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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261: Project Alpha with Mike Edwards

After viewing the highly acclaimed documentary, "An Honest Liar" about the career of James "The Amazing" Randi, I wanted to talk with Mike Edwards, the "psychic" who was "tested" along with Steve Shaw (Banachek) over a three year period in the late 70;s to the early 80;s. I have discussed Project Alpha with Banachek many times privately, on the podcast and on an L&L Video (Psi Series Volume 4 - Psychokenisis) but I had never met or spoken with, Mike Edwards, his partner on the project.

The stars aligned with my travel plans to Phoenix, Arizona and Mike's availability so we were able to find a relatively quiet corner in an otherwise busy restaurant and record this chat. It is a completely different perspective from the one I have heard from Banachek and the revelation during the last few minutes of our conversation figuratively "bowled me over". I was not expecting that news. You might be surprised and excited once you hear it, too.

Recorded: 5/27/2010 Original Alpha Kid, Michael Edwards pays a visit to the foundation and recalls some of the behind the scenes tricks that he and Steve Shaw (Banachek) did during the MacLab test. From Wikipedia: Project Alpha was an elaborate hoax orchestrated by the stage magician and skeptic James Randi.

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#203: Banachek - The Mentalist on "The Supernaturalists"

As a friend and business partner, The World's Number One Thought Reader, Banachek has joined me on dozens of podcasts over the years on The Magic Word. But I don't think I have ever had him as an exclusive guest. I just never think about recording our conversations; however, I have heard from listeners who have asked for "more Banachek". So, this one is for you.

Criss Angel recently announced the new show "The Supernaturalists" which is slated for a three week debut in June 2015 in Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. The show will feature some of the magicians that filled in for Criss Angel in the "BeLIEve" show earlier this year during his shoulder surgery. This show is supposed to be something completely different and nothing like the other magic touring show, "The Illusionists". This show promises to do for magic shows what Cirque du Soliel did for the circus. They hope and plan to take the show on an international tour after their Foxwoods run.

For those few of you living under a rock who are not familiar with Banachek, here is a short bio from "The Supernaturalists" website:

“THE MENTALIST” BANACHEK (SOUTH AFRICA)
Lifetime Achievement award recipient, two time Entertainer Of The Year, awarded Outstanding Contribution To The World Of Mentalism, Banachek is the only man to fool scientists with the power of his mind, and is known by his peers as the greatest mentalist alive. He has performed all over the world, is an author of eight best selling magic/mentalism books, has appeared in countless TV specials and has been the magic producer of the most successful magic series in television history, MINDFREAK.

Banachek begins his chat with a short discussion and appeal for magic donations to his favorite charity, The College of Magic in South Africa. He also talks in detail about the upcoming show The Supernaturalists" which will include: "The Illusionist" Brett Daniels (U.S.), "The Mystfier" Cosentino (Australia), "The Mentalist" Banachek (South Africa), "The Street Magician Phenom" Adrian Vega (Spain), “The Femme Fatale Of Legerdemain” Krystyn (U.S.), “The Dog Whisperer Of Magic” Johnny (Columbia), “The Joker” The Great Maestro (Mexico)

He also talks about James Randi, The Amazing Meeting (TAM), The Million Dollar Challenge and his new documentary which trailer you can view below. For more information about "An Honest Liar"" then visit http://AnHonestLiar.com

Live Q&A Session: November 19th - Banachek - Mentalist (Wednesday 4pm ET 9pm UTC 9pm UK) Hosted by Paul Draper

On this podcast, Banachek also talks about his early years of working hundreds of shows annually the college circuit which he still does a dozen or so dates a year. He then talks about how he first met Criss Angel and started working with him on television. He talks extensively about his TV experiences and work in Las Vegas and his view of the future on what he wants to do and where he wants to go.

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. (please note: this RSS Feed subscription system may not work with Android systems). Remember, you can download it through iTunes. See the preview page by Clicking Here.