890: Katherine Rhodes - Minds Blown

The Magic Circle Past-Vice President and current Examiner, Katherine Rhodes is a powerhouse of a stage performer. She specializes in mentalism and has a unique take on how she creates and performs her show. Katherine also has her light aircraft pilots license (though we never got around to talking about that) and she frequently travels outside the U.K. to present her unique brand of mentalism. She has had long term residencies at venues where she has honed her craft over the years, and the proof is in the results.

This week Katherine Rhodes tells us about her unique perspective performing magic from the distaff side. There are not a lot of female mentalists in the world, but Katherine is one that reigns high among her peers whether male or female. In this episode she also talks about the Magic Circle and the examination process one must go through to belong to this prestigious organization.

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886: Laura London - An Honest Cheat

Laura London exemplifies class, intelligence, and respect. She is the Deputy Librarian for The Magic Circle (TMC) the Counsel Chairperson under President Marvyn Berglas. She has had her own one person show “Laura London: Cheat” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is now working on a new show. She has appeared on several BBC radio and television shows including Penn & Teller Fool Us. She is often seen in the U.S. at MAGIC Live! where she has twice lectured. She is interested in the history of our art, particularly some of the women in our magical heritage and she is a frequent performer at high end functions throughout the U.K.

In this episode, Laura tells us about her love for books and research as it has led her to a better understanding of where we as magicians, and in particular, women magicians have come from so she can better plot her own future and help write her next one-person show. She has had great help from her friends and mentors such as R. Paul Wilson, Paul Kieve, and Fay Presto. She also gives some great advice on how to be comfortable in performing and in approaching disparate groups while performing strolling magic.

This week’s episode is sponsored by the 50th (and maybe final) Winter Carnival of Magic. It begins next week, so please consider attending because it will be epic. Trust me!

884: Blackpool 2025 - Day Two Report

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:17 – David Kaye, aka Silly Billy, was staying at the same hotel where I was, so we were able to chat about his experience of this event versus others. This is the only magic convention where he is a dealer, so he has a unique perspective. You can learn more about David from our conversation in Episode #567.

00:11:06 - Darryl Rose, from London, often attends this conventions and tells us what he most enjoys this year, like the Jonathan Goodwin lecture. You can hear more about Darryl in our conversation in Episode #558.

00:25:40 - From Charleston, South Caroline, Howard Blackwell, talks about his company that produced silicone manipulation balls. He has a business for sale if someone is willing to put some effort into an already successful product.

00:34:58 - Peter Nardi, with Alakazam, has been coming to Blackpool for about 24 years and gives us his perspective of the changes over the years.

00:45:12 - Jonathan Goodwin was one of the outstanding lectures of this convention. He was inspiring and gave us all a lot to consider for our own shows. We chat in this short chat about some of his philosophy of whether audiences believe the artist is in jeopardy. To hear more about Jonathan (prior to his tragic accident and just before the COVID lockdown), I think you will enjoy listening to our in-depth conversation in Episode #553

00:52:42 - Hannah Ammar is helping her husband, Michael, and tells us why she enjoy magic conventions in general and Blackpool in particular. Michael also joins us towards the end of this chat. You can hear more from Michael in our conversation in Episode #259.

890: Katherine Rhodes - Minds Blown

886: Laura London - An Honest Cheat

884: Blackpool 2025 - Day Two Report

The Magic Word