Magic Magazine Preview May 2013

From The Editor This month marks the one-year anniversary of MAGIC Plus, our exclusive "bridge" between the print version of this magazine and the digital edition. This is where you'll find all of our bonus content — videos, podcasts, slideshows, and more — available for free. All you need is your print copy of this issue and an Internet connection. Simply go to www.MAGICmagazine.com/plus and select this month's issue. Then answer a simple question from the issue, and — that's it! Can't be much easier. What will you find there? Well, for this month, we've got performance video of Doc Eason behind the bar at the Magic Castle, sneak peaks at the Ricky Jay and René Lavand documentaries, a reprint of our 1998 interview with Peter Reveen, additional photos of the AMA Awards Show, Jason England walking you through "Talk About Tricks," and more. Remember, you don't even have to be a subscriber (although that would be nice!); you just need to be holding a copy of this issue and have access to our website. Enjoy! Stan Allen P.S. The May 2013 issue is now available in print, as well as on the iPad, the Kindle Fire, and any Android tablet devices. If you haven't already received your copy, here's a look at what's "between the covers." More stories in MAGIC this month:  Doc Eason: Connecting With Magic By Alan Howard It's not about the magic. It's not about the drinks. It's all about the people, the relationships, and the memories for Doc Eason — experiences and insights he's gained in more than a quarter century at the legendary Tower magic bar, and beyond. Revealing Masters By Alan Howard Ricky Jay and René Lavand are masters of magic from North and South America, respectively. The lives of each have now been captured by filmmakers in documentaries that explore their craft, but leave audiences even more in awe of their work. A Garden of Art: The Magic of Markus Zink By Wittus Witt German magician Markus Zink is an original. A student of magic, art, and the art of magic, his unusual contraptions and surreal presentations make his theatrical shows truly unique. The Many Editions of Harry Houdini By Bill Winters Arthur Moses not only collects Houdiniana, he specializes in Houdini in print — every edition of Houdini literature in print. Plus, Moses shares the story of the complete known Houdini voice recordings, along with a transcript. Plus Updates on… The 45th annual Academy of Magical Arts Awards Penn & Teller's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Magic 360° in Madrid Indy Magic Monthly's fifth anniversary FLASOMA 2013 in Santiago, Chile Remembrances of Alexander Adrion, De Yip Loo, Hans Moretti, Johnny Lonn, and Peter Reveen More products reviewed this month: Fourteen products are reviewed this month by Peter Duffie, Jared Brandon Kopf, Francis Menotti, Arthur Trace: The Classic Collection 4 by Harry Lorayne EMC (Essential Magic Conference) 2012 More Memory Man by Joel Givens Dave's Magical Mysteries Revealed      with David Williamson Reswindled by Caleb Wiles The UNmemorized Deck with Marcelo Insúa Guerilla Q&A by Jerome Finley How It's Done by Edward Litzau Mental Magic by Al Baker 21 with Shin Lim, Donald Carlson, Jose Morales Tom Stone Lecture Deluxe Nest of Wallets by Nicholas Einhorn The Quest for Mastery by Michael Vincent Street Magic Secrets 1 & 2 by David Penn Tricks and advice in MAGIC this month: Talk About Tricks: Unconditional Impossibility By Joshua Jay We begin with an offbeat method to vanish a pack of cards by Michael Boden, and then explore clever card creations from Kyle MacNeill, J.K. Hartman, and Andrew Hillcoat. Finally, Philip Bynorth delivers a solid Expertalk piece on a useful false cutting sequence. Les Amis: A Pure Racket By Gaëtan Bloom & Kevin James This is a strange, visual, nearly surrealistic effect. One card is freely chosen and returned to the deck, which is shuffled and then placed on top of a tennis racket. Just by slightly shaking the racket, the cards start to melt through the strings. All of the cards penetrate except for one, and that's the chosen card. Loving Mentalism: Printed Prediction By Ian Rowland It's a prediction trick this month, but one with a twist. In the majority of prediction effects, the prediction is not seen — and cannot be seen — until the climax of the routine. Also, in many cases, the prediction is seen to be handwritten, which might trigger some suspicions as to when it was created. This month, we have a routine in which a printed prediction is openly displayed right at the start. When later read out by a spectator, the printed prediction contains numerous specific details that no one could have foreseen. Bent on Deception: Sack to the Future, or How an Ugly Prop Redefined the 20th Century By Mike Bent Some magicians might think that the 20th Century Silks should have been left in the 20th century, but to me it's still a great trick. It just needs a facelift. Invented and originally sold by Frank Ducrot in early 1900 — hence the name — it is seldom used in adult shows anymore. Unfortunately, its bastard progeny, the Baffling Bra and 20th Century Shorts, are still thriving in that medium. But the original has become a staple of shows for kids and families. Why? It's a great "bare bones" trick, a nifty skeleton just waiting to be dressed up with a good story. And that's this month's offering (cue trumpets) — The Royal Magic Trick. 50 Years at the Castle: Lights, Camera, Reaction — Shrum's Standing Sets By Milt Larsen Over the fifty years of the Magic Castle, many films, TV shows, and commercials have used the Castle space as a location. NBC's top art director, John Shrum, designed the Castle from its inception. The Magic Castle was not just a building to John. To him, it was his "standing set." In movie parlance, that's a permanent building on the soundstage or back lot. Every nook and cranny of the Castle was designed with an eye to the camera. For What It's Worth: No Breakfast for the Dead By Mark Kornhauser When the Shakespearean actor Edmund Kean was sick and dying, he famously said to his friends who were taking pity on him, "Dying is easy; comedy is hard." That might be a pretty funny thing to say to your cronies when you are on your deathbed, but there are some real disadvantages to dying. With comedy, you can have a bad set and still go out for breakfast afterwards. But there's no breakfast for the dead. Paynefully Obvious: Knock it Off By Payne Intellectual property is a subject that's been bandied about quite a bit these days in the magic community, especially online. Scarcely a day goes by that there isn't a post to be found condemning a blatant, yet very reasonably priced rip-off of a trick, or a lengthy discussion about someone selling knockoffs of a recently released DVD, complete with the link so everyone can go see the offending site for themselves. And woe be it to the fledgling illusionist who unwittingly uploads a video of himself performing with a prop that wasn't made by one of its authorized builders. The ensuing firestorm of outrage and indignation just might set his magic career back by several years, if not end it altogether. Creative Play: Collectors By Tracy Atteberry & David Parr Ideas and inspiration are a bit like bristles from a street sweeper. They can be found all over the place, but first we have to open our awareness and really perceive what's around us. The search for useful information — information that might lead to a new idea — begins with having a keen awareness of our environment.