Canada's Magic

21 February 2015

Matt Disero interviewed by Adam Pal

(I haven't listened to this myself, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was NSFW.)

Rumour has it that James Alan does a cameo.

From PALmCAST Network's YouTube channel:

20 February 2015

Ted and Marion Outerbridge in the Nanaimo Daily News

From the Nanaimo Daily News:

Ted Outerbridge's love of illusions started at the age of seven when the neighbourhood magician Magic Tom freaked him out by pulling an egg out of his ear.

The same magician had a TV show out of Montreal, and Outerbridge also has a specific memory of watching him perform a trick with hankerchiefs that blew his mind.

"I still remember it today, how I was so amazed, and I was very determined to be able to deliver that same experience of wonder," he said.

It became an obsessive focus as Outerbridge studied magic books and then got a job at the local magic store.

"The owner of the store, Richard Olsen, he taught me all kinds of things and I learned so much," he said. "All the big magicians coming through town would drop into the store and I got to meet them. That was really huge for me."

Read more.

via Perfect Magic's Facebook page:

Post by Perfect Magic.

19 February 2015

Calgary: James Jordan at WOWFest

From James Jordan Twitter feed:

http://t.co/QPrtz3lUyz Excited to return to #Calgary's only #Magical #arts #festival WowFest. Get tickets at http://t.co/763xbiY3ot #yyc
— James Jordan (@JJordanmagic) February 8, 2015

18 February 2015

Wes Zaharuk, Phil Pivnick and Ben Train at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Mississauga (Thurs): Wes Zaharuk

Pickering (Fri): Phil Pivnick

Toronto (Sun): Ben Train

James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!" Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.

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* Offer is subject to change without notice. Canada's Magic earns a commission when you use the coupon code cmagic.

Montreal: The McCord Museum magic acquisition

From the Montreal Gazette:

The McCord Museum has acquired a $3-million collection of 600 posters, 200 rare books and 200 documents relating to the golden age of magic – from the 19th to early 20th centuries.

Included are objects linked to Harry Houdini, including personal correspondence and scrapbooks. Houdini performed in Montreal four times, including the event in 1926 where a McGill student punched Houdini in the stomach before he was prepared for it, rupturing his appendix. Houdini died a week later.

“It’s the second-largest collection of Houdini material held in a public institution,” said David Ben, artistic director of Magicana, an organization dedicated to the study of magic. Ben served as an adviser to the museum and was there on Monday as journalists were invited into the museum vaults to view some of the artifacts. The Library of Congress in the U.S. has the largest such collection, making this the most extensive in Canada. “The collection is significant,” Ben said.

Read more.

From Julie Eng's Facebook page:

Post by Julie Eng.

17 February 2015

Thirty seconds with Ben Train

This is the fifth in a series of "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews, so called because I approached the interviewees at Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance Arts Camp last summer with the idea that I would interview them for 30 seconds. It didn't always work that way.

Professional magician Benzi Train is from Toronto, Ontario. Proud of his homecountry, Ben thinks of "poutine, maple syrup, and free health care" when thinking about Canada. (Good thing for that health care too; poutine and maple syrup aren't good for you in large doses.)

FUN FACT:
Ben's a fan of Harry Potter, chocolate chip cookies and Netflix.

DID YOU KNOW?
Ben's most embarrassing moment was getting pantsed at camp last summer. (I think there's video footage of that out there somewhere. Finding it will be left as an exercise for the reader.)

Ben first came to Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance Arts Camp loving the idea that two of his passions, magic and camping, could be experienced simultaneously. He comes back because, it's "the most amazing place in the world." The words family, fun, and magic come immediately to mind when he thinks about magic camp. Last summer marked Ben's twelfth year at Sorcerers Safari. He has attended as a counsellor in training, a counsellor and most recently as an instructor.

Ben's first memory of magic was seeing Triumph performed when he was 14 years old. He hopes that magicians today adapt to, integrate, and utilize all of the new technology and platforms to their advantage.

Ben heads up Five Academy Magic and performs as well as lectures all over the world.

Visit Ben's website at bentrain.ca .

Ben will be appearing this coming Sunday at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic) .

From the Fireside Productions Facebook page:

Post by Fireside Productions.

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Previously published "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews:

Dan Wiebe | Eric Leclerc | Lisa Close | Alex Seaman

From the Sorcerers Safari Twitter feed:

Guarantee your spot at #MagicCamp Aug.15-19 2015. Tell your parents registration is on your wish list - it's now open at sorcererssafari.ca
— Sorcerers Safari (@SorcerersSafari) December 22, 2014