741: Steve Aldrich - A Long Strange Trip

This episode is dedicated to those who remember the past and for those who want to learn more about our rich history. This week we travel back in time in our Grateful Dead VW bus and visit with magician and co-founder of the Foan Family Circus, Steve Aldrich. It was a simpler time when magicians were experimenting with new presentations and popular music of the time. It was at the height of Doug Henning’s popularity who was considered by some as a “Hippie Magician”.

Steve Aldrich also performed magic at the famed Tower Bar in Snowmass at a time when Doc Eason was still a waiter Steve and his band of merry men (and a woman) surprised and entertained magicians with their “tongue in cheek” original presentations of their “Foan Family Circus” at many magic conventions during the late 1970’s to early 1980’s. So what happened to the group? That and more will be the topic of discussion in this week’s episode.

If you are more of a visual person, then you will enjoy this video of our conversation recorded via Zoom.

Steve talks this week about the formation of the Foan Family Circus, their original presentations and music, their performances at magic conventions (one of which won them the Senator Crandall Comedy Award at Abbott’s Get Together), plus the origins of magic at the Tower Bar starting with Bob Sheets then passed down to Steve Aldrich and Steve Spill.

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628: 2021 Abbott's Get Together - Day Four

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7TH 2021
9:00AM VENT-O-RAMA at Abbott's Magic with George Schindler
9:30AM REGISTRATION OPENS at the Abbott Plant
10:00AM LECTURE at Colon High School - Franz Harary
11:00AM REMEMBERING THE GREATEST TALENT CONTEST at High School - Lance Burton - Mac King - Jeff Hobson - Kevin James
(Artwork auction benefitting the Kentucky Humane Society.)
12:00PM STREET PERFORMER (John Sturk) at Dawn's Cafe (sponsored by IBM Ring 386-Percy Abbott / Monk Watson Magic Club)
1:00PM LANCE BURTON & FRIENDS Q&A at Colon High School
1:00PM MAGIC SHOW at Abbott's Magic (with TBA; $5 cash at the door)
2:30PM-6PM ABBOTT'S DEALERS' ROOM at Colon High School
3:00PM DEALER'S SHOW in Dealers' Room
3:00PM STREET PERFORMER (Jon LaChance) at Abbott's Magic (sponsored by IBM Ring 386-Percy Abbott / Monk Watson Magic Club)
3:00PM-5PM COLON HISTORICAL MUSEUM is open
4:30PM MAGIC SHOW at Abbott's Magic (with Joe Bennett; $5 cash at the door)
5:00PM-7:00PM Chuck Wagon BBQ Dinner at Lutheran Church (484 S Burr Oak Road, Colon; $12 cash dinner fee)
5:30PM STREET PERFORMER (Trino) at Curly's (sponsored by IBM Ring 386-Percy Abbott / Monk Watson Magic Club)
6:00PM-7:45PM DINNER on your own
7:45PM PRESHOW LIVE ORGAN MUSIC - by John Sturk
8:00PM ABBOTT'S STAGE SHOW - (view seating chart)
Featuring Lance Burton, Fielding West, Keith West, Michael Goudeau
10:00PM ABBOTT'S DEALERS ROOM OPENS at Colon High School
10:30PM ABBOTT'S PERFORMER AWARDS at Colon High School

SUNDAY, AUGUST 8TH 2021 (Post Get Together Events)
12:00PM MAGICIAN'S TOUR OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF MAGIC
(This tour of the museum and archives is geared towards magicians and will include a special
selection of artifacts never-before-on-display. $10 per person. Reservations not necessary.)

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 - Tim “Skilldini” Wright talks about working in the Abbott’s Magic Company factory and gives us a virtual tour from his memory of the workshop

00:17:31 - Bobbie and Fred Becker talk about this Get Together and how Fred once lived and worked in Colon, Michigan

00:29:40 - Richard Cohn is the ultimate expert on magic in Coney Island, New York. This is Richard’s first time and he gives us his perspective of the event

00:39:39 - Derrick Kennedy, owner of Magic, Etc. in Fort Worth talks about traveling by train to this event each year

00:51:48 - Kevin James was another of the attendees who grew up with the Get Together and was one of the lecturers at this year’s event. He also shared his journey from Michigan to California where he joined the Long Beach Mystics.

01:01:43 - Debbie Bordner, wife of Greg Bordner, wraps up the Get Together with her assessment of this year’s event and encourages people to register for next year’s event on August 3-6, 2022. The sooner you register, the better the rate. Click Here to visit the registration site.

335: Howard Hamburg - Voices from the Past

Howard Hamburg has been around a long time...a very long time. And he has conferred with and confided in the some of the legends of our magical art. You name them, and Howard has a true, first hand story about them. Howard brings history alive with his marvelous stories of personal relationships with legendary magicians. There are some great stories in here and some performance tips along the way, too. At the beginning of this podcast, Howard talks about his attendance at "Escorial" in El Escorial, Spain which is an invitation-only card magic convention hosted by Juan Tamariz.

A spectator places ANY 2 face-up spot cards on the table the magician removes a joker from his deck and places it face up onto the table as well. The performer mentions that the number 7 is considered a lucky number among Americans, the number 8 is considered a lucky number by the Chinese, but 13 is the performer's lucky number for certain cards in the deck.