278: The Inner Secrets of the Outerbridges

Have you ever wondered what it's like to travel on the road with a large, stage illusion show across snow and ice? And what do you do when a herd of bison blocks your path? In this podcast we go behind the scenes, around the props,on the road and into the performers, the Outerbridges.

Ted and Marion Outerbridge are Canada's premiere theatrical touring magicians. Recognized as one of the greatest magic acts in Canada, the Outerbridges won the 2011 Award of Excellence from Ontario Contact, an organization of theatre presenters. In 2010, they won Touring Artist of the Year in British Columbia’s equivalent BC Touring Council. I first met them when I emceed their show at the 2013 Abbott's Get Together in Colon, Michigan where they were the feature illusion act. They later closed the I.B.M. convention in Jacksonville, Florida in 2015 and just completed a lecture tour of the U.S.

A professionally orchestrated theatrical production with over 20 custom-designed illusions and world-class lighting and set design, OUTERBRIDGE -- Clockwork Mysteries is a high-energy magical adventure for both adult and family audiences. Recognized as one of the most creative and dynamic shows of its kind, critics have hailed Ted and Marion Outerbridge as "the most successful magicians in Canada" and "champions of magic."

Ted and Marion sat down at midnight to enjoy acouple martinis and a chat about how they first met and their paths that followed. The myriad stories they shared revolve around working at performing arts centers, what it's like being on the road, how they book shows, and lots of stories and advice. For example, if you want to select volunteers from the audience by using a beach ball, then fill the ball with helium to keep it floating more.

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Congratulations to Richard Tremblay who won the "Outerbridge Lecture Bundle" valued at $135.00. Please check out current blogs for the newest contest.

277: Gregory Wilson Returns & Responds - Part One with Brad Stine

This week we have a surprise for those naysayers who thought that he wouldn't return. Gregory Wilson is this week's guest for the first of two podcasts to respond to the accusers who have presented their "proof" in episodes #270, #272 and #273.

Greg was preparing for a trip to the 2016 Blackpool convention where he will perform and lecture and he wanted to present his rebuttals before he departed. Due to his busy schedule, Greg said that he had only recently gotten around to listening to a few of the podcasts. After he returns from England, he intends to listen to episode #274 with John Lovick then respond point by point to each issue brought up by John; however, some of the issues are addressed in this podcast.

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Also on this podcast is an edited bit of a conversation I had with stand-up comic, Brad Stine, who is a long time friend of Greg's. Brad was a comedy magician and regular performer at the (now defunct) Magic Island in Newport Beach, California and has had crediting incidents with Greg. Brad wanted to present his stories in a public forum to show that Greg can, has and will give credit when shown the proof of creation.

2/9/12 - Conservative Comedian Brad Stine went after political correctness in its many forms at CPAC 2012.

Congratulations to Nathan Reed and Fred King who won a digital download of he Audible.com book "The Ambitious Card - An Eli Marks Mystery" by John Gaspard. And thank you again, John Gaspard for offering these prizes.

276: David Deeble - An Unnatural Talent

The "Long Beach Mystics" became an almost "mythical" group of magicians who grew to fame and notoriety in the magic world. Consider the names of some of these former members: Stan Allen, Mike Weber, Dana Daniels, Mark Kalin, Jonathan Pendragon, Kevin James and David Deeble, Wait...which name doesn't immediately pop out to you as being "recognizable"?

Well, in this podcast, you will see why David Deeble should be another name that you should add to the frontal lobe of your memory data banks. I admit that I had not seen David perform until the MAGIC Live! convention in 2013, but after seeing him there and later hearing his "story of recovery" at the MAGIC Live! 2015 convention, I became one of his biggest fans and it made me wonder where I had been for all these years.

David Deeble is hard to categorize but if I did put him in a box, I guess it would be a comedy juggler. But due to what could have been a life changing injury, he moved from being a conventional juggler. Perhaps that's why I had never seen him perform at a convention...okay, I'll leave the comedy to David.

Here is a taste of the humor of David Deeble recorded live at comedy clubs.

David Deeble tells about his time with the Long Beach Mystics beginning in 1980 when he was 10 years old. He also regales us with some fun stories "from the day" about some of the Mystics. He also talks about attending the 1984 Abbott's Get Together which, coincidentally, was my first Get Together, too. For a glimpse back into history, Click Here to visit an earlier episode of The Magic Word that contains the fun video discussed in this podcast.

Due to a unicycle indoor accident (when he hit his head on the door frame), he lost the use of one of his arms. As a juggler, a husband and soon-to-be-father, you can imagine how devastating it was and could have been on his career. But David decided to move on towards his goal and find other "unnatural acts" that he would do that no other jugglers were doing. In particular, he learned how to toss an olive into the air and catch in on a toothpick held in his mouth. Also, he tosses a billiard ball from his foot into the air and catches it in his eye socket!

David also talks about how he likes to be introduced, how to handle problems when something goes wrong in your act (i.e. dropping the juggling club, etc.), releasing tension with comedy, using "stock" lines versus writing your own lines, working on cruise ships, and more.