In this installment of Conversations with Close, my guest is the man who, as a writer, editor, and/or publisher, is responsible for many of the most important magic texts published in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. If you have read, studied, enjoyed, and benefitted from books like The Vernon Chronicles, The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley, Carneycopia, the Card College series (in English), The Books of Wonder, and Mnemonica (in English), you can thank Stephen Minch.

I was well aware of Stephen’s prowess as a writer when we met for the first time in 1992 at an Ibidem convention held at the Old Stone Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario; we hit it off immediately. Although our paths don’t cross that often, I always enjoy the time we spend together. He is a fascinating individual.

The reason for our interview is the soon-to-be-released book, Flamenco, featuring magic by the maestro, Juan Tamariz (see the review in the Jan 2025 Michael Close Newsletter). The book has been in the pipeline since 1995; Stephen gives us the backstory, plus fascinating reminiscences of Mickey Hades, Doug Henning, Martin Nash, Alex Elmsley, and Tommy Wonder.

I think you’ll really enjoy listening to one of the true giants in the history of magic publishing.

Gary Plants is an old friend; we met more than forty years ago at one of Joe Stevens’ early Desert Magic Seminar conventions. Gary is an extraordinary technician, a magic scholar, and an enthusiastic magic hobbyist. Occasionally, he lectures at magic conventions, and lately he has been doing more public performing. Gary is also a collector with a focus on magic photographs and private correspondence. And, as those of you who are friends with Gary on Facebook are aware, he is also an excellent photographer.

During the course of our conversation, Gary talked about his first magic convention, in West Virginia in 1977, and his first “big” convention, the SAM fiftieth anniversary convention in New York City in 1978.

I had a great time talking to Gary; I think you’ll enjoy our conversation. You can learn more about Gary and see photos from the convention Gary talked about in the December 2024 issue of the MichaelClose.com Newsletter.

Mick Ayres has had a fascinating and varied career with the Walt Disney Company, working as a magician, storyteller, and musician. Like many performers, his world was upended by the Covid pandemic. But Mick found a new stage at the thirteen Marriott Resorts scattered across Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

For years, Mick shared his expertise in act construction, scriptwriting, and character development through his column, The High Road, in M-U-M. I found these articles so insightful and practical that I felt they deserved a broader audience. That’s why I’ve been sharing them in our newsletter, and I’m thrilled to announce that Mick will also be contributing fresh insights through his The Art of Conjuring column—I’m sure you’ll find them fun and engaging.

To mark the occasion, I sat down with Mick for a conversation about his journey. We discussed his background, mentors, music, scripting, time with Disney, and his secrets for presenting magic to everyday audiences. Mick is a fantastic storyteller, and I thoroughly enjoyed our chat. I’m sure you will, too.

For more than fifty years, Allan Ackerman has been a major creative force in the world of card magic. Starting with Magic Mafia Effects in 1970, Allan has produced a body of work that showcases his ability to create seamless, baffling routines for magicians of all skill levels.

 Allan’s last big book of card magic, Las Vegas Kardma, was published way back in 1994. Fortunately for all of us who love good card magic, Vanishing, Inc. has brought us up to date with the two-volume set, All In. The books gather routines scattered throughout Allan’s various lecture notes and videos, as well as bringing us some new creations. See my review of his new books in the Sept 2024 MichaelClose.com newsletter.

When I lived in Las Vegas, I often watched Allan “hold court” during the Wednesday night Gary Darwin magic club meeting. Since moving to the Great White North, those opportunities are few and far between. So, I was happy to arrange a conversation with Allan to discuss his journey in magic, his fascination with tetradistic stacks, and his approach to creating card magic. I enjoyed our chat; I think you will, too. 

Steve Reynolds is a creative and prolific card magician. He lives in New Orleans, the city his mentor, Jon Racherbaumer, also calls home. Steve was greatly influenced by the magic of Ed Marlo; his manuscripts and videos reflect this passion. (His video series, The Marlo Roadmap, provides illuminating insights into the core concepts that underlie Marlo’s techniques.)

Over the years, our paths had crossed occasionally, but I did not know Steve well. This interview gave me a chance to get to know him better. I enjoyed our talk. I think you will, too.

These days, our friend Piff is a very busy dragon. Joined by his partner Jade Simone and Mr. Piffles the Wonder Chihuahua, he headlines his own show at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, tours North America (with a completely different show!), and makes numerous television appearances.

He is also an author, with a new book recently released through Vanishing, Inc. (You can read my review at Michaelclose.com in the October 2023 Newsletter.)

Piff came to the attention of the magic world with his performance on the first season of Penn & Teller: Fool Us. He reached a wider audience with his breakout performances on America’s Got Talent in 2015.

His rise to success is a true testament to the power of perseverance and hard work; as you’ll read in his book, his path contained many ups and downs.

I spoke to Piff during a brief lull in his whirlwind schedule. I gained some new insights into this talented performer. I think you’ll enjoy our conversation.

Friedrich Roitzsch is a full-time professional magician based in Munich, Germany. He is also the author of the excellent new book, Instructions for Miracles, which is reviewed in this month’s newsletter. 

We discussed Friedrich’s background, his introduction to magic, and his influences. I’m happy to bring him to your attention. Going forward, I’m sure he will be a big influence in the world of card magic.

My guest this month on Conversations with Close is someone who may be unfamiliar to you. Christian Bischof is a Swiss corporate entertainer who has recently published an extremely valuable two-volume set of books titled Diamonds of Performance: How Magicians Fascinate Their Audience. Christian discusses important theoretical concepts as they apply to three areas of magic performance: the trick, the performer, and the performing situation. He then shows how he utilized these concepts in his own routines. You can find my review in our March Newsletter at MichaelClose.com. (Spoiler alert: I thought it was great.)

I spoke to Christian from his home in Switzerland. We discussed his early exposure to magic, his life in academia, how he shifted to full-time performing, and what his goals were when writing his book. I really enjoyed our conversation and I think you will too.

John Bannon is a prolific creator of high-quality magic (emphasis on card magic). His published works include Impossibilia, Smoke & Mirrors, Dear Mr. Fantasy, High Caliber, Destination Zero, and Mentalissimo. In cooperation with Big Blind Media he has produced several DVDs, including Move Zero, a four-DVD set focusing on self-working card magic. He also contributes a regular card column, “Dealing with It,” for Genii.

John’s new book, Very Hush-hush, will soon be available through Squash Publishing. You can find my review at Michaelclose.com; spoiler alert: I really liked it.

John and I have been pals for more than thirty years. We used to see each other on a regular basis when I lived in Las Vegas, and later, when he would come to Toronto for the 31 North gathering. In this interview, we talked about his start in magic, his involvement with the Chicago Session (still going strong), and how he creates his effects. I think you’ll find his comments insightful.

Steve Valentine is a world-class magician (two-time recipient of the Magic Castle’s Close-up Magician of the Year award), a magic scholar, a creator, and an actor with an impressive CV. (Just take a look at his IMDB page.) His most recent acting project is Monster High: The Movie, which airs on the Disney+ streaming service.

Recently, Steve has been performing his new, one-man show, Mr. Valentine Blows Your Mind, here in Canada; it has received rave reviews. 

Steve also keeps busy curating his website, Magic on the Go. This is an astonishing repository of magical information, from performance tips, advice on tricks, and thorough examinations of classic magic routines and plots. It’s a subscription site, but there’s nothing quite like it on the Internet; Steve’s research, experience, and expertise provide information you won’t find anywhere else. (In our conversation, you’ll get a glimpse of the deep dives Steve takes in his exploration of effects when we discuss the Egg Bag.)

It had been a while since Steve and I had chatted. We talked about his background, early performing experiences, his move to the United States, and breaking into the acting scene in Los Angeles. And the Egg Bag. We talked a lot about the Egg Bag. I really enjoyed this conversation, and I think you will, too.

Amy Kimlat has written a new book (Hocus Pocus Practice Focus: The Making of a Magician) geared toward young readers who have an interest in magic. The book was based on Amy’s experiences as a young magician, and the mishaps that influenced her to abandon the hobby for many years. I spoke to Amy from her home in Orlando, Florida. We discussed her background, how she rekindled her enthusiasm for magic, and the goals she hopes to accomplish through this book.