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286: I'm Just Sayin' - Norman Beck

Norman Beck is one of the most interesting guys you probably haven't heard of...unless you are into underground card magic...or an international bridge player. And add to that, he is a survivor of a brain tumor.

Norman Beck should be familiar to those who are regular readers of M.U.M. (the monthly journal of the S.A.M.). Or if you are a world class bridge player and rub shoulders with the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, then you might have seen Norm. You might have met Norm if you have looked for some company to underwrite some high stakes game/event like a billion dollar hole-in-one contest. Or maybe you are a follower of "underground" magicians in the U.S. and recognize the name. But more than likely, you have never met nor even know the name and the sharp mind of the person behind it.  A few short years ago, Norman had a brain tumor removed that was the size of a baseball, but he is still sharp and his speech is steadily improving.

For the most part, Norman keeps a pretty low profile and doesn't attend many magic conventions nor associate very much with magicians and he rarely lectures. It was on one of those rare occasions that Norman traveled through Houston to lecture and stay as a guest in my home.

How a gambler saw the world, sought information from odd places and was able to win when everything was at stake. Norman Beck is a man who wears many hats. He is a speaker, writer, and magician when not working full time at SCA promotions in Dallas, where he is Vice President of claims and security.

Before the lecture we visited John Moehring who is in advanced stages of Parkinson's Disease. Although we didn't audio record our visit, I can say that it was delightful with lots of ideas shared as Norm showed John a couple new twists on some old classic card tricks (like Fred Kapps' "Homing Card") and I discussed posters and books. Although John's speech is greatly impaired, his mind is still sharp and we wish him the best.

If you want to drop John Moehring a message or note of encouragement, then please email him at: John@JohnMoehring.com or you can send traditional cards and letters to him at: Brookdale Shadowlake, 2835 Shadowlake Road, #2208, Houston, TX 77077

Thanks to Gary Plants, this video was made for John Moehring when he was the Guest of Honor at The 2014 Secret Session in Dallas, TX. By the way, TESS stands for "The Ed Sullivan Show".

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In this podcast, Norm tells us lots of stories and he talks about some of the bizarre events that his company has underwritten; working in restaurants as a table-hopping magician and how he approached tables as well as his philosophy on taking tips;  playing bridge with some of the most influential people in the world and what kind of card tricks fools bridge players...and which ones don't; his upcoming article in the June 2016 issue of MAGIC Magazine that has nothing to do with magic except how to be a successful performer as tipped to him by "Whispering" Bill Anderson, a country western singer; and along the way he delights us with lots of entertaining stories.

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

You can support The Magic Word with your purchase from our Magic Store. Please visit our Magic Store to order and/or download magic tricks.

You can support The Magic Word with your purchase from our Magic Store. Please visit our Magic Store to order and/or download magic tricks.

Time stamps for trick reviews:

00:59:00 - "Canic" by Nicholas Lawrence - A soda can is one of the most commonly seen objects around the world. Imagine grabbing any unprepared soda can off any one and then ripping the tab off. You place the tab on your spectator's open palm, take the can, and tap it to the sitting tab in your spectator's hand. The tab instantly seals back on the can.

01:01:48 - "Blaze" by Tony and Jordan, Les French Twins - Create an amazing souvenir with the spectator's signed card.that is burned and singed.

01:06:49 - "The Magic of Suzanne" - The Castle Act , 2 DVD Set - Volume 1: Filmed live at The Magic Castle, you'll be captivated by the same show that consistently earns Suzanne standing ovations, and ultimately won her the prestigious award. Volume 2: Go behind the scenes with Suzanne and guest host, Matt Marcy, as they explain step-by-step how to perform some of the tricks from her award winning act.

Click on the image above to help support "Jump Start Becky's Heart! by Becky Blaney"

Click on the image above to help support "Jump Start Becky's Heart! by Becky Blaney"

Get $50 off the registration price now through April 30, 2016. Send an email to 2016MindJam@gmail.com with the subject line The Magic Word Podcast to receive the discount. You will then receive an invoice to pay the reduced registration price. This …

Get $50 off the registration price now through April 30, 2016. Send an email to 2016MindJam@gmail.com with the subject line The Magic Word Podcast to receive the discount. You will then receive an invoice to pay the reduced registration price. This is an exclusive offer for Magic Word listeners.

Tagged with Norman Beck, card magic, Whispering Bill Anderson, bridge playing, Bill Kalush.

April 21, 2016 by Scott Wells.
  • April 21, 2016
  • Scott Wells
  • Norman Beck
  • card magic
  • Whispering Bill Anderson
  • bridge playing
  • Bill Kalush
  • 1 Comment
1 Comment

250: At Home With Lupe & Norm Nielsen

After the 2015 MAGIC Live! convention, I stayed over for an extra day so as to visit with one of magic's legends: Norm Nielsen. I spoke with Lupe about coming over to their home to chat and see the poster collection. She told me that the bulk of their collection is now in Chicago preparing to be auctioned off by Potter & Potter over the next two years. But I was still welcome to come by for coffee and a visit. So I did.

Fortunately, I had visited their home and collection in 2007 when I also snapped some lovely photos which are on this blog. I also posted some pictures from this year's visit. Perhaps you can tell what a difference eight years makes.

Lupe talked about Norm's poster collection at the Order of Merlin breakfast at the combined IBM/SAM convention in St. Louis. You can Click Here to hear that interesting, historical presentation. Unfortunately, you cannot view the beautiful posters that she showed in her presentation, but the stories are interesting.

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View fullsize  This is the illusion that Norm built and showed to Okito and discussed during our chat.

00:01:56 - Norm Nielsen and Lupe talk about their magic poster collection, how he came to start collecting and what is happening to it now. He also talks about his long career as a performer and builder and creator. He has many stories about other magic legends he has met along the way, not the least of which was his good friend, Tobias "Theo" Leendert Bamberg "Okito" (1875-1963) . During this chat in Norm's living room, his lovely wife, Lupe, fills in some details and gives us some additional background information. David Sandy and Lance Rich are also in attendance "in the studio audience" who ask some relevant questions, too.

00:59:07 - After our chat, we go out to the workshop where David shares a funny story about Faucett Ross. This is a legendary story that is Mac King's favorite story and has to be heard by this larger, podcast audience in order to preserve it for posterity.

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.

Check back with Potter & Potter from time to time to see when the Nielsen Poster collection will be put "on the auction block".

Check back with Potter & Potter from time to time to see when the Nielsen Poster collection will be put "on the auction block".

Tagged with legends, Lance Rich, Norm Neilsen, magic collection, Potter and Potter Auctions, magic posters, Lupe Nielsen, Faucett Ross, David Sandy, Okito.

August 27, 2015 by Scott Wells.
  • August 27, 2015
  • Scott Wells
  • legends
  • Lance Rich
  • Norm Neilsen
  • magic collection
  • Potter and Potter Auctions
  • magic posters
  • Lupe Nielsen
  • Faucett Ross
  • David Sandy
  • Okito
  • Post a comment
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170: Day 5 - IBM/SAM Combined Convention 2014

It's here...the final day of the Combined Convention. This brought us the long awaited results of the days of competitions. But first, the I.B.M. hosted its annual Order of Merlin breakfast which honors those who have 25 or more consecutive years of membership in the organization. Lupe Nielsen was the guest speaker who showed us slides from Norm's and her massive collection.

The afternoon included a lecture by Dani DaOrtiz before the buses loaded for the evening gala show, "The Magic of Korea". Afterwards was the awards presentation back in the hotel. First of all, The FISM Close-Up champion was Shin Lim and the Stage champions were Trevor and Lorena Waters. The representatives who will go forward as the representatives from North America for stage will be: Trevor & Lorena Waters, The Reed Sisters, Tim Wright, Trent James, Trigg Watson, and Christian & Katalina. The Close-up representatives will be: Shin Lim, Alberto Lorenzo, Reuben Mooreland, Chris Hannibal and Michael Dardant.

The I.B.M. winners for Close-up was Alberto Lorenzo in second place and Michael Dardant in first place. The stage winners were: Den Den (from Japan) in second place, and Hun Lee (Japan) in first place. There were no Gold Medal or Gold Cup winners announced for the I.B.M. this year. First place in both categories included a cash award of $2,000 and second place received $500.

The S.A.M. close-up winners were: Reuben Mooreland in second place and Seoul Park (S. Korea) in first place. Winning the Silver Medal Award of Merit for close-up was Seoul Park. In the Stage competition, Hun Lee (S. Korea) took second place and Den Den (Japan) took first place. The Silver Award of Merit for Stage went to Hun Lee. I believe that the S.A.M. cash awards were the same as for the I.B.M.

The highest award from the S.A.M. for stage is the Gold Medal Award of Honor which has only once before been awarded. It went to George Saterial. It was awarded for the second time this evening to Den Den (Japan)

And the People's Choice Award, along with a $3,000 prize for each went to Shin Lim for Close-up and to Hun Lee for Stage. Congratulations, one and all.

And speaking of money, there was both a silent and live auction for select memorabilia from Joanie Spina, They raised $5,500 which all will go to help offset some of the astronomical medical expenses for Joanie.

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Here are some photos of a small part of the Nielsen poster collection that I took in 2007 while Dick Olson and I were visiting with Norm and Lupe Nielsen in their home.

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Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:58 - At the Order of Merlin (25+ years of consecutive membership in the I.B.M.) breakfast, Lupe Nielsen was the guest speaker. She allowed me to record and broadcast her speech on the Neilen poster collection.

00:35:19 - The new National President for the S.A.M., Kenrick "Ice" McDonald, tells us his vision for magic and what he hopes to achieve during his one year tenure as President.

00:39:28- Eugene Burger and Larry Hass chat after lunch about fine tuning your act, the importance of scripting, and more.

01:04:32 - Stan Allen, editor and chief of MAGIC Magazine, tells us about M360 and how it has evolved as well as a little about next year's MAGIC Live! convention plus the Magic Summit planned for this coming Fall.

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.

Posted in Convention Report and tagged with Lupe Nielsen, Norm Neilsen, Ice McDonald, Eugene Burger, Larry Hass, Stan Allen, St. Louis, IBM Convention, SAM convention, I..B.M./S.A.M. Combined Convention, award winners.

July 6, 2014 by Scott Wells.
  • July 6, 2014
  • Scott Wells
  • Lupe Nielsen
  • Norm Neilsen
  • Ice McDonald
  • Eugene Burger
  • Larry Hass
  • Stan Allen
  • St. Louis
  • IBM Convention
  • SAM convention
  • I..B.M./S.A.M. Combined Convention
  • award winners
  • Convention Report
  • Post a comment
Comment
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