308: 2016 Abbott's Get Together - Day Two

DAY TWO - THURSDAY, AUGUST 4th 2016
9:00AM REGISTRATION OPENS at the Abbott Plant
9:30AM LECTURE - Scott Alexander & Puck at the High School
10:00AM ABBOTT'S DEALERS ROOM OPENS (more info) at Grade School
11:00AM VENT-O-RAMA (more info) at the Abbott Plant
1:00PM LECTURE - Ice McDonald at the High School
1:00PM COLON HISTORICAL MUSEUM OPEN TILL 4PM (more info)
1:30PM DEALERS ON PARADE (more info) at the Elementary School
1:30PM MAGIC SHOW at Abbott Plant with BJ Mallen or Gordon Miller
2:00PM COLON STREET PERFORMERS - outside Curly's featuring Joe Bennett
3:00PM MAGIC SHOW at Abbott Plant with BJ Mallen or Gordon Miller
3:00PM - 6:00PM FACE PAINTING outside 5 Star Pizza by Carol Hendrix
3:45PM FAMOUS MAGICIANS GRAVEYARD TOUR ushered by Al the Only
5:30PM RIVER LAKE INN’S MAGIC SHOW & DINNER with Ron Carnell
7:40PM ASTOUNDING TENT ILLUSION (more info) outside the High School (more info here)
8:00PM ABBOTT'S STAGE SHOW at the High School (Preshow Live Organ Music)
Featuring Vinny Grosso MC, Lynetta Welch, Banachek, Bizzaro
(view seating chart)
10:00PM ABBOTT'S DEALERS ROOM OPENS at Grade School after show
10:15PM CURLYS CLOSEUP CONTEST (more info) after show

00:00:13 - Rick Fisher, Proprietor of FAB Magic Studio, talks about the brick and mortar magic shops and the possible future of magic in Colon.

00:11:23 - Greg Bordner, Abbott's Magic Company proprietor, talks about organizing this and other Get Togethers.

00:18:49 - the "bally" for getting the "tip" for the Girl to Gorilla sideshow attraction

00:20:17 - Keith Stickley talks about bringing in the Girl to Gorilla as a special, one-night only feature to the Get Together.

00:25:42 - John Sturk and Martin Cox talk about the previous night's show plus some tips featured in Martin's lecture..

00:42:28 - Denny Haney, owner of Denny and Lee's Magic Studio, talks about the importance of books and reading.

00:48:43 - We caught Banachek after the evening show before he had to break away to fly back to Las Vegas.

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297: Alain Nu - The Man Who Nu

Who knew? Alain Nu, that's who. Alain Nu has been quietly working as a professional mentalist for many years performing on the college circuit, at corporate events, on his own network television specials, aboard cruise ships, plus he even had time to write and publish one of Amazon.com's best selling books, "State of Mind: The Man Who Knows Reveals His Secrets".

During a recent and rare lecture tour of the U.S., Alain stopped by Houston where we shared the microphone to talk about a variety of topics including his advice for anyone who thinks they want to produce a TV special.

Alain Nu, the Man Who Knows Star of TLC's "The Mysterious World of Alain Nu" Author of Amazon #1 Hot New Release "Picture Your ESP!" Current Guest-Headliner on Norwegian Cruise Line's "The Getaway" www.TheManWhoKnows.TV

Alain Nu demonstrates his mind reading skills through the television screen. This trick and more are included and explained in his book, "State of Mind: The Man Who Knows Reveals His Secrets".

Alain talks about his TLC network television specials, "The Mysterious World of Alain Nu" and how he put together the show and how TV quickly "burn through" material and requires the entertainer to come up with more material including some "tent poles" which would be high points of the show that were dangerous and he had to "get through" without truly injuring himself but keeps people from changing channels during the commercial breaks and stopping the channel surfers. He gives lots of advice for those who want to perform on television.

He also talks about working with a manager to book you for a TV special, cruise ships, corporate events or on the college circuit. The secret: do a variety of things to grow your expertise, branding and experience as your Google ranking increases.

He also talks about how some movies have predicted technology that we now use; performing on the college circuit and who the competitors are today; his metal bending workshop; his philosophy on mentalism; what "powers" he presents in his performances; and, how he wants his audience to perceive him.

Jim Jorgensen is the winner of the prize offered by Alain Nu, "ESP Arcana - Ten Amazing Effects for Ten ESP Cards" by H. Arcana. Be sure to watch and listen to The Magic Word for upcoming contests for free prizes.

Read Alain Nu's book for mind readers, magicians, and lay people on critical thinking.

Order your copy of the Kindle edition of Alain's book here.

143: Bye Buy Brick and Mortar - The Vanishing Magic Shops

Over the past several years, physical magic stores (or as they are called "Brick and Mortar" shops) have been slowly and quietly closing their doors as they make way for the online stores. Many of these Brick and Mortar shops have an online presence, but the closing of these stores has left a hole in the fabric of magic by eliminating the fellowship and physical presence of a dealer/demonstrator behind the counter who gives personal instructions and personalized customer service and who responds to what customers need and not necessarily what they want.

With the disappearance of the magic shops, no longer can we see what's new at the magic shop in our local community and see a live demonstration of that trick. We can no longer ask questions of a live person, one on one and get immediate answers or alternate handlings and/or presentations. Purchasing magic online has become easy and accessible to anyone and everyone with a credit card account. No one has to expend any effort to buy or learn magic. With magic shops there was an investment of your time not only to learn the trick but to physically drive, walk or bike to the magic shop during their hours of operation. One had to make a commitment whereas now most everything can be viewed, learned purchased and/or downloaded from the privacy of your home with a click of the mouse.

Not that this is a bad thing. i totally embrace online magic stores. There are a lot of proprietary magic items that one can only find online from around the world that aren't or can't be carried by your local magic store. A magic shop cannot stock everything in its inventory. But part of the beauty of a Brick and Mortar shop is the browsing...physically picking up the book, looking through its pages, seeing the props on the shelves, and holding the prop or gimmick in your hand before making the purchase. And of course there is the immediacy of owning the item right now. No waiting for your item to be shipped and you anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Robert Johnson sent an email suggestion to TheMagicWord@ScottWells.com requesting that I consider talking with Emory Williams about his traveling magic shop and the plight of the "Brick and Mortars". I thought to expand it to include a couple more perspectives: Top Hat Magic in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Denny & Lee Magic Stdio in Baltimore (and Las Vegas). Each has their own unique story and set of circumstances that reflect different, umm, shall we say "challenges" to their longevity.

I encourage you to visit and patronize real brick and mortar magic shops. When you travel, see if there is a shop nearby. You can check get the names and addresses at this website: http://www.backroommagic.com/apps/forums/show/4381872-brick-and-mortar-magic-store-locations I do not know how current or valid this list is, so I suggest you contact them by phone before you try to visit...and perhaps before they are gone!

And let me say that none of these select magic dealers (or any others) have paid for their ads herein or are otherwise sponsoring The Magic Word in any way other than offering their time and voices to this podcast. And for that, I thank them.

Click on the picture above to see more photos of the inside of this Mobile Magic Shop and to read the full story of how and why it was built.

Please Note: This video was uploaded to YouTube in 2011. Their large, physical, brick and mortar shop of Williams Magic closed in March 2013. They still operate this van and a small kiosk near Tucson, Arizona plus their online store

Click on the photo above to visit my video interview with Denny Haney on "Now Y

The time stamps for this podcast are as follows:

00:01:44 - Steve Lancaster, Top Hat Magic (Tulsa, OK), talks about the evolution of his magic shop from his humble beginnings in 1977 to his rise (and fall) as the largest costume retailer in Oklahoma to where he is today. The temporary Halloween stores that are only open for a month or so around October have wreaked havoc on his business and others across the country.

00:20:53 - Denny Haney, Denny & Lee's Magic Studio, started with a shop in Baltimore, MD then opened another shop in Las Vegas, Nevada with the intent and hope of ultimately moving out there. And now that his 18 year old pet pig, Baby, died in late February, he has less reason to stay in Maryland. Denny also has a lot of good advice on how magicians can learn magic and what's important to be a professional.

00:56:03 - Emory Williams, Williams Magic (Tucson, AZ), closed his Brick and Mortar shop in 2013 after 24 years in business. But he tried an innovative idea by taking magic "on the road" and direct to the customers with his 47 foot trailer full of 4,000 magic items. He talks about the challenges that Brick and Mortar shops face in their struggle for survival and longevity.

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). Remember, you can download it through iTunes. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

Magic & Martinis Thursday

Add a brick, take a drink. Practice a trick, take a drink. Take a drink, take a drink.