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883: Blackpool 2025 - Day One Report

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Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:17 – We arrive in Heathrow Airport in London while awaiting other friends to arrive.

00:05:53 - Paul Stone was our host in LIverpool and rides with us on the train to Blackpool. He will be a presenter at the convention as he talks about Siegfried and Roy. You can learn more about Paul from our chat in Episode #715.

00:13:07 - Mumfo Marzouki is a listener to the podcast and resides in Saudi Arabia. He tells us what he is anxious to see here and why he came all this way just for the convention.

00:16:14 - Harry Merlin Piper, the 14 year old who won the Magic Circle Young Magician of the Year, and his father, Rodney James reside in Spain where he operates the House of Illusion. He offers a special deal to listeners of this podcast, so be sure to listen to this episode.

00:22:25 - Dave Magee, from Cancun, complains about the long line in the cold while waiting to get his registration packet. David is an accomplished mentalist and performer who worked closely with Johnny Thompson. You can hear more from David in our chat in Episode #593.

00:24:37 - David Plant is one of the members of the Blackpool Magic Club who organized this convention and is the first booth (stand) you see when you register for this convention. David gives us some history about this event during our chat.

00:30:54 - Tim Trono is a creator, consultant, and dealer who is now with Penguin Magic for the past 12 years and was with Murphy’s Magic for about 14 years.

00:36:18 - Roger Nicot recently passed away (just before the convention) and he was a dealer who was often seen at conventions around the world. He worked with Christian Schenk at Card Shark for almost 18 years. During that time, the two grew to be as close as brothers. In this conversation, Christian tells us about his last few days they were together and reliving memories of some of their happier moments.

00:42:27 - Uwe Schperlich, from Munich, Germany, tells us that regularly attends Blackpool. He gives his perspective of the convention and is not overly happy with having to choose between events to attend while missing others he wanted to see.

00:50:19 - Hugh Irwin is attending his first Blackpool convention and gives us a “first timer’s” perspective.

00:57:27 - Jay Mattioli is another of the presenters this year at Blackpool and tells us perspective of what he’s doing and what is in his lecture.

01:05:55 - My friend from Glasgow, Scotland, Peter McLanachan has been attending this convention and gives us his perspective of the Dan Sperry / Klek Ectos show. To hear more about Peter, please visit our conversation on Episode #152.

01:13:30 - Dan Sperry is one of the performers and lecturers and talks about his experience of getting booked for this convention. Dan was just heading out for the U.S. where he will be working at the Magic Castle and at Jeff Hobson’s place.

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 Pandora and SiriusXM (formerly 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.

Posted in Convention Report and tagged with Blackpool Magic Convention, Rodney James, Harry Piper, Mumdo Marzouki, Paul Stone, Tim Trono, Christian Schenk, Jay Mattioli, Peter MacLanachan, Dan Sperry, Dave Magee.

February 14, 2025 by Scott Wells.
  • February 14, 2025
  • Scott Wells
  • Blackpool Magic Convention
  • Rodney James
  • Harry Piper
  • Mumdo Marzouki
  • Paul Stone
  • Tim Trono
  • Christian Schenk
  • Jay Mattioli
  • Peter MacLanachan
  • Dan Sperry
  • Dave Magee
  • Convention Report
  • Post a comment
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817: Blackpool Magic Convention 2024 - Day One Report

Friday 16th February 2024

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

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Paul Romhany Lecture (Spanish Hall) and Richard Griffin Lecture (Arena)

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. International Close-up Show (Foyer Hall)

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. John “Chunkie” Russell Lecture (Derham Lounge)

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Ann DeGuzman Lecture (Arena) and Ben Hart Lecture (Spanish Hall)

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Cameron Francis Lecture (Foyer Hall)

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mat O’Neill Parlour Show (Derham Lounge)

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Christian Grace Lecture (Arena) and Tom Wright Lecture (Spanish Hall)

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Marvin Berglas Lecture (Foyer Hall) and Dave Allen Lecture (Derham Lounge)

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Adrian Quillien Lecture (Spanish Hall)

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

6:15 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. Mike Caveney and Friends Show (Circle Hall)

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

8:45 p.m. - 10:15 p.m. Gala Show (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. Shoot Ogawa Show (Arena)

11:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Harrison Greenbaum Show (Arena and limited to audiences of 18+)

11:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Whose Lie Is It Anyway? (Old Victoria Bar)

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Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 - we are off from the Dallas Ft. Worth airport to ride our magic carpet “across the pond” to merry old England for the Blackpool Magic Convention 2024. Join us for the trip!!

00:03:32 - Our first stop before Blackpool is a visit to The Magic Circle (TMC) where John Bannon was the featured lecturer on Monday, 12 February. Our first chat is with Ian Rowland, a mentalist and motivational speaker to the corporate market. He is also a master of “kirigami” which is the art of cutting cards and folding. It is beautiful artwork.

00:12:21 - Faye Presto is working on a new close-up cover for the table at TMC. She also tells us about the proper way to put a bottle through the table.

00:20:27 - Marvyn Berglas, President of TMC, tells us what he’s doing as the new President and plans for improvements in the building.

00:28:06 - From Sweden, Johan Stahal, is a FISM competitor winner of Sweden’s Got Talent, and is attending this BMC for his eighth time.

00:30:05 - Pat Fallon, from Ireland, and Scott catch up as long time friends and Pat tells us a little about touring and magic clubs in Ireland.

00:35:35 - David Regal, from the U.S., is an artiste at BMC who doubles with his lecture and close-up performance. He was walking around with R. Paul Wilson, from Scotland, who is a regular attendee at BMC.

00:39:47 - Brendan Rodriquez, from the U.K., has a video blog (vlog) and is shooting video in, at and around the BMC for broadcast.

00:44:00 - Empressario and big event producer, Paul Stone, is from Liverpool and talks a bit about his “Beatles Tour” around town that he privately gave to Mac King, Mike Caveney, Tina Lennart, and a few others before the BMC began.

00:49:17 - Tracy Bradshaw, a worker at the BMC registration booth, tells us what the VIP registrants get that is different from regular registrations.

00:53:15 - David Plant is a member of the Blackpool Magic Club who sponsors BMC. He gives us a “convention by the numbers” and a quick overview/history of BMC.

01:00:33 - Anders Boulanger, from Winnipeg, Canada, is taking a quick break between working trade shows to come here for his first BMC and tells us how overwhelming it is.

01:06:41 - Keith McCabe, from Ireland, has been coming to the BMC for over 20 years and talks about some of the few magic clubs and magicians and types of magic performed in the Republic of Ireland. We are joined by Harrison Greenbaum, who is another of the performers/lecturers at the BMC.

01:11:04 - Mumdo Marsouki, a podcast listener from Saudi Arabia, tells us about the kind of magic performed in his country.

01:15:28 - Sune Narud, from Norway and a podcast listener, tells us why he and his friends attend the BMC each year.

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

Posted in Convention Report and tagged with Blackpool Magic Convention, Ian Rowland, Fay Presto, Marvyn Berglas, Pat Fallon, David Regal, R. Paul Wilson, Brendan Rodriquez, Anders Boulanger, Sune Alexandersen Narud, Mumdo Marzouki, Keith McCabe, David Plant.

February 16, 2024 by Scott Wells.
  • February 16, 2024
  • Scott Wells
  • Blackpool Magic Convention
  • Ian Rowland
  • Fay Presto
  • Marvyn Berglas
  • Pat Fallon
  • David Regal
  • R. Paul Wilson
  • Brendan Rodriquez
  • Anders Boulanger
  • Sune Alexandersen Narud
  • Mumdo Marzouki
  • Keith McCabe
  • David Plant
  • Convention Report
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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.

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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.

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

Tagged with Steve Aldrich, Foan Family Circus, Bob Sheets, Doc Eason, Tower Bar, Kathi DeFrancis, Brent Warren, Cheeseman Spark, Barrett Felker, Kuda Bux, Eddie Goldstein, Sam Kent, Steve Spill, The Magic Castle, Johnny Thompson, Tom Mullica, Air Jazz, Peter Davison.

March 2, 2023 by Scott Wells.
  • March 2, 2023
  • Scott Wells
  • Steve Aldrich
  • Foan Family Circus
  • Bob Sheets
  • Doc Eason
  • Tower Bar
  • Kathi DeFrancis
  • Brent Warren
  • Cheeseman Spark
  • Barrett Felker
  • Kuda Bux
  • Eddie Goldstein
  • Sam Kent
  • Steve Spill
  • The Magic Castle
  • Johnny Thompson
  • Tom Mullica
  • Air Jazz
  • Peter Davison
  • Post a comment
Comment
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The Magic Word The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

This podcast is totally free for everyone to enjoy. This is provided to you out of love and respect for our art of magic. If you enjoy the podcasts and other material on The Magic Word, then your financial support will be greatly appreciated and help offset the monthly hosting service fee as well as the hardware and software to produce this podcast. Just click on the "Donate " button at the top of this page to make a one time donation through PayPal.

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In May 2024, Scott Wells had the distinguished honor of receiving a “Special Fellowship” from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) for the Magic Word Podcast which promotes “not only personal stories of fascinating individuals, but also fellowship amongst our extended family of artists and entertainers everywhere.”

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Enjoy an audible tour through the newest venue for magicians to perform. Also, Marc’s incredible magic props, ephemera costumes, and more from a lifetime of collecting are on display here. This “walk through” is a feast for the ears Jim Cunningham - The Spirit of Eugene - Jim Cunningham is the voice on the Audible books reading the Eli Marks Mystery series. But is also interested in things that go bump in the night. So naturally, his mentor for producing scary seances was the la Tony Hassini - Merlin Maker - Creator of the Marvelous Magical Burger King, Tony Hassini is better known as the creator of the International Magicians Society (IMS) and the Merlin Award. #tonyhassini #merlinaward #ims #magicawards #merlin #burgerking Wayne Alan - The Most Famous Magician You've Never Heard Of: Spanning a career as a FISM winner to a successful trade show magician and now in his 70's owning his own theatre, Wayne Alan has led an interesting life and is someone you should know. #hi Magistrorum 2025 - Convention Report - The Magistrorum Magic & Mentalism Convention is a gathering of world-class performers, including the legendary Jeff McBride. Attendees will experience bizarre magick, and mind-blowing mentalism from internat Magic At The Beach 2025 - Convention Report - Daily reports from the Magic At The Beach convention in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, featuring chats with registrants, talent, organizers, dealers, and more. #myrtlebeach #magicatthebeach2025 #matb2025 # Fielding West - Every Breath He Takes - Over the past few years, magic comedian, Fielding West, has been finding it harder to breathe. After a diagnosis of Emphysema, his life and his act changed. #copd #emphysema #magiccomedy #fieldingwest #lasvegas T.A.O.M. 2025 Convention Report - No episode today, but watch and listen late Saturday night for a combined report of a day and a half of events from the Texas Association of Magicians convention in Dallas, Texas, featuring chats with registrants, ta

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