Jason Michaels and Ken Hartley
I was able to reconnect with some good friends like Joe Turner and Duane Laflin and also meet some people in person that I only knew via Facebook like John Pyka and Jason Michaels. Jason is a talented illusionist who is consulting with me on my new show. Jason has worked with some major illusionists (like the Pendragons and Brett Daniels) and in addition to being very talented, he’s also a believer! Jason will be working closely with me as I plan and implement the show in October. I also made some new friends while I was there. I met Harry Anderson (of “Night Court” fame) and enjoyed getting to know several other people, too.
Megan, Shawn, and Ken
One of the pleasant surprises for me was seeing Shawn Farquhar again. He was at the last convention I attended and I remembered how good he was then. He’s (as you would expect) even better now. I was able to spend some time talking with him about magic philosophies and he was so gracious to help me in constructing my show (and DEstructing some other areas that needed it!). I’m hoping to work with him some more. What a tremendous guy! If any of you reading this aren’t familiar with Shawn, go to You Tube and search his name with the phrase “Shape of My Heart.” You will see true magical poetry. It’s a phenomenal tribute to magical excellence.
Another great part of this trip was the “afterglow” time at Steve’s house. You’ve heard the phrase “He who dies with the most toys wins”? Although I obviously disagree with the theology of this statement, let me just say this: In any realm where this statement is true, you might as well give up… Steve wins. Oh my gosh!! This guy’s basement (which was larger than most people’s houses) was nothing short of INCREDIBLE! It was a vertible history of dime store entertainment. My particular favorite was the violin/player piano combination that played “Stars and Stripes Forever.” This fully restored (by Steve) machine was amazing. So was the $40,000 antique (110 years old) pool table.
As a group we went to see Terry Evanswood’s show. I would recommend this show in Pigeon Forge as a great, family-friendly, excellent magic show. It’s definitely worth your time and money to see (if you like magic and like to see it done well).
Megan and Ken with the Pendragons
I was actually going to the conference to see Jonathan and Charlotte Pendragon. They are two of the most amazing illusionists I’ve ever seen. Their commitment to excellence in all they do is a great source of inspiration to me and hundred’s of other magicians. They literally coined the phrase, “Physical Grand Illusion.” They instructed us on two of their major illusions that we are purchasing from them.
Altogether, it was a great trip and a great conference. Kudos to Tom Vorjorhan and all the others who worked hard to make this a reality. It was well worth my time and has changed my mind on magic conventions as a whole.
