Friday, April 17, 2009

At The Conclave

Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. This week’s email Newsletter is coming to you live from the Dealers’ Room at this year’s Cape Cod Magic Conclave. The room will open in just a couple of hours, and it looks absolutely amazing. As always, the mighty Hank Lee’s Magic Factory booth takes up the far wall of the room. What a sight it is, if I do say so myself. Around the room and in the center are more and more dealers. Many old friends and several new faces with goods on display.

We have a larger than usual attendance this year. Which, all things considered, totally surprised me. I honestly expected attendance to dip, but such is not the case. Believe me, I am not complaining. I do hope that you are one of the many Conclavers waiting to register. If so, you are in for a real treat this weekend. If not, you should plan ahead for next year. The dates are already set, April 9th – 11th, 2010. And, as I tell you all the time, it is never too early to register.

My sincere thanks to Joel Bright, the wizard of pipe and drape and the team of hard-working elves, who have turned the already lovely Sea Crest Hotel into a magical wonderland!

In case you couldn’t be here this year, we’ve got a nice consolation prize for you. This week’s excitement should make you feel a little better!

Siamese Twins – Bill Goodwin: Bill Goodwin is one of the great creative thinkers and magic historians of our time, with a superlative ability to handle cards. His ingenious methods have been tightly kept secrets locked away in his own notebooks. For the first time ever released, Bill teaches a flawless version of a classic in magic, Card Warp. Done completely at the fingertips and with only a single card, Siamese Twins is a beautiful illusion that is sure to amaze any audience.
30 minutes of detailed instruction with multiple camera angles, slow motion replays and bonus handlings. $20.00 (DVD00997)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1674&cat=0&page=1)
"Your single card Siamese Twins routine is excellent. It has some very startling sections and a great patter story." - Roy Walton

Razor Shots: Cody Fisher presents Peter the Adequate's Razor Shots.
Introducing an engrossing, entertaining, and totally baffling razor blade-eating routine with a twist (of lime)!
Have you been looking for a razor blade swallowing routine that actually makes sense, is easy to perform, highly entertaining, and totally amazing?
Peter the Adequate has created a routine with a completely undetectable method, because as far as the audience can tell, there are no magic props for switching the blades! Every item used in this routine is commonplace and integral to the logic of the routine. Every move has a natural reason and is appropriate to the situation. There is absolutely nothing awkward or artificial in any of the moves or props!
The premise is simple. The magician swallows five sharp razor blades and chases each with a shot of tequila, a squeeze of lime and a dash of salt. After much drama and comedy, including getting progressively drunker as the routine goes on and even slightly cutting his finger on one of the blades (enough to draw blood!), the magician starts to floss his teeth, (to remove some of the lime!) and ends up almost swallowing the floss by mistake! In the end he pulls out all five blades strung on to the strand of dental floss!
Razor Shots comes with almost every prop you need to perform this audience tested routine. All you need to supply is an empty tequila bottle, and some fresh limes. This routine has been thoroughly audience tested and is sure to be a real crowd pleaser. $124.95 (60.1587)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1635&cat=0&page=1)

“Many magicians will probably not know the name 'Peter The Adequate.' That is because he is a real ‘worker’. I had a chance to see Peter’s one man show in Branson a few years ago. During the show he performed Razor Shots and I was absolutely blown away! I was not only fooled, but also very impressed by the thought that went into the development of the routine. Every aspect has been carefully planned…the natural props, the character, the music, and the invisible method. It only took a few years but I was finally able to convince Peter to share his routine. I am very pleased to help him bring this to the magic community.”-Cody Fisher

Mid Air Card Stab – John Kennedy: Stab a chosen card in mid-air with a pocket knife! This improved version of John Kennedy's classic effect is the best ever. Why?
* Any brand of playing cards can be used.
* The card is freely chosen. No force is used.
* The card can be signed and then given out as a souvenir after you stab it.
* You're always ready to perform. No reset is needed.
* The knife looks innocent and can even be examined.
Comes with the new custom-made knife and gimmick that works with your own deck of cards. John Kennedy teaches you his complete routine and handling. You will love this!
NOTE: Standard poker sized cards must be used. The gimmick will not work with bridge sized cards. $39.95 (30.127)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1354&cat=0&page=1)

Chinese Sticks Routine DVD – John Fedko: A How to guide to the Chinese Sticks!
Two ornate sticks with tassels hanging from them are introduced side by side. One of the tassels is short and the other is very long. By pulling down on the short tassel the long tassel goes up and vice versa. It is obvious that the sticks are connected, but you open them out into a "V" formation to prove your audience wrong. Again one tassel goes up as the other is pulled. Your audience assumes that the sticks are connected where they touch each other at the tip of the "V," but you separate the sticks. Even when a stick is held in each hand, one tassel goes up as the other is pulled creating the illusion that each tassel is connected to the other when they are clearly not. After some magic words the magician is able to make both tassels retract into the sticks.
Included is a full and complete explanation on the Chinese Sticks. Learn and perform one of magic's best routines, the Chinese Sticks.
Includes:
• Chinese Sticks
• Twenty minute DVD
• Performance footage from John Fedko
• Explanation of each and every move.
$14.95 (DVD00998)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1786&cat=0&page=1)

"On this DVD, I teach a very practical comedy routine which is mystifying and can be performed for either one person or for a very large audience. I have performed this routine with great success for over 40 years."- John Fedko

Bicycle Guardian Deck: These series Bicycle playing cards features specialty designs and unique custom Jokers. Available for a limited time. Each deck provides you with the same exceptional quality you've come too expect from Bicycle. Now with a fun new look.
$6.95 (30.1420)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=2954&cat=0&page=1)

The Plot Thickens - Oliver Meech: Magicians experience a torrent of new methods but just a trickle of new plots. It's time for a change. And the change starts here!
22 fresh plots with everything from bottles to bubbles and photos to false teeth, including:
* Invisible Man: Convince a spectator that they've vanished.
* Flaming Voodoo: A spectator stares at a piece of paper he is holding and it bursts into flames.
* Touching Transposition: Forget sight, fool their sense of touch.
* X-Ray Coin: A spectator swallows an initialed coin and it appears on an X-Ray of their stomach.
* Secret Service Load: Divine the serial number of a bill in the spectator's wallet without ever going near it.
* Plus 17 more impossibilities.
Some you'll perform every night. Others you'll save for special occasions. All you'll enjoy learning as much as performing. The book alone is worth the price of the book!
87 large format pages. 86 photo illustrations. Perfect bound with a glossy cover. $22.00 (BK01647)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1618&cat=0&page=1)

Mind Chip – Mikame: You cannot find a magic trick using color chips that is more simple and clear in effect than Mikame’s Mind Chip. It is really so simple. The basic principle of this trick has been known since the old days. The old routine has been completely re-vamped, and a new amazing trick has been born.
The color of the performer's chip and the spectator's chip always match, just like the coincidence of two sympathetic hearts. $58.00 (40.676)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1639&cat=0&page=1)

Make Amends – Wayne Fox: Do you like 'T n R' effects but the performing environment will not allow the long piece by piece routines?
Are you concerned about how angles will work?
Now at last, with Make Amends the spectator signs a playing card that gets torn into quarters and placed in a pile on the table. You tap the corner of the card box on the pieces and instantly the card restores.
The box and signed card are left on the table to be examined. With many varied ways of performing the effect, you are even able to execute the restoration in the spectator’s hand.
Once again, Wayne Fox has taken a classic effect of magic and changed it to suit a working environment.
This more accessible method allows the freedom you need to concentrate on making the effect unique to you.
* A genuinely free choice of card!
* The card is shown in four separate pieces!
* No long piece by piece routine!
* No angles to worry about!
* Instant repeat!
* Perform surrounded!
* No set up!
* Ends clean with everything examinable before and after!
* All props supplied, complete with instructional DVD!
$29.95 (30.1419)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=2289&cat=0&page=1)

And that’s this week’s Here We Are At the Conclave Hot List. Lots of great new items, just for you!
As always we appreciate you taking time out from your busy schedules to visit us either online at www.magicfact.com or in person at 102 North Street in Medford. Either way, we love the company!
Hank