Hello everyone!
Today’s topics are: Magic Stuttgart; Sharing Secrets in Japanese; Any Questions or Criticisms?; Poetic AI; Studies in Deception by Aurelio Paviato; Magic Convention in San Marino; Seven Ways of Being Understood; Albert Hofmann
These are The Magic Memories 214, gone online Sunday, April 6th, 2025, at 0:07h sharp.
All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.
As you are reading this, I am on my way back from the Spanish magic convention in Almussafes, near Valencia (Santiago Calatrava!), after having done a full-day seminar in Reus (the natal city of Antoni Gaudí); between the two week-ends I have spent time in beautiful Barcelona, the capital of the Catalan country, to visit with magic friends and doing a talk at the magic club of Barcelona, the SEI (you may practice your Catalan HERE). I plan to report about my adventures in The Magic Memories 215 (mark May 4th in your calendar).
Magic Stuttgart
In February I travelled to Stuttgart with my magic friend Claudio Viotto: We went there to see Thomas Otto, an outstanding professional magician from Steinhorst (Germany), who emceed Harald Wohlfahrt’s Palazzo Show, a four-hour plus affair in an upscale circus-like setting, with a four-course dinner and virtually non-stop music and show.
I have reported about similar shows in earlier The Magic Memories (see The Magic Memories 207 & 209), the concept being always the same: a dinner created by a Michelin-star chef, located in a beautiful classic-old-fashioned luxury circus tent, and framed by a high-class variety program.
It would go beyond the scope of this short report to tell you about the complete show, which had an impressive cast.
I will just mention my friend Thomas Otto’s achievements: Not only did he lead through the lengthy program all night, in itself a feat to behold, he also had a spot of his own where he performed some of his impeccable magic.
I am really not exaggerating here: Think of performing inside of a classic circus arena, where you are three-quarters (at least!) surrounded, and have to communicate with ca. 350 spectators sitting at tables (and some drinking more than necessary…). Just the communication of it is as difficult a task as it can get. But Thomas not only did this with the ability of a consummate professional, he also managed to do this with great charm and sincerity, the contrary of the Las Vegas style hammy magniloquence, which I personally just do not appreciate, and neither does the average European spectator.
Within the first minute he had the audience in the palm of his hand, and managed to keep their attention and enthusiasm until the flamboyant finale.
I hope that some of you one day get to see Thomas’ Egg Bag and Miser’s Dream, the latter being the best routine of this kind I have ever seen. He would make a great addition to any magic convention, his English being fluent enough, and it would certainly be a new face to most.
The next evening we attended Thorsten Strotmann’s show in his Magic Lounge – since pictures say more than a thousand words, CLICK HERE.
I have reported several times (see The Magic Memories 102 & 103) about this talented entrepreneur and performer who has – as far as I know – the largest close-up theatre in Europe; the place takes 190 seats, and you can see a Coin Assembly routine from every seat… quite remarkable.
The seats cost up to $80, and even after the pandemic the shows are almost all sold out – the man certainly knows what he is doing… and he does it very well 🙂
He is now into his seventh full-evening show, and I have no idea how he does that. If you are in Stuttgart or nearby, by all means go there!
On the next day Claudio and I had lunch with Thomas and Thorsten in a lovely Italian restaurant in the historical center of Stuttgart.
It is certainly one of the great additional benefits of having written all those books to be able to get together with all those very talented chaps of the younger generation and getting to learn them better. Many of them, including Thomas and Thorsten, meanwhile have become very good friends.
BTW: Although Stuttgart will not be your first choice of cities to visit in Germany if you have little time, there are still at least two attractions that make it worthwhile. I just mentioned the first (to us magicians): Strotmann’s Magic lounge.
The second is the Mercedes Benz museum. As you might know, Stuttgart is the home and base of Mercedes and Porsche (Porsche also has a museum).
I cannot imagine any curious and educated person not being absolutely fascinated by the Mercedes museum. I myself couldn’t care less for cars (…although I would neither refuse a Jaguar XK-E nor an Aston Martin DB5).
However, the architecture of the building and the didactics of the exposition are simply one of the very best I have seen in a museum, where the challenge is to not only have superb exhibits, but above all to create an interaction between the exhibit and the visitor, and also to put the exhibits in a historical and cultural context.
All this – and more – is capably and beautifully implemented in this amazing museum. If you go, make a reservation through Internet, as it will speed up everything and even save you a penny or two…
Sharing Secrets in Japanese
As you are reading this – I always assume that you do so on the day of publication – the Japanese version of Sharing Secrets is hitting the shores of the archipelago of Japan.
It took two years of assiduous work to complete it, ably translated by Shigeru Tashiro – he found typos and little inattentions no-one else found! Tashiro-san is also financing, publishing and distributing the book. Atsushi Takizawa – of Script Maneuver fame – did the layout (with a little help from my Italian publisher Francesco Mugnai, who is now entitled to an extra-huge “Bistecca alla Fiorentina”).
The photo below shows a man who is happy like a clam at high tide, showing that size indeed matters…
The book was printed and bound in Florence, Italy, published by Florence Art Edizioni (the best!), and if you want to learn or just practice your Japanese, the Japanese edition of Sharing Secrets will be available for purchase starting Thursday, April 24, 2025, at major magic shops across Japan (listed below – the websites of these magic shops are available only in Japanese, however, we believe you can still enjoy “window shopping” through their sites… those Japanese icons are so beautiful 🙂
STREETMAGICIAN (Tokyo) https://www.streetmagician.net/
Magic Fantasia (Tokyo) http://magicfan.shop21.makeshop.jp/
Panora Magic (Tokyo) http://panoramagic.shop-pro.jp/
Magic House (Yokohama) https://www.magichouse.biz/
French Drop (Osaka) https://www.frenchdrop.com/
Feather Touch Magic (Shiga) https://www.ftmagic.jp/
SEO Magic (Hiroshima) https://www.seomagic-jp.com/
FUN MAGIC (Fukuoka) https://funmagic.co.jp/
If you are interested in purchasing the Japanese edition of this book – even if you cannot read Japanese but would still like to own it (collectors!!!) – please feel free to contact Shigeru Tashiro at magic@kk.iij4u.or.jp. He will be happy to ship it to you via DHL.
Any Questions or Criticisms?
Whenever I travel by train or plane, I have my laptop computer with me and watch at least one magic lecture. Over the years I have watched many…
On my recent train ride to Milan I saw the lecture of a very well-known magician (who shall remain unnamen) recorded at a Ron MacMillan International Convention in London years ago. After each explanation he asked, “Does anyone have a question or criticism?”
I had to smile at the “criticism”, as this is certainly the last thing you want to hear – generally, and especially not at a lecture – and if you were to get a “criticism” it could easily get out of hand resulting in a lengthy and undesirable discussion.
Our above-mentioned lecturer got several questions, none of which could be heard. And that is my point here.
The same thing happens quite often at conventions: The lecturer asks if there are any questions, and when someone asks, most cannot hear what the interlocutor just said.
In both cases – video or live – the answer is a waste of time, as the larger part of the audience does not know what the lecturer is talking about, not having heard the question.
To this there are two solutions.
One: Have an assistant ready who takes a microphone to the interpellators so they can be heard. This is what you have seen done on TV programs where members of the audience participate in a discussion, etc.
Two: Repeat the question yourself for all to hear.
The second option is the one I use. Not only is it simpler (you do not need an extra mic, let alone an extra person) and faster (you do not have to wait for the mic to reach the spectator), above all you can rephrase the question, which more often than not is either clumsy or too long (some interpellators include in their question a short auto-biography that is of no interest to anyone present).
Now answer the question as succinctly as possible. As you know, this is not easy for me🙂 However, knowing myself, I usually reply, “There is a short and a long answer to this. I’ll give you the short answer now, but shall be happy to continue our conversation at the bar… you pay the drinks!”
I hope that all those among you who occasionally give a lecture or even a short talk can use this very simple but useful piece of advice.
Poetic AI
As most of you will not know – except those who have the German edition – the original German edition of Card College was called Grosse Kartenschule (volumes 1&2 were published in 1992, volumes 3&4 in 1994, and volume 5 in 2003).
The German version did not have photos and a quote as chapter headings as the English version has, but a poem and a “cartoon” as seen in the illustration below. The Joker is supposed to be a caricature of me as represented on my exlibris 🙂
Poems are very hard to translate, which is why we decided to replace them with a photo and a quote, much to the relief of Richard Hatch, who at the time had taken up the Herculean task of translating the first four volumes (it took him several years to do so…).
In view of the advances made by AI, however, it occurred to me to have a go at translating these poems. Below is the German poem going with the chapter on the Top Change.
“Im Filieren ist die Frieda
allen Zauberern voraus.
Nächtlich tauscht sie immer wieda
heimlich ihre Buben aus.”
Translation by ChatGPT:
“In top change, Frieda,
leads all wizards by far.
Each night, she secretly swaps her boys
like a star.”
While this translation may not be brilliant, it is, if I may say so, good enough – if you are a native speaker of English you may make your own judgement. It would undoubtedly be a great pleasure to have all of Dieter Ebel’s poems translated into English, as I believe many of you would greatly appreciate them.
Furthermore, if they could be included in the Card College series, replacing the quotes and photographs used to introduce the respective chapters, it would symbolically unite poetry and magic. This would echo Hofzinser’s renowned assertion that ‘card magic is the poetry of magic,’ all while maintaining a lighthearted tone that embodies the entertainment aspect.
I will keep that in mind for future reprints… (volume 1 is now in about its thirtieth reprint, I believe…).
Studies in Deception by Aurelio Paviato
On my short visit to Milan I spent a pleasant dinner-evening with my friends Aurelio Paviato and Gianfranco Preverino, both of whom have been mentioned several times in these The Magic Memories.
Aurelio kindly gave me a copy of his book Studies in Deception, that has just seen publication (edited by Stephen Minch and published by Penguin Magic).
Aurelio and I are both members of the exclusive Escuela Mágica de Madrid, for many years the world’s only think tank of magic, with Juan Tamariz being our most influential teacher.
This certainly shows not only in the choice of material, but also in the detailed and intelligent descriptions, polished by Stephen Minch, arguably still magic’s best writer-editor (with the possible exception of Maxwell Pritchard).
For anyone who has a more than passing interest in magic, Aurelio’s book is a goldmine of techniques, tricks, presentations, details of handling, and theories.
It will neither be an easy nor a quick read, as most descriptions are intricate and lengthy, but those who persevere will be amply rewarded with deep insights into the art and science of magic.
I greatly enjoyed Aurelio’s book and was pleasantly reminded of the many sessions we had when we were younger; quite a few of the solutions to the problems discussed then can be found here.
For more info on the book CLICK HERE.
To listen to a conversation Michael Close had with Aurelio CLICK HERE.
BTW – For those interested in this type of thing take note of the above-mentioned restaurant we had dinner in Milan, Italy: Osteria Brunello (details CLICK HERE).
By all means take the “COTOLETTA DI VITELLO ALLA MILANESE”, a veal steak on the bone, breaded and prepared similar to a Wiener Schnitzel, at the ridiculous price of EURO 29 (includes tip and tax, for my friends in the New World…).
You may then spend what you have saved on the cutlet on any of the available Brunello di Montalcino wines (there are about one hundred to choose from!), meanwhile an overpriced but still excellent wine… remembering Goethe’s words that “life is too short to drink bad wines”, and in view of the terrible international situation, spending a good part of our money on excellent wines (and drink them!) may bring in the highest revenues…
Magic Convention in San Marino
In 2023 I reported about the convention in the micro state of San Marino and you can find most information there (see The Magic Memories 122).
This year Gabriel, the festival’s organizer, asked me to sit in the jury of their competition. Since I had good memories of my stay in 2023, I joined my friend José Ángel Suarez (the organizer of Magialdia, Europe’s oldest magic festival in the Basque country) in Milan, and together with Pedro and Xarly – two friends from the Magialdia-team – we drove down to San Marino. This was a five-hour drive, which we fortunately interrupted by a visit at “il ristorante della nonna” (grandma’s restaurant), which fortunately was as good as the title suggests.
Due to several commitments I missed most of the lectures at the convention, but caught Laurent Cervoni’s on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in magic.
This was a most interesting talk and I hope more convention organizers will book him to speak, his lecture being in English will make this quite feasible. Cervoni is a professor in IT engineering and at the head of the research of AI in France.
In his lecture he demonstrated how AI can be helpful in solving trick problems, create new tricks, and even how to assist in writing books. The technology is not yet fully developed (what is, anyway…), but – who knows – maybe my next book will be written by some kind of Robogiobbi…
To know more about Cervoni CLICK HERE.
There were two competitions, stage and close-up, with the level of the close-up participants being clearly higher than stage.
It seems to me that the competitors would be well-served if their acts where video-taped and afterwards a coaching offered to those who want. I realize this will require some effort, but it is a question that should be considered, especially for regional competitions.
As in 2023, the evening show in the theatre of San Marino was the highlight of the conventions, emceed by Alexander, a well-known magician and TV personality in Italy.
All acts registered well in the sold-out theatre, with France’s Jerome Murat (watch his act HERE) and Marko Karvo and his assisting wife Vanessa (watch HERE) standing out. In my opinion Karvo’s act is in a class with that of Cardini or Channing Pollock, and arguably today’s best magic act over all – if I was sitting in a FISM jury he would get my vote for the Grand Prix. This act is so complex, and so well done, that it comes close to perfection.
At the dinner following the show I had a short conversation with Marko, but wish we had had more time. Since he lives in Germany, I hope to catch his act soon again, and then spend more time with him. This is a man I would like to know more about.
I apologize for keeping this report short, but you can get an impression of the convention, which is also a festival, by CLICKING HERE.
Seven Ways of Being Understood
Sitting in the jury in San Marino and listening to some of the competitors speak, in a break between two acts I made the following note in my notebook regarding speaking and voice.
In order to be understood consider seven points:
- Volume. Do not shout, but learn to speak naturally and loud enough so that your seventy-year-old aunt in the last row can hear you.
- Diction. Practice a clear diction, pronounce clearly. If you speak at the same time as having a background music or any kind of background sounds, make sure the background does not interfere with what you are saying. Most people over fifty find it hard to hear a spoken text that is accompanied to music. Young people just do not understand this… (the same thing happens in modern movies).
- Pause. A pause in speaking is as important as a pause in music.
- Rhythm. Alternate various rhythms, fast to slow, to emphasize, get and keep attention, and to avoid monotony. Same thing if you have an accompanying music.
- Interpretation. Put emotion in your voice, enthusiasm and warmth.
- Verbal and body language. Synchronize what you say with what your body expresses.
- Content. What you say should appeal to the mind and the heart of the audience, and be delivered with sincerity and competence.
Albert Hofmann
Wednesday, April 19th, the world celebrated “Bicycle Day”, honors the anniversary of the first ever LSD trip, undergone by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann on April 19, 1943 in Basel, Switzerland (my place of birth and hometown).
In 2007, at age 101, Hofmann was elected the greatest living genius by the renowned British daily newspaper The Guardian. Hofmann’s lapidary comment, “Not me, LSD was elected.”
I had the pleasure of meeting him twice and perform magic for him and a small group of friends in an upscale bar in Basel named Classico, where for several years I performed close-up at the tables.
After performing I got them to sign my guest book (some of you might also recognize the signature of Hans Saner, the Swiss philosopher, and Rolf Hochhut, the German dramatist).
If you are a performing magician, by all means check my entries on the subject of the “Magic Guest Book” in Secret Agenda (November 28 & 29) as well as in Hidden Agenda (January 11); if you do not know it, I promise that it will make your day 🙂
CLICK HERE for more info and photos of Albert Hofmann.
Now, that was a long one, wasn’t it? Still, I hope you enjoyed it and found some useful ideas. See you all again on the occasion of The Magic Memories 215, May 4th.
All the best!
Roberto Giobbi
