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!!!
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