18 Friday Oct 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance
Tags
performance, song, music, guitar, blues, Beverly Watkins, Back in Business
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Beverly Watkins died last week at the age of 80. I wasn’t aware of her before, but a friend told me about her. Watkins played with James Brown, Ray Charles, and B.B. King. As you can see from the clip, she was quite a blues guitar player and singer.
Thanks to YouTuber TEXANOBLUES, and Marilyn Vogt-Downey for the suggestion.
17 Thursday Oct 2019
Posted in Comedy, Life, Performance, Writing
Tags
16 Wednesday Oct 2019
Posted in Life, Performance, Theatre, Writing
Tags
Arts Express, drama, MAry Murphy, Pacifica, play, radio, theater, theatre, Three Secrets, WBAI
Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels.com
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The wonderful Mary Murphy reveals Three Secrets, a cat and mouse game, a radio play I wrote for Arts Express on the Pacifica Affiliates across the country.
Click on the triangle above to hear it as broadcast today.
15 Tuesday Oct 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance, Photography
(Click to enlarge)
85th Street
Bensonhurst
Brooklyn, New York
13 Sunday Oct 2019
Posted in Life, Photography
Tags
(Click to enlarge)
Florida Mall
Orlando, Florida
12 Saturday Oct 2019
Posted in Books, Life, Magic, Performance, Writing
Photo by Ingo Joseph on Pexels.com
I came home after four days of being away and The Horror, The Horror!
Whole shelves of my magic items were completely empty.
“Stop, thief!” I cried. “Someone’s stolen my very best magic books, DVDs and tricks.”
Just then my wife appeared. “Jack, stop having a cow. Everything’s all right. You’re having a magic contest, right?”
“Uh, yes,” I said confused.
“Well, I know how much you respect the readers of your blog, so I put the best stuff aside for your contest.”
“But, but, but…” I stuttered. “That’s my favorite…best…”
“No complaining. I’ve got your prize grab bag set up for you. And who knows there may be even more to come. Now tell everyone to enter soon, timeliness counts and the contest is ending soon. And make sure you tell them that they can find out all the details here:
https://jackshalom.net/2019/09/29/the-fifth-annual-shalom-blog-magic-contest/
Anyone can enter. See, I’ve done you a great favor.”
I nodded half giddy, as I went through the list. Bye, bye, favorite magic items, it’s been good to know ye.
The contest magic prize grab bag includes:
Books
Milo & Roger
The Vernon Touch
Blomberg Laboratories
The Collected Almanac
John Luka’s L.I.N.T
Korem Without Limits
Tricks and DVDs
Charlie Justice’s Prohibition
Sanders’ Tagged
Jon Allen’s The Vanishing
Duvivier’s Magic Vol 3
Striving’s Sight Unseen Case
Scott Alexander’s The Needles
Peter Eggink’s Phantom
with more to come!
Enter now at https://jackshalom.net/2019/09/29/the-fifth-annual-shalom-blog-magic-contest/
11 Friday Oct 2019
Posted in Life, Photography
10 Thursday Oct 2019
Posted in Life, Magic, Performance, Theatre
Tags
49 Boxes, Bill Cheung, convention, David Kovac, Duvivier, Eric jones, Gaeten Bloom, Genii, Hannibal, Hector Mancha, Jay Johnson, Jim Steinmeyer, John Archer, Jonathan Neal, Lucy Darling, magic, magicians, Michael Chaitlin, Michael Vincent, Nick Diffate, Paul Vigil, Penn & Teller, performance, Piff, Raymond Crowe, Read Chang, Richard Kaufman, Romany, Terry Ward, Tom Gagnon
I was happy last week to spend four days in Orlando, Florida, attending the 2019 Genii Convention. For a comprehensive, contemporaneous, blow-by-blow audio account, click on the triangles below.
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Day One: Intro, Tom Gagnon, Paul Vigil, Sara Crasson, Jonathan Neal
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Day Two: Michael Chaitlin, Hector Mancha, Jim Steinmeyer, Paul Vigil, Nick Diffate, Lucy Darling, Hector Mancha, Raymond Crowe, Eric Jones
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Day Three: Gaeten Bloom, Bill Cheung, Michael Vincent, Hector Mancha, Alexandra Duvivier, Terry Ward, Hannibal, Penn & Teller, Pat Hazell, Jonathan Neal, Gaeten Bloom, Read Chang, Piff the Magic Dragon
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Day Four: 49 Boxes, Eric Jones, Gaeten Bloom, Dominique and Alexandra Duvivier, Nick Diffate, Lucy Darling, Romany, David Kovac, Jay Johnson, John Archer, Summing up
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09 Wednesday Oct 2019
Tags
Cobras vs. Panthers, comedy, musical, musical theater, parody, performance, Saturday Night Live, sketch, SNL, songwriting, West Side Story, Will Ferrell, writing
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A delicious parody of West Side Story with Will Ferrell and his SNL compatriots.
Thanks to YouTuber
08 Tuesday Oct 2019
Posted in Life, Photography
Tags
(Click to enlarge)
Bensonhurst
Brooklyn, New York
07 Monday Oct 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance, Writing
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Maybe the best twelve minutes of this Monday: Bob Dylan’s epic “Sad-Eyed Lady of The Lowlands,” which back in the day took up an entire side of Blonde on Blonde.
More at Bob Dylan
06 Sunday Oct 2019
Posted in Comedy, Life, Photography
(Click to enlarge)
Bensonhurst
Brooklyn, New York
05 Saturday Oct 2019
Tags
chords, guitar, Leonard Cohen, music, poetry, Prince of Asturias, song, speech, writing
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Leonard Cohen tells the story of his guitar chords.
Thanks to YouTuber Allan Showalter
04 Friday Oct 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance, Writing
Tags
Edgar Allan Poe, folk, guitar, music, performance, Phil Ochs, poem, poetry, song, songwriting, The Bells
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Phil used to open all his concerts with this rousing musical adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe poem.
Thanks to YouTuber Thamali Peiris
03 Thursday Oct 2019
Posted in Life, Photography
(Click to enlarge)
15th Street
Brooklyn, New York
02 Wednesday Oct 2019
Tags
01 Tuesday Oct 2019
Tags
Arts Express, book, CIA, Edward Snowden, memoir, NSA, Permanent REcord, review, spy, WBAI
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“My name is Edward Joseph Snowden, I used to work for the government but now I work for the public. It took me nearly three decades to recognize that there was a distinction, and when I did it got me into a bit of trouble at the office.”
That’s the opening to Edward Snowden’s thrilling new memoir. You can listen here to my commentary on the book, as broadcast today on the Arts Express radio program on WBAI 99.5 FM NYC, by clicking on the triangle above.
29 Sunday Sep 2019
Posted in Books, Life, Magic, Performance, Writing
Tags
Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com
It’s a magic contest.
Yes, it’s that time of the year again, and I have to admit I never thought I’d be seeing yet another year of this. But it’s always been a lot of fun for all involved, and it gives me a chance to connect with magic fans directly.
I thought since this is now the fifth year, I’m going to repeat the theme of the very first contest. Here it is:
Explain three actions or ideas that you think were the most helpful in the improvement of your magic or mentalism. Your explanations don’t have to be profound, although profound is fine, too. But if you just want to talk about how your little pinky sticking out this way instead of that way made everything a lot better, that’s okay, too.
You don’t need to be a professional or anything like that, hobbyists are welcome to participate as well. And feel free to participate again, even if you were a past winner, as long as you were not a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place winner last year. And if you contributed to that very first contest, you’re still welcome to participate, but please don’t submit the same entry, let’s see how you’ve changed over the years.
No criteria for winning here other than what strikes me as interesting and useful. Details and specifics are key. Extra points for humor and entertainment value. It would be especially helpful if you could analyze why the actions or ideas were important to you.
And wonderful prizes, as always, will be awarded:
First prize is first choice from the grab bag of magic books and DVDs I’ve put together; second prize is second choice from the grab bag, and third prize, in a pleasingly parallel harmonic consecutive manner, is third choice from the grab bag. The items in the grab bag are all commercial books or DVDs, at least one of which, I guarantee, you will be happy to have.
And, as always, in the spirit of everyone being a winner, I’ll ask all entrants to allow me to make up a pdf file which includes their entry. This pdf will NOT BE SOLD, but will be distributed to everyone who entered.
Send your entries please to jshalom@worldshare.net
Make sure to put the word CONTEST in the subject line
Deadline Wednesday, Oct 31, 11:59 PM. In case of a tie, earlier entries get preference.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
28 Saturday Sep 2019
26 Thursday Sep 2019
Posted in Life, Photography
(Click to enlarge)
Coney Island Avenue
Brooklyn, New York
25 Wednesday Sep 2019
Tags
24 Tuesday Sep 2019
Posted in Life, Performance
Tags
Arts Express, chicken, farmers, Farming, film, Holy Chicken, interview, Jonathan Buttram, Morgan Spurlock, movie, pr, public relations, radio, Super Size Me 2, WBAI, Zack Buttram
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In 2004, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock ate an exclusive diet of McDonald’s food, morning, noon and night, for a month. He made a very successful movie about the effect it had on his body called Super Size Me. Now, 15 years later, Morgan Spurlock is trying his hand at chicken with a new movie called Super Size Me 2 –Holy Chicken.
I interviewed Morgan recently, and he discussed the chicken and public relations industries, and the effect of Big Agra on family farmers. Morgan also brought along two farmers to the interview, Jonathan and Zack Buttram, who spoke of their devastating personal experiences, and how they were caught up in a cycle of debt and and exploitation.
Click on the triangle above to hear the interview as broadcast today on the Arts Express radio show on WBAI 99.5 FM NYC.
22 Sunday Sep 2019
Posted in Life, Photography, Writing
Tags
abacus, Announcement, avocados, photography, poem, poetry, writing
(Click to enlarge)
I don’t write much poetry, but lately I’ve been reading the poems of the Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska (bathroom reading—that’s a compliment in my house) and perhaps she has inspired me.
Announcement
I’m ready to begin my life
Did you get the notice in the mail?
I’m ready to begin my life
Balloons, a cake, a sale
The leaking eyes repaired,
The crumpled mouth refurbished
The heart painted a new shade of pink
The hours lost recovered
The unfortunate pants replaced
Astro turf hair glued down
In the privacy of my home
I’m ready to begin my life
Don’t bother me with how
I’m ready to begin my life
In just a week or two from now
The Mystery of Avocados
No one has cracked it.
You crack them
In two
And greedily spoon the new terrain
Leave that pit filled
Half for later.
But what later?
The rotting grey
Mocks your prudence
Calls you out as a chump
For thinking you could postpone
Happiness
With frozen insides
Abacus
What am I feeling?
Take a look
There are only—what?—seven of the damn things.
But thoughts
As many as the sparrows
21 Saturday Sep 2019
Posted in Comedy, Life, Performance, Writing
Tags
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If Jim Gaffigan can make me laugh about something as mundane as the arrival of fall—and by golly, he sure can—then he can make me laugh about anything. He’s some kind of stand-up genius.
More at jimgaffigan
19 Thursday Sep 2019
Posted in Life, Photography
(Click to enlarge)
Shirley Chisholm State Park
Brooklyn, New York
