Dear Friends:
I know this is sooner than you’d normally expect another Museletter from us, but we’ve had so much news in the past 5 days, Jeff really wanted to make sure you all had it while it still IS news. Here goes:
As of yesterday (and perhaps still today), the CNN story on Jeff’s workshop in Atlanta was on the front page of CNN.com, in the “Living Section. The story is headlined as “Man Travels the World Teaching Magic.â€Â You can view it at:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2010/06/29/natpkg.magic.school.cnn?iref=allsearch
For Wonderground aficionados (and who isn’t?), don’t miss the feature article in the weekly “Seven†magazine:
http://weeklyseven.com/ae/2010/july/01/man-many-masks
You’ll learn more about Jeff’s thinking behind the creation of the Wonderground, and why it is rapidly becoming THE underground performance scene in Las Vegas.
In other late breaking news, the documentary on teen magicians “Make Believe†has been a huge hit at the LA Film Festival. You can read about that now at these locations:
http://www.makebelievefilm.com/pdf/MBPressKit.pdf
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/23/entertainment/la-et-makebelieve-20100623
And, while I have your attention, be sure to check out the latest additions to The Virtual Magic & Mystery School at:
http://virtual.magicalwisdom.com/
That’s all for now. Jeff is off on a well-earned vacation at a festival, and will return just in time for the next Wonderground on July 15.
Best to all!
Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith
President – Tobias Beckwith, Inc.
Management to Jeff McBride
tobias@yourmagic.com
(702) 697-7002 (Las Vegas & Everywhere)
(415) 889-9491 (Bay Area/ Silicon Valley)
| Hot Las Vegas Greetings!
Here’s some recent press we’ve generated for our own projects: MAGIC AND MYSTERY SCHOOL ON CNN! This is one of the best pieces on the school yet! |
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2010/06/29/natpkg.magic.school.cnn?iref=allsearch
WONDERGROUND IN THE NEWS!
Bravo to all the WONDERGROUND Players for this great piece! http://weeklyseven.com/ae/2010/july/01/man-many-masks
Please plan to arrive early to get a seat this month… we will be sold out again for sure!
Our August class is SOLD OUT! Fall classes are filling fast. Be sure to register, so you are not disappointed!
Your friend in magic,
Jeff
From Larry Hass
Associate Dean, the Magic & Mystery School
In my recent Museletter titled “What is Education?” I promised to be back soon with some suggested summer reading. But first, I want to remind everyone about the Magic and Meaning Conference in Las Vegas, October 20-23, 2010.
Since my move to north Texas, many people have written me to ask when I will be holding another one of my Theory and Art of Magic Conferences. The fact is that I am already holding one because the Magic and Meaning Conference we create every year through the Magic & Mystery School is its equivalent.
For those of you who have not attended the Magic and Meaning Conference, let me tell you that its mission is to create a genuine learning community about magic. The conference includes first-rate magic performances and works-in-progress opportunities, but the heart of the event is three days of presentations on magic from conference attendees and special keynote speakers.
So this is your opportunity: if you would like to submit a proposal for a 20-minute presentation at this year’s conference, please click here to see the details (the deadline is August 1). Whether you submit a proposal or not, I encourage you to think seriously about joining us for the conference in late October. Come see why so many people return to this event year after year. (To register, visit http://magicalwisdom.com/events/view/416)
As I said above, I promised to suggest some good books for summer reading. I have already taken one shot at that exercise in one of my MAGIC columns (August 2008, p. 19), so what I want to do here is provide the names of some of my favorite books to re-read.
Let’s think about this for a moment. Popular culture moves at a breakneck speed. The news cycle is now instantaneous. Countless new magic products arrive every month. We try to keep up, but it is impossible to keep up. So we bounce from this to that, to some “new this” to the next “new that.”
I know this is just the pace of modern life, but I also know something else: that rarely does “pursuit of the new” bring the best and deepest experience of something. On the contrary, my very best experiences of a good film, piece of art, or novel come when I view or read it again. For it is only then, when I already have a baseline of understanding, that I am able to really appreciate the work’s deeper levels of significance or achievement.
So here is a partial list of some favorite magic books I didn’t mention in my previous column — books that I find myself being enriched by again and again. If you haven’t read them yet, then you have a real treat in store for you. If you already have read them, then I invite you to pick one of them up again on some lazy summer day so you can get reconnected with something good and deep. In no particular order:
1. Jim Steinmeyer, Conjuring. This book is a dazzling array of great material from one of the most creative people in magic.
2. Harry Lorayne, Close-Up Card Magic. The material remains fresh and stimulating thirty-five years after publication; the revised edition in The Classic Collection includes better credits and many fine touches and improvements.
3. Max Maven, The Lisp Series (Thequal, Doth, Amperthand, Fifth, Thavant, Thabbatical). The Color Books are more famous, but a lot of material in these books is every bit as good, and they are a blast to read.
4. Lewis Ganson, The Dai Vernon Book of Magic. This classic work remains an exemplary lesson in how to construct deeply magical routines with invisible sleight-of-hand. I re-read “The Vernon Touch” chapter on a regular basis.
5. Theodore Annemann, The Jinx 1-50, 51-100, 101-151 (three volumes). Read one issue a day for a month and notice at the end how many great new ideas you have.
6. Eugene Burger and Jeff McBride, Mystery School. I realize that including this may seem nepotistic, but the truth is I have read certain sections of this book at least seven times. There is a lot going on in here of extraordinary value and intelligence.
So happy re-reading this summer! And be sure to let me know your favorite books to re-read. I look forward to being with you at one of our Master Classes or at the Magic and Meaning Conference in October.
“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.”
— Goethe
Dear Friends:
We’ve heard that some people take summer vacations — but, frankly, we’re having too much fun doing and teaching magic to want to take a break. In the past week, Jeff has performed, lectured and conducted workshops in Raleigh, Cocoa Beach & Atlanta. While in Atlanta he taped a segment for CNN — perhaps some of you got to see it. And now he’s on the way home, and busy preparing for what promises to be a most amazing Wonderground on Thursday. More about that further down the page. First, we want to talk about —
Media Magic
We did it! We made it happen! Last week Bryce sent you the news — we opened the new online Virtual Magic School! The response has been great, and we have students coming online from all over the planet!
Bryce tells me we’ll have a myMoney! – Torn and Restored Billroutine online by the time you get this email.
Media is changing the way we watch and learn magic. Our VIRTUAL MAGIC SCHOOL is the newest way to learn, and a way for all of us here at the Magic and Mystery School to share our magic with you — and you don’t even have to leave your own homes. Visit the siteand see what’s already there for you — and come back often, because we’ll be growing the online school rapidly.
More Media Magic
In July, the first ever online magic conference ever will take place — on the internet! The Essential Magic Conference is sponsored by Marco Tempest, Luis da Matos and David Britland, and will feature 33 “live” speakers, all speaking directly to you over the web from Luis’ TV magic studio in Portugal. In addition, top magicians from around the world have recorded interviews for the conference, and Jeff’s is already online. You can view it (and a dozen other fascinating short talks from various stars of magic from around the world) at:
http://essentialmagicconference.com/videos/31
Master Class
Our Extended Master Class from August has been sold out for almost a month now… but the class scheduled from June 26 to July 4 still has two spots left. This is your last chance to be a part of an Extended Class this year. Sign up now for this, or one of the remaining shorter classes this year (they are filling up quickly, too), at:Â www.magicalwisdom.com.
News from the Wonderground
June 17, 2010 — shows start at 8pm and go ’till 11pm!
Our Amazing Line up Jeff McBride’s Wonderground This Week:
Featured Close-up Show (8:00)
Paul Vigil -Â A Pure Magic Experience
Close-Up and Strolling Magic (8-10 pm)
Jean Pierre Kraft -Â Hands of a God!
Circe Martinez -Â Close up Magic Delight
Eduardo Martinez -Â Cuba’s Master of Manipulation
Samina -Â The Sorceress
Parlour Show (8:30)
Jordan Wright -Â Your Host
Tim Wise -Â A New Beginning
Tawney Bubbles -Â Elastic Fantastic
Mat Black & Captain Jack -Â Very Dangerous!
Bizzaro -Â From America’s Got Talent
Bram Charles -Â Magic Comedy
Stage Show (10:00 – each act performs one 3-5 minute piece)
Jeff McBride -Â Kabuki Magic
Jordan Wright -Â Vintage Memories
Bizzaro -Â Cutting Edge Magic
Jean Pierre Kraft -Â Magic from Dusk till Dawn
Sean Critchfield -Â Grand Slam Poetry Champion
Mickeyo -Â New Vaudeville Eccentrics
Anthony Rais -Â Marionette Theater
PLUS!
DJ Master Diaz
The Mojo a Go-Go girls
The NWR dancers
Live Art, Body Painting and Psychic Side Show!
FOR COMPLETE DETAILS GO TOWWW.VEGASWONDERGROUND.COM
You can participate live on the internet starting at 9pm (PST) by logging on to www.streetofcards.tv
See you at the WONDERGROUND, at the Virtual Magic School…or live at a Master Class someday soon!
Magically yours,
Jeff and all the McBride Magic Family