Rockies, Magic School, & Japan
Magic in the Rockies, September 5 - 8, 2002
Magic in the Rockies is one of the best run conventions I've ever had the pleasure to attend, and due to some smart business management (including funding from sponsors and two big public shows in a lovely 1100-seat theater), they manage to get a huge lineup of talent for their intimately-sized convention. I appeared on the opening night platform show; close-up show; late-night cabaret show; public stage show (in the Ft. Collins Lincoln Center theater mentioned above); and lectured. They kept me busy but I had a grand time with friends old and new.
McBride Magic School, April 15 - 17, 2003
Jamy shared teaching with Jeff McBride at "Cards in Focus," the inaugural session of McBride Magic School. Jeff concentrated on stage manipulation well Jamy focussed on close-up card skills and performance. The program was well extremely received and we hope to do it again next year. For more information, go to http://www.magicalwisdom.com/school.php.
Japan, March 5, 2005
I first met Yuki Kadoya on my first visit to Japan in 1989. We have remained close friends over these many years, travelling together on my 7-city 1990 Japanese lecture tour, and he subsequently edited and published a book of my material in Japan. In March of 2005 I visited Japan to attend his wedding, held at the Atsuta Jingu shrine in Nagoya. Suffice to say, it was a marvelous and memorable experience. Congratulations to Yuki-san and Yukari-san!
L to R: JIS, Gaetan Bloom (my dear friend and truly one of the world's greatest magicians), Mike Caveney, Tina Lenert, Kevin James, and in front, Arturo (who, like me, is a huge baseball fan, we talked baseball for an hour one night at the bar).
My pals Doc Eason and Eric Mead are the Magic Bar performers at the Tower Magic Bar & Restaurant in Snowmass, Colorado. I've worked at the Tower before, having been the featured guest performer at their Millennium New Year's Eve party. But it was great to be back for a night behind the bar with Eric, and Doc dropped by as well. They have the greatest jobs in all of magic, and they deserve it -- they're both a blast to watch.
With my dear friend Barrie Richardson, one of the best minds in magic I know, and my new friend, Bob Cassidy. I don't care what the PEA says, Bob is a fun guy, a fine performer, and gave one of the best lectures on mentalism I've ever seen. One of the few mentalists I've seen who really understands show biz and what it really means to entertain an audience.
With my friend, and another honored guest, Ton Onosaka.
This is where a lot of the late-night fun and magic talk went down. Here are some more (but still not all!) of the featured performers of the 2002 convention. L to R: Doc Eason, Jon Stetson, Mike Bent, Jamy, Eric Mead, Bob Cassidy.
With the bride and groom, Yuki Kadoya and Yukari-san.
At McBride Magic Center, Apollo Robbins, Shoot Ogawa, and John Thompson dropped by for a session. Shoot performed some wonderful coin magic and his fabulous Ninja Rings, and Apollo did his fabulous "Coin on Shoulder" routine, and demonstrated some of his superb audience management techniques. Both were in town to shoot a joint video to complement their joint lecture tour. Jamy and Shoot will both be lecturing at the Las Vegas Magic Invitational (LVMI) in September.
Jeff & Jamy are old friends going back to starting days in New York City, when Jeff was performing at Club Ibis, and many a late night session was held at Jeff's apartment and at the nearby Triple Inn. Jamy even served as Jeff's director for one summer in the early 80s.