JUNE 2012 DAVID COPPERFIELD PAGE 36 MAGIC - UNITY - MIGHT Editor Michael Close Editor Emeritus David Goodsell Associate Editor W.S. Duncan Proofreader & Copy Editor Lindsay Smith Art Director Lisa Close Publisher Society of American Magicians, 6838 N. Alpine Dr. Parker, CO 80134 Copyright © 2012 Subscription is through membership in the Society and annual dues of $65, of which $40 is for 12 issues of M-U-M. All inquiries concerning membership, change of address, and missing or replacement issues should be addressed to: Manon Rodriguez, National Administrator P.O. Box 505, Parker, CO 80134 [email protected] Skype: manonadmin Phone: 303-362-0575 Fax: 303-362-0424 Send assembly reports to: [email protected] For advertising information, reservations, and placement contact: Mona S. Morrison, M-U-M Advertising Manager 645 Darien Court, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169 Email: [email protected] Telephone/fax: (847) 519-9201 Editorial contributions and correspondence concerning all content and advertising should be addressed to the editor: Michael Close - Email: [email protected] Phone: 317-456-7234 Fax: 866-591-7392 Submissions for the magazine will only be accepted by email or fax. VISIT THE S.A.M. WEB SITE www.magicsam.com To access “Members Only” pages: Enter your Name and Membership number exactly as it appears on your membership card. 4 M-U-M Magazine - JUNE 2012 M-U-M JUNE 2012 MAGAZINE Volume 102 • Number 1 S.A.M. NEWS 6 From the Editor’s Desk Photo by Herb Ritts 8 From the President’s Desk 11 M-U-M Assembly News 24 New Members 25 Broken Wands 25 Good Cheer List 26 National Council Meeting Minutes 28 28 Newsworthy 65 Our Advertisers ON THE COVER PAGE 36 THIS MONTH’S FEATURES 36 COVER STORY • by Jaq Greenspon 54 42 Mind-Blowing Comedy • by Christian Painter 68 44 Totality of Art • by Kevin Burke 46 Salon de Magie • by Ken Klosterman 48 A Magician Prepares • by Dennis Loomis 50 Magic From Scotland • Edited by Ian Kendall 54 Nielsen Gallery • by Tom Ewing 56 Informed Opinion • New Product Reviews 68 Basil the Baffling • by Alan Wassilak COLUMNISTS 30 Stage 101 • by Levent 46 42 34 Ellipsis • by Michael Perovich 47 Tech Tricks • by Bruce Kalver 65 Inside Straight • by Norman Beck 66 I Left My Cards at Home • by Steve Marshall 68 The Dean’s Diary • by George Schindler 70 Confessions of a Paid Amateur • by Rod Danilewicz Cover photo by Homer Liwag M-U-M (ISSN 00475300 USPS 323580) is published monthly for $40 per year by The Society of American Magicians, 6838 N. Alpine Dr., Parker, CO 80134 . Periodical postage paid at Parker, CO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to M-U-M, c/o Manon Rodriguez, P.O. Box 505, Parker, CO 80134. JUNE 2012 - M-U-M Magazine 5 Forty years ago, if I went to a magic meeting, it might not make any difference if the answer to any of the above questions was “no.” Magic clubs were the only game in town. I’d stick it out in the hope that things Editor’s Desk would get better. But today there are other options; it’s very possible that your assembly is only going to get Michael Close one shot at attracting and retaining a new member. So, what can you do? Let’s start with what I think A little while ago there was a discussion on SAMTalk is most important. An assembly meeting should be about the problems that assemblies face attracting and educational. Members should leave a meeting with retaining new members. One post focused on current a little more knowledge about their hobby than they technology and how this technology has produced knew coming in the door. Many assemblies have a young people who prefer to communicate via a device, “Teach-in” session, during which a specific routine rather than face-to-face interaction. Blaming technolo- or sleight is taught. A few assemblies take a broader gy, unfortunately, accomplishes nothing; unless a giant approach and discuss a classic text. (Assembly 120 is solar flare obliterates the world’s power grid, people working through Royal Road to Card Magic, a chapter will continue to text, email, Skype, and use the Internet each meeting.) Bravo to all of them. Most assemblies, as their primary means of gathering information. The however, use the “Theme Night” approach to meeting question to ask is: What can assembly membership planning. This type of meeting plan does encourage offer that the Internet can’t? member participation, but since it does not have a My magic development took place before the advent clearly defined educational goal, it leaves the success of magic videos and the Internet. If you wanted to or failure of the meeting too much to chance. The gain information there were two sources: books and meeting might provide useful information, but it is also personal contact. Because I grew up in a little town possible that the members may just have to sit through in the middle of Indiana, I was a book person. I had Compeer Joe performing the same Twentieth Century little contact with other magicians. When I finally dis- Silk routine he did last year at the Silk Night meeting. covered that there were magicians in my area, I was (Or, as is often the case, the people who perform com- thrilled. Now I had the opportunity to trade ideas, pletely ignore whatever the theme may be and they do socialize, and learn from more experienced magicians. whatever trick they want.) But if I wanted to experience first-hand the magic of Perhaps a better approach would be to supple- people I had only read about, I had to get to wherever ment the members’ performances with one or two they happened to be: a lecture, a workshop, or a con- prepared short talks on subjects related to the theme. vention. At that time, there was no other way to get the (For example, a report on Rice’s three-volume Ency- information. clopedia of Silk Magic, or an examination of a classic With the explosion of the magic video market, the trick, like Slydini’s Knotted Silks, or even a discussion rise of the Web, and the development of fast Internet on the proper care and storage of silks.) With two des- connections, it’s no longer necessary to leave your ignated presentations, members will learn something house in order to gain information, or to talk face-to- at the meeting, regardless of what else happens. This face (sort of) to other magicians. Unfortunately, using approach, of course, demands more organization, more the Internet as your sole source of information has a planning, and more dedication from the members pitfall: it is an unfiltered, unedited, un-vetted deposi- who are the designated presenters. (And everyone in tory, as likely to contain garbage as a nugget of gold. the club should do at least one presentation during the The challenge is separating the wheat from the chaff. year.) In order to attract and retain new members (and to bring previous members back into the fold), you simply have to answer one simple question: Will an attendee feel that the two hours spent at the assembly meeting were valuable? Here are questions a newcomer might ask after attending a meeting: Everybody there seemed to know each other. Was I made to feel welcome? Were there experienced, knowledgeable people that I could ask questions of? Was I given the opportunity to perform? Were comments and criticisms made constructive- ly, without prejudice or condescension? Did I learn anything? Was it fun? 6 M-U-M Magazine - JUNE 2012 Having one or two knowledgeable, experienced as hiding behind a computer. magicians as members of an assembly is also very One of the great things about a magic meeting is that important. (Actually, the more the better.) It’s possible it gives attendees the opportunity to perform for their to find such people in just about every large community. peers, and to ask questions and receive feedback about The problem is getting them to be part of the group. those performances. Many magicians have a hard time I think there are two main reasons why experienced accepting a truthful criticism; harder still is offering magicians don’t want to be part of a club. 1) They have a criticism that is non-judgmental and that honestly participated in the past, but became frustrated with addresses only the problem at hand. This process the politics, petty bickering, and clashing egos that hinges on trust and a genuine desire by everyone often develop in clubs. 2) They don’t mind answering involved to improve the craft. How everyone conducts the occasional question, but they don’t want to be themselves during an evaluation session will have a the sole source of information for the club. I have no dramatic impact on whether a newcomer chooses to go solution for the first problem; I can only alert you to its through it again. existence and its harmful effects. The second problem Will it take work to implement the above ideas? can be solved by the suggestion I gave above. The re- Absolutely. But remember that your assembly is sponsibility for teaching and educating the group is not competing with the World Wide Web, and as a result borne by one “go-to” guy who is constantly pumped of that effort, all the members of your club will benefit. for information; it is shared by all the members. And as John Carney succinctly writes in Carneycopia: If it is true (and I’m not saying that it is) that the “If greatness, or at least improvement, is not aspired to, younger generations are more comfortable communi- then what is the point of participation?” cating via devices than face to face, then it behooves all compeers to make the social parts of meetings Department of Inadvertent Omissions: In as friendly and non-intimidating as possible.