It was an honour to join the @ccmuseumbc at the opening of the new exhibition “The Magic of Tony Eng” at the Victoria location in collaboration with @victoriachinatownmuseum, back in December. At that time, I was invited to also participate in a podcast to talk more about my dad, Tony Eng. Here’s the episode!
Listen to Jason Osler interview Mel Jones and Julie Eng "Why aren't there many female magicians?" on the the January 10th episode of "Columnists from CBC Radio."
TORONTO - I’m coming to the @factorytheatre for 4 shows Feb 23 - 24. It’s been a few years since I’ve done a public show in Toronto, and I would really love to fill these seats - so if you can please spread the word!!
Last Thursday,
IBM Ring 17 (the Sid
Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club) was treated to a lecture about the
Psychology of Magic by club member Gerry Frenette!
As you may be aware Gerry:
has been building magic props and illusions through his company
Magic Makers Illusions
since 1985,
recently released his memoir "My Life as a Magic Maker" at Amazon (more on that at the end of the post).*
We made the trek to the club on a cold January night, learned a lot, and had a really good time!
In his lecture, Gerry:
demonstrated how assumptions are a powerful tool to use and can sometimes be stronger than "proving" (proving can ruin the psychology of
assumption)
showed many of the assumptions that can be involved when using a Vortex tube
did some magic with his assistant Gwendolyn the Psychic Chicken and showed
us something that once fooled Jeff McBride
got knotty with a piece of rope
ran though some thoughts about using a card box
did a beautiful Coins Across for young volunteer Andrew
talked about illusion design and worked through examples of how to make an
illusion look smaller than it is (showing examples with boxes, illusion
bases, and mirror frames)
discussed the importance of looking at things from the perspective of the
audience
showcased his poker skills against David S, Rob F, and two other volunteers
(and teased a story from his bookwhich describes how he almost lost
big with this "always winning" poker routine),
shared some interesting sub trunk stories
highlighted more psychological sleights while performing his Chop Cup
routine and Slydini Paper Balls for volunteer Nicole (and as a bonus
tipped another story from the book, where he stayed in the moment with a
drunk audience volunteer and performed an effect powerful enough to be
considered a reputation maker!), and
This book starts from his childhood in Amherst,
Nova Scotia and is chock full of entertaining stories from Gerry's magic
journey, including: early days of illusion building, working with Dean
Gunnarson, CRA audits, being suspected of money laundering, thoughts on
copycats & exposure, career highlights, a plethora of photos from the
past, and more!
(No magic secrets are revealed in this book. It
is intended for magicians and non-magicians alike!)
It was an entertaining and informative night! Thank you very much Gerry!
MScott - 5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating & fun to read! Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2023 Verified Purchase Couldn’t put it down. As a lay person, I felt I stepped into the author’s entertaining world of magical illusions. Buy it & be amazed!
Raman Sharma - 5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books I have read in a long time! Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2023 It did not take me long to realize that this book is not just for Magician's. The author does a great job in making the reader live through his experiences. I definitely feel more inspired after having read this book, and will definitely be recommending it to my friends.
Paul - 5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2024 Interesting and fascinating to read all the way through!
Disclosure: I received a free copy of "My Life as a Magic Maker."The opinions expressed above
are entirely my own. I did not receive compensation for the writing or the
publishing of this article.
It's OFFICIAL - I am totally overwhelmed that I have been awarded the 2024
AMA (Academy of Magical Arts) Literary and Media Fellowship. I'm still
in shock to be honest. I will be in attendance at the awards ceremony to
pick up this very prestigious honour in LA (Hollywood) --- I'm still waiting
for them to call back and say they have made a mistake like the Oscars LOL.
2024 marks 13 years of
VANISH - International Magic Magazine
- what a way to celebrate.
The last Tuesday of the month will be a night to remember! Magic, poetry, one man band, Nigerian Jazz, ukuleles…what more could you ask for? Fun times for sure Calgary! Jan 30th. call the Ironwood Stage & Grill for reservations.
Since entering the world of magic at a young age, one thing is clear, Reed
has opened a host of opportunities for himself, from doing a TEDx talk, to
being Doug “the Great” Hunt’s Guinness World Record Verification and
Video\Photograph Coordinator, he continues to work on projects that nurture
his passions.
His advice for those looking into getting into
magic, is simple.
“If anyone was interested in really learning
magic and discovering more, there are local magic clubs you should look into
joining,” he said. “The best person to reach out to would actually probably
be Doug Hunt because he’s the president of the local Hamilton Magic Club. I
first met him at the club when I was a kid, and it’s people like Doug that
keep someone like me doing magic.”