* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * New Zealand's MagicNZ e-zine * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #55 Date: Sunday 7th January 2001 Editor: Alan Watson www.magician.co.nz e-mail alan@watson.co.nz ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editors Message 2. Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged 3. Anyone remember the Electric Deck? 4. Ultimate Dancing Hank 5. MagicCoach free marketing newsletter 6. The Houdini Bar 7. Luxurious resort in the Grenadines 8. Tommy Cooper Memorial 9. Magic Castle Celebrates 37 Years In Style 10. Irish 2001 Convention - 5th and 6th May 2001 11. A Magical New Year's Eve 12. Vic Kirk passed away this week 13. David Blaine media promoters 14. The Orchante Saga # 11 15. Diarise these events 16. MagicNZ e-zine archives 17. Subscription Management ------------------------------------- 1. Editors Message ------------------------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One Enjoying performing on the main stage as the Rainbow Wizard along with my daughter Melanie. Aleshia my 20 month old granddaughter has watched every show, maybe a fourth generation magician is waiting in the wings. Caught up with Mike Twist (professional juggler) who has just come back to NZ for a short stay from a very successful season in Japan. Mike now speaks fluent Japanese and has customised his act for the Japanese market. David Ginn tells me that he is in his 30th year at performing school shows. Check out David's new website: www.ginnmagic.com Paul Romhany flies back tonight from Singapore. This coming Monday Paul starts strolling for one week, then two weeks on the stage at Rainbows End as Charlie Chaplin. Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: alan@watson.co.nz ------------------------------------- 2. Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged ------------------------------------- Message from Ed Solomon Judge not a magician by his double lifts, undercuts or forces. Judge him not by how well he fools his audience. Judge him not by his stories or his allegories. Judge him not by the way the treats his friends, family or his assistant. Forget his clever patter or how quickly he can change his masks. Forget the fancy flourishes and skilful sleight of hand. If you must judge, judge him for the way he treats the individual who can do absolutely nothing for him personally or professionally. And ....Always remember, Life is far too short to watch a lot of card tricks. ------------------------------------- 3. Anyone remember the Electric Deck? ------------------------------------- Message from Peter Marucci (Canada) About 40 years ago, every magician had one of these gag decks in his act. (Well, maybe not John Booth or Channing Pollock.) The magi would pull out a deck of cards, do a couple of waterfall flourishes with it, smile at the audience and wait for the applause. When it came, the magi released his grip on the deck and it fell down in a strip of cards about two feet long -- the cards were attached to each other, taking no skill at all to do the fancy flourishes the magi had just demonstrated. The deck was a minor miracle of workmanship, probably the reason you don't see it anymore. The cards were attached to each other by two lines of thread. The two lines were knotted on each side of every card, keeping the cards about an inch or so apart. Holding the deck in his right hand, with one long edge parallel to the floor, the magi slowly released pressure on the top cards and they cascaded into his waiting left hand, about a foot or more below. As I said, the deck must have been a pain to make. Which is why you don't see them very much anymore. And which is why I offer the following substitute, with optional additions: THE SPRING DECK Effect: At some point in his act, the magi takes out a pack of cards and removes the cards from the case. "A little magic with an ordinary deck of cards -- right?" He waits for someone in the audience to agree. "You agree?" he says, looking surprised. "Does this look like an ordinary deck of cards to you?" He turns his hand holding the cards so the cards face down and the cards spring down almost to the floor and bounce back up into his hand. He does this a couple of times. "Hey," he says, "you're a great audience -- you'll believe anything I tell you!" The magi puts the cards back in the case and points out the writing on the case to the audience. "Did you ever wonder why the call them playing cards? Watch! "The magi then turns the case sideways, like a harmonica, and plays a few, real notes. He then tosses the deck aside and continues with his act. Working: Here's a good way to use up that deck of plastic-coated cards that you've had in the back of your drawer for ages. Plastic-coated cards will have more spring than your best deck of "show" cards. You'll need the deck, its case, a stapler and a small mouth organ, usually found on key chains in novelty shops. Take the deck face up and take off two cards. Square them and put two staples in the right-hand side, as close to the edge as you can. Take another card and put it on top of the stapled two. Square the top TWO cards and put two staples in the LEFT side, as close to the edge as possible. Continue alternating the stapling from left to right until you have used up about half the deck. Due to the thickness of the staples, only about half the deck will now fit into the card case. With the cards in the case (to give the case body), take the mouth organ and glue it to the side of the case so the holes are just sticking out over the edge. This way, you can blow into the mouth organ and get music -- or, at least, some sound, if you're not musically inclined. You are now ready to perform as above, or any other gag routine that you can come up with. Second Thoughts: Nothing really new here, except that some things are so old they seem new to a lot of us. The harmonica-playing cards gag has been around for ages -- although, no doubt, at least three people will write in to say that they invented it. The variation on the Electric Deck is so different they could almost be used in the same show. You can do a lot of things with the Electric Deck you can't do with the Spring Deck. And you can do a couple of things with the Spring Deck you can't do with the Electric. For example, you've shown the deck in its "spring" state. Grab one end in each hand and squeeze the deck back and forth like an accordion as your background music breaks into Lady of Spain. Corny? Maybe. But don't blame me for not giving you the idea when you see some guy do it on network television. And remember: You don't have to use these two gags in connection with each other; if one appeals to you but not the other, then use that one on its own. In the meantime, have fun putting this together some rainy evening -- and have fun performing it. ---------------------------------- 4. Ultimate Dancing Hank ---------------------------------- Message from Gregg Chmara (C.H. Mara Illusion Shows, Tucson, Arizona, USA) The superlatives "ultimate, best and greatest" are often so overused by dealers as to render the magical effect they usually describe as merely commonplace. Not so with the new Hocus-Pocus.com exclusive offering of the Ultimate Dancing Hank by Don Wayne & Sean Bogunia. For a solo magician looking for something exceptionally special, a routine that adds a personality on stage -- even if the personality is a handkerchief -- this is pure genius at work. Over 30 years in magic I have worked with Zombie, floating balls, glasses and bulbs. I have purchased rights to perform specific dancing hank routines, including John Calvert's "Casper." I have worked with the tricky wiring and lighting needed for small object levitations and animations. None were as simple and beautiful as this. As a full performance successor to Don Wayne's Dancing Hank (the one that jiggles like a hoochy-koochy dancer) they have added at least two more magical principles to the apparatus. And, by showing lot of creative and stagecraft work in the instruction tape, professionals who are short of trained assistants will find this a godsend. The basic part of the routine (Gimmick, gaffed hank, instruction tape, special cloth) first seems expensive at $305 (US) plus shipping. But the "aha" when you open the box is worth every penny. The workmanship shows an eye to precision. There are two more parts to the overall effect projected for issue, a briefcase introduction ($800 + estimated) and a specially designed table and bottle ($400?). While the current routine shows you how to make the hank dance and escape from a bottle with only the stuff you get in the offered package - the enhanced parts are supposed to extend the routine out to a SOLID eight minutes or more. When Hocus-Pocus owner Paul Gross first touted me onto this I was skeptical (at best.) When it arrived, I was impressed enough to call him a compliment to pass on to the manufacturers...and to thank him for his foresight to suggest I get one early. (Paul knows I will accept nothing short of professional level work.) With about 100 of the basic bare-bones sets already sent out on the world-wide market, the current thinking is that only about 50 or 60 people will pony up for the briefcase and table rigs. That will make this a pretty exclusive routine. When Hocus-Pocus first called I could not imagine me how easy it would be to make the darned hanky dive in and out of a pocket, come up over a shoulder, and then be corked into a bottle, only to escape to hide, then appear from behind the supplied scarf. Sure practice is needed to prevent sloppy presentation, but the moves are fluid and easy, even to the dance challenged. This is also a set of deceptive principles I hope the originators have patented. Bringing these three ideas together in this form should be protected to keep all but serious pros away -- even a good amateur will be able to work the basics with only a few hours practice. The only downside for regular performance in various locations and strange venues comes from watching how you set your (easy to manage) backgrounds. The basic effect might be done surrounded using your body for a shield for some angles, but a shimmery background restricting the audience to viewing 270 degrees might be the best shot at making the effect work all the time with no tipping the audience to the methods. Manufacturing on these is running 2 - 3 weeks (or more) behind order. Since quality, precision parts are used, it is not worth rushing the process. I am not sure how long the exclusive deal with Hocus-Pocus runs-- but I am glad Wayne and Bogunia chose the very active on-line retail warehouse as their first distributor. I have always had good service from them. If you regularly use Hocus-Pocus you pretty well have to be professionally active and probably already use the site regularly. That's what may have prompted the Ultimate Dancing Hank developers to use them as their primary distribution point. Good Show! ------------------------------------- 5. MagicCoach free marketing newsletter ------------------------------------- Message from Timothy Hyde (Aust) thyde@achieving.com.au MagicCoach is the webs original weekly free marketing newsletter for Magicians. 48 issues so far and a growing band of raving fans around the world. Marketing, promotion and real world tips. MOZZIE is Magicians of Australia Information Email. We have also been publishing weekly and recently posted Issue 64. Strictly news only and a great way to keep in touch with what's happening in the land of Oz. Sign-up information is below. Try them out for a couple of issues or check out the resource site. http://www.achieving.com.au/Illusion.htm ------------------------------------- 6. The Houdini Bar ------------------------------------- Message from Lee Jacobs (US) In the post about Lance Burton's awards, it mentions that there is a bar in the lobby of his theater in the Monte Carlo. And this has reminded me that there is another bar in the Monte Carlo very near the entrance to Lance's theater where any magician going to the show might want to have a drink. It is called The Houdini Bar and is decorated throughout with our poster reproductions and other memorabilia we supplied to the interior decorators. ------------------------------------- 7. Luxurious resort in the Grenadines ------------------------------------- Message from Joyce Basch (US) Greetings and good New Year wishes from the Caribbean. For 2 1/2 weeks, I've been performing Close Up magic at a luxurious resort in the Grenadines. I have been attempting to send you more info. but as I write descriptions, I lose the message entirely! The same thing happened before I departed for this gig. I had seen the new David Copperfield stage show in Orange County Performing Arts Center in California. I took copious notes intending to comment on the "new" effects he did and detail the clever changes he made to some "old" magic. However, part way through writing, my entire message vanished. ------------------------------------- 8. Tommy Cooper Memorial ------------------------------------- Message from Ray Sparks - Chairman (UK) ray@sparksmagic.freeserve.co.uk All Go for Cooper Memorial It is all systems go for a Memorial to the late 'Tommy Cooper' to be erected in Eastbourne. The memorial to the well-known comedy magician who lived in the town is to be sculptured by local artiste Tracy Wisniewski, her first major commission since leaving college. It is hoped that a full size statue, which could cost in the region of £50,000, will be placed in front of the Devonshire Park Theatre. The fund has been started by 'The Magic Circle,' Peter Blanchard registrar and founder of 'The Magic Circle Memorial Initiative' said, "The most prestigious magical society in the world 'The Magic Circle' are proud to lead the way in being the first to contribute to this fund" The idea came from Gary Potter after seeing the 'Eric Morecambe' statue in Morecambe. On his return to Eastbourne he asked local magician Ray Sparks for his support, Tommy's niece Sabrina who runs a shop in the town was contacted and the idea was born. The funds to build the memorial are to be raise through public subscription, sponsorship and hopefully arts funding. Contributions can be made by cheque or postal order, made payable to 'The Tommy Cooper Memorial Fund' and sent to, PO Box 509 Eastbourne BN22 0BX. ------------------------------------- 9. Magic Castle Celebrates 37 Years In Style ------------------------------------- Message from Jan & Steve Dacri (US) On Tuesday, January 2, 2001, the members of the Magic Castle were invited to a wonderful cocktail party to celebrate the opening of the place on January 2, 1963. Many of the original members who were present at that date 37 years ago stopped by for a bit of bubbly and finger foods, as Irene Larsen, Bill Larsen and the board members present cut the gigantic cake which was magically produced by magic superstar Shimada. Many of the original members were there, including John Booth, Mark & Nani Wilson, Chuck and Jan Jones (Chuck just returned from 3 months in New Zealand and Australia with glowing reports of another very successful tour down under), Ruth Crandall, Jules Lenier, Ron Wilson, along with newcomers like Bruce Cervon, Gay Blackstone, Max Maven, Joan Lawton, Jan Dacri, and over 100 others. Academy President Dale Hindman introduced founder Milt, who told some tall tales about the Castle, Billy McComb slept and heckled and a fine time was had by all, celebrating the work of Milt and brother Bill which has resulted in the most famous magic spot in the world. We know that somewhere, Bill was watching, along with Vernon, Kuda, Harry, Charlie Miller, Johnny Platt and Senator Crandall and the many other greats. Hats off to the family Larsen for the dream and dedication that continues to this day. There truly is no other place like it on the planet. ---------------------------------- 10. Irish 2001 Convention - 5th and 6th May 2001 ---------------------------------- Message from Wallace Blair (Ireland) The 'latest' information on the above 2001 Convention scheduled for 5th and 6th May 2001. Following the success of three years ago in Bangor, County Down, next year's Irish Ring 85 Convention will be returning there, to a new venue, the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel. Situated on the outskirts of Bangor in its own landscaped grounds all events (except the Children's Show) will take place at this HQ hotel. The weekend will include the Competition for the Ring 85 IBM Shield, Children's and Gala Shows and 6 Dealers who will offer magic to suit all tastes from Close-up to Stage. Full Registration will include all these events plus a hot meal on both Saturday and Sunday. Full Registration - £39.50 Partner's Registration - £32.50 Junior (Under 16) Registration - £25.00 Special Accommodation Rates have been secured in the Hotel and these are:- Double/Twin Room - £35.00 per person, per night (including Full Irish Breakfast) * Single room supplement - £27.50 per night Hotel Telephone Number 028 9185 2500 (Outside UK: 0044 28 9185 2500) IMPORTANT NOTE.....The hotel has only 43 rooms, which are already filling up rapidly, and unfortunately cannot hold any rooms for conventioneers without a deposit! It is therefore strongly advisable that, to avoid disappointment, all those who wish to stay in the Headquarters Hotel should reserve their accommodation by sending the hotel a deposit of £25 per room per night as soon as possible. (Please note that the nearest alternative accommodation is not within walking distance!) Convention HQ in Bangor is within easy reach by both road and rail from Belfast and just 15 minutes from Belfast City Airport. The Tourist Information Centre 028 9127 0069 (0044 2891 2700 69) will be happy to help you make the most of your visit. Should you have any further queries regarding the convention at this stage then please do not hesitate to contact one of the convention organisers: JamesHobart@crawfordsburn.fsnet.co.uk or wizblair@aol.com A warm Irish welcome awaits YOU!! ---------------------------------- 11. A Magical New Year's Eve ---------------------------------- Message from Jan & Steve Dacri (US) The New Year began for Jan & I at the Magic Castle. We have never been to the Magic Castle for New Years, it's a very special member event that we have never been able to take part in, mainly because we have been working every single New Year's Eve for as long as I can remember. Hard to give up a paying gig to be at a members event. Love of the art only goes so far. This year, I was booked to perform at a club that shall remain nameless. I was contracted, and I was paid the usual 50% of my fee. Last month, the club announced that they would be closed for New Year's Eve, so I was given a "pass", which means, they have to pay me according to the contract, but I will not have to perform that night. So, armed with the money and a free evening, Jan & I immediately made reservations for the annual New Year's Eve Gala Ball at the Magic Castle. At lunch the week before, Milt and Arlene recruited us both to show up Sunday morning to assist in arranging the decorations for the special night. It began at 10 am, when Jan & I arrived at the Magic Castle clutching water bottles and coffee to begin the decorating which transforms every inch of the Castle into a glittery, festive place. Stars, sparkling garland, balloons, confetti, silver things, mirror balls, fancy decorations, shapes...you name it, Arlene has found it. Arlene, as in Larsen, gets this massive job done with a small army of volunteers, and we are happy to be helping out. It's a remarkable sight, watching the transformation, which is usually complete by 5PM, just as the staff, begins to arrive for the evening. We head home, a short drive, change into our night time costumes, it's a black tie affair. Jan grabs a slinky black number and I choose a Bill Blass red tuxedo, and we're back at 8 PM for the beginning of a truly magical, wild evening. It's a member's only affair, a special event that has taken place every year for the last 37 years. This year, about 400 members and their special guests enjoyed cocktails, gourmet food, drinks, magic shows (4 close up shows in 2 showrooms, and 3 stage shows in the Palace of Mystery, drinks, music and dancing (did I mention drinks?). In the Hat N Hare Pub, everyone files in and is LEVITATED by Castle founder Milt Larsen...and a picture is taken of the event. Each person is then given his or her very own camera with which to capture this and other magical moments of the night. They also get a frame, champagne glasses, exotic masks, and...drinks. Jan & I caught one of the Palace shows, Emceed by Mark Hendrickson, with the comedy magic of Patrick Albanese and illusions of Yonkany and Anabel. A funny, fast-paced show. (Good to see Patrick, one of the most popular Castle hosts up onstage with a terrific act!) The champagne never stopped, and Billy McComb was spotted making NUMEROUS desserts vanish, which then had to be washed down with the appropriate libation. Billy then found the perfect spot to light up his signature pipe; a magical feat in itself as the Castle is completely non-smoking, as is every restaurant and public place in California. Rumors of a magician on the dance floor with a Cuban cigar (hey, it was after midnight, nobody seemed to mind!) turned out to be another illusion... I am happy to report that Milt Larsen and I shared the final cocktail of 2000 together just before midnight, and then we shared the first cocktail of the new millennium at one minute past midnight, Pacific Standard Time. A fun, magical night and the perfect way to ring out the old millennium and ring in the new. ---------------------------------- 12. Vic Kirk passed away this week ---------------------------------- Message from Larry White (US) I am very sad to report that world-class magician Vic Kirk passed away this week. Many of you will know Vic. He worked in virtually every venue possible all around the world over his many years in magic. He was a consummate professional, and was always willing to share a tip, a story or highly valuable advice whenever asked. He will be missed! When I have his actual obituary, I will pass it along. This was announced last night at the Oakland Magic Circle meeting but because of Vic's relatively young age, I asked his good friend, Gerry Griffin (the proprietor at California Magic and Novelty in Pleasant Hill), if the rumor was true. Here is Gerry's reply. ----------- Dear Larry- Yes it is true about Vic Kirk. Vic had battled cancer for the last 15 months. He was doing shows right up until the middle of December, but went downhill quickly after that. Services for Vic will be private for just their immediate family. Mary wishes that no flowers be sent, but any letters of condolence and such to her be mailed to her care of California Magic and Novelty, 1930 Oak Park Blvd., Pleasant Hill, Ca 94523. I will see that she receives them. Vic and Mary are very private people and word of his being ill was kept private. I honored their wishes, of course, and did not talk of the illness. ---------------------------------- 13. David Blaine media promoters ---------------------------------- Message from Chris.Harper To Jon Racherbaumer and other David Blaine media promoters. Please allow me to take you outside of New York for a few minutes where they love Howard Stern, are rude to everyone, and elected Hilary Clinton to represent them. The rest of us are not that infatuated with David Blaine. Mr. Racherbaumer, first let me say this, "I do get it." However, I don't like most of it. I have seen every one of his specials, some twice. Why? Because I am a magician and need to be knowledgeable. But, seeing David Blaine read somebody's mind once, entertaining. Seeing him do it over, and over, and over again, boring. Being buried alive in New York, nobody that I know or correspond with cared or knew about it. Frozen in ice didn't even get minor coffee chat the next day. I don't think too many people cared. I like that he is keeping magic (what he does of it) in front of the public and I'm glad for him that he is making a name for himself in New York, but if I were in Vegas and could only see four shows, David Blaine would not be one of them. As far as his TV specials, I always end up watching them alone because everyone gets bored and leaves the room if I won't turn the channel. ---------------------------------- 14. The Orchante Saga # 11 ---------------------------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) There's a Magician/Hypnotist in town - Manurewa - the Later Years It's Sunday January 7th 2001 - and I'm relating events in my life, from 1954 to ........ now, that's a little scary! Do you, like me, sometimes feel like it was only yesterday? Word soon got around Manurewa, and I started performing at various Weddings, 21st's parties, etc. - as you do. Quite often, the local newspapers would report on 'so and so's' wedding, etc., with "and local young magician, Tommy Orchard, SON OF LOCAL POLICEMAN, performed magic at such and such an affair - and hypnotised a group of people and ----. etc". Always, it was "the SON OF JACK ORCHARD-----" One week, it would be a report of how "JACK ORCHARD ARRESTED LOCAL YOBBO" - the next, "Tommy Orchard, the son of ----" It was almost a challenge to see which of us would grab the next headlines. BACKTRACK! While temporarily living in Papakura, I, like most magicians, got interest in Ventriloquism - learnt the art from the book 'Ventriloquism for Boys and Girls' - A Complete Set of Lessons in the Art of Voice Magic, written by Douglas Houlden, published 1958. Got a ' Vent' doll (it was made in Australia) from God knows where, and practised like mad. I remember riding my bicycle round the streets with 'Melvin' (that's what I called him), on the bar, yelling 'hello - how are you - goodbye' to all and sundry. That was fun. Hey - it wasn't me - it was the little fella - no, no, the other little fella - the wooden one! I've also acquired (probably from the same source I got Melvin), three booklets all written by GEORGE TOLLERTON - New Zealand's most famous ventriloquist during the '40s. He became a house hold name with his radio show called, 'Chuckles with Jerry' (Jerry being his vent. Doll). These booklets, titled respectively 'Chuckles with Jerry' pub. 1940 - 'Jerry Chuckles Again' pub. 1944, and, ';Chuckling Jerry's Micro-fun' pub. 1946, are full of scripts from the Radio shows, from which I put an act together, thus adding another string to my bow. It was okay for a while - had some fun, earned a few 'pennies' but, not really my forte - besides, there was already a ventriloquist in Auckland at the time - the absolute best, and, still is, my friend Trevor Hodson - better known throughout the country as 'Jon Zealando' - he is an immensely multi-talented magician/entertainer. In the early '60s another 'vent.' appeared briefly on the scene - Alan Cox - called himself 'Alleni'- got some good publicity for a short time, then 'disappeared' to Australia. I've got a little ahead of myself. For the first year or two after returning to 'civilisation' I felt very much like a 'fish out of water', having gotten used to the country way of life, which I loved - since then, city life never has agreed with me - much rather be outside of city or town limits - spoilt, you see, by Raupunga, although THAT was pretty extreme! Finished off my schooling at Papatoetoe High School (a town about 5 miles north of Manurewa), but didn't enjoy that too much, I was always getting 'stick' because I was a 'cop's' son - many of the pupils, like me, came from Manurewa, and my father wasn't too popular with the local lads - he 'spoiled all their fun'. The local Dairy (Milk Bar in the U.S.A. and Australia) was the 'hang-out' for everyone - it had THE JUKE-BOX -continuously pounding all the latest rock and roll hits of the day - the owner must have made a fortune. My father was always there, either trying to get the volume turned down, or breaking up squabbles/fights, or looking for some yobbo, (they all were as far as Dad was concerned). I wasn't allowed near the place, so that kind of put me on the outer - apart from the 'crime' of being a policeman's son. Every time one of the 'lads' or their father got into strife with 'THE LAW' revenge could be had via THE LAW'S son! It took an awful lot of magic tricks and hypnotic 'stunts' to save my skin behind the bike-shed, - it's little things like that which my Dad knew nothing about, until now. Self-preservation played a large part in my becoming a 'better' entertainer and I very quickly learned how to talk my way into, and out of, most situations! Events seemed to move very quickly in 1959/60/61. I shall expound further next issue. Have fun, everyone! ------------------------------------- 15. Diarise these events ------------------------------------- New Zealand National Magicians Convention - Auckland 27th - 31st December 2001 ------------------------------------- 16. MagicNZ e-zine archives ------------------------------------- Back issues of the MagicNZ e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: ezine Password: newzealand When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001nov0699.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (nov06) and the last next two numbers the year (99) If you want to print copies of MagicNZ e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/ezine-archive ------------------------------------- 17. Subscription Management ------------------------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the MagicNZ e-zine: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html MagicNZ e-zine is published weekly, on Sunday. The opinions expressed in this e-zine are those of the individual contributors. Neither MagicNZ or Alan Watson can vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via MagicNZ e-zine. We reserve the right to correct any errors or omissions as we see fit. This publication may be freely redistributed to other magicians if copied in its ENTIRETY << (c) Copyright 2000 Alan Watson