*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Magic New Zealand®
* Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment Ltd (New
Zealand)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Issue Number: #1616
Date: Sunday 25th April 2021
Editor: Alan Watson QSM
www.watson.co.nz
E-mail: editor@magicnewzealand.com
================================
Hi here is the latest news
================================
1.
Editor's Message
2. May Issue Genii Magazine
3. IBM Convention Online 2021
4. FISM World Championship Of Magic & FISM NA
5. Magical Women With Connie Boyd
6. Magic Monthly "The Disclaimer"
7. Jeff Bibik On The Magic Word
8. Do You Want To Raise Your Magic To The Next Level?
9. Think - John Carey #116
10. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #8
11. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
12. E-zine Archives
13. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
--------------------------------------------
1. Editor's Message
--------------------------------------------
If
you would like to read the Magic New Zealand e-zine in HTML
format
go to: http://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2021-Jan-to-Dec-2021/1616-Apr25-2021.html
If
you would like to write a regular column for Magic New Zealand
or have some magic news drop me a line:
Editor@MagicNewZealand.com
--------------------------------------------
2. May Issue Genii Magazine
--------------------------------------------
Message by Richard Kaufman - Editor Genii Magazine
Get the latest every month by subscribing to Genii for as
little as $35 at www.geniimagazine.com
On
our cover this month is Joan DuKore, a pro magician who
has worked steadily for decades in Las Vegas. Born in Hawaii,
a ballet student for many years, she started learning to
handle cards while most of us were watching cartoons on
Saturday morning. Joan was a magician's assistant before
eventually ditching the magician and taking his place. She
works The Magic Castle regularly and David Regal interviews
her about her interesting career.
This
month "The Eye" changes eyes as we welcome Vanessa
Armstrong as our new all-seeing oracle of news. With a deep
bow of gratitude we thank Chloe Olewitz for all the work
she did on "The Eye" and also in Genii over the
past few years. She now has so much real world work that
she can't keep up! Vanessa hits the ground running and I
know you'll enjoy what she does with the column.
Elsewhere
in these pages, David Regal (again with Regal!) explains
a fine impromptu Cups and Balls routine in "Material
Concessions"; Hannibal sings the praises of doing magic
across the bar in "Happiness is the Road"; Jon
Racherbaumer explores some out of this world mishegas in
"Exhumations"; John Bannon mates with his playing
cards in "Dealing With It"; Krystyn Lambert asks
What Do You Create? in "Stage as Studio"; Jonathan
Friedman brings you three magical miracles in "Magicana";
Vice President of the Academy of Magical Arts, Max Maven,
brings us this month's "Knights at The Magic Castle";
Brad Henderson, Bill Wells, Tom Frame review tricks, videos,
and books. This month we also say goodbye to the well-known
Spanish card magician Ramon Riobóo with an obituary
by Miguel Puga, translated by our pal Mike Elizalde.
--------------------------------------------
3. IBM Convention Online 2021
--------------------------------------------
Message by Shawn Farquhar (Canada)
Out
of an abundance of safety we are doing our annual convention
virtually.
The
dates are July 8th-10th and we are filling three days with
lectures, panel talks, interviews, contests, and shows.
In
fact here's just a partial list of acts we have contracted
to appear:
Full
online shows from:
Justin Willman : Magic for Humans
Ben Siedman : Camera Tricks
Rune Carlsen : Magic Show Off
Interviews
with:
Stephen Bargatze
Nate Bargatze
Mac King
Shin Lim
Casey Thomas
Lectures
by:
Dani Daortiz
Henry Harrius
Boris Wild
Panel
Talks:
Family Entertainment:
Ken Scott
Christopher T Magician
Joe Romano
Theatre
Owners:
TBA
Featured
performers:
Rachel Wax
Meadow Perry
Aspen Ortiz
Louie Foxx
Sanjee Vinodh
Elliott Hunter
Jay the Juggling Magician
Alex Zander
Nikola Arkane
Ice McDonald
Paige Thompson
And
more to be announced...
More
can be found at www.ibmconvention.com
The
best news is it's super affordable as the cost for everyone
is just $99 for the three day event and includes one full
year of IBM Membership with the digital edition of the Linking
Ring! That's right, if you aren't a member you will become
a member at no additional costs and if you're already a
member, then your member ship will be extended for a full
extra year! Registration is FREE for all youth IBM members
and they can also attend the three day Lance Burton Teen
Seminar which will be held from July 5th-7th also online,
which is also FREE.
The
entire convention will be recorded and for a limited period
directly following the event all those that registered will
have access to stream the event since we realize as an international
organization not all our members are in the same time zones!
--------------------------------------------
4. FISM World Championship Of Magic & FISM NA
--------------------------------------------
Message by Ryan Joyce (Canada)
What
magicians need to know about FISM World Championship of
Magic & FISM NA
Important
April 2021 Updates for FISM World Championship of Magic
and North American FISM Qualifying Championship Updates
with Renée-Claude Auclair!
Table
of Contents
0:00
- Welcome
0:43 - What are the 5 North American FISM Member Societies?
0:55 - North American FISM Qualifying Championship Explained
2:21 - Qualification to FISM World Championship of Magic
2:35 - Combined 2021 Convention
2:47 - 28th FISM World Championship of Magic
3:43 - How countries are chosen for FISM
4:52 - Pandemic Impacts
5:05 - Convention Hotel
6:10 - Magic Festival & Week of Magic in Quebec
6:45 - Can magicians still compete?
7:40 - Young magicians contest
8:28 - How to register
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuY5N5_LkKI
--------------------------------------------
5. Magical Women With Connie Boyd
--------------------------------------------
Message by Connie Boyd (USA)
Lupe
Nielsen discusses her journey to Las Vegas and her choice
to commit and support Norm Nielsen and Nielsen Magic. Learn
how she re-structured Nielsen Magic to become a flourishing
business and how her relationship with founder Norm Nielsen
developed.
Learn
the story of Norm bidding the highest price ever paid (at
the time), for a Houdini poster at an auction!
Lupe
is a skilled close-up performer, a bartender-magician, a
magic poster replica producer, the manager and fabricator
of the Nielsen Magic high-quality product line, the wife
of the late magic legend Norm Nielsen, a master craftsman
wood worker and MORE. She is truly a magical woman in every
context and it's an honour & privilege to speak with
her and to learn more about her inspiring magical life.
Content
0:00
- 0:17 - Connie's introduction about Lupe
0:17 - 054 - Lupe's Magic move to Las Vegas
0:54 - 2:52 - Lupe's Las Vegas Mentor Mike Skinner
2:52 - 4:43 - Lupe's Start at Nielsen Magic
4:44 - 7:38 - Lupe's focus becomes Nielsen Magic
7:38 - 9:26 - Norm Nielsen Poster Houdini purchase
9:26 - 9:55 - Thanks to Lupe
9:55 - 10:51 - Call to Action, please subscribe
13:10 - 13:34 - End talk, call to action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2RnhItLNo4
--------------------------------------------
6. Magic Monthly "The Disclaimer"
--------------------------------------------
Message by Tom Dobrowolski
How
would you like to get access to a monthly magic journal,
The Disclaimer, which will contain three tricks to read
and absorb? Previously unpublished magic from the likes
of Curtis Kam, Jeremiah Zuo, Danny Cheng, Tom Dobrowolski
and Richard Hucko as well as from occasional invited special
guests like John Bannon?
How would you like to receive a hardcopy book of the year's
Disclaimers (all 36 tricks and some extra material that
didn't see the light of day in the magazine)?
How would you like to be invited to a Magic Shack Zoom Session
every month? Come hang out, get the skinny on material not
yet seen by any other magicians, goof off, watch us eat
our respective dinners, you know, whatever you want... There
are currently only ten spots available for this reward.
So first come first serve. We will let you know when it
fills up.
Find out how you can get all that and more by clicking:
https://ko-fi.com/thedisclaimer?fbclid=IwAR1juq0gKng8kiXZX4NEoucbpblhyweyUA-9lDsVdJJlfNonaY6HutvmhG4
--------------------------------------------
7. Jeff Bibik On The Magic Word
--------------------------------------------
Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star
Jeff
"The Amazing" Bibik is the resident bar magician
at the Chicago Magic Lounge. This Chicago pub is becoming
a mainstay in the local nightlife gaining more and more
attention for its eclectic entertainment. And the first
person to greet people when they enter through the laundromat
is The Amazing Bibik behind the bar. Being a bar magician
requires much, much more than sleight-of-hand skills, which
Jeff has "in spades" as they say. He is funny,
engaging and has what it takes to entertain and sell drinks.
In
this week's podcast, you can hear Jeff talk about working
restaurants and comedy clubs and corporate events from his
beginnings in the Detroit, Michigan, area to his new home
(since 1983) in Chicago. You can listen wherever you get
your podcasts. But for more information, videos, photos,
and to enter the contest, please visit: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/607-jeff-bibik
Congratulations
to Jim Jorgensen, our winner of the recent contest to receive
"The Magic Graveyard" book by Al the Only. You
still have one week to enter the contest for a chance to
win a copy of "Magic Grandpa" by Alan Kronzek.
Visit this week's blog to enter.
--------------------------------------------
8. Do You Want To Raise Your Magic To The Next Level?
--------------------------------------------
Message by Bob Loomis
I've
written the guide I wish I had owned over half a century
ago. It answers these questions:
Do you want to:
-
raise your magic to the next level?
-
investigate new areas of magic?
- get out of a rut with your magic?
- take your magic in a new direction?
If any of those apply to you then you need this book. Its
aim is to save you a great amount of time and money in accomplishing
those objectives. No, you'll not find the secret that will
make you rich and famous in the book; BUT, you will discover
where to look for it.
Whether magic is simply your hobby, or you earn your living
from it, Successful Secret Searching will help you get the
most out of our wonderful art. You can purchase it on Amazon.
-------------------------------------------
9. Think - John Carey #116
-------------------------------------------
Message by John Carey (UK)
http://www.johncareymagic.co.uk/
I've
always been fascinated with the concept of a thought of
card since I read about the Professor, Dai Vernon and how
back in the day he went to New York City and floored many
knowledgeable magicians with effects where cards were merely
thought of. I've quite a few approaches to the problem,
but the following is my favorite at this moment in time.
There is a little advanced preparation, but don't turn the
page as it's only minimal! Take out the 12 Picture Cards
and place all of them except the Jack of Hearts on the bottom
of the deck with a few number cards covering them. Place
the Jack of Hearts on top of the deck. You can get into
this easily during a session of tricks by earlier performing
an effect with picture cards, like royal marriages or Nick
Trost's matched picture cards. Do a couple of other tricks
and then casually set this up during an offbeat.
Bring
out your deck and execute an overhand shuffle, which automatically
runs the Jack of Hearts to near the bottom of the deck and
brings your stock of the other picture cards up to in and
around the top third of the deck. Hand the deck to a spectator
and have them give the cards one
quick shuffle. I mime an overhand shuffle here to demonstrate.
This very subtly runs the stock of picture cards to the
lower portion of the deck and brings the Jack of Hearts
up to in around the top third of the deck.
"Shannon,
a deck of cards is basically 52 pieces of paper comprised
of number cards and?" Let them respond picture or court/face
cards. "That's right. I think it's easier to visualize
the picture cards as they have lots of colour and detail"
Ask your helper to cut off about a third of the deck and
shuffle. Then ask them to spread that packet with the faces
towards themselves and think of a picture card and then
assemble the deck and shuffle once more. "So you shuffled
the deck, thought of a card and shuffled some more. Lock
the image of that card in your mind please."
Think
about this: Everything is true in that sentence above. The
degree of fairness and conviction is high. They are thinking
of the Jack of Hearts and it's now up to you what you do
with it. Have fun!!!
--------------------------------------------
10. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #8
--------------------------------------------
Message by Paul Stone (US)
I've
had the opportunity and the honor of working with several
magic greats and other show business legends. Over the next
few weeks I am going to tell you a few stories involving
these outstanding performers.
Without doubt, two of my very favorite performers were Hans
and Helga Moretti from Germany. The Morettis, as they were
known, were two of greatest stage performers and characters
in magic.
Although Hans, with his shaved head and bearskin stage costume,
gave the impression of being a fierce and rather unnerving
figure, he was the nicest, kindest, and most gentle man
you could ever hope to meet. And Helga, who was also a larger
than life character, was a lovely lady.
Above all, the Morettis were consummate professionals; they
appeared at more than fifty shows and corporate events for
me, ranging from many major hotels in London's West End
including the Grosvenor House, the Dorchester, and Savoy,
to the world famous London Palladium Theatre, the home of
variety shows.
The first time I booked the Morettis was for a corporate
banquet at the Metropole Hotel in Birmingham, England. Also
on the bill were a juggler, a Riverdance troupe, and a young
magician who at that time performed a silent manipulation
act. That young magician has since made a name for himself
as a top entertainer on board all the major cruise lines
and also in pantomime at the London Palladium. His name
is Phillip Hitchcock.
The Morettis act featured their signature Paper Tree Suspension
and another illusion called the Tibetan Cross, in which
Hans was blindfolded, chained, and padlocked to a chair,
with three crossbows aimed at his head. Hans had one minute
to escape before the arrows fired. The idea was that Hans
escaped just in time and the arrows hit a target directly
behind where he was sitting.
During rehearsals Hans very deliberately measured exactly
twelve paces between the crossbows and the chair and carefully
marked the position on the stage with small pieces of white
gaffer tape. Hans stressed to me and then once again emphasized
how critical these marks were and that when his props were
being set, they MUST be placed exactly on the marks, because
it was a very dangerous trick.
That night the show started, and The Morettis were due to
close the close. All was going well until Phillip Hitchcock
finished his act with a ribbon fountain filled with thousands
of pieces of white confetti. (He hadn't used confetti during
the rehearsals, so this came as a complete surprise to me).
We tried to brush the confetti off the stage, but that proved
to be an almost impossible task, and one that was made harder
by the Riverdance troupe, who only succeeded in spreading
the confetti even further across the stage.
Just before the Morettis went on stage, I spoke to Hans
and told him that I would try to place his props as close
as possible to the way they were set in rehearsal, but it
was very difficult to see the marks because there were now
hundreds of small white pieces of paper on the stage.
Hans was not happy and told me in no uncertain terms that
it was vital the props were set correctly; his life was
on the line! At this stage I literally hyperventilated.
We set the props as well as we could; for the next fifteen
minutes I was a complete wreck.
Needless to say, Hans performed the escape to perfection
and brought the house down. After the show I went over to
Hans to apologize once again and tell him I was so relieved
that he wasn't hurt. At this point Hans and Helga burst
into uncontrollable laughter. "I was only having a
joke with you," he said. "The position of my props
wasn't actually so critical!"
At another huge gala event in the Great Room of the Grosvenor
House Hotel on Park Lane (the Great Room holds around two
thousand people for dinner), Hans and Helga arrived early
in the afternoon to do a sound and lighting check. Helga
said, "You are lucky that we are here today."
I asked why, and she continued, "Well, last night we
were performing the Tibetan Cross in Munich and one of the
crossbows fired early before Hans could escape; one of the
arrows hit him and was sticking out of his neck!
"I screamed and the audience went silent. By chance
the steel tip of the arrow had shot into one of the links
in the chain that Hans had been tied up with, and it had
lodged so firmly that it was impossible to dislodge by hand.
The tip of the arrow was right next to Hans's throat!"
I said to Helga, "So what would have happened if the
arrow hadn't lodged in one of the chain links?' And then
Hans, who had been listening to the conversation, said,
"Mein friend, you would have had to book a juggler
instead tonight!"
The last occasion Helga worked with Hans in one of my big
corporate shows was also in the Great Room of the Grosvenor
House Hotel. Unfortunately, by this time Helga had been
diagnosed with cancer and very rarely performed with Hans,
but she was such a special lady and a very dear friend of
mine and she didn't want to let me down. Although in a great
deal of pain, she made the trip over to London to appear
in the show.
Hans and Helga, like the great pros that they were, always
arrived at the venue early. In the Great Room they changed
behind the stage area of the huge banquet room. They literally
"set up shop," put up their own pipe and drape,
and started rolling up dozens of newspapers for their Paper
Tree Suspension.
On this particular evening the guests arrived in the Great
Room for dinner at 7.30 p.m.; the Morettis were not due
on stage until much later in the evening, at 11 p.m. As
usual, I was the emcee and host for the whole evening. I
was always on site and regularly checked up with Hans and
Helga to make sure they were happy and had everything they
needed.
Around 8 p.m. I went back to their changing area; Helga
was the only one there. I asked if all was well and enquired
where Hans was. Helga told me that he must have gone back
to their bedroom for a few minutes. I checked back with
them again at 8.30 p.m. and at 9 p.m. and still there was
no sign of Hans. Helga didn't seem unduly bothered, so I
wasn't either. However, when I again went back to the changing
room at 9.45 p.m. and there was still no sign of Hans, I
got a little worried. So I sent one of my team to go to
their bedroom to see if he was in there and was okay.
Hans wasn't in his hotel room either! It was now 10.15 p.m.
I decided I needed to talk to Helga and see what we should
do. When I arrived in the changing room, there was Hans
putting on his make-up. I asked if everything was alright
and I enquired where he had been for the past two-and-a-half
hours. He said, "Look, I'm not as young as I used to
be, and my body is not as supple, either. The only way that
I can still perform the Cardboard Box Illusion is if I sit
in the box for three hours before the show!"
I was speechless, but on reflection I shouldn't have been
surprised. The Morettis were just outstanding professionals
and superb show people.
I remember Hans and Helga Moretti with great fondness. Whenever
they appeared in any of my shows, they always arrived bearing
gifts for my kids. They were the easiest people to work
with and a delight to have in any show. And they were sensational
performers who always brought the crowd to their feet.
Sadly, Hans and Helga are now no longer with us. But I feel
very fortunate to have known them and to have worked with
them so often. I will certainly never forget them.
-------------------------------------
11. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
-------------------------------------
Written by the late Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)
'Eddie
Low -'The Voice In a Million' Prelude
Friday
afternoon last (18th of October, 2002), I had a surprise
visit from fellow New Zealander Richard Webster, a friend
whom I haven't seen for eighteen years - 1984 to be exact;
I had returned home to New Zealand, from Sydney, Australia,
where we were living at the time, for my mother's funeral.
Richard (accompanied by his son Nigel, who resides and works
in London) made a 'very special trip' to Doncaster, staying
for several hours. The time just flew as we
gossiped and mused over past memories. According to Veronica,
I did most of the yakking. No kidding - what a surprise!
For those of you who don't know who Richard Webster is (you
should be ashamed of yourselves), I'll enlighten you in
a future episode. For now, I can tell you that he has written
75+ books that have been translated into twenty different
languages, How's that! During our/my reminiscing, the name
Eddie Low cropped up, hence the title of this episode.
A
New Zealand Icon
I
can't remember when Eddie Low and I first met, but it would
have been some time during the early Sixties. Back in 1972,
Eddie, his girlfriend and Veronica and I, went to see Neil
Diamond's outdoor performance at the Western Springs stadium
in Auckland. I'm fairly certain that it was his first ever
overseas concert - the start of a worldwide tour that culminated
at the Greek theatre, Los Angeles, where the live double
album, 'Hot August Night' was recorded. Apart from Neil
Diamond's fantastic band, that created so much excitement
and fabulous music, and Neil's incredible voice and songs
that reach right into your soul, the night was made even
more memorable when the heavens decided to open up - it
absolutely chucked it down, a relentless downpour upon the
thousands of fans. What the weather threw at us, Neil Diamond,
not about to be out done, threw double, musically - we sat
there, soaked to the skin, enthralled, cheering and screaming
with everyone else! What a professional! What a night!
Eddie,
born blind on May 14th, 1945, grew up at a blind institute
where he began learning music and playing the piano from
the age of six. He had three eye operations when he was
seven, which gave him a small amount sight in his left eye.
He says: "It was really good, at least I wasn't banging
into everything so much"! Yeah, right mate, but you
were still 'banging' everything in sight - excuse the pun,
back in the old days!
When
he turned eight, he joined the blind brass band at the institute
as second cornet player, during which time he would pick
up any instrument he could lay his hands on, and learnt
to play it! Today, he is a multi - instrumentalist, and
plays piano, trumpet, guitar, organ, violin and bass. With
all the multitrack facilities available in a recording studio,
Eddie can be the singer and backing voice(s), as well as
the complete band, all in one. Saves a fortune in recording
costs!
While
at the institute, Eddie won many talent quests and when
he was thirteen, he formed a group with two friends; they
called themselves - 'The Three Blind Mice'. At the age of
Fifteen, another eye operation partly restored the sight
in his left eye, although he is still totally blind in the
right eye. He left school, and formed another group: The
'Trutones', The lead singer was a blind girl - her father
managed them.
Eddie's
showbiz career got off the ground when he joined his brother,
who was playing in a band in an Auckland club. The rhythm
guitarist had left and Eddie took his place; John Rowles
joined the group as a bass player. A few years later, 1967,
John gained international superstar status when he was taken
to London and recorded the song: 'If I Only Had Time'. John
celebrated his 21st birthday as the song climbed the charts
to reach No.1 in England, New Zealand and Australia. The
song was a smash hit 'across the pond', in America, as well.
To
Be Continued
--------------------------------------------
12. E-zine Archives
---------------------------------------------
Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e- zine go to:
www.magicnewzealand.com
Click
on the red button centre right "Archives"
When you enter the archive the e- zines are in issue order
in folders for each year and are Coded, e.g. 001 Nov06 1999.txt
first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the
date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999)
--------------------------------------------
13. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
--------------------------------------------
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© Copyright 2021 Alan Watson QSM
www.magicnewzealand.com
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www.watson.co.nz
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