I HAVE LONG BEEN AN ADVOCATE of the philosophy that magic is not about secrets – it’s about performances. Not just my belief but that also of such giants of magic and theatre presentation as John Fisher, Pat Page, Jeff Hobson, Richard McDougall and Bobby Bernard. It’s the basis of the KISS lecture that I [...]
Posted on October 29th, 2008 by John
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IN GOING THROUGH SOME OF THE PERSONAL EFFECTS JACK AVIS left me, I have found a whole mass of new notebooks in which are recorded many of his original thoughts on card and close-up effects with many routines, ideas and exchanges with some of the world’s greats. Give me a little time but what I [...]
Posted on October 19th, 2008 by John
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WE SENT A COPY OF THE NEW edited online KISS lecture to Richard McDougall, brilliant mime magician, FISM prizewinner and leading lecturer on motivational behaviour and in constant demand by corporate organisations all over the world.
He said “Sorry about contacting you but I have hit a putple patch of work and have only been home for [...]
Posted on October 18th, 2008 by John
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LAST NIGHT THE MAGIC CIRCLE STAGE MAGICIAN OF THE YEAR was won by – John Archer.High velocity comedian and excellent magician who combines the best of both skills to provide entertainment, which surely is the putpose of magic. To entertain. John is one of the younger generation of comedic performers but unlike many of his [...]
Posted on October 13th, 2008 by John
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I DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS OF INTEREST TO ANYBODY but in clearing our a lot of my stuff recently I came across a tie that belonged to Alex Elmsley. We were friends for over fifty years and when he died I helped clear his effects with his family and they gave me this tie along [...]
Posted on October 11th, 2008 by John
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Last minute thoughts on some of the highlights.
* Mel Mellers who tore ‘em up in the opening show with his acerbic but very entertaining magic and comedy.
* The entertaining act of Levent packed with a thousand very funny sight gags but an artiste whose depth of magic thinking is profound as witness his brilliantly devised Miser’s Dream [...]
Posted on October 7th, 2008 by John
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THERE’S A CARD EFFECT I’VE HAD FOR YEARS – didn’t think much of it until a friend showed me a terrific adaptation he’d seen in Germany that made it outstanding and it’s now in constant use in my close-up and particularly mix and mingle shows. Visually it’s unbelievable and I stunned Tessa Jowell with it at a [...]
Posted on October 6th, 2008 by John
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DESPITE THE CREDIT CRUNCH, SOME DEALERS AT EASTBOURNE scored with the one thousand conventioneers. They were those who demonstrated their wares rather than just standing behind a array of polythene packets with coloured graphics and watching the money walk by. Notably Bob Swadling who works hard to show you what real magic is like by demonstrating all [...]
Posted on October 6th, 2008 by John
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RECEIVED SOME VERY NICE COMMENTS FROM MAGICIANS AT EASTBOURNE who had downloaded the KISS lecture from this web site. Art Parry who had taken on board many of the features outlined in the book, turned up at the gala show looking a million dollars in a white tuxedo (one of the many recommendations he had adopted). [...]
Posted on October 4th, 2008 by John
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THE IBM HAVE HAD SOME GREAT AND DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS at this highlight event - John Fisher, John Calvert, Michael Bailey, Gay Blackstone, Alan Shaxon and others. This presentation commemorates their former secretary Jeffrey Atkins and this year’s lecture was outstanding and one of the best. Geoffrey Durham, superb actor, director and long standing professional magician gave a masterly lecture with an [...]
Posted on October 3rd, 2008 by John
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