173: Ray Anderson - Esther's Follies

There's no doubt about it. Ray Anderson is one of my favorite magicians. And I'm not alone in that assessment. Many magicians have trekked to the capital of Texas to see Ray in action. A mainstay of Esther's Follies for over 30 years, Ray continues to deliver a high impact, hilarious and mysterious performance three nights a week, two shows a night with only a few days rest here and there.

Hundreds of thousands of people have flocked to Austin, Texas to see the hilarious, politically charged satirical songs and dances of the players. Esther's Follies doesn't promote or advertise itself in the normal way. They do it through word of mouth. And that's enough to pack sold out audiences at every show, and I mean every show.

Ray Anderson has developed various stage characters and honed them to perfection over the years. But more than just a magician, Ray also choreographs and helps stage the weekly extravaganzas that change every week.

UPDATE October 2, 2015: Click Here to read a news article of Ray Anderson's magical career path.

THE AMAZING FRANK

During this podcast, Ray chats about magic, creativity and the history of Esther's Follies. Ray doesn't get to talk much about magic as he seldom travels outside Austin (except on those rare "vacations" from Esther's) or attends magic conventions. So it was a fun chat where he talked about where he gets his ideas for new illusions, his friends in magic, illusion builders, and building a show. Although Ray is not widely known in the magic world, he is an exceptional entertainer. And anyone who has ever seen him at Esther's Follies will agree. He's the best!

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Magic & Martinis Thursday

**September 11-13, 2014. Hear Ken Scott's interview with Jay Johnson at http://gamagicclub.com/harvest2014/JayJohnson.mp3**

146: The Largest Magic Auction in the Country

There are a lot of clubs across the country and around the globe that conduct magic auctions. There are also many online auctions and websites and social media that match buyers and sellers. Some magic conventions even include auctions as part of their schedules. But arguably the largest auction in the U.S. is held in the Spring in Austin, Texas. This boast is backed not only with the attendance (around 300 people) but also with the sales proceeds (last year exceeding over $27,000) and the sheer number of items put up for auction.

The 33rd annual Austin Auction will be held on Saturday April 5, 2014 but it is more than just a place to bring together buyers and sellers of new and used magic. It is a social gathering that is essentially o magic convention that attracts attendees from across the region and from coast to coast. And the night before always features a special get together of magic collectors who are led by Claude Crowe as they talk about all things that are collectible. And after the auction concludes, many visit the world famous "Esther's Follies" on 6th Street that features my favorite magician, Ray Anderson.

For more information on the World Famous Austin Magic Auction, visit their website at: http:AustinMagicAuction.com

Magic & Martinis' Thursday

Going, going, gone! Lots of stuff will be up for auction at this World Famous Magic Auction. I'm bringin' the gavel. Cheers!

Follow-Up to Auction - Notes on Live Auction from Ron Cartlidge

I'm sure you want to hear about the big items in the stage auction. So here goes. The first item that sold in the live stage auction was Abbott's "Goofus Plant). Kent got a bid of $60 for that item. Scott Wells then took over and there were four no-sales in the first ten items much to my surprise. The biggest sale was for eight 24" different solid colored Rice silks for $80. Grant Walsh then took the stage and sold the next ten items and included our first $100 sale and a tip of the fez by Scott Wells. It was the coin production trick Copentro. Other sales in this time slot were: Mikame "Heart of Gold" $80, MAK Moxahalla $75, Ultimate Die Penetration $70, and a Silver Nest of Boxes by Laflin $65. David Hira then stepped in for the next ten items and sold two one-hundred dollar items. They were a Rings and Things Chop Cup with accessories that included a second chop cup and Abbott's vintage Hippity Hop Rabbits. He also sold a Grant Double Load Pagoda that was very nice for $85.

At 10:15 a.m., about an hour after the auction started, we had sold $1,297 worth of magic from the stage. Other $100 plus items sold from the stage during the morning were: Tommy Wonder's Rubix Card ($100), Full Bloom both volumes by Gaetan Bloom ($120), Unique in All the World - Siegfried & Roy ($500), Gimpy's Cube A Libre ($550), Chaplin's Candle Collectors Workshop ($105), The Oracle Box ($100), The Ultimate Dancing Hank ($775), An Abbott's Classic Production Box ($300), a Viking Nite Club Table ($175), a Twister Illusion ($225), and a Modified Super-X Suspension ($275).

The Richard Garriott collection came up next with Brad Henderson doing the demos and David Hira doing the auctioneering. The lowest item went for $30 ( a second Rich Morrotta Mugged and the highest item went for $225 (Ninja Knives - House of Enchantment). There were some nice items here including OMG that brought $100, a Mikame Block and Rope Penetration that sold for $140, and a Lee Alex Happy Birthday Waistcoat (vest) that sold for $95. The Garriott items brought in an estimated $1,910.

There were several donations to Magic Camp from Steve Wyrick, Murray Sawchuck, Kent Cummins, and other magicians that drew bids. During the afternoon Drag-Gone! ($100), The Gravity Box ($120), Magic -the original book ($300), Wolf Magic Pea Shooter ($125), a Rice 25 foot streamer that was 1 foot in width ($110), MAK Turkish Turmoil ($100), Square Circle ($125), Dr. Chopper's Box ($150), Thayer Double Load Jap Box ($110), Misers Delight ProX - Mark Mason ($125), Framed original Carter Beats the Devil window card ($100), Framed original litho Les Magique Leons half sheet ($200), Epitome Board - Osterlind ($135), and a jumbo mixed bag of coin tricks & effects ($100). I finally dropped out of the stage area around 6:45 p.m. with 9 items to go, so there many have been a couple of other $100 plus items. By the way, after those first four no-sales in the first 15 minutes of the stage auction, there were only eleven no-sales the rest of the day. I'd say 15 of about 250 is a pretty good day. That's why the Austin Magic Auction can say, "If we can't sell your item at our auction, you owe us nothing". Remember, the seller pays only 12% of the final sale price and the buyer pays only what the winning bid is. See you next year!

106: MAGIC Live! 2013 - Day 1

We haven't even begun to do anything yet but there are so many friends everywhere I turn. I decided at one point just to leave on my microphone and see who I ran into as I strolled around the floor. This is certainly THE magic event of the year. It is so exciting and there are so many fun mysteries to unfold over the next few days. I am having a blast and I hope the podcasts show that. It is so much fun also getting to meet several of the listeners to this podcast who hear my voice and introduce themselves. Thank you one and all.

00:00:07 - We take off from Houston for MAGIC Live! in Las Vegas, Nevada

00:02:19 - Marvyn Roy, aka "Mr. Electric" was one of the first friends I bumped into after I checked in. Marvyn talks about his new project of reading his book, "Mr. Electric Unplugged" which will be published by Mike Caveney and hopefully out by this Christmas.

00:18:34 - David Bull from Le Grande David Show in Beverly, Massachusetts talked about the sale of their movie theatre and what's going on at the Larcom Theatre with new traveling shows coming in for special engagements.

00:24:45 - Editor and Founder of The Magic Cafe, Steve Brooks, chatted with me about the phenomenal growth of this free online resource.

00:35:13 - Arthur Emerson talked about his 30 year association with Larry West and their partnership, Emerson and West that made many of the packet tricks that sold so well in the last century.

00:40:40 - Mark Kornhouser has an interesting video project going on during this convention. It's entitled "My First Trick". The intent is for anyone who is interested in sharing to show the first trick they learned and talk about how they got into magic and what the art means to them. In this interview, I left on the microphone during my segment as they were videotaping.

00:55:21 - Kyle Knight (I remember him when he went by Tyler Knight) and his wife, Mistie, talk about working Disney ships.

01:02:37 - Trigg Watson (formerly Burrage), David Hinkin and Krystyn Lambert talk about magic as a youth, contests, movies and more.

01:09:57 - Editor and Chief of MAGIC Magazine, Stan Allen, gave me a few minutes to talk about what's in store for this convention...well, as much as he could tip. Most of it will unfold just as you turn the page of the magazine. But Stan isn't afraid to take chances.

01:20:19 - Richard Hatch, former part owner of H&R Magic Books, talks about the reprint of The History of Magic book by Taschen. If you act quick, you can get a copy for $70 postpaid in the U.S. for an incredibly low price, but only if you mention that you heard it here on The Magic Word and if they have any left in stock when you order.

01:24:56 - Owner and proprietor of one of the world's largest wholesalers of magic, Mark Murphy (of Murphy's Magic Supplies) talks about his business and how inventors can get their ideas to market.

01:31:03 - Trade show magician, David McGee, talks about his upcoming six page spread that will appear in the September 2013 issue of MAGIC Magazine where he talks about his latest project: a game show at casinos. Plus he talks about the importance of working at charity shows. This is fascinating stuff.

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