David Parker, president of The Greater Charleston Magic Club, was named
“Magician of the Year” by his peers at the South Carolina Association of
Magicians convention in Columbia, S.C on January 14, 2006.
Mr. Parker of Ladson, SC and
president of The Greater Charleston Magic Club, was honored with the “Magician
of the Year for South Carolina 2006″ on January 14, 2006 at the International
Gala Show hosted by the South Carolina Association of Magicians in Columbia, SC.
The South Carolina Association of Magicians awards this honor to those they
believe best advance the art of magic in a positive direction.
David Parker, whose full time job has been as a local truck driver within the
South Carolina State Ports, says he is honored to receive this award from his
peers and is humbled to have his name associated with some of the past winners.
Past winners of this honor include: Tim Sonifelt from Greer, SC, Mick Ayres form
Hilton Head, SC, John Tudor from Columbia, SC, David Tanner and Ron Conley from
Myrtle Beach, SC.
Each of the past winners of the award had made their mark in the field of
magic. Tim Sonifelt was the first person to receive the “Magician of the Year”
award. He is a full time magician who performs throughout the southeast for
churches, libraries and corporations. Mick Ayres is an all around entertainer.
A
full time magician, storyteller and musician working for the Disney Corporation
in Hilton Head, SC. John Tudor the founder of the South Carolina Association of
Magicians and the first magician ever to be listed as an approved artist with
the SC Arts Commission is a full time magician performing for schools and
corporate clients though out of United States.
Ron Conley, owner of Conley’s House of Magic, who has been performing his
“Drugs, Strangers and Other Dangers Show” in over 300 schools in North Carolina
and South Carolina has won over thirty three trophies in both close-up and
stage. David Tanner, owner of Broadway Magic, has performed all over the United
States and over 20 countries around the world. David is an avid collector of
magic memorabilia. His collection includes rare items such as the handcuffs and
keys once used by the great Harry Houdini.
David Parker, the newest member to receive this honor is the first magician
in the history of the award to receive it as an amateur close-up magician and
also the first winner from the Charleston, SC area. David says, “I’m proud I can
bring this award to “The Holy City” for the first time and hope Charleston, SC
will become a focal point for magic along the east coast.
The Spoleto festival
is a great annual event for the arts and I hope to inspire magicians around
South Carolina to come together to add their performing skills to this event.
Currently I’m working with the local society of magicians in Charleston to
produce a show for this annual event, and we have directors from all over the
state committing their time and resources to help turn this dream into a
reality.”
When asked about the art that is his passion David says, “Our art form is a
strange blend of entertaining, inspiring wonder and… Continue reading David Parker Featured
Magician Tom Rose is proving himself to women, reporters, and women who are reporters.
In an article entitled “Leader of the Pack,” Sarah Foster, falls head-over-high-heels for this young magician with an apparently very bright future.
I MUST admit to being a bit of a sceptic, so when Tom Rose gets out his cards, I’m less than enthusiastic. Of course, he is a magician, and knowing I’ll be writing about him, he has to show me a trick. I only hope, for both our sakes, that it doesn’t go horribly wrong.
The first surprise is when he waves a wad of cash – 300 to be precise – saying that if he fails to guess my card, the money’s mine. With an eye on the pile of 20 notes, I decide to up my game.
Having picked a card, I try to keep a straight face as Tom asks me questions.
He’s told me to answer only ‘yes’, and although I do this, I can’t stop laughing.
Within a few minutes, in which he’s tried to “psychoanalyse” me, he takes a guess. I don’t know how, but he knows my card is the ten of diamonds. He pockets the money with a wry smile. “I’ve had a few challenges but I’ve never got it wrong yet, ” he says smugly.
Mr. Rose’s magic business, TR: Magic, is doing well with him as the featured performer. He’s picked up a few clients you may know, including mobile phone giant Orange, Virgin Airways mogul Richard Branson.
He is a late comer to our art. He wasn’t exposed to the virulent magic bug until he was 16.
A bar job at the Vintage Hotel, at Scotch Corner, proved the perfect outlet for his hobby. “I ended up performing more tricks than serving pints, ” he says.
“People started asking if I would come to their parties, weddings or whatever. I realised I could progress from being a barman doing the odd trick to going full time and advertising myself.”
Tom went to Newcastle University to study politics but, by now, his course was set. “I started doing magic more seriously in my second year – I was doing more magic than essays, ” he says.
“I also joined the magic circle up in Newcastle. I got on well with a couple of the magicians and they taught me a lot.” Keen to attract bookings, Tom launched a website and embraced formalities like finding an accountant and getting business cards.
His brand is simple – close-up magic that’s fun and cool. Tom says it works just about anywhere. “Because of the nature of close-up magic, I can perform at almost any event, ” he says.
“As well as weddings and corporate functions I do things like civil ceremonies and private barbecues.
“Only last week I was asked to do a wedding in Geneva.”
The reporter gushes with praise and possibilities for the young man.
“With his talent and confidence, I wonder if TV work appeals, but Tom is wary,” Ms. Foster writes.
“I’ve been asked to do a few things but the problem with TV is once you’re famous, it’s very hard to work at the smaller gigs without some image of being better than the average person, ” he says, then seems to backtrack by adding: “I don’t really want to be on TV and famous… Continue reading Tom Rose Enjoying Every Minute of Fame
How can I help get the message of Inside Magic out to the entire world?I
am so impressed by the quality reporting, columns, guest essays and
gratuitous images of Britney Spears, Melinda, and Sabrina the Teenaged
Witch that I have found myself reading it without stop.
But much like Beatles? song, ?I can?t get any satisfaction? until I know that the entire magic world knows about the website.
My friends say I spend too much time reading your site and that my hair
smells like that cheese you shake onto spaghetti because I don?t even
want to wash my hair when I shower.
I am afraid that Inside Magic will have a new article that I might miss
or that circus clowns will creep into my bathroom when my eyes are
closed (during the application, rinse, repeat process), try on my
clothes, and eat me.
So
my question put bluntly is this: I figure I have about 28 days on this
Visa card I got through an internet cite I found when I was surfing for
herbal remedies to remove the stench from my head ? without pain or
requiring me to close my eyes ? and I?ve got quite a credit limit on
it.
I wanted to make a donation to Inside Magic to help contribute to the only website that I really care about.
There are few things in life we enjoy more than attending the South Carolina
Association of Magicians convention in beautiful Columbia, South Carolina.
Friendly Magic News from SCAM
We promised publication of this article/review several weeks ago but for some
reason, we could not find ability to finish the project. This piece is a subset
of several lengthy volumes summarizing, reviewing, and praising the weekend in
Columbia.
We live by two doctrines in our writing: 1) lack of inhibition is not the
same as talent; 2) the perfect is the enemy of the good and the good is a foe of
the adequate.
So while this article is not as long as it has been, it is at least done. If
you are bored, very bored, you can read the following to see how many different
styles and approaches we tried and how poorly we have edited the various
attempts into this final draft. You can also take a big virtual marker and
circle how many times the word “charm” or “charisma” is used.
We’re thinking of converting this article into a kid’s meal place mat for a
chain of family restaurants and what better way to distract a hungry,
sugar-crashing youngster than a good game of find the thematic
inconsistencies?
SCAM is Special – But in a Good Way
When we left Mystic Hollow, Michigan, there was snow everywhere, the skies
were gray and foreboding, ice made driving tricky, and we had just lost our
glass eye in a crooked on-line poker game.
We looked forward to (albeit with lousy depth perception) South Carolina.
Our foster-grandmother used to tell us, “to make a tasty cake, you need to
use tasty ingredients.” Her statement resonates in our horribly damaged soul as
an example of her innate wisdom. While the saying was also used to help prove up
her marijuana smuggling conviction, it never took on the serious second meaning
suggested by the prosecutor. To us kids, it was just a truism.
SCAM, like the special brownies and cakes Grandma Hempina used to make, is
special because all of its components are special.
The folks attending SCAM have a warmth we have not seen since Grandma got the
Chair. Unlike “Old Sparky” in Stark, Florida, the energy is created naturally
from within the attendees. There is nothing fake or insincere in their
friendliness, or their desire to share, teach, and learn. We have yet to run
across a negative or contrary person here at the beautiful Marriott in downtown
Columbia.
Henry Pettit puts on a great convention. The events, lectures, shows, and
sessions are constant but not unrelenting. His choice of performers is similar
to a melange created by a great chef – except without unedible garnish,
everything at SCAM can be devoured and SCAM needs no garnish.
GAZZO the Zelig of Magic
From garnish to garish we move our critical single eye to Gazzo’s significant
role in the weekend.
As we pre-wrote this review of the convention — before even seeing the South
Carolina state-line — we chalked-up Gazzo’s participation as “You either like
his type of humor or you do not. If you do not like the often caustic,… Continue reading SCAM Reviews – At Long Last
We wish we had more information but here’s what we know now about James Randi’s condition.
We spoke with the James Randi Educational Foundation (“JREF”) today. “His condition is still stable,” the representative said. The doctors believe he will have a “full but not quick recovery” following the surgery.
The JREF posted the following notice on their web site yesterday.
We will follow up on the story as more information becomes available. The Randi family is in our prayers.
Special announcement February 6th, 2006
James
Randi underwent bypass surgery last Thursday. He is currently in stable
condition. He is receiving excellent care, but will
need quiet time to recover. We will release more information as it
becomes available, and we ask everyone to please respect the family’s
wishes
for privacy at this time.
For those who feel a need to help, please consider donating blood at your local Red Cross or Community Blood Center. Cards
may be sent to Randi in care of JREF, 201 SE 12 Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316.
A posting in the weekly commentary site dated February 3rd noted Mr. Randi was taking some time off.
Mr. Randi is taking a well deserved break this week, and he asked me to organize the commentary for him.
He’ll be back with his regularly-scheduled words of wisdom soon.
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