098: 2013 Bristol Day of Magic

I attended the 53rd Bristol Day of Magic on May 12th along with about 400 other magicians from across the U.K.; however, I was one of the few (maybe three) from the U.S. along with Joshua Jay and Arthur Benjamin who were other performers on this outstanding bill. I was brought in as the "compere" or Master of Ceremonies for the evening gala show.

This podcast features some sounds of the convention and chats with some of the organizers, attendees and performers.

00:02:36 - Mandy Farrell, organizer, starts us off by giving us some history of the Bristol Day of Magic and laying out what we can expect over the next 24 hours.

00:11:00 - Eric Roumestan, from France, talks about his upcoming workshop on coin magic and his inspirations for creating his way of loading coins on the volunteer.

00:26:30 - John Billett, winner of the first Bristol Bucket Award, talks about mentalism and his path into the art. 

00:34:00 - Danny (somebody) talks about the new book "Frankly Disillusioned" by Dean Metcalfe. 

00:41:15 - Dean Metcalfe joined us to talk about some of his life experiences that are in the new book (available from http://FranlyDisillusioned.com/) 

00:50:06 - Soma, from Hungary, talked about the importance and use of music in your act. He also talked about his :road to fame: through contests from his first win in the Junior Stage Competition in Hungary to his first place win at the 2009 FISM context in Beijing.

01:12:42 - Arthur Benjamin, the MathMagician, talked about the way he came about to incorporate math into his magic performances and the similarities of logic, puzzles and math. You can check out a sample of his performance that he gave at a T.E.D. talk by Clicking Here.

01:36:47 - Colin McLeod, from Scotland, along Tim Stacy, from Bristol, and Mandy Davis, from London, talked in the bar after the convention about all the fun everyone had during the event. 

Bristol Day of Magic

Scott Wells

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​Scott Wells, Eric Roumestan, Arthur Benjamin, Soma, and seated are  Martin & Kerry Jo Gardiner (from "Celtic Storm")

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077: Day 3 - MINDvention 2012 in Las Vegas, NV

Another MINDvention breezed by that will go down as one of the best yet. Danny Archer and Robert Allen always find some new twist for us each year. In the opening chat with Danny, he talks about this year's event but he also tips some stuff exclusive for our listeners such as next year's dates, a special Guest of Honor (hint: his initials are B.C.), a special contest that is in the making, and more.

After the convention, I took my roving Blue Microphone Mikey into Jake's Irish Bar in the Palace Hotel & Casino. I took a broad sampling from many of the attendees from this year's MINDvention. The overwhelming highlight seemed to be Satori's act this evening. It was spectacular. He came into the bar and I asked to chat with him on the record but he politely asked not to be interviewed because, he said, "Now is the time for everyone to talk about me, not for me to talk about myself." And indeed he was correct. Everyone was talking about him.

One of the friends I cornered was Colin McLeod who was another one of the hits of the convention. He compered the "2nd Masters of Mentalism" show this evening and did an outstanding job. In our half hour chat, Colin discussed a lot of stuff he didn't have time for during his regular lecture. So for those who wished they could have heard and learned more from Colin, then I know you will enjoy this podcast.

MINDvention 2012 in Las Vegas, NV

Scott Wells

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MINDvention 2012 Pictures from Days 2&3

Finishing the second day, Colin McLeod gave the last lecture for the day before the evening show. Colin always has commercial mentalism and his lectures are thorough, fun and creative. I think I bought (and will use) his complete lecture package.

Later that evening, Kenton Knepper was one of the featured performers on the "1st Masters of Mentalism" show. His lecture opened the second day and included material that is unique to him but sparks creative thought in all of us. He talked about loving your audience and having them love you.

Eugene Burger was in town for the Master Class for Mentalism that will follow the MINDvention. It will feature Ross Johnson, Eugene, Jeff McBride and Lawrence Haas. Which is why, in part, that Eugene came to introduce Larry Haas' lecture.

Lawrence Haas' lecture was another thought provoking talk. It was more than a lecture but more of a collegiate class on deep thinking about your own performance. Larry was one of the performers on the "1st Masters of Mentalism" show on Day Two. His performance style gave me pause to consider his character. I think you would get a clear picture of him if you could imagine Eugene Burger and Kreskin having a "love child".

Ross Johnon followed Larry with a lecture tribute to Al Koran. It was a fascinating study and history of one of the titans in mentalism. Ross finished his lecture with a ten miute blindfold act that killed. Well done, Ross! I am so thrilled to have seen his performance.

A big "thank you" goes out to co-roducers of the MINDvention, Robert Allen and Danny Archer and all the guys behind the scenes who make everything fun and run smoothly. Thanks, guys and we look forward to next year's tenth.