Magic for Fun and Profit

Although I remain a lapsed magician (in terms of performing) I still enjoy it as one of my favourite forms of entertainment.

On Saturday night the BBC's The Magicians show has had its moments, but overall it's a little too over-excited for me - and I don't need the 'torment a celebrity' forfeits, etc. Very tiresome.

I preferred the cooler Fool Us on ITV, which seemed to manage something much more focused on magic, and even method, and yet still (hopefully) entertain people who don't care how it's done. Hard to say, as I share a life with someone who finds magic extremely uninteresting...about as uninteresting as (say) sport. Penn & Teller always seem good value to me.

Recently I have been online watching Penguin Magic's live lectures, and that has been a treat. The first one seemed a little under-rehearsed, but that was the pilot (and free), so it's forgiveable. Since then I watched a free one with Franz Harary, who was very personable and honest - showing clips from his big shows and videos, and answering questions.

Most recently I watched Richard Osterlind's presentation, which was fantastic value as he went way past two hours (maybe something like three and a quarter) of detailed, informative and insightful commentary on his own material. As a working pro he has this stuff nailed, and for the geeks it all might seem pretty simple (the centre tear, for instance) but the fail-safe methods mean he can spend a lot of time on presentation. Again, a charming man, a delight to be in his (virtual) company - even in the small hours (UK). You can learn / buy some of his stuff here.

Tonight/Tomorrow you could watch and learn from another legend, Aldo Colombini, and if the strange time zone doesn't suit your body-clock or life commitments you can always buy into it anyway, as a recording remains available afterwards in your account.

And finally, using Lybrary (probably the best online source for magical reading material) I bought an eBook of Magic and the Silent Clowns, by Ben Robinson - a presentation combining two of my favourite things, and emphasising, yet again, the close link between magic and special effects. Franz Harary pointed out the connection when explaining some of the stuff he devised for rock concerts, etc.