Fredrick Turner

Reflections

Commentary

  • Subscriptions Everywhere

    The magic market is essentially a monopoly run by one major distributor, Murphy’s. The sales of magic products are run by essentially two major companies, Vanishing Inc. and Penguin Magic. Sure there’s other online retailers and a few brick and mortar stores around but they’re stuck buying from Murphy’s. There’s also a handful of independent… Continue reading

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  • Using a Medium

    In his 1964 book, Understanding Media, communication theorist, Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase: The medium is the message. McLuhan argued that the medium or the manner with which a message is communicated should be considered and studied. The medium can facilitate and enhance the message or distract from the message. This is one of the… Continue reading

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  • Mendoza on Practice

    John Mendoza passed away almost six years ago in July 2020. He was 73. He was a master of the cups and balls and released two manuscripts on his handlings. He published books and manuscripts of others including a young unknown magician, Chris Kenner. In 1979, he published Close-Up Presentation – a small hardcover book… Continue reading

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  • Please Enjoy It Now

    We tend to buy things – books, bits of magic, playing cards, Beanie Babies, Star Wars figures, comics, whatever’s -that are supposed to be “collectible”. Flotsam of our vocation and passions. Things that we must have but end up unopened, unused, and on an auction site, a flea market, a Goodwill store or in a… Continue reading

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  • Media Notes: Mickey 17

    Years ago, a friend lent us a copy of a Korean film director’s monster film, The Host. It was creative, imaginative, funny, suspenseful, and the creature was wonderful. The director was Bong Joon Ho. His film, Parasite, won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2019. Both are highly recommended. We recently rewatched The Host to… Continue reading

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  • Revisiting: Documentaries

    My recent post on upcoming documentary projects had me thinking about a few of my favorite ones. The reason that they’re favorites is not just because they are very well made but the love and respect that they show for magic is evident throughout. Our Magic (R. Paul Wilson): Whenever I feel discouraged about magic,… Continue reading

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  • Coming Soon

    Let’s begin with a syllogism: I like movies and documentaries.I like magic.Therefore, I like movies and documentaries about magic. The problem with syllogisms is that while they are logically sound; they are not necessarily accurate. In this case, I can name many films with performance magic at it’s center that I’d watch again and again… Continue reading

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