2013 has been a great year!  I’ve performed for many old clients and made many new ones.  The same goes with friends… hung out with many familiar faces and made lots of new friends.

In 2013 I focused hard on releasing my fourth book Bamboozlers Three.  This series is a labor of love that laypersons and magicians enjoy. 2013 saw the reprint of volumes one and two. Plus Bamboozlers has become very popular as columns in VANISH and GAMES magazine.  MAGIC magazine did a spread on Bamboozlers as well. The Magic Castle now stocks them in their gift shop.  Last, but not least, my buddy Brian Brushwood had me co-star with him on his popular show SCAM SCHOOL to feature many of the effects from my series.  For those that are curious I am slowly writing volume four.

I’ve done lots of shows this year.  In December alone I did twenty gigs, even with all of the ice that hit the Dallas area.  Some of the highlights were performing for Texas Rangers Adrian Beltre’s party and then later for Lance Berkman’s family in a suite at the ballpark.  Both players were very cool, down to Earth people, who had childlike hearts who loved magic. Another highlight was returning to California to see friends and play the Magic Castle in Hollywood for the sixth time since 1999.  I was one of the headliners at the IBM Convention in Phoenix, the Midwest Magic Jubilee in St. Louis and the IBM convention in Buxton, England.

In September of 2013 I attended the TAOM in Dallas where I had a ball and then left for a month long tour across the United Kingdom.  I did 23 gigs in 28 days.  Practically every day I was in a different city.  I always love returning to the UK to see family and friends.

Once home I began doing restaurant magic again tableside at Boston’s in McKinney on Wednesday and Friday nights.  I really missed it.  When I don’t have a private gig those nights it’s nice to know I have a place where I can showcase things I’m working on and get real feedback.  Plus, it’s great to have a place where people can come and see me again.  I’ve reconnected with people there that I haven’t seen in years!

In late 2013 I launched a Facebook fan page .  LIKE the page for updates on my gigs and product releases and magic related stories.  Plus, I’ve launched my new slick website that you are on now! Any feedback would be appreciated.  One of my pointers is yougooglingtwitface.com .

On a personal note my wife and I celebrated 25 years being together and 21 married; we dated for four years before pulling the trigger.  I celebrated my 43rd birthday.  My wife is 29 again.  We remodeled our kitchen again in our home of 12 years.  Our iguana Indy had a surgery and did well and now has a bigger living environment.  My nephew Lane graduated from High School and my two sisters are engaged.

To celebrate all of our accomplishments for 2013 my wife and I decided to have party recently.  Before the party we had all of our kitchen cabinets stained and they were finished the night before the party.  After a mad cleaning and putting the kitchen back together we were ready for the party that started at noon the next day.  The party lasted twelve hours.  We had a margarita machine, tons of food, games, a monkey, my friend Burton Gilliam of Blazing Saddles fame, plus about 60 other guests who came and went.  I enjoyed visiting with each and everyone but I always wish I had more time with each of them.

I’m looking forward to all that 2014 has to offer.  Seen above is promo pic to a party I’ll be working in February with Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc, Coolio and more!  Check it out at www.epicpartydallas.com. I’ve got more US tours lined up, fun gigs booked, more projects and releases, more adventures, etc.  I’m booking gigs for 2015 already! 🙂

This month I received the reprint of my book Bamboozlers Two.  These books continue to do well and I receive many compliments on them from around the world.  Volume Three was released in June and I am slowly writing Volume Four.

I’m having a blast at my new gig Boston’s in McKinney.  See the show times in my blog for October. Magicians are already trying to steal this gig like the one that was stolen from me last year.  I love magicians for the most part but there are a select few out there with no scruples.  Anyways, if you are a non-magician who likes to see magic up close then I hope you’ll come out and see me and support Boston’s.  The atmosphere is great and the food is amazing.  My favorites are the double-meat pizza and the spinach and artichoke dip.

I worked for many regular clients this month, had some radio spots, played in some Texas Hold’em tournaments, and hung out with my friends the Trippis a few nights.  Next week I have four gigs two of which are at the Dallas Market Center.  We have a “thankful for friends” celebration dinner planned, a Thanksgiving packed with family and food, and lots more shows before the month’s end.

One highlight this month was going on my friend’s Jared Guynes pinball tour.  Jared, who helped build my new website, rented a limo and 13 of us joined him to hit three of the largest private pinball-arcade collections around town.  Each collection surpassed the other and it was a fun-filled day with lots of new friends.  The limo was packed but we had lots of laughs and a great lunch at Quaker Steak & Lube.  Yes, it’s a real place, and better than I imagined.  One of the home’s had my favorite arcade game called Omega Race.  It was a day full of good memories that made me feel like a teenager again.  I did lots of magic for those in attendance and booked a party out of it.  Thanks again Jared!  I’m looking forward to your Ninja Turtle / Vanilla Ice party in February of 2014. To buy tickets to this once in a lifetime event go to www.epicpartydallas.com.

My wife and I arrived back home from London the evening of Friday Oct. 4th.  The following Saturday afternoon I drove onto Austin, TX to entertain some long time friends on a party boat.  It was a wonderful experience, an appreciative audience, and a fun-filled night on the beautiful Lake Travis.

The following Monday I had a private party at the Sheraton in Dallas. That Wednesday night October 9th  I began my new gig at Boston’s Gourmet Pizza in McKinney.  It’s practically in Allen or Frisco right off of Hwy. 121.  They offer much more than pizza and their menu can be seen here. I’m there Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30pm (when kids eat free) and Fridays from 7-9pm.  It’s a great gig close to home and I hope all of my local fans will come out to see me!

I helped my mother and my sister Jodi celebrate each of their birthdays.  I performed loads of private parties this month across the metroplex from birthdays to block parties to company functions.  One gig took me to Midlothian where I have family; we had dinner at a fancy burger joint and they witnessed me “do my thang” later that night.

I did a few Halloween parties but the best was at a country club in Fort Worth where they went all out for the families with decorations and fun activities.  I always love this time of year.

My buddy Doc Eason came by for a visit and actually accompanied me to one of my gig’s at the Gaylord Texan Resort. I did a private function for the Indian Choctaw Nation.  Our iguana Indy had a little surgery but got a bigger living environment to stretch his legs. His new home has heated pads, misters on timers, etc.

Plus I got a great review in the Linking Ring magazine for my new book Bamboozlers Three.

The month began by attending the Texas Association of Magicians convention in Dallas.  It was fun not working and just hanging out with like-minded friends.  In attendance were such famous magicians as Allen Okawa (who makes beautiful products), Shin Lim (a new up and coming manipulator), Bruce Walmstad (who put on an excellent lecture exposing fraudulent carny games), Chip Romero– my friend (who gave a talk on Doug Henning that was worth the price of the convention), David Stone (one of the most talented guys in magic today), Fielding West– seen in pic (a famous comedy magician from Vegas who put on an awesome lecture), David Magee– my friend (who performed and gave a talk along with Burton Gilliam, Johnny Thompson and Daniel Baldwin), Harry Anderson (the comedy magician best known from Cheers and Night Court), and finally Rob Zabrecky who stole the evening show with his oddball personality.

Of course there were hundreds of other magicians in attendance and I had fun visiting with as many of them as I could. Attending this convention always recharges my battery. I always spend too much money but who doesn’t love toys.  I arrived home Sept. 1st and left again on Sept. 3rd to fly to London to begin my month long tour of the UK. I arrived in London on Sept. 4th and rented a car and drove to Liverpool the same day to stay with my pal Richie Smith.  Richie is a great guy and he and his wife Chris always make me feel at home there.

All in all I did twenty lectures and three shows.  I drove over 3000 miles across the UK.  I considered it another success.  Going to England now feels like going home.  I did take lots of pictures that can be found on my Facebook page.

This month I’ve been playing catch-up with some projects and preparing for more conventions.  I flew to St. Louis and worked the Midwest Magic Jubilee.  I hadn’t worked or attended the Jubilee since 2002.    I did a lecture, some close-up shows, and did some stand-up comedy magic on the stage.  I worked the stage with Oscar Munoz, Michael Dardant, Lee Alex and Sonny Fontanna.  I performed the close-up shows with John Shyrock, Oscar Munoz, Michael Dardant, and Boris Wild.  It was great fun hanging out with the guys until the wee hours!

Here at home I got together with my buddy Craig.  One night my wife and I took my parents out to celebrate my step-father’s birthday. My best friend Tony has been helping me with projects and we went to a cool car show near our homes.  I had a poker night with the guys one night.  We took our friends the Baileys out for dinner at our favorite sushi place called Kotta in Frisco.  Plus I’ve been working with someone on a new website design.  I thought it would be done by now but these things always take longer then they should.

My bags are packed for my big tour of the UK that starts soon.  Before I leave though I am attending the Texas Association of Magicians convention held here in Dallas this Labor Day weekend.  The line-up looks great and I can’t wait to see my friends.  Also, check out the latest episode of Scam School I’m in below.

First off Bamboozlers Three is doing great.  I think it is because I’ve worked so hard to promote it and to create a fun high-quality product.  People seem to love this series of books.  Every week I ship orders around the world.

This month some of my BAMBOOZLERS appeared in the latest edition of GAMES, MAGIC, and VANISH magazines.  I began the month by driving to California making my first stop in Abilene to stay with my friend Jay Zugai.  Jay is an amazing carpenter with a huge love of magic.  I had fun hanging out with him, Greg Onken and Lonnie Chevrie.  I made a pit stop in Tucson, AZ the next day and then went onto Hollywood to stay with my friend Lou Serrano.  I attended the Castle that night and watched Lou and many others perform.

The following Monday thru Sunday (July 8-14th) I worked the Parlour of Prestidigitation at the Magic Castle doing three shows a night.  The first night, my good friend from Texas, Ward Mathews, flew out to see me and we had a nice dinner, saw some shows and he watched me earn my keep. The feedback was great and it was awesome to work the same week as Michael Carbonaro, Eric Buss, Tony Clark, David Regal, Gregory Wilson, Dan McKinnon, and others. This was my sixth time working the Castle since 1999.

One night I entertained the lovely Scarlett Johansson and spoke to her after the show.  I actually own her music CD and told here so.  She is known for her acting and good looks but she also has a beautiful and unique singing voice. Here’s a video of Pete Yorn and her song Relator.

The other good news is that The Magic Castle is now stocking all three of my Bamboozlers books in their gift shop.  That is definitely a nice feather in my cap.

That same week my good friend, Jeff Davis, hung out with me many nights at the Castle and I stayed in their home one night.  That following Monday he surprised his wife Susan with a party to celebrate her cancer being in remission for five years. That same night I attended the Castle as a guest and enjoyed many great shows.  One was the main show which featured the always funny and entertaining Chipper Lowell.

From CA I went onto Phoenix, AZ to work the International Brotherhood of Magicians convention from July 16-20th.  I worked that week with some of the biggest names in magic like Michael Finney, Andre Kole, Shawn Farquhar, Oscar Munoz, Jade, Jeff McBride and the list goes on and on.  I did three lectures and nine close-up shows.  I did the shows with Curtis Kam, Tony Chris, Eugene Burger, Peter Samelson and Michael Dardant (seen of the right). During one show Lance Burton gave me two thumbs up as I left the room.  That convention was a whirlwind of fun.  I made many new friends, played a good joke on my friend Michael Dardant, did a a TV spot for a local station (seen below), made some new contacts, scared the bejeesus out of Fielding West, etc.  I was most impressed with Todd Robbins, a carny performer based in NY.  I hope to one day experience his one-man show called Play Dead.  While in Phoenix I was asked to appear on a Morning News show to help promote the convention in town.  See some footage below of my performances.

After that I made it back home as quick as I could to play catch-up.  All in all I drove 3000 miles. Scam School aired another episode which features moi; see the video below. My wife and I had the house repainted.  I revised and sent off Bamboozlers Two to be reprinted since it is practically out of stock.  Now I am preparing for a convention in St. Louis, the TAOM in Dallas, and my big tour this coming September.  There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

This has been a hectic couple of months, but in a good way.  I counted 41 gigs for these two months.  I did more graduation parties than ever before.  I really enjoy entertaining these young adults.

Another gig took me to the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington where Lance Berkman hired me to entertain his family in a private suite.  That was a nice way to see the game while he played.  Afterwards I hung out with he and his family on the field to watch the fireworks show.  That was only my second time visiting the ballpark.

I also returned to Austin to shoot more episodes of Scam School with my pal Brian Brushwood.  Look for about 2 or 3 episodes including yours truly over the next couple of months.  Here’s one of them:

A few parties I did recently were for close friends (Joe & Mendy Hargrave, Brian & Casey Keller, Tony & Amanda Trippi) which made them extra special to me.  Plus my wife and I celebrated 21 years married and 25 together this May.  We had a nice dinner out and I surprised her with a trip to England.

One gig took me to client’s home to entertain her father who is newly deaf.  He was a great guy and very appreciative. He was a tough spectator to fool because he never took his eyes off of my hands.  Words were useless to misdirect him.

I attended the 40th anniversary of the movie Blazing Saddles and watched it on the big screen for the first time.  My friend Burton Gilliam, who stars in the show, spoke afterwards and told some great stories. 

My friends the Fleischers, from California, stayed with us one night.  I’ll see them next month when I play the Magic Castle for the sixth time. 

I’ve also taken on a couple of new students.  It’s a privilege to pass on my knowledge to those who appreciate the art of magic.

Currently I have a guy helping me to redesign my website.  My site needs a make-over bad. 

My Bamboozlers column is running in the magic magazine titled VANISH.  Bamboozlers Three has just been released.  MAGIC magazine published a few teasers from volume three in their JULY issue that’s just out now.

I also re-released my effect titled SentiMental Postcards.  See the demo video below.

The Texas weather is crazy.  One day you need a jacket here and the next day people are wearing shorts.  One day we have the heat on the next day we are running the air conditioner.  I guess I’m used to it since I grew up in the Dallas area.  Luckily, I’ve kept busy during what is usually a slow season for me.  I’ve had lots of shows and even given some magic lessons. I’ve performed all over DFW the past couple of months.  I’ve been to places like Longview, the Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas, etc.  Plus, I’ve been working regularly with belly dancers.  No joke!

One weekend I hosted the young magician’s of Dallas club meeting in my home.  I think it is important to pay it forward and to pass on our knowledge to young enthusiasts.  It was a small but fun gathering.  I think they all liked my puzzles as much as the magic they witnessed and learned.  If you are a young amateur wizard who would like to learn more about the art, then contact the Dallas Young’s Magicians Club.

My main focus has been on my fourth book Bamboozlers Three.  The book is written and the illustrations were just completed.  Once my artist and friend, Ben Vincent, scans and emails me his drawings I blow them up to 300% and doctor each image to make them just the way I’d like.  With over 100 illustrations that means lots of man hours in front of the computer.

I’ve purchased a Mac and have begun learning a lay out program to format my book.  I hope to have the book ready for the printer by the end of March.  This means that if all goes smoothly that the finished product should be in my hands come June.

One week in February I was the guest, or V.I.P., at a popular magic forum called The Magic Cafe.  It was a nice honor.  That week fans and friends posed questions about my career and my products.  To read those questions and my replies click here.

Recently I was booked to work the International Brotherhood of Magicians convention in Phoenix, AZ this summer.  This is another great honor.  A friend of mine, Shawn Farquhar, who is the talent coordinator and a very accomplished magician, asked that I create a short teaser video to get people excited about my being there.  Watch the promo video to below and you’ll see why I am considered “The Nice Guy of Magic”.