Social Distortion...

 Have you ever seen the magic documentary "Make Believe"?

If you can't come in first place...

For those who have not, it captures the magic convention competition scene in it's death throes. These kids were basically the last generation in the magic competition scene, at least in North America.

There was a time when acts "came up together" in the competition circuit. Imagine seeing Juliana Chen, Jason Byrne, Greg Frewin and James Dimmare all vying for a shiny paper weight to put on shelf that said they were "the best"TM.

These acts would see the others other perform, most would be friendly towards each other, and even offer words of advice and encouragement (at least from various reports I've heard). As they would get booked at gigs they might suggest some of these other acts for next year or to be on the same bill. It was, an albeit small, community with many of what we now know as top pros of their time.

I feel the camaraderie has moved overseas as other countries like Spain and Korea have taken to magic as a serious stage art.With conventions like FISM Asia, the competition is a little more stiff with some heavy innovations in what one can get away with in a manipulation act. There is also more emphasis on things like character and originality than we foster here in North America.

So what happened? Well, many of the prestigious competitions here are either gone or their luster has faded. Desert Magic Seminar and the Golden Lion Head's award (celebrating originality) are defunct. The international conventions such as SAM and IBM are often used as stepping stones to FISM but the performing level of the contestants has dropped over time due to the lack of opportunities to hone an act.

The internet is a bit to blame as well as is typically the case. While new info can be seen and shared instantly, you also don't have to wait a year to see your friends and the new stuff they've been working on. There is also a much bigger emphasis on being seen by as many people you can instead of crafting an act and skill set that will carry you across the globe.

As usual it's not one thing that kills an idea, it's a slow build of many factors. Until another "prestigious" opportunity arises that provides notoriety, (as well as monetary gain), it's going to be some time before we see another magic competition scene like the ones we had before.

F in the chat for magic competition.

Dying From Exposure...

Recently someone tagged me in a post of some asshat revealing one of my tricks on social media. This is not the first time it has happened and it won't be last because there are some who believe magic exposure is "The Future" (TM).

I suppose there is a teeny tiny part of me that is flattered something I created is good enough to steal. However, with the rampant exposure and theft on social media it got me thinking about the ratio of people creating magic vs those consuming it for clicks, views, and pennies.

In a previous post I talked about how it takes very little brain energy to steal from someone and put it online. It's the bottom rung on the entertainment ladder. These bottom rung feeders will just keep taking and never contribute. This will cause those who do create to keep more and more to themselves to keep it secret... keep it safe.

Sure there will always be people pumping mediocre magic into the marketplace because it's easy and most of it only looks good on camera anyway. I think that is the reason so much mentalism is being released because it's hard to "reveal" and can't really be done over social media. (And no one really cares)

So to those who attach themselves to the magic community like barnacles I say this: enjoy your ill gotten gains while you can you leeches. One day you will only have yourselves to steal from (more than you already are) and if you show up at a magic function and I steal something from you like your wallet or phone, don't act surprised as to why.

You started this...

 

Is that my final answer?

While I was sitting here packaging up product for my lecture in Atlanta this weekend (not so subtle plug), I had a realization: One of the big issue with magic exposure as a whole is that it requires the least amount of effort. It takes no creativity and, quite frankly, very little brain power. Any idiot can show someone how something works, either on purpose or accident (usually accident). 

 

Easy Like your Mom

 

When I see someone exposing magic online like everyone else it tells me a lot about that person and one of those things is they are out of ideas and/or lazy. They can't be arsed to think of anything better so they have gone the path of least resistance to appease their algorithmic god for a quick buck and some imaginary internet points. 

I like to think of magic as an art regardless of the monetary outcome. I realize others do not have that mindset. They have chosen to throw the only thing they know (and clearly don't respect much) under the bus because they have no other options or skills. That's fine but don't go crying to the rest of us who don't like it when you made the choice to do it in the first place.

Some of us have live performances to do...

Carry your own load (ew)....

To give you some advice I need to tell you a story:

When I first moved to Vegas I started working with a group called "Short Bus Comics". It was all of the experimental and outcast comedians. The ones doing weird characters or experimental stuff. It was aptly named.

Around the same time I saw a post on a forum by a magician lamenting how the video he put up could have been better if the audience member he selected had been more enthusiastic or whatever. My first thought was, "It's not up to the audience member to carry the routine. It should be the performer." 

Those two things made me decide to scrap all of my audience participation material I was doing and not do anything with someone else on stage with me until I had 30 minutes of material I could carry with just myself on stage. Now I could still interact with the audience. Throw them stuff, borrow things, go into the audience, etc, but I wanted a more "comedy club" feel to my material and less "birthday party clown". It forced me to create presentations that were more engaging, entertaining and "adult". 

I eventually had a solid 30 minutes and started adding the odd borrow-a-person routines back into my shows. Those bits got stronger because of the lessons I learned flying solo. It was a necessary challenge to let my performing persona shine through and not be distracted by another warm body on stage with me. 

So my advice for you is to try the same thing. Not necessarily the 30 minute thing, but find ways to be entertaining without the help of someone else.With Covid still fresh on people's minds, the time is nigh to work on material of this type. Learn to write jokes, find magic that stands by itself, maybe develop a silent routine or two to slip in between the talking bits?

Also, I know this journal has been quiet for a while. Unfortunately/fortunately I have been busy with consulting/prop making/escape room making/performing. I do have a backlog of topics I want to complain about and I will try to get to them soon so stay tuned.

Until then...

A prediction...

Within the next 10 years, we will see a magic show on TV that is 100% cgi and stooges but presented as real. Think like Zack King but a total sham. It will be justified because it's for "entertainment" and no one will be the wiser.

I hope I'm wrong.

Where do we go from here?

I recently went down a rabbit hole listening to old Roger Miller tunes I hadn't heard by way of John Denver. It's interesting to watch live footage of these guys performing. Not only did they tend to write all their own music and songs, they were adept showman. It got me thinking about how far away we have gotten from people like this to where we are now where so many of our musical "stars" are manufactured. 

I started to wonder about the emergence of different media and what it took to make it in those new frontiers.

The oldest and most prolific form of entertainment is likely live theater (I include musical performance in this as well). It was the dominant entertainment for a very long time and most media that has come after has always been touched by some form of live theater. When radio emerged, there were radio plays where actors lended their voices to create soundscapes for the people listening at home to envision. 

You also had music being played on the radio which helped a number of people discover new artists and styles they had never heard before. This of course influenced more people to be musicians. Thus, more music makers started to emerge. People who worked hard on their craft be it drums, guitar, singing, etc. You also had to be pretty good to stand out from everyone else. It also helped if you were engaging live (going back to live theater). 

So for a long time, "musician" was the thing to strive for and then movies started to gain traction. Many of the vaudeville comedians and actors of the time started to take advantage of this new medium. Suddenly "movie star" was an option for a career in live performance. Again, you had to study for years in your craft and rehearse, practice, "pay your dues", and have something so many others didn't. Again, live performance ability translated to the new medium and helped others get ahead. The skill and knowledge was visible at every turn.

From there, television became the thing and this is where we start to see a plethora of variety acts get brought to the fore. Shows like Ed Sullivan all the way up to the Gong Show brought us the wild, wacky, and inventive. It gave so many chances they could never reach before. From there, so many saw someone do something cool and was smitten with performing their own act, whatever it might be. From variety shows, we had one off specials, from magic to comedy and everything inbetween. Cable opened even more doors in people's minds. Channels like MTV made the rock star role even MORE desirable than it had been. 

In all of these mediums, you saw and heard people at the top of their game. Much of their success largely attributed to the skill in their chosen field and performing ability (along with a little luck and sometimes business savvy). They worked hard on their craft and it paid off. Now obviously there were outliers but if you want to be inspired look at video of people like Cab Calloway, The Ramones, Fred Astaire, George Carl or any other people who were considered the best of their art.

Fast forward to today, where we have people famous for nothing (or THINK they are famous). The internet has enabled so many to have a presence, which is great in some ways. It lets so many discover new types of art and thoughts they would have never known existed. However, the "skill" now seems to be manipulating numbers and algorithms more than performing ability. 

I often say we are losing masters and they are not being readily replaced. Their shoes are staying empty for far too long. I wonder if it's because the current media is inspiring the wrong things. Of course, who am I to say what is right and wrong? I'm just someone who has seen amazing art by talented performers and I wonder if what we have now is just a watered down version of what came before. I wonder what will inspire future generations to inspire those who come after. Have we reached an impasse? I know entertainment will never die and there will ALWAYS be those who stand out, but originality and dedication to a craft are not rewarded like they once were and it makes me very, very nervous.

Only time will tell I guess.

When is it ok?

Magic has always had it's bouts of "exposure", from Reginald Scot to Penn and Teller, and it has kept plodding on. Various performers have exposed magical props and effects over the years. It's usually for comedic gain or to make a point. Where magical knowledge was once relegated to back rooms of magic clubs or brick and mortar stores, the internet has allowed the widespread exposure of magical secrets to many who wouldn't have given it nary a thought otherwise.

When someone gets called out for sharing a bit too much or the "wrong way", their defense is to always point to someone else and exclaim, "why is it ok for them to do it!?". The answer to that question is up to you ultimately but let's examine some cases shall we? 

At the top of this clip, Harry Anderson straight up shows the gaff of a well known (usually) kids show prop. How he doesn't walk the audience through it's workings, but it's enough for a thinking person to infer what's going on. Now the audience doesn't know this isn't his to show off. For all they know, he invented it and is exposing his own trick. The interesting thing about presentational exposure like this is, when combined with comedy, it has less of a sting. It's the same reason Penn and Teller's "Ripoff of Love" routine is hardly balked at. It's clearly a parody of magical illusions. 

On a personal note, I sit in a weird grey zone with this kind of stuff. While I am ok with certain people using magic for a comedy punchline or using it to make a point, I also don't LIKE it and wouldn't do it myself unless it was my own invention. I think the main thing is, the people who ARE exposing magical effects and apparatus also understand when it's ok and when it's not. The people who get away with it love magic but also know the power of letting people peek behind the curtain a bit.

What about when it's not for comedy? Using P&T as an example again, they have a whole act showing how they do their version of cups and balls utilizing clear cups. While it exposes the basic concept and their routine, by the end, you haven't learned anything. A week later, someone could see another magician do the cups and balls and still be fooled. They know where that fine line is as well as the publicity of making the magic world grumpy. Again, is it ok for them to do it? That's up to you.

I think in this day and age the biggest difference is the intent and reach behind the exposure. It's no longer seemingly for entertainment, education or parody. It's all about views, clicks, likes and other imaginary internet points. (And money, let's not forget that) The audience is much wider and more varied. You can "educate" more people on the internet than you could on TV. Magic has survived exposure of all types and it will always continue marching forward because even people with knowledge can be fooled and entertained. I know how to edit video, but just because I can work Premiere Pro doesn't lessen my enjoyment of movies any less.

We will survive.

Consent is sexy...

There is a bit of drama in the magic community as of late (more than usual I should clarify). A known magician who is now part of a cabal of other performers who create "prank" videos for money on fb decided to... I dunno... test the waters(?) of magic as a vehicle for pranks. The problem is, they did such by exposing a well known principle in magic. The magic community at large was up in arms and for good reasons obviously.

The main gripes I have heard are:

• Betrayal - Many who were fans of this performer's magic and creativity previously felt like this was a slap in the face to anyone who respected and/or looked up to them.
• Exposure - This one is obvious, but if it was their own creation, no one would have cared. Sadly, this was not the first magical effect they had exposed, it was just the first people had caught wind of. 
• Guilt by Association - The producer of these kinds of videos had already cut a major divide between himself and the community previously. The videos are of lackluster quality and perceived as existing merely for likes, shares and fat stacks of cash.(Mostly that last one) 
• No Real Reason -  The videos outcome would have been the same had they just cut the secret or used something different. There was no real ascertainable reason to make the video other than views and to throw magic under a bus.
  

Whenever something like this occurs in the community, the defense/excuse tends to fall on "Well THIS person exposes stuff and no one cares" or "it's ok to sell magic secrets or put it in books so why is this not ok?". This kind of deflection tends to be their main defense and smart people counter it with "We are not talking about them, this is about you".  Regardless of their reasons, none of them hold water because the main difference here is Intent. 

When magic is taught or bought, the person had to actively seek it out. They had to already have some sort of inherent interest in gaining that knowledge. They had to, even if it's only a little bit, put in some effort. What has happened recently is essentially the magic equivalent of someone walking up to you on the street completely unprovoked and saying "This is how a thumbtip works. Ok. BYEEEEEEE!" and running away. You did not ask to know that secret nor have any intent on ever knowing it. It was just thrust upon you with no consent.

Ok so, what about the people who found magic through exposure? I have heard a handful of people in their 30s say that one of the things that got them into magic was the Secrets Revealed specials (with the masked magician). I will be happy to tell you the difference between that and what is going on currently.

When one watched those specials not only did you get to see magic performed you also got to see what it looked like first. You could then decide if you wanted to know the secret or not. You could walk away if so inclined. In the aforementioned video, the secret was shoved in front of you in the first 3 seconds. (Technically sooner cuz of the thumbnail) You had no choice if you clicked play. You also did not see magic presented as the performing art it's meant to be. It was a cheap throwaway gag with no meaning.

Of course the minority who produces this content is claiming that the magic community doth protest too much. However, when things like this happen, the community SHOULD be vocal about it. There should be a discourse of some kind. Perhaps someone from the next generation will see it and say, "huh... I don't think this is the way magic should be presented. I don't want to alienate myself". I feel the damage these kinds of videos will do to the next crop of magicians will be felt long after the perpetrators have cashed their checks and faded away.

I hope I am wrong, but I can already see the ripples.