Max Maven joins us again on the Magic Newswire to discuss his personal history in the art of magic, further experiences with Dai Vernon and other legendary figures from the worl of magic, his recovery from the Celebraca-Hangover and his upcoming appearance at SEAM 2008 in Atlanta beginning on August 21st.
LISTEN TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH MAX MAVEN:
WATCH A CLIP FROM MAX’S ONE MAN SHOW “THINKING IN PERSON” ::
“Jesus is Magic” is the title of an article from the September/October 2008 issue of Mother Jones which explores the Fellowship of Christian Magicians as they gather for their annual convention at Wesleyan University. “The FCM, which boasts about 2,000 members around the world, is a nondenominational organization dedicated to “the winning of souls to Christ” using “sleight of hand, optical illusion, ventriloquism, puppets, balloons, clowning, juggling, storytelling, and other visual arts.” The transformation of beguilement into belief can take many forms. A mind-reading trick may illustrate God’s omniscience; an escape-artist routine reminds audiences that they can break free of sin; an illusion in which three black rings explode into color is a metaphor for what it’s like to suddenly see the light. Pulling biblical lessons out of a hat may seem forced, but as the website of the ministry Seeing Is Not Believing puts it, “Many people will come to see a woman get cut in half that would never set foot in a church building otherwise.”
The new crop of gritty, dark and yet funny magicians is discussed in an article from Metro.co.uk which profiles Barry And Stuart (above); Pete Firman (above right); Jerry Sadowitz (below right). “Magic, once the home of cheese and shazam, is cool again. It’s also dark, dirty and disturbing. Jesus might have been a kick-ass magician, but this latest crop of thaumaturgists are the devil’s work,” says Mickey Noonan. ’I guess it’s the closest comparison to what we do,’ affirms MacLeod. ‘It’s a throwback to vaudeville but with a dark edge, and that notion of subverting a trick by making it bloody really appeals to us.’
Performing magic since the age of six, David Kaye is widely recognized as one of the finest performers in the area of children’s magic. David performs more than 300 shows each year and has been recognized as New York’s top children’s performer by various publications. His client list reads like a celebrity Who’s Who with such clients as Bruce Springsteen, Susan Sarandon, Madonna, Eddie Murphy, and the Sultan of Brunei. David will next appear at the SEAM 2008 conference in Atlanta beginning on August 21st with a special appearance on Friday night for an exclusive Celebracadabra” reunion which will include Max Mave, Jonathan Levit and Executive Producer Chris Martin.
LISTEN TO DAVID KAYE AS WE PREVIEW SEAM 2008:
The collection of magic literature owned by Stephen Forrester of Calgary serves as the inspiration for an article in the Calgary Herald entitled, “Casting a literary spell. Among the volumes sitting on the shelves of Forrester’s home are an original copy of Scott’s A Discovery of Witchcraft and a 1902 first edition of Expert at the Card Table. He says it’s the best book on card tricks and sleight of hand. He bid on it at auction earlier in the year, eventually winning it for $6,000. “I probably paid too much for it,” he laughs, “but it was the only copy I’d ever seen go on sale.”
Ken Scott is the organizer of the SEAM 2008 convention in Atlanta which begins on August 21st. Ken has performed at the White House, on CNN and performs more than 350 shows each year. Ken joins us to talk a bit about his background and the special guests that will be appearing in Atlanta on August 21st. For more info visit SEAM2008.org.
LISTEN TO KEN SCOTT AS WE PREVIEW SEAM 2008:
Harry “The Hat” Anderson joins us on this edition of the Magic Newswire prior to an upcoming appearance at the SEAM convention in Atlanta. He is best known by many for playing the role of Judge Harry Stone on the television series Night Court. In addition to eight appearances on Saturday Night Live between 1981 and 1985, Anderson had a recurring guest role as con man “Harry the Hat” on Cheers. Harry has toured extensively as a magician and continues to present his evening show “Wise Guy” which was originally developed for his theater in New Orleans.
LISTEN TO PART 1 OF OUR CONVERSATION WITH HARRY ANDERSON:
LISTEN TO PART 2 OF OUR CONVERSATION WITH HARRY ANDERSON:
WATCH HARRY PERFORM NEEDLE THROUGH ARM:
Harry Anderson Needle Through Arm from Wizard on Vimeo.
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