Thank you Seattle!!

Today boys and girls, we're gonna look in the old Bizzaro mail bag and answer some questions from our friends at home. This first one comes from a young man named Troy out of Las Vegas. He writes:

"When can one call one's self a magician? Are you a magician when you can pull off a double lift? Or do one solid trick? Or have a solid 60 minute show?"

Well Troy that is a good question. Also a tough one. Magic is one of the few professions you can buy your job title. Sure you can buy some paints and brushes and CALL yourself and artist, but as soon as you try to paint, you are screwed. (Unless you call it avante garde or modern art. Then you can just defecate on a mailbox and put it in a gallery and be called a genius.... come to think of it magic is a lot like that too.) In magic you can get a trick deck of cards and effectively accomplish what people expect from a magician, to fool them.

I think the term magician is thrown around too loosely as it's a dated name that is too encompassing. Mind you, we can use that to our advantage. However, I think if you can reliably make ANY kinds of money performing magic then you can use the title. I want to narrow that down a bit tho'. I don't mean you have a real job and/or dress like a clown and do some crappy stock material. I mean you are actually attempting to perform and add something to the magical gene pool.

Problem with that is, people like Criss Angel do that, but the addendum to that is they are too self serving to really be doing magic any positives. See I have seen guys here in Vegas who have big illusions shows that by all definitions make them a magician. However, the crowbar separation is they STOP at magician, when the best kind of magic practitioner is first and foremost an entertainer.

To me the term magician has a negative connotation, so I might be a bit bitter and jaded. This is because I see it from the inside. All of the people who couldn't perform their way out of a change bag. However, they get indignant when someone who is a better performer beats them at a magic competition. People who use magic and the title of magician to make up for the fact they have no talent at ANYTHING else. They want to rock stars, but can't sing, play, or fuck to save their life.

So when can you call yourself a magician? That is up to you. I say look at those you admire and respect. If you TRULY think you can hold your own against them (or very close to it) then you have perchance arrived. However, by that point, you might have wised up and realized the moniker of magician isn't that brass ring you've been looking for.

Who says I don't do requests?

Bizzaro.