Newest Trick in the Book

Tomorrow night (Tuesday), I'll be appearing on Toronto's magic open mic, The Newest Trick In The Book. This special performance is a collaboration between The Toronto Magic Company, and The Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit Club (Canada's oldest magic club.)

The show is an opportunity to debut brand new material. I'll be appearing alongside members of the club and the local magic community. The show starts at 8:30 PM at See-Scape (Keele & Dundas). It's a pay what you feel like show so please come and join us for a fun night of magic.

 

Photos from Magic & Martini in Toronto

Thank you to everyone who attended our first performance of Magic & Martini of 2018. It was an incredibly cold night in Toronto but we were warm inside, having lots of fun with a sold-out crowd. It was wonderful to be back doing this show after taking the month of December off for all of those holiday parties. 

We have lots of dates coming up this year, readers can use the promo code olive for a special price on tickets when booking online. 

Here are some photos of the event courtesy of Waled Hassanzay. There are plenty more on the Facebook Page. 

Happy New Year

The year is almost up, and what a magical year it's been. I am incredibly grateful to the thousands I've been able to perform for this past year, up close and personal at Magic & Martini and at all of the private events where I've been welcomed. Each spin around the sun does seem to get just a little more magical, and none of it would be possible without everyone else out there who delight in experiencing magic!

Thank you to Tyler, Waled and Ahmed, who do more wonderful and secret work behind the scenes than most people can imagine. And my heartfelt thanks to Jamie and Sheila of Grand Spirits who kicked off Magic & Martini back in 2016 and then proceeded to pull off an even bigger magic trick this year. 

Looking forward to all the fun and excitement next year brings and hope to continue sharing magic with you all.
 

David Copperfield writes in The Onion

Or so The Onion claims. I've been reading the article almost but not quite entirely sure it's satire. Such is the problem with politics these days. 

“Right away there was the issue of accountability. In the aftermath of Trump’s surprise victory, we realized the American people deserved better from their magicians. It didn’t matter if you were working birthday parties or headlining the MGM Grand. You had to take a real honest look at what you did and accept that whether you were making a playing card disappear, pushing a cigarette through a quarter, or levitating over the Grand Canyon, your actions would be judged in the context of an entirely new political climate.

With Trump peddling fear, xenophobia, and outright lies, we could no longer remain silent: We had an obligation, both as illusionists and Americans, not to allow such hateful behavior to become normalized.”

One pieces that I found rather interesting:

“Though much of what we as Americans hold sacred has come under threat this past year, there has been at least one positive development: Many magicians no longer saw their female assistants in half, having come to realize that there are now consequences for such behavior in the workplace.”

Magicians have a history of being not so nice to women (and often our audiences in general), something I've tried very hard to not emulate for my entire career. 

Tax Cuts Explained with Magic Tricks

I post this only because it contains magic tricks... as someone who was forced to learn the math behind the Laffer Curve in university.

From the history books

Found a fabulous bit of ad copy from the nineteenth century conjurer Ingleby that I'm thinking of stealing:

“…in consequence of his superior excellence in the Art of Deception he has had conferred upon him the title of ‘Emperor of all Conjurers’ by a numerous Assemblage of Gentlemen Amateurs, particularly through the Amazing Trick of Cutting the Fowl’s head off and Restoring it to Life and Animation! For no man knows the real way but himself. He is now, therefore, ad the Head of his Profession, and all Competitors remind him only of the following Fables: The Ass in the LIon’s Skin and The Ox and the Frog.”

— Ingleby

Put that on a poster in some Comic Sans and my 2018 will be rockin'.

Special thanks to Sidney Clarke and his Annals of Conjuring.