Greetings magical friends,
Abbi found this quote from Jeff Hoke that takes a look at the difference between humor, science and art:
“Humor says: ‘Ha Ha!’
Science says: ‘Aha!’
Art says: ‘ahhhhhh!'”
We were wondering what you, our readers thought that Magic might say….??
February 18th, 2010, is the next WONDERGROUND with an entirely new show line-up. Jordan Wright, our company manager, has updated our website:http://www.vegaswonderground.com with the new information.
Just a tip to you, our Museletter readers, plan to arrive at WONDERGROUND **EARLY** to get a good seat. We sold out last month. If you can’t be with us in Las Vegas, you can watch us, at http://www.streetofcards.tv streaming live on the internet anytime after 9pm (Pacific time) on Thursday night.
My last piece of wisdom to leave you with this month is something a New York City taxi driver told me as he looked through the rearview mirror: “Man, you gotta work with the tools you got.” It was also said by Rousent, many years ago, in a different, not-so-street-savvy way: “Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.”
Yours in the art of wonder-making,
Jeff & Abbi
FROM TOBIAS:
Greetings, friends. Jeff has just returned from his trip to Holland and Italy. I thought you might enjoy seeing this photo of him, along with his host Ferdinando Buscema and Ferdinando’s wife Anna, all taken at the Ballo del Doge in Venice just a couple of nights ago. Enjoy!
A special thanks to all of you who responded to my recent writings regarding both “what it takes to be a real wizard,” and, more importantly, your wishes and thought for things we might offer at the Magic & Mystery School to satisfy your wildest dreams. I’m still sorting and compiling the latter set in order to pass it on to Jeff and Eugene…but some of your ideas are really fantastic, and we’re truly grateful that you’ve offered them.
Also for those of you who may be attending the World Magic Seminar, know that Jeff and Eugene Burger will be in their usual room just as you enter the convention area. Be sure and drop in to visit and discover all the latest from these two modern masters.
Finally: We have a few spots left for the March master class which follows the World Magic Seminar by just a few days. Sign up now to reserve your space – classes later in the year generally fill up much earlier, so this may be one of your last chances this year to make a last minute decision to attend.
http://www.magicalwisdom.com
Best wishes.
Tobias Beckwith
Greetings friends,
I’m off to Europe to do the show of my dreams. I will be the star performer at Il Ballo del Doge, in Venice, Italy. It is the grandest of all the masquerade balls to lead off Carnevale in Venice.
Imagine being among the world’s greatest masqueraders in the mask capital of the world! We’ll be sharing our own photos and stories from that event soon, right here – but for now, here is a photo from last year’s event! (Click the photo for a link to many more…)
Il Ballo del Doge 2009
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
The following inspirational passage was sent to us by a friend and fan of the Museletter. Thanks to Jeff Fisher.
WORDS FOR A NEW YEAR
Inspire – Me to be great
Perspire – I will and work hard I shall
Aspire – to be even greater than my teacher
Retire – I will and pass my knowledge on
Expire – My work done, my legacy lives on to Inspire once again.
ARE YOU CURIOUS?
Dorothy Parker once said, “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”
I am naturally curious, and my magical adventures fill me with the experiences that I share with our students here at the Magic & Mystery School…. I guess I am a magical messenger, in some strange way.
I’ll return from my adventures in Holland and Italy toward the middle of this month. At that time, I will be preparing for a number of interesting magic experiences here in Las Vegas, including the World Magic Seminar Teen Weekend. Immediately following that event, Abbi and I will be hosting a three-day Master Class here in Las Vegas. We will be joined by our friend and legendary close-up wizard, Eugene Burger.
In his book “The Art of Worldly Wisdom,” the wise sage Balthasar Gracian said:
“Make your friends your teachers, and mingle the pleasures of conversation with the advantages of instruction.”
That is one of the reasons we created the Magic and Mystery School, to share high quality time with some of the brightest thinkers in magic. Many of the teachers here at the school are my dear friends… they will be yours too!
Will you join us?
Your friend in the art of magic,
Jeff
Greetings Magical Friends,
Abbi here, watching the rain coming down in Las Vegas, while Jeff is in Florida doing a corporate gig. I decided to stay home for this one so I could prepare for our upcoming Mysterium event. If you’re going to be in the Las Vegas area, I hope you’ll stop in! Learn more about it:vegasvortex.com.
I thought I would take a few moments to check in with all of you and say hello! This Winter, I’ve been reflecting on the balance of holding on and letting go, balancing the opposites, and staying in the flow. I’ve been going through drawers in the kitchen, shelves in the closet, cabinets, bookcases and cupboards… and moving things out, opening space for the new to come in. I’ve been giving away stuff in great heaps and piles, and have made many trips to the local Goodwill. Out with the old, in with the new.
I find this theme recurring outside in the garden. All the dead plants from last season have been pulled out, and indoors, there are lots of tiny little seedlings sprouting… new dreams and visions manifesting, even as I write. The fruit trees I bought a couple of years ago are now big and strong enough to get transplanted from their pots into the ground, so the orchard at the House of Mystery is underway. From the smallest seedling to the largest lemon tree, everything grows, with the help of the sun, the rich earth, and the sweet water.
In the meantime, I’m excited to tell you that I’ve created a new handling for Gordon Bean’s “Jinks” effect, and I’ve been working on the script. Ask me, and I’ll show it to you when you come to the Magic and Mystery School. I will look forward to seeing you!
Your friend in magic,
Abbi McBride
“A grateful mind is a great mind that eventually attracts to it great things.”
— Plato
Dear Friends:
There’s a popular restaurant group here in the Bay Area called “Café Gratitude.” Their mantra is “I am Grateful.” Their menu is a delightful listing of things you can be grateful for: “I am Creative,” “I am Committed” and “I am Worthy,” are just a few. I love going there — the food is delicious, the service great and I always leave feeling better than when I entered… and always feeling grateful. As I sit down to write this, I find myself asking what I’m grateful for this year, and one of the biggest things I’m feeling gratitude for is the incredible community of magicians I am fortunate to be a part of.
At the Magic & Mystery School, we’re always grateful for the wonderful, talented students who come to spend time with us. We’re grateful for all our special guests, starting with Eugene (who is really more family than guest, of course). Our friends Bob Neale, Ross Johnson, Larry Hass, Randy Wolf and so many more that help us with the school always inspire us and make us feel lucky to be associated with them.
And so we thought we’d send this one last Muse Letter of 2009 to tell you, our readers, how grateful we are for you. This past year has seen readership of the Museletter grow beyond the 10,000 mark. That leaves us both grateful and a bit humbled. To think there are 10,000 of you out there who want to read what we have to tell you — well, we’ll continue to do our best to be worthy.
This brings me to a question for all of you. This is something we often ask the students in our classes — but obviously not all of you reading this have been to one of our classes yet. The question is this: “If we could provide one thing, through our classes and events, just for you, what would that thing be?” Let your imagination run wild for a moment. Imagine a million dollar budget, six months to prepare — and all the resources of our magic school and events completely at your disposal. What would you ask for? And please let us know (tobias@yourmagic.com)! I’m sure we’ll get a lot of ideas we can’t do — but you may be surprised at the things we CAN.
Take The Wonderground, for example. Jeff and an amazing crew of artists, magicians, dancers and more revived The Wonderground this past week, putting on an incredible evening of theater, party, dance and fun for an SRO crowd. The evening was described by one attendee as “The best show I’ve ever seen in Las Vegas!” And it was done on a budget of about $500! The photos in this Museletter were all shot last Thursday night at the Wonderground, in case you were wondering. We’ll be doing it again every month on the third Thursday. You can learn more at www.vegaswonderground.com.
That’s just one of the “impossible” things we’ve been able to achieve with the incredible help from our amazing friends. So tell us YOUR dreams, and let’s see if we can make them come true.
Before I wind up, let me leave you with a “New Year’s” thought. Have you made your resolutions? The coming year promises to be an exciting one. The economy is just now beginning to turn. Lots of new green initiatives in the business and technology words are poised to start coming on line. It’s a time for new beginnings. Time to look at your life and ask “Who do I really want to be? What adventures to I want to have? As a magician, what are my highest goals?” We’re all about helping you reach those goals. We love seeing our students make quantum leaps in developing their own creativity, performing skills and businesses. We love seeing you take big chances, unafraid of falling flat on your faces a few times before you soar to the big successes you deserve.
We have a few spots still available for our extended class in January. Perhaps now is the time for YOU to say, “I am committed,” and sign up. Then next year at this time, you can have one more thing to be grateful for — and we’ll have another friend to be grateful for, too!
If that’s not enough incentive, consider this: You’ll be here for the next Wonderground event — which will feature our new friends ArcheDream for Humankind. Click the link (http://www.vimeo.com/7239361) to see them on video — and come to Vegas in January to see them live!
Jeff, Abbi, Bryce, Eugene… we all send you our best wishes for a magical New Year!
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream —
Lingering in the golden gleam —
Life what is it but a dream?
— epilogue to Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll
Greetings friends,
OK, it’s official, I can now share my magic with you on TWITTER. My twitter name is McBrideMagic. I promise to keep my tweets inspirational, motivational, magical and interesting. One of the lessons I’ve learned on Twitter is how to distill wisdom and compress it into the pure essence…. That reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Bapuji:
“Consider, before you speak, whether it is an improvement upon silence.”
(A thoughtful moment of introspection for you….)
Well, now it’s time to break the silence…. Ring the bells and bang the drum!
The WONDERGROUND rises once again this Thursday, December 17th, at 8pm at The Olive in Las Vegas.
Overheard at The Wonderground:
“This is what I had hoped to find when I came to Vegas!”
“It’s like the Magic Castle without walls!”
“This is so $#@^%*! cool!”
Here is the official press release from Tobias. Feel free to share this with your online communities and friends.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
(702) 697-7002
MCBRIDE’S MAGIC WONDERGROUND RETURNS!
Master magician Jeff McBride and his company of conjurors, artists and performance artists will bring the special magical nightclub experience, Jeff McBride’s Magic Wonderground, to the new club at The Olive (3850 E. Sunset) beginning on December 17th, starting at 8pm. Promising an evening of non-stop magic featuring strolling entertainers, close-up magic, live art, techno-tribal belly dance, lighting F/X installations, a psychic sideshow with tarot and palm reading, and a 10pm ‘All Star Stage Show,’ the event is hosted by Jeff McBride and features guest stars of magic from around the world.
Master magician Jeff McBride will be joined at each Wonderground by DJ Master Diaz, the Mojo A Go-Go Girls, the Mystery School Magi, Jordan Wright, Scott Hitchcock, painters Areeya, Suzanne and Minnie, and psychic entertainers Danita and Morganne. The Wonderground will happen only once each month, on every ‘Third Thursday,’ for the coming year. New talent will be featured each month.
Jeff McBride is best known for his dynamic fusion of masks, magic, Kabuki theatre and grand illusion. He has been seen in many Las Vegas venues, including Caesars Palace, LV Hilton, Golden Nugget, and most recently in his own show Magic at the Edge.
Jeff McBride holds three Guinness World Records for magic. He is a popular television guest, with featured performances on shows ranging from The World Magic Awards, Masters of Illusion, Mindfreak and The World’s Greatest Magic toStar Trek, Deep Space Nine. He runs the McBride Magic & Mystery School, which is widely known as the world’s top magic school.
The Olive is known to its patrons as Las Vegas’ new stylish Mediterranean restaurant and hookah lounge. It has only recently completed its new addition, an amazing nightclub space adjoining the hookah lounge.
During its previous incarnation, McBride’s Wonderground received glowing notices from both the press (Las Vegas Sun, L.A. Times and many others), and also through a unique “as it happens” online video channel at http://streetofcards.tv. The evening was streamed live, with online viewers able to conduct a running conversation with each other, as well as with performers and club goers. The online link is slated to be an integral part of The Wonderground experience at The Olive, as well. Magic fans who can’t make it to Las Vegas can tune in from anywhere in the world between 8pm and midnight (PST), and attend virtually.
The Las Vegas Sun wrote of The Wonderground, “Walking into Wonderground is like stepping into a parallel universe where mysticism is the currency and magicians reign supreme. Green lasers dart across the dark room and a pair of curvaceous belly dancers perform onstage while a fortuneteller reads Hindu tarot cards and magicians from around the world work the room.”
For further information on Jeff McBride’s Wonderground, now at The Olive, go tohttp://www.vegaswonderground.com, or call the McBride hotline at (702) 450-0021. All events will be broadcast live on www.streetofcards.tv.
Robin Leach interviewing Jeff at WONDERGROUND. Robin was the very first reporter to mention the WONDERGROUND in his column.
We look forward to seeing you at The Wonderground this week!
Best wishes for a magical holiday season!
Jeff McBride & all the crew at the Magic & Mystery School
