These are\u00a0The Magic Memories 216<\/em>, gone online Sunday, June 1st, 2025, at 0:07h sharp.<\/p>\n All\u00a0The Magic Memories<\/em>\u00a0from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 including the\u00a0Magic Advent Calendar<\/em>\u00a0from 2020, can be found\u00a0HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n As you are reading this, I’m on my way back from the German History Conference held in Frankfurt from May 30th to June 1st, after having attended the German Cardworkshop in Vienna \u2013 I shall report on both in The Magic Memories 217<\/em> (make a note in your calendar to check-in on SUN, 6th of July when the 217th edition of this blog will go online at 0:07h precisely!)<\/p>\n Thank you so much for all of you who sent in best wishes for my 66th birthday (May 1st)… most of those seem to come from the readers of the Agendas<\/em>, where on the 1st May \u2013 my birthdate \u2013 I always wrote something in reference to it.<\/p>\n The number sixty-six is an interesting number, and you might find a presentational idea or two by exploring it, e.g., you might start HERE<\/a>. And if you have some esoteric inclination look for info on what is also called the “Angel Number”\u00a0HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n Several sent in songs that celebrate the number sixty-six; the\u00a0most famous in German is by one Udo J\u00fcrgens (1934\u20132014), who was a famous singer in the German speaking countries, and you can listen to his inspired song HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n The reason I mention Udo J\u00fcrgens here is that I got to perform for him years ago at a wedding of a millionaire friend of him :-)\u2026 at\u00a0the Hotel Victoria Jungfrau in Interlaken<\/a>\u00a0, where for years I did three shows a year for the top managers of Novartis<\/a> (and before that Ciba-Geigy\u2026).<\/p>\n On that occasion I learned a big lesson, and you may be interested in it, because it reminds us of what Confucius once said, “The fools do not learn from their mistakes. The intelligent do learn from their mistakes. The wise learn from the mistakes of others.” May you learn from my mistake \u2013 and here is the story:<\/p>\n Together with a colleague of mine, Michael Gerhardt, I was booked to perform at the tables during the wedding dinner J\u00fcrg Marquard<\/a>. Since we were booked by independent agencies, there were no real “instructions” of who should do what at which table. Michael, who was a friend and sadly died at the young age of fifty-one in 2009, had already performed at the table Udo J\u00fcrgens sat with his entourage, but I did not know that.<\/p>\n I did feel quite a bit intimidated to perform in front of such a big star, but my first trick went very well, and after the second I had everyone’s attention. J\u00fcrgens even said at some point, “That’s very interesting what you’re doing.”<\/p>\n This was shortly before the fall, which happened when I asked a spectator to choose a card, by using a line that at that time was (and still is!) very popular in the German speaking countries among magicians, “Do you speak English? OK, then you may say ‘stop’ whenever you like as I riffle down the deck like this!”<\/p>\n This is of course funny when said in a country that does not speak English… However, it seemed that Michael had used that exact line before when he performed at that table. As soon as I had said it, a murmur went through the group, and J\u00fcrgens said, “Oh, they’re all using the same stuff.” That was it. I was dead. I cannot remember what I did, probably finished the trick and politely bid goodbye…<\/p>\n This was truly a great lesson, as it taught me to stay away from “standard” lines and try to use my own material, or at least to not use those standard lines when performing together on the bill with other performers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n So many memories\u2026 I am truly grateful to be retired from all that now\u2014I do not miss it in the slightest. But I would not have wanted to miss those times for anything. 😊<\/p>\n This event called “Les Anneaux Magiques” \u2013 “The Magic Rings” \u2013 a one-day affair turning around an invitation-only competition, was initiated exactly thirty years ago by Jean Garance and Andr\u00e9 Ciocca, both of whom I knew well and who are sorely missed, Andr\u00e9 having left us just recently.<\/p>\n I recall that I was booked to lecture in the afternoon program at one of the very first Anneaux Magiques<\/em> at the Theatre de Beaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the FISM conventions later in 1982 and 1991 would be held.<\/p>\n I cannot remember much from that “first”, but I do remember that I met for the first and only time the famous film producer, creator of magic illusions and author of the Robert-Houdin books Christian Fechner.<\/p>\n I just had a short conversation with him; it is one of my few regrets in magic that I never got to know him closer, as he was a most fascinating person. Besides, he lived in a French castle and had two chefs that cooked for him, plus a great wine cellar. I am confident that we would have gotten along very well \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n The event takes places every two years, and this year’s edition happened on Saturday, 3rd May. During that day they have three lectures, one in the morning, two in the afternoon, and a big show in the evening, at the core of which is the competition.<\/p>\n I missed two lectures because I opted to have lunch with the two new presidents of the Swiss magic club, Lorenz Sch\u00e4r and Kevin Stieger, who did not know that you get Switzerland’s arguably best Fondue in Ch\u00e2tel-St-Denis at the Caf\u00e9 Tivoli<\/a>, just a stone’s throw away from the famous Chaplin’s World<\/a> above Vevey. (Important information: If you go to the Caf\u00e9 Tivoli, you can share the Fondue, therefore you should first order “La Vacherin”, and after that the “La pr\u00e8sque moiti\u00e9-moiti\u00e9”, two different types of Fondue. Precede it by a “Planchette TIVOLI “,\u00a0finish with a “Meringue\u00a0avec double cr\u00e8me”, and take a bottle of their local white wine…\u00a0works even for two, don’t ask, just do it.)<\/p>\n As a consequence, the only lecture I got to see was Topas’, which revolved around how to find your stage persona, and various aspects of showmanship.<\/p>\n The lecture was practically the same I had already seen at FISM 2000 in Lisbon, which of course does not mean that it was outdated, since what worked for him then still works for him today.<\/p>\n As Topas was explaining the model upon which his philosophy is based, he made me think once again about a question I have often asked myself: If something works for someone, does that mean that it is true, and that it will work for everyone?<\/p>\n The answer, I speculate, is ‘no’, since those who are not even familiar with a specific model, or who do exactly the contrary of what that models says, can also be very successful. It seems that this is true for politics, economics, finances, religion, etc… so, probably for magic, too.<\/p>\n Topas’ last sentence in the lecture was a quote from antiquity “Know thyself”, which echos Vernon’s “Be yourself”, and in my opinion is exactly the contrary to creating a stage persona…<\/p>\n In the history of civilization many have attempted to create a system, a template, that would allow less talented people to model geniuses. I think that history has proven that this is just wishful thinking as this only seems to work to a very limited degree, because if it did work, we would have a better world (especially in politics a genius or two would be desirable…).<\/p>\n Anyway, Topas is an extraordinary artist with a talent that borders to the genius. (May I remind you that if you are interested in Topas’ thinking and work, you can strike it rich by getting Luis de Matos’ DVD set on him, titled Virtuoso<\/em>, and which most magic dealers still have available.)<\/p>\n The main reason most would attend this event, however, is the evening show, which consists of three parts: In the first part five contestants, which have been previously chosen (all solid, professional acts), will compete for the “Anneaux Magiques”, the real award, but also for the “Audiences Award” discerned by the totality of the spectators in the theatre. For this the spectators are given a token upon entering the theatre, which they then drop in a box with the name of the artist in the break – a simple and effective system, supervised by Swiss integrity, of course. Come to think of it, most elections are done this way, so it has to be an honest system…<\/p>\n The second part usually features a performer out of competition, who is supposed to give the jury time to deliberate the winner. This, in my opinion, is expendable and only unnecessarily lengthens the show and tires the audience. The twenty-minute break is more than enough to decide on who the winner is, as it is just one among five…<\/p>\n Still, tradition seems to win cognition, and the organizer’s choice for the “performer before the break” fell on Blake Eduardo, who was supposed to do 10 minutes; he did 20, which felt like 30.<\/p>\n The exhausted audience was then released into the break. They really needed it, because on top of the lengthy performance the theatre was really hot, and I wonder why they do not sell half of their lights and use that money to fix the air-conditioning…<\/p>\n After the break the winners where announced in a little ceremony, which regretfully did not mention in what the awards consisted, except for titles and trophies that few care for. Since these were money-awards \u2013 in my opinion the only sincere way of giving awards \u2013 they should have declared the amounts. I asked several people, but nobody seemed to know…<\/p>\n The first prize \u2013 the Anneaux Magiques \u2013 went to Nikolai Striebel<\/a> from Germany, who several of you might have seen at recent magic conventions. You can see an early version of his act HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Audience Award was discerned to Alvaro Cortes<\/a> from Spain, who had a very original, visual and magical act that could easily have won the Anneaux Magiques with a different jury.<\/p>\n I am myself an official FISM judge, although since 2006 in Stockholm I have not been asked back again, allegedly on the grounds that I am not “team-minded”… but have been a judge in recent years at several smaller conventions and will again be at the French national convention in Troyes this fall.<\/p>\n I mention this because too many opine about competitions without really ever having been on a judging panel and therefore miss information and experience.<\/p>\n Fact is, that magic, like all arts, cannot be measured like a sports discipline in numbers.<\/p>\n Although the final score is expressed in points, the way to get to those points will always be subjective. There is no system that will ever circumvent this, at least I would not know of one. Even very competent judges can have diverging views, but at least the result is less random than with incompetent ones.<\/p>\n As a consequence, every judge’s score is the result of a personal taste, besides some criteria based on knowledge and experience, making the judging process more complex than can be imagined by an outsider.<\/p>\n In the case of the present competition, both the acts of Striebel and Cortes would have qualified for first prize, but obviously the jury, who was formed of a part laypeople and a part officials of magic clubs, tended toward the silent and poetic, rather than the visual and more spectacular, an acceptable choice, although the contrary would also have been justifiable.<\/p>\n Lucky winner!<\/p>\n As the refrain goes, “I love Paris in the springtime, I love Paris in the fall…<\/a>“, I am back from five days in Paris.<\/p>\n Since Paris is my favorite city, and since I have reported about my adventures in it several times before in my The Magic Memories<\/em>, I will keep this short.<\/p>\n This time I, together with my friend Yves Carbonnier, with whom I stayed, we went to see the magic exposition curated by Georges Proust, owner of the Mus\u00e9e de la magie<\/a>, which was housed within the playing card museum<\/a> in Issy-les-Moulineaux \u2013 I have discussed this in various blogs, e.g., in The Magic Memories 171 and 174.<\/em><\/p>\n Still, I will repeat it: This museum is absolutely worth visiting, even if you are with a layperson who has no interest in cards or magic at all \u2013 any intelligent and curious person is bound to love this.<\/p>\n Best of all, in 90 minutes or less<\/em> you have gained an excel overview, and are then free to take an afternoon Ricard in one of the lovely street bistros nearby. And do not miss to have lunch before you go to the museum at “Les Colonnes” a simple but fine Brasserie that will keep you on your feet until dinner time.<\/p>\n Yet another magical discovery of this visit was a new magic place run by Mael Adler and Yann Buytendorp.<\/p>\n It is a small restaurant that is open all day, but in the evening opens its doors in the basement to a small theater that takes about forty spectators and showcases local and international artists.<\/p>\n The evening Yves and I visited, Bebel had just come back in the morning from Los Angeles, where he had received the AMA’s Close-Up Performing Fellowship (f\u00e9licitations, Bebel!), and at 9pm (French time…) gave a one-hour close-up show in front of ca. twenty spectators.<\/p>\n Now, Bebel is a true phenomenon and a character: He does almost everything against current rules, his magic being often more confusing than astounding, with repetitive sequences, but always visual and surprising. And all of this \u2013 as David Devant would have expressed it \u2026 “done with kindness”.<\/p>\n I was very pleased to witness Bebel’s success, as it confirmed my credo that in certain situations and before certain audiences you do not need an “act” to succeed \u2013 Bebel certainly did not have one on this occasion \u2013 nor do you need a scripted trick, let alone take acting classes or work with a director.<\/p>\n What really matters<\/em> is that you are an interesting person, sincerely love what you do, and do what you do really, really well, briefly: you need to be fascinating and competent, the rest takes care of itself, even\u00a0of originality, because to be authentic, lovable and competent is already more original than most of what you get today.<\/p>\n For more information on “Factorielle 52” CLICK HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n Needless to say that there was a lot more in Paris, but I will let you discover it for yourselves as you must by all means go there, for the first time, or as a repeat: it will always be an unforgettable experience. (PS: If you are into gourmet food, I would recommend lunch<\/em> at Pierre Gagnaire’s<\/a>, as it is in my opinion the best quality-price relationship in that class I have ever had in my life…). And for a smaller budget go to “La Coupole”<\/a> for oysters, tartare and crepes suzette \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n PS: I cannot fail to mention that my publisher Georges Proust, owner of the Mus\u00e9e de la magie, creator of the recently published set on Slydini and jack of all trades extraordinaire, invited Yves and myself to one of the world’s most famous restaurants run by star chef\u00a0Guy Savoy<\/a> \u2013 no comment can describe the experience, so I will simply put a souvenir photo.<\/p>\n The crowning touch to this experience was that our lunch took place on the 8th of May, a day commemorated in many parts of the world as Armistice Day. As we came out of the restaurant, we got into the midst of it!<\/p>\n Being able to perform and lecture in six languages has allowed me to work on four continents of this planet without translators (I am still missing Australia…).<\/p>\n I have thus been able to appreciate the differences \u2013 at times huge ones \u2013 that exist between cultures, and even within a country itself. These dissimilarities do not only concern the obvious, the language, but also more subtle things, such as pacing and humor \u2013 especially humor. As far as I am aware, there is very little written about this subject in the literature.<\/p>\n I have mentioned in one of my past posts, that instead of buying new books, I am currently rereading the books in my own library (planned ending is the year 2079 at age 120… in theory).<\/p>\n Recently I found the entry below in\u00a0Joe Wildon’s Magisches Magazin<\/i>\u00a0from July 1958 (!), and it shows how the sense of humor is not only different from culture to culture, but also how it dramatically changes with time within the same culture:<\/p>\n Place a deck of cards on a lady’s outstretched hand during any card trick. When you remove the deck, leave the bottom card on her hand \u2014 and you can count on her letting out a scream of horror, because suddenly there is\u2026 a mouse on the card!<\/p>\n For this trick, you’ll need a small rubber mouse. You can find one at novelty shops or even in some toy stores.<\/p>\n Next, take a deck of cards, set aside three cards, and cut an opening in the middle of the rest of the cards, large enough to hold the mouse. One of the untouched cards goes underneath the deck, and the other two are placed on top. That\u2019s all there is to it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s best to buy a dozen mice right away, because the \u201cvictim\u201d of this prank will likely fling the mouse away in fright!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nSixty-six<\/h3>\n
\n
Les Anneaux Magiques<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.robertogiobbi.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Topas.jpeg\")
Paris Magique \u2013 A Brief Travel Report<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.robertogiobbi.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_0991-300x225.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.robertogiobbi.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_2530-300x280.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.robertogiobbi.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_3707-285x300.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.robertogiobbi.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/identite-visuelle-factorielle52-211x300.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.robertogiobbi.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_3473-300x248.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.robertogiobbi.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_2525-300x173.jpg\")
Humor Is Not Timeless<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.robertogiobbi.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_2556-213x300.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.robertogiobbi.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/de546501-de6e-4e2c-bc37-2f548fd0d705-300x300.png\")