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Michael's Blog
Saturday 28th March 2009
On Wednesday of this week, Michael presented an Evening of
Deception in the heart of London's West End. The show was a great success.
Michael would like to thank Judith Hunt and Steve Connelly of Biz-Unlimted
and Andy from G Casino for the outstanding support.
Also, special thanks to Heather White from The Magic of Networking for
her support in the promotion of the event.
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Monday 9th March 2009
It is with deep sadness that I have to report the death of
Ali Bongo, President of The Magic Circle. I received the news over the
weekend via Broken Wand, an internet news feed.
Ali Bongo is a name that has become so much a part of the heritage of British Magic.
I fist saw Ali Bongo on television with David Nixon and Anita Harris in the early 1970s.
In fact both David Nixon and Paul Daniels owe a huge debt to the creative talent of
Ali for their sustained careers on television.
I have the unique distinction of being presented with my triple award for
Close-up Magician of The Year by Ali Bongo in 2003.
Ali Bongo's contribution to British Magic is beyond reproach and I would like
to offer this brief blog as a tribute to a great magician and gentleman.
Mike being presented with the award for Close-up Magician of the Year
for the third time-2003.
R.I.P Ali
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Thursday 31st July
Earlier this month, I presented my new lecture for 2008 at the world
famous studio of magic run by Denny Haney, which took place in Baltimore.
My friend and mentor Darwin Ortiz introduced my lecture which was well received
and appreciated by the ensemble magicians.
Denny Haney is a wonderful host and magician whose career spans almost sixty years.
His shop is a hub for magicians in the Washington D.C area, Maryland and Baltimore.
It was great to see my old friend Howie Schwarzman
and make some new friends as well.
Michael presenting his new lecture "The Poetry of Conjuring.
Michael and Howiie.
Michael, Darwin (far left) and friends.
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Monday 16th June 2008
Tonight at The Magic Circle headquarters, I had the great pleasure
of meeting a legendary figure in the field of sleight of hand excellence,
Roy Walton. The Magic Circle celebrated 10 years since we first moved
into our new building and Roy Walton was there with his wife Jean and
her sister, Betty Davenport.
Roy Walton’s name has become synonymous with creativity and mastery
and his influence has extended way beyond his hometown of Glasgow,
where he runs The Tam Shepherd division of Davenports Magic.
It is well documented that Roy has influenced many fine magicians out
of Scotland but his reputation has extended as far as The Magic Castle
in Hollywood where he had a great admirer in the professor Dai Vernon.
Roy Walton was part of an eclectic group of magicians, which consisted
of John Derris, Jack Avis, Cy Endfield, Ted Danson, Booby Bernard and
Alex Elmsley.
This group of sorcerers would meet regularly in London during the heyday
of the1950s and would create many of the routines, which would become
classics. When Roy moved to Scotland he began producing a series of
booklets, which would have a profound influence on card magic for many
years to come.
The Complete Walton is a bound collection of all of Roy’s booklets
and no card man’s library is complete without this superb series on the shelf.
I have been a fan of Roy Walton’s card magic for many years and I was
delighted to meet him for the first time.
Michael and Roy Walton at The Magic Circle Headquarters
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Thursday 5th June
Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with former president of
The Magic Circle, David Berglas.
David had seen my television appearance on Channel Five's
Extraordinary People, featuring my relative Stephen Wiltshire.
As you may know, Stephen is world famous for his ability to
draw complex buildings from memory. This is due to the fact
that Stephen is among a handful of people in the world labelled
as an Autistic Savant.
His eidetic memory has been amplified with incredible accuracy,
to such an extent, that he has drawn beautiful panoramas of London,
Rome and New York, not to mention many beautiful works of art.
David has been a fan of Stephen since he first appeared on
the QED program “The Foolish Wise Ones”. I was able to set up a
meeting with David and Stephen and we spent an enjoyable afternoon
at Stephen’s Gallery in Pall Mall, London.
Michael, Stephen and David Berglas at The Stephen Wiltshire Gallery
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Saturday 31st May 2008
This last month has been a blast for my work.
My new Lecture "The Poetry of Conjuring" has
taken me to Vienna and St.Vincent, Italy and the
feedback has been great.
Here is Michael with the President of The Vienna
Magic Club, Magic Christian.
I have added some new products to my website, a DVD
representation of my new lecture, a new CD-ROM on the
classic effect Foursome by Harry Lorayne and by the end
of June I will have a new DVD featuring my thoughts on the
classic Cups and Balls. The Cups and Balls is a wonderful
effect and my new DVD explores my relationship with this
effect covering 25 years of study and research, leading up
to my present interpretation.
Watch the video below
All of these items plus much more can be found at
Finally, I am developing a one day workshop; if this is of interest to
you then click here to be added to the mailing list.
See you all on the road.
Mike
