Thoughts after Blackpool

Another fantastic convention at Blackpool this year. It's always interesting to see the different ways different magicians think and to be exposed to a wide variety of attitudes and approaches to magic. For example:

Rudy Coby has made himself into a cartoon character. His magic is wacky and off-the-wall and amazing. As part of his lecture, he showed us some clips of TV shows he's starred in and he's done all sorts of wonderful things (many of which you can see on YouTube). The real Rudy seems to be a straightforward, generous guy and I liked him a lot. How many other magicians will give you stuff for free if you can't afford to buy it?

Rick Merrill's character is a contrast to Rudy's. He wears a business suit and presents himself as a preppy type who spends his life making Sharpies and coins appear, disappear and behave randomly. He sends himself up too but in a quite different way from Rudy. Rudy, the mad scientist, is cool, in an over-the-top style. Rick is more of an accountant than a superhero and his magic is with everyday objects - and yet he's cool because he's funny and he's SO good at what he does. I love his act and could watch it all day.

Arthur Trace is a more serious character and a deep thinker. His lecture was well honed and I loved the way he gave it a premise (that magic should generally have a premise and then illustrate it) and then illustrated it. Of course, it's not a new idea that tricks should have a story and a point, rather than just being a demonstration of the magician's skill, but Arthur takes this to a new level.

Jeff McBride is a fabulous magician, who has taken magic into his soul. In his lecture, he quoted Shakespeare - All the world's a stage - and said this is why he's always the magician; he's never off stage. His huge energy and enthusiasm for magic and for life are inspiring. Jeff is a larger-than-life character who tells the world he's a superstar and the world believes him. This, in my opinion, is the way to behave.