August 2020

Volume 97
The Official Publication Our July Meeting
of the Dallas Magic Club
Inside this Issue
July 21, 2020 Believe: Discovering and Creating
1 Notes From Our
July Meeting One of the essential skills of any Magical Experiences,” and enjoyed it
thoroughly. His only complaint was it
3 Scribblings From The
Scribe Of The Scroll
performing magician is the ability to
took a while to get it in from Amazon.
improvise their way out of an
4 The President’s Desk
Eric Hogue unexpected event – to handle Mike’s book features an anthology of
anything life throws at you. The lectures that began as articles in the
7 What’s Happening
David Knight
Dallas Magic Club has rolled with the Wizard’s Scroll.
8 TAOM News
Joey Byers punches, conducting our meetings Speaking of rolling with the punches,
online with Zoom. Because the our May banquet, once rescheduled
10 Make Believe
Michael Smith pandemic has not yet let up, we are for July, has been moved once
having to rethink our banquet, as again, this time to December 16th,
12 Magic Maniac
Dal Sanders
well. and will coincide with our Annual
13 Nick Diffatte
Banquet Information Our new President, Eric Hogue, Holiday Party. Registration for the
brought the meeting to order, and event can be found at
14 David & Kylie Knight
From FCM dallasmagic.org/shop/2020-banquet.
opened the floor for announcements.
18 Prop Ideas
Answer Box
After our new officers were virtually
sworn in online, current President
20 Announcements From
The Scribe of the Scroll Hogue thanked our immediate past
President, Dal Sanders for his
service. Dal mentioned that the year
began strong and finished weird, and
opined that this made perfect sense,
given he was our President. No one
disagreed with that assessment.

Joey Beyers, President of TAOM

announced that, as they had no
choice but to cancel the in-person
TAOM convention for this year,
plans are moving ahead to hold a
virtual convention online. Updated As our annual contest for the DMC
details will be available at the Performing Magician of the Year had
TAOM.org website. to be held online, it’s fitting that the
winner was announced online as
Eric mentioned he’s just finished our
well. Competing this year were
own Mike Smith’s book, “Make
Russell Turner, a past DMC PMotY
 award winner and TAOM winner, Daryl The documentary includes a look at
DMC Officers Howard, former DMC President, and
Joseph Rake, a new member, and
early black magicians, as well as
interviews with magicians performing
Eric Hogue recent convert to magic. currently, on their perspectives of
President being black in a field of predominantly
David Knight white artists. The documentary is also
available, free to watch for anyone with
Vice President
an Amazon Prime subscription.
Derrel Allen
After we enjoyed the Documentary,
Treasurer
Geoff Grimes moved that the club
Brad Kozak create a proclamation expressing
Secretary gratitude to Ice McDonald for his work
After passing the envelope online from in educating the magic community
Richard Ingram our President to our Vice President, about the history of black magicians.
Sgt. At Arms David Knight announced Daryl Howard Dal mentioned that Ice has over 30
as the winner. When asked to say a
Dal Sanders hours of video just as engaging as the
few words, Darryl did just that, saying shorter documentary. He suggested
Past President “It’s about time.” that with positive comments, Amazon
Board Members: may air more of the footage.
Ian Richards
Until May 2023
Mike “Doc” Blum
Until May 2022
Bill Ingram
Alternate -Until May 2022
T.A.O.M.
Representatives
Frank Seltzer David Knight then announced the
SAM Representative evening’s program. Noting that the
Dallas Magic Club lacks any
Ian Richards
substantial black members, he
IBM Representative
suggested it was particularly
Wizard’s appropriate that we screen a new
Scroll Staff documentary about the history of black
Dal Sanders magicians from Kenrick “Ice”
Wizard’s Scroll Editor McDonald, “Quiet Masters: the History
Daryl Howard and Relevance of the Black Magical Derrel Allen mentioned the cover of the
DMC Photographer Artist.” Fellowship of Christian Magicians
Mike Smith magazine features David & Kylie
Columnist Knight in this month’s issue. FCM.org
Geoffrey Grimes has a free event this month, at
Columnist www.facebook.com/FCMOnlineEvent.
Daryl Allen If you are not receiving the newsletter,
Columnist you can sign up at tinyurl.com/DMClist.
Brent Fisher
Columnist
Joey Byers —Brad Kozak
Columnist
DMC Secretary
 Scribbling From the
Scribe of The Scroll
WHAT’S COMING UP… AUGUST: TRIGG & KYLE ON TV...
Trigg Watson and Kyle Marlett are both regulars
ONLINE AGAIN... on television and work as magic consultants for
Justin Willman's Netflix show "Magic for
Humans". Join them for a discussion about what
works, what doesn't, and working hard to do the
right thing in the world of magic on television.
See you Tuesday at 7pm on Zoom!
To Join the meeting CLICK HERE.
DMC BANQUET WITH NICK
DIFFATTE RESCHEDULED...
The DMC Annual Banquet had to be rescheduled
(again) and will now be combined with our annual
We promise to continue to provide you an Holiday Party
incredible online experience. This month is no in December.
exception. We hope that
AUGUST: ICE McDONALD LIVE PLUS... by then, we
Kenrick “Ice” McDonald is VISITING US live, can share a
WELL, ONLINE AT tonight’s Dallas Magic Club. lovely dinner at
Ice McDonald, will discuss his film QUIET Brookhaven
MASTERS, which we all enjoyed last month and Country Club
answer questions about the film. and we will be
entertained by
Nick Diffatte,
one of the top
entertainers
from Las Vegas. Details can be found on the
DMC website.

PLEASE PAY YOUR DUES...

Hey everybody, this is important. The Dallas
Magic Club is well known for providing incredible
talent. We have a community that is strong and
He has also invited us to watch. His latest unique and we want to continue to grow. To do
release, “THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MASTERS that, we need to pay our bills. Please check with
OF MAGIC”. CLICK HERE to watch this 50
our treasurer, Derrel Howard and make sure that
minute special from 2005 and then ask him about
it during the meeting. your dues are up to date and that he has your
proper contact information.
 TAOM 2020 News
2020: Perfect A Vision for TAOM
Family Family and friends of the Texas Association of Magicians,
As you have no doubt read or heard, we cancelled our physical 2020
TAOM convention. But through some added effort by a select few who
refuse to give up, we are still going to throw down for 2020. We are
putting on the 2020 TAOM Virtual Convention. Yay! The convention will
be totally online and digital. Let me tell you a bit about it. Keep in mind
that frantic preparations are taking place daily, so these events may be
subject to change over the several weeks.
The convention will be a mix of activities familiar to TAOM convention
regulars, but it will take place over a slightly abbreviated schedule. All
activities are free, but some activities require you to register if you want
to attend. Other activities are open to the public to just drop in. The
important thing is that you stay tuned to the TAOM 2020 Facebook page
and www.taom.org/2020 for the latest details as they are made
available.
The annual TAOM Board Meeting will be held via Zoom conference on Friday, September 4 at
4pm. Mary Cay Gold will send out the notifications to the board members containing the meeting
logistics.
The convention opens Friday evening at 7pm with our TAOM Welcome Show. We will discuss the
convention activities, agenda, and schedule. We will give you an idea what to expect throughout
the course of the following days and introduce a few friends of the convention. The Welcome Show
will be immediately followed by the Friday evening show which will feature the Junior Stars of
Magic. (We are refusing to call them future stars. They were tomorrow's stars, but that was
yesterday. So now, they are stars in their own right, they are just young!) See the
www.TAOM.org/2020 website for listings of ALL our convention talent.
Saturday morning starts off with the World of Willard; not quite the usual private Willard Breakfast
or brunch that you are used to. It WILL be a brunch, so you will need to bring your own
sustenance. Scott Wells will most certainly be enjoying his brunch as he hosts the event among a
small gathering, at the home of Trixie Bond, where the Chateau du Magique will serve as the
backdrop for the event! Scott has an exciting program in store that will give outsiders a small
sample of what Willard members do every year at this annual, private event. The new Order of
Willard inductees will be introduced during this meeting. This is the only chance you will ever get to
peer into the World of Willard unless you are a member, so you will not want to miss this
opportunity.
Next will be a lecture by Nick Lewin. Nick will lecture from his home via Zoom. This is one of those
events you must register for. You can register at www.taom.org/2020 as soon as registration
becomes live. Later Saturday afternoon will be the TAOM Dealer Room...slightly modified to be
virtual. The dealer room will effectually be a dealer show, featuring the dealers who were originally
scheduled for the physical convention in Fort Worth! You might get a glimpse of their shops or
collections if you look carefully. Dealers will likely offer specials or bargains that are effective only
for the duration of the convention. Links to their websites and ordering logistics will be made
available during the convention.
Later that afternoon, Trixie Bond will take us on an adventure to Marshall, Michigan. There we will go
on a virtual tour of the American Museum of Magic with museum board member Jeffrey Alan. During
the interim times all day, Zoom meeting will remain live when possible, to minimize your effort of
disconnecting and reconnecting all day. During those times, convention-related ads will be scrolling,
many with live convention info to help you navigate the convention activities.
Saturday evening climaxes with our evening show, featuring many of the magicians who were
originally slated to be part of the physical convention. Do not miss the chance to see some of the best
magical talent in the world coming to you - straight from their home theaters and domiciles. There will
never be another convention like this!
Sunday morning opens with one of the TAOM staple shows, The Gospel Magic Show, presented by
Bronson Chadwick! It will be followed by the annual TAOM General Meeting. Finishing touches will be
added to the convention by none other than Gregory Wilson, who will perform a lecture from his
home. This event will be open only to registered attendees. The best advice for access at this point is
to stay tuned to www.taom.org/2020 and the TAOM 2020 Facebook page.
As I wrote in last month's Magic Across Texas newsletter, upon finding out that our physical
convention was not possible, we planned a simple board meeting and a virtual evening show. It was
not short-sighted, it was spur of the moment. Our planners and workers were not lazy, they were
trying to figure out what to do on-the-fly, in a brand new world, with very, very short notice. We
wanted to give our members something, in lieu of a full-blown physical convention. Feedback let us
know that the demand was out there for something more. As we successfully planned a couple
activities, we realized that we could indeed add a couple more, and so the event has grew from there.
What we have in store will be no substitute for the in-person TAOM experience that we all know and
love. Some of the moves we made were to mitigate risk because this is our first time attempting this
digitally. We will do our best to put out something that is a higher quality and more dependable.
We cannot make everyone happy with the events we chose to do or the manner in which we are
doing them. We saw twenty-two months of planning and lots of hard work by our committees go down
the drain, much of which our critics will never be privy to see. We stopped on a dime and in a matter
of weeks put together a brand new convention to be presented over a brand new media. To address
those who loudly proclaim that they know a better way of doing things, I can only say that nothing is
ever ideal. EVERYONE working on this convention for two years has been volunteering. Our talent,
dealers, planners, volunteers are all doing this as a labor of love...WITH NO COMPENSATION. I
could not be prouder of everyone who has worked, and is working, to facilitate and deliver this
convention. Haters will hate, naysayers will say nay, critics will criticize. However, they are not raining
on our parade. They can keep on raining...and we'll just be the parade!
Consider this an invite to spend a portion of your Labor Day weekend with us. Good, bad, ugly...this
convention will never be forgotten!

Thank you for making Texas magic great!

Joey Byers
Your 2020 TAOM President
(Please tune to the TAOM 2020 Facebook page or www.taom.org/2020 for information about the
September 5 virtual convention evening show.)

The 75th annual TAOM convention will be in Fort Worth, hosted by SAM Assembly 138, Alliance of Illusionists. This
column will keep you up on perpetual developments as they happen on a month by month basis. Our website will keep
you up to date on the convention happenings, and process your registrations as well. So, please visit www.taom.org and
explore the website for the latest on talent, the convention schedule, hotel info, dealer info, contest info, and FAQs
(frequently asked questions). Some of this info is changing daily, so it will be updated as we know more and finalize plans.
Also, check out TAOM 2020 on Facebook for latest developments.
 Make Believe:
Discovering and Creating
Magical Experiences
by Michael Smith
Part 64
Reality + Dreams = Magic
For the last several weeks or so I have been reading and making notes from the Magic Rainbow by Juan
Tamariz. This is a challenge because it is a hefty book (almost 600 pages) and because it gets into his
deep theory of creating and presenting magic. His writing style is at times poetic and at other time very
analytical. It is one of those books you read a few pages and have to stop and think deeply about what
you have just read.
Two of the many sections that really excited me were “Dream, Magic, Reality,” and “Magic in Movies,
Theater, Television (and Close-up Magic)” (pp. 32-38). In these two sections Tamariz is comparing and
contrasting the audiences’ experiences when viewing a live theater experience, a movie, and a live magic
show, especially close-up magic.
Tamariz claims that live theater mirrors reality. Actors are there in present time in real life and the
audience witnesses what happens to them. The audience is witnessing “something belonging to reality,
although perhaps an imagined reality that never happened, that never will happen—but a possibility
nevertheless.” The audience is there as spectators.
Movies are different from live theater. Inside the movie theater, “in the dark, we feel carried away,
immersed in what happens on the screen. And we forget about ourselves, or more precisely, we forget
about being witnesses, spectators. . . . What I’m saying is that the combination if darkness, the huge size
of the figures, the power of sound and lighting, etc., produces a kind of hypnotic fascination that prepares
us to feel like witnesses of a dream. Movies are a mirror of dreams.” So in the live theater the audience
is a witness of flesh and blood people performing actions and events extracted from everyday reality. The
movie audience witnesses images of people and events extracted from dreams.
So, how is performance magic experienced by the audience? Magic has elements of both live theater
and movies. Like movies, magic deals with dreams but like live theater it takes place within the realm of
possibility. “Magic presents us with dreams spun into reality. . . . When we say magic presents the
impossible, we mean and should say: the impossible in reality but possible in dream. . . . We are talking
about the magic of desire.”
When an audience sees magic in a movie they usually think first it is some kind of camera trick such as
editing, special effects, CGI, etc. The same thing can happen on television (except in documentaries or
with live audiences). Yet magic on television can and does touch us in powerful ways. Remember when
you first saw David Copperfield fly? Or when the Pendragons did their Substitution Trunk? Or when
Eugene Burger did his Gypsy Thread? Put your favorite memories here!
But what about magic that is presented as a special effect in a live drama, comedy, or musical? Many
Broadway shows include magical effects in them- Pippin, Ghost, the Musical, Beauty and the Beast,
Christmas Carol, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, and most recently Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Jim Steinmeyer, Paul Kieve, and Jamie Harrison have created some special effects in the above and
many more theatrical productions. Tamariz believes that they are experienced by the audience as just
that, special effects, not as something impossible. He believes that the magic effects in movies and
theatrical dramas/musicals don’t touch the audience the same way a live magic show can because we
say to ourselves, “I don’t know how it works and I’m not interested now, because I’m absorbed in the
story.” So to end, “Magic presents us with dreams spun into reality.” Magic = Reality + Dreams.
Till next time, remember to cut the cards.

Mike
For many years you have had the privilege of reading “Dr. Mike’s
articles here in the Wizard’s Scroll. Now you can read the book!

Available on Amazon.com
Dale Carnegie wrote How to Win Friends and Influence People in 1936 and the book has sold many
millions of copies every year ever since. I believe that it should be required reading for everyone
regardless of their profession or their interests. There are especially strong benefits of the book when
applied to magicians who want to be successful.
Carnegie's book is full of wisdom but the one section that particularly applies to magicians is how to
be likable. People want to work with and hire people that they like. The first way that Carnegie covers
is to show a genuine interest in other people. He goes on to explain a meeting he had with master
magician and Past National President of the Society of American Magicians, Howard Thurston.
Thurston's success was not based on education. He ran away from home at a young age and spent
his early years begging for food to live. Thurston had also explained to Carnegie, that it was not his
superior knowledge of magic that led to his success. He explained that hundreds of books had been
written on magic and many people knew as much about magic as he did.
Thurston went on to explain the secrets of his success. He let his personality come through in his
performances and he showed a genuine interest in people. Thurston said that many magicians of his
day would think of audiences in this way: "Well, there is a bunch of suckers out there, a bunch of
hicks; I'll fool them all right." His approach was totally different, he would say to himself: "I am grateful
because these people came to see me. They make it possible to for me to make my living in a very
agreeable way. I'm going to give them the very best I possibly can." Thurston said that he would
never step in front of an audience before saying "I love my audience, I love my audience."
Just imagine Howard Thurston, the greatest magician and illusionist of his time standing in the wings
prior to each show saying, “I love you, I love you…”, over and over while imagining every face in his
audience in every seat in the theater. He was preparing himself to greet his audience. He knew he
had to love them the moment he hit the stage in order for them to love him and his show.
Although Howard Thurston died decades ago his legacy still lives. His autograph, letters, photos,
promotional material and props are considered highly collectable by magicians and laypeople alike. I
do not think that he is remembered simply because he was a great magician (even though he was). I
also don‟t believe he is remembered simply because he was so successful (even though he was). I
believe that he is remembered because he was a good person.
Challenge yourself on how you can create a genuine interest in your audience. How can you develop
a relationship with the people who watch your performances that transcends the actual show and
makes them want to get to know you better.
This is where true fans (and lifelong paying customers) come from. This is the real magic of magic.
As always, all of this is just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Always believe in magic—

DAVID BLAINE’S NEW STUNT.… MYSTERY SCHOOL MONDAY…
Right now, all of us need to have our spirits The Magic and Mystery school has opened their
lifted. David Blaine plans to do that as he takes doors on Monday Nights for FREE.
to the skies in a new stunt. The magician has
announced his first live event in nearly a decade:
Flying above New York City by holding a bunch
of helium-filled balloons.

The illusionist and endurance artist is partnering

with YouTube for the event titled "Ascension"
Here in Texas, the start time is 9:00 pm. There
where he "will bring wonder, hope and
will be a message in the waiting room when they
untethered possibility as he launches from New
fill up. CLICK HERE for the Zoom Link.
Jersey and journeys across his native New York
City skyline to tackle his most ambitious and WHO WILL WIN THE BEST OF 2019...
revolutionary feat yet." This special will launch Tune in to find out Sunday, August 23rd, at 9pm
on August 31st ONLY on YouTube. CLICK Central Time, for the AMA AWARDS Virtual
HERE TO SEE DAVID BLAINE GO UP.
. Experience! You don't want to miss Magic’s big
PENGUIN’S TOP 20 COUNTDOWN… night! Dal Sanders received an Award of Merit at
Nick Locapo and Erik Tait are count down the last year’s event. Mark your calendars, set your
top twenty tricks of the week live on Facebook! alarms, and spread the word. It's free! All are
Be sure to ask questions in the chat and Erik and welcome to this family-friendly celebration of
Nick will answer your questions as well as talk magic. CLICK HERE TO WATCH ONLINE!
about the latest in magic. MORE DFW MAGIC…
Fort Worth Magic Club – 1st Thursday of each
month – 4055 International Plaza, Fort Worth,
TX 76109 – Facebook @fortworthmagicclub
Fort Worth SAM 138 Alliance of Illusionists –
meets on the Third Thursday of every month at
7:00pm - Illusion Warehouse - 3917 McCart Ave,
Fort Worth. For more information go to
www.sam138.com
Mid Cities Magic Circle – meets on the second
The Countdown happens every Sunday at 7:00 Tuesday of every month, Usually at The Golden
pm Central Time on their Facebook Page. Corral 465 East I-20, Arlington, TX, but more
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SHOW. recently, They have been meeting online.
 The Magic of Puck is a well known magician who has appareled at Magic Conventions, Cruise Ships,
and America’s Got Talent. In his new book Finding Magic, Malcolm Puckering tells his up and down life
story of being an orphan and getting into trouble eventually finding his path to happiness. Finding
Magic available at Amazon.com
 August 2020

IMPORTANT!!!
In August there will be no physical meeting of
The Dallas Magic Club
You are invited to join us online Tuesday, August 18, 2020
at 7:00 pm.
To Join the meeting CLICK HERE. Or copy and paste the following URL into your browser.

https://zoom.us/j/93884762015?pwd=Rm1IVERVbitZbFRGSURRL1dxUXJ1Zz09