The London Trip - long post!

Hi folks

Well, it took a while to arrive but in what feels like the blink of an eye, my trip to London has been and gone. It was a great few days. I just wish I had a little more time to enjoy it all!

Thursday
I arrived at my hotel - the Wardonia Hotel in King's Cross - and quickly unpacked as I had a few things to get done before I presenting my magic lecture for International Magic that evening. Let me get this bit out of the way first. I liked the hotel. OK, so they don't serve food and the room was small, but it was comfortable, had everything I needed and there are loads of places to eat in the immediate area. I'll certainly stay there again.

I visited International Magic to make sure everything was arranged for that evening and a brief conversation with Jerry Sadowitz, who had not long returned from performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. When I returned a couple of hours later to get myself ready for the lecture, I couldn't help but continually think "who's going to turn up to see an unknown Scottish card magician?" Well, I only had to wait until people started arriving to realise that there would be a good crowd there to hear what I had to say and what I could do. In all, just over 30 people came along and they made for an excellent audience. My thanks to all of you for coming along and being interested in what I had to say.

Friday
I had arranged to meet up with my good pal Julie and her eldest son, Peter, at the Science Museum. While we were there, Julie wanted to find out some information, so while she was speaking to the people involved, Peter and I went and acted like big kids with some of the interactive stuff that is located on the 3rd floor of the Museum. Great fun, too! I even had my first experience of an IMAX movie. A fascinating film about dinosaurs that looked pretty cool in 3D.

Afterwards, we went walkabout for a wee bit. First of all to try to find a Pizza Hut for lunch, which we found, then to go to Covent Garden to see what was going on there. We stood for a wee while watching one of the buskers performing his slackrope walking routine - the exact opposite of a tightrope walker. Pretty entertaining stuff.

Julie and Peter (foreground) watch the slackrope
walking Busker in Covent Garden

After Julie and Peter left to head back home, I wandered about London a little more then decided to go back to my hotel. I was full of good intentions for the Friday night - go out to a show and enjoy myself. The truth, however, was that I was really tired and so decided just to stay in my hotel room, watch some TV and have an early night so I could ready myself for the following day.

Saturday
Finally, the day had arrived. REM at Twickenham. When I woke, I wasn't as hyper-excited as I thought I would be, but that soon disappeared as I made my way towards Twickenham. On the way, I decided to make a slight detour and go look at a couple of London landmarks that aren't that well known - some clock and a big wheel that sits on the banks of the Thames.

Some big clock I'm sure I've seen on the TV somewhere!

The only ride at the London Amusement park -
it doesn't go that fast, but it's really tall!

Even though I had my REM Fan Club wristband, that allowed holders access to the stadium about half-an-hour before the rest of the crowd, I still wanted to get to there early so I could soak up some of the atmosphere, the surroundings and a little sun. I was, by no means, the first to arrive. From what I could gather, Fan Club members had been gathering since breakfast time so they could try to get a spot at the very front-centre of the barrier - right in front of Michael Stipe.

The wristband

REM Fan Club members sit inside the stadium
and discuss the tour so far

As it was, I got a good spot just one person back from the barrier and to the left centre stage, right in front of Mike Mills. Conversations that had started in the queue outside were continued inside the stadium and new ones started with the new Fan Club members sitting waiting on the first band on - Guillemots. Some of the others who had been to REM's other UK gigs during the week had said that they were not that impressed with them. However, it turns out that this happened to be the day they played a blinding set and where everything was perfect. Mike Mills even made a surprise appearance playing percussion during the last track of their set. Afterwards, more than one person was heard to say "they were a different band!" Very enjoyable and I'm going to have a wee listen to their albums.

Guillemots on stage

Next up were Editors, a band whom I've heard some of, but not a great deal. A lot of us had heard REM cover their song "Munich" on Radio 1 a few months ago, but other than that I didn't really know a lot of their songs. Like Guillemots, they played a great set and I'll certainly be sitting down and listening to their albums in due course.

Editors playing at Twickenham

Then, finally, REM made their way to the stage. They played songs from pretty much their entire history - from their current album "Accelerate" going all the way back to their first album, "Murmur", from 1983.

Michael practices his T-Rex moves during "The Wake Up Bomb"

Michael even came down to the front of the crowd - twice. Once during "The One I Love" and again during "Losing My Religion". The first time he came down, I managed to grab his hand for a second or so. Don't ask me why I did it, I felt it was something I had to do at that exact moment in time. When he came back down during "Losing My Religion", however, he was less than 3 feet from me. I held the sleeve of his suit jacket. Then I offered him my hand to shake and he did so! I shook hands with Michael Stipe!!! I couldn't believe it - I still can't! I got to shake hands with the lead singer of my all-time favourite band! I'm not going to be stupid and say "I'm never washing my hand again". The important thing is I have the memory of that moment when Michael Stipe shook my hand while singing "Losing My Religion". Fan-smegging-tastic!!!

OK, so it's a little blurry, but this is how close I got to
Michael Stipe. The blur near the bottom of the picture is
my left hand holding onto his sleeve.

Then, almost as soon as it had started, it was all over. The band were saying goodnight and I was working out how to get back to my hotel. But what a concert! What a day! Great weather (I got sunburned!), good company (thanks to Sarah, Samantha, Charlie, Ros and the others who's names I did not catch for your company during the day) and a phenominal concert.

It's the end of the gig as we know it (and we feel great!)

Set List
Living Well Is The Best Revenge
These Days
The Wake-Up Bomb
What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
Drive
Man-Sized Wreath
Disturbance At The Heron House
Ignoreland
Walk Unafraid
Hollow Man
Fall On Me
Electrolite
The Great Beyond
I’m Gonna DJ
Exhuming McCarthy
The One I Love
I’ve Been High
Let Me In
Horse To Water
Bad Day
Orange Crush
Imitation Of Life

Encore
Supernatural Superserious
Losing My Religion
Perfect Circle
Country Feedback
It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Man On The Moon

Before I go, however, I do have one amusing story for you from the concert. While waiting in the Fan Club queue to get in, one of the guys in front of me dug something out of his bag and started to inflate it. It turned out it was a 3-foot tall blow-up doll but he had been made up to look like Michael Stipe. When he was inflated and dressed, he really looked like Stipe in miniature - a "Mini Stipe" if you will. Best of all was that "Mini Stipe" managed to get into the gig with no problems from the security people and survived at the front until REM came on.

Mini Stipe being held up by his owner

During full-size Micheal's visit to the front of the crowd during "The One I Love", Michael shook hands with Mini Stipe and continued on his way along the front. At the end of the set, after REM had left the stage, one of the stage crew came running round from backstage and said that Michael had requested Mini Stipe for the encore. The owner duly gave Mini Stipe over and the next time he was seen was being carried on by Mike Mills and placed beside the piano. At the end of the concert, after taking their final bows, Michael walked over, picked up Mini Stipe and placed him in front of his microphone at centre stage.

What a great few days! What a great concert! I want to do it all again! I'll just need to wait for the next tour to come along.

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)

P.S. Did I tell you I shook hands with Micheal Stipe? No? Let me tell you about it...!

#remlondon

London, Here I Come!

Hi folks

Just a quick post to remind you that I am presenting my card magic lecture for International Magic. The lecture will be taking place on Thursday 28th August at their usual venue - 'Casa Italiana', 136 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1R 5DL (click here for a map). If you are interested in coming along, please e-mail or telephone Martin MacMillan on martin@internationalmagic.com or 020 7405 7324. Times are 7:15pm for a prompt 7:30pm start, and it will be finishing around 9.45pm. The cost is £10 per person.

Once I have presented my lecture, I will be able to relax and start properly looking forward to the R.E.M. concert at Twickenham on Saturday. I have been looking at the setlists for all the previous shows on the tour and am hoping that they will play one or 3 of my all-time favourites. Songs like "Pretty Persuasion", "Driver 8" and "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville". I don't ask much! Please?! And with me being in posession of an R.E.M. Fan Club early entry wristband, I am looking forward to hopefully having a prime spot at the front of the crowd.

Now, roll on Thursday morning! I want to get to London!

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2008

Hi folks

Regular readers (Greee-tings!) may know that I enjoy going to Edinburgh at least once each August to see what's on at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This year, I managed to go through for a few days in a row, and great fun it was too. This was thanks to my good friend Julie, who had decided to travel up to Edinburgh from Watford for a few days to see what it was all about.

We were staying at Pollok Halls, part of Edinburgh University's student accommodation which is taken over by tourists and some groups taking part in shows at the Fringe. I thought the accommodation was great. OK so there wasn't a TV in the room, but they were clean, comfortable and spacious and the breakfast was excellent.

So what did we go and see? Well, that's a fairly extensive list but one that I am willing to type for you, dear reader, along with my own personal thoughts of each show. So, here goes...

Monday
"Britishness" :: Shelley Cooper :: Laughing Horse @ Espionage
We decided to start our trip to the Fringe by going to this show for 2 simple reasons. First, the venue was easy to get to and second, it was free. It was part of the Laughing Horse Free Festival, which you'll hear a wee bit about in the next wee while as we did a few of their shows. The venue was a pub just off the High Street and the room was pretty packed for the show. Sadly, the show wasn't really up to much. After a bit of time with the age-old "hi, where are you from?" start to a comedy show, Ms Cooper started to give us her definition of what being British was. There was an interesting part of the show that dealt with the history of Britain, but the show itself was pretty disappointing from the comedy side of things.

Tuesday
"Devlin's Daily" :: Bruce Devlin :: The Stand 1
After our first trip to the High Street (aka The Royal Mile) where all the street performers gather and do their shows, we made our way to The Stand for what is a regular weekday show that takes place at lunchtime and takes the form of a live talkshow giving people wee previews of things that are on at the Fringe. The first thing that needs to be mentioned here is that it is free. And before anyone thinks "free = crap", this is the show that goes against that rule. It might be free, but it is excellent. Each lunchtime Bruce Devlin introduces a few of the performers from around the Fringe who then talk about, or perform a little bit of, their show. On this particular day, a packed house was treated to Jason Cook and Kate Robbins talking about their respective shows and Jarlath Regan performing a few minutes from his. On the strength of what we saw, Julie and I decided to go see Jarlath the following day but more on that later.

A crowd in Parliament Square watching one of
the many street performers

"The Expert At The Card Table" :: Guy Hollingworth :: Assembly Rooms @ George Street
OK, biased review alert. This is for a couple of reasons. First, I've known Guy Hollingworth for a good number of years. Second, it is a show about the first book to really fully explain the methods of card cheats. So, of course I was going to like it before I went in! I just didn't realise how good the show would be or how packed out the theatre would be. The room holds 120 people and all but some 10 or 20 seats were filled. The show revolves around the story of the book "The Expert At The Card Table", its author and his best friend who came together through a mutual love of playing cards. Peppered throughout this story are some brilliant pieces of card magic (these go beyond being simply card "tricks") which had the audience gasping in amazement. Regular readers (hello!) may remember me saying in an earlier post that I had seen this show in London back in November. Well, it is the same show, but there are some differences to it. It is also a lot "tighter" as a theatre piece, mostly due to Guy working on the show with a Director. Excellent show and highly recommended.

Kreisler '08 :: Jeff Kreisler :: The Stand 4
Next up was American Stand Up Comedian Jeff Kreisler who's name had intrigued me as the 2006 recipient of the "Bill Hicks Spirit Award for Thought-Provoking Comedy". Being a fan of Hicks, I thought I would give the show a go. Before I go any further, let me give you this advice. If you are not up to speed on your American politics or what is going on in the American Election, then this show is not for you. If you have some knowledge of what is going on, then you will get a number of the references that are given. Kreisler will make you think about what is going on. It seems like the set that was performed on the day I attended required a lot of knowledge of what is currently going on in American politics and from what I've read, this could have been the show that he is referring to on his Blog as "my one i’ve-barely-slept-and-am-taking-it-out-on-the-audience show." I'd be interested in seeing a well-rested Kreisler performing to a more responsive audience.

RJ of "All-Star Magic and Comedy - Direct from San Francisco!"
resplendent in his kilt

Ali Cook - A Touch Of Vegas :: Ali Cook :: Gilded Balloon Teviot
Ali Cook is another in the "I've known this guy for years" crowd who are performing at this year's Fringe, so again this might be considered a biased review. I had seen Ali performing Close Up in the past, as well as lecturing for magicians, but had never seen him perform a one-hour magic show for the general public. This show was a lot of fun. Good magic well executed. He was also increadibly funny as well. He had some great reactions from the audience with a lot of his magic, especially when he was messing about with a dove. A great bit of mind reading with a magazine had me scratching my head with multiple theories, none of which I think are right. He also managed to get the perfect spectator up for his Finger Ring in Walnut routine. If I wrote what happened, it wouldn't seem funny. You just had to be there. Another excellent show that you should try to get to see before the run finishes next week.

Wednesday
The Piper's Trail :: The Army in Scotland, in Association With ImpAct Universal (Scotland) :: Musical Theatre @ George Square
One of the great things about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is that you can arrive in the city without any real plans of what you are going to see and decide while you are there. We got given a flyer for this show about 10-15 minutes before it was due to start and, with about an hour-and-a-half to kill before our first planned show of the day, we went along. Personally, I was ready for this to be terrible, but it was actually an excellent family show which went down very well with the wide-ranging audience. The idea was that two tenneagers with troubles at home discover themselves as they face a series of challenges while they journey across the country. The final scene does actually move you, at which point you realise it has been building up, although the shortbread tin tartant finale is a litle cliched. On the whole, surprisingly enjoyable, and free too!

"Devlin's Daily" :: Bruce Devlin :: The Stand 1
We enjoyed this the day before so much that we decided to go again. The room was only about half-full today but what we saw was still enjoyable. We had to leave early to go to our next show.

Electric Mouse - A La Carte :: Electric Mouse :: Laughing Horse @ Espionage
A show that consisted of 3 comedians - 2 male and one female - and a comedy singer-songwriter and that had the feel of a show that was put together at the last minute. People forgot who was coming on stage next to perform. Some even forgot their fellow performer's names! As for the performances themselves, the first comedian on looked like he was on stage for the very first time, another tried doing edgy/contraversial material that was mostly unfunny, the female comedian had a few good lines (and was rather cute, too!) but the strongest performer was the singer-songwriter. He had some really sick songs which were also quite funny. Sadly, however, overall I found it to be a fairly weak show.

Jarlath Regan - "Relax The Cax" :: Jarlath Regan :: Guilded Balloon Teviot
Jarlath Regan was the guy that we had seen do a few minutes of his show at the previous day's "Devlin's Daily". I was impressed by those few short minutes and I was equally impressed by his one-hour show. The whole show stems from a wee story about him and a car clamper. From such humble beginnings, Jarlath opens his world up to the audience and what a world it is. I won't quote any of the gags that were used in the show, you'll have to go and see him yourself! The one thing I will tell you is watch out for his greetings cards! Great stuff and I recommend you go and see him the next time he is in your area.

London Underground and Yet More Ballads :: The Amateur Transplants :: Medina & Negociants
The Amateur Transplants are 2 doctors who put rude and very un-PC words to well know (mostly pop) tunes. Julie found this one hidden away in the Fringe Brouchure. She suggested that we tried to get tickets and I was more than happy to do so. My good friends Carol and Emz had introduced me to their stuff with their first CD, "Fitness To Practice", so I knew what I was in for. Well, they did a ton of stuff from that album, along with new tracks that I had not heard before. Suffice to say, the whole room was rocking with laughter throughout the entire show. If you ever get the chance to see these guys live, and are not easily offended, then beg, borrow or steal to get a ticket. Just don't say I didn't warn you about how offensive it can be!!! This was probably the funniest thing I saw the whole week.

The Golden Age Of Magic :: Ian Kendall :: The Zoo
Ian Kendall is a long-time (I won't say old!) friend. He's also a long-time performer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - this was his 17th straight year performing at the Fringe. During that time, Ian has built up a bit of a following and his shows have now started selling out. Always great to see a friend doing so well. This year's show's theme was about magic from the turn of the 20th century with stories about some of the performers of that time. Technically, Ian performed the material perfectly (I knew there was a reason I disliked Ian!) and presented it with his usual droll sense of humour. On the night we attended, there was a Spanish couple in the front row. When he asked the girl to help with the last trick of the evening, it turned out she spoke very little English, but then Ian's professionalism (also helped by the fact that his wife is Spanish!) came to the fore and he performed list last routine in Spanish with an in-running English translation as the routine progressed. Great stuff and I would recommend this show if it hadn't finished the weekend after we saw it! Seriously, though, if you get a chance to see Ian perform next year, do so.

Magicians gossip - Kevin McMahon (left), Ian Kendall (centre)
and Julie in mid-discussion about all things magic. "Big Al" Catraz
of "All-Star Magic and Comedy - Direct from San Francisco!"
checks his e-mail in the background

Thursday
In The Mouth :: Laughing Horse @ Espionage
This was the first of 4 shows that we saw at the one venue. We had left our digs in the morning and had several hours to kill before getting Julie to the airport and me back to Stewarton so instead of trying to walk around Edinburgh with our cases in tow, we decided to go to Espionage and see a bunch of free shows. (And before anyone asks, we were going to put our cases into the left luggage at Edinburgh Waverley Station, but the queue was miles too long!) The first show we saw was a 3-person sketch show was more miss than hit. A lot more. There were a couple of good sketches in it (my personal favouite involving a DVD shop), but upon reflection the whole show felt like a series of sketches, each of which had been written in a very short space of time.

Julie's obviously enjoying the show

Angel Delight Is A Dog's Best Friend :: Ben Brown :: Laughing Horse @ Espionage
How funny can a baby-faced teenage stand up comic be? Answer - very. Ben Brown is a young and confident stand up comedian who held the audience's attention for around 40 minutes. And had us laghing, too. I say that without trying to sound surprised but you need to remember that this was one of the "Free Festival" shows and, generally, Free Festival show = good chance of it being crap. This was the show that broke that rule. Watch out for this young man in the future. He could be big.

(James Mason Is Not) Bill Hicks & (Bobby Carroll Ain't No) Richard Pryor :: James Mason and Bobby Carroll :: Laughing Horse @ Espionage
OK, so we're gluttons for punishment. Three shows in a row at Espionage and this one, for some of it, was back to the usual Free Festival level. James Mason came on in a black lether jacket and pretty much mumbled his way through his set. Sadly, I didn't find him particularly funny. It came across as if it was this young man's first show. Bobby Carroll, however, came across as someone who does stand up comedy for a living and who, by his own admission, was trying out new material. His material was not-too-bad and he got a few good laughs from around the room.

Dog Day King :: Snorri Kristjansson :: Laughing Horse @ Espionage
Another show to brake the Free Festival rule. Snorri is an Icelandic stand up comedian (no, I didn't know there were any either!) who's name sounds like a bunch of unfortunate words in different languages. For me, this was the best show of the day. Sadly, his microphone decided to play up and so had to make do without. This meant that Julie and I had to try very hard to be able to hear him as we were sitting right underneath the air vent that was bringing cool air in from the outside world (Julie gave up after a few minutes of struggling). I enjoyed his set and, given the chance, would try to go to see him again.

And so, it was time to leave Espionage. After a walk around a few wee bits of Edinburgh (with cases in tow - not exactly fun!) it was time to get Julie to the airport and me back to Stewarton. We both had a great time and we both saw the sorts of shows that we wanted to see - the good and the bad. Luckily, we saw more good than bad and didn't have to pay too much for the bad.

This year's Fringe is nearly finished, but mark a weekend in your diary for next August and try to get to Edinburgh. You won't regret it!

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)

Lecturing in London and other bits

Hi folks

Regular readers (hi there!) may know that I am a huge REM fan and since their only Scottish concert of the current tour was at T In The Park (which I refuse to go to due to the high "Ned factor"), I had to choose one of their concerts elsewhere. Since I like visiting London, I chose the concert scheduled for Twickenham on August 30th (I'll be blogging about this nearer the time).

Well, since booking the tickets, I have been asked if I would present my magic lecture for International Magic. The lecture will be taking place on Thursday 28th August at their usual venue - 'Casa Italiana', 136 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1R 5DL (click here for a map). If you are interested in coming along, please e-mail or telephone Martin MacMillan on martin@internationalmagic.com or 020 7405 7324. Times are 7:15pm for a prompt 7:30pm start, and it will be finishing around 9.45pm. The cost is £10 per person.

Staying with International Magic, and a little closer to the present, David Regal is also lecturing for them. This lecture takes place on Friday 1st August at the same venue and times as my own at the end of the month. David is a great magician and one who has really, really clever ideas and effects. Considering his background in writing and performing comedy, it isn't any surprise that his presentations are top-notch, too.

And one last bit of news from International Magic is that they have started announcing names for their Convention in November. OK, so they've announced one name so far (officially!) - that of Richard Turner, The Cheat. He will be presenting a one-man show on the Friday night and lecturing on the Saturday. I saw Mr Turner lecture a good number of years ago in Glasgow and it was amazing. Even when he told you how he was performing the cheating moves that he was using, you still couldn't see him do the move! Utterly amazing and someone I urge anyone with even the sleightest interest in cheating moves with cards to go and see.

And finally, and rounding things off, if your Magic Club or Organisation are interested in getting details about my lecture, you can drop me an e-mail at peter@thecardman.co.uk

I look forward to hopefully seeing some of you at my lecture at the end of August.

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)

Friends at The Fringe

Hi folks

Regular readers (greetings!) may remember that I love the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and that I try to get through at least once during August to see some of the mayhem that goes on there. Well, this year is going to be no different and I'm going to be going in Edinburgh for a few days - something I am very much looking forward to.

However, before August arrives there is the now annual search of the Edinburgh Fringe programme to find what shows I would like to see. As always there are the shows done by those I have heard of or seen on TV, the shows done by those that I've never heard of and then there are the shows by the people I know. These are the ones that I'd like to point you in the direction of just now.

Before I get into the shows and the descriptions, the links that you will see as the show's title takes you directly to that show's particular page on the Edinburgh Fringe website where you can book tickets for each show.

The first is "Ali Cook - A Touch Of Vegas" at the Gilded Balloon Teviot (13 Bistro Square - 0131 668 1633). This is Ali's first show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Here's what the Fringe programme has to say about the show:-
Award winning magician, Ali Cook Live! Star of Channel 4’s "Dirty Tricks" and Five’s "Monkey Magic". "Immensely Funny" (Daily Telegraph). "Entertains with wit, skill and intelligence" (Evening Standard).
Preview: Jul 30-Aug 2: 21:15 (1hr) £5.00
Aug 3-7,12-14,18-21,25: 21:15 (1hr) £9.00 (£8.00)
Aug 8-10, 15-17,22-24: 21:15 (1hr) £10.00 (£9.00)

Next up comes Ian Kendall's "The Golden Age of Magic" (www.goldenageofmagic.com) which will be at The Zoo (140 The Pleasance – 0131 662 6892). I'm not allowed to tell you how long Ian has been performing at the Fringe for (apparently it is covered by the Official Secrets Act!), but I can tell you what it says in the Fringe programme:-
Ian Kendall returns with a brand-new magic show. Be astonished by classic effects and stories from a time before camera tricks and creative editing took away the wonder. Sell-out show 2006 and 2007.
Aug 1-16: 21:00 (1hr) £8.00

After Ian finishes his run, Magic To Get Girls By with Kevin McMahon and Alan Hudson will be entering the fray at The Zoo (140 The Pleasance – 0131 662 6892). Here's what the Fringe programme says about the show, which sounds like a lot of fun.
Magician geeks Kevin and Alan try, but ultimately fail, to impress the ladies with magic. Magic is cool, and there’s nothing sexier than a card trick. “Funny and, at the same time, baffling.” (Paul Daniels)
Aug 17-25: 21:00 (1hr) £8.00 (£7.00)

And last, but in no means least, is The Expert At The Card Table by Guy Hollingworth, being performed at Assembly @ George Street (Assembly Rooms, 54 George Street – 0131 623 3030). I wrote about this show after seeing it at last year's International Magic Convention in London (you can find what I said in the paragraph under the last of the pictures of the Apollo space capsule). Here's what the Fringe programme says:-
Contains deception, betrayal and cheating at cards. Renowned conjurer Guy Hollingworth performs dazzling exhibitions of card chicanery and incomparable legerdemain whist unravelling the mystery of its enigmatic author. “Extraordinary talent! I love this show!” (David Blaine)
Preview: Jul 31-Aug 2: 15:35 (1hr) £5.00
Aug 3,5-7,12-14,19-20,25: 15:35 (1hr) £11.00 (£10.00)
Aug 8-10,15-17,21-24: 15:35 (1hr) £12.00 (£11.00)

Some excellent performers doing what I am certain will be excellent shows. Sure, there are a bunch of other magicians on at the Fringe (and don't forget the Street Performers!) but I wanted to make a point of highlighting these shows in particular.

Whether you go to any of these shows or not, if you can get to Edinburgh in August, go! You won't regret it - even if it's raining!

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)

Dad

Hi folks

Two years ago today, right about the time that I am writing this, my Dad, Alexander Campbell McLanachan, died. He'd taken seriously ill a few days previously and never regained consciousness.

I was trying to think of a funny story about Dad to put on this post but couldn't think of any. Blogger's block? I don't know. I'll probably think of one as soon as I click "publish post"! All I really wanted to do was post a little something to mark the time.

Dad, we all love you and miss you as much now as then. There's not a day that goes by where we don't think of you - even if just to say "can you imagine what Dad would say if he was here?" That's one of the most common thoughts I have these days! Wherever you are, Dad, take care of yourself. We'll see you somewhere, sometime, down the road.

Possibly the last picture taken of Dad
in front of the Para Handy's Vital Spark

Folks, as ever at this time, I ask that you all let those that you love know exactly how they feel before its too late. Take care.

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-(

Norman Beck lecturing in Scotland

Hi folks

"Smart, funny and cunning ... Miss him at your peril!" - R. Paul Wilson
"Norman Beck will fool you very badly. His lecture is an absolute delight." - Marc DeSouza

These are just a few of the things people in the know are saying about Texas-based Close Up Magician Norman Beck who will be lecturing in Paisley and Aberdeen in the next couple of weeks.

The lecture in Paisley is taking place in the Function Room of Suzy Q's Pool Club, 58 Stock Street, Paisley (wonder who organised that venue?) on Sunday 6th July starting at 2pm. The cost is £10 per person. You can download a flyer regarding this lecture by clicking here. If you have any questions or queries, you can drop me an e-mail.

Aberdeen Magic Society will be hosting the second lecture, being held on Tuesday 8th July at The Sportsmans Club, Queens Road, Aberdeen. The lecture is scheduled to start at 8pm and the cost is £5 for Aberdeen Magic Society members and £10 for non-members. More details regarding the Aberdeen lecture can be obtained by visiting the Aberdeen Magic Society website.

Rather than tell what the lecture is and spoil it, Mr Beck would like to point out what the lecture is not:-
• It is not a dealer lecture.
• It is not a lecture you need to buy the notes to get value from it.
• It is not a lecture of magic theory
• It is not a lecture of variations of other people’s tricks.
• It is not a lecture of finger flinging.

I hope you can make it along as it sounds like a fascinating, and very entertaining, lecture.

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)

Terrorvision in Glasgow!

Hi folks

Readers of my blog (hi again and thanks for reading!) may remember a post I made a while ago pleading (OK, begging!) for Terrorvision to play in Scotland. Well, that plea was answered earlier this week when the mighty Terrorvision announced that they will be playing at Glasgow's ABC1 on Thursday 23rd October.

The tickets, priced at £16 plus booking and handling fees, are available from the usual outlets. My tickets have been ordered and so I will be there along with my sister, brother in law and best mate, Peter. It will be a chance for Peter and I to re-live days gone by when we both had more hair! Can you guess I'm looking forward to it? You bet I am!

As a little warm up - 4 months early! - here's Terrorvision in action in May performing an unplugged version of "Some People Say".

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)

John Carney lecturing in Glasgow (Catch Up Continued)

Regular readers (hi there!) will probably remember that I mentioned a short time ago that John Carney was going to be presenting his lecture in Glasgow. Well the day is now a memory, but what a memory it is. After finishing work, I arrived at Tam Shepherd's to see about picking up any magazines that I had waiting for me. It was a nice surprise to see Mr Carney standing there with a couple of the local magicians. Before I knew what was happening, I was being included in the numbers for dinner! I'm not going to complain about that!

After dinner at Sloan's - Glasgow's oldest pub - we all made our way to the venue for lecture, the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre. A great wee venue with a cracking little, intimate theatre where the lecture was to be presented. And what a lecture it was!

Simply put, I feel that Mr Carney's lecture is one of the most important magic lectures being presented today. Sure, I am biased as I am a big fan of Mr Carney's work, but this lecture is about more than just tricks. This was about the "why" behind a trick, not just the "how". It was about the inner workings that can make all our magic more amazing to our audiences. He also talked, albeit briefly, about the 3 modes of practice. I won't discuss them here, but if he is ever in your neck of the woods, make a point of going to see him and ask him about the 3 modes of practice and the 12 lemons.

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)

Convention Catch Up

There’s a lot to catch up on, so let’s start with the Magic Conventions. The start of April saw me in Scarborough to lecture at the Northern Magic Circle’s “Spring Parade”. A small convention, about the same size as the Scottish SAMS Convention, but very, very friendly. There were a lot of familiar faces there from my other trips to Conventions in England and it was good to be able to catch up with people I don’t usually get to see too often.

Me lecturing at the Northern Magic Circle's Spring Parade
(Photo courtesy of Walt Lees)

My lecture was the first thing in the programme, after the Official Opening, and it was well attended by a fairly enthusiastic crowd. After my lecture, I had been asked to judge the Close Up Competition – never an easy task, especially if you are friends with one or more of the performers! Overall, it was a pretty decent show with some strong magic. In the end, it was judged by that Alex Moffat had won the competition with Steve Gore second and Alan Duncan third.

The rest of the time was spent hanging out and enjoying myself. I checked out the new Riley's American Pool and Snooker Club there, and was very impressed by it. Since it was Grand National weekend, I popped into the local betting shop and put some money on a couple of horses, and one of them won it! I had £2 each-way on “Comply Or Die” at odds of 9-1 and I walked away with about £24 (brilliant stuff!). I also need to mention the guys from "Burning Card Magic" which is a relatively new company specialising in Close Up. They might be worth checking out.

Let’s fast-forward to the start of May for the 58th Annual Convention of The Irish Ring - Ring 85 – of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (aka The Irish Magic Convention). This Convention is always a lot of fun and this year was no different. There were lectures and performances from, amongst others, Joshua Jay, Alan Shaxon, Trevor Lewis, Jack Wise and Quentin Reynolds. Friday gave me a chance to go walkabout around Dublin city centre for a few hours, something I had not done for some 6 years! It looks as fascinating now as it did then, but then that’s why I like being in a different city from time-to-time.

As for the Convention itself, it was the usual laid-back Irish affair - any more laid back and it's horizontal! Most Conventions are just an excuse to get together and hang out with friends that you don't get to see too often and this one was no different.

The Friday evening saw lectures by Trevor Lewis and Keith Bennet, as well as what was billed as a show by Joshua Jay. This ended up being a show come lecture come workshop that had nearly everybody in the room following Josh's lead as he took them through the finer points of a couple of his effects.

I had to miss Tony Sadari's lecture on the Saturday morning as I was performing in the Close Up Show that afternoon and did not have an act! The Close Up Show was, from what I saw of it, excellent with highlight after highlight - Jack Wise brilliantly opening the show, Alan Shaxon proving that he can do any form of magic asked for, Keith Bennet's brilliant gag about a ghost in a box, sing-a-long-a-Quentin Reynolds' "5 Minutes With A Pocket Handkerchief" and Joshua Jay stealing the show again (I'm starting to dislike this kid - he's too damn talented for his own good!). Heck, even I was happy with my performance! That just shows how much fun everyone - performers and audience - were having.

One of my favourite parts of the Irish Convention is the Banquet. It means one less meal to worry about buying! (typical Scotsman, eh?!) Traditionally, this is the point in time when the Irish IBM Ring hold their stage competition but, sadly, there were not enough performers for this to take place. In place of the Competition, this year's post-banquet entertainment was a genuine highlight for me. I have known Quentin Reynolds for a good number of years but have hardly ever seen him perform. Quentin owned the Saturday night of the Convention as he presented his "Psychic Game Show". About an hour (I'm not too sure as the time went so quickly) of well presented, well performed and well received Mentalism that had a room full of magicians scratching their heads (I was too as he caught me on several occasions).

Quentin Reynolds during his Psycic Game Show

The Sunday morning saw Josh Jay present his formal lecture. The lecture itself was brilliant with everyone finding stuff they could learn and use. The most impressive thing about the lecture was that Josh was able to present it at all. You see, a group of the "young ones" at the Convention (that makes me sound REALLY old!), including Josh, made their way to the Nightclub that is part of the hotel after the previous night's banquet was over. (please note that I decided not to join them for 3 reasons - first, I HATE dance music, second I was in my kilt and didn't want to go into an Irish Nightclub in a kilt and third I HATE dance music! Now, I realise that the first and third are technically the same but it is so important that it had to be said twice.) According to all reports, they came back to the hotel and got the guitars out for a sing-song session that lasted until around 5am.

Joshua Jay presenting his lecture in Dublin

Josh's lecture was scheduled for 11:15am and not long before 11am, a somewhat hungover and extremely tired young American magician arrived in the room where he was going to lecture. Josh proceeded to charm, baffle and entertain everyone that was there to see his lecture. He earned a well-deserved, and rare, standing ovation from the Irish audience. For me, the next event I attended was Max Marshall's lecture, which he had entitled "Silent Patter". This was excellent and I highly recommend it to all.

Max Marshall presenting his "Silent Patter" lecture

Not your typical "sit down and watch" style of lecture, Max had us meditating, playing hand slapping games with each other and trying out examples of non-verbal communication that, in my eyes, took this from being simply a lecture to a workshop where we could all participate, and where those that chose to (most of the room in this case!) got at least one or 2 things from the talk.

The Irish Convention Gala Show is always a highlight, which is helped a great deal by, in my opinion, one of the best Gala Show Comperes I have seen - Aonghus McNally. Aonghus is a TV and radio personality and radio producer for RTE in Ireland who is also pretty handy with a guitar. As ever, there were more gags and stories than I could remember (I really need to remember a notepad next time I'm there!) and a couple of songs thrown in for good measure.

Convention Organiser Nevin Cody (left) and Gala Show Compere
Aonghus McNally give us a song during the Gala Show

Pat Fallon opened the Gala Show with his excellent dove act and closed with a couple of well-presented illusions. Alan Shaxon fooled me - again! - with his Human Gasometer and Airial Fishing and Max Marshall, in the guise of Congo, caused mayhem with members of the audience. Max's lecture earlier in the day were able to see the theories that he had explained to us put into practice. Great fun!

Max Marshall as Congo during the Irish Convention Gala Show

Typically after the Gala Show, everyone gathers in the bar to chat the night away and this year was no different. One group of people were exchanging stories of times gone by, another were sharing tricks and techniques they had learned over the weekend. As always, the sad part came when people started saying their goodbyes and went to bed. That is generally the point when I realise that I need to back to reality.

A couple of pictures from late on the Sunday
night - drinks, coversations and card tricks

It was a great weekend. Lots of great magic, lots of fun and loads of chances to catch up with friends that I had not seen in quite some time.

Speak soon

The Cardman :-)

eBay

Hi folks

Just a quick post to let you know that I'm selling a few things on eBay - both magic and non-magic related. You can find what I'm selling by clicking here.

I'll be adding a few more things over the next couple of days, so keep checking back every now and then. I hope you find something there that you like.

Speak soon

The Cardman :-)

John Carney lecturing in the UK

Hi everyone

Those that know me really well will probably know that I am a big fan of the work of American magician John Carney. Now, for those of you not interested in magic, he is an multi award-winning magician who is regarded as one of the best in most forms of magic, whether it be Close Up, Parlour or Stage.

For those of you that are interested in magic, Carney is one of the ones that really makes me think about my magic - not just the "how" but the "why" as well. His 2 hard-backed books - "Carneycopia" written by Stephen Minch and his self-penned "The Book of Secrets" - should, in my opinion, be in the libraries of everyone and anyone who calls themself a magician.

Why am I telling you this? Well, Mr Carney is coming back to these shores to present his highly acclaimed lecture. The lecture, which lasts a full 2 hours, covers Close Up and Stage magic using cards, coins, cigars and other everyday objects. Here are the details:-

Edinburgh
Wednesday 4 June at 7:30pm

Costa Coffee
1 Hanover Street
Edinburgh
EH2 2DL

Click for a map to Costa Coffee

From Waverley Station, walk west along Princes Street, turn right onto Hanover Street, and enter via the Costa entrance

£15 at the door – No advance tickets

Glasgow
Friday 6 June at 7:30pm

Scottish Mask and Puppet Center
8-10 Balcarres Avenue
Kelvindale
Glasgow
G12 OQF
0141 339 6185

Click for a map to Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre

£15 at the door – No advance tickets

Newcastle
Sunday 8 June at 7:30pm

Ouseburn Farm
Ouseburn Road (off Lime Street)
Ouseburn
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 2PA

By road from New Bridge Street down Crawhall road, then Stepney Bank. From Byker Bank go along Lime Street. From City Road go onto Byker bank then Lime Street. On street parking and car parks available in the surrounding area.

£15 at the door – No advance tickets

Watford
Wednesday 11 June at 7:30pm

18th Bushey and Oxhey Scout Hut
Little Bushey Lane
Bushey
Herts
WD23 4JS

Click here for a map to Little Bushey Lane

£15 at the door – No advance tickets

You can see footage of him performing on Carney's YouTube Channel but as a wee taster of what you can expect, here is Mr Carney performing his handling of the Coins And The Champagne Glass called "Silver And Glass" from his DVD "The Video Of Secrets"

I'll definately be at the Glasgow lecture, so I'll see you there. If you can't make the Glasgow one, I highly recommend that you try to get to one as close to you as possible.

Happy learning!

Speak soon

The Cardman :-)

Irish IBM Ring 85 Convention - 2nd to 4th May 2008 - Dublin

Hi folks

Just a quick post to pass the word on about this year's Irish IBM Ring 85 Convention, taking place at the Plaza Hotel, Tallagh, Dublin from 2nd to 4th May.

Performers booked to lecture and/or perform at the convention include Joshua Jay, Alan Shaxon, Trevor Lewis, Quentin Reynolds, Max Marshall and many, many more. Registration for the whole weekend is €95 (around £75 at the current exchange rates) and is worth every cent! That price includes access to all lectures, shows and the banquet. You can get more details by downloading the Convention Flyer (in PDF format) here.

If you've never been to an Irish Convention, take the chance. It is always a great weekend and is probably the most laid-back Conventions you'll ever go to - imagine the polar opposite of the craziness of Blackpool and that's what the Irish Conventions are like!

I'll maybe see some of you guys there next weekend.

Speak soon

The Cardman :-)

Northern Magic Circle's Spring Parade

Hi folks

Just a quick post to remind you that I am lecuring at this year's Northern Magic Circle Spring Parade Convention which is taking place on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th April (next weekend) in Scarborough.

Here's a brief run-down of who's scheduled to be performing during the weekend:-

Lectures
Peter McLanachan (that's me!) on cards - you wouldn't have guessed!
Tricky Ricky (McLeod) on Children's Magic

Workshops
Alan Maskell
Jim Cuthbert
Michael Jordan

Dealers
Kaymar Magic (general)
Black Cat Magic (specialist, escapology)
Magic Books by Post (specialist, books)
High Jinx Juggling supplies (specialist, juggling equipment)
Burning Card Magic (street, fire & close up)
Magician's Cave (general magic)

Gala Show featuring
Andrew Green
High Jinx
Su Jayne
Max Marshall
Ricky McLeod

Full details can be obtained at the Northern Magic Circle's website.

This is my first trip to the Northern's Convention and I am really looking forward to it. If any of you are there, do come up and say hello.

I look forward to hopefully seeing you there.

Speak soon

The Cardman :-)

2008 Blackpool Convention

It is crazy, busy, rushed and leaves you shattered at the end of it. Yes, another edition of the Blackpool Magicians' Convention is now a memory. It's a chance to meet up with old friends, make new ones. It is a Convention with enough events to easily fill a 4 or 5-day Convention crammed into 2½ days!

For years, I've been travelling down to Blackpool on the Thursday morning so I can go play some American Pool in one of the American Pool Halls in the town and this year was no exception. I arrived at the Riley's American Pool and Snooker club to find that I could practice on the table used by the reigning World 9-Ball Champion, Daryl Peach. Daryl, sadly, wasn't going to be in town that weekend as he was playing a EuroTour event in Paris. Ach well, so much for congratulating him in person for the World Title that he won in November. The table that Daryl practices on is tapped, has the proper cloth and has 4½-inch double shimmed pockets. Now, that won't mean a great deal to you if you don't play American Pool, but to those that do, they are pretty tough conditions. I even got to meet up with Lynette Horsburgh, one of the top all-round cue sports players in Britian, who I hadn't seen since she came to the Scottish 9-Ball Championships in Kirkcaldy back in October. It was good to be able to sit and catch up.

Friday was the start of the Convention. Registration at 10am, then nothing Convention-wise for some 5 hours, so I went back to Riley's and played more pool (again on Daryl's table) until things started. After meeting up with friends and a couple of laps of the Dealers' Hall (which is where we buy all our new tricks, books, DVDs, props, etc.) my first event was to go and see Shawn Farquhar's lecture. I've seen Farquhar perform at the last 2 World Championships and he has always impressed me. He performs with enough energy to power a small town and is not scared to perform some impressive material - both in terms of technique and effect. His lecture was full of very easy material (he likes easy!) and the same energy that he gives when I've seen him perform in the past. Although I, personally, would not use any of the material that he taught in the lecture, it was great fun to watch and I would highly recommend that you go and see him if he's in your local area.

Me with Justin Lee Collins and Alan Carr

Saturday was going to be a busy day for me with 3 lectures pretty much back-to-back. The first was David Solomon from Chicago - a student, friend and confidant of the legendary Edward Marlo. It was, as expected, all cards, some technical stuff including a great thought-of card across from his current book "The Wisdom Of Solomon" that fooled me 3 times in a row. Well worth the book just for that effect alone! Next up was Jean-Jacques Sanvert of Paris who, amongst other things, taught his Bill To Cheese routine that was published in Genii a few years ago. Really, really clever! Finally was the one person I was wanting to see perform, lecture and meet - JC Wagner from San Diego. JC is one of the best Bar Magicians in the world and is the sole reason that I learned to perform the Card Under Glass - so now you know who to blame! He did a whole bunch of old and new routines, including Card Under Glass which made me smile as those around me missed it completely. I had the great pleasure of meeting him afterwards, as well as at the end of the Convention itself and he was the nicest of the nice people. I'm glad I went!

Me with JC Wagner

The Saturday night is, traditionally, the "British Magical Championships". This year, however, was a little different. They still called it a "competition" but there were no judges, no marks, no point(s). The first half consisted of all-UK performers with John Archer being my personal favourite. The interval came 2½ hours after the show started and after the first couple of acts in the second half, I - along with the folk I was sitting with - gave up and headed round to the Ruskin Hotel, the Headquarters Hotel of the Convention, to sit and chat. It turns out, however, that I missed one of the classic MC gaffs of all time. The MC for the show was Stu Francis - he of "Crackerjack" and who would say "ooh, I could crush a grape" or "ooh, I could test-drive a Tonka" (my personal favourite) - and while he seemed to be getting a little over-excited on stage at what was going on, he really didn't seem to have a grasp of things. He was mis-naming performers all over the place. He gave Shawn Farquhar 2 different names - both of them totally incorrect! You can read Shawn's own thoughts on the situation - as well as his thoughts on the Convention itself - at his Blog (you'll need to go to the stuff that he wrote in February to get the Blackpool stories).

Paul Wilson with French card genius Bebel

Sunday was, for me, a quieter day. I went to see some of the Close Up shows that were going on and saw JC Wagner and Shawn Farquhar. Both excellent - I still have no idea how Farquhar manages to get a signed card inside a fully sealed deck of cards! After that, I made a decision to see friends instead of events. Coffee with Paul, Mhairi, Kris and Christina. Shopping with Julie. That sort of stuff. All very enjoyable. After dinner in the American rock diner across the road from the Winter Gardens, it was time for the Gala Show. Nowhere near as long as the night before (thank smeg!) but while it wasn't the best, it wasn't the worst Gala Show I had seen. My favourite had to be Topaz's "Childhood" act based around a playroom. I had seen that act before (I can't remember where, possibly at FISM2003 in The Hague), but I had forgotten just how good that act was.

Me with Florida card expert Kostya Kimlat

Everyone went back round to the Ruskin after the Gala Show and a party of sorts started up that lasted well into the night. I managed to get some time to talk to Emma, a friend that I had initially met for a few seconds in Southport when she dropped her mobile phone, and ended up watching some of the crazy things that tend to happen during these nights - Ian Kendall pushing the inside of a biro pen up his nose, then trying to write with it!!! Pretty gross, but VERY funny! I also got to watch one of the most amazing magic sessions I've seen in a long time between my good friend Paul Wilson, JC Wagner and French card genius Bebel. I had seen Bebel perform before but he was on top form this night and baffling everyone that could see the table top.

How many people can you cram into a hotel lobby?

It was a good weekend. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. Of the stuff that I bought, I've been listening to the audiobook version of Michael Close's book "That Reminds Me: Finding The Funny In A Serious World" almost constantly (The Cardman's quick review: VERY FUNNY! BUY IT!!!) and I've started reading Geoffrey Durham's book "Professional Secrets: A Life In Magic". Of what I've read so far, this is an excellent book and whilst I won't necessarily use any of the performance material within the book, I will certainly be taking note of what he says in his informative essays.

Right, I'd better go and try and get my head back into the real world once again.

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)

Bill Hicks

Hi folks

Today sees the 14th anniversary of the passing of, in my opinion, one of the greatest Stand Up Comedians who ever lived - Bill Hicks. He died in 1994 aged 32 from Pancreatic Cancer and performed comedy that REALLY made you think. It is just as relevant today as it was back in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. Go find his stuff about the first Gulf War and think about the current “War On Terror”, especially before Iraq came under US Control.

RIP, Bill! I, for one, still wonder what you’d be saying about the world today.

Here, as a wee taster, are a few clips of Bill Hicks in action. Enjoy.

Redneck Waffle Houses

Gulf War Weapons Catalogue

What is the point of life?

Speak soon

The Cardman :-)

The Real Hustle

Hi folks

Just a quick post to say that tomorrow night at 7pm sees the fifth season of BBC3's hit show "The Real Hustle" start off with 2 back-to-back episodes. This time, our 3 friendly hustlers - Paul Wilson, Alexis Conran and Jessica Jane Clement - hit Las Vegas to see if they can swindle the people and visitors of Sin City out of their hard-earned cash and goods.

As some of you will know, I've known Paul for more years than he or I probably care to admit but I cannot help but have to double check that it really is one of my closest friends that is on TV every time the show is on. It sounds like a great series and considering the time, work and effort that Paul and Alex - along with their collaborators - put in to writing it and the 3 performers put into doing the scams, I'm sure it will be.

Happy viewing, folks!

Speak soon

The Cardman :-)

Terrorvision Return?

One of my favourite bands is a group of lads from Bradford called Terrorvision. They played rock music like it was supposed to be played - LOUD! Sadly, in 2001, they decided enough was enough and, disillusioned by the music industry, decided to go their separate ways. Apart from a couple of wee semi-reuniouns, that was it. Well, we thought.

Last November, Terrorvision reformed, got themsleves an official MySpace page which was -and is - updated on a regular basis and even did a few gigs in the Midlands and North of England. They've now announced a few more gigs, this time in the South of England. I feel like I'm missing out here on one of my favourite bands! Sure, I could go see them down south, but the gigs that have either been or are coming up all clash with stuff I'm doing. Bit of a pain.

So, I guess the reason for this particular blog is an impassioned plea from one Terrorvision fan to the band to please, please get yourselves up to Glasgow. Heck, why not do what you did the first time I saw you - go to a wee club somewhere (maybe Kilmarnock? Hint!) and blow everyone away with a storming set.

And for those of you that want to know who and what I'm on about, here's a couple of my favourites as performed at one of their gigs last November.

Alice, What's The Matter

Bad Actress

Oblivion

Hope you enjoyed them. Now all I need is to be able to see them doing these songs live in front of me! I'll keep you posted.

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)

Lecture at Forth Valley Magic Circle - 18 February 2008

Hi folks

I know I haven’t posted for a wee bit, but I've not been up to anything much that is Blogg-able (if that is, indeed, a word!). However, the Blackpool Convention is not too far away, so I'll make up for lack of posts then.

Anyway, I wanted to mention that I am presenting my “A Force Much Greater Than Luck” lecture at Forth Valley Magic Circle on Monday 18th February 2008 at their regular meeting place, the Station Hotel, Larbert, Falkirk and starts around 7:30pm.

I'll be talking about my card material from my Notes entitled "A Force Much Greater Than Luck". Visiting magicians who wish to go along should e-mail the Secretary for full details.

Maybe see you there?

Speak soon

The Cardman :-)

Northern Magic Circle Spring Parade - 5 and 6 April 2007

This is just a quick post to let you know that I've been booked to present the one-hour version of my lecture at the Northern Magic Circle's "Spring Parade" taking place in Scarborough on 5th and 6th April. I'm scheduled to lecture some time on the Saturday.

The Northern Magic Circle's convention is normally held on Easter weekend (and called the "Easter Parade"), but with Easter being so early this year - 23rd March - they have decided to organise this year's Convention for the first weekend of the School Spring Holidays at the start of April. The "Easter/Spring Parade" is also generally regarded as one of the most friendly Conventions around so I am really looking forward to going.

Maybe I'll see you there, too?

Speak soon.

The Cardman :-)