2012-05 Famulus Newsletter

Newsletter of IBM Ring #170


The Bev Bergeron Ring

Next general meeting Wednesday, 5/16/2012 at 7:30 PM SHARP


I-HOP Kirkman Road
5203 Kirkman Road, Orlando, Florida 32819

Please join us for dinner beforehand

Lunch meetings in the McDonald’s at 7344 Sand Lake Road, Orlando. It’s two blocks WEST of the intersection of Interstate 4 and Sand Lake Road. We meet every Tuesday at noon upstairs.

Website: http://www.ring170.com/

F. A. M. E. is the Florida Association of Magical Entertainers
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Directory
Craig J. Fennessy – President – CraigFennessy@gmail.com
Chris Dunn- Vice President – Youngdunns@yahoo.com
Sheldon Brook- Secretary – mrbrook33@yahoo.com
Treasurer - Bev Bergeron & Joe Zimmer  -
Mark Fitzgerald- Director at Large -
Dan Knapp- Sgt at Arms -
Stefan Bartelski – Editor of “Famulus”- Famulus@illusioneer.com
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2012-05 From the Editor

Many, many apologies to the members for the tardiness of this month's newsletter. However, it has enabled me to include a short tribute to that great magician, Jack Kodell, who left us earlier this week. I was very proud to have known him and remember seeing his friendly face at many Wizardz shows. He will be missed and our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Mary.

2012-05 Broken Wand - Jack Kodell

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Jack Kodell, one of magic's great pioneers on the 17th of this month. Out thoughts and prayers are with his wife Mary and othe family members. Craig will be notifying the membership about funeral arrangements.

A reminder of his signature act:
http://youtu.be/IwDVwUwMk2I

2012-05 Ring Report

President Craig Fennessey opened the meeting with 21 members present and  proceeded to introduce the Ring's officers.  He further announced the appearances of magic entertainers that would be appearing in the Orlando area within the next few weeks and before these minutes are to be published.  Dan Garrett will be doing a lecture for our Ring on September 5th.

Phil Schwartz will be attending The Magic Collectors Association meeting in Chicago on May 11 thru 12..  The Potter and Potter On-Line Auction Event will follow on May 13th.  Bev Bergeron is off to participate at a Circus Convention in Tampa and Mark Fitzgerald will travel to the Fechter's Meeting in Batavia , NY but is still performing at the Hard Rock Cafe and at the Portafino Hotel at Universal Studios.  Craig Fennessey and Wallace Murphy are doing walk around at Gator's Dockside in Ocoee.  Ravelli is entertaining at several venues in the area; at the Marriott Courtyard, the Royal Plaza Hotel and at the Kissimmee YMCA.

Jacki Manna has been asked to perform at the  July Ventriloquists' Convention in Covington , Kentucky and is presently doing her Library Show "Dare to Dream" and is also looking forward to her Summer booking schedule. 

Bev Bergeron, assisted by Joe Cappucino, came forward with another impromptu teach-in on the "torn and restored napkin".  Phil Schwartz next presented Magic History Moment #39.  The topic this month was the proliferation of Magic Catalogs that came into prominence as we entered the 20th Century.  His interesting lecture was accompanied with many examples of catalogs from that era and included several from his Thayer Magic Collection.

Following a brief intermission, four Ring members volunteered to perform.  Ed McGowan did a card prediction from an audience participant's randomly selected number.  William and Brandon Zaballeros did individual Card and Coin handling routines that added to the enjoyment of the program.  J.C. Hiatt performed his sponge Buck and Doe comedy routine to the audience's delight.  Ravelli closed the meeting by sharing with the membership a matching card routine and a "yarn thru the arm" illusion which was the hit of the evening.

2012-05 Dennis' Deliberations

"Don't pay too much attention to the advice of others -- you might end up like them." -- Magician David Stone. 

Linking Ring magazine, Vol. 92, Number 4, April 2012

I used to think that Senator Clarke Crandall  (1906-1975) was an old angry old guy. Now that I am old, I realize that it was just his wisdom and honesty. He did not mind offending anyone for the sake of the truth.

Crandall was an Abbotts and Magic Castle legend with his long curled moustache and cowboy hat and boots. He was a very funny comedy magician with a great Card Duck and Cups and Balls Routine. Abbotts still has an award in his name at the annual Get Together given to the best comedy act.Crandall had a way of cutting to the chase in his observations of magic and magicians.  It was best not to get on his wrong side and if you did, he was open with his rebukes.

He was a host at the Magic Castle, introducing the acts and fended off people who were improperly attired (there is a strict dress code). “What are you too cheap to buy a decent suit? You have to wear Buick seat covers?”. “Who did you chase down to steal that shirt?”  He was the original grumpy old man and his wit and sarcasm were accepted and expected by all. He would do a weekly X-rated show on Saturday nights at midnight. He had a column in The New Tops magazine, from Abbotts, called "It's A Mystery To Me."  Usually in it he was befuddled by how someone could come up with such awful magic.

Here is my offering, with the help of Canadian magician, Larry Thornton, created in the spirit of Senator Clarke Crandall. This is not an attempt to put down magicians or magic clubs but to appeal to honesty and transforming magic clubs into places where you can get valuable guidance and advice on improving the difficult art of entertaining with magic. It is what Crandall would do today, if he were alive:    
1.  If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin," and "Keep away from magic clubs." 
2. A word to the wise isn't necessary. It's the stupid magicians who need the advice.  
3. Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't: Keep magic as a hobby for annoying strangers on the street, your cerebrally-challenged relatives, semi-comatose friends and acquaintances, and other such long-suffering magic watchers. 
4. If I were asked to give magicians what I consider the single most useful bit of advice ("Not a lot!" - Paul Daniels), it would be this: No one of sane mind and countenance ever wakes up in the morning and suddenly thinks to himself, "Gee, I have this sudden craving to see some magic!"
5. Go ahead and be whacky. Get into a looney frame of mind that encourages you for the first time in your life to ask yourself, "What's so weird about magicians that causes so many people to turn their backs, cross their eyes, and stick a finger in their mouths in mock gag?" 
6. When a magic fanatic doesn't listen to his conscience, it's usually because he doesn't want advice from a total stranger.
7. A typical magic club member owes his failure to having listened to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite. 
8. Advice after a mediocre magic performance is like medicine after death. 
9. Dying is a dull, dreary affair. And so my advice is to give up the dream of being a magic superstar, and thereby die only once.
10. It takes nearly as much ability to know how to profit from good advice as it does to roll a rabbit across your knuckles for lack of a few coins.
11. When a young magician asks you for advice be leery - what he is actually asking for is your praise.
12. My advice when all is said is to perform magic: If you find success, you'll be happy; and if not, you can always become a magic dealer or go on the lecture circuit.
13. Magic is the only hobby where people ride to a club in a car, to get advice from those who took the bus.
14. The people sensible enough to give aspiring magicians advice are usually sensible enough to give none.
15. We hate to see some magicians give others advice when we know how badly they need it themselves.
16. Old magicians love to give young magicians advice; it compensates them for their inability to set a bad example.
17. The advice of ancient magicians to their younger cohorts is very apt to be as unreal as a collection of the hundred best magic books that are never opened.
18. If you don't know what magic road to go down in order to avoid failure -- any road will get you there.
19. There are always three magic performances for the one you actually gave: The one you rehearsed, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.
20. According to most magicians, their number one fear is failing to fool an audience. Number two then, must be death. Does that sound right? If it does, then this must mean that if you go to a magician's funeral, you're better off in the casket than showing people in the back row your favorite card tricks. 

And finally:  Too many magicians overvalue what they do in their marketing, while those who see them work undervalue who they are. 

Dennis Phillips