IN THE MANY WRITINGSof Jack Avis, Alex Elmsley, Roy Walton and myself, magicians have seen the name Hugh Scott mentioned.Many have asked who was Hugh Scott.
He was one of the ghosts of magic, very much in the background, rarely seen at magic functions but an outstanding card worker. The reason for his shadowy presence in [...]
Posted on April 28th, 2008 by John
Filed under: Magic Biographies, Magic Miscellanea | No Comments »
A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, MICHAEL BAILEY, once told me that the first contract he secured when he turned full time professional was a booking for a tour of hotels in South Africa. Working in cabaret at floor level he found that many of the audience at the back could not easily see his presentation, [...]
Posted on April 27th, 2008 by John
Filed under: Magic Ideas, Magic Miscellanea | 1 Comment »
WE ALL HAVE A CHOP CUP. In metal, in wood and other materials accompanied by a couple of fabric covered balls, one straight and one gimmicked. It’s a great effect and nearly every magician approaching a dining table will launch into the tried and tested routine. There’s nothing wrong with the standard routine but just think [...]
Posted on April 27th, 2008 by John
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I HAVE WRITTEN EARLIER about my good friend Bobby Bernard who now in his sunset years and not in the best of health has decided to release his lifetime’s collection of close-up magic apparatus and ephemera into safe hands. Magic has been his life; he has met and talked with nearly all of the greats in the [...]
Posted on April 23rd, 2008 by John
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IV’E JUST VISITED ONE OF BRITAIN’S GREATEST craftsman in magic making magic props in fine woods and other superb materials. Not only an outstanding craftsman but a magical inventor and designer who has produced in the last decade some of the most original and devious apparatus for the working magician. He is perhaps the modern day [...]
Posted on April 20th, 2008 by John
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THERE IS AN EXCELLENT CARD EFFECT called eight card Brainwave by Nick Trost in which eight cards are shown, one card is freely selected, then the remainder are shown to have blue backs whilst the selected card is the only card with a red back. And the trick can be repeated.
There are no fake cards involved [...]
Posted on April 16th, 2008 by John
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ONE OF THE DELIGHTS of my sunrise magic years happened every Saturday morning in London. Six sorcerers, some apprentices, some established, used to meet in Davenports magic shop in Holborn where we would talk magic, gaze in awe at the many name professionals who called in (Orson Welles, Dante, Edward Victor, Jasper Maskylene, Robert Harbin and [...]
Posted on April 14th, 2008 by John
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FOLLOWING MANY REQUESTS and enquiries that came after I announced that I hold a considerable number of the private notebooks of the late Jack Avis, one of the great card and close-up workers, it has been suggested that I release some of the better material to the magic world.
All his life he made detailed notes [...]
Posted on April 13th, 2008 by John
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BIG CONGRATULTAIONS TO MATTHEW WRIGHT for winning the coveted title The Magic Circle Close-up Magician of the Year 2008.Many big professional names have won this prestigious award for the DevanoTrophy, the cash prize but most importantly the title which added to a performer’s cv adds real lustre and high profile awareness for bookers looking for the very [...]
Posted on April 11th, 2008 by John
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ONE OF THE GREATEST and most dramatic card revelations from the last century to the present time is surely the Card Stab. To have a card chosen, shuffled back into the pack and then to be found by stabbing a knife into the side of the deck or to spread the cards across a table and stabbing [...]
Posted on April 8th, 2008 by John
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