Magicians Blog

Japan Week at the Magic Castle

2012-03-07T00:50:00.003-08:00

I just got back from the Magic Castle. I saw almost every show, but the one that really stood out to me was the Shinichi Maruyama show in the close-up room. He did card magic for the entire performance. His skill and personality captivated the audience. The most important thing that I enjoyed was that throughout the entire show, he enjoyed himself. His enthusiasm to perform magic achieved a higher level of entertainment...

Magician Sings & Plays the Piano!

2012-03-02T19:45:00.001-08:00

I haven't played the piano or done any singing for a long time. And here I am singing a Journey song. I must be crazy! But then again that's me, always diving in without looking. lol

Magic Castle

2012-03-01T00:48:00.002-08:00

I saw some very impressive card magic done by Jamy Ian Swiss in the close-up room a few hours ago on Wednesday night. In the Palace of Mystery, Murray SawChuck performed some grand illusions with his side-kick Lefty performing card stage magic and a zombie ball routine. I enjoyed Murrays Metamorphasis routine and Zig-zag box trick. I ended the evening watching Jesse Dee in the close-up room where he did some very impressive coin tricks and ended with a fish bowl filled with water and live fish and fish food under his hat for a finally.

Kickboxing and Magic

2012-02-24T17:38:00.000-08:00

Went over patter and technique for a card trick, "everywhere and nowhere". It's coming along nicely. Moving objects using telekinetic powers was another amazing learning experience. I continued to teach Lou kickboxing by having him punch focus mitts and the big bag followed by two 2 minute rounds of jab sparring...

Magic Castle with Robyn

2012-02-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

I went to the Magic Castle last night with my friend Robyn. We saw Adam Wylie in the close-up room and Stoil Stoilov in the Parlour of Prestidigitation. I enjoyed speaking to Stoil in the bar downstairs after his show. We spoke Russian:)

Magic Castle last night

2012-02-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

I went to the magic castle last night and saw some magic in the Palace of Mystery that I found useful in my own magic. It was a simple miming illusion done by Tina Lenert with rings and Ardan James with a hat, but it looked really cool... Bruce Gold performed in the Parlour and Paul Draper performed in the close-up room.

My niece Mia. Chuck E Cheese Magic...

2012-02-19T13:12:00.000-08:00

My niece had a birthday party yesterday at Chuck E Cheese Pizza. I did a few magic tricks for her and all my other nieces and nephews. I'm the only one in my family who doesn't have kids... I pulled a rabbit out of a hat for Mia and gave it to her for her special day... No it wasn't a real rabbit:)

At the magic castle I saw George Tovar in the Parlour of Prestidigitation. followed by Phil Van Tee in the same room at different times. George did an excellent job of not only entertaining his audience, but once again showing such confidence in his skill to perform card and coin illusions that looked very magical. My friend, fellow magician, Fred Falk and I really enjoyed his version of the McDonald Aces. He actually put the cards in the spectators hands then made each ace vanish!
Phil Van Tee was spectacular in his handling of the rope tricks. The knots he produces are beyond magical. That kind of rope magic takes years of practice and it surely paid off in spades. I met Jordan, (MC brother is Brian) and her friend Stephanie, who is going back to Mississippi in a couple of days. I enjoyed performing a few card and coin tricks for them. The pleasure was mine...

Close-up Magic

2012-02-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

Arriving at the Magic Castle at 7pm, I saw Brian Gillis in the close-up room. His sleight of hand card magic was simply amazing. I then saw high school teacher and magician, Jheff in the parlour room who baffled his audience with mind reading magic. In the Palace of Mystery Ice McDonald made birds appear out of thin air. His partner Mystina danced with a dummy like Fred Astaire with amazing color clothe changing to the rhythm of the music. I ended the evening watching George Tovar, in the close-up room, who was a reminder to me of why I love to perform magic. His card magic really looked like magic. He was very polite and respectful to his audience. His humor was subtle and it was very evident that he was an experienced professional. Mr. Tovar truly inspired me...

Kickboxing and Magic Lessons

2012-02-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

Just finished learning more magic. My buddy and mentor Lou Serrano taught me the Haunted pack and we reviewed the,"coin in the bottle" routine. It's all in the details to make it look like real magic. As for the kickboxing, we reviewed kickboxing drills on the focus mitts, followed by three rounds sparring, then we finish with kickboxing combination on the big bag. I video recorded this time for learning purposes...

reunions

2012-02-04T11:38:00.000-08:00

I invited my friend, Danny Soto and his girlfriend, Leanor who I met again from facebook to the Magic Castle last night. Danny and I went to Jr high and high school together. We saw the Palace show, the late parlour show with Scottish Alex Proctor. Then we saw my friend Mad Tad perform with his mentor McMaster. It was a blast hanging out with my other magician friends, Lou, his girl friend Dee, Zach, Fred and so many others. The girl in the picture just jumped in. She happens to be a friend of my first mentor Magician Armando Lucero.

Kickboxing and Magic

2012-02-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

Today I re-learned the coin though the bottle routine. So many details to make it look like real magic. I'm so happy to have Lou as a best friend and mentor. Today, Lou and I sparred. He bought a mouth piece and new hand wraps. After working the thai pads he put on head gear, mouth piece and we did jab and thigh-kick sparring. For his first real fight, not too bad. I did pressure him a little bit, but I never hurt him. Teaching, does not mean hurting your student. There is a difference between pressure and inflicting pain. It is never okay to hurt and possibly discourage a student. We did two, 2 minute rounds. If we keep training like this, he can only get better; by better, I mean if he get's into a fight with a layman, that person will prey there is a god up there...

Scotland week

2012-01-31T17:15:00.000-08:00

I saw the very talented and very funny Gary Middleton perform in the close-up room. Loved his rope trick routine. Also saw Paul Vigil perform his flawless card and coin magic in the late night close-up venue. Cerebral and art-like magic...Dave Forrest did a wonderful magic illustion with a painting which predicted the future from a dream in the parlour. Pop Haydn and Scott Land performed in the palace. Haydn is soooo funny and Scotts puppet work is extremely entertaining. You may know his work from the movie, "Team America". Also performing magic in the palace was the comedy duo Fifth Dimension .

Integrity

2012-01-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

So far, I am doing what I said I was going to do based on my new years resolution. The Chinese New Year of The Dragon, (which happens to be the year I was born) started January 23rd, 2012. As a result, I am restating my goals again for this year based on another new years beginning.

1. Health; I am working out three days a week or more and have lost 6 pounds so far.

2. Wealth; I am paying off my credit card; THANK GOD!

3. Magic; I am practicing new magic everyday without fail...

I realize that when I do what I said I was going to do and don't make any excuses, I feel a lot better about my life. This blog is really about keeping me in check so that I don't slack off, but if it also inspires others to have integrity, then that too makes me happy for them.

Kickboxing and Magic

2012-01-24T18:25:00.000-08:00

I just finished teaching Lou Serrano kickboxing in exchange for magic lessons. I learned so much from him tonight. Basically we went over card and coin magic. I'm tightening up the sleights on a coin routine, the matrix which is a card and coin routine and his version of a card trick called "Everywhere and Nowhere". On the kickboxing side we warmed up; went over basic boxing drills, then I held the focus mitts while he did various boxing combination's. We ended with big bag combos...

Comedy in magic

2012-01-18T20:22:00.000-08:00

Last night I took the beautiful Robyn to the Magic castle. I enjoyed the comedy more than the magic. Hmmm, okay, the magic was way cool too. J. Neal did and excellent job of making us all laugh and impress everyone with his slight of hand. Fielding West was hysterically funny in the Palace, but again his magic was very impressive too...

Magic Bar...

2012-01-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

I took my friend Tatiana and her sister to the Magic Castle last night. David Gabay performed excellent card and coin magic at the bar! http://www.gabbaymagic.com/

Magic Castle renovated

2012-01-14T02:45:00.000-08:00

The new close-up room is in a word, "Awesome"! I had a great time hanging out with Lou, Tad, Zach, Fred and too many others to mention.

Close-up Magic

2012-01-13T01:03:00.000-08:00

I just saw my buddy, Lou Serrano perform at the magic castle and as always he was phenomenal! I also saw Rich Marotta and he too did an awesome job. I studied in the library for magicians and enjoyed David Roths coin magic for most of the early night... I look forward to seeing the entire Castle renovated on Friday the 13th:)

House of Pancakes

2012-01-12T03:11:00.000-08:00

Just got back from having breakfast- dinner with my buddy Lou Serrano after his performance at the Magic Castle. He was amazing as always. He made sure I was sober enough to drive home by taking me to IHOP after his show. Now that is a friend! I love him for that. Dana Daniels in the Pellar room was funny and the Palace show with Jonathan Pendragon and the Adams family hand guy, Christopher Hart was way cool. Gotta sleep now... I'll be there again tomorrow night to study magic in the library...

Entertainment

2012-01-08T23:34:00.000-08:00

Tonight at the Magic Castle, I saw John Shryock and Mari Lynn perform in the palace theater. The illusions were amazing! I enjoyed seeing Shryock levitate his wife and then make her disappear in mid-air! Eric Buss was very funny.Veteran magician Mark Matsumoto performed sneaky sleight of hand close-up in the Peller room. In the parlour, Ben Seidman, who writes for Criss Angels TV show, was very talented and witty. His pick-pocketing is truly masterful and magical.

Coin Magic

2012-01-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

I am practicing coin magic from many sources; Alex Geiser's Prodigy routine, David Roth's coin concealments, Bobo's vanishes, Shanky's DVD and many of the techniques that Lou Serrano taught me along with Armando Lucero's way of approaching magic...

kickboxing lessons for magic lessons

2012-01-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

I taught my buddy Lou Serrano kickboxing today in exchange for magic lessons. I learned his chop cup and ball routine. Although I like his, I am going to create my own by combining other routines and adding my own personal touch. Lou suggested that would be the better way to approach magic, and I agree. The Magic castle library will be my main source...

Dinner with close friend Armando Lucero

2012-01-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

Last night I had dinner with Armando Lucero. We spoke for hours about magic. Methods, definitions of magic, psychology and the philosophy. It was a perfect way to start the new year. After dinner, we went to a coffee shop. When the coffee shop closed, we went to a twenty four hour open restaurant til about three in the morning. I learned a lot and I am truly grateful for knowing Armando...

Three Resolutions

2011-12-31T21:30:00.000-08:00

Three Resolutions. I was thinking about what I need to resolve in my life. I have come to the conclusion that this is the best time to make a commitment to complete what I have resolved in the past once again.(1) In the past, I have been in excellent physical shape. As we all know, without our health nothing can be done; diet, exercise and sleep must be consistent. (2) In the past I have been completely out of debt. I plan to pay off my credit card before the end of 2012. It shall be done. (3) Lastly, I have never really taken my ability to perform magic to the level that I would like to see accomplished. I will be obsessed with being the very best close-up magician I can be for the entire year of 2012. So 2012 is all about, Health, Wealth and Magic...

Magical Night

2011-12-30T22:16:00.000-08:00

I just saw some amazing magic performed at the Magic Castle. My first mentor ( when I was 19 years old) Armando Lucero did card and coin magic that simply boggles the mind. In the Palace Mickey O'Connor performed a number of juggling routines that deserve a tremendous amount of respect. Although he uses a lot of comedy, he is by far a professional and I couldn't help but to think of how he is irreplaceable. The last act I saw was Mike Douglas who performed a great act with live animals. I had a great time tonight. I am on my way to Lou Serannos house to watch The UFC.

Magic Castle

2011-12-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

I took a date, Robyn, to the Magic Castle last night. We saw John Carney in the close-up room. The close-up room is in the Peller theater for the time being due to the fire. I was inspired by Arthur Trace ; his levitation magic was both original and entertaining. The illusions of Dimmare in the Palace were very impressive as always and Dan Birch, who creates illusions for David Copperfield was also very impressive to watch. We had a great time. My drink of choice as always was a dirty martini with gin...

Christmas castle

2011-12-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

I went to the Magic castle last night with my friend Tatiana and her sister. We celebrated her 21st birthday. I saw Simon Coronel . I loved his slight of hand. He performed in the close up room. Then we saw Alfonso in the Parlor. His slight of hand was also very impressive. These two men inspire me to do well as a magician. Tatiana, her sister and I, had a great time.

One problem

2011-11-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

At this point in time, I only have one problem. "How can I become a better magician?"; now that is the kind of problem I welcome...

Dinner with my buddy Lou Serrano

2011-11-21T23:05:00.000-08:00

My buddy Lou Serrano invited me to dinner tonight. We talked about magic and life. Good times; glad we caught up. His magic show at Ramseys went extremely well. As for me, I focused on being the best close-up magician that I can possibly be...

Everywhere I go...

2011-11-19T20:52:00.000-08:00

Today, a friend of mine made a comment about me having a deck of card's with me. I was ready to do a magic trick, once again. I carry a deck of cards and at least three coins, everywhere I go.

Almost finished magic office

2011-11-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

Almost finished organizing all my magic stuff in my office. All I have left is one folder and I refuse to look at it tonight. I know what I want to master with magic. I have all the business aspects in order. My Lou Serrano book, "The Real Secrets", is on top ready to read again and now that my hand is better, I will go full speed ahead with my goal of becoming a full time professional magician. And that goal start's...........ready,.......set,..............now!

Disneyland

2011-11-17T14:00:00.001-08:00

Disneyland tonight...A friend won tickets on the radio...Me, in front of the Haunted Mansion...

Dead drive

2011-11-15T22:59:00.000-08:00

Drove all the way to the Magic Castle only to find out they are closed on Monday and Tuesday night due to the fire...

organization and consistency

2011-11-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

Organizing all my magic stuff; no easy task...100 push-ups...I've lost 4 pnds so far by not eating after 6pm and not eating fast food...Practiced card, coin magic and made balloon animals...

Getting back in shape

2011-11-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

Halloween time is always the time I gain weight with all the parties, candy and food... This year proved no different. I have started a new workout system that will get me back in shape; lunges with weights, push-ups, sit-ups, no eating after 6pm.and definitely no fast or fried food for a month. I can't run due to a 9mm that was removed from my leg a few months ago this year, but I refuse to be out of shape. No one likes to look at a fat magician, at least I know I don't...By December 12th, 2012, I will be cut-up and in awesome shape...

cards and coins

2011-11-12T14:42:00.001-08:00

Excellent day for cards and coins, all day long I practice control...

Balloon animals

2011-11-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Making balloon animals and practicing card tricks on my day off of work. Yes, that's what magicians do:)

practice, practice, patience...

2011-11-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

Today, I did a few card tricks at work where I am a manager. My injured arm and hand is much better now, so I practice coin and card magic everyday. I was asked by a fellow artist tonight (Kat) how I was doing. I am doing extremely well. As long as I have my health, I can finally do again what I truly love to do; Art and Magic:)))

Halloween

2011-11-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, a fire occurred at the magic castle on October 31st, 2011. Luckily no one was injured as it happened in the afternoon. Founder Milt Larsen assured all members that the castle will be renovated. I went last week and parts of this historical monument were even closed to magicians such as myself...In the picture, Lou Serrano on the left and me, Matt Salinas to the right standing in front of the Magic Castle....