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Hi all!

I'll be attending the South Tyneside Magic Festival in March.

There are two masterclasses on offer - Juan Tamariz and Alain Nu.

Based on last year's experience, it will be an either/or situation, and I have to choose one or the other.

Last year's choice was easy - either Shoot Ogawa or Max Maven. And as great as Shoot is, Max wins outright.

This year, I'm not sure.

Can anyone make any recommendations?

Ta muchly,

Pete

Tamariz all the way for me...

master of misdirection and entertainment, plus surreal thinking...

Last thing I heard was that one was beforeish the convention and one afterish ... you could do both ish

It's got to be Tamariz for me too

I will go controversial here and say Tamariz... mainly because he's a personal idol, but also because a purple winged messenger told me to do it in a dream I once had about chocolate toadstools...

See my avatar for my reply

Unfortunatly I'll have to side with the masses. Tamariz for me. No question, not even a hesitation. He is not only a genius in technique and method. He is just plain old fun to watch.

However based on your opening post you may want to go the other way because our tastes probably won't mesh. I'd rather eat paint then see Max Maven.

bmat wrote:However based on your opening post you may want to go the other way because our tastes probably won't mesh. I'd rather eat paint then see Max Maven.

Blimey... Phil Goldstein would be upset to hear that.

Personally, if I were given a choice of Maven or Tamariz, I would have to start excessive drinking—because I love them both!

Seige, I believe this is the first time I've disagreed with you. No biggy as we all have our personal tastes. I can only hope Max reads this. I used to love his articles in Genii magazine...or was it Magic, I get them confused. Then I saw him perform at a magic convention, he was the big act and at first I thought it was just me, but then I looked around and saw that about half the audience had cleared out, and thought to myself, everyone is entitled to a bad night. Then I saw him perform another time and thought well perhaps I'm just really unlucky. Then I saw him lecture and well, I guess we just see things differently. That is not to say I don't respect his talent or acknowledge his contributions to the magic world. He is just not for me.

bmat wrote:Seige, I believe this is the first time I've disagreed with you. .

Hey, that's why a 'discussion' is a 'discussion'... you see, I've never seen him perform OR lecture live, but I would dearly like to.

You're shattering my illusion though

Whoops, I'm not in the business of shattering illusions {unless my performance goes way bad)

If you have not seen him live then I would recomend going if for no other reason he has a very well deserved spot in the history of magic. And of course you may like him.

I saw Max Maven lecture in South Shields last year. He also headlined one of the gala shows there, and did a midnight show for the convention delegates. I also attended a four-hour-long masterclass that he put on at the end of the festival.

I'd give him 11/10 on all counts across the board. I'm more of a fan after the festival than I was before it.

Jeb Ho wrote:Last thing I heard was that one was beforeish the convention and one afterish ... you could do both ish

Hi
Not strictly true...both Juans and Alains Masterclasses are on at the same time - Sunday afternoon.
You are getting mixed up with Alains STM Workshop which he is holding on the Thursday before the convention

See Alains letter below which will clear it all up

Regards

Martin

Dear South Tyneside International Magic Festival,

I’m excited to come to your town to lecture, perform, and just enjoy spending time with you.

I will be providing a variety of opportunities to share my collected works, philosophies and thoughts. My lecture (which will be free for convention attendees), will offer my philosophy as well as a selection of off-beat close-up and stand-up magic and mentalism ideas. I think you’ll find the material to be refreshing in many different ways. Effects will include my handlings of Card-Warp, Sealed and Healed and some close-up mentalism ideas with coins and cards. I will also cover some surprise elements and unconventional ideas for those who like more of a variety mixed in to their mystery-making.

For those of you who wish to delve deeper, I will also be offering a special workshop which will cover the finer details of mentalism performance plus some more advanced techniques for mentalism enthusiasts. Effects will include my improved work on zodiac divinations, impromptu mentalism with ordinary objects, and some intriguing over the phone effects. On top of this, I will cover my underground work on book tests, my thoughts on Any Card at Any Number as well as some interesting perceptual ideas. There will be a nominal extra charge for this workshop.

Both of these programs will regard the “graceful art” of creating mystery in today’s society; effects that focus on creating a maximum impact with a minimum of props and for whatever performing condition; concepts that will challenge your mystery-making chops on all levels, from mental to technical to philosophical to artistic. I believe everyone will get something out of coming to hear what I have to say, most of which, I hope, will be a further appreciation and respect for what it is we do.

Finally, for those of you who may have heard about, and are intrigued by my unusual metal bending techniques, I will be offering an intensive, 8-hour Systems of Transforming Metal workshop, to a very select group of individuals who are serious about their metal bending abilities. In this workshop I will reveal ALL 36 of my techniques in one sitting, and will also work with each individual's personal abilities to dramatically improve their skills using my proven principles. This very special workshop is offered only once a year, and this year will take place the day BEFORE (Thursday 13th March) the South Tyneside festival begins at a secret location in the borough.

Those of you who are interested should visit www.magicalthinking.net for more information.

Please note: there are only 12 openings.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all in March!

Regards,
Alain Nu