Did you enjoy Blackpool 2009??

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Did you enjoy Blackpool 2009??

Postby andrew kingsbury » Feb 23rd, '09, 23:33



Hi, got back toady from Blackpool Magic convention 2009.

Had about 8 hours sleep in 3 days and my liver has gone on vacation!!

Highlights any one?

I enjoyed:

Rick Merill - sleeving at its best!!!!

The dove guy on sunday night - where did he get the duck from?????

Great to see James Randi fit and well - he is a legend!

Derek Scott - cried laughing at his comedy genius.

And of course the Ruskin! Every night is party night! got no sleep (convinced all magicians are vampires) - but already booked to go back when checkin out there this morning!!!

P.S wishing a speedy recovery to Ali Bongo after his stroke. - not the same without him there. :)

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Postby d_magic » Feb 24th, '09, 14:47

I've been going since I was a young lad and this was the best convention I've been too!

Had a wicked time everyone was friendly even Blaine!

My highlights were:

Jeff McBride - More inspirational guy ive ever met and his lecture as well as is act were spot on

Audience with Eugene Berger and McBride - Very informative and great to be in the presence on two legends!

Saturdays Show - despite Oberon getting robbed of first place! Good to see Solers head illusion aswell

Derek Scott - The worst compere ive ever seen he couldnt wait to get off the stage and didnt have much material just one piece using a Kazzoo!

Cant wait for next year!

Last edited by d_magic on Feb 24th, '09, 22:38, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby babyshanks » Feb 24th, '09, 18:12

d_magic wrote:Derek Scott - The worst compere ive ever seen he couldnt wait to get off the stage and didnt have much material just one piece using a Kazzoo!


I totally agree. I thought he was rubbish, although the kazzoo was funny towards the end. The compere the night before was very funny, although I did notice he had stolen a few jokes almost word for word from other comedians I had seen.

I didn't really enjoy the first half of Sundays show. Jeff McBride was very disappointing, but the last three were all very good. The closing act to the show was just sooo cheesy, but I still enjoyed it :)

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Postby russpie » Feb 24th, '09, 19:56

Loved Eugene Berger as Jeff McBride's glamorous assistant.
Thought Derek Scott was ok with one or two links aside.
I did notice the joke stealing talents of the compare on Sat night.
The last act on Sunday was cheesy with all the dancing but the illusions had glimpses of genius.
Etiene Pradier speaks so much sense to me.
Great weekend although having man flu didn't really help things, if anyone saw a devilishly handsome 20 something with a runny nose, it was probably me.

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Postby IanKendall » Feb 24th, '09, 20:47

I heard many conflicting opinions of Derek Scott. I think he is a true Marmite performer, but I thought he was one of the best comperes (or acts) I've seen in Blackpool for many years.

I think people misunderstood his callback to having no material - everything he did was very, very rehearsed (which could be seen if you know what to look for). His body language was fantastic, and his cigar box routine and Kazoo Blue Danube were spectacular. It was obvious that he has done those routines many times, and they were two of the best physical comedy bits I've ever seen.

The first half of the show was the best I've seen in 18 years of Blackpools. I didn't see the second half, so I can't comment on that.

Take care, Ian

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Postby Sleightech » Feb 24th, '09, 20:53

heard many conflicting opinions of Derek Scott. I think he is a true Marmite performer, but I thought he was one of the best comperes (or acts) I've seen in Blackpool for many years.

I think people misunderstood his callback to having no material - everything he did was very, very rehearsed (which could be seen if you know what to look for). His body language was fantastic, and his cigar box routine and Kazoo Blue Danube were spectacular. It was obvious that he has done those routines many times, and they were two of the best physical comedy bits I've ever seen.


I totally agree with that. I think a lot of people mistook him for not having an act, but the irony was, that was his act and a fine one. I too thought him the best compere for years. A true performer, rather than reading off a mobile phone.

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Postby Ashley Turner » Feb 27th, '09, 16:00

I thought Derek Scott ROCKED! Had me and everyone around me in stiches!!

Come on how could you not see the comedy call back of the no material!!!

Cigar box routine was amazingly good, the Kazoo well people were crying, what more can a compare do!

I run a comedy club and i see many many compares and he is one of the best!

although he is the strangest act i have ever seen!

how good was the human statue!!

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Postby Mandrake » Feb 27th, '09, 16:30

When Derek Scott first appeared I wondered what the hell were they snorting when they booked him but by the end of the show I was thoroughly enjoying his acts. He's not a great compere by any means but he certainly is a natural clown which is probably why the kazoo and cigar box juggling went so well.

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Postby Sleightech » Feb 27th, '09, 19:43

The guys character was great. Excellent audience management.

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Postby neal austin » Feb 27th, '09, 21:52

Re the compere of the last night show.

Jason wrote
I think a lot of people mistook him for not having an act


I don't think this is true. He obviously had an act, the brilliant Kazoo piece and the cigar boxes routine showed that.

The discomfort some people felt came from him not being a great compere.

I saw him at FISM doing his act and he was fantastic. As a compere he shone when doing bits of his act. That's fine if you've got enough bits to cover every link that you're required to do but leaves you somewhat exposed when you don't.

I think being a compere is a way more difficult role to fill than doing an act but friends of mine who compere all the time say the opposite. My opinion is based on knowing that I would make a rubbish compere I don't have the skill set for it. This despite being the brilliant act that I am. :D

But in the end it's a minor quibble in what was a great show. And I for one was happy to have Derek Scott as compere if it meant that I got another opportunity to see him perform that beautifully crafted and executed kazoo routine.

I had a blast at blackpool.

Neal.

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Postby d_magic » Feb 28th, '09, 13:11

Your right he is a clown for sure

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Postby OrderD29 » Feb 28th, '09, 17:24

Just to move away from Mr Scott for a moment and an opinion from me as my first time at Blackpool or any other convention for that matter.
Overall it was a fantastic event with so much to be taken away from it. The fact that I can say I have seen James Randi, Eugene Burger, Jeff McBride, Wayne Dobson, Ian Rowland, David Penn, Marc Oberon and many, many more perform live is a mind blowing thing to put into three days. The fact that many of those I got to see lecture and meet in person takes it to another level.
One of the beautiful things that I found in the lectures was that, with having the cream of the crop being there and giving them the freedom to talk about what they wished, there seemed to be a much stronger emphasis on presentaion and delivery than there was on mechanics. This is something that I've been focusing on a lot in the last 6 months or so - how to deliver magic in a way that will connect with people in an emotional way regardless of the clever mechanics that might or might not be behind it, and the fact that so many established names focussed on this and held it as a matter of importance during their lectures connected with me.
If we're talking about things we did and didn't enjoy about Blackpool then I have to bring up one thing that consistantly put my back up and that is, why, as performers, do we make the very worst audience? Please understand that I am not talking about the majority but a more vocal minority. I didn't go to one lecture, question and answer session or performance where people weren't rustling around in their bags, loudly opening newly bought items from the dealer fair, rustling around with crisp packets like they couldn't survive 30 minutes without food being shovelled into their mouth, chatting with mates showing them photos on their phone and discussing them or even taking phone calls as I noticed at the Friday mentalist show. If there is a God then for the love of him STOP IT!!! :evil:
If you're not interested in the people on the stage and the things that they're saying then that's fine. If you don't care enough to talk through it or are more interested in your new purchases then that's fine too, just move outside where you won't disturb people. To have your head shoved so far up your own a**e that you're watching events through your mouth and to imagine that it's more important for you to talk/rustle/take calls and the like than it is for people that have travelled many miles to be there to have the opportunity to sit and enjoy the lecture or performance is unforgivable. We're all performers so for people to show the same kind of discourteous behaviour that they would not want when they stood before an audience astounds me.
Rant over. I know that I've gone on about this but it's really been the only fly in the ointment for me. The organisation and the variety of different people and acts was wonderful and, when I could get to hear the wisdom that some of the giants chose to share, then that more than justified the price of the ticket. I have things with me now through being there for the three days that for £70 couldn't have been bought in a book, trick(s) or DVD. I only hope that I can make the next Blackpool convention.
Ian

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Postby Tenko » Feb 28th, '09, 22:41

Ian,

I entirely agree with you. The worst part of the weekend was inconsiderate p**ts talking in close up shows, lectures and even the Sun night gala show.

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Postby Spanky » Mar 2nd, '09, 13:09

Tenko wrote:Ian,

I entirely agree with you. The worst part of the weekend was inconsiderate p**ts talking in close up shows, lectures and even the Sun night gala show.


I agree I had two Germans sat behind me on Sunday Night, they where talking all the way through the first part of the gala show, in the end I turned around and ask them in a polite sort of way to shut up.

Apart from that bloodly great weekend. Cannot wait till next year.

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Postby Mandrake » Mar 2nd, '09, 13:13

All this is very much in keeping with the thread here not too long ago about inconsiderate people in cinemas - a very sad sign of the times.

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