MAGIC Live! – Tuesday morning Session
August 19th, 2009 - Rob JamesAnother David Williamson video to open proceedings. This time David was seen out-levitating Losander with a considerably bigger table. There have been some very funny bits in these videos so hopefully they’ll make into YouTube at some point after the convention.
This morning’s host was Mark Kornhauser who spoke about dieing on stage. To illustrate his talk he showed various videos of himself dieing as a result of various ill-conceived ideas. As Simon Coronel next to me remarked: to do that in front of a room full of magicians took real balls! Mark spoke about acts who seem to insist on keeping material in their routines even though it clearly doesn’t work, just because they fear what will happen if they change it. Like Richard McDougall on Monday morning the message was that we should all work harder. “Fame comes to a few but honour comes to those who work”
Richard Garriott is a multi-gazillionaire computer games guy who has moved in to the somewhat niche market of private space travel. As an amateur magician he is also the first person to perform a magic show while orbiting the planet. Richard showed us pictures of him performing a rising card effect which you would assume would be easier in space but although helping with the method microgravity creates its own additional problems – apparently not as bad as the problems caused when it comes time to visit the on-board toilet though. This talk provided a welcome diversion from the magic overload we have had since Monday morning.
Michael Mode was up next teaching everyone in room a napkin rose fold that he hasn’t published before. As the man who created the coloured napkins and the DVD it was interesting to hear about how he had to order 65000 of them without seeing a sample first. The cynic inside me thought the whole exercise was a bit of a giant plug for his napkins but as someone who has never folded one it was fun to try.
Eric Mead spoke next about false shuffles and how to execute them with the right attitude. He also taught his own version of a false overhand shuffle.
Finally Marco Tempest talked about using internet video as a marketing tool. Marco has made a huge name for himself and carved out a new career via YouTube and other video streaming sites and it was fascinating to find out how his hard work filming clips for the web became an income stream and to hear that the way the videos went viral was no accident at all. He finished by performing a new routine which involved prerecorded video overlayed on a live feed of his hands. Really good stuff and a standing ovation at the end.
Rob James is a close up magician from the UK. He co-founded The Session convention and has performed all over the UK and Europe, Dubai and on two occasions at the Magic Castle.