612 - Bill Abbott - Gimme That Mic

Magicians are “wired” to perform. We want the microphone. We love the bright lights, the sound of applause and especially laughter…at the right time and place. This week’s guest, Bill Abbott, is a comedy magician who understands comedy and knows how to perfectly blend it with magic.

Indeed it is a fine balance because in the end, we want our audiences to remember us but also to have had a good time. So there should be mystery and humor. If you are going to be a magician, then there should be mystery that fools people. If you are going to be a comedian, then you will be telling a series of jokes. But to blend the two together, you shouldn’t be a “prop comic” relying on your props for laughs, but rather, the emphasis should be on the overall experience your audience will take home with them.

This week’s podcast on YouTube.

Bill Abbott shares lots of tips and advice on how to structure your show with comedy and how to relate to your audiences with a performance that they will remember.

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 or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

241: I.B.M. 2015 Convention - Day Four

The 87th annual IBM convention drew to a close after another full day that began with the Order of Merlin breakfast that honored long time members of the organization. The Big Three events wrapped up by noon then the "Six Pack" events began. This is similar to the Big Three except here, registrants pick two from the six events they want to see. The afternoon lecture was by Bill Abbott.

Before the 8:00 public show, the organization presented its awards at a special 7:00 time slot in the Florida Theatre. The judges did not see an act worthy of the Gold Cups or the Gold Medal this year. Here are the winners:

Close-up
McBride Magic & Mystery school faculty award - Jolie Dreiling
IBM endowment and development fund scholarship to Stephanie Trott and Avi Littky
Sorcerers Safari Camp - Jolie Dreiling
Obie Award for People's choice went to Shin Lim
Second place adult - Ed Ripley
First place adult- Shin Lim
Second place junior - William Zaballero
First place junior - Jolie Dreiling
No Gold Cups
Peoples choice award - Shin Lim

Stage
Second place youth - Hannah Kikuchi
First place youth - Daniel Hernandez
Fantasia Magic Package went to Daniel Hernandez
Second place adult - Trent James
First place adult - Chris Randall
No Gold Medal
Peoples choice award - Hannah Kikuchi

The evening show was hosted by Tom Mullica who featured his new pickpocketing act. Also on the bill was Ken Scott, Soma, David Kaplan, and the Outerbridges. Registrants returned to the hotel where they said their goodbyes at the Farewell Party.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:04 - Guest of Honor, Fantasio, and maker of appearing/disappearing candles and canes

00:16:26 - David Gabbay, from Los Angeles, California, was a close-up contestant

00:17:03 - Eugene Burger

00:22:16 - Bill Abbott, performer and lecturer

00:33:54 - various magicians in a room comment on what they liked about this convention

00:38:29 - Chad Long, another performer and lecturer at this convention

Click on the banner to visit the I.B.M. website for more convention information.

235: FISM Italy - Day Four

It may have been a little overcast outside, but the weather and the magic was perfect in the convention center. After viewing the stage competition from 8:30 to 12:30, I got to walk around the dealers a bit more, chat with friends, and attend a couple lectures. And of course, it was Thursday which meant magic and Martinis in the evening with friends at the bar.

After watching Luke Jermay's one man show, was the evening gala featuring: Cyril Takayama and Eun Gyeol Lee as co-MC's with Mike Chao, Topas, David Kaplan, Tony Frebourg, Alberto Giorgi, Rob Zabrecky, Sos & Victoria and Samuel.