A PERSONAL REPORT BY CLIVE CULLUM

The number of dealers increases each year and compared with the past when there were established magic studios it is quite apparent that many are now setting up internet businesses from home.

Some haven't any useful background knowledge of magic and are only there to sell stock they have acquired. Perhaps we should say does it matter if we know what we want and can get it - and often more cheaply with the competition. Nevertheless it was interesting looking around the dealers' hall and one tends to do this in between lectures and other events when as far as I am concerned one meets old friends to stop and have a chat.

I bought one or two items. It is sometimes difficult to decide whether to buy an effect until one has seen it and that is what I am sure appeals to many magicians and to have so many dealers under one roof! 

I often do not buy something immediately I see it (unless it was already known and being sought as I did with the trick "Captivated" ) because money might be better spent elsewhere. It does not always work out like that as I saw a book on the stand of Magic Books By Post but later it had been sold - and I didn't make a note of the title and author!! I wonder if I contact them to say where the book was located and what it was like they would recognise it ?! We shall see.

One last comment on the dealers - there were bargains to secure (if so inclined) during the last two hours of opening. This was not just foreign dealers not wishing to transport stock back to their place of business but some others putting DVDs in bundles for a marked down price and some offering an additional effect on a purchase. In earlier Conventions there was often a trick of the Convention that everyone wanted.   Examples are Peter Kane's "Wild Card" and the coin penetration using rubber damm.   One misses this. There were dems at some stands drawing crowds; particularly I noticed Elmwood and Adrian Sullivan but no outstanding personality drawing larger than normal crowds as used to be with Ken Brooke.

The performers (9 of them) in the British Magical Close-up Championship gave a nice variety of performances and not all cards. Johan Stahl's act I liked for its simplicity with moves using only a bowl, pen and small cube.

As far as the lectures were concerned I particularly enjoyed and will mention Mark Mason (with his "Twisted Blizzard" cards and "Crossed Word". He also repeated his by now famous method of forcing a card); David Kaplan (with his trigger electronic system for music and special effects - expensive but extremely useful for a regular stage performer); Henry Evans (for his deck and card switches with the use of spring flaps and his card under a glass using a paper money/card flap); Banachek (not for any new methods but for his presentations); John Bannon (for his thoroughness and originality as one would expect from the inventor of "Twisted Sisters"); Yigal Mesika (for his thread work).

Also for the first time for some years I decided to go to two children performers' lectures - Jimmy Carlo and Oscar Munoz and enjoyed this a lot. Both meet the challenge of present day clever sophisticated children in their presentation. Jimmy Carlo's treatment of young assistants was a lesson for us all.

The Intercontinental Stage Magic Championships were held on Saturday evening with two U.K. and one Austrian and two Korean performers.  One can only be struck by the elegance of movement of the Asiatics.  This was followed by Cirque Du Magie with David Kaplan (doing comedy juggling), Clive Webb and Danny Adams (in a clown slapstick "dodgy decorators " routine - and you should have seen the mess on the stage afterwards! ), Banachek (with surefire direct mentalism delivered at a pace. My only criticism is that for me and probably the British public he was too busy and his speech too rapid), David Williamson (fooling about as usual), David and Dania (with their often seen quick change act as always wonderful to see).

The Sunday night Gala Show in the past (and in spite of Ken Dodd) has ended at 11 p.m. This time it ended (with Ken Dodd told to be brief) at 11.45 p.m. There were 8 performers before the interval and 3 afterwards. The first "half" ended with the illusions of Russ Stevens and the second "half" with the illusions and razzmatazz of the U.S.A. performer Franz Harary. Every time one sees illusions nowadays one is struck by the modern dramatic effect achieved compared to those of earlier eras. Robert Harbin would be proud.

The annual Murray awards were presented to John Pye and Jack Devlin. The Ken Dodd Comedy Trophy to Clive Webb.

In conclusion there is no doubt that the Blackpool Convention has grown with the appeal to magicians from abroad - there were several Asian , Germans and others from Europe .