whaley

Jon LeClair

Burton S. Sperber

Madren Elbern “John” Calvert

Gladys Simoneaux Christenberry

Gertrude Smith

C. Parker Swan, III

Monica Roucau

Roland Hill

Karl Norman

Roderick William "Rod the Hop"  Dee

Last vestiges of Christmas cookies to be eaten as we ring in the New Year. Cheers!

119: David Oliver Breathes Easier

During one of my podcasts from 2011, I asked David Oliver (DO) for his "Magic Word". He said, "Believe". This has never been a more prescient and important word for living his life. And it is a good word and good advice for us, too. He lives what he "believes".

DO has been a champion for teaching magic to our next generation of magicians. He is an excellent performer who is highly respected in his field and traveled the globe performing and helping youth learn magic. Three years ago when he was diagnosed with a rare lung infection known as Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, or Bird Fancier Lung, which was caused by his doves, his health outlook was grave. The only treatment was a double lung replacement. On June 28th, a stranger's life ended but it gave David two new lungs and another chance at life so he can continue to DO magic.

His surgery is over but now is the time for him to rebuild his body and his life. After being hospitalized for so long, his muscle mass has atrophied and he has not performed before a live audience for well over a year. He is anxious to move forward and get back on stage as he continues to counsel youth on our art.

David Oliver is a Boston-area magician. More than just a talented magician, for more than twenty-five years, David Oliver has mentored, directed, and taught many of today's finest young magicians from around the globe. In an effort to assist their friend in dealing with mounting medical bills, many stars of magic have joined together to DO magic...

For the first time in 11 months, David hopes to attend his first magic convention this weekend, October 4-5, the Magicians' Alliance of Eastern States (M.A.E.S.). He had a little time to chat with me about his health, how things are going, and his future plans. We also talked about advice for those new to magic whether they are young  or old. We chatted about magic conventions, too, but the one thing that David wanted to emphasize was his deep and sincere appreciation to the thousands of people who have supported him with their thoughts, prayers and finances during this most difficult time.

David is far from being "out of the woods" as he tries to rebuild his life and finances. He has not performed for well over a year but still tries to give instructions via Skype to students around the world. If you are interested in talking with David or becoming a student, then you can contact him at DOmagic@DavidOliverMagic.com or you can find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/domagic?fref=ts

There are various ways you can financially contribute to David Oliver's medical fund. You can visit the "DO Magic for David Oliver" Benefit Fundraising Page at http://domagic4davidoliver.blogspot.com/ which has a link for donating with your credit card through PayPal (you do not have to have a PayPal account to donate). Another page is DO Breathe Easy at http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/do-breathe-easy/35262 which is an online fundraising site. One hundred percent of your donations go directly to David. Please help if you can.

If you would like to send him a Get Well card or other well wishes, then you can reach him by regular mail at: David Oliver, 141 Audubon Road, Weymouth, MA 02188

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Magic & Martinis Thursday

Since David can no longer consume alcohol, we will toast to his good health with something less...well, alcoholic.  A Coca Cola, not diet or sugar-free. Cheers! Here's to your good health, David. Let's DO Magic!