Nice words from nice people ….

The Society of American Magicians did a full review of the IBM/SAM convention and I am thrilled to see that Jon Racherbaumer did a review of my close up act. I am a HUGE fan of his magic and his writing and I was so pleased to that he was the one to review little ole me. There is also a review of the stage contest by Steve Marshall which is quite detailed. You can read the whole thing by CLICKING HERE.

M U M Magazine clip ...

Today’s is a short note as I am about 30 days behind on the stuff I need to do and have 23 hours in which to complete most tasks before leaving for a week at magic camp where I suspect there will be NO internet!

Time keeps on ticking … into the future.

Well it has been a bit of time since I last wrote in this blog. In that time I have been to Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Washington. I’ll try to give you a basic run down of the last month.

I left Branson after seeing every magic show in town and making friends with whole lot of super great people.

It was off to Louisville, Kentucky for the combined International Brotherhood of Magicians and Society of american Magicians convention. It was in fact the largest gathering of magicians in North America in history. I was selected to compete in both categories for the People’s Choice contest. This was my first experience in a competition that was voted on by the audience. I was to make it to the finals in only the sleight of hand contest.

The stage contest was an interesting event for me as during the performance I lost track of all the cards necessary to present my Shape of my Heart routine. I have no excuse or understanding on how this happened. I can tell you that I became extremely nervous and trembled. I am certain it had to be noticeable to many watching my eight foot hands on the projected screen! Why am I admitting this in a forum where many never saw and even fewer would find out? Well because I am quite proud that I was able to relocate all the cards necessary, put them back into order and complete the routine without anyone ever knowing I was in trouble. I hit every lyric and in the end the audience gave me a standing ovation. Regardless of the judges decision not to have me go onto the finals, I am very proud of that day.

The sleight of hand competition went very well and in fact in the preliminaries I was given a very long and loud standing ovation. The finalists were an excellent group and I was very honored to be among the six. I did my act and the response was quite amazing but in the end the in a close decision the people chose another winner, Marc Oberon. I am a fan of his magic and he is a genuinely good person and their is no shame in losing to him. I look forward to another chance to share a stage with him and his magic. I would like to thank everyone who did vote for me … I hope you still feel you voted for a winner.

I was offered many contracts at the awards ceremony and even more at the closing celebrations. I am proud to say I have been invited to perform at FFFF, the SAM National Convention, Magi-Fest, Abbots Close Up Convention, the Winter Carnival of Magic, Bristol Day of Magic, NEMCON, UGM in Japan and the Branson Magic Show Conference. ( oh plus a few others in Europe and Israel too!)

The Finalist ...

photo's by Mona Morrison

Check out the face!

Traveling home by plane was a fun experience. The plane was delayed, no big surprise there, but the humorist part was when the airline told me they had no record of my ticket. I was asked to call the issuing company of the tickets and while I did that would I mind stepping aside and letting the man behind go first. I turned to see it was Marc Oberon and I quickly replied … no worries … he always gets to go first!

I settled the ticket issue and the rest of the flight was uneventful. I have taken a few minutes to scan the internet and have found some wonderful reviews of my performances at IBM/SAM. I have also found a few not so wonderful ones too.

Here’s a sampling of both …

“The close-up finals were at 11:00. All six did a commendable job but Shawn Farquhar and Marc Oberon were clearly the best. Clift and I both voted for Oberon. All six will get some gigs out of this so they should all be very pleased.” Full review here …

“Shawn Farquhar - Canada - house favorite presented his now legendary ’signed, sealed and delivered’ card in card case effect followed by the fantastic cups & balls routine in a manner that only Shawn can present, a roller coaster from start to finish that saw another standing ovation for the performer in his trademark purple suit.” Full review here …

“Shawn Farquhar. (Canada) Great close-up. Shawn, where did you ever get the idea that a stage contest consisted of a camcorder, a widescreen, and a deck of cards?? I loved the bit, but this wasn’t a “stage” act. And, with a tight close-up like that, I really felt your hands shake. I was like, give this guy some Jiffy Pop kernels, and a Rocco routine with popcorn.” Full Review here …

When I got home I did an interview with the Magic Convention Guide. This is a great site for magician wanting to know where to get their next “magic fix”! You can read the full interview by clicking HERE.

I came home and went straight back to “fixing” the house. Lori stripped the floor in Hannah’s room and then I got the thrill of sanding it down to be refinished. I now know something else new … I don’t like sanding either! No big surprise there either huh? The floor is finished and it looks super great. I’ll let you be the judge…

Sanding Floor

Finished floor

The last few days have been interesting as I prepare for basically a month and a bit away from home. Our first stop will be as a family to the Sorcerer’s Safari Summer Magic Camp. I am so looking forward to this “break” from reality. The camp will be attended by many of my friends and this is certain to be a fun time for Hannah as she learns some magic.

After Camp it off to the Magic in the Rockies convention which is certain to be a highlight of my year. It has been raved about for years by so many of my friends. Speaking of friends I will be seeing Mike Miller next at his convention, MAES. This too will be a great event and I know it too will be a highlight.

I will also do two magic lecture in Ontario, Canada for the Toronto and Hamilton clubs. In fact the rest of the month will be lectures …

September 10, 2008 - Hamilton, Ontario
September 11, 2008 - Toronto, Ontario
September 20, 2008 - Halmstad, Sweden
September 21, 2008 - Stockholm, Sweden
September 22, 2008 - Oslo, Norway
September 23, 2008 - Bergen, Norway
September 24, 2008 - Stavanger, Norway
September 25, 2008 - Bodo, Norway
September 27, 2008 - Horsens, Denmark
September 28, 2008 - Horsens, Denmark
September 29, 2008 - Copenhagen, Denmark
September 30, 2008 - Aarhus. Denmark
October 1, 2008 - Aabenraa, Denmark
October 19, 2008 - Kelowna, BC

Well, that should pretty much bring you up to date. I am sorry I have not been writing as often but I can tell you I have taken the time to think, re-think, grow, invent, and sleep … lots of sleep…

Attitude not aptitude will determine altitude”

Branson …

Well the Hamner’s show was super fun and Jim Barber the ventriloquist was super funny. Dave and Denise Hamner were super great hosts following the show and we must have chatted for an hour. I hope we weren’t a bother as I know after a show I am usually tired and although I love to talk most folks want to rest following a show.

The next day saw us at the shows of Bart Rockett and Chase Curtis. Both were great shows. We got to spend an afternoon late in the week having Lunch with Bart and his son Kadan, who was quick to make friends with Hannah! We also hung out a whole bunch with Chase and Gabriella at Silver Dollar City theme park, Dick Clark’s Diner and the Kirby Van Burch and Justin Flom Show. Chase is a class act and he and Gabriella will go far in this industry.

I also finally got to meet Peter Gossamer who has worked for years for NCL but our paths had never crossed. He was presenting a show at the Silver City Theme park in a huge theatre that was packed! He too was a super nice guy.

Peter Gossamer ...

Kirby Van Burch and Bambi was a fun show and is definitely the largest and best produced of all the magic shows in Branson. We were happy to be invited back stage at the request of Peter Gossamer and had a chance to chat with Kirby and share a few stories.

Backstage Kirby Van Burch

Our final evening was spent at the intimate theatre of Justin Flom. This is a venue very similar in style to Warren and Annabelle’s and it works really well. Justin is full of personality and his selection of magic is just perfect for his target audience. We had a chance to say hello after the show and Hannah had a chance to take a picture with her favorite cast member, Juan the duck! Juan has a twin brother named Amal. We only have a picture of Juan but think about it … “if you have seen Juan you have seen Amal!”

Hannah and Juan the duck!

Justin Flom and the Farquhar pose!

Branson was a real eye opener. It is a wonderful place to take a family and share some fun. Everything from mini golf to major magic spectaculars can be found hidden in the hills of Missouri.

Gabriella and Hannah

In the near future they will be opening the first privately funded major airport in America. Once it opens … the future will be huge for this small little entertainment town.

Road trip …

Crawled out of bed at 7:30 AM today and we were on the road by 8 AM! Yes, you read that right! For those of you who don’t recognize the significance of this, let me explain. There is a three hour time difference between California and Kentucky, which means we got up at 4:30 AM! That’s when I usually going to bed!

The drive was just over 8 hours and Hannah discovered our Dodge Durango has a Satellite radio which offers Disney Radio … eight hours of High School Musical, Jona Brothers and Miley Cyrus. Oh my heavens.

Our trip took us from Kentucky through Indiana, onto Illinois then over to St. Louis, Missouri and on down to Branson. During the drive we discovered a new semi-fast food restaurant called Steak and Shakes that make their burgers using steak meat. The waitress, Trina, was just delightful and shared her story of trying to visit Canada once but being denied by the Canadian border guards. Turn out Trina’s car mate had a fake gun which acted as a lighter.

We arrived in Branson, Missouri at 6 PM with the time change and checked into the Grand Country Inn and are off to see the Barber/Hamner variety show. The show stars magician Dave Hamner and ventriloquist Jim Barber. I met Mr. Hamner at the PCAM convention when it was held in Page, Arizona. I will be curious to see if he remembers me.

Did I mention I don’t like flying?

So for a guy who isn’t fond of flying I sure seem to do a lot it lately. This time we were flying Continental. The new rules regarding luggage are in full swing and with a restriction of just one bag per person it is getting quite expensive for me to travel with the act. I shipped two of the cases via FedEx to Louisville as it was more economical. Sure hope they arrive!

The first flight was interesting. We had two flight attendants who were really not interested in … well anything. My favorite moments were when a passenger asked if they new which terminal we would be arriving at in Houston. Her responses was “that’s a question you should ask some who cares ..” . I know you think I’m making this up, but I swear I’m not. So I felt compelled to lighten her day.

The moment arrived. The attendant asked what I would like to drink and I proceeded to spit a mouthful of cards magically … her response … well to be truly honest there was no response … none … she just stood there waiting for my reply to her question … like she had seen thousands before me vomit cards! I gathered my composure and said … I’ll guess I’ll have a Coke. She poured the Coke handed me the glass, I said thanks and she said uhhuh … which appears to be quite common among service personnel.

Our connecting flight in Houston was from Terminal C to B and we had a whole 20 minutes to make the distance. Did I mention Bush International is really huge! If we had not been given a ride half way through our run on the concourse and the shuttle had been any fuller we would never have made the flight. We would also never have met Michelle our flight attendant.

Michelle was a breath of fresh air. Finally someone on a plane who likes her job. She treated everyone with respect and actually spoke to the passengers. We even learned about her two kids, Megan and Ben. Continental should look at people like this to teach the others that taking a little interest in their jobs can be rewarding!

I’ll be writing to Continental to express, not my disappointment in the first flight but instead my satisfaction in the second leg of my journey. A direct result of Michele and the other flight crew members. Hannah wants me to add that Michele took the time to ask the pilot if she could push a button or two once we had landed! The Captain complied and Hannah now thinks we should always fly on that plane … oh if that was the case I would probably begin to like flying again.

I guess it’s time to try a few other carriers like Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Rumor has it they understand customer service …

The best made plans …

Well PCAM 2008 is over and I am officially tired. Each year I set aside these four days to be with the people who have helped to shape my career. Most of the “old guard” have passed and those that remain are my childhood friends of magic.

PCAM Group Photo 2008

The convention was a huge success as it was lots of fun. My friend, Kevin Cardona did an outstanding job of putting things together. I was honored to be asked to book the acts and organize the ProChallenge contest. Both of these events were spectacular. Several of the acts in the gala show were even given partial standing ovations! Andrew Goldenhersh had them leaping to their feet with his finale.

The convention would never have been the success it was without my friends all agreeing to participate at what I call “you like me” rates! Once again thanks guys! Special thanks to Brian Cook, Dean Hankey and Steve Kline for making the tech side so much easier … it used to be just me!

My show was less than perfect. I was the host of the ProChallenge and the first half of the show went quite smooth. There were no delays in the set up of acts and with the new addition of interviewing acts between their sets made it interesting and smooth. After the intermission I was given some time to entertain while the ballots were tabulated.

I started with my hands and cups routine with a delightful young boy named Carson who apparently lived in the area and came to the show to see me! Turns out Carson saw my full evening show on the Norwegian Star on a cruise to Mexico. He was perfect for the routine and it rocked the crowd.

Carson the magnificent ...

Now with audience firmly in the palm of my hand I decided to present the world premiere of an illusion. Truth is this was prototype #12 of an effect I have done since 1988. With the help of a friend, Ryan Pilling, and an hour of practice I was certain this new version was going to rock the room! Basically I was going to vanish from the middle of the stage, a silk handkerchief was going to fly from my hands and across the stage and off into the wings where I would reappear! Sounds good huh? The effect was fool proof … ok maybe not fool proof. The flying of the cloth was to act as the misdirection for the vanish. The moving silk would redirect the audiences attention away from my position at center stage so they would not see the vanish … it would have worked too … well if the silk had flown anywhere! So it just sat right there in front of me and didn’t fly …anywhere … oh I disappeared and reappeared … it just wasn’t what was supposed to happen. Oh well life goes on. No it really does. In fact in the world of entertainment it was already “going on” and I had to continue on with the show. I introduced my favorite routine, Shape of my Heart and at the conclusion the crowd went wild … nice!

Shape of my heart ...

New illusion ...

Well that’s proof that the best made plans sometimes …. aren’t.

Well were packed and on the road back to Los Angeles for the evening. Then a quick couple of flights to Kentucky where I’ll make a quick trip to Branson and then prepare for the big contests …

Everything is gonna be alright …

Found out yesterday that the “thing” they cut out of my body was benign. I guess that means I’m OK. Benign is good right? I guess not having anything cut out of your body is best … but if you’re gonna have something cut out … well pray it’s benign.

I shipped off the new illusion for the competition yesterday and while on the road I had time to chat to some friends. It was great to chat and one of them was quite bummed I am sure I added a small “ray of sunshine” to their day.

My friends at Magic West have set up a new facebook group and have already posted a video or two of mine. If you haven’t heard of Magic West you should check these guys out. They really do a great job of promoting magic in Alberta.

I also found a copy of the current Harper’s on a magazine rack at Chapter’s book store. On the cover it read THE MAGIC OLYMPICS. I picked up a copy and was surprised to read it was a thirteen page article written by the competitor who followed me at FISM. Alex Stone was a super nice guy who was so nervous backstage that I could hear him vomiting in his dressing room next door. I took sometime to befriend him and tried to calm him down a bit. It was during this discussion I discovered he had never competed in any magic contest and it made me wonder how he ever got to be a contestant! Well I guess a good reporter can do anything he wants!

The article is quite interesting. Well written and although it does have some exposure of secrets I still enjoyed the bulk of the story. OK, I wasn’t so hot on him writing … “Shawn Farquhar must have performed his Ambitious Card over a thousand tines, and yet - incredibly - he blunders, flashing the load before it makes it back into the deck In an instant his dreams of first place fade.” Just for the record I didn’t “flash” any load! The damn card was already loaded and it for some reason just didn’t come out of the card case with the rest of the cards. Oh and for the record … that was the instant my dream of first place faded.

I am also not so pleased with the quote accredited to me while trying desperately to cheer on Jon Armstrong in the preliminaries. For those of you who don’t know. Jon is an outstanding card man and was basically a “shoe in” for an award as long as he didn’t screw up or go over time. During the course of his act he had some small problems that he covered without anyone knowing … but in his attempt to reinvent the trick he began to creep into the overtime area! In fact the yellow warning light was on and he was still a long way from finished. All he needed to do was end the effect quickly and he was a winner. Instead he stuck to his professional attitude and did the effect correctly and went over time and was disqualified. Alex Stone, the author of the article, wrote: ” I watch the rest of the prelims on the monitor upstairs with Shawn Farquhar and LA card mechanic Jon Armstrong… He’s (Armstrong) midway through the trick when the yellow lamp flashes a one minute warning. It’s the first time this has happened. “C’mon Jon” Farquhar says “Don’t fuck up. You said you wouldn’t!” … Isn’t that nice to be quoted cursing! My Mom would be so proud of me. Just for the record … It’s an accurate quote. I wanted him to finish, to win a prize. A contest is only as good as the competitors and winning an award because others have been disqualified is a hollow victory.

All in all though he does say a few nice things about me and I basically enjoyed the article. If you want to read more it’s available on your magazine rack right now …

“There’s no such thing as bad press, as long as they spell your name right.” - PT Barnum

Happy Birthday Canada … 141 years young!

Today is a very special day. Today the country I truly love turns 141 years young. Yes, young! In perspective England was founded by Alfred the Great the first Anglo/Saxon King to style himself “King of English” in 871 AD! Other countries however are not that old. I suspect you would think Italy was a very old country since Rome was founded in 753 BC! It might interest you to know that Italy did not become a united country until 1861 which makes it just a couple of years older than Canada!

I can say that Canada has the BEST flag in the entire world! No doubt! It has a look unlike any other country. It has great meaning and is easily recognized around the world. It took many years to design and select this gorgeous flag. You can see all the others not selected by clicking here.

In 1992, Hank Gigandet came up with the idea of modifying it to have it recognize the French fact in Canada. After failed government attempts at ratifying the Canadian constitution with the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords, Canada’s Francophone population (based predominantly in Quebec) felt a lack of recognition of its distinctness and fragility from the rest of the country.

Mr. Gigandet added inner blue stripes alongside each red stripe on the existing flag design. The size ratio of the blue to red stripe was 1 to 4, the blue representing the 25% population of French speaking Canadians. The newly created “Unity Flag” was a means of outwardly representing Canada’s linguistic duality.

The flag was first flown on Parliament Hill on October 24th, 1994, a full year before the Referendum and months before one was actually called. It was shown on the television program, “Ottawa Inside/Out” by CBC on October 30th, 1994. In 2003, the flag was renamed the “Canadian Duality Flag”. Some claim that it has the potential of becoming the next to represent Canada in the 21st century. More information on the Duality flag can be found at http://www.trcf.ca (what a crock of shit!)

Canada makes the BEST beer in the world and we have a great sense of humor!

After the success of this commercial they produced this one too …

And here’s another fun song that will tell you all about how Canada is the second largest country in the whole world … right behind Russian.

If you still need to laugh check out this funny beer commercial. Probably not a fair representation of our neighbors to the South …

Have a great day … I’m going back to painting …


“I’ve been doing a lot of abstract painting lately, extremely abstract. No brush, no paint, no canvas, I just think about it.” - Stephen Wright

Let’s Dance …

If this doesn’t make you smile …

“And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance .. I hope you dance” - Lee Ann Womack

I heard the news today … oh boy … two

John Craig Finley
FINLEY, John Craig
1940-2008

John Craig Finley, 67, of Portland, passed away on June 20, 2008, in his home at Charbonneau.

Born Aug. 17, 1940, to Craig and Thelma Finley, John grew up in Portland and graduated from Washington High School in 1958. After high school, John attended Portland State College for one year and then joined the U.S. Army. His duty stations while on active duty included Okinawa, South Korea, and the Far East, where he served as a postal clerk and a performer with an entertainment troop. He was discharged from the Army in 1963.

As part of the fourth generation of J.P. Finley and Sons Mortuary, John attended San Francisco Mortuary College and ultimately obtained his licenses as a funeral director and embalmer in 1964. It was during this time that he met his wife-to-be, Kathleen Albers. John and Kathy married in 1965 and had two sons, Michael J. Finley of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Robert J. Finley of Portland. John and Kathleen later divorced.

John’s many hobbies included cooking, entertaining for friends, tending to his garden, and memberships in numerous civic groups such as the Portland Elks, the Scottish Rite and the Portland Kiwanis. He later became an exalted ruler in B.P.O.E. #142. John’s greatest hobby and life-long love was magic. As a magician, John spent over 50 years as a showman and entertainer in both recreational and professional capacities. He earned a lifetime honorary membership in the Society of American Magicians. He also attained the status as an Associate of the Inner Magic Circle in the Magic Circle organization headquartered in London, England. John was also a member of the University Club, the Portland Executives Association, and the Rotary Club of Portland. He was often referred to as Portland’s only “Mortician Magician.”

John retired in 1996 and spent 11 years in Chandler, Ariz. He recently moved back to the Portland area.

John is survived by his sons, Michael and his wife, Jennifer, and Robert and his wife, Cynthia; two grandsons, Sean and Alec; two granddaughters, Elise and McKenna; brother, George; sister, Tara; and niece, Stella Finley Bender.

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John and I shared a common bond other than a love of magic. We were both from the Farquhar clan. Yup, Finley is part of the clan and we share the same tartan and family crest. I first discovered this when John sent me a letter on the most impressive stationery that included an embossed family crest and the words “the Royal Family of Magic”. I was dumbfounded to see my family crest on the top of the letter and read the title! I had to telephone right away to say I could not agree more! He was also the organizer of the 2000 PCAM in Portland, Oregon where I became the fifth recipient of the coveted Grand Prix du Honeur.

“The future ain’t what it used to be.” - Yogi Berra