Old busted hotness...

So in an effort to spice up your lives, my store front has undergone a new look. It also has it's own home too at www.Bizzar-O-Matic.com. (Mobile version coming soon)

Also, don't forget, Helter Shelter; The Movie is STILL only 10$ until the end of May... so hurry up and buy it already!!

Phear...

I used to say I weep for the future of magic. I have come to realize that magic will be fine. There are some very focused on magic only youngsters out there. Mind you they have no other interest and just create magic for the sake of magic. I now am afraid for the future of not magic... but entertainment.

Thankfully every so often I meet a youngin' that restores my faith in the fact that being a performer means something and that there is still hope for not just magic but the art of mass amusement as well.

So for those magical Che Guevaras of you out there, I salute you.

Produce

As a magic product releaser type person, I sometimes feel a twinge of guilt. If I could just will these products into being without any overhead, I would likely give the ideas away because I like to think they are good and that good magic should be out in the wild.

It's such a slippery slope I am on with my beliefs on magic capitalism and the product I release. I am in a love/hate relationship with the fact that this is how I make my living right now. It's great to have your stuff appreciated but on the other side of the double sided two-face coin, it kind of sucks that this is what it takes to get noticed in magic.

I have been at two magic conventions this week. I noticed something strange. If someone show you a sleight you have never seen, you don't ask them if they sell it. You might ask to learn it or if it's published somewhere. However, if you show someone a tangible toy that fools them and they have never seen, then they ask if it's for purchase. This is kinda fucked up if you ask me... which you didn't.

Isis forbid you do something killer that you aren't willing to part with for a tiny bit of your soul and some cold hard cash. In this day and age, everything is for sale and when it's not, people look at you like the RCA dog.

Just something to think about...

New version...

Dear magicians,

can we stop putting 2.0 next to every release you put out because you realized yer original sucked? Why not wait a while before you release it so you don't have to pretend yer a computer programmer?

Thanx,

The mngmnt.

pee ess...

I feel this way about the magic cafe sometimes...

Hidden in plain yogurt...

There is a concept in magic that I think takes more skill than any manipulation. It's using comedy as a subtlety.

If you find yourself trying to accomplish a move or maybe needing to get one object somewhere else all sneaky like, why not hide it in comedy.

Sometimes an idea requires something a little sneakier than just plain old misdirection. Sometimes it requires bawls. Having the confidence in yourself and your material to just blatantly make a joke of it. It's not a talent you can buy or learn from any book. It's just good ol' fashioned experience. So the next time yer stuck, make it funny.

Helps with sex too...

Quothe Jimmy Walker....

"KRYP-TO-NITE!!"

Ok so maybe I am paraphrasing a bit. I have been sitting on this thought for a while and since I haven't said much in a while, (and I am reorganizing my character and creativity lecture soon), I thought I would finally hash this ramble out.

Jon Armstrong has a concept he spoke about in (I think) Genii magazine a few years back and I also believe it's part of his lecture. He speaks of trying to figure out your super power. What can you do better than anyone else. You shouldn't be able to do everything on the same level.

While I like the concept I think it is going in the wrong direction... at least for me.

One of my creativity tenets is "magician, restrict thyself". So in the yin to Jon's yang (That sounded less dirty in my head) I offer this thought. Decide what powers you DON'T have.

I will start. I am not a levitator. I do not make things rise in the air. Plain and simple. I don't float shit... in any way. Not with my mind nor with some mysterious spooky powers. Period.

This concept will not only allow you to work on the things you can do, but help you filter out the stuff you won't do. Decide here and now if you don't play with fire... or multiply things... or possibly bend helpless flatware with your brain. Make the decision that you don't create life or pluck paste boards from the air now!

This line of thought is not meant to be an opposing view but more as an addendum to an already solid concept. They are essentially the same thing. One gives you options and the other hones those options to a fine point. The rest is up to you.

Anubis help us all.

I get by with a little...

So one of our fellow amusing wordsmith of the magic variety has a contest like thing going on and has asked me to help spread the word like an STD.

So watch the video and give it a thumbs up will yah? You'll be glad yah did.