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Extract from the January edition 2008
Editorial
I have had enquires from several people who have expressed an interest
in joining us. I am hoping that several will be at our next meeting and am
looking forward to current members being present to welcome them. Please make
sure that you make the second Monday in each month free to attend our club
meetings.
Comment
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Colin Goodburn for his time
with us over the years. He has moved away from his house in Ash to the South
Coast and has regretfully had to say goodbye to us. Colin joined us in the
early years of the formation of this Society and served on our committee before
moving on to be secretary for a number of years. His main forte was children's
magic which he presented with good humour. A special element of his patter
were the rhymes that he used to tell the stories. His was a unique talent
which we will miss. We wish him all the best in his future years. Colin's
new address is available on application to the Secretary.
January meeting
For the President's Command Performance we welcomed a prospective new member.
We enjoyed an evening of magic presented for its performance rather than explanation.
We were excellently entertained with coins, cards, rings and mental magic.
You should have been there.
February meeting
February will be the first of our double themed evenings. We will start with
coin magic and after the refreshment break we will continue with card magic.
Feel free to bring along any suitable effects for discussion.
March meeting
For March we will start with mental magic and then follow the same evening
with rope magic.
Books
We have many members who are keen to use cards as their main vehicle for magic,
so I am turning to book about card magic to recommend to you. It is very easy
to learn from a CD or DVD these days, but it is the book which provides the
bigger insight and opportunity for learning in depth. 'Expert Card Technique'
by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue is a significant book for the card performer.
Although written in 1940 its message is just as important today. It is made
up of six sections. The first section is called 'Sleights' It has sixteen
chapters. The second section is about flourishes, the third about technique,
the fourth about card tricks, the fifth about bits and pieces called Miscellany
and the final section has two chapters about misdirection and presentation.
After 474 pages complete with copious line drawings He says, 'Actually believe
in your miraculous power and your feeling will be conveyed to the audience.
Your efforts and effects will be magnified accordingly - but please do not
overdo it.'
Extract from the February edition 2007
Editorial
In spite of the rainy season instead of a winter, we made a good start back
at St Marks in February. The room and facilities were all that we wanted.
Tea/coffee making as well as our library are in our cupboard under lock and
key.
February Meeting (President's
command performance)
An excellent evening was had by all. A good and varied show was enjoyed with
a collection of effects well performed.
March meeting
The theme will be cups and
balls. This will include chop cup, cone and balls, shell and peas and any
other similar effect. Please bring along your favourite and be ready to discuss
and show details of moves rather than full routines.
April meeting
The theme for this month will be an effect from a book or magazine. This is
a theme we have run before and has always been popular. If you still have
the reference material then bring it too. I find that when you take an effect
from a magazine it is more likely to be treated to your own individual style
of presentation.
Subscriptions
Just a reminder that we have
come to that time of the year again. Our annual subscription runs from April
1st to March 31st the following year. If you pay before the AGM in May then
you can avoid any increase to the subscription brought in at that time.
The Internet
I first used the internet more than fifteen years ago. At that time it was
a good source for things of an educational nature. Slowly magic began to appear.
Dealers with their commercial sites and then clubs and chat sites. Individual
magicians set up their own sites for personal and promotional reasons. Now
I see a new trend. It is becoming the resource that had originally been predicted.
Rather like a public library where you can borrow a book for free, but must
acknowledge copyright and pay for any commercial use. I could quite easily
copy material and use it here in Famulus, but I feel that it would be in breach
of intellectual copyright. I can however point you in the right direction.
If you go to http://allmagic.com/allmagicreader//index.html You will find
a large selection of short books to read. You might have to download (free)
the Microsoft Reader to read these books. The programme will even read the
book out loud to you, with a mechanical voice, if you wish. I did find an
excellent book on the cups and balls. (Theme of next meeting) Amongst the
books are titles which explain how to perform a variety of effects. One I
had a look at, also included a pdf file, with designs all set out for you
to copy. Have a good time browsing the internet and let me know if you have
a favourite site.
Extract from the March Newsletter 2007
Editorial
The weather has been
weaving its magic again. Were you one of those like myself who sought out
a British resort for Easter? - Lots of sun and very warm. Those who went to
the Med' have had it cool and damp. Not much time left before next week's
meeting to prepare a trick from a book for us.
March Meeting
Half a dozen members enjoyed a good meeting where we explored a variety of
cup and ball effects. Although most conjurors have the effect amongst their
collection it appears that few use it. Everyone had a few good moves but had
not worked them into a whole routine. Perhaps this evening will have encouraged
us to give it a go. #
May meeting
This is our Annual General Meeting. AGENDA 1. Welcome 2. Apologies 3. Minutes
of 2005 AGM 4. Matters arising from the minutes 5. Annual Report 6. Financial
Report 7. Elections 8. A.O.B.
April meeting
The theme for this month will be an effect from a book or magazine. This is
a theme we have run before and has always been popular. If you still have
the reference material then bring it too.
Subscriptions
Just a reminder that we have come to that time of the year again. Our annual
subscription runs from April 1st to March 31st the following year. If you
pay before the AGM in May then you can avoid any increase to the subscription
brought in at that time. Thank you to all those who have already paid.
Catalogue History
I'm afraid that I am a bit
of a hoarder. I do have clear outs from time to time, but I still have a lot
of magic ephemera from some time ago. I have in front of me, with its cover
printed in red and white, an old catalogue from Gamages called GAMAGIC. It
has no date, but the price is one shilling. One shilling is also the price
of postage and packing for 'The greatest ever children's comedy effect' -
Harry Leat's "Run Rabbit Run". That sells at seventy shillings or £3.50 in
today's money. "Abdul's Fez" is all of fifteen shillings with post and packing
at sixpence. The Arabian vase - demonstrated by Lenny (with a slant for children)
at the last meeting - is fifty shillings. That seems expensive to me, but
this one can also pour liquids (wine or water) and is made of polished brass.
Gamages was a department store in High Holborn through the 1950s and 1960s.
It sold many things and was the first home of Pelham Puppets. It did a lot
of business by mail order. Its telephone number was Holborn 8484.
Extract from the April Newsletter 2007
Editorial
It is certainly warmer for this
time of the year than usual. The known forces at work to produce this effect
are far and away more significant than anything that man can do, globally
or over time. It all reminds me of a time more than a century ago when the
occult was believed and a man of magic was feared. I'm all for preserving
the planet for future generations, but leave the magic to magicians. How are
you at predictions?
May meeting
This will start with the business of the AGM which is expected to be quite
short. Thereafter we will continue with the theme of 'Teach a trick'. It is
not necessary to have a complicated or long effect. In fact the shorter and
easier the better. Most people enjoy a close-up effect but anything goes.
Bring along your effect(s) and have a fun evening. AGM AGENDA 1. Welcome 2.
Apologies 3. Minutes of 2005 AGM 4. Matters arising from the minutes 5. Annual
Report 6. Financial Report 7. Elections 8. A.O.B.
April meeting
There was no shortage of effects for another action packed evening enjoyed
by the faithful few.
Subscriptions
Individual last reminders will be sent with this edition of Famulus. If you
get a reminder please pop your cheque in the post to me. My address is at
the foot of the page as usual. Alternatively hand it to me at the next meeting.
June meeting
In response to popular requests our next theme will be coins. Bring your favourite
coin effects to this meeting in June.
Flashback
Ken de Courcy writing in the Magigram in 1979 suggested four steps for selling
your magic act to an audience. The initial letters AIDA are the memory joggers
to help you.
A is for ATTENTION You need to make sure that you have the full attention
of your audience; without it you won't even get off first base.
I is for INTEREST Not only must you start off being interesting, but must
continue to be so. To lose the audiences' interest is to lose your audience.
D is for DESIRE Your audience needs to be convinced that they need to stay
for more. They are involved and part of the action.
A is for ACTION In conclusion make sure your audience applauds. Your applause
is payment for your act. Your longer reward is to be noticed for repeat bookings.
Extract from the May Newsletter 2007
Editorial
May was a month with a difference. On the day of our AGM we signed up a new member - welcome Andrew McNally. On the same day we received a visit from a former magian who wished to donate some excellent books and props to our library. They were installed by the time the meeting started.
May meeting - AGM minutes
Our AGM this year was attended by eight members and we received two apologies. The minutes of the previous AGM were signed as a true record. There were no matters arising. (N.B. This report published in Famulus is your official minutes for the meeting although it is republished again for the following AGM.)
John Weller reported to the meeting that he was in the process of selling up and moving to Argentina. The Weller Trophy would continue in his absence. A vote of thanks was given to John for his long and enduring contribution ot the life of FAME. We wish him well in his move and a comfortable retirement abroad. The secretary gave a short report on the activities of the past year and the impact on activities as a result of the loss of our meeting place for half the year. The audited balance sheet was presented and adopted. Thanks were given to Colin for auditing them again.
The election of the officers and committee was as follows:
President - Lenny D. (re-elected)
Vice president - Peter Bentley
Secretary & Treasurer - Mike Simpson (re-elected)
Members - Mike Beer (re-elected)
Library - Kieran Shepherd
Auditor - Colin Goodburn (re-elected)
In 'Any other business' there was much discussion on how to promote new membership. A number of people had contacted the society during the year, but nothing had come of their enquiries. We discussed meetings with other societies, joint lectures and participation in events. Our biggest problem, at the moment, is the drop in numbers of regular attendees at meetings and this is bound up with the low actual membership. The loss of members has been due to the personal situations of the members involved rather than any factor that FAME has any control over. It was acknowledged that we do not have any contact with local libraries and it was suggested that we produce information and posters for those libraries. It was suggested that a rewrite of the opening page of our web site to include words helpful to web searches would be useful. (Ed. This has been done now.) Mike Beer would investigate the how and costs of our own web address.
June
Bring along your coin magic and be prepared to talk and demonstrate.
July
Ropes, bits of string etc is the theme of this meeting.
Extract from the June Newsletter 2007
Editorial
As we approach our July meeting it is time to remind members that we do not
meet in August. Please come to the July meeting on 9th July as we will not
meet again until the second Monday in September. There will also be a gap
of one month in newsletters. I wish everyone a good summer holiday and hope
that the present deluge will come to an end shortly so that we can enjoy some
summer weather.
June meeting - coins
Once again the turnout for the meeting increased. Our renovated venue is proving
to be excellent for our purposes. A wealth of coin effects was shown. A few
simple sleights allow a great variety of effects, but there are always the
gimmicked coins to aid those less adept. We saw some coin boxes; Okito and
Boston and their variants. Then there were coins with holes which allow a
'Jardine Ellis' type effect. We also saw one which gave the illusion of a
hole to a solid coin. Another aspect of coin magic was where coins were used
with cards. Prediction and gambling effects were possible. We were particularly
taken with an effect using three different coins and five cards. The outcome
of the magician's prediction of where the spectators place their coins providing
a stunning ending.
July
For the July meeting please bring ropes, bits of string etc and show us your
best effects with these props.
Reading
Although we can add the World Wide Web and DVDs to our means of learning more
about magic it is important not to lose sight of the wealth of literature
available in books. While modern writers are always looking for something
new, a different twist, if you haven't seen the original then there is no
need for the new angle. The classic books are still the books which must be
read. If you have one of those old books on your shelves, untouched for years,
then perhaps it is time to re-read and re-discover. If you are into developing
ideas of your own then do some research first. They say there is nothing new
on earth. Certainly the principles on which effects are based do not change.
September
This meeting is used traditionally for our competition evening. A trophy is
available for the best short close-up act. You are disqualified if your act
is under six minutes or over eight. Generally people perform two effects within
the time. Part of the object of the exercise is to routine together more than
one effect and have some precision in your timing. We do need more than three
people to enter before this competition can be held.
Extract from the July Newsletter 2007
Editorial
The July meeting over
and time for our Summer break. Past experience shows us that all too few of
us are available for meetings in August, so I hope you have found a good place
for a holiday.
July meeting -
ropes
Again a themed meeting provides us with a direction, but at the same time
lots of variety.
A method
This August I acquired an effect in a toy shop in Belgium. The shop had a
set of shelves of magical apparatus (including a professional set of linking
rings) amongst a whole host of juggling apparatus. The effect called for the
forcing of one card from a set of seven. However I felt that the force suggested
in the instructions was rather lame. In the course of experimenting I made
a discovery which I will pass onto you. I can't see any reason why this discovery
cannot have been made before so I don't suppose it is original.
To force one card from a set of seven. Take your set of six indifferent cards and add your force card. All cards should be held as a deck face down in the dealing position. Make sure the bottom card in the stack is your force card. Now freely shuffle the cards with an overhand shuffle, but by resting the tips of your fingers on the bottom card make sure it stays there on the bottom. Continue shuffling in this manner until your audience is convinced the packet of cards is well and truly mixed. If you are adept with cards you may like to shuffle your force card to the top and then back down to the bottom again. In any case the force card must be at the bottom for the next phase of the effect. You are now going to eliminate six of the cards to leave one card remaining. This is how the card is going to be selected. You may tell your audience this at this stage if you wish. Hand the packet of cards to a helper from the audience. The cards should be given over face down so no faces are seen. Holding the packet face down spell the word 'one' moving one card at a time, for each letter, from the top to the bottom. (always face down) Having transferred these three cards to the bottom there is a new card face down on top of the packet - discard this card - The discards can be discarded face up or down as the magician requires. Holding the packet face down spell the word 'two' moving one card at a time, for each letter, from the top to the bottom. (always face down) Having transferred these three cards to the bottom there is a new card face down on top of the packet - discard this card - Holding the packet face down spell the word 'three' moving one card at a time, for each letter, from the top to the bottom. (always face down) Having transferred these five cards to the bottom there is a new card face down on top of the packet - discard this card - Repeat as above for 'four' 'five' and 'six'. The last card now remains in your helper's hand. This is the finally selected card. (Your force card)
September
This meeting is used traditionally for our competition evening. A trophy is
available for the best short close-up act. You are disqualified if your act
is under six minutes or over eight. Generally people perform two effects within
the time. Part of the object of the exercise is to routine together more than
one effect and have some precision in your timing. We do need more than three
people to enter before this competition can be held.
Extract from August Newsletter 2007 - no August Meeting
There is no newsletter this month so July and August activities are reported in the September Newsletter.
Extract from the September Newsletter 2007
Editorial
Our low membership numbers means that we will always have quite a small number
at each meeting. This has not affected the quality of the meetings or the
friendliness of our activities. The state of our finances is such that we
are able to meet our bills even with a low membership. I am sure that in due
course things will pick up again.
October meeting - cards
This is an opportunity to exchange ideas so bring along your favourite card
effects. There is so much more to using cards than locating a chosen card.
Let's have some good ideas and explore the great variety of effects. Self
working or with sleights - you choose. Leave gimmicked cards to the November
meeting - see the next column.
Members
It is some time since I last reported on our membership situation. Our active
membership has become quite small and we continue to seek new members. Currently
we have fourteen members and two of which are honorary. The following are
new members signed up since the last time I reported. Kieran Shepherd, Farnborough
Andrew McNally, Aldershot Steven Kinnear, Aldershot John Weller has left us
to live in Argentina (reported recently). It is some years since Al Woodrow
visited our club. He was elected an honorary member when proposed by our late
President Mac MacDonald. Through the pages of 'The Magic Circular' it has
been reported that he died this June at the age of 86. There is a good obituary
in the September edition, written by John Styles MIMC.
November
The theme for this meeting will be gimmicks. These are the secret bits which
are unseen by an audience which help the magician achieve the effect. Sometimes
it is an extra - like an extra card, or extra ball or extra coin. It is introduced
during an effect, but removed before the end. Sometimes it is a secret alteration
to a piece of apparatus. A card with a flap, a box with a trap door or hankie
with a pocket. Sometimes it is a piece of apparatus which is 'unseen', like
a thumb tip, a thumb writer, a tube, a hollow ball or a magnet. Sometimes
it is a modification of apparatus that is an optical illusion. Think of all
the ways of producing from a box or tube! See what you can find and bring
it along on 12th November. Be ready to talk about it and give a demonstration.
Extract from the October Newsletter 2007
Editorial
The evenings are lengthening
and you will have more time to practice your magic. Set aside a day and time
to devote to your hobby and it will pay dividends.
October meeting - cards
One of the interesting aspects of performing with cards is the style of approach.
How naturalistic should you be? Clearly if you are to disguise a variety of
sleights then acting normally and appearing simple and straightforward seems
to be best. That would favour simple routines and few 'moves'. On the other
hand, if you wish to appear to be mystical then shouldn't there be some mystery
in what you are doing? Isn't the very claim 'I can read your mind', or the
claim that the performer is able to exert an invisible influence on people
or cards an admission that there is no normality or simplicity. What is to
be done about the member of the audience who says 'I don't like card tricks
because the performer is always trying to cheat me'. Shouldn't your audience
learn to appreciate the skill of the performer and like the magic because
of the method of presentation? When I perform the diminishing cards what do
I expect my audience to think? All I hope is that they suspend disbelief.
Cards cannot really grow smaller - everyone knows that. Your eyes tell you
that the pack gets smaller and smaller until it disappears. Its fun. Its impossible,
but it has just happened. No one is cheated. The magician's claims are completely
false yet the impossible has happened according to the witnessed evidence.
It is perhaps a good idea to think carefully about what you expect your audience
to think about the effect you are performing.
Visit of Paul Daniels
A very entertaining evening was had by all at Basingstoke. (Details of this
event went out with the last newsletter) Paul was in excellent form. He performed
a number of effects that could be called classics of magic. None were particularly
complicated, but he showed a high level of skill. He advised conjurors in
the audience to watch performers of renown who had years of stage experience,
but not magicians. It was the entertainment of the audience that was most
important, not the magic. He did the 'six card repeat'. He stood stage right
and did two repeats to mild applause. He then shrugged his shoulders, moved
stage left and did the same again, this time to huge applause. His last two
repeats were stage centre and the final applause was tumultuous.
November
See last month's newsletter for more details about this forthcoming meeting
about gimmicks. I shall also be sending out, as is our custom, a full membership
list in time for people to send Christmas greetings to whoever they wish.
December
As usual this month will be a free meeting for members to discus and show
anything at all. As it is the last meeting of the year it is called our Christmas
Social evening. There will be mince pies to add to our tea break.
Extract from the November Newsletter 2007
Editorial
As Christmas approaches it's time for all good magicians to get into party
mode. Make sure your impromptu effects are ready in your pocket to perform
at the drop of a hat.
November meeting - gimmicks
A small group of us met and tried out a variety of gimmick based effects.
We saw cards, coins and silks. No mirrors! I particularly enjoyed Peter's
'coins across' and the colour changing hankie.
December
The Christmas meeting is traditionally an informal meeting with no set agenda
or special theme. Bring along what you want to show or discuss. Effects for
a party or informal occasion or anything strange or quirky or just yourself.
January
This is the month for our show commanded by the President. Please bring out
your best effects and present them along with other members to give a feast
of magical entertainment. No experiments, no explanations - just your best
or favourite effects performed under show conditions.
Club nights
We are going to try a new format in the new year starting with the February
meeting. Instead of one theme for the evening we are going to try two. One
theme, to the interval, and a different one afterwards. By popular demand
we are going to chose 'coins' for a theme again. There is still time to make
suggestions for our future programme so please let me know what you want.
Good Books
Dr Harlan Tarbell is one of my heroes. This quiet spoken man had called on
all the famous men of magic to help contribute to his lessons. Now, today,
although some of the routining is dated the effects themselves have stood
the test of time. There is nothing so good as an old trick. Fashions come
and go, but the Tarbell Course will stand you in good stead for all time.
Harlan Tarbell said, "Fundamentally, the making of a magician is no different
from the making of other professional people. One must be trained in the mechanics,
the alternate methods and be skilled in the presentation in order to meet
any of the conditions which may arise. Background plays a big part. One must
know the subject thoroughly so as to be a pleasing personality as well as
a performer of mysteries." Eventually 8 volumes were written. More than 100
detailed lessons in all aspects of magic and magic performance. Totaling more
than 3370 pages!
Extract from the December Newsletter 2007
Editorial
Best wishes to one and all
for the New Year. I am wishing for an improved turnout for the remaining sessions
of this membership year. We will need to give serious consideration to the
future of the club and the expense of running it as it is at present. We have
until our AGM in May to plan ahead.
Comment
I was fortunate enough to have a holiday abroad the week before Christmas.
At the hotel theatre we encountered an illusionist. Interestingly enough,
the biggest audience of the week turned out for this performance. Evidently
magic is still able to draw in the crowds. Unfortunately, as we later discovered,
the management had prepared the stage for a big band the following day and
left no place for the illusionist. Good magician that he was he made up an
entirely different act that he could present from a tiny bit of apron stage
that had been left for him. He started off with a manipulative act to music.
He demonstrated good skills in working with cards and silks. He also presented
the unequal ropes (Professors nightmare) using a six inch plastic ring (linking
and unlinking) in combination with the long rope element of the effect. He
performed a torn and restored newspaper followed by a number of card effects.
At the end of the act, much to my dismay he asked me onto the stage to help
him. He produced a couple of sponge balls. I felt that I needed to somehow
signal to him that he had asked a magician to help him. I couldn't really
pretend I didn't know what was going on. As he turned away from me he made
a pass to vanish his sponge ball. Quick as a flash I did the same with a flourish.
This brought the house down and we had the full attention of the audience.
The performer now realizing the situation gave me subtle hints in how I should
respond. This allowed me to play up his act and increase the audience response.
We were able to have a good chat about his work when the evening was over.
It is always a privilege to meet an accomplished professional magician. From
the response of other holiday makers at the hotel it was clear that they very
much enjoyed the memorable evening of magic.
January meeting
I hope to see you all here for the President's command performance. A couple
of your favourite effects to perform. No explanations etc - just an evening
of performed magic at its best.
Future meetings
February will be the first of our double themed evenings. We will start with
coin magic and after the refreshment break we will continue with card magic.
For March we will start with mental magic and then follow the same evening
with rope magic.
.