Magic Tricks

I was only able to attend Saturday's lectures and scheduled workshops, but as you saw from the lineup...Awesome Magician Overload!
As I excitedly drove from my home cleeeeeear on the other coast of Florida in order to try and make the day's first lecture at 9:30am; I was already stoked that almost every headliner and workshop host is, in fact; a huge mentor/influence figure on my magic, but to know I was racing to see one of my most-recent influences, Brent Braun; had me lead-footing above a possible $600 speeding ticket! (It was early, the cops hadn't even made it to the donut store yet! I made it in record time!)

Arrived...zero issues with parking. They allowed us to park ANYWHERE at the hotel/conference center. That made my mad dash for the registration table even easier. Got checked-in even quicker and immediately spotted Penguin's Nick Lacapo chilling next to some of the new Penguin releases so I had to say "Hi" and see if I could con him into demoing a couple. The guy didn't even hesitate, and proceeded to destroy my mind with new stuff that you guys will be seeing later this year from Roddie McGhie (another creative mentor of mine and his "borrowed ring on borrowed key ring will destroy your senses!), Brent Braun (you guys/gals are gonna love his new packet trick, "Definitely NOT Marked" -A faux gambling/real-time card marking demonstration that gets so out-Of-hand that in addition to turning vibrant & unique colored backs, they somehow TEAR THEMSELF and erase color from their backs at the performer's will! It looks INSANE and w/Brent's patter-idea; it's funny as hell!), Robert Smith, Nicholas Lawrence and more. Thanks to Nick for being so cool and literally making himself available to anyone who wanted to speak to him between his MC'ing the whole lecture sessions. What a rad guy! (Oh, I hope he'll forgive me for tipping that he does, in fact, have the most insane and REAL MAGIC looking "Hummer card" routine you will EVER witness! Ask about 20 other dudes & doodettes that stood googly-eyed as he was "just noodling around" with it, side-stage before everyone came back for the next lecture. It was real magic, no doubt. Nick knows voodoo! LOL!)

All the lectures were not only informative, but I think, if you added up, monetarily, the cost of the (average) 3 or 4 performance-quality effects you learned from each lecturer, you'd have spent about $600-$700 easily! That totally MORE THAN JUSTIFIES the $150 (drop in the hat comparatively) registration! Couple that with the goody-bag you get at the onset which is about $100 of cards (one a Boris Wild marked Bicycle Deck) and tutorial DVD samplers as well as a rad current issue of Penguin Magic Monthly and I prolly should've gone to jail for theft!

No doubt I'll be back, no matter where I may be living next year because they tour with this insane, magic roadshow, so not just us tan folks are able to enjoy! Folks; this is no puffing; This is a GREAT convention. Highlights for me: meeting my mentors; spoke to Dan Harlan, Shaun Dunn, Ryan Schlutz and Garrett Thomas in a relaxed, lobby chat for over an hour at a lunch break and was further wowed with magic theory and tips that just shot outta these guys like t-shirt cannons in my face! Also meeting Brent Braun, Joe Rindfleisch and David Long after their INSANE mind-melting lectures and witnessing the theory and logical subtlety they have mastered and exude, was surreal! They shared personal secrets and they doled it out like glasses of water to thirsty laborers. It was crazy to leave and not feel a "part of something that not everyone is allowed! I can't say anything at all negative about my experience!

Spot-on, gang! A memory that all magicians should have during their lives. Well-done Penguin. Very, very well-done!!!!.