You might be asking yourself, "who is this guy and why should I care about his opinions or anything he writes?" Well, please climb aboard for a few paragraphs and take a little ride.

During the 1990’s I published a syndicated column entitled “Scott’s Thoughts.” These were monographs on a variety of magical topics and distributed to magic clubs throughout the world for their monthly newsletters. My thought was that magic club newsletters usually published meeting notices and minutes and reviews of performances. I felt that they needed a little “meat” from an outside source and something that might provide discussion points for magicians at or outside their monthly meetings. I also felt (and still feel) that we know enough tricks and sleights and methods. What magicians need are instructions, suggestions and insight on how to better perform those tricks. In other words, how to be a more complete conjurer and an entertaining one at that. In addition, I wrote some musings that were magic-related and meant to provide light-hearted reading.

We live in a wonderful time and I feel blessed on so many levels. I am thankful that I live in an area where there are many competent, creative and professional magicians. We have the Magic Island here where many brilliant magicians have come and gone over the last 20 years. We used to get together for a weekly luncheon that included a lot of local magicians as well as the visiting performers. Local regulars included Walter “Zaney” Blaney, Banachek, Bill Palmer, Charles Greene III, Scott Hollingsworth, Mercer Helms, Richard Hatch among so many others. Visiting magicians have included The Amazing Randi, Kerry Pollock, Bret Daniels, Vito Lupo and yes, even Valentino (a.k.a. the Masked Magician).

Listening to myriad conversations that went on at the dinner table as we all broke bread fed my soul and provided my mind with nourishment and sustenance. Discussions included who was doing what, who was working where, technological advances (like computers and Palm Pilots), customer databases, funny stories “from the road”, getting booked in different venues (i.e. cruise ships, corporate events, etc.), advertising and self-promotion, contract negotiations and on and on. They were like private, mini-lectures. So many ideas ricocheted around my head that eventually I had to let them out.

I eventually started writing down my thoughts as I “downloaded my brain” on Saturday mornings that became “Scott’s Thoughts.” I plopped my butt before my keyboard by 7:30 each week and stayed there for four to five hours grinding out the columns. Sometimes the articles would write themselves while other times I labored over word usage and sentence structure.

In the 1990’s I was also the Convention Editor for MAGIC Magazine. Each month I published accounts of three or more conventions that occurred around the world along with a little editorializing of my own. I didn’t pull any punches and I “called ‘em like I saw ‘em” much to the chagrin and disappointment of those on the other end of my acerbic keyboard. But I felt that my readers deserved the truth. Of course I didn’t attend all of those conventions but I heavily depended upon the reviews submitted to me by my friends and designated reporters. We covered over 1,000 conventions throughout the eight years that my column appeared.

With the advent of the internet and eventually The Magic Café, it almost made our column stale by the time it was published even though it was only one month later. It lacked the immediacy of being current news; however, it did provide historical documentation in print that future generations can research to see who did what and when. Unlike this transitory ether of the Internet, the printed word will survive.

I know that many magicians have to travel far distances to attend magic conventions, spend time with their compatriots or to visit a magic shop. Times have changed such that now everyone has access to everyone and everything else through the magic of the internet. We can communicate with other magicians either privately or through bulletin boards such as this; we can shop hundreds of magic stores on the internet without leaving the privacy of our home, and; soon we will be able to attend conventions over the internet. I know that may sound strange now, but I predicted that many years ago and I think we are getting closer every year to that coming true. We can also make choices of patronizing those who will rip-off the creators and sell unauthorized copies of books and/or props or we can choose to uphold and stand by the ethics of our magic organizations and fraternal community and only buy from legitimate dealers and originators.

But there I go, starting to pontificate already and I haven’t even begun my column.

I appreciate the opportunity that our host, Steve Brooks, has afforded me by giving me this space to publish my meanderings. I intend to post my thoughts here as I can and as I think it warrants. I will be attending magic conventions and traveling throughout the worldwide magical community visiting with other professionals and organizations. I will be performing in a number of venues from close-up to stage with magic and mentalism. I will be building and creating props and routines. I will be working with my business partner, Banachek, on a variety of exciting projects that I might tip here. I plan to share many stories, ideas, tips, reviews and opinions. Though they will be my own words, some of these musings will reflect influences from my peers through my own observations of and discussions with other performers.

I am providing a lot more about myself in a "puff piece" below, but you don't have to read it. It is only set out so you know where I'm coming from and "who the heck this guy is."

So, enough for now. Please come back from time to time and encourage me to write more by reading my columns. I’m not asking you to agree with all that I say, but at least to consider my viewpoint and draw your own conclusions and think for yourselves.

I think it will be a fun journey. Just think of me as your chauffeur and tour guide. I hope you will enjoy the ride.

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Scott Wells, The Magician with "Tex" Appeal: Having a background in magic that spans over 30 years, Scott Wells has taken a lot from magic. But just as one needs to replant the soil with new sprouts, Scott has sod acres of ground with fertile magicians. He is a performer, publisher, author, teacher, lecturer, collector, designer, artist and friend to magicians the world over. Scott has taught magic to neophytes in continuing education classes and lectured to professional magicians at conventions.

He is a co-founder of two I.B.M. Rings (Lincoln, NE and Midland, TX) and a member of several organizations including London’s Magic Circle where he holds the degree of Associate of the Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star. He has served on many committees on the local and international level of many magic organizations over the years. He was the President of the Texas Association of Magicians in 2000 when he chaired the annual convention in Dallas, TX and he received the prestigious 2002 Magician of the Year award from the Society of American Magicians Assembly 19 and the Houston Association of Magicians. As the Vice President of the World Alliance of Magicians (W.A.M.) his focus within W.A.M. was toward "Unethical Magic Manufacturers and Dealers" which was directed at exposing those in our fraternity who manufacture and sell unauthorized versions of proprietary illusions or illegally duplicate and sell copyrighted material.

For over 10 years he wrote a syndicated monthly column (“Scott’s Thoughts”) of advice, theory and business for magicians. He was a contributing columnist and feature writer for Genii, The Minotaur, M.U.M. and The Linking Ring among others with tricks contributed to The Trapdoor and Harry Lorayne’s “The Himber Wallet Book” and other publications. He was a regular contributor to The Magic Menu in its early years and even rendered the logo for the magazine’s banner. He was also the convention editor for MAGIC Magazine for nearly a decade.

More than just a theorist and hobbyist, Scott is a magic dealer and a seasoned performer who understands the professional side of the magic business. He regularly entertains for corporate functions with close-up and stand-up comedy magic in venues from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to New York City. Scott was a house magician at Houston’s Magic Island and still occasionally performs there and at Hollywood’s Magic Castle. He also holds a Doctorate Degree from Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolic (F.F.F.F.) having performed before his peers in an exclusive environment nearly a dozen times.

He is the managing partner of Magic Inspirations, a partnership with the world-renown mentalist, Banachek, specializing in the manufacture and marketing of an exclusive line of mentalism props, books, videos and CD’s.

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