Jeff McBlog

“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. In their grey visions, they obtain glimpses of eternity.”
— Edgar Allan Poe

Greetings Magical Friends!

The China Tower Vanish Project is a giant illusion from a recent Chinese TV show. You may remember that our McBride Magic Team was commissioned to create the opening segment for one of China’s largest TV shows earlier this year.  It was one of the largest scale magic illusions ever presented!  Now you can see the result here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY53qgqTd5M.

I just showed the video to Franz Harary, who was a huge help with the project. He said, “Jeff, I’m honestly proud to be your friend, and now… your associate. Whatever I can ever do to help you, just let me know.”  What a great friend, designer and gentleman Franz is!  We are very happy to be collaborating on projects with him!

Dream Big!

This is the time of year to dream big.  The new year is coming, and we have a clean slate of possibilities ahead of us.  My job as a magician is to remind you that anything you dream up can come true.  Eugene Burger is a wonderful wizard.  I’ve been deeply inspired by one of the things he said years ago; “Get bigger dreams.”  Yes, it is true, people often dream little dreams, or have no dreams at all.  Being a magician is more than just being a dreamer, it is about making those dreams a reality.  One of the techniques that I have learned is to focus on putting my energy into one major goal at a time.

“You can do anything you want; you just can’t do everything you want.”
— Folk wisdom

McBride Magic on the World Wide Web

Meet the Cast of Mystery School Monday!

We have a new video by Jordan Wright. Before the end of the month, we’ll have one hundred episodes!  If you haven’t already been part of the fun, you can take a look at some of our past episodes at www.mcbridemagic.tv.

Last week’s show was a special holiday episode about Magic for All Seasons.

“It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.”
— Erma Bombeck

World Tour News: The McBride Magic Experience

After I return from two weeks cruising in the Caribbean at the beginning of the year, I’ll be heading East for a show in Ludlow, Kentucky, (Just across the river from Cincinnati) on January 19 & 20.  More info here: http://ludlowtheater.blogspot.com/.

Wonderground News

December 20th will be the next Wonderground, and we will be celebrating our third year of shows at The Olive Mediterranean Restaurant!

Please join us for Las Vegas’ biggest monthly magic party! It happens the third Thursday of every month!  Every show is different!  See this month’s new line-up.

Tobias wrote up our official press release.

McBride’s Wonderground has inspired our friends in Louisville, KY to start a similar event! Read about it. Hats off to Ray Smerlin for creating new opportunities for many performing artists!

It is my sincere hope that your big dreams for the new year come true, and if I can assist you in manifesting your dream, I will be happy to do so.

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”
— Joel Barker

Have a happy holiday season, and dream big!
Jeff McBride

A book is a gift you can open again and again.
— Garrison Keillor

Dear Friends,

We are delighted to start off our December Museletter with a few words from the Dean – Eugene Burger:

Receiving and Giving

It is the holiday season: the time for giving and receiving.

In the title of this piece, I have purposely reversed these words because so much more is written about giving — and how important giving is. Perhaps it will be a good idea to spend a few moments thinking together about receiving. Receiving gifts.

We are told, for example, that giving is better (more “blessed” according to Acts 20:35) than receiving. I have no doubt that all of this is important and true. I think that giving may, indeed, exhibit a higher virtue.

But to say that giving is more blessed than receiving is not to say that receiving has no value at all. And that is just the point. It may be that receiving involves a real, though lesser, blessedness. But it is blessedness nonetheless.

Do you ever consider that giving is much easier for us, psychologically, than receiving? To give a gift is to stand in a position of power; to receive one is to stand without power. Giving makes us feel strong; receiving can make us feel weak.

Over the years I have met so many otherwise wonderful and intelligent people who, when presented with a gift, become embarrassed and say truly stupid things, such as, “Oh, you shouldn’t have done this!”

Really?

I believe that one of the most important life-lessons all of us might learn is how to receive gifts in our lives, how to receive them truly, to receive them with sincerity and grace and an honest acknowledgement of how grateful we feel that the gift has been given.

And, let us not forget, if we ourselves are to experience the higher blessedness of giving, we need to have receivers to receive! Without the receivers of our gifts, we couldn’t be givers and experience the higher blessedness that giving brings.

So, perhaps this holiday season, we will summon the courage to be the best receivers of gifts that we can be. Happy holidays!

Thanks, Eugene! I always especially enjoy reading Eugene’s thoughts, because he always makes me think a bit deeper myself. Today, he has me thinking about gifts I’ve received, and how well I’ve received them. Have I always been gracious and appreciative? I hope so, but I somehow doubt it. Sometimes we receive things that delight us and honor us, and we are truly delighted to receive them. Other times, they make us wonder, “what were they thinking?”

Jeff recently received one of the first kind. He recently traveled to London for the International Festival of Magic — and at the end of the festival was awarded the David Berglas International Magic Award. The award is quite a big deal — Jeff is only the fifth to have been chosen for it, after David Copperfield, Uri Geller, Derren Brown, Juan Tamariz and The MacMillan family, one of Britain’s legendary magic families.

It’s not hard to gracious when you receive a surprise gift like that.  Thank you, David Berglas!

So: How to make sure you receive the gifts you would most like during this holiday season. It’s really quite simple: just ask. But ask clearly. Not just for “a book about magic,” or “a magic trick.” No, you want to ask for The Show Doctor by Jeff McBride. It is available online at http://www.theoryandartofmagic.com/ or http://shop.yourmagic.com. Or maybe what you want is George Parker’s INDEX-terity, also available from both places. We all have family and friends scattered across the globe these days, and sometimes they become frustrated trying to find you the things they know you want — so be sure and tell them how they can do that…and you’ll be far more likely to receive those gifts that will make it easy to feel the gratitude, and to respond in a way that will make your friends feel great about what they’ve given you.

Perhaps you’re like my father — hard to buy for. There’s nothing that fits into a box that he really wants at this point in his life. So a few years back the family banded together and bought him a cruise aboard a tall ship. The gift of an experience he would probably never have thought to buy for himself…and one he’ll always remember. A trip to the Magic and Mystery School can be just such an experience for many of us. So don’t be afraid to ask / suggest to your family that, “Maybe what you would like to do this year, is all pool your funds to send me to study in person with two of the world’s greatest magic teachers in Las Vegas,” and send them to http://www.magicalwisdom.com, where they can find out more.

Okay…I know I’m starting to sound like a used-car salesman or carnival barker here, so I’ll stop. And hope to see you in Las Vegas one day soon!

Oh — just one last plug. I’ll be doing a Locked Room lecture next week — Tuesday Dec. 12. I’ll be talking about the mystery of developing a deeper purpose for your magic, and how that can serve you many times over as it will help you create unique and powerful magic — magic that is truly all yours.

Best wishes for a happy holiday season.

Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com

“It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us.”  — Epicurus

Dear Friends:

In today’s Muse, we celebrate our friends and collaborators – and we have LOTS of news to share while we do it!

We are happy to report that Jeff is off to the U.K. this week, for his only visit there this year!  While there, he will first be appearing, and lecturing and conducting a workshop at Noel Britton’s “International Festival of Magic.”  Established by the late Ron MacMillan over 40 years ago, it is still affectionately known as “Ron’s day”. The convention is now run by Ron’s family and close friends. Not to be missed – and you can learn more here: http://www.internationalmagic.com/pages/convention.html

McBride Magic Experience – UK

Just a few days later, our good friend Jay Fortune is hosting Jeff for a series of events in Bristol, at the “Smoke & Mirrors Café.”  Jeff’s full evening “McBride Magic Live!” show will be featured on two nights, plus a new lecture and a workshop.  These are Jeff’s only appearances in the UK this year, so don’t miss this rare chance to see and learn from the master:  http://www.smokeandmirrorsbar.co.uk/

Locked Room Events

Even when Jeff is away, The McBride Magic & Mystery School continues to offer fantastic events for you.  We have three Locked Room events coming in the next few weeks.  The Locked Room is our online teaching space where you can sample lectures and workshops conducted by our faculty from the Magic & Mystery School – all from the comfort of your own desk!

November 27 @ 7pm PST: Booking Shows and Hidden Venues

Larry Hass offers his insights in a new lecture on how to increase your bookings by finding new and different markets for your magic you may not have considered.

December 4 @ 7pm PST:  The Best of McBride

Jeff McBride wants to help you be a better magician. Join us for a very special happening at which Jeff will teach several of his FAVORITE magic effects. Many never before explained!

December 12 @ 7pm PST:  Beyond Beyond Deception

Tobias Beckwith has been working on Volume Two of his book Beyond Deception. In this lecture he shares some of what he has discovered.  Subjects include how to deepen your statement of purpose, and how this can help strengthen your marketing and create unique new pieces using material you already own.

Do Your Really Want to Read Minds?

Master Class for Mentalists starts in just a few days, and will feature the masterful QUESTION AND ANSWER ACT OF ROSS JOHNSON.

For the 1st time in history, Ross will share the real work on one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Ross is not only a GREAT mentalist but also one of our best friends in magic… he will give you the very best of his professional experience in this special 3 day class.  And the best news:  We still have 2 spaces left.

Jeff McBride’s Wonderground

The magic comes early this month: Thursday, November 15, hosted this month by Abbi McBride!

The Wonderground is the biggest magic party in Las Vegas — and YOU are invited!  Read about this month’s line up here – we have many new acts!

“I get by with a little help from my friends.” — John Lennon

John Lennon had it right. We all depend on our friends to get along. They are the real magic that can save lives!

A few years back, my entire show was stolen in Boston. My friend and magician David Oliver saved my show! He helped me rebuild my show in just 2 days to meet my show commitments. David is a wonderful magician and an amazing person. Now, David has a serious health challenge from exposure to doves! Yes, he developed a rare lung disease and needs to have both lungs replaced!  Here is the positive news… Magicians from all over are helping David raise funds for his condition.  Read about the David Oliver fundraiser and how you can help him get by.

“When a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.” — Edgar Watson Howe

That’s all the news for now.  We hope you’ll be giving thanks for your friends over the coming holiday… just a we give thanks for all of you!

Sincerely,

Jeff McBride, Tobias Beckwith and all the crew at The Magic & Mystery School
tobias@yourmagic.com

For inquiries about Classes & Skype Sessions with Jeff McBride,
Call Abbi McBride: (702) 450-0021 (spinner@mcbridemagic.com)

For information & booking Jeff McBride:
Contact Tobias Beckwith (tobias@yourmagic.com) or (702) 697-7002

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” —John Fitzgerald Kennedy

In this Museletter:

• Thanksgiving Wishes from Abigail & Jeff
• The Commando Show & Survival Tips
• George Parker… on the mend
• Ross Johnson spills the beans on his Q&A act
• Get CME credit for attending Magic & Medicine
• The McBride Magic Experience comes to London

Hello magical friends,

Here we are, fast approaching my favorite time of year, when, for one day, we turn our awareness to the magic of gratitude and thankfulness.  When I was growing up, there was a practice around my family’s Thanksgiving dinner table, that during the meal, each person would have a chance to talk about what they were thankful for.  Sometimes, the lists were rather mundane: a nice dinner, having the whole family together, a break from school.  Sometimes, the lists were more special, a good outcome after surgery, acceptance into the hoped-for school,  a well-deserved promotion. I can remember a particularly funny moment when my sister expressed how thankful she was for the new bike she was going to get during the upcoming holidays….

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” —Epictetus

Thanksgiving, the time of harvest and abundance is a time to see how much we have, to know that we have enough to make it through the dark times ahead, and to share with family and friends, and with those whose harvests were less bountiful than ours.  Gratitude, and an awareness of how much we have makes us feel full, and when we feel full, we want to give back, either by lending a hand at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, maybe offering a free show, or by making a donation to a favorite charity (me, personally, I like Farm Sanctuary: http://www.farmsanctuary.org).  There is something very inspiring about helping others; it’s a surefire way for me to improve my mood and lift my spirits as well.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” —Thornton Wilder

I really do think there is something magical about gratitude and thankfulness. Gratitude is the key that opens the door for abundance and grace to enter.  By focusing on what is good, on the gifts we already have, we magnify and amplify them.  Robert Emmons, professor of Psychology at the University of California at Davis, has been engaged in the scientific study of gratitude for over a decade, and his work consistently shows that people who consciously acquire an “attitude of gratitude” experience multiple advantages.  Check it out here: http://gratitudepower.net/science.htm

“Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” —Estonian Proverb

One of my favorite tools is the gratitude list, where I start with A and go through to Z, coming up with something to be grateful about for each letter of the alphabet… and of course, my gratitude on the letter J is always for Jeff.  We wish you a bountiful harvest and a magical thanksgiving.

Abigail & Jeff

P.S. Some of our new friends were asking about my music. You can find my CDs here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/asmcbride

and more of my writings are available here:
http://www.spinnersweb.net

The Commando Show and Survival Tips

Learn how to arrange your show to become a “commando show,” the show that you can do ANYWHERE at ANYTIME! In this lecture from Magic in the Rockies, Jeff shares his real world methods for packing small, with a portable show that plays big. Not only will you learn great magic effects, but also the psychology and philosophy behind them. Make your magic more powerful and practical. Jeff also offers us sage advice and survival tips to keep you alive on the front lines of magic.

Watch this Virtual Lesson

From Tobias

And along with all of the other good things to be grateful for around this time of year, we have our good health and good friends. Some of you may have been aware that our good friend and Mystery School faculty member, George Parker, was recently in quite a bad car accident. We’re all very pleased to hear that he is healing well… and almost ready to start practicing his sleight-of-hand once again!

Speaking of faculty — we are blessed to have such a great group of talented friends on the faculty… both on a full-time basis, and as special guests. Every year Ross Johnson makes time in his schedule to share with our Master Class for Mentalism — and this year I hear he has agreed to share the real work behind his amazing Question & Answer act. This is stuff that has never appeared in print or on video — the killer closer of his act which he has been refining — and keeping as his own secret weapon — for years.  We still have a couple of slots left in the mentalism class.  I’d advise that you sign up quickly, though, as the class is likely to be sold out within the next few days.  We’re exceedingly grateful that Ross is willing to work with us each year.

We are also blessed with another wonderful guest teacher this year.  Ricardo Rosenkranz, M. D., from the faculty of the medical school at Northwestern University, is helping to create a whole new approach for our Magic & Medicine event.  Larry Hass & Eugene Burger have been working closely with Ricardo, and through his work we have managed to obtain CME credit for the class for the first time.  We know you’ll love both Ricardo and the new material.

Before I end this, I just wanted to express our special thanks to our former student and sometime staff member, Jay Fortune.  Jeff will be attending the International Festival of Magic in London during the middle of this month…and Jay has kindly agreed to arrange a full-on “McBride Magic Experience” the following weekend in Bristol.  Visit Jeff’s calendar and click the links to learn more about those events.

We hope you will each find that your world’s are as filled to the brim with things that inspire your gratitude.  Have a magical month!

Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com

You can do ANYTHING you want…
you just can’t do EVERYTHING you want!

In this Museletter:

• Two secrets to achieving your dreams
• Kevin James: An Inspiration
• McBrideMagic.tv and Wonderground Updates
• Eugene Burger’s Chicago Tapes now online
• Johnny Thompson’s hot new music video

Greetings my friends,

Focus is a big part of reaching your goals. Today I will share a few secrets to achieving your dreams.

1. Meet your heroes and make them your friends.
2. Read great books that will make you a hero!

Are you the best in the world at what  do?

I read a book called From Good to Great by Jim Collins.  You should read it too.  The book changed the direction of my life …for reasons I will tell you at the end of this letter…. Right now I want to introduce you to a most inspiring friend!

Could this be the world’s greatest magician?

Google thinks so! So does YouTube!

Kevin James has just about as many “hits” as the very best of them!

Millions and millions of people witnessed Kevin’s original magic on America’s Got Talent.  I am honored that I get to tour the world in the same show with Kevin.  He is a modern master of magical art and one of the stars of The Illusionists.

Kevin’s uncompromising commitment to creating 100% original magic is a lesson to all of us.  He is continually researching and refining his inventions to go beyond the rest… to be the BEST.

We did a one-hour episode with Kevin as a special guest on Mystery School Monday not long ago:

Here’s a snippet of my recent interview with Kevin:

Jeff:  How did America’s Got Talent change your life?

Kevin:  America’s Got Talent gave me lots of grey hair but if I had a show to promote, I would do it again.  They like to put you in very stressful situations as it makes for good TV.  It is also a very vulnerable position to put yourself into.  I was very lucky that things turned out the way they did.  My Operation effect went viral on YouTube and I am still getting work from it.  I actually was asked to perform at the White House from the America’s Got Talent videos on YouTube.

Jeff: What has been the biggest TV audience to see your show?

Kevin:  I was asked to perform on a TV show in Indonesia, which also came from YouTube.  As I am getting ready to walk onstage the producer told me that it is a live show and if anything goes wrong just get through it.  We cannot stop and reshoot it.  There were 1,000 people in the studio to give a nice energy to the taping.  I went on and everything went well.  As I was packing up I asked him how many people just saw this live transmission.  He said that there are only 3 channels in Indonesia, this is prime time, this is the most popular show, he estimate that 200 million people just saw my act.  The next day at the airport we really got recognized, so I think his calculations were right.

Jeff: What is the best part about touring the world with your show?

Kevin:  I really feel blessed that I can share my magic and ideas with people all over the globe. Getting to travel and make people happy is the best job in the world.  I am grateful and have no regrets.

Read the rest of the interview in the Secret Art Journal>>

McBrideMagic.tv

Over 100 hours of FREE magic lessons await you!  We go live every Monday at 7PM Pacific time… Join the world’s greatest magic teachers for the world’s only FREE interactive magic learning experience.

Wonderground News

Each month we host the biggest and best magic party in Las Vegas. And you are invited!

See the greatest line up EVER at this week’s event.

The Mystery School teachers and students will all attend and many will perform.

Go to VegasWonderground.com for all the information. Doors open at 7pm for dinner seating. An entire evening of close-up, stage and parlor magic (and belly dancers!) for $10.

Before I go, let me tell you what I discovered from reading From Good to Great.  Jim asks the reader this question… “What in the world can you do better than anyone in the world?”  I thought about this and realized that our team could really create the very best magic school in the world. Take a look at what we are offering this year and next: http://magicalwisdom.com/events

We are in the process of making our school better and better every day! You will see for yourself when we roll out the red carpet for you here in Vegas or online at McBrideMagic.tv.

So, my friends, until we meet online or at our school… remember that you CAN be the best at one thing!

Jeff

Bryce’s Corner on the Web

I have two bits of exciting news…

The Chicago Tapes

First, we have finally released Eugene Burger’s Chicago Tapes as online Lessons.  The DVDs are now completely sold out (OK, I think we may have one set left).  While the DVDs were only available as a set, I’ve broken them into individual Lessons, but if you want the Chicago Visions book, you’ll still need to buy the entire set.  Here are the links:

• The Chicago Tapes and Chicago Visions Set
• Eugene Goes Bizarre
• Gourmet Close-Up Magic
• Real Secrets of Close-Up Magic

Johnny Thompson’s Music Video

I was driving somewhere with Johnny a year or two ago and he asked if I wanted to listen to his new muscal recording.  Now, I know Johnny played in the Harmonicats earlier in his carrer and wrote musical scores for quite a few famous magicians, but I didn’t realize he was still involved in the music business. Needless to say, I was completely flipped out by how cool it was.  Actually, it was kinda hard to get out of my head!

At that time Johnny wasn’t quite sure where it was all going to go.  Well, I found out a few days ago when he called and said they had made it into a music video.  It’s already getting around and he’s really hoping it will go viral.  I suspect it will.

Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgLZZAa_JuA

In case you don’t know about Johnny already, he’s one of the greatest magicians of our time and has been an influence on almost every magician working in Las Vegas, and around the world, today.  You can learn more about The Great Tomsoni and Co. at their website:

http://www.tomsoni.com

Dear Friends:

We have just passed the Fall Equinox, and we enter the magical month of October.  As summer ends and the days begin to grow shorter, we gather in the harvest of our activities over the past few months, have a look at where we are in our lives, and consider what sort of changes we might wish to make for the future. Our guest author this month is George Parker. George is one of our faculty members and advisors at the Magic & Mystery School.  When he is not working with us, he is a “Corporate Alchemist,” performing his magic across Europe in order to help companies transform themselves. Today he shares a bit of his wisdom about magic and transformation with us here:

Transformation

As a magician, I have had numerous conversations about what is real and what isn’t real in my shows. To me, there is no hard black line that separates fact from fiction. Our brain doesn’t even distinguish tangible reality from fantasy. I will not tire you with the scientific background of this claim. Instead, I’ll illustrate it with a simple example. What happens to you when you THINK you lost your wallet? Adrenaline and cortisol (a stress hormone) are produced: very REAL substances. In turn, they will induce new, mostly panicky, thoughts. Of course, ninety-nine out of a hundred times, you have just misplaced your wallet; it’s not REALLY gone. The whole experience was produced by yourself.

From a magical point of view, the insight that our thoughts produce tangible reality and the other way around, is very useful. We can help restore the broken connection between imagination and tangible reality. We can help people to envision a future they want and make that image very real in their minds — only to stimulate them to connect that image to current reality. We can even invite them to time-travel and re-write their biography, only to end up with a better person today. My wife, Marja, and I recently did this exercise. She wanted to be a little bit more of an extravert. To do that, she traveled back in time (in her mind), and made up some new events that were much more supportive of the extravert personality trait she wanted to develop. She started to feel better immediately. For me, the most exciting part was her question: and who were YOU in my new timeline? This isn’t about denying or ignoring important events. It’s about what you do with them once you’ve processed them.

What do you love and hate about your past? How would you edit your processed past in order to end up with something you need today?

Aaaaahh, isn’t magic in its essence the wonderful art of transformation?!

Virtual School update from Bryce:

I recently added two new Virtual Lessons from Jeff:

• Jeff shares his insights into proper show construction in Act Construction 101
• Learn the very best close-up and stage magic effects Live from FISM

I’m currently working on another lecture from Jeff and a large collection of material from Eugene. You’ll be the first to know when it’s ready.

From Tobias:

As I write this, Jeff McBride is on a plane flying back from Panama, where he has just wound up his month-long tour with The Illusionists in South America. He’ll be home just long enough to unpack and repack his bags before heading off to a very special weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. Our friend Ray Smerlin, of Smerlin Entertainment, has arranged a full on “McBride Magic Experience,” for Saturday and Sunday, preceded by two performances by Jeff on the stages at the city’s “First Friday celebration.Tickets for the show and lecture on Saturday and for Jeff’s workshop Sunday afternoon are going fast…so be sure and get yours now if you are in the Louisville area:
http://smerlinentertainment.com/Press/JeffMcBride1005.htm

October is a VERY full month here at the McBride Magic & Mystery School — and most of the events scheduled are nearly filled…but we do have one or two slots left for each one. So check out the schedule and make your reservations now for these and future classes and events:
http://www.magicalwisdom.com/

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions about any of our events… or about booking Jeff McBride for talks, performances or our “McBride Magic Experience.”

Best wishes for a wonderful month of magic!

Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.
— Carl Jung

Below is a new photo of the Mystery School Faculty, by our friend and photographer extraordinaire, Richard Faverty!

Top row: Tobias Beckwith, Jeff McBride, Abbi McBride, Dr. Larry Hass
Front row: Bryce Kuhlman, Eugene Burger, George Parker

I have a confession…

One of the reasons I started Mystery School was to share personal time with Eugene Burger. Perhaps it was selfish, but this opportunity for us to gather with Eugene and other top minds in magic has inspired not only me but hundreds of magicians from all over the world! I feel that all of us at the Mystery School share similar feelings for Eugene and each other… we do this because we love it! We hope you can join us for one of our events online or in person! Every Monday night we get together for a new magic meeting and class, and you are invited. It won’t cost you a penny. Just point your web-browser to www.mcbridemagic.tv.

Our guest writer this week is filmmaker Michael Caplan, whose latest work is A Magical Vision, a documentary all about our Dean, Eugene Burger:

After award winning festival screenings from Chicago to India and over 14,000 online viewings, A Magical Vision is getting its premiere DVD release. A Magical Vision spotlights Eugene Burger — his magic, his philosophy, and his influence on the art of magic. For Museletter subscribers, Eugene Burger hardly needs an introduction. That said, Eugene is a far-sighted philosopher and magician who is considered one of the great teachers of the magical arts. Eugene has spent twenty-five years speaking to magicians, academics, and the general public about the experience of magic. Advocating a return to magic’s shamanistic, healing traditions, Eugene’s “magic tricks” seek to evoke the feelings of awe and transcendence that is lacking in most modern magic…

The film is Eugene’s journey. It began in 1940s Chicago, a city already renowned as the center of classic magic performance. Yale Divinity School followed, leading Eugene to the world of Asian mysticism. From there came the creation of Hauntings, a tribute to the spirit theatre of the 19th century, and the gore of the Bizarre Magick movement. Today Eugene’s performances and lectures draw inspiration from the mythology of India to the Buddhism of magical theory.

Read the full article in the Secret Art Journal…

The DVD is now available at Montrose Pictures for $19.99.  It was a labor of love for me to make and I’m so pleased to finally share it with you.

Thanks, Michael, for the article and for your wonderful film!

Homesick?

I get asked that a lot! I LOVE touring, but I do get a bit homesick. I miss Abbi and being with all of my friends at the Mystery School. That is why we have filled the fall season with events — to keep me home in Las Vegas! If you want to plan a “magic study vacation” in Las Vegas…October and November are full of great events for you to attend:

• Focus on Street Magic
• Magic & Meaning
• Magic & Medicine
• Master Class for Mentalism

McBride World Tour News – The Illusionists

We now have an English language version of the video trailer for The Illusionists. Enjoy!

McBride Magic Experience in Louisville

I’ll be in Louisville, KY for a 2 day event, performing my full evening show plus a 2 hour lecture and a full day MCBRIDE SUPER SESSION. Check it out here.

Wonderground News!

The biggest magic party in Las Vegas happens every 3rd Thursday. You can join us live or watch online at www.mcbridemagic.tv. See our line-up for this month at www.VegasWonderground.com.

Personal Training in Magic

In October, I will have a few days to meet with students of magic, just like you, who want to get that personal touch. Skype Session information is here.

Staying in Touch

You can find me almost every day or even late evenings (after my shows) sharing magic and conversation with my friends at my web-station at www.mcbridemagic.tv. I hope you’ll stop over there when you can to say “hello!” There’s always something interesting going on.

Your friend in the art of mystery,
Jeff McBride

Dear Friends:

As I sit down to write this, we have just received a photo of Eugene Burger holding his award from FISM. Once again, congratulations, Eugene!

Eugene’s books were a huge influence on me as I was rekindling my interest in magic twenty some years ago. I think it was his Performance of Close-up Magic that introduced me not only to some fantastic new magic, but also to a completely new way of thinking about magical performance. Eugene was the first magician I encountered who wrote about why magic might be important to us, and to our audiences.

I have come to think most magical performers fail to see the potential power of our art, not just to entertain, but to transform our audiences and ourselves. Science shows that every experience we have affects us – not just our thinking and emotions, but our physical being, as well. Ideas manifest physically in our neurons, and that affects our body chemistry, our actions, and more. When we experience a story by reading a book or watching a movie, and enter the imaginary worlds they create, that experience changes us, too. I’m sure you have had the experience of feeling changed by a particularly powerful book or movie, to some degree.

Well…magic is an especially powerful form of storytelling. It is more direct than most, because we involve our audiences directly as characters within the stories our magic creates, not just as outside observers. Beyond that, we strive to show them a view of reality as they know it – and then shatter that understanding of the world with our magic. That “moment of astonishment,” as Paul Harris calls it, can be extremely powerful. It requires us to shift our ideas and beliefs about the way things are – about what is possible in the world. And that can change us in profound ways.

Throughout the ages, one particular kind of magician – the shaman, or medicine man – has used the magic moment to heal members of the shaman’s tribe who have become ill or injured. The success of this type of healing has often been remarkable. I have heard it said that the most powerful drug in the world has a name: it is ‘Placebo.’ The healing power of our minds – of belief – was, for many thousands of years, by far the most effective cure available to medical practitioners.

I recently watched a talk on TED.com by Dr. Atul Gawande, in which, among other things, he mentioned that “up until about the middle of the last century, there were really only about 40 different things doctors could do that would really help our patients.” I was a bit shocked, remembering all those visits to the doctor as a child, to realize he was pretty much just prescribing penicillin and painkillers and hoping for the best. The rest was left to magic; though I’m sure my doctor never would have termed it that. In many ways, it is our belief – the power of our minds – and the power of our bodies to naturally heal themselves, which actually brings on healing. And magic can change belief.

So, I’d like to pose a question for you. Since whatever you do in your shows — whatever stories they leave in your audience’s minds, whatever worlds they conjure up – will actually change the lives of those you perform for…often as powerfully or more so than if you were to administer powerful drugs to those same audience members – what are the results you are aiming for? What effect do you want your performances to have? Will your magic be good medicine…or not?

Having said that, allow me to draw your attention to a couple of events we have coming up at the Magic & Mystery School, where this issue (the real power of magic)…along with many that may seem more practical to many of you…will be addressed. The first is “Magic & Medicine,” formerly “Magic for Medical Professionals.” It is designed for medical service providers at all levels who are interested in magic and how it can help them improve their own work as doctors, nurses, therapists, etc. The one-on-one performance aspect of close-up magic is in many ways analogous to the healer/ patient relationship, and so we’ve found that magicians and healers can learn a great deal from one another during our previous year’s offerings.

The second event is our annual “Master Class for Mentalists,” (and for magicians interested in mental magic). Hosted by Jeff, Eugene and our very special guest Ross Johnson, this class has proved to be one of those that students want to come back to again and again. Mental magic is so powerfully convincing when it is performed well that it becomes extremely important that the performer is clear about the results he or she wants.

Speaking of shamans and magic that is good medicine, we have a video clip to share with you! As many of you know, Jeff McBride has been touring with The Illusionists throughout Mexico back in July, and is set to go to Colombia (Bogota), Ecuador (Quito) and Panama (Panama City) later this month. It is the largest magic show currently touring, featuring today’s greatest stars of magic – and Jeff plays the character of The Shaman (El Chaman). You can get just a taste of the show in the following clip. It might make you want to jump on a plane to South America to see a performance!

For Jeff and all our crew at the Magic and Mystery School, I wish you most magical month!

Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com

“MAGICIANS ARE THE NEW ROCK STARS”
— Pamela Anderson

Are we entering the 2^nd Golden Age of Magic?

Historians say the first golden age was over with Vaudeville. The second magic boom was in the early 1990′s in Vegas. Could this be the 2^nd Golden Age of Magic?

It sure felt like a major shift for magic when The Illusionists played Mexico city last month! 12,000 eyes looking at me onstage! Yes, the theater was sold out at 6,000 people a show. We did 2 shows a day. Mexico was a blast …just take a look this photo of the huge theater.

Could The Illusionists be the best selling magic show in the world?

Might be! $2.7 million dollars in ticket sales in 8 days – 46,000 tickets sold!

Here is a VERY rare video look at “our view” of the audience. We shot this while we were taking bows before 6,000 magic fans in Mexico City AN ILLUSIONISTS POV video.

“Illusion is the first of all pleasures.” — Voltaire

The Shaman will be at Wonderground

This Thursday, August 16^th, I will play the part of “The Shaman” at our monthly magic extravaganza here in Las Vegas.

Joining us at Wonderground this month will be The Mystery School All-stars, including FISM Award Winner, Eugene Burger, Larry Hass, Bryce Kuhlman and the amazing George Parker, on a rare visit all the way in from Holland, will headline the close up theater.

We’re also excited to a special headlining appearance by mythic Percussionist C.G. Ryche.

You can experience a sample of Ryche’s work at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTMtsKtlKyI

One show only, live in Las Vegas Aug 16^th @ WONDERGROUND
Or watch our livestream starting at 10 pm pacific time on www.mcbridemagic.tv

Get full details at http://www.vegaswonderground.com/.

‎”If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door” — Milton Berle

QUESTIONS OF THE MONTH: What will you do with your work to ready yourself for the 2nd Golden Age of Magic? What upgrades in your workplace, systems, performance or education will you employ? Will you just wait and watch others take the lead or will YOU take action?

What actions will you take?

Show Doctor News

Rave reviews for my new book The Show Doctor keep coming in!

This is what they are saying on “the green monster” – Magic Cafe.

Get all the inside news on the book here:
https://www.facebook.com/ShowDoctorBook?ref=ts

While you are at it…Take a look at my great new magic effect!

Magically yours,
Jeff McBride

From Tobias:

Jeff will be on tour in South America again for the month of September, but we have a full roster of classes and events in October and November. Something special for Street Performers, Mentalists and Medical Professionals – as well as my favorite event of the year, our annual Magic & Meaning conference. Sign up now…these events are filling fast: www.magicalwisdom.com.

We also DO have some weekend dates still available for The McBride Magic Experience events…if your magic group is looking for something more than just another lecturer, get in touch with me at the e-mail below now.

Wishing you a magical end of summer!

Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com

Hi all,

Bryce here.

Before I tell you about the Trunk of Terror, I want to make sure you don’t miss the announcements from Tobias at the end of this email.  In addition to two upcoming Locked Room events, Eugene just won a major FISM award.  See below for details.

What I learned on my summer vacation

We just returned from the S.A.M. national convention in Las Vegas.  Here are the three most important things I learned while there:

Play Nice

Every convention is going to have a few hiccups.  This one began with a few sound issues.  Our friends Roland & Susan and Christian & Katalina were the first show of the convention, “Magical Duets.”  They are full-time pros with their own weekly shows in their respective cities and normally work with their own sound rigs.  Knowing that the convention would be fully equipped, they only brought their microphones.

When things started to get tense the morning of the show, I decided to call in the Big Guns:  our friend and Monday Night Mystery School co-host, Tim Wise.  Tim tours with his own show and is a key player in the monthly Wonderground productions.  If anyone was going to be able to help, I knew he was the guy.

You might think that he showed up with a bunch of new equipment and “took charge.”  Quite the opposite.  He saved the day by simply listening, remaining calm and playing nice with everyone.  With everyone focused on the common goal of producing a great event, the problems were quickly solved and our friends’ show, as well as the rest of the events on the S.A.M. Stage, went off without a hitch.

Thank you to Tim and all of the crew of the convention for helping create such a wonderful experience!

It’s All in the Script

The Magic School faculty are constantly espousing the use of a script.  We witnessed the real power of a good script thanks to two emcees at the convention:

The first was Whitney Adams, the 13-year-old emcee of the Stars of Tomorrow show.  I could barely put together a 7-minute act when I was Whitney’s age!  She had clever bits between each act, memorized every introduction (including numerous awards and credentials) and even handled a major mistake like a seasoned pro.  Bravo, Whitney!

Ali Shelley, who performs as a magical flight attendant for “Thin Air” airlines, hosted the Close-up Show.  It’s obvious that Ali has spent a lot of time selecting great material and writing funny, engaging scripts.  Thanks to all of her preparation, she was relaxed, charming, and had sincere (and memorized) introductions for each act.

While both of these ladies presented excellent magic, I’m convinced it was their devotion to a finely-tuned script that made them two of the favorite performers at the convention.

How To Make Your Audience Cry

It’s rare to see tears spilling down the cheeks of magic show audience members… especially when the audience is comprised of magicians.  I teared up twice, but for completely different reasons.

The first was while watching Boris Wild’s new “Butterfly” act, a sequel to his famous “Kiss” act.  Without a word, Boris was able to tell a touching story of lost love.  Luckily for you, there is a video of Boris performing the act on YouTube.

The second round of waterworks were tears of laughter generated by our dear friend John Cassidy.  We met John and his wife Jen at their first Master Class about 10 years ago. Since then, John has gone on to great success.  He works more than any magician I know (over 500 shows a year at last count), has made several television appearances (Conan, the Today Show, Regis and Kelly, etc.) and has worked on stage with both Mac King and The Amazing Johnathan.

John brought down the house in the final night’s show. While he has a lot of props, one of the funniest is the aformentioned “Trunk of Terror.”  No, you can’t buy it from a magic dealer.  It’s just a standard ATA road case filled with home-made props. But with John’s comedic genius behind it, he had people falling out of their chairs laughing.

Despite the craziness, even John’s act has some very poignant moments.  It may look like he’s just goofing off up there, but if you listen closely you’ll notice that he’s teaching all of us some very important lessons about how to live life to its fullest.

Until next time…
-Bryce

From Tobias:

Great News from FISM

First, we want to congratulate our friend and the Dean of the Magic & Mystery School, Eugene Burger, on receiving the 2012 FISM Special Award for Theory and Philosophy at the recent Congress held in Blackpool, England. Noted German magician Topas presented the award, and Eugene’s friend Max Maven accepted the Award on his behalf.

Eugene is the first American to receive this award. The two previous recipients were Tommy Wonder from the Netherlands and Juan Tamariz from Spain. In all, there are three FISM Special Awards. This year, along with Eugene, the other two were presented to Teller (for Creativity) and Mike Caveney (for Research and Scholarship).

And Eugene wasn’t our only Magic & Mystery School success at FISM!

Masterclass alumni Matthew Wright scooped second place in the Parlour category behind French sensation Yann Frisch. Matthew, who hails from the UK has traveled to Las Vegas many times and has been a regular at many Masterclasses. He has also been taking regular one-on-one Skype  sessions with Jeff to hone his act.

“I have had to work very hard over the past few years to put my act together, and the help and inspiration Jeff has given me has really spurred me on. Many of the highlights and big “wow” moments within my act come directly from the creative mind of Jeff. What Jeff doesn’t know about competition magic really isn’t worth knowing and I know for a fact a large chunk of my successes over the years is down to his and Eugene’s help.”

The Illusionists in Mexico

Jeff continues on with the tour of The Illusionists in Mexico.  During their two weeks in Mexico City, they sold over 45,000 seats, repeatedly filling the almost 6,500 seats to capacity, and winning standing ovations each night.  The show has moved on to Monterrey this week, and will continue on to Guadalara before winding up this leg of the tour in Mexico on August 5.   They will start up again in September, with shows in Quito, Ecuador from Sept. 5-8, in Bogota, Colombia from September 13-16, and in Panama City, Panama September 26-30.

The Show Doctor

So far we’ve been delighted about the reviews for The Show Doctor – so I thought I’d share a couple of clips from them:

Lance Burton:

“If you only read one magic book this year, make it The Show Doctor.”

Mac King:

“I truly believe that [Jeff McBride] is the best guide to improving your magic show in the world today.”

Kevin James:

“Jeff’s book is pure gold. If you are looking for inspiration on how to be more creative and a better performer, look no further.”

Posted at the App Store, June 24:

“Yesterday there was a paradigm shift in magic literature. Did you feel it? It’s a whole new world. I’ve seen some nice looking .pdf magic books on my iPad, but this new format shoots past them. . . .”

Barry Fernelius, left at The Magic Cafe, June 24:

“The Show Doctor, by Jeff McBride and Lawrence Hass, is the best single resource for improving your magic act that I’ve ever seen. . . . It’s also one of the best uses of the iPad as a teaching tool that I’ve ever seen. It’s beautifully designed, and the multimedia features are seamlessly integrated. . . . And if you don’t have an iPad. . .get the print edition. The material contained in The Show Doctor has the potential to expand your horizons and improve your magic. . . . This one gets my highest recommendation.”

Steve Bryant, at the Genii Forum, 6/23:

“[The Show Doctor] is a gorgeous work; I’ve been at it all afternoon. . . . Jeff’s advice is some of the best, most specific, dead on I have read. The video additions are excellent as have been the new tricks I have read so far. But beyond the great content of this first effort, the format is awesome.”

We don’t yet know just exactly how many copies have actually sold…but I know Larry is already wondering when he’ll have to gear up for the second printing, so if you want a first edition, now’s the time to buy!  You can get your copy now, either in hardback or for the iPad.  Just click one of the links below.

Purchase The Show Doctor Hard Copy

Purchase The Show Doctor Digital Copy
Note: get the free “Magic – Digital Books” app. The book itself is an in-app purchase.

We have two new Locked Room sessions scheduled:

On August 9, at 6pm PDT, Jeff McBride will be teaching a Training Session on Coin Manipulation.  Coins are something you always have with you, and it’s hard to find anyone who isn’t truly interested in money!  Who has not dreamed of having an endless supply ready at their fingertips?  Jeff will teach you how to dazzle with both simple and complex coin effects, all at a moments’ notice.  Only 8 spots are available, so sign up early!

On the morning of August 25 (10am PDT), Larry Hass will be lecturing on How to Create Entertaining Card Magic…a favorite of most  magicians. Do you love card magic, but hate “card tricks”? Do you feel stuck when it comes to presenting card magic that non-magicians will enjoy? Have you ever wanted to learn card magic but feel put off by the culture of obsessive technique and “hot, new moves”? If so, this Locked Room Lecture by Dr. Larry Hass is for you.  At only $25, the price is right!

Wishing you a magical August!
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com