December 31, 2020
A New Year and a new set of topics:
- New Year magic planning may be almost impossible, but there are some positives
- children's entertainers are not always given proper credit for what they do so well
- announcing the E-Club Pro Live Open Event
- the four 'E's of entertainment that make for a good performance
- what you wear at gigs says something about you as a performer
- "mentalism is the last frontier of magic where some people believe that it is real" says Marc Paul
November 30, 2020
In your festive podcast I gift wrap the following topics:
- unearthing the treasures that reside in a magic book case
- analysing the diverse elements that go to make up humour
- printed advertising is an important part of your online promotional push
- reflections on the presentation of my first Zoom lecture
- if your magic life was to be rebooted, what would you do differently?
- I reflect on what a world in which magic is not that interesting to anyone would be like!
October 31, 2020
It's dark, cold and wet - but here is a little sunshine!
- Reflections on the first 'virtual' Magic Circle Young Magicians' Club J-Day
- have magicians these days become too impatient in their magic lives?
- Eric Eswin suggests that magic clubs should not be so strict about preventing their members from revealing secrets to the public
- Zoom magic is rapidly becoming a recognised sub section of general magic
- lay people's view of magic can be very revealing
- this December will be unlike any other for us magicians!
September 30, 2020
Here's what you can expect in October's offering:
- A round up of how magic continues to deal with the coronavirus epidemic
- how necessary is it to change tricks in your act or repertoire?
- the importance of getting the balance right between promotional costs and benefits
- positive role models can provide a real boost to your magical progress
- magic guilt can lead to 'over-proving'
- are you world class at getting ready?
August 31, 2020
Here's what you can expect to hear in the September podcast
- If social distancing restrictions continue, will this lead to smaller events, and if so will it have an impact on the size of fees we can command?
- Dave Jones' epic Facebook rant strikes a chord with some and upsets others
- patter acts should sometimes learn when NOT to speak
- why September would be a great time to join E-Club Pro
- when magic was not a good fit for street performance
- the importance of getting yourself in the right frame of mind before a close up show
July 31, 2020
The August round up of magic themed topics contains the following:
- We are all having to get used to different ways of working when entertaining via Zoom
- the top magicians are those who learn how to relax and pause when performing says Christopher Barnes
- why we shouldn't care about what people say about our show
- when having a disaster is actually very lucky
- are digital magic magazines more acceptable than digital books?
- Dani DaOrtiz reverses an old magic adage that says you should never tell the audience in advance what you are going to do
June 30, 2020
A summer collection of advice and opinion which contains the following topics:
- The lockdown aftermath may initially change the tricks that we can do in close up
- Morgan and West contend that the strolling magician has to fight for the attention of his audiences
- enjoy the tale of my brush with the law extracted from E-Club Pro's It Could Only Happen Live
- female magicians have to try that much harder to succeed in magic it seems
- the rise of the podcast shows an increase in the popularity of audio information
- your magic fan base changes as you progress through your magic 'career'
May 31, 2020
These are the topics we get stuck into this time:
- The British Ring online 'Nonvention' seeks to fill the gap left by the cancellation of their regular event
- I reflect on Lance Burton's assertion that performing is like Groundhog Day - you keep repeating the same act until you get it perfect
- redundant phrases and useless messages - a round up of my 'favourites'
- will you be fooled by The Tube Of Wonder?
- blogs are good to do as long as you know who you are writing for
- the question is not whether a printed book is better than a digital one, surely it's the quality of the content that counts
April 30, 2020
'May' I interest you in the following topics?
- Magic steps up and produces a number of projects to keep magicians in lockdown interested
- taking away the 'parachute' helps to raise levels of perseverance for pro magicians
- formulating a sort of magic risk assessment can help in dealing with performance glitches
- learning how to control all aspects of your performance life can pay big dividends
- Richard Young's Magicians' Podcast and Dynamo's Beyond Belief provide some welcome magical distraction
- creativity is better when it is driven by plot more than method
