818: Blackpool Magic Convention 2024 - Day Two Report

Saturday 17th February 2024

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Dealers’ Hall Open

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Michael O’Brien Lecture (Arena)

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Paul Richards Lecture (Spanish Hall) and Kyle Purnell Lecture (Foyer Hall)

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Family Entertainment Competition (Opera House)

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. David Regal Lecture (Arena) and David Kaye Lecture (Derham Lounge)

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Montreal Trio Lecture (Spanish Hall) and Bear Pit Close-Up (Foyer Hall)

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Axel Adler Lecture (Arena) and Mat O’Neill Parlour Show (Derham Lounge)

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Remy Lasvenes Lecture (Spanish Hall) and Tom Wright Show (Foyer Hall)

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Shoot Ogawa Lecture (Arena) and Jozo Bozo Lecture (Derham Lounge)

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Raymond Crowe Lecture (Spanish Hall) and Steve Faulkner Lecture (Foyer Hall)

6:15 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. Gala Show featuring Mac King (Opera House)

6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Magical Bones Black Magic (Arena) and Ben Hart Jadoo (Circle Hall)

6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Shoot Ogawa Show (Arena)

8:45 p.m. - 10:15 p.m. Gala Show with Mac King (Opera House)

8:45 p.m. - 9:45 p.m. Mike Caveney and Friends Show (Circle Hall)

9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Magical Bones Black Magic (Arena) and Ben Hart Jadoo (Circle Hall)

11:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. Jack Gleadow Mr. Saturday Night (Foyer Hall)

11:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Harrison Greenbaum Late Night Roast (Arena and limited to audiences of 18+) and Battle Magic Cabaret (Old Victoria Bar and limited to audiences of 18+)

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 - Alain Iannone, from Roma, Italy, tells us why he loves to attend the Blackpool Magic Convention (BMC) plus what he has seen or bought here on the first day of activities.

00:08:52 - Richard Steele, from the U.S., is a dealer for ProMystic, and tells us what it’s like to be a dealer in the huge exhibit hall.

00:14:19 - Before the International Close-Up Show began, we spoke with the father/son team of Lennard and Andy Charlton, from the U.K. who tell us why they come together to BMC year after year.

00:19:35 - Craig Mitchell often reviews big conventions like FISM and BMC. He is known for his “no holds barred” style of journalism and he talks a bit about what he’s seen so far.

00:31:11 - Ian Kendall, from Scotland, took the train over to Blackpool for attending just a couple of days using day passes which means not seeing the evening shows.

00:44:08 - Mandy Davis was manning (womanning?) the Magic Circle stall as she is soliciting membership into the prestigious organization.

00:51:58 - Creator, author, performer and producer, Nick Einhorn, from the U.K., tells us what he’s been up to in the past several years since we last met.

00:59:03 - Richard Young, from the U.K., is half of the Strange & Young team that performs on their own plus with the Champions of Magic. Richard also co-hosts “The Magicians Podcast Network” Here we have a lively discussion about us both hosting a podcast with Murray Sawchuck about exposure in magic.

01:09:54 - Mike Caveney hosted “Mike Caveney and Friends” as one of the alternate shows to the Day One gala. We catch up with him who tells us how he selected this year’s line-up of “friends.”

01:15:00 - Kyle Purnell, from the U.S., is a first time attendee at BMC and was also a performer/lecturer. He tells us about his experience.

01:23:03 - No report from BMC would be complete without a chat with John Archer, one of the funniest guys in Great Britain.

01:29:13 - Rebecca and Allan Taylor, from the U.K., tell us about their escapology club in England and the conventions they sponsor.

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749: Champions of Magic with Hollie England and Alex McAleer

Since opening in the U.K. in 2013, the Champions of Magic show has entertained nearly a half million people with their live performances. From London to New York City to Los Angeles and everywhere in between, this troupe of performers continues to pack theaters and make the news. Although some of the acts have changed as they have evolved over the years, the troupe has essentially remained as five outstanding performers and currently features Young & Strange (Richard Young and Sam Strange), Fernando Velasco, Hollie England and Alex McAleer.

This week we sit down with two of the Champions, Hollie England and Alex McAleer who talk about their own experience on the road plus fill in details about the “missing cast” who couldn’t be with us for this podcast. There are some pretty amazing stories including the one from Hollie about being hit in the face with an arrow that went amiss during a crossbow act.

293: Fay Presto - From the Distaff Side of Magic

Fay Presto is one of Great Britain's foremost magician having earned plaudits from her peers and public alike including Sit Paul McCartney...yes, that Sir Paul McCartney and former Beatle. She has won The Magic Circle Close-Up Magician of the Year among so many other awards and is currently touring with the Champions of Magic throughout the U.K. and abroad. This ensemble group of magician predates "The Illusionists" and all other touring magic shows that feature several magicians.

I had a chance to chat with Fay during the recent F.F.F.F. convention while we were in the "doughnut room" which means that there is a lot of ambient background noise. It's not too distracting but adds to the ambiance as she discusses working with the Champions of Magic, performing for Sr Paul McCarrney, Paul Daniels, restaurant magic in England, being a woman in a "man's world" of magic, the importance of tailoring costumes to have adequate pockets (most women's pockets are not made for actually using, but more for fashion), advice for girls/women getting into magic, and much more.

Time stamps for the product reviews (all are video downloads this week):

00:45:53 - "Mind Journey" by Luca Volpe is a Mental Epic effect using a stack of business cards and utilizing several subtleties that takes this classic in a new direction. Don't be put off by the simplicity of this. Try it as I did and convince yourself how powerful it is. RHighest recommendation of products reviewed this week..

00:49:35 - :INKSIDE: by Rizki Nanda is a cute little walk-around trick using a matchbox. A quick shake of the box and the writing on the matchbox sleeve changes. Fun, clever, but a bit "angley". Second highest recommendation of tricks this week.

00:52:00 - "Riperation" by Andrew Salas is another variation on the classic Torn & Restored Card. This is a nice variation with the card being signed and fully restored. The gimmick you make can be put in an ordinary deck then removed after you have performed it.

00:53:29 - "Sweet 360" by Michael Scanzello is a transposition of sugar into a "ball of sugar: then back to sugar granules. It's not my "cup of tea" nor do I think it is something that I will perform, but you can be the judge. This is a FREE download so you can get excited about Michael's other available effects: Pi Ring and Insidious.