talkmagic.co.uk

BBC Radio 4 Sat 15th Oct 10:30 Trouble in the Magic Circle

The Magic Circle celebrates its centenary this year. Membership of the world's premier club for conjurors is highly sought after, but in recent years the Magic Circle has been grappling with the problem of those members whom it accuses of breaking the first rule of the society - do not give away the secrets.

Jeremy Vine, himself an amateur magician, investigates why the Magic Circle has been expelling some of the best magic talent in the business, and asks whether it is ever acceptable to spill the beans.


Could be Interesting listening?

Special-K

Most interesting. Have made a computer diary note, set the phone reminder function to give me a kick 10 mins before time and tied a knot in my hanky as well - cheers!

PS The timing is AM rather than PM and you can listen on line at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/schedule/2005/10/10/day/ .

Will it be archived automatically by the beeb?

Or can some kind soul record...

No indication on the website but there are plenty of recent programmes there to dip into so there's a slight chance it will be available for a while. I'd suggest asking the Beeb but they don't often reply to those sort of requests. At least, they don't reply to mine!

It will be available on the Beeb archive for a week apparently,

V

Fabulous I can listen whilst having my saturday fry up.

Dean

Interesting show, anybody else catch it? Me thinks Jeremy Vine was attempting something from MW's Complete Course in Magic with Alan Shaxon...hilarious. Demystified the MC somewhat as well, wonder how people will view it now, especially after John's 'plumbers and grandads' comment. Still, entertaining thirty minutes of radio, and I do agree that these rules about secrets can get a bit ridiculous. Personally I think that if you create a piece of magic you should be entitled to give it away, especially in the case of the French magi and the tinfoil coins; if no-one is actually using it then where's the harm? Still, rules is rules I guess. I didn't like his encouraging for people to go away and try and find out the secrets to the Linking Rings on the internet though .

Just my thoughts.

Trouble at the Magic Circle BBC Document http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4341094.stm

An excellent programme. I make no secret that I like John Lenahan a lot - his brand of comedy magic is frantic and very entertaining. Despite being expelled, John doesn't bad mouth the MC but will, if asked, indicate the anomalies such as those highlighted in the programme. As he rightly points out, they deliberately made up the cheesey tricks so they could reveal them on the Beeb show and then move on to the 'proper' effect which was never explained. If such sucker tricks are exposure then a lot more folks could expect to be out of the MC - Paul Daniels does a great Max Mallini act where such tricks are used, anyone who does the torn and restored cigarette papers sucker style would similarly be expected to leave the MC. There’s also that lovely Michael Ammar silk to egg routine recently performed on TV by Pete Firman and Ali Cooke, a true sucker routine as the ‘fake’ egg assumed to be containing the silk is cracked into a glass thus proving that the egg is real. I doubt the programme will really have much effect on the MC but it might just prod a few consciences somewhere.

Hi thanks for posting this. An excellent programme. Well, worth listening to if you haven't done so all ready. Very interesting on the magic circle stand on stealing other people's ideas and then selling them on. Seems like they take this a lot less seriously then they should in terms of what they do to their members when they are found doing this.

Once again thanks for posting this I found it very intresting.

Paul

What a great programme.

This was the first time that I've heard anyone comment on the sad and sorry Devant tale in any way with any authority and was well worth the listen. Thanks for posting the details,

Vic

vic_vdb wrote:This was the first time that I've heard anyone comment on the sad and sorry Devant tale in any way with any authority and was well worth the listen.Vic

You probably already know this vic_vdb, so for anyone who doesn't Jim Steinmeyer goes in to a bit more detail on Devant's story in his brilliant book 'Hiding the Elephant'.

Excellent book - good recommendation.

I thought the question of copying was interesting in the broadcast, especially as the example given spoke of multiple tricks being copied (and how new was one of them with the rivet and yet it was copied???).

This is a bigger problem (in my humble opinion) than any disclosure will ever be. After all, if those who design the tricks don't get their due reward how on earth will the hobby continue? The fact that the MC don't seem to be actively dealing with this problem was very worrying.

Vic