Today's #FrenchPlayschoolHolidayPartyAndPotLuck: I was thankful to add a little magic to the event! Thank-you #PlaceMaillardvilleCommunityCentre #MagicMikeLikey
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The "Magic Mike 25th Anniversary Double CD" Collector's Edition is here, ready for Christmas! Purchase it here: http://magicmikelikey.weebly.com/magic-mike-25th-anniversary-double-cd.html and listen to some samples here: http://www.spreaker.com/show/magic-mike-likey-25th-anniversary-cds Listen to samples here... The Story Behind The Album How Time Flies It's hard to believe that 25 years has passed since I commercially released my first audio-cassette of music. I recorded it the year before (1989) at my friend's home-studio: Dave Goodyear's label was called "Shoestring Productions", and was located in Winnipeg's "granola-belt" area, near where we frequented a deli called "Cousin's". Back then, "Cousin's" was owned by "Uncle" Stu Lavitt, and his lovely wife, Ruth. Down the street was my favorite Winnipeg blues bar and pizzeria, "Bella Vista", owned by Armin. I used to listen to live blues music almost every night there, and a friend, Ben Sures, was performing and selling his cassette of original blues tunes at the time. Musical genius Eli Herscovitch would drop in and jam with Ben, along with bands like "Innariddum", and others too numerous for me to remember. As a Montrealer, I believe that Montreal and Winnipeg are still cultural, musical, and artistic hubs in Canada. Everyone who was anyone there owned one of Ben's cassettes; yes, there were no CD's back then only cassette-tapes! This is what gave me the inspiration to record and distribute my own cassettes of original tunes, since I was somewhat of a television minor celebrity back then. Everything Comes Together I laid down the initial tracks at Dave's, and then added sound effects ("The People On The Bus") and other instruments (flute, synth) later, for the two other songs that would eventually become the theme-songs for two of my TV-shows! Folk Festival and Childrens' Festival performer "Uncle Dan" Deurbrouck contributed two original songs to the album ("Little Queen" and "Believe In Yourself") and also played the flute on "You Can Do Anything You Want". Because of the extreme "staccato"-nature of the flute on "Come Along With Me", we decided it was easier to use my synth instead of Dan's flute...to this day, many believe that it's a flute playing on that song! I was already singing "The People On The Bus" and "If You're Happy And You Know It" at my live shows, (approximately 200 a year) so it was natural to include those two songs with no multi-tracking or over-dubbing...simplicity itself! The same applied to a last-minute inclusion, "Brownie The Bear", an original song written by the puppeteer on my TV-show, Darrell Scarrett; he also authored "The Gift" and co-wrote with me "Come Along With Me". The Debut The master tape and cover all finished, it was time to copy (dub) dozens of copies for local distribution. Local musician and manager Ron Paley supplied me with blank cassettes for the task. (his son, known today as magician/hypnotist "Tyzen Paley" guested regularly on my television program at the time) I decided to re-write my children's book "Shiner & Moondogg", (giving it a Celtic-theme and illustrations) and included it with the tape, shrink-wrapped together as a package, after all, I appealed to kids and adults, and I wanted to (like with my TV-show) showcase all of my so-called talents and gifts. The first store to carry my new cassettes in 1990 was my friend "Red" Fergusen's stationary store in my old neighbourhood of River Heights, at Grant and Keniston in Winnipeg. What a thrill it was to see them displayed in his store! What an even greater thrill to have them sell out in a month! 25th Anniversary 2015 is the 25th anniversary of the release of my self-titled cassette, and although there have been a few more, plus numerous CD's, (see my catalogue of current albums here: http://magicmikelikey.weebly.com/music-catalogue.html) the first one holds a special place in my heart, being my first and all! Like the ad-copy says, "This is the 25th anniversary COLLECTOR'S EDITION of "Magic Mike", the self-titled debut album featuring the TV-themes from "Magic Mike's Castle" and "Magic Mike & Company". This double-CD of the original album, features previously unreleased material, ( "Just Say No", straight from the original TV-show!) the original mono tracks, digitally-enhanced versions of the original tracks, plus bonus live performances of the songs, including Mike's version of "Puff The Magic Dragon" with Desmond the Dragon and Forgetful Lion backing him up! ALSO: TWO BONUS TRACKS BY UNCLE DAN DEURBROUCK: "Little Queen" and "Believe in Yourself" were on the original 1990 release but were rarely heard from again! BOTH RARE SONGS are now available exclusively here, for your listening enjoyment. Includes a print of the original cassette-cover, this Magic Mike Likey re-release is a MUST HAVE for any collector!" You can purchase it here: http://magicmikelikey.weebly.com/magic-mike-25th-anniversary-double-cd.html You can listen to a few samples here: http://www.spreaker.com/show/magic-mike-likey-25th-anniversary-cds I've performed all of these songs at one time or another on my TV-show, live concerts, even reunion show, and now they're all here together in one place, after all these years. I'm truly proud to share this with you. Visit the official castle website: http://magicmikescastle.weebly.com
My First Carpet-Bag As luck (or fate?) would have it, modern carpet-bags, and carpet-bag luggage was all the rage in 1989! All I had to do was walk through any luggage department of almost any department store, and strike gold! "The Bay" in Winnipeg was my first stop, and 'lo and behold, there it was: the bag that would house, transport, and be instrumental in the look and execution of my live magic-shows! It was beautiful: a brown, paisley tapestry material, with brown leather handles! It even matched my medieval costume, with it's white and brown suede "feel". This bag went through hundreds and hundreds of shows, and one of the handles was beginning to wear; I decided it was time to go back to The Bay and buy a spare one. This was easier said than done, as this style of luggage was beginning to wane in popularity; I had no choice but to buy a grey-paisley tapestry bag, but this one had longer handles, (a more feminine/hand-bag-look to it) but I didn't care, this would be the next bag once the current one wore out and would be retired to that great magic museum in the sky. The wonderful thing about this bag was that it housed all of my children's show props with ease; it even had a couple of interior pockets for carrying spare balloons and smaller props! Furthermore, I made my show even more self-contained by carrying a folding side-table (known in the trade as a "Harbin" table) in the bag as well! The bag and my Cittern in it's case completed my set up, both of which I'd throw into my hatchback and drive to a half-dozen shows in a day, back in the day. I must admit I started to get a bit carried away with the "self-contained" theme (ie- not needing any additional tables or chairs once I arrived at a show, by screwing folding TV-dinner tray legs to the bottom of my guitar case, so that the case would rest on its own legs so-to-speak, while my carpet-bag rested on it's own tripod-stand, which was screwed/attached to a flange at the bottom of the bag; the whole idea of spontaneity (ie-the bag sitting on a chair) seemed lost, so when I switched to the newer grey bag, I dropped the use of a tripod-stand for it to sit on. I debuted the set-up during the week of Halloween 1989 at a mall show in Winnipeg; it was also the first time I sang an original warm-up song, "You Can Do Anything You Want", which later became one of the theme-songs of one of my TV-shows, "Magic Mike & Company". Depending on the size of the venue, I alternated using my carpet-bag with my trunk for housing and transporting my props in Winnipeg from 1989 to 1994, then into Vancouver shows from 1994 to 2004. I loved hearing the kids commenting that I "had a Mary Poppins bag", especially when I pulled an umbrella out of the bag to do a particular illusion...what a perfect tie-in! The illusion, by-the-way, is Abbott's "Mutilated Parasol". I'd like to share at this point, a brief history of carpet bags in general. A Brief History of Carpet Bags A carpet bag is a traveling bag made of carpet, commonly from an oriental rug, ranging in size from a small purse to a large duffel bag. The "carpet bag" was not invented as a pocketbook or handbag for women. Rather, it was the day's version of our modern "suitcase" that operated as a reliable traveling companion and carrier of a person's possessions. Such bags were popular in the United States and Europe during the 19th century. They are still made to this day, but now typically as women's decorative small luggage and purses, although typically no longer out of old carpets. Carpet was the chosen material because, during the time, carpet in homes was a popular accent piece and the "remainder" pieces were easily bought to use for the construction of carpet bags. In a sense, the carpetbag was a sustainable invention because it used remnants of materials which otherwise would have gone unused. The carpetbaggers of the Reconstruction era following the American Civil War were given their name from this type of luggage which they carried from the Scientific American Supplement, No. 561, October 2, 1886 "The old-fashioned carpet bag" is still unsurpassed by any, where rough wear is the principal thing to be studied. Such a bag, if constructed of good Brussels carpeting and unquestionable workmanship, will last a lifetime, provided always that a substantial frame is used. Carpet bags sometimes also served as a "railway rug", a common item in the 19th century for warmth in drafty, unheated rail-cars. The rug could either be opened as a blanket, or latched up on the sides as a traveling bag. From Robert Louis Stevenson's Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes (1879): "... my railway-rug, which, being also in the form of a bag, made me a double castle for cold nights." One of the most popular carpet bag brands of the mid 1960s (known as "the California Carpetbagger" is Jerry Terrence Original Carpet Bag, aka: JT Carpet Bag.The company encouraged the use of brand new carpet material. The Leather Doctor's Bag (Gladstone Bag) After my hiatus from magic to earn a masters degree, then three doctorates in metaphysics, (I am Rev. Dr. Michael Likey, by-the-way...a clinical hypnotherapist, and Doctor of Theocentric Psychology among other things), I caught the "magic bug" again almost two year ago! To become obsessed with leather doctor's bags as an extension of my love for carpet-bags wasn't much of a stretch, thus, I own several standard black-leather doctor's bags, a beautiful brown leather one, and a vintage, (1920's, in almost perfect condition!) oversized leather doctor's bag imported from England, purchased through E-Bay. My intension was to replace the feminine-looking grey-paisley, long-handled tapestry bag with a larger, more masculine-looking, brown-leather doctor's bag, which suits me more nowadays. You'll almost always, when attending one of my live magic concerts these days, see me with either the large doctor's bag, or my steamer/upright trunk on wheels, and my Cittern or Dulcimer case, unless it's a non-period show, in which case, I'll have either my Ovation or Epiphone guitar, and props in the trunk or the bag. I should mention a brief history at this point of the Gladstone bag. History of the Gladstone Bag A Gladstone bag is a small portmanteau suitcase built over a rigid frame which could separate into two equal sections. Unlike a suitcase, a Gladstone bag is deeper in proportion to its length. They are typically made of stiff leather and often belted with lanyards. The bags are named after William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898), the four-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Hinged luggage was first developed in the late 19th century. The first Gladstone bag was designed and manufactured by J G Beard at his leather shop in the City of Westminster.Beard was an avid admirer of Gladstone, and named it to memorialise his name. Though the Gladstone bag developed into the typical flat-sided suitcase of today, modern leather versions are marketed which in fact are not Gladstone bags. Often these modern bags are made with soft, rounded sides, only opening at the top. This incorrectly named Gladstone bag is actually a kit bag, or a square-mouthed bag. The Gladstone bag has been mentioned numerous times in literature by Arthur Conan Doyle, J.D. Salinger, Tennessee Williams, Oscar Wilde, and many more. There you have it! I guess you can say that magic is truly my "bag". From Aria To Dulcimer A beautiful 6-string acoustic "Aria" guitar was my first guitar, purchased at "Steve's Music" in Montreal by my dad ( a professional Montreal show-drummer) for one of my birthdays. If they even make that particular model today, the closest is the Aria, Prodigy Series, AFN-15. It was a special experience, as a teen, to go with my dad to his favourite music store, and the great care he took in making sure they included a strap, pitch-pipes, and books of instruction. I learned many Cat Stevens songs on it, as well as my own original tunes. In those days, I also played Supertramp, Jim Croce, Meat Loaf, and many more. One day I went to the closet to play it, and to my horror, the entire bridge had lifted up, cracking (permanently) the fine wood finish and top of this guitar, which was ultimately ruined; I was heart-broken! I moved to Winnipeg from Toronto in 1981, bringing my nylon-string classical guitar with me; I forget who made it...my dad bought it for me from "Pascal", a Montreal hardware store when I was in my late teens! I was a big Cat Stevens fan, and his style had been a major influence in my burgeoning music career both onstage as well as in my song-writing style. I was obsessed with Cat's "Ovation" acoustic guitars, which I had seen him play in one of his Montreal concert tours. One day I walked into a music shop in a Winnipeg Mall, and 'lo and behold, there hung a very affordable (and previously owned) "Ovation"! Feverishly I snapped down my credit card to purchase one of the greatest loves and investments in my professional career: I still own and occasionally play this 6-string wonder, which along with my "Yamaha" keyboards were..."instrumental" in my song-writing career! The Ovation I played my Ovation guitar for every one of my live concert and television appearances in Winnipeg and environs where I wasn't dressed up in my period costume from 1981 to 1994, for a total of well over 2,000 shows. I continued this tradition in my Vancouver appearances, (from 1994 until the present) alternating with my blond 6-string acoustic "Epiphone" as well, again, without my period garb. For the shows where I was in full period garb, I played my 12-string Cittern. The Fisher Cittern Larry Fisher is a gifted folk musician and instrument builder that I was fortunate to perform with in Winnipeg at hundreds of medieval feasts. Larry exclusively builds custom harps nowadays, (including one that Loreena McKinnet used in a tour) though in my time in Winnipeg he built a wide assortment of instruments. I loved the 7-string flat-back lute-like instrument that he constantly used in his shows; it looked so "folky", "celticy" and "period"...perfect for my medieval-themed TV-show and live appearances! Since I only played 6 and 12-stringed guitars, in 1989 I asked Larry if he would build me a 12-string "Cittern", (which is the proper word for that lute-like wonder) or "English Guitar". Larry agreed. I was over the moon with excitement and anticipation; I knew that this treasured instrument would be with me always and everywhere "period" Magic Mike Likey would appear. The year before (1988) I had built a 6-string flat-backed lute from a kit I purchased from "Lark In The Morning", but I felt that the finished product wasn't professional enough for me, hence I asked Larry about a Cittern. Darrell Scarrett, the voice-talent on my television show, suggested that we bring a mobile camera-crew out to video-record the making of the instrument at Larry's home workshop; both Larry and VPW agreed. It made for an educational and entertaining insert on my television show. By the time the instrument was finished, the public would have been exposed to, and expecting to see, this instrument in my live shows. It still to this days elicits "oooh's" when I lift it out of it's case. The Epiphone Another guitar besides the Ovation that I love which Cat Stevens (a.k.a. "Yusuf") plays, is a beautiful blond "Gibson" 6-string guitar. I was excited when my wife bought me for my birthday it's nearest relative, a 6-string acoustic "Epiphone", manufactured by Gibson. I love the look and deep sound of this guitar, since previously I was used to the sounds of the cittern and the Ovation, one shallower sounding, the other more "tinny". In non-period concerts, I alternate playing the Epiphone with my Ovation. I've had the Epiphone since 2012. The Dulcimer Around 2009, I saw two videos: one of Joni Mitchell and the other of Cyndi Lauper each playing their songs using a folk-instrument known as a Dulcimer. Although this instrument has 3, sometimes 4 strings, a full-range of notes and chords can be produced from it. This elongated, narrow-violin-shaped beauty has a Celtic/Maritimes sound/feel to it, and is traditionally played while you're seated with it sitting on your lap; for my concerts, I wear it like a guitar using a guitar-strap. This makes fingering the notes more difficult, but well worth it. It is also traditionally strummed using a pick (plectrum), while holding down the notes using a popsicle-stick-like flat piece of wood. I prefer using a pick, and using my fingers for the notes. I purchased this instrument online, along with a separate case for it, since local music-shops (at least in Vancouver) didn't even know what a Dulcimer is, let alone carrying a case for it! Sometimes I really miss Montreal or Toronto; I'm positive the Winnipeg Folk Festival store would also carry one. However, I digress. After receiving the instrument in the mail, I was anxious to learn how to play it, and as I did with guitar and electric keyboard, I taught myself. Note: my father sat me down at age three at his drum-kit, showing me the proper way to hold drumsticks, and even doing "rolls". He then had me play on the snare, tom-tom and cymbals; what a thrill that was! Regardless, in a short time I became relatively proficient with the Dulcimer, but I've only started playing it very recently in my live shows. Every time I remove it from it's case, it's exotic look elicits an "oooh" (as does the Cittern) from the audience. So far, I've only used it to play my still-trending song "The Bat", but I intend to play more songs with it in the future. I intend to alternate between the Cittern and the Dulcimer for my period-shows, and the Ovation with the Epiphone for non-period concerts. After all, isn't variety "instrumental" for enjoying life? Visit the official castle website: http://magicmikescastle.weebly.com From plastic, to wood, and back to plastic again! Yes, this is A History Of Magic Mike Likey's Wands...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOQJzFMPXT4&feature=youtu.beFrom tuxedos to knee-highs and hoods, a History Of The Magic Mike Likey Costume |
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January 2016
Magic Mike LikeyIn the '80's and '90's I hosted and produced in Winnipeg, Canada, the longest-running television show about magic, "Magic Mike's Castle". The show ended after nine years. Today, the "Magic Mike Likey Universe" continues on BlogTalk Radio, with "Magic Mike Likey's Castle Mysteries" and on Speaker Radio! Watch CLASSIC "Magic Mike's Castle" episodes on my Official YouTube channel-https://www.facebook.com/pages/Magic-Mike-Likeys-Castle-Mysteries-On-Blogtalk-Radio/541386745934211 |