There is a great article about Harry Houdini in the Lansing State Journal. As many of you know, Houdini died in Detroit’s Grace Hospital after a valiant battle against an infection from a ruptured appendix. The article goes through the many myths about his life, career and death. Check it out but make sure to check out my new favorite site, Houdiniana for the most complete source for all things Houdini.
Peter O’Malley appears to be one very busy guy. I was taking the slow route through the web on my way to looking for a map of Boston and was lucky enough to find his website. I have added it to the ever growing web log of fame. So after I got my map of Boston, I was surfing back to work through the web; and taking my time again; and found that Peter will be performing on November 2, 2002 at 10:00 am in Watertown, Mass. I know from my newly found map of the area, that Watertown is not far from Boston. I put a link to Peter’s show on the Big Old Calendar of Magic along with all of the contact information.
Peter does work for corporations, kids, charity events, with work as a close-up and stage magician. He also takes on many different personae to fill the roles clients may have. One of the recommendations on his site comes from a radio station that speaks volumes about how a client values this versatility, “We were thinking of hiring a number of performers. Then we got lucky we found you to do it all.”
So how is this relevant, after all, you don’t live in Boston; or maybe you do but pretend you don’t for the sake of this argument; and you won’t likely hire a magician from Boston or be a magician who would commute to Boston to compete against Peter.
Yes, but you will want to get as many paying dates as possible. You want clients to know that while you may do kid’s shows, you are really a corporate trade show magician. At the same time, you want moms and dads to think that while you are good enough to be hired by the Fortune 500, you are primarily a kid’s show entertainer. I think Peter has done a great job of marketing himself as different magicians or entertainers so that no matter what the client’s needs, he can find a way to fulfill those needs. It is not as if he just slaps on some grease paint and becomes a clown or wipes off grease paint and becomes a close-up lounge worker. He advertises (and has recommendations to support his claims) that he is primarily the type of magician the client wants; no matter what the client wants.
Good luck to Peter and his many facets. I hope one day to see him perform whether I’m on a cruise, at a kid’s party or at a trade show. It sounds like any one of those venues will give him the opportunity to present a great show.
Tell insidemagic.com about your upcoming shows or how you have found a marketing niche. We’ll include you in the Big Old Calendar of Magic and include a note here.
First, let me point out the obvious: Paw Paw Lawton’s column is no where to be found. He was supposed to have it to me by this morning but I figured maybe he was a little delayed — plus I think he is on the west coast somewhere. I waited until 12:08 am on the east coast. But no column. I’ll let you know if I do hear from him. I know now, why my pop would utter a curse in between “Paw” and “Paw”!
Anyway, there was some nice press in the Palm Beach Post – a paper near and dear to my heart (I used to deliver it and my Dad wrote for it at one time) – about escape artist Michael Griffin. “At 5 p.m. (on October 26th) on a barge in the Intracoastal Waterway by Veterans Park, city officials will bind and handcuff Griffin and seal him in a trunk. A crane will lower him into the water.” But it is no normal trunk. According to the paper, it is the very same trunk Houdini used in a similar escape in 1912. We wish Michael good luck! Check out his web site at www.escapeguy.com. I’ll put his link on the now world famous Link List.
One of the things that impresses me the most about Mr. Griffin is that he will accept formal escape challenges in much the same way as Houdini. On his site, you can read of the challenges he has accepted.
Houdini: A Magician Among the Spirits
Close to the home of magic (Colon, Michigan) and the site of Houdini’s death (Detroit, Michigan), there is a celebration of Houdini’s life planned in Lansing, Michigan this weekend. Houdini is featured in an exhibit at the Michigan Historical Museum, 717 W. Allegan St. for free. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. On this weekend, three local magicians will perform at 2 p.m., Saturday, at the museum and tickets can be bought for $5.00 at the door. Finally, the museum will have a workshop for kids between the age of 8 to 12. The magicians will teach the young magi in training how to perform effects. I’m planning on attending at least the shows and I’ll give you a full report on Saturday night.
Malta Magic Contest Winners
Congratulations to Brian Role’, Bernard Schembri, and Geoffrey Buhagiar (first place and runners up, respectively) at the Malta Ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians’ contest. A special trophy for originality was awarded to Mop Krayz. The show and contest was held on Wednesday, October 23rd and the story was reported in the Malta Independent. I never delivered papers for the newspaper but they seem to care about magic enough to give a fine write-up of the event and that’s good… Continue reading Halloween Magic News
{mosimage}If you know the meaning of 793.8, you are in the club. You probably spent or spend hours in public libraries searching for magic books. We worked in libraries — I know, that's what makes us so popular — for all five years in junior high school. We knew only one spot in the Dewey Decimal System, 793.8. At that location on the shelves, we could find books by Harry Blackstone, Jr., Harry Houdini and John Scarne. (If you are looking for something fun and Dewey-related, try this link for a quiz/challenge based on the system. Or don't. It's your choice.)
We were doing a search on Google for magic books and ran across news about Dennis DeBondt a magician, comedian and motivational speaker. He is billed as the Sears Tower of Magic, reflecting his 6'7" stature and Chicago ties. By review of his client list, Dennis is doing very well in front of several different types of audiences.
I received a very kind note from Martin of South America’s Biggest Magic Store, Bazar de Magia. Wow, what a site. It is in both English and Spanish so you can choose your language as you enter and it will stick with you throughout your reading and shopping progress. There is a lot to read and a lot to see. Currently they have tricks from Henry Evans. I met Mr. Evans in Las Vegas a couple of years ago for the World Magic Seminar. He looks like a normal person. He appears like you or me — okay, maybe you. But the things he can do are astounding. 2000 Three Card Monte – by Henry Evans
“So what, there’s lots of talented people out there that look normal,” you can be heard to say. Yeah, but this normal looking guy is also a FISM Winner. He has some outstanding tricks on the market but they haven’t received the exposure they deserve. Perhaps because he is a native son of South America, he has not yet become a household name here in the states, but he should and he will.
Enough about the Henry Evans tricks, what else do they have at Bazar de Magia? Well, they have on-line video’s of the tricks being performed and pretty good prices. If you are a juggler, they are the largest juggling supply store in South America as well.
I hope to have an article here on the South American magic scene and I know this site will be front and center. Check it out.
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