Group magic.

Vernon and the greats used it. Fred Kaps used it.Peter Warlock, Jack Avis, Francis Haxton and other names used it. And I’ve used it together with Alex Elmsley, Jack Avis, Lewis Jones, Bob Read and others. So what is group magic?

I’m not knocking the magic clubs, the conventions and celebrity lectures but to get to the real meat of magic free thinking and creativity you assemble a group of magic friends who you admire, are talented and with whom you can talk freely without inhibition. You meet in someone’s home say once every six weeks on an evening. You talk, show things, ideas, discuss dvds, other magicians, the latest magic items but you talk freely. Everyone has to show or discuss at least one item during the evening, It can be a trick, a move and even just an idea and everyone says truthfully what they think. Nobody takes offence – nobody is offended if someone says it’s not as good as so and so. It’s a very free discussion on your magic, the magic scene, anything and the criticism is not personal but genuine. And the presenter accepts the comment in good faith,

The results are outstanding. Just a little suggestion about the handling of a move, or an idea that takes a trick in another direction, or a recollection from something seen in the past. In Jack and Alex’s day some wonderful thinking came out of these group meetings that helped create outstanding magic.And I can personally testify to many genuine ideas that have made all the difference in my own presentations of a stage or close-up effect. Just someone seeing the idea from a different direction can make a world of difference.

There are really only two rules. Pick a group of six or seven magic friends whose work or thinking your really admire (and they of you) and be very open in your discussion and throwing out any ideas.

Whilst Jack and Alex and Bernard Weller, all former members of our group have passed on we currently have six like-minded magi, but each with different interests and skills. They are Lewis Jones, Tom Whitestone, Angelo Carbone. Michael Symes, Don Wyatt and myself.

And whilst we all enjoy magic club life we are all agreed that some real valuable, in-depth magic and ideas has resulted from these meetings that would not have been possible in the everyday social atmosphere of the average magic club. Noel Britten has said that you are not as good as you think you are and he’s right

I promise you, this is a really valuable concept that will improve your own magic. And it costs nothing but effort.

That said, here I am again witn a promise to keep you up to date with occasional items that I recently said would be of real interest and value rather than pumping  out a blog everyday.

In my last announcement I touched on an effect I’ve done for some time at wedding receptions which I am thinking of putting out. The truthful reaction I’ve had from laypeople tells me that in real, visual terms it’s a stunner and I’m glad to pass it on. For those that missed the first news item – quite simply you show a ladies diamond wedding ring and a gentleman’s gold signet ring in each hand, drop them into a glass of champagne, handed to the spectator who, after drinking the champagne tips out the rings which are now seen to be – joined! A truthful description. Everything can be examined and the magician’s hands are empty. The gimmick has to be specially made and so it will be made to order for each request. Price? I don’t know but I think it will be in the region of £40.00. to be advised. I’ll be putting out announcements on the internet – Magic Week and this web site plus possibly some press ads. It’s called “Welded Bliss” (blame my advertising background for that awful pun.) Keep a look out or contact me if you’re interested.

Keep looking.

Firstly – I’ve been persuaded to record many memories and sometimes hitherto unknown facts and magic ideas about many of my colleagues of earlier days. Friends like Alex Elmsley, Jack Avis, John Ramsay, Cy Enfield, Al Koran, Hugh Scott and many others with whom I mixed over fifty years ago. In relating these tales it was pointed out that when I’m gone much of this intruiging information will be lost forever. Consequently I’m writing a series of 2,500 word essays  called “Yesterday” about these magicians many of whom fashioned some of the magic we treasure today. These will be available as a pdf downloaded from your computer, with the added bonus of a magic effect or item from the subject of the essay. The first of these will be Alex Elmsley and watch this site for details. If you love the romance of magic and magicians of the past, you’ll love this new series – “Yesterday”

Did you know for example Alex Elmsley’s nick name? Did any one ever tell you that Jack Avis, a most polite and modest man publicly stormed out of a convention in a rage? Did you know that Cy Endfield, a most creative man in all directions once made a chess set that fitted inside a magic wand? And off stage Al Koran stuttered very badly, struggling with words and screwing up his eyes as he tried to speak – there was a reason for this.These and many other interesting stories, magic ideas and tips will be the subject of this new series on this site, to be announced shortly.

And secondly – and I’m really excited about this. I’m shortly putting out an effect I’ve used that truthfully is a blinder. Not for the method necessarily (although it’s quite ingenious) but for the effect on an audience, particularly at a wedding reception. It’s called “Welded Bliss”. In one hand you show a ladies diamond wedding ring. In the other a gentleman’s gold signet ring. You speak about your own personal and successful marriage happiness and openly drop the two rings into a wine glass. Nothing in the hands. Continuing the dialogue you tip the rings into a spectator’s hands – and the two rings are seen to be permanently linked together. And everything can be examined. I’ve done this at weddings and cocktail receptions, sometimes dropping the rings into a half empty flute of champagne, drunk the champagne and then tipped out the joined rings. The audience impact has been amazing.

I’m just working out final details as to how I am going to distribute this but check this site for future announcement. That’s all for rhe moment. Play your cards right!

I’ll not go into a listing of the effects but just to say that what Guy added to his outstanding teechnique (performed in a slow, natural style a la Dai Vernon) was a brilliant playlet that told the story of the ubiquitous Erdnase whose book “The Expert at the Card Table” has defined card work around the world for over a century. Presented by Guy in full evening dress and setting with just a card table, some chairs, a desk with mirror, tumblers and other ephemera, he wove an intruiging tale of the legend of Erdnase interspersed with card deals, card routines and other effects including his amazing torn and restored card, in a manner like an unfolding plot by Raymond Chandler with an ending that had a  touch of Alfred Hitchcock.

It was sheer theatre and the packed, largely non-magic audience were clearly enthralled and the performance restored one’s faith in the belief that magic for the public should be an entertainment and not a demonstration of digital skill. For me Guy Hollingworth has crossed that line that separates the thousands of demonstrators from the true artistes of magic that in the present day can be counted on the fingers of two hands. Guy Hollingworth has added an extra finger.

In the audience was one who in my view is part of that select coterie – Richard McDougall. As we left the theatre together, it was he who uttered the single word that summed up the performance, Sublime! 

I published the outline of the workings of the box and the gimmick some years ago and a few magicians have asked me where they could get the gimmick made. Good metal workers who can handle magic props on a lathe are few but I believe I’ve found a technician in magic who is able to create the precision required to make this rather stunning and unique item that is so different from the run of close-up effects.

So if there are a number of  magi out there who are interested in this specialist item, I believe I could commission from him a small quantity to be exclusively made (he won’t make a number of this precision item) . If anyone is interested contact me early and if the number is right I would be prepared to commission this rather special magic item. It won’t be cheap, custom made precision work never is but you would be the owner of a very exclusive and  stunning classic of magic. 

However, since then my nephew who’s a whiz on computer technology advised me that from the stats on this site I was getting around six hundred people a time tuning in and at Blackpool and beyond many magicians have come up and asked if I’d closed down and was I going to resume. Well, thank you and yes.

But rather than continue to belt out something everyday and knowing that people’s time is under pressure generally speaking I’ve thought it fair to resume with news, ideas, reviews and the magic scene from a viewpoint that’s been observing the changing world of magic for the past sixty years. I hope to give you recollections and magic memories from the days when most magic was performed on a stage and close-up was called “pocket tricks” But I will do this on a casual basis, from time to time as events and  news emerges.

Hope that suits the many magicians who have shown keen interest in my blasts from the past! Nothing much at the moment but there was a terrific surprise 80th birthday celebration for Patrick Page at the Brick Lane Music Hall in London where he was booked for what he thought was an afternoon Old Time Music Hall Show and on walking on stage was greeted by the biggest audience applause and standing ovation he’d ever received – and even before he’d performed his first effect.

Shading his eyes from the footlights and knowing absolutely nothing of the celebration that his children had arranged, he espied over one hundred members of The Magic Circle, friends and wives. They had gathered to celebrate the birthday of one of magic’s greatest performers and gentlemen. Pat doesn’t usually show emotion but there is no doubt he was touched by this warm display of affection to celebrate his special day, that a hundred people had managed to keep a secret under wraps until the show. It was one of the great moments of magic.

Post you some more later. Thanks for your interest.

I hope to get it on film shortly and show it to you on this website and thereafter we’ll be putting it out for sale. It looks like tremendous digital skill but it’s a dream to work and I’ll keep you posted as to further details. It’s called “Find the Phantom“

The stage show at the International was very good but I was particularly taken with an act from Holland –  Robert and Emiel who presented a mental telepathy act. I’ve seen some great ones over the years – “What have I here?” “A comb” “And here?” “A long balloon” “Well, near enough!” and so on. A sheer demonstration of skill and speed with a pace and pzazz.

But Robert and Emiel took their act to a different level. The curtains opened with no announcement and seen centre stage is a young man, dressed in what appeared to be white pyjamas, sitting on a stool by a microphone and fidgeting with his hands. An off stage announcement told that here was a five year old boy in the body of a grown man who nevertheless has amazing powers beyond the ken of others. He was then blindfolded  and demonstrated some quite amazing revelations about items held up by members of the audience and numbers of banknotes, sometimes without any apparent oral prompting.

All the time the boy on stage was fidgeting with his clothing as perhaps a young child would and engaging in a brother to brother conversation as if seeking approval. The act finished to great applause and even as the young Emiel walked off stage holding his brother’s hand he did not drop the persona of a handicapped child. And all his impaired mannerisms were minimal and did not create any embarrassment with the audience. It was a masterful presentation that left the audience wondering, with echoes of Raymond in the film “Rain Man” - was this really  a handicapped man with special powers?

It was a different presentation that for me was excellent in it’s concept. Even as the two walked off stage the young “savant” was heard to quietly say to his brother “Can I have the ice cream now” Sheer theatre.

But there is another long established magician /craftman whose pedigree goes way back to the days of Harry Stanley and Ken Brooke. Bob Swadling. With his lovely Oxfordshire accent and a brain and skilled hands that were trained at top level working in the aero/atomic industry that were turned to the craft of making outstanding magic props where quality and reliability were paramount. He was the man behind the scenes who made superb fake coins and other engineered items of magic for top professionals and the trade and on his retirement he created Swadling Magic, creators and manufacturers of original quality magic. I was reminded of all this at his excellent lecture at The Magic Circle earlier this week when once more I saw his amazing changing cards that literally change in mid air. (This is an outstanding item and he made me a special set some years ago whereby any card could be freely selected from a spread and shown to be the only card with a different coloured back. It’s quite brilliant)

But he showed a whole parade of brilliant thinking and craftsmanship, lovingly put together for those who value quality.From his Power Pack whereby a deck delivers timed coins into a tumbler, to his exquisitely made coin box, the stylish aluminium three shell game, torn and restored card that becomes whole in mid-are in a flash of fire and his visible coin through handkerchief where you actually see the coin  penetrate! Everything he makes looks terrific and works perfectly, the hallmark of Swadling magic. And look out for his shortly to be seen prize winning coin in the bottle whereby the coin is seen to penetrate in the side of the bottle!

And if you want to witness his ingenuity ask to see the Kristal Card Stab, designed by him for his daughter’s cabaret act where a dagger pushed through the side of a deck correctly stabs a selected card, seen on the blade as the deck drops away in a burst of flame. Great theatre and great magic. Bob and his wife Val (herself a magic competition prizewinner) are just off to to the U.S. for Christmas with their daughter but he’ll be at Blackpool so do yourself a favour and check out his outstandingly made magic. Or if you want a quick run down on his items, he produces  two DVD’s called “Magical Moments with Bob Swadling” – email:swadlingmagic@btinternet.com