* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #451 Date: Sunday 8th October 2006 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com www.Alan-Watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. Update On Jonathan Pendragon 3. America's Got Talent 4. Benyon And McComb 5. Meetings With Remarkable Magicians # 30 - Nick Lewin 6. Fantasma Magic Lectures/Special Events 7. A World Record Breaking Day At Fantasma 8. Steps To Your Success: Successful Minded Thinking -5 9. Bev Bergeron Lecture - Show 10. A Dice Stacking Retrospective, Part 21 11. Houdini Was A Covert Agent... 12. A Kiwi In Vegas 13. David Ginn's Last 4 Christmas Magic Workshops 14. Here Is The Latest From Mindvention Headquarters 15. Broken Wand - John Salisse 16. UK Magic Convention Hosted By Ipswich Magical Society 17. Joys Of Cruising 18. The 'Ultimate Performers Workshop' 19. 28th New Zealand International Magicians Convention 20. The Amazing Orchante Saga 21. e-zine Archives 22. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- Sad message received from Philippa Evans today, Peter has had a series of falls causing brain damage after his illness and is now in Te Mana Private Hospital in Birkdale, Auckland, New Zealand for special care. Any cards or letters of support to go to the Evans family at 17B Blundell Place, Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand. Peter Evans is the holder of the highest New Zealand Magic Award, Grand Master of Magic. ----------------------- Ex Kiwi Pat - David J O'Connor Is saying goodbye to South Africa where he has been living for many years, and moving permanently to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ----------------------- If you're planning to attend the 28th New Zealand International Magicians Convention this is the last call - refer item 18 ----------------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. Update On Jonathan Pendragon -------------------------------------------- Message from Misty Lee forwarded on by Paul Daniels Okay, gang - here's the latest: Jonathan is out of ICU, and is recuperating well in a private room at the French Hospital/Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, CA. When I spoke with him tonight, he was focused and alert, and reported feeling better than he has the past few days. He has staples from his sternum to his navel from 'repairs', and has suffered puncture wounds from the accident in both his heart and diaphragm. In spite of his injuries, he is breathing on his own now and is even mildly ambulatory - he was getting up to walk as we were saying goodbye. They've found a blood clot in his arm that they're trying to dissolve, but even with the clot he's anticipating being home again in just a few days, and still intends to perform in South Carolina on October 12th. On an emotional level, Jonathan is thrilled at having 'beaten Houdini twice', and although still moderately shaken at being literally a centimeter from death, he had enough moxie in him today to get snarky with me a bit on the phone. *grin* That, of course, is a very good thing. Charlotte is currently battling the flu, and is fervently trying to assemble an acceptable show order for their upcoming performances. As Jonathan is forbidden from lifting anything over 10 lbs., this is a rather difficult task. Otherwise, she is holding up quite well. Please do not call the hospital. Cards and letters can be sent to our P.O. Box: Jonathan Pendragon c/o Dinicartoons P.O. Box 7134 Burbank, CA 91506 And of course, e-mail is welcome here: JP@mistylee.com Love to all of you, Misty -------------------------------------------- 3. America's Got Talent -------------------------------------------- Message from Fred Casto International President International Brotherhood of Magicians I got a call from Craig Brownstein who works for NBC's program "America's Got Talent" (that Nathan Burton and David and Dania appeared on last summer). They will be holding auditions in the next several weeks for the show which starts again in February and wanted to get the word out to magicians. I recommended Magic New Zealand so you may be getting an email from him. Trust all is well in your part of the world. Manya and I just returned from attending the British Ring convention in Eastbourne and visiting members of our new Paris Ring in Paris. The convention was a great success. In Paris we had dinner and saw the Jann Madd show "Metamophsis". It is on a boat on the Seine right across from Notre Dame. A must see for any magicians visiting Paris. -------------------------------------------- 4. Benyon And McComb -------------------------------------------- Message from Richard Walls (NZ) Reading the very interesting and informative article 'Classic Correspondence from Egyptian Hall Museum" by Mike Caveney in 'MAGIC' September 2006, which features a 1969 letter from Edgar Benyon to David Price, reminds me that none of the the many and deserved tributes to Billy McComb (who I met at a memorable visit to The Magic Castle in 1978) that I read, made mention of the considerable influence that Edgar had on the young McComb when he toured under canvas in Ireland in the 1930's. Having sparked off my interest in magic when touring with his show to Kaikoura in 1950, I got to know Edgar and his family very well over the many years that followed and Edgar's son-in-law, the late Sean O'Hagen, often talked of Billy. Edgar was always proud of Billy's later achievements. The association is, of course, well referenced in Jim O'Reilly's book, "Same Man Different Clothes'. May I also take the opportunity to thank the many who sent me congratulations on being the first Kiwi to achieve membership of the Order of Merlin, Excalibur. Many came from magi who I have not seen or been in contact with for many years. It is one of those things that "sort of just happened" and although I am no longer an active performer (and haven't been for many years now because of my career in public life), the friendships I have made endure and it is always good to renew old acquaintances. Membership of the IBM since 1956 - which doesn't seem that long ago - has been very much part of that. I can always be reached at rfwalls@xtra.co.nz. -------------------------------------------- 5. Meetings With Remarkable Magicians # 30 - Nick Lewin -------------------------------------------- Message from Nick Lewin How sweet it was. Back in the '80's I produced a series of shows for Searle, a pharmaceutical company in Chicago. The shows had been to introduce a new artificial sweetener called Nutra Sweet. The shows were very successful and resulted in one final full-scale production in Maui at the Four Seasons Hotel. While the shows had all gone extremely well I had become a little nervous about them and for some strange reason I just kept getting more and more nervous. I put it down to the fact that the CEO of the company was a very tough man to please. No matter what you did or how well it went you always felt that you had done something wrong! He was a very tough executive to please and someone you really didn't want to not please. The theme of the show was to be 'East meets West' and it was rather extravagant even by the overblown standards of '80's corporate events. Sushi chefs were flown in from Japan and a large Japanese style bridge traversed the ballroom. My job was to create a magic show that would fit the theme and wow the crowd. "It had better be great." Said my boss. The ".or else!" wasn't spoken but it hovered in the air. The show was designed to highlight Shimada, who would begin the performance with his immaculate dove act and close it with his Dragon Act. In between Glenn Falkenstein read minds and I performed comedy magic and illusions. Before dinner we had great close up magic to warm up the crowd and put them in the mood. We all arrived in Maui several days ahead of show time and under the care of magic's finest technical director Mr. David Novich we enjoyed the sand, sun and expenses that were charged to a master account. I still had slight misgivings about the show but decided not to panic about anything. Shimada was being assisted by his daughter Luna, a magnetic beauty who distracted any male within in a 300-yard radius. They were occupying the dressing room we had constructed on stage left and Glenn, myself and my two assistants shared the dressing area to the right of the stage. My boss spoke to me prior to showtime and rather than the customary "Have a good show." He growled, "This had better be good." He really knew how to make you feel at ease. Fifteen minutes ahead of showtime David Novich ran backstage and said "Nick, we have a problem." Yes, we did, because Shimada hadn't packed a single dove harness! My entire 'East meets West' theme was a shambles. Shimada said "I could make some more if I have time." I did what any good producer would do; I made time! I rearranged the show so that Shimada opened with the 'Dragon Act' And then Glenn and I stretched our shows until I got the thumbs up signal from Novich. I really didn't know quite what to expect but I introduced Shimada and watched breathlessly from the wings. He was perfect; nobody could have guessed that he had sewed the key props backstage in 50 minutes from his shirt! We all got a standing ovation on our final bow, and best of all even my boss was happy. Looking back I realize that I wasn't wrong in being slightly afraid of him, his name was Donald Rumsfeld our current Secretary of Defense, and he wasn't just as tough as I thought, he was tougher! Please send any bricks or bouquets to nicklewin@earthlink.net -------------------------------------------- 6. Fantasma Magic Lectures/Special Events -------------------------------------------- Message from Roger Dreyer CEO Fantasma October 19th Thursday, 7:30 PM $25 Chris Korn Magician Chris Korn from A&E's Mondo Magic and AXN's Mondo Magic Singapore will be lecturing in NY for the first time at Fantasma Magic. Chris will be doing a lecture on close-up magic highlighting routines from his DVD's and lecture notes. There will be a good deal of time spent on coin magic. There are some very basic moves taught, so even if you have never picked up a coin, you will leave with 2 vanishes that you can take home! There will be some advanced coin routines as well. Some card magic for any situation, and a few for the bar. There will be something for everyone, no matter your skill level. Reserve now for best seats for this upcoming lecture that should be sold out. October 25th Party 8 PM Fantasma Magic will be hosting a magic party for their magician friends from through out the world on Wednesday at 8 PM the day before the Swann Magic Auction. November 8th Wednesday Rocco Lecture 7:30 Fantasma Magic is very excited to have the recent Fism champion for creativity Rocco lecture and perform at their NYC venue. His show for all will be as entertaining as his lecture on a variety of different types of magic. All events held at Fantasma Magic, 421 7th Ave, NYC , NY 10001 212 244 3633 www.fantasmamagic.com Roger Dreyer CEO Fantasma 421 7th Ave. 2nd floor New York, NY 10001 212 924 8345 www.fantasmatoys.com -------------------------------------------- 7. A World Record Breaking Day At Fantasma -------------------------------------------- Message from John Jacobs The 6th September saw a very special day at the Fantasma Magical Experience in NYC's central Manhattan. Yes, the super store (the best on the planet in my opinion) saw witness to an amazing event where a number of performers attempted to both set and break world records for Record Holders Republic. Hosted by Roger Dreyer, the C.E.O of Fantasma, and organized by The Great Throwdini (a world record holder himself!) this was, without a doubt, an incredible array of talent! We all enjoyed looking around the store area with its magic, automata, rare magical pieces (including a very cool Houdini display with one of his original sub trunks along with picks, cuffs and a slew more from Roger Dreyer's huge collection) and so much more, before sitting down for the official press conference. A packed audience of the public, press and television stations were eager for the record breaking to begin. And begin it did! At twelve noon the event officially started. All the performers cheered each other on and the camaraderie between them was incredible. Everybody was on the edge of their seats as record after record was either broken or set. There is no doubt that these will take some beating! The actual records were as follows . Torch in Mouth: Flambeaux 39 seconds, formerly Matt The Knife 23 seconds Straitjacket: Paul Carpenter 15.72 seconds, formerly David Straitjacket 29 seconds Fork Bending: 10 forks, 6 bends each, Paul Carpenter 52.62 seconds Coin Manipulation: Producing 10 US Silver Dollars, Justin Style 34.88 seconds Light Bulb Eating: Fastest, Todd Robbins 50.06 seconds Card Cutting: One Hand, Charlier Double Cut, Simultaneous L/R hand, 30 cuts, Simon Lovell 29.25 seconds Card Cutting: One Hand, Erdnase style Triple Cut, One hand, 30 cuts, Simon Lovell 1 min 27.56 seconds Card Cutting: One Hand, Simey Quadruple Cut, Simultaneous L/R hand, 10 cuts, Simon Lovell 48.34 seconds Wrist Strap Escape: Thomas Blacke 1.47 seconds Balloon Dog (8 bulb): pre-blown balloon, front of body, Thomas Blacke 4.35 seconds Balloon Dog (8 bulb): pre-blown balloon, rear of body, Thomas Blacke 5.25 seconds, formerly John Cassidy 7.4 seconds The fabulous contortionist Ravi unfortunately failed in his attempt to fit into a 16" square box but retired to huge applause for his efforts. Along with many others I am convinced that he will complete this extraordinary feat very soon indeed. Time keeping and counts, where needed, were handled by the Great Throwdini and Chris McDaniel (yet another world record holder!) who took great care to make sure that everything was recorded accurately for the Record Holders Republic book and web site. The event was featured on both Channel 5 and Channel 7 News that night along with mentions in all the papers. All in all this was an event that thrilled the entire crowd leaving many shaking their heads at the talent, dexterity and sheer determination from the performers. Great thanks are due to The Great Throwdini and Roger Dreyer for organizing such an enjoyable event! Even if records aren't being broken (not something you see every day) I'd still recommend a visit to Fantasma next time you are in NYC. It's easy to find on 33rd and 7th and where else can you get to hang out with folks like Roger Dreyer, Simon Lovell and David Roth? I'll definitely be back! John Jacobs -------------------------------------------- 8. Steps To Your Success: Online Business Card Printing - 5 -------------------------------------------- Message from Kyle Peron (US) E-Mail: Magic4u02@aol.com Having a business card and using them always is certainly one of the many ways in which to seek and grow your own success. However, there are some things one should consider when it comes to designing your own business card. Designing your own business card and getting them printed online may seem like a great idea for you and it is certainly an option worth exploring for several reasons. Many feel that they can get the following from doing design and printing of their cards at online printing sources. Some of the factors involved with going online would be: 1) You want a professional and classy printed business card to represent you and your company. This gives a much better quality appearance than printing them off on your own printer at home. 2) You don't want to learn an unfamiliar graphics-editing program that may take you a long time to learn and master and may cost a lot of money as an initial investment. 3) Using online templates may make it easier for you to create a nice looking card that works for you and your services. However, there are some factors you also must consider with doing any online business card designing or printing. These are all things that you should think about before you begin the process so as to save you both time and money as well as headaches further down the road. Creating your own business card design is not an easy task. Photoshop can seem overwhelming and most desktop design programs that come with your system do not even scratch the surface of professional design requirements that you will need for designing a professional card that serves you well and brands you in your marketplace. 1) You can expect to pay close to $350-$945 for a quality graphic design program like Photoshop, Illustrator or QuarkXpress. 2) If you have no prior graphic design experience, it can take days, weeks, months or even years to master the program, resulting in frustration and wasted time. Also, just because you know how to use the program effectively, this does not give you the design knowledge and know-how in regards to truly creating a card that looks great and communicates your needs in the best way possible. This can also lead to frustration down the road. One way to go about some of these problems is hiring an artist or graphic designer to work with you. These are professionals who know the graphic design business and can work with capturing your services and what you offer in a design that best communicates this to your intended market. If you have a mature business and need a high-impact logo, I suggest going this route. Getting your business cards printed online is one method of printing that can and will save you time and money. Breakthroughs in digital printing formats have allowed online printers to print lower volumes and keep costs reasonable. Because there are a lot of online printing companies, they are competing for your dollar. This means savings you can directly enjoy. However, not all online printers are the same. There are many methods for digital printing and these all end up with different quality results. The finished product may look different from printer to printer even though they may be printing the exact same design you give them. One thing to look out for in digital or online printing is that color tends to shift and not be as color accurate. You can save yourself a lot of headache by requesting the printer to provide you with a proof before they run the cards off. Many will do this for you. This is your way to make sure they have your card set up the way YOU want it to look before they print the volume and quantity you request. Because all printers are not the same, you will also always want to ask your printer to provide you with printed samples. They will always do this for you if you ask them to. This way you can really see the paper and style and color and quality of the stuff they run off and determine if the quality meets up to your own standards. If you are designing the card yourself and having them printed online, you will also want to check out their site to look carefully on the instructions on how that printer needs the files to be set up. Many printers online have a page that will give you instructions on the formats they except as well as the sizes they will need and how to upload the cards to them. In the next issue I will try to dive a bit deeper into this subject by talking about what exactly you can ask your online printer before you ever have them print anything for you. I will go into detail on some of the questions you may want to ask as you explore your options. Kyle Peron Magician and Illusionist Graphic Designer and Illustrator (Specializing in Logo creation) www.kyleandkellymagic.com -------------------------------------------- 9. Bev Bergeron Lecture - Show -------------------------------------------- Message from Bev Bergeron Coming October 21st 2006! That's right REBO himself direct from the Magic Land of Alakazam the Magic Circus, national television appearances with Red Skelton, Lucy Ball, Jack Benny, Johnny Carson, and 15 years of performances at the Diamond Horseshow Review in Disney World and many many more! Early national television fame as REBO on The Magic Land of Allakazam (CBS and ABC-TV), as well as over 16,000 shows. Writer of books and material for the top magicians of the world; creator and inventor of major illusions and hundreds of magic effects. Author of two books: Tony Marks - Aristocrat of Deception, the first time disclosure of a famous act with details of his magic and his life; and Willard the Wizard, a thoroughly researched look into early 20th century magic shows which has been used by the Smithsonian Institution. Producer of two videos on magic and the art of clowning. Now coming both to entertain and share his expertise to you at Hampels Magic Center! October 21 2 p.m. Lecture and At 7 p.m. The Bev Bergeron show right in our magic theater! Tickets will be $40.00 for the lecture Can't make the lecture in the afternoon? It's just $8.00 for the evening show. Call For Tickets Right Away! Tickets are $40.00 for lecture and $8.00 for his evening performance! Call (618) 537-4406 now for this historic event! Hampels Magic Center 119 West St. Louis Street Lebanon IL., 62254 (618) 537-4406 Hours Monday thru Saturday 10 am till 5 p.m. www.hampelsmagic.com dennis@hampelsmagic.com -------------------------------------------- 10. A Dice Stacking Retrospective, Part 21 -------------------------------------------- Message from Tony L. Lewis In the prior article in this series, I disclosed some factors that caused me to try to get a booking at the Magic Castle. I felt that my audition at the Magic Castle went rather well. However, the judges did not share my enthusiasm. After the audience departed, a couple of judges critiqued my act. This was the first time in my life that I had ever had my magic abilities analyzed so thoroughly. This proved to be both daunting and informative. At least they didn't tell me that I didn't have a chance of ever appearing at The Castle. However, it was made clear that it would take a lot of work on my part for me to make the grade. They did all like my dice stacking finale. I think if it hadn't been for that, I would have been given the permanent gate. One effect that had always been a winner for me was my presentation of Abbott's Chinese Coins. However, the main part of this trick is that a set of coins turns from gold to silver. It turns out that in a large room, this transformation is barely noticeable. Therefore I had to see if I could have a new set of coins made up so that the change would be clearly discernible. Fortunately, a friend of mine was very skilled in working with enamel. I decided to have the transformation involve having the silver coins turn to black ones which would be designated as lumps of coal in the routine. My friend made up the set for me. Four of the coins are used in the climax. They had a gold, blue, red, and a red diamond side on them respectively. These are used to represent gold, a sapphire, a ruby, and a diamond. My friend did a superb job on tthe coins and I treasure them to this day. In addition to this effect, there were other parts of my act that also needed improvement. I worked industriously on my routines for the next year. I performed my act for several test audiences and got as much feedback as I could. When a year had passed, I felt I was ready to take another shot at an audition. I bought a nice melamine board for my dice stacking finale and I was on my way. This time the audition was much better received. When it was over I was informed that I had made the grade. I set up a date for my week long performance in the Castle's closeup parlour and happily returned to The San Francisco Bay area where I collected my bet from Palmer Tilden. The next article will be the final one of the series. However, after a short break, I plan to make regular contributions to this ezine. Regards, Tony L. Lewis Tonylew1@SBCglobal.net -------------------------------------------- 11. Houdini Was A Covert Agent... -------------------------------------------- Message from Barry Khoo Houdini Was a Covert Agent, New Book Claims http://www.nysun.com/article/38654 by Gary Shapiro - Staff Reporter of the Sun August 28, 2006 The famed magician Harry Houdini guarded the secrets behind his legendary escapes from handcuffs, chains, jails, milk cans, mailbags, and water chambers. But the authors of a forthcoming book on Houdini will be disclosing that he had another secret: his role as a spy. This claim is already causing a stir in the magic community and will create more buzz on October 31 - exactly 80 years after Houdini's death at age 52 - when William Kalush and Larry Sloman's "The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero" rolls off the presses. The authors argue that intelligence agencies on both sides of the ocean likely employed the Hungarian-born showman. The book notes that Houdini canceled profitable contracts and abruptly headed to Europe in 1900, and it surmises that he might have been spying in Germany, feeding information to the Scotland Yard superintendent, William Melville. Other claims in the forthcoming book, some of which were outlined in a recent article in the Sunday Times of London, are that Houdini assisted German police with information about wanted criminals, monitored anarchists in Russia, and engaged in anti-counterfeiting activities for the Secret Service. "Some of it may be true," an author and collector of Houdini material, Arthur Moses, said, "but it's hard to believe it's all true." He did say what he has read of the book is meticulously researched and well written. A call to Mr. Kalush was referred to the publisher's publicity department, which declined any interviews until closer to the publication date. "I'll believe anything that there's evidence for," a Houdini biographer who is reserving judgment until he has read the book, Kenneth Silverman, said. But he bristled at the suggestion that Houdini's quick rise to fame was partly assisted by police. The new book apparently claims that there was a quid pro quo whereby detectives in Chicago would promote Houdini if he taught them lock escapes and other skills. To the contrary, Mr. Silverman maintained, "He owed his huge reputation to the work he did on stage." The publisher of Genii magazine, Richard Kaufman, said Mr. Kalush had viewed documents that appear to support the claim that Houdini, if not actually a spy, helped the embryonic British intelligence service gather information. However, a historian at the Washington-based International Spy Museum, Thomas Boghardt, who has not yet read the book, said British espionage did not start in earnest until 1909. He also said William Melville, the head of Scotland Yard, was principally involved in counterespionage in England rather than spying abroad. Throughout history, conjurors have engaged in espionage and police and detective work. The French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871) - whose name the young Ehrich Weiss invoked when he renamed himself Harry Houdini - worked as an envoy in Algeria and helped quell an uprising by showing that indigenous Algerian magic could not match French conjuring. During World War II, the illusionist Joseph Dunninger (1892-1975) advised the U.S. Armed Forces on camouflage techniques, the magic scholar Robert Reiss recalled. The sleight-of-hand master John Scarne (1903-1985) also worked for the American Army during the war, showing traveling soldiers how not to be cheated at craps, gambling, and cards. In the 1950s, the Central Intelligence Agency hired the thaumaturge John Mulholland (1898-1970) to write a pamphlet on sleight of hand to help operatives administer other substances clandestinely - for instance, by slipping drugs into people's drinks. Defectors during the Cold War were smuggled out of East Germany in cars that were built like the magic boxes used in stage illusions. Magicians have also helped security guards understand how sleight of hand can be used to steal valuable items. More recently, a former acting director of central intelligence, John McLaughlin, has performed magic in demonstrating to intelligence officers how easily they can be fooled even after a magician tells them he is going to fool them. A professor of security management at John Jay College of Justice, Robert McCrie, said there was a phase between roughly 1915 and the end of the Cold War when celebrities liked to hobnob with spies and international police. He also said that Houdini, as a world-famous magician, had access to this world that most people did not have. But the fact that Houdini might have passed along information to law enforcement did not necessarily make him an operative. "It's proper to receive credit for trying to be helpful, but the police department can thrive without him." One way that Houdini was helpful to law enforcement, Mr. McCrie said, was by showing them that their restraints had limitations and could be overcome. A historian of American policing and a former Chicago commander of detectives, Thomas Reppetto, said Houdini certainly knew police and had a reason to travel. The claim that he was an agent for police "doesn't sound impossible. They could certainly have made use of him." But to call Houdini a secret agent "in the James Bond sense" might be taking it a little far, a historian of magic, Richard Kohn, said. "He may well have been an observer who passed along observations." But he also said Houdini was very impressed with himself. The magician and paranormal debunker James Randi cautioned, "If Houdini had been a spy, that would have gotten out. He never would have been able to sit on it." Mr. Randi said the story of Jasper Maskelyne (1902-1973) - a magician whose skills at deception helped the British defeat the Germans in North Africa during World War II - got out quickly. Don Stashower thinks Houdini makes a good private eye - but in fiction. He has written three mystery novels featuring Houdini as a detective. "The same skills that make him a good magician and escape artist," he said, "also made him an interesting person to cast as a detective because he was naturally good at solving problems and figuring out puzzles." -------------------------------------------- 12. A Kiwi In Vegas -------------------------------------------- Message from Guy Cater (NZ) It has always been a dream of mine to perform in Las Vegas. I guess for many of us here at the bottom of the world Las Vegas is the Mecca of Entertainment. My dream came true last month when I performed my Hypnotism Show at the Riviera and the Las Vegas Hilton. I flew into LAX and hired a car and drove up to Vegas on a most beautiful September day. Arriving in Vegas I turned into the Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard) and drove past all the famous casinos watching the hundreds of tourists walking up and down the strip just as I had with my wife the last few years. This time it was different.. I was driving to work! The Le Bistro Theatre in the Riviera is not a grand large room but it has all the facilities that are often lacking at venues here in New Zealand.. Awesome lighting, great stage, brilliant sound, friendly and talented technicians etc. It was a delight. Very unprofessionally I sneaked a peek from the wings and enjoyed watching the Matre De shepherding the folk into the room and thought how wonderful . these people have come to Las Vegas for their vacation and they have each spent money to see ME!! The Riviera included my show in with their other entertainment in their publicity and showed me holding 'The Benny" which is New Zealand's highest entertainment award from the New Zealand Variety Artists Club, and that was wonderful. I have a large New Zealand flag that I always hang onstage at all my overseas gigs. The Riviera show went so well . the other part of the dream!! The next night I had a gig at the Las Vegas Hilton (formally the Flamingo). This was also a brilliant show and I came out of there feeling like a million dollars, my feet were hardly touching the ground - I seemed to be floating and if I had a hat, my head would have been too big to wear it. I stood beside the magnificent bronze statue of Elvis outside and phoned my wife in New Zealand. After telling Cynthia how great the show was and how I felt being the fist New Zealander to headline in Vegas, I said goodbye and then read the plaque on Elvis's statue. He did 827 consecutive sold-out performances .. bubble burst . I suddenly felt a little humble and ashamed at being so boastful. But nothing can take away the fact that I worked Vegas and achieved a life long ambition. Next night I went to watch 'V - The Ultimate Variety Show' at the Aladdin Casino. Many New Zealanders will remember Russ Merlin as he toured here with the festival of Magic some years ago. Russ and I had worked together in Singapore (along with Paul Romhany) from 1998 to 2001 for three months each year. Russ gave me a ticket and I thoroughly enjoyed 'V' and highly recommend to all who wish to see 8 artists each of whom is an amazing individual talent. from Russ of course to the hilarity of Wally Eastwood, the fastest juggler in the world (and a top comedian too) to the beauty and skill of magician Jason Burne and is doves and parrots. After the show I went to dinner with Russ and the cast and it concluded for me one of the most amazing three days of my life. -------------------------------------------- 13. David Ginn's Last 4 Christmas Magic Workshops -------------------------------------------- Message from David Ginn (US) New York, Boston, Detroit, Chicago - Here comes Santa Claus! No, it's David Ginn and friends---who have already shared the FUN of working Christmas shows and parties with capacity crowds in Dallas, Houston, Pensacola, and Atlanta. Now the last four such workshops are coming up soon as you see below. If you work Christmas Shows at parties, churches, schools, libraries, shopping malls and retail stores . . . Come spend six hours with David Ginn and friends and you'll walk away with a lifetime of practical experience! Every registrant gets the FREE 50-page Christmas Magic Workbook, written by David Ginn and a dozen friends . . . Plus spouses are FREE! Hey, you can even bring children FREE if they're willing to participate in routines on stage! Last Chance ... Register Now! Christmas Magic Workshop Starring Author/Magician David Ginn With Special Guest Steve Harmer Oct. 14: Long Island, NY 9 am - 4 pm Community United Methodist Church 100 Park Blvd . Massapequa NY 11758 info: John LePre 516-799-8420 Oct. 15: Boston area MA 2 - 8 pm WORCESTER HOTEL 500 Lincoln St (Rt 70) . Worcester MA 01605 info: Fran Flynn 508-854-1392 Nov. 11: Flint, MI . 9 am - 4 pm Encore Magic Shop 5270 Corunna Rd . Flint MI 48532 Reg w/Chris: 810-732-3694 Nov. 12: Chicago area IL . 2 - 8 pm American Legion Hall 6431 Pershing Rd (39th at Ridgeland) Stickney, Illinois $35 advance / $45 at the door. Spouse free with paid performer. Junior Magicians/Clowns $35 with one parent free. Ten Children ages 6-12 will be allowed FREE with paid parents, if they are well-behaved and willing to assist on stage. Workshop includes four lectures, a live show, tricks and routines for Christmas performances, and information on how to work Christmas parties as a magician or clown. Send registration to: David Ginn, 370 Bay Grove Road, Loganville GA 30052. Email registrations with credit card: david@ginnmagic.com Phone Registrations: 770-466-8421 Line #1 free book!!! Each registrant gets a free copy of David Ginn's NEW Christmas Magic Workbook, filled with over 35 pages of routines, ideas, and ways to work Christmas Party Shows. Book is Not For Sale! Please pass the words to your friends in these areas of the USA! -------------------------------------------- 14. Here Is The Latest From Mindvention Headquarters -------------------------------------------- Message from Danny Archer (US) Two performers had to cancel, Greg Arce and John Riggs ... they have both expressed their regrets ... we will miss their energy and enthusiasm and I hope they can join us in the future, but MINDvention rolls on ... To replace Greg is the multi-talented Francis Menotti ... Francis was already scheduled to do his Off Color Mentalism show and now he will present his lecture on creativity as well (lecture details below) ... Francis is a wonderful performer (as you will remember from his turn in last year's attendee show) and since one of our discussions this year is on creativity, I thought this was the perfect match. To replace John (who many feel is irreplaceable), I am thrilled to announce that Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame, will be presenting his full show that made for record-setting attendance at the Magic Castle earlier this year. In addition, Jason will talk about mixing magic and mentalism, presentation, and his own personal journey that led him to his act. The line-up for the dealer's room is solid with several familiar faces and a few new ones as well: Alakazam (UK), Bill Pearce, Maverick Magic, Jheff, Sean Taylor (Australia), Lee Earle, Mark Strivings, Patrick Redford and Wonder Warehouse I am fine tuning the schedule and will post it soon. I am never happy having to announce schedule changes, but with the stellar performers filling in (and maybe a surprise act or two), I am really looking forward to three excellent days of performing, learning and sharing. There is still plenty of time to make your plans to join us in Las Vegas. Danny Archer MINDvention Nov 5th - 7th, 2006 MINDvention.com Francis Menott's Creativity Lecture Are you a creative performer? Do you truly feel that your audience will watch you and get something different from your performance that they will from any other magician? That's a pretty tall order, but one that I am completely confident that anyone can fill, with a little work. This lecture is intended to inspire the magician (professional and hobbiest alike) to look at their performances with a fresh set of eyes: to look beyond the separation of the effect from the presentation, or the separation of the old and the new. In this session, I hope to join my lecture-audience on a journey through discovering (and sometimes rediscovering) tools of inspiration taught and used by some of the top actors, writers, visual artists and magicians ever. My hope is not to preach, but to convey these useful practices that I have acquired from some true legends of the various arts and to help other magicians put them to use on some level in their own progression as a lover and performer of magic. The average person (and certainly the average magician) seems to think that he or she is not very creative, nor capable of being creative. Together, we address this and many other fallacies about creativity through examining:  * "Rules" to create by  * Sources of inspiration (literature, movies, music, artists...)  * Games and exercises to strengthen the creative mind  * Creating new methods  * Creating new plots  * The POSITIVE aspects of independent creation Peace, Danny Archer The World's Greatest mentalists will gather in Las Vegas, NV from November 5th -7th for three days of education, entertainment and enlightenment ... find out how you can join them .... Mindvention Danny Archer Magic 1911 Yosemite Street Denver, CO 80220-2254 303-321-6267 www.dannyarcher.com -------------------------------------------- 15. Broken Wand - John Salisse -------------------------------------------- Message from John Palfreyman The sad news that John Salisse passed away last week reached me today. The funeral is over and it was with just close family. More news will no doubt be in the various Magical Presses ----------------- Whaley's Who's Who In Magic: Salisse, John [Joseph], CBE, MIMC (Bournemouth, England: 24 Mar 1926- ) Inspired c1946 by library bio of Robert-Houdin. Businessman. Amateur comedy magician & vent. Aka "John Morris". Honorary Secretary, The Magic Circle, 1966-85. SAM Hall of Fame. Co-wrote (with Anne Davenport) A Candid View of Maskelyne's 1916-1917 (1995). -------------------------------------------- 16. UK Magic Convention Hosted By Ipswich Magical Society -------------------------------------------- Message from Simon Shaw Secretary. Ipswich Magical Society Paul Daniels, Roy Davenport and Oz Pearlman will all be appearing at the Ipswich Magical Society Convention on Sunday 22nd October. So for a full day of Lectures, close Up magic, Dealers, networking and of course the Evening Gala show please visit the website, http://www.ipswichmagicalsociety.co.uk/eveconv2006.htm or contact Simon Shaw on 07949 907 426. Registration is £25 but tickets are selling fast. -------------------------------------------- 17. Joys Of Cruising -------------------------------------------- Message from Paul Romhany (NZ) Many years ago Ricki Dunn gave me some very valuable advice on entertainment. Firstly he said that show business was 90% show and 10% business. Any busy professional will tell you this is true. I think that advice applies to working on cruise ships regards traveling. Actually Ricki's second piece of advice was to understand that show business is all about waiting. You are always waiting to go on stage, waiting to get paid, waiting for the next gig etc. If you want to work cruise ships you really need to understand that this is what it's all about ... waiting! This weeks cruise is a classic example. I flew out from Vancouver to Toronto and then to Rome. When you arrive at the airport there should be (hopefully) a port agent to pick you up and drive you to the ship. It's always a relief when you see the agent standing there with a sign and your name on it. Of course the relief starts when you see your bag! So we drive 45 minutes to the ship. If you've ever been in a car in Italy then you'll know they love speed. When we reached the port the agent was driving so fast that he actually drove (smashed) through the barrier arm and broke the window of the car. In this case I was in the back seat which was just as well. He kept driving despite somebody driving behind us honking the horn, when he stopped at the ship I jumped out with my bags and didn't look back! I don't know what happened to him but the person honking the horn was the police. I was on the ship for a week, and 'waited' for 4 days until I performed my show. Then waited another 3 until I had to flY to my next ship. Off the ship in Madrid and flew to Athens where again I waited for over 12 hours, giving me time to actually head in to Athens and have lunch. I should say that the driver in Madrid got up to speeds of 160 kmph, this time I was in the front seat watching the world zoom by. As I write this I am finally in my hotel room after a 1 am flight to Alexandria, Egypt, where it is now 4am in the morning having just got to the hotel. Upon arrival I was told my pick up to the ship was 7am!! So Ricki's advice all those years ago applies to those wanting to work ships. Your travel time on ships is about 90% and your actual shows takes up only 10% of your time. Once you understand the concept of 'waiting' you'll be well on your way ... plus get a good book! Paul Romhany paul@chaplinmagic.com www.paulromhany.com www.chaplinmagic.com www.magicmasterclass.com -------------------------------------------- 18. The 'Ultimate Performers Workshop' -------------------------------------------- Message from Paul Stone I am very excited to send you details of the 'ultimate Performers Workshop' event that I will be producing in Las Vegas from 14th - 17th February 2007. This is NOT a Magic Convention but a genuine Performers Workshop. The information, tips and advice will be worth many thousands of $$$ to any performer, whether a full time or part time professional. The opportunity to spend quality time with these outstanding Presenters alone is worth the price of admission! Check out the advert below and visit our website www.ultimateperformersopportunity.com for full details and to see a video message from our Star Presenters! Also read on to find out how, as a loyal Unique Magic Collection customer, YOU will receive an additional discount on the Special Offer price. Don't miss this UNIQUE opportunity! -------------------------------------------- 19. 28th New Zealand International Magicians Convention -------------------------------------------- Hosted by Palmerston North Magic Circle (Inc) Palmerston North, New Zealand. 20th to 23rd October 2006 For the registration html form to print off Go to: http://www.joel.co.nz/convention/reg_form.htm Information on the convention Go to: http://www.watson.co.nz/convention.html The Schedule of events Go to: http://www.joel.co.nz/convention/timetable.htm Convention headliners: David Williamson (USA) Lisa Menna (USA) Duane and Mary Laflin (USA) Joel Howlett (Aus) Alan Martell (UK) If you are planning to attend and have not booked - BOOK NOW - as seats are NOW VERY limited. ----------------- 20. The Amazing Orchante Saga ----------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Page 127 The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand - Annual Celebrity Roast - 2002 On Tuesday the 27th of August 2002, the V A C (Variety Artists Club of New Zealand), held their annual 'roast' in honour of 'N.Z.'s Rock n Roll legend' (legend), Tom Sharplin. The well - known N.Z. hypnotist, Guy Cater, who was officiating, ask me to 'Do a few words' on Tom - which he would 'read out on the night'. I thought that perhaps everyone might get a laugh, or at least a smile, from my Ten Cents worth. Here's the TRUE story I sent to Guy. Sometime during the years of 1972/73, I met Auckland promoter, David J. Mc Kee. David managed a band called 'NOAZARK', who had a minor hit record called - 'Money's Made to Burn', which was produced on Dave's own label: 'Kontact' Recording Co. Ltd. He also managed and recorded various vocalists, among them, Brent Brodie, Angela Ayers, Maria Dallas and, TOM SHARPLIN! During those years we worked or toured with all of these wonderful entertainers, courtesy of Dave McKee, who was also managing us at the time as well. The Fire/Yogi/ Mime acts worked well with 'Rock' Shows. Tom Sharplin is one of those people who, for one reason or another, kind of 'sticks' in your memory like a fly sticks to gum paper. Now remember, I'm talking (at the time of writing) 'THIRTY YEARS AGO', so this story, like its storyteller, maybe 'A LITTLE RUSTY AROUND THE HINGES'! David McKee had organized an afternoon Kids Show in a hall or theatre, in Hamilton or Cambridge or somewhere like that. During the show, a little skit/pantomime was enacted that involved some of the members of Noazark and Tom Sharplin - where they were apparently going to perform some sort of 'operation' on Tom. From a 'KID'S'' point of view, and a hell of a lot of the parents, the scenario that was about to unfold would throw them all into the realms of a -'Psychotic Blood Bath of Horror'! Terrible yells where emitting from Tom's mouth as he was 'forcibly' held down, then someone (one of the band members), wandered on stage, brandishing a bloody great handsaw! Tom's shrieks intensified as they apparently started to: 'Saw His Leg Off'! Consequently, when Tom and his leg 'parted company', and he and his 'leg' were carted off to the opposite sides of the stage, amid realistic, bloodcurdling screams of terror - several kids, who were by now scared witless, proceeded to 'Fill Their Pants'! The audience was in hysterics! The smell was atrocious! You might say that after that exemplary farce, the 'Proverbial', really did hit the fan! I don't know about now, but in those days very few people were aware that Tom had/has a false leg, and even less would have believed it, after having watched the way he danced around during his performance! After that 'Never to be Forgotten' performance from Tom Sharplin, I decided that it would indeed be okay to perform various 'Dangerous Tricks' at 'Kid's Magic Shows'; demonstrating various 'Death Defying and Marvellous Effects'. For instance, 'Swallowing Razor Blades', only to regurgitate them back up, tied onto a length of cotton at intervals; or how to 'Hammer a six inch nail up your nose!' Then there was 'The String Thing' (Psychic Surgery).This entails, 'Swallowing six feet of string, then cutting an incision into your stomach by stabbing yourself with a knife, so that you, or rather, members of the audience, can pull the 'bloodied' string out from inside your stomach - through the bleeding wound! "I would like to take this opportunity to say - thank you Tom Sharplin, for your innovative demonstration on not only how to get oneself rebooked for at least double your fee, but also a valuable lesson on: 'how to entertain sensitive little kiddies'!' As you all probably realise, although the story is factual, there is just a 'Little Bit' of colourful 'writers licence' in the above tale. Hey, this was a 'ROAST' and - "THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT"! -------------------------------------------- 21. Magic New Zealand e-zine Archives -------------------------------------------- Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/fezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: magic Password: kiwi When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999) -------------------------------------------- 22. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to any other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand® E-zine at www.watson.co.nz/fezine.html. Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday. The opinions expressed therein are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of Magic New Zealand®. Neither Magic New Zealand® nor Alan Watson vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via Magic New Zealand® E-zine. Subscribers to this publication and authors who contribute to it by doing so agree they will not hold Magic New Zealand® or Alan Watson, jointly or individually liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed therein. Magic New Zealand® reserves the right to alter, correct or disregard any articles submitted. Readers are encouraged to submit timely articles or news items which may be of interest to subscribers. By submitting articles to this e-zine, the authors grant Magic New Zealand® the right to publish such articles and such authors confirm their copyright of the material submitted. All works published by Magic New Zealand® are protected by international copyright legislation and articles must not be published for profit by anyone other than the individual authors without the written permission of Magic New Zealand®. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this publication may be freely redistributed, but not sold, to other magicians if copied in its entirety, including the copyright notice below and the above disclaimer. © Copyright 2006 Alan Watson