I had a really fun all-ages family magic show tonight. There were about fifty people total, and they ranged in ages from five to fifty… so I had my work cut out for me.

Halloween gigs are always tough…

It can be hard to do a show that entertains both tipsy adults and sugar-high children at the same time. Many magicians choose to focus just on the kids. But while the kids love it, the adults quickly get bored and start chatting in the back of the room… and that disrupts the show. That’s why I developed an all-ages family magic show that entertains everyone in the room. I use a wireless microphone sound system and present jaw-dropping magic in a manner that can be understood by everyone.

Family shows are only a small part of my business (mostly it’s adult gigs like company holiday parties, cocktail parties and receptions), but I think its a good idea to be able to perform for as many people as possible.

I’ll hopefully have some photos soon!

Los Angeles has had some windy weather lately… and I missed it all. I’ve been out of town in Georgia since Sunday and only heard about it on the news.

Sorry for the delay in new posts… but I’ve been swamped with travel and Halloween stuff (more on that later).

Georgia was nice and the leaves were changing. I’ve been in Los Angeles for so long I’d almost forgotten what fall leaves looked like. On the way back to the Atlanta airport I stopped by an old town called Madison. It was celebrating its 200th anniversary. Here’s a cool pic from the center of town.

USA Today has a cool feature article today about how neuroscientists are teaming with magicians in an attempt to understand how and why the human mind is easily fooled.

Neuroscientists: Why is the brain deceived as if by magic?

Over the years, as I’ve gotten better and better at what I do, I’ve definitely learned how to subtly influence people and get them to ignore what I don’t want them to remember. It’s a tricky thing, but in the hands of someone who really understands what they’re doing… the effects can be devastating.

Some people can hold their breath for over 4 minutes…
I’m not one of those people.

Some people can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 20 seconds…
I’m not one of those people either.

I was fooling around with a Rubik’s Cube in-between my shows at the Magic Castle, and this is what happened. It’s not magic… but it IS pretty darn cool IMHO.
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.

Boy oh boy….

Have I got a GREAT video coming soon. This was shot live at the Magic Castle during my show at the Magic of Jazz. My main show was over, and I was just screwing around. Then, off the cuff, we decided to shoot something on the fly.

You’ll love it!

I had a terrific time at the Magic of Jazz last night. The Janis Mann group was incredible! The entire band was terrific, and Janis is an incredible jazz vocalist. If you’re ever looking to hire a jazz group for your event, I highly recommend her!

My shows started late, but I had A LOT of guests drop by to enjoy the magic. I even got to try some new magic tricks I’ve been working on. All in all… a great night.

I’ll be performing at the Magic of Jazz event at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. It’s a one-night-only event with a great band. It will be a packed house… so it should be fun!

I really underestimated the response to the event. I think I’m personally getting in over 75 guests! You know… when you consider the revenue of 75 people’s dinners, drinks and door charges, the Castle should double my pay! ;-)

My second bi-monthly customer newsletter is out just in time. I’ve got some really cool stuff in it…
- a great desert recipe
- my schedule of upcoming shows
- a nice article I wrote on improving your computer skills

My goal is to have cool articles that my customers actually want to read, and so far, I’ve gotten some really nice compliments. So I’m pretty psyched about that.

I should probably write Issue #3 soon… if I wait until December I’ll be too busy and it’ll be too late!

I saw two excellent Spanish magicians in the Castle this week. We flew them in from Madrid to perform for the week, and they’re doing an incredible job.

Although there’s a language barrier… the super-visual magic they do transcends all speech. Dani Da Ortiz is one of the most entertaining card guys I’ve ever seen, and the coin magic of Miguel Angel Gea was inspired. I hope we bring them back to the Magic Castle again next year!

I’m going up to the Magic Castle to meet some magician friends for lunch. Friday lunch at the Magic Castle is an old member tradition going back decades. It’s celebrated by four groups:

- Retirees
- The Independently Wealthy
- The Unemployed
- Full-Time Magicians

What do these groups have in common? All four groups share one trait — they have the free time for a 2 hour lunch at the Castle!

The lunch menu can be pretty darn awful… but no one goes for the food. You go to hang with your friends and see an afternoon show in the Close-Up Gallery.

I’ll be meeting two, possibly three good magician pals tomorrow. Should be fun!