Posted by Ian on 2011-03-01
in Newsletter
HEROES OF MAGIC
This month I watched a repeat of Heroes of Magic, which was first broadcast back in 2000. This was a two hour progamme about magicians, put together by John Fisher (Producer of the Paul Daniels Magic Show), with the usual mix of talking heads and extracts of magicians in action. I was actually one of the talking heads but if you blinked you would have missed me. I was interviewed by John for around half an hour, but the only words he used were ones he actually asked me to say! Not that I blame him: for most of the interview I was floundering around desperately trying to say something half-articulate.
I actually felt it was a better programme on second viewing than I had thought at the time. However it’s amazing how quickly things date in certain areas. For instance, in the mind reading section of the programme, there was no mention of Derren Brown at all (his first series came out as Heroes of Magic was been put together). David Berglas was the British mind reader who got most coverage.
Other slightly ironic (if retrospectively rather black) references were calling the Pendragons the new Houdinis. The Pendragons were a modern-day illusion couple who are best known for executing at high speed a trick called Metamorphosis, a trick invented by Harry Houdini and performed with his wife Bess. A couple of years ago Jonathan was arrested for threatening his wife Charlotte with a gun; they have subsequently split up.
Another was when someone commented on the wonderful relationship Siegfried & Roy had with their wild tigers. They were at the time easily the most spectacular act performing in Las Vegas. Sadly it all came crashing down when Roy, in 2003, was mauled by one of his beloved tigers.
SCHOOL TALKS
I do the occasional talk at schools on my change in career from ‘Accountant to Magician’ (I wanted to call it by the much cleverer title of ‘From Ledger to Legerdemain’ but fear that very few would get the meaning). During the talk, one of the questions I normally ask the Sixth formers is how many of them are planning to go to University (nearly all of them); and how many know what careers they are planning to do having left University (very few of them). As a follow up, I ask those who do know what career they have planned, what it is (commonest answers are doctors and lawyers).
At this particular school, about half a dozen put their hands up. I asked the first girl for her chosen career. Her answer was “astronaut”. At once all the other pupils put their hands down, refusing to answer. I can only guess that they had been completely psyched out with the glamorous answer of astronaut.
One of the points I like to make in my talk is to look out for that moment, which might occur any time in your life, where you experience something that makes you think: “that’s what I would really like to do with my life, rather than what I’m presently doing.” Whether this gets through to the pupils, I guess I will never discover.
However, after my last talk, a young teacher came up to me and said, in front of the teacher who had booked me: “you’ve certainly got ME thinking.” A bit of an own goal on my part!
CONFESSIONAL
I’ve just been reading Derren Brown’s latest book called Confessions of a Conjuror. A slightly odd ‘stream-of-conscious’ book, themed around performing a card trick in a restaurant where he used to have a residency. Every time he does some action during the trick, it reminds him of something: and he’s off telling us his favourite sounds or how to poach an egg. I must confess I did skip a few pages.
Derren stated on his blog that “I shan’t read reviews”, mostly because he doesn’t want to be upset by negative criticism. I can relate to that – the only review I remember from my book about Stand-Up Comedy Magic was the critical one! Having said that, I have tried to find some ‘proper’ reviews of Derren’s book (as opposed to Internet comments) but there don’t seem to have been any.
A couple of observations though, rather than criticisms. At one point Derren writes: “the magician performing close-up or theatrically without television cameras has a huge advantage over the TV conjuror; manipulating the memory of modern television audiences is largely redundant in an age when they can rewind or watch online.” I must say I admired his gall in making such a statement, which basically seems to infer that it’s far harder to fool someone on TV, than it is in real life.
Well it might be in a conventional studio setting; but not, I would venture to suggest, in the type of environment (street setting, with his own close-knit production team controlling all camera shots and editing) that Derren embraces.
At another point Derren writes rather disparagingly about magicians in general. He says: “Great acts of course exist – the Edinburgh Fringe hosts a handful of magicians of exceptional talent and originality – but to have a genuine love for magic and wish to be transported by a conjuror is to be almost always disappointed.” It is true that good magicians are few and far between; but most magicians are just trying to make a living and don’t have either the ability, or the aspiration, to achieve anything more. Often you can’t blame them: the working conditions for the average magic show is very different from the theatre setting where Derren is privileged to be performing.
Also, to suggest that good magicians can only be found at the Edinburgh Festival is rather an elitist viewpoint. To perform at the Edinburgh Festival is a massive commitment both of time, and financial resources, which is probably beyond many a magician. That doesn’t make them bad; it just means they have chosen a different path.
LONG EMAIL
Doing a lot of emailing as I do, I came across this one: can anyone beat this as the longest email? parishclerk@alphamstoneandlamarshparishcouncil.org.uk .
By the way, the email was actually rejected when I sent it; so it’s possible they’ve changed it to a shorter one!
BOB READ
Bob Read was a wonderful magician who died far too young in 2005. Apart from being one of the best close-up magicians you were ever likely to witness (his production of a large bottle of wine I doubt will ever be surpassed; and his version of the Knife Through Coat one of the funniest routines I have ever seen) he also had the finest collection of prints, paintings and other memorabilia relating to the Cups & Balls trick in the world.
I have just heard that his collection is going to auction – which is exciting news for magical collectors. And great that it is going back into the market place, rather than being squirreled away in some institution or private collection.
This month I watched a repeat of Heroes of Magic, which was first broadcast back in 2000. This was a two hour progamme about magicians, put together by John Fisher (Producer of the Paul Daniels Magic Show), with the usual mix of talking heads and extracts of magicians in action. I was actually one of the talking heads but if you blinked you would have missed me. I was interviewed by John for around half an hour, but the only words he used were ones he actually asked me to say! Not that I blame him: for most of the interview I was floundering around desperately trying to say something half-articulate.
I actually felt it was a better programme on second viewing than I had thought at the time. However it’s amazing how quickly things date in certain areas. For instance, in the mind reading section of the programme, there was no mention of Derren Brown at all (his first series came out as Heroes of Magic was been put together). David Berglas was the British mind reader who got most coverage.
Other slightly ironic (if retrospectively rather black) references were calling the Pendragons the new Houdinis. The Pendragons were a modern-day illusion couple who are best known for executing at high speed a trick called Metamorphosis, a trick invented by Harry Houdini and performed with his wife Bess. A couple of years ago Jonathan was arrested for threatening his wife Charlotte with a gun; they have subsequently split up.
Another was when someone commented on the wonderful relationship Siegfried & Roy had with their wild tigers. They were at the time easily the most spectacular act performing in Las Vegas. Sadly it all came crashing down when Roy, in 2003, was mauled by one of his beloved tigers.
SCHOOL TALKS
I do the occasional talk at schools on my change in career from ‘Accountant to Magician’ (I wanted to call it by the much cleverer title of ‘From Ledger to Legerdemain’ but fear that very few would get the meaning). During the talk, one of the questions I normally ask the Sixth formers is how many of them are planning to go to University (nearly all of them); and how many know what careers they are planning to do having left University (very few of them). As a follow up, I ask those who do know what career they have planned, what it is (commonest answers are doctors and lawyers).
At this particular school, about half a dozen put their hands up. I asked the first girl for her chosen career. Her answer was “astronaut”. At once all the other pupils put their hands down, refusing to answer. I can only guess that they had been completely psyched out with the glamorous answer of astronaut.
One of the points I like to make in my talk is to look out for that moment, which might occur any time in your life, where you experience something that makes you think: “that’s what I would really like to do with my life, rather than what I’m presently doing.” Whether this gets through to the pupils, I guess I will never discover.
However, after my last talk, a young teacher came up to me and said, in front of the teacher who had booked me: “you’ve certainly got ME thinking.” A bit of an own goal on my part!
CONFESSIONAL
I’ve just been reading Derren Brown’s latest book called Confessions of a Conjuror. A slightly odd ‘stream-of-conscious’ book, themed around performing a card trick in a restaurant where he used to have a residency. Every time he does some action during the trick, it reminds him of something: and he’s off telling us his favourite sounds or how to poach an egg. I must confess I did skip a few pages.
Derren stated on his blog that “I shan’t read reviews”, mostly because he doesn’t want to be upset by negative criticism. I can relate to that – the only review I remember from my book about Stand-Up Comedy Magic was the critical one! Having said that, I have tried to find some ‘proper’ reviews of Derren’s book (as opposed to Internet comments) but there don’t seem to have been any.
A couple of observations though, rather than criticisms. At one point Derren writes: “the magician performing close-up or theatrically without television cameras has a huge advantage over the TV conjuror; manipulating the memory of modern television audiences is largely redundant in an age when they can rewind or watch online.” I must say I admired his gall in making such a statement, which basically seems to infer that it’s far harder to fool someone on TV, than it is in real life.
Well it might be in a conventional studio setting; but not, I would venture to suggest, in the type of environment (street setting, with his own close-knit production team controlling all camera shots and editing) that Derren embraces.
At another point Derren writes rather disparagingly about magicians in general. He says: “Great acts of course exist – the Edinburgh Fringe hosts a handful of magicians of exceptional talent and originality – but to have a genuine love for magic and wish to be transported by a conjuror is to be almost always disappointed.” It is true that good magicians are few and far between; but most magicians are just trying to make a living and don’t have either the ability, or the aspiration, to achieve anything more. Often you can’t blame them: the working conditions for the average magic show is very different from the theatre setting where Derren is privileged to be performing.
Also, to suggest that good magicians can only be found at the Edinburgh Festival is rather an elitist viewpoint. To perform at the Edinburgh Festival is a massive commitment both of time, and financial resources, which is probably beyond many a magician. That doesn’t make them bad; it just means they have chosen a different path.
LONG EMAIL
Doing a lot of emailing as I do, I came across this one: can anyone beat this as the longest email? parishclerk@alphamstoneandlamarshparishcouncil.org.uk .
By the way, the email was actually rejected when I sent it; so it’s possible they’ve changed it to a shorter one!
BOB READ
Bob Read was a wonderful magician who died far too young in 2005. Apart from being one of the best close-up magicians you were ever likely to witness (his production of a large bottle of wine I doubt will ever be surpassed; and his version of the Knife Through Coat one of the funniest routines I have ever seen) he also had the finest collection of prints, paintings and other memorabilia relating to the Cups & Balls trick in the world.
I have just heard that his collection is going to auction – which is exciting news for magical collectors. And great that it is going back into the market place, rather than being squirreled away in some institution or private collection.
