Page 2 Scribbling From A Master Class in Street Performance The Scribe of the Scroll Page 3 January Meeting Thoughts from the President presence and command of the area. Eric Evans Lecture was absolutely I mentioned this in my column, (page Page 4 amazing. We started our meeting a 2), but I find many street performers Walter Blaney Website little early and were treated to the to be too brash for my tastes. Like amazing performance of Eric Evans. his teacher Cellini before him, Eric Page 5 BeLieve Me But Cut The Cards. Evans came across as a real class I, your dear editor, was sitting to the act. Page 6 side of the performance. Crosspointe “The Veep Speaks” has a horse-shoe shaped seating This lecture reminds me of how lucky Page 7 area, but Evans was so bullet-proof, we are to be members, and have Proposed By-Law Changes that I could see everything. Or should access to the Dallas Magic Club. I say, I could see nothing. His angles Page 8 ♣♥♠♦ Vintage Ads were flawless. Page 9 Seeing this performance, I felt really The international magic community “Requiem for Tricky Boxes Geoff Grimes energized about the peformance was saddened by the recent loss of of magic. I really liked his stage Aldo Colombini. He will be missed. Page 11 Photos from Daryl Howard Page 14 Gems from Diamond Jim Eric Evans masterful handling of Slydini Silks. Photos by Daryl Howard. DMC Officers Derrel Allen President Frank Seltzer Vice President I recently worked a strolling I would stay and “bounce” the gig for an awards banquet. door during the main act. Of Reade Quinton Secretary/Treasurer I’m almost cancelled as I was course I said yes. When the feeling quite sick since the Beckers did their act, I would Brad Ingle day earlier, but knew that it only let people in between their Sgt. At Arms would HAUNT me for years, phases. Debbie had her hands Mark Jensen and destroy my reputation, if I full of props and I would open Past President flaked out. I strove to ignore my the door. The only “bouncing” I illness, and solider on. did was to guide people in when Chuck Lehr the act changed Dean of The DMC When I got to scenes. Board Members: my gig, I saw Mike McElroy that I wasn’t the As I was driving Until July 2015 only magician home, my Jeff Halberg Until Nov. 2014 hired. Fred and illness that I had David Knight Debbie Becker, previously ignored Until Nov. 2014 who are certainly hit me like a ton of better than I am, bricks. I had to call T.A.O.M. Board Members were the main in sick to my “real” Frank Seltzer entertainment. job the next day. I was a little Hopefully, I didn’t S.A.M. Representative intimidated, as make anyone sick, Until July 2014 Cameron Rivers they are so awesome. I went but I think I was out of the over, shook their hands, and contagious phase. I.B.M. Representative told them exactly what I was ♣♥♠♦ Until July 2014 going to do. I didn’t want to Wizard’s Scroll step on any toes. I thought Eric Evans was Staff incredible. I think a lot of street Brad Ingle They were very kind, and since performers come across as Wizard’s Scroll Editor they had worked TAOM last brash loudmouths -- they [email protected] Summer, they asked about sometimes have to be. I was Daryl Howard DMC’s very own Mark Jensen. very impressed with the stage DMC Photographer presence that Evans showed. My gig went pretty well. I tried I wasn’t sitting in a good spot, Reade Quinton DMC Monthly Report to hit every table, and people but his act was so structured, standing in line waiting for that his angles were bullet Columnists: drinks. I did have a gothic chick proof. Frank Seltzer and Mark Jensen bring my act down by her too- Cameron Rivers assured me Michael Smith Frank Seltzer cool-for-school attitude. that I had to purchase his book, Derrel Allen The Secret Art of Magic. It Brad Ingle I only worked for a little bit, really is a fantastic treatise on but the organizer asked me if the management of crowds. Thoughts from the President We have endured the winter chill, and spring smooth transition for the office of Secretary/ is just around the corner. Hopes for sunshine Treasurer, and if approved, Secretary and and gentle breezes dance in our heads as we Treasurer. drive the frosty memories of this cold wintery spell from our minds. The misery that is cold Some of you are aware of my work in is only deepened with the passing of Aldo online marketing. I am pleased to say that Columbini. His contribution to magic and to my efforts are being rewarded. I have been mankind in general is enormous and he will able to assist a couple of you with your web be greatly missed. presence, and would be happy to help even more. Later this year, my partner and I, along Looking to what is ahead of the club, we with others, will be conducting free online will be modifying the club bylaws to clarify webinars on local online marketing. If there the position of Secretary/Treasurer. As you are enough magicians, dj’s, local entertainers, know, Reade Quinton took over this double the sessions will address specific needs in duty when Dean of the Club, Chuck Lehr those niches. abandoned us and removed his lovely bride Joanie to the isolated climes of the Saint Louis In the meantime, I’m preparing for a nice area (just kidding, Chuck.) Since Dr. Quinton schedule of Blue & Gold, Upwards, and other has recently achieved more responsibility at events. I hope you are having success too. his work, it is necessary the he be relieved of some of his club duties. This change Derrel Allen to the bylaws will allow the club to have The Dallas Magic Club Meets Monthly, Every Third Thursday. We usually meet each month at We start at 7:00 pm, and meetings CrossPointe Church. There is a large usually until a little before 9:00 pm. theater area where we meet and peform. 2425 West Parker RD Carrollton, TX 75010 Walter Blaney Just a note to say I have a new website, walterzaneyblaney.com It will periodically have additions to a list of short videos of me talking about some of the events during my 60 year career in magic. Currently there are about a half dozen stories.... like 1. My long attempt to finally get booked on the Tonight Show and my back stage experience with Johnny Carson 2. My friendship with David Copperfield and his presentation of my Ladder Levitation 3. The infamous story of the Dave Hoy radio interview with me 4. Why I got bumped from my non-appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show One can go to the website and view as many or as few as you care to look at. There will be many more added as time goes on. Cheers, Walter Zaney Blaney BeLIEve Me, But Cut the Cards: A psychology of Deception For Magicians Part 19 This month we continue our interview with Lawrence Hass, PhD, magician, mentalist, author, publisher, and philosopher. He is Associate Dean of the McBride Magic and Mystery School and is a Professor of Humanities at Austin College in Sherman. Last month he began by sharing when he was first “bitten” by the magic bug and how magic appealed to an academic philosophy professor. This month we continue our interview. MS- Philosophy originally meant” love of wisdom.” Magic is about deception, art, and entertainment. How do you put those together? How do you respond to Picasso’s statement that “all art is a lie that helps us see the truth?” LH- Yes, it is true: from the beginning of Western-European intellectual history, magic and philosophy have been driven apart, with magic being vilified as “false, dishonest, deception” and philosophy being valorize as the source of wisdom and source of truth. Like most intellectual dichotomies, this one distorts the actual state of affairs. In this short space, I would simply like to say that to define magic as “the art of deception” or as “fooling people” is to miss almost everything I do as a performing magician. Fooling people is easy! Lying to people is easy! However, astonishing them, delighting them with an artful experience of the impossible is an exceptionally difficult and fragile thing. It takes all my intellect, heart, creativity, and a great deal of time to achieve. To give you my working definition of magic, I believe “Magic is the performance of impossible things, which brings about wonder, delight, and energy.” And notice: lying to people and deceiving them is not part of the definition! Having said that, of course magic uses hidden, even secret “techniques.” But every artist uses hidden techniques to create effects: filmmakers, novelists, painters, actors, and sculptors, to name a few. The point of magic is not deception, and magic isn’t the art of deception- any more than is filmmaking, painting, or any other art form. Instead, magic is the art of creating energy, delight, and wonder in the face of impossible things. Now, my view of this is an important part of why I am so committed to teaching about magic to laypeople and above all to magicians! Laypeople because they almost immediately understand the importance of an art form that creates energy, delight, and wonder; and magicians because once they understand the proper target of magic performance they are far more likely to hit it! And so I return to Picasso’s famous quote.