Bus Stop Magician’s Have all The Fun

So you’re hanging at the bus stop finger flinging the cards, and someone says, “Are you a magician?” You say that you are. She then says, “What do you think of David Blaine?” How do you respond? Do you criticize? Do you edify? Do you ignore? What do you do?

The post What Do You Think of David Blaine? appeared first on Stone Cold Magic Magazine.

So . . . one day, I was Bill Malone. Don’t ask me how it happened. It just did. The mushrooms on the pizza I had eaten have nothing to do with it. Why does every ask me that!? Anyway, there I was performing my signature effect, Sam the Bellhop and the 654 Club when I felt a rumbling sensation in my gut . . . then in my chest . . . then throat . . . my mouth . . . suddenly there were playing cards spewing, uncontrollably, from my mouth. It was incredible. It happened several times throughout the show. It was a running gag, literally . . . a gag. Then I realized a secret. Bill Malone really eats playing cards, and he really does regurgitate them. It’s not sleight of hand.

Alright folks, ridiculous story aside, you have to admit that when Mr. Malone does cards from mouth, that’s what it looks like. It looks like they really came from his mouth, like he really must have them inside of himself somehow. We all know of course that this is not the case, but the illusion is beautiful. I love the running gag of it all. Throughout the show Malone will do cards from mouth as a “lull-squasher.” He’s mentioned in interviews that many times he would do this gag just to lighten the mood of the crowd or to deal with awkward silences, etc.

I love that idea, but alas, it’s Malone’s and I don’t want to steal it. However, I’ve had several ideas over the years, some more practical than others, for a running gag that fit me and my style. One of which is this month’s free trick of the month. But before we get to that, I’ll share one of my less practical running gags with you. I have a method for you, but as I said, it’s not the most practical. But I will not be sharing the method. I want you to think through it and come up with your own method. Feel free to post it below in the comments section. If I get enough activity and request below, I’ll share my method.

Anyway, the running gag is meant for a stage set or maybe parlor setting. The basic idea is that many times throughout the show, I will “feel something in my shoe.” Then I will take off my shoe and dump out a whole ton of sand . . . more sand than the shoe can hold. By the end of the show there would be a pile of sand on the floor that’s about the equivalent of a 5 pound bag of sugar. But there will still be “something” in my shoe. This time when I take it out, there will be a huge rock in my shoe that I drop onto the stage. Enjoy the idea, and let me know if you want me to share my rough (untested) method.

The post Threads appeared first on Stone Cold Magic Magazine.

The answer is simple. His name became a household word, and therefore closeup magic became a household word, and therefore more people know about magic, and more people hire magicians. He was great for my business. However, and this is a BIG “However.” He may have caused, unintentionally, some pretty heavy damage to the craft of magic as a whole.

The good news is that it’s reparable, but it’s going to take a lot of work from us. So what damage did he cause. Because he was so popular and so famous and such a huge hit, people wanted to be like him. A LOT of people wanted to be like him, and suddenly “street magic” videos were available everywhere, and people started doing double lifts, buying Ravens and calling themselves magicians.

These people through no fault of their were “sold” on the idea that only after 20 or 30 minutes of practice, “They too could become street magicians.” This causes a lot of bad magicians doing a lot of bad magic with no confidence, no patter, no emotional connection with the audience, and worst of all: THEY ALL TRIED TO EXACTLY MIMIC DAVID BLAINE!

This phenomenon quickly spread throughout the United States and quickly began causing people just my magic (before they see it) based on Joe Newbie with the invisible deck. The invisible deck is great, but people who bought it 20 minutes ago should not be using it. I have no problem with new people wanting to get into magic and learn the secrets and even be like Blaine. The only problem I have is that a new generation of magician has been created; one where practice is no longer the cardinal rule for magicians, and frankly that’s a world I can’t deal with.

So I’m calling on all students of the art, all true performers. Please commit to practicing several hours per week or even per day. Please for the sake of our art, do not desecrate our craft by being a shoddy performer. Take the time to study the classic works (more about classic works in a later post). Take the time to really learn the moves, and really fine tune your skill and your presentation. I guess what I’m trying to say is, “take the time to be a REAL MAGICIAN.”

Remember the days before Blaine? Remember the days of Blaine . . . suddenly, everyone was asking you, “have you heard of that guy . . . the street magic guy?” He through a card through a window! He levitated! He swallowed a thread and pulled it out of his abs! He bit a quarter in half! He made a card rise out of the deck! He made a card change in that guy’s hand! He read that guy’s mind!

On and on and on it goes. Some magicians hated it/him while others loved it/him. What’s the difference? Many said that the haters were jealous. I don’t buy that. I think the haters were blinded. They were confused. They didn’t see what he was “all about.” the magic was filmed from the audience’s perspective. That’s who matters, not you or me, but the audience. I just watched Blaine’s DVD, Fearless, the other day, and it really sort of re-grounded me. It got me thinking again about what really matters in magic . . . the reaction from the audience . . . not even the reaction per se, but the reason for the reaction. What matters is what they’re thinking that caused the reaction.

As you know, this particular column, No Stone Left Unturned, is dedicated to the business side of magic and the logistics side of magic and the non-magic side of magic, so why am I talking about David Blaine? Simple. In order to be good at selling yourself to your clients, you need that magic flame to be lit, that bug has to bite. You’ve got to remember how you felt when you first got into magic. Those feelings keep you excited and passionate about your craft. It may not come from a Blaine DVD for you, but that’s what did it for me. It got me wanting to perform more regularly for lay people again.

Please, for the sake of magic, get passionate . . . think about the audience, and bring back that lovin’ feeling

The post Don’t Blaine Me appeared first on Stone Cold Magic Magazine.

It seems that another month has passed us by and I still struggle writing 2010 instead of 2009 on things.  Weren’t we just having Y2K problems?

Regardless of my personal memory issues, I have compiled a month worth of performances and a recipe for this month’s trick, E.A.R. or Everything’s a Radio from Miracles for Mortals Vol. 2, by Geoff Williams.

First let’s get to the nuts and bolts.  The required gimmick for E.A.R. has to be constructed.  I purchased all of the parts at two places, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart.  I found in making my purchase that it was more economical to make two gimmicks for the cost and so Jeff Stone and I shared the costs.  The total cost for both gimmicks was just over $32.00.  Had I only made one, the cost would have been $22.00.

I was able to construct it easily with the tools that I had at home.  I did use a soldering iron, but I can see ways of making it with out one.  Time for construction totaled 2 hours.  I followed closely Geoff’s instructions and found that I completed the task easier than I expected.

Next, the gimmick has to be worn.  I found I wasn’t overly excited by this prospect and had some apprehension.  Honestly, it’s a pain to put on, and as a big man I was worried it would show under my clothes.  At last I gave in for you the faithful readers!  Yes you made me do it!!!  It really wasn’t as bad in the long run as I expected.  I didn’t have to wear a tie, but I do wear a vest all the time, so it concealed nicely.  If you do not want to wear a vest I would strongly suggest you wear a tie.  The cover is needed.  I wore this gimmick upwards of 8 hours a day, and performed it an average of three times per day.  I practiced using the gimmick a handful of times.  It was simple and reliable.

Now on with the fun stuff!

I performed it similar to the way Geoff does on his DVD.

The first to be victimized were co-workers at This Is The Place Heritage Park.  I got mixed reactions.  For the most part they were completely stumped.  Some of my co-workers were just astonished and others were looking for a hidden radio.

My family, which consists of 5 children ages 11, 10, 9, 8, and 3, LOVED it!  My wife saw me building the gimmick late one evening and wondered what I was doing.  However, when I finally got it set up for the kids she watched and was blown away as well.  Then later on she admitted that she remembered the night I build it and still was a bit puzzled.  My kids freaked out the first time I did it for them.  I kept trying other presentations on them.  My 3 year old keeps shaking the ketchup bottle trying futilely to get radio sound to come from the opened cap.  If we could only get the rest of the audience to have that firm of a belief!  My other kids all asked me to repeat it for their friends.

I performed it for a Boy Scout Pack and felt for a moment like David Blaine.  The kids all ran away from me screaming!  As a whole, strangers just looked completely dumb-founded.  I couldn’t decide if it was because they couldn’t believe the trick or if they just thought I was some weirdo.  I believe it was a mix of both.

What I finally decided can be summed up in a nutshell.

Used for a smaller, more intimate audience it’s worth the effort.  The effect gets lost on groups of more than 15 or so.  It was fun and for the most part was enjoyed by all.

I give it 4 out of 5 blisters.  It was a pain to wear, but fun to perform.

Next month Jeff Prace’s Orbit.  Since there was a lot of controversy over Stone’s review and a request for me to try one of the effects, we will put it to the test.  Until then try to catch a radio wave!

Please Take a Moment to Reply To and “like” This Review.

The post Review: Everything’s A Radio (E.A.R.) appeared first on Stone Cold Magic Magazine.

How many tricks have you learned over the years? I know I’ve literally learned thousands of tricks. I dare say that I even learned well hundreds and hundreds. I might even say that I’ve mastered dozens and dozens. We’re all in a different category or skill level when it comes to how many we’ve each learned, learned well, and mastered, but if you’ve been into magic more than a year, you know of enough tricks that you could spend your life perfecting the ones you’ve learned, and you still wouldn’t make it through the list.

The question that often arises from this situation is, “what tricks do I perform at a gig?” Another variation of that question is “what’s the right mix of old and new stuff?”

Roots:
Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root is material management. The basics of this root is that material you perform should meet two main criterion. First, you must enjoy performing it. There must be something about it that appeals to you. If you are bored with the effect or it’s not interesting to you, then you’ll be less likely to perform it well, and give it the attention it needs to meet criteria number two: The audience must be able to connect with it.

Both of these stipulations apply to not only the effect itself, but the patter as well. Unless you’re performing for a group of NASA engineers, patter about quantum particles and “special material” that has “special properties” is pretty much a snooze fest for your audience. Sure you may like it, but it’s likely that you’re passion alone will not be enough to carry the audience’s lack of interest.

Take the ambitious card as an example. This is a trick that is very magical, but doesn’t have a huge inherent interest. So the card goes in the middle and pops back up to the top… big dealio. Now take, for example, David Regal’s idea of drawing a puppy on the card, and the master calls the puppy. The puppy then responds to the master and comes to the top of the deck. That’s fun for the audience.  I mean who doesn’t like puppies!

The challenge, especially in close up magic – which is what I do the most, is making the magic mean something to the audience. In order to make it mean something to the audience, in most cases, it must mean something to you.

Branch:
Let’s build our branches. This month’s message is short and sweet and to the point. I have a very specific assignment for you. Stop right now and write down the first 20 tricks you can think of that you could somewhat perform. Pick tricks that you somewhat know or that you completely know. The point is, don’t just go through a magic book and copy down the table of contents. Write down tricks that you’ve read or watched on a video that you have some level of interest in.

Next I want you to immediately cross off of that list 5 tricks that you think are the least likely to ever make it to your repertoire. This serves one purpose: it gets you used to cutting material out of your act. Sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do, so cut out a few tricks.

Make a list in a spreadsheet if you’ve got one. The above is a sample of what it might look like. The “My Interest” and “Audience Interest” is a scale from 1 to 10 of what my interest level is and what I think a layperson’s interest might be. Of course I’m not a mind reader so some of these numbers for “Audience Interest” are guesstimations based on experience. Also, the last column is a list of things that I think the relate to the effect that the audience might relate to.

Next, sort the list by what interests you the most. Take the top 10. Resort those ten in order of audience interest. Take the top 5. Take those five and perfect them. Perform them in every single close up show that you do. Obviously if two or more have a very similar plot, you can leave one of them out when you perform. Maybe two of them are ace assemblies (let’s hope not). You certainly don’t want to do two ace assemblies at every table or gig. In that case, alternate.

Either way, work to build a solid and interesting presentation. Put your heart and soul into these five effects. Continue performing other stuff as well, but make sure to give these 5 your full attention. Over time, as you study more books, more videos and create your own magic, slowly add to the list of effects that you completely master. A good example of one effect like this might be Bill Malone’s handling of Sam the Bellhop. I’d bet that he doesn’t do a gig without doing that trick.

You want to slowly work your arsenal up to a point where everything you do is one of these tricks that you’ve mastered. Maybe you’ll stop at 20 effects or 30 effects, maybe less, maybe more. If you do stand up or set shows, then you can take those 30 effects and create 3 separate shows (ten tricks each) that you perform. If you do strolling, then you can create 5 or 6 sets of 4 or 5 tricks that you do at each table… do these 5 at this table and those 5 at that table.

You get the idea. Using this formula, you can work in new material and grow your repertoire. With each new trick you’ve mastered replace one that you and your audience are less interested in. The idea is to, over time, develop a repertoire of material that is 100% stuff that you enjoy performing, and 100% stuff that the audience has a decent level of interest in.

Of course, this relies hugely on your personality and ability to connect with an audience. Remember, it’s never just about the tricks. It’s about you using the tricks to connect and communicate astonishment with your audience.

Keep in mind that you will also need to try out material with your audience. You read an effect in a book and like it. Practice it at home. Then when you’re confident with it, take it to the tables/streets/stage, etc and test it. See what level of interest you can generate in your audience. If it ranks well in the above table then start mastering it and allow it to become one of the permanent additions to your arsenal.

One last note, don’t feel peer pressured into performing an effect you don’t find interesting. There are many popular effects that many magicians feel should be in everyone’s repertoire, yet I don’t find them interesting enough to perform them. Perform material and create material that suits you and that your audience can relate to.

Finally, don’t feel like you need to make a chart and a graph for every new trick you’re interested in adding to your act. This is just an exercise to start the ball rolling. With experience, you’ll be able to quickly identify effects that you feel are worthy of your time. Now go study the classics, and go discover your true magical self.

Please “like” the value of this article:

The post Old, New, What’s a Magi to Do? appeared first on Stone Cold Magic Magazine.

This issue of No Stone Left Unturned just may spark controversy and debate. Just keep in mind that this is my opinion and my experience. So please keep an open mind as you read this article. The question at hand is should you take tips or not, and should you work for tips or not… these are two different questions.

First, “should you work for tips?” This question is asking if your method of payment for the gig should be tips or should be payment by the owner, planner, etc.

Second, “should you take tips?” This question is referring to someone who is working a paid-by-the-hour or flat-fee gig who is offered a tip by the spectator.

Let’s address the first question: Should you work for tips or for a fee?

My experience has been that each of these options have their place. However, they create a completely different dynamic between you and the spectator. For example, let’s take the person who works for tips only. Let’s say he works at a restaurant doing table-hopping. First of all, the relationship you have with the audience, subconsciously starts off as “I’m going to interrupt your meal and show you stuff, and you have to give me money.”

Of course I’m oversimplifying it, but the point is that once the audience realizes that you work for tips, so many things happen. First, they suddenly become your unwilling employer. Second, the relationship is not about “I’m trying to share an experience with you.” It becomes a business transaction. Now it may be the most fun, exiting and best business transaction that the audience members have ever experienced, but it’s still more of a business transaction and less of a moment of astonishment.

Back in the day, when I would approach a table, I would often be asked, “how much does it cost for the magic.” I was more of a solicitor than an entertainer, in their eyes. Now remember, as I mentioned in last month’s Roots and Branches, if one person speaks it, several thought it. This means that often, people were assuming that they had to pay me to see magic. So, in their eyes, I’m just there to make a buck. They may have fun and enjoy giving me that buck, but it’s still all about an exchange… 1 trick, 1 dollar please.

Take the person who is paid by the owner or manager of the restaurant. There is still a business transaction and an exchange of tricks for dollars, but it happens between the business people (the magician wearing the marketing hat and the business manager), not the patrons of the restaurant.

When approaching a table under this condition, the dynamic is different. Suddenly you are part of the meal, the experience of eating at this restaurant. It’s more like, “the cool thing about so and so restaurant is you get free soda, a cool atmosphere, and free entertainment.” You have an entirely different relationship dynamic with your spectators.

I feel that this rule applies for the most part to just about every venue where you are directly and intimately interacting with your audience. One exception, of course, is street magic (no, not David Blaine). I’m talking about busking. Do your show, then pass the hat… I still feel that the dynamic is more of a business transaction as I mentioned earlier, however, it’s one that feels more voluntary.

At a table with five people, “holding out your hand” for a tip can be a bit awkward for the spectators.  However, with the hat passing, you take a bit of the pressure off of the audience. It’s also a situation where the audience more or less came to you, whereas at a restaurant, you go up to them and they’re “trapped.”

Now, I’m not telling you that you should not work for tips. I’m just telling you that the magician-audience dynamic is different in each situation. One isn’t necessarily better or worse, although, you’ve probably guessed which one I prefer. The ultimate decision is up to you. Do you like one dynamic over the other?

Here’s one more thing to consider, however. I’ve had several occasions where I was at a restaurant and was approached by a balloon sculptor who was working for tips at the restaurant. A few things went through my mind:

1. I never carry cash, ever. period. So I can’t give him a tip.
2. I look like a jerk to my kids for turning him away.
3. I felt as though the restaurant was doing him a favor by letting him tap into their client-base to make some “sales.”

Remember if those thoughts came into my mind, they likely came into other people’s minds as well.

With paid-by-manager gigs, the mentality is that you are doing the restaurant a favor (rather than them doing you a favor) by improving their product, atmosphere, experience, etc. You are providing the restaurant a service for which they, not the patrons, pay you.

One other point about tips in a restaurant environment: you suddenly become competition for the servers. Remember, they work for tips too. The last thing you want to do is have the servers feel that you are cutting into their bottom line. You want them on your side. Also, think about it from the customer’s perspective… it’s like everything is ala carte:

• You sit down and order your food, and you pay for it.
• You then have some one serve it to you, and you pay for it.
• Then someone comes to your table and makes you watch a card trick, and you pay for it.
• I’m afraid to use the restroom; I’ll probably have to pay for it, especially if it’s a fancy place with the blind towel guy in the restrooms.

So when all is said and done, my view is do not take gigs that are strictly tips. You then can approach your guests and say, “Hi my name is Jeff. I’m the paid entertainment. How are you folks doing?” That’s my intro guys, and it works great. After I take a moment to “break the ice” I spend time connecting with the audience and then move in for the MAGIC!

(On the subject of approaching spectators, check out Jay Sankey’s (filling in for Jason Montoya) article this month about what to do after the first 30 seconds as a great next step)

Finally, this approach allows me to focus entirely on the audience. Much like when you have an effect that is overly technically demanding, sometimes it’s hard to focus on entertainment because your brain is distracted by the moves. My brain is distracted when I think about the fact that the audience might view me as “just a guy trying to make a ‘sale’.”

When I’m there truly to share astonishment, not do business, with the audience, I’m much more relaxed and therefore the chances of astonishment happening are drastically increased. Hopefully you’ve read this with an open mind. Think about this and what you want out of your relationship with your audience.

Remember, the whole point of No Stone Left Unturned is to help you improve your magic business. Part of doing that is knowing when to be the businessman and when to be the entertainer. Go back and read the first (The Beginning) and second (The Color of Business) articles in the No Stone Left Unturned column. This will help remind you of the purpose of this column along with what your role is with your business and the “hats” you wear.

Next month we’ll talk about what to do when you’re not working for tips and you get offered a tip. Until Next Month…

Please “like” the value of this article:

The post Tips On Tips (Part I) appeared first on Stone Cold Magic Magazine.