Magic Shop Blues

So I'm out in Hollywood, CA right now. Within walking distance of Hollywood magic. Now I am not gonna say people in CA are superficial or stuck up.. but there are the odd fucknut here and there. Case in point....

Hollywood magic. I decided to go in and look around. I asked the first guy I saw what was new and amusing. Looking up from his book he said something to the effect of, "Yah sure over there". He nodded and then went back to his magic tome. So this older gentleman came out from the back and showed me some of the stuff I already knew was out but I like to make magic shops workers jump through hoops.

Before I get to the amusing part of the story I want to say this: I have been to many magic stores in my life and most of them are full of bitter guys who don't wanna show you stuff because yer not well known, their friend, or up to it. This is why the internet is kicking the brick and mortar shops ASS. No one to with a bad attitude to deal with behind the counter. Just point, click, and the only people who bother you are the credit card companies.

So anyway, back to my magical trip.... I decided to be coy and ask the older gentleman, who had the complexion of Bill Murray, if they happened to carry the book that came out on the razor blade trick called Helter Shelter. His reply? "it's out of print." I said "Really? It's fairly new" His response was golden. "Yah it's already out of print."

Being the author I realised A: He's full of shit. B: He didn't want to chance I was going to ask him to special order it. So long story short, Don't go to Hollywood Magic. Instead hit up the shop in Annaheim. There is a much friendlier shop there.

Tomorrow I go to the magic castle and make even less friends in magic. Wheeeeeeee...

Bizzaro.

Am I mad? I'm a bit mad. I really am. It's not the 80's anymore. Any imagination or creativeness established then has flourished and anything from the mid-90's and beyond has been made to SUCK the life out of us. We are not a thinking people anymore and it seems we're happy that way. I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore. What the hell is WRONG with the entertainment business!? We're stuck in a damn time warp I swear.

The only ting that seems to thrive is Rip offs of European Circus (Another thing we have Canada to thank for.) what the hell happened to objective entertainment. Letting something be just because it looked cool. Now we want non-thinking, non-feeling, unoriginal tripe. If I hear one more time that an act can't be booked because it is too unique. It makes me sick to my stomach to think what the future holds. Do we really hold ourselves in such a high regard that reality TV is all we are interested in. Where are the Neverending Stories, the Labyrinths, the seeds of childhood. Oh wait I forgot.. they all got RAPED IN THE ASS BY THE MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT!!

There is a small cadre of people trying to break free the underground and bring crazyness into the light. Criss Fishing Rod is a damn poser... with crappy hair. How can YOU help? By joining in the fight and supporting the alternative arts. Remind yourself there is more to life than LOST and Survivor and crappy talent shows like America's got what we want you to believe is talent. Who won that show? A damn SINGER!! Oh there is a shock! Don't we already have a show for those fuckers!? I'm sick of it. If you're not gonna help us fight this war, be prepared to become a damn casualty because I personally will gut you with a playing card... the five of spades to be exact.

I say to thee... fight the power. We're on the outside looking in and I will not stand by and see the mundane take control.

Not by a long sot.

Bizzaro.

Hey there. Took a bit of a break for a while to do other stuff.. like work. This last weekend the principle footage for Helter Shelter: The Movie was filmed. Now editing a kimbo is to be had.. but that's not why I am here. Nay!

WMS (World Magic Seminar) happened last month (Yes I am a bit behind) and I finally looked up the winners of the contests. I took a gander at http://petebiro.blogspot.com/ and saw in the photos that three girls won the teen cometitions. Way to go chicas!!

Wait.. you mean that one chick is a dood? Musta been the hair. "Weren't you that girl in Hanson?"

Anywho, glad to see more femmes are getting intrested in magic and STAYING in it well into their teens. There may be hope yet. Speaking of magical girlies here is your link for the day http://www.joandukore.com

It's a mind boggling thang.

Bizzaro.

Magic quote of the day.. transleated from German.

"At what are you surprised really still?
As easy it is to lead the human understanding mad."

I'll explain later.

Bizzaro.

Welcome to another "we don't know why it's a holiday" day. Today's post is not about love or anything like that. Just a mere musing as to who the HELL carries around insects to do magic with on a daily basis (Andrew Goldenhersh aside of course)

So yer paying almost 100$ for... a packet of ladybug seeds? I dunno. It seems like a neet idea but fairly impractical. Not one of those "Hey do that blood bug trick for my friend" and you're always ready to go. Impromptu? Hardly. Amusing? Probably.

Tho' the alternate blood to heart thing strikes me as amusing...

and is as close to Valentines day this post is gonna get.

Bizzaro.

PS: It seems my paradeI submitted to the Linking Ring got published. Read it. It contains magical yummyness.

Maaaaaaaamrieeees.....

The pinnacle of comedy club magic in the 80's was The Amazing Johnathan and THIS guy. Paul Kozak. I'm fairly sure I was at this show but regardless, Kozak was one of the only magicians who made a salt pour, THIS, and manipulation kool in a comedy club. (That I ever saw at least). All that and he's one of the only peoeple I have ever seen who uses multiplying pipes and does them well. So aside from his bulk of flash string and use of swing music, he was a funny guy. (Who also did a kid's show in the daytime.. I dunno.)

So today in Magician Hell we salute Kozak. May he forever continue to kick ass. (Even if his salt pour was a bit pricey.)

Bizzaro.

I love you all like you were my own kin...

Well not really, but regardless, as one of the few remaining magic journals left from the big boom back in 03' . It has been over 4 years since I started this little project. I have NO idea who reads it and I don't want to know. However, I am not an un-appreciative A-hole. So for my glorious readers I have a gift for you. We recently found a box in storage of shirts we did not sell back lo' those many years ago. No point in keeping them laying around (Except to use as crappy X-mas gifts) thus I am offering you a Special Limited Edition Bizzaro show shirt for damn near nothing. A 20$ value!!


That's the back design right there. How can you resist!? That's right YOU CAN'T!! How can you aquire one of these finely crafted pieces of Bizzaro history? Simple. Donate $3.00 for S&H and it's yours!! You can't beat that! Pee Wee Herman couldn't beat that!! (And that's saying something.)

So click that button now and we'll even throw in a free signed color 8x10!!

All of this for reading the ramblings of a madman. Good for you.

Give em' an inch...

I have said many times that if you feed someone a little truth they will accept a LOT of BS. If you tell them something they can hold on to or put in their pocket to believe, you can sell them damn near anything.

Example: On occasion I will tell people that we cannot make things vanish as matter cannot be created nor destroyed. Thusly we make it teleport from our hand to another location they cannot see... like our pockets. Perhaps from one hand to the other. (Demonstrating thusly)

That is something they can believe in cuz' it sounds technical enough and it uses concepts they have seen on TV and read about in fantasy and sci-fi mediums.

Give anyone enough rope and they will hang themselves or their ideals with it.

Bizzaro.

You tell me why....

Never give up, never surrender...

One of THE hardest things to do in life is fail.. or do what we perceieve as failure. As children we are educated that you MUST succeed and not reaching a certain goal is bad. Games, homework, sports, video games. Everything is against us to constantly attack our sefl esteem. Along with commercials and ads preying upon our in-bred insecurities. Face it, we're screwed from the get go. (I won't even go into the deep seated issues our parental units inflict upon us from THEIR failed lives)

In magic tho' we are in the job to make the impossible a reachable goal. In that pursuit, we often do not succeed right off. Some people are SO afraid of failure that they will not try or try to fix what is the start of a good idea. Failure is just a word and it only has the power in which you put into it. Let's say that instead, that failure does not mean "Lack of succeeding" but rather "The wrong way to achieve what you want". Still sounds bad sure, but it does not mean you did not accomplish your goal, but rather found a way NOT to do it.

If you find yourself wanting to do a trick a certain way and it will not work, do NOT give up. There is ALWAYS another way. Nothing is impossible. (Except for the things that are.) As I have said before, the only people who do not succeed are the ones who give up. It's hard to be determined, but it's harder to regret something you never did. No matter how hard it gets, no matter how bleak it seems, if you're going thru hell, keep going.

Anything is possible.

Hey kids. Welcome to the first post of 2007!!

We here at Fire Cat Studios have been busy with shows all of Dec. and now many projects will be finished up this month. (Including the long awaited Helter Shelter: The Movie, filmed at the 13th Street Morgue.)

So aside from some website updates and a little writing project that I am going to leave a surprise for you later on in the month, I have been thinking about magic. (Shocker I know.) Now despite being a stage magician at heart, I do like to devise clever stuff for ALL magical situations. Sometimes it's just a handling that fits me better. Allow me to elaborate...

Someone once told me that linking rings should be thus.. "Two rings.. they link.. they unlink.. next!" To some degree that is true. After the first time, it's just the same base thing over.. and over.. and over.. and .. well you get the idea. Same with ambitious card. We don't need 10 phase routines. Three times with a REALLY strong fourth is best. Otherwise it's flogging a dead horse. This all goes back to a post I made a long while ago that just because a prop can do a lot of things, doesn't mean you SHOULD perform them all.

I saw another three coins across trick on the market recently. Chris Kenner started Three Fly and it has been variation upon variation ever since. Jay Sankey and Greg Wilson have their un-gimmicked sleight of hand versions. Shoot Ogawa has his sneaky ass asian version using muscle passes. Everyone has their fave.. everyone except me.

In an experiment, I started doing a bit where I only make ONE coin jump from one hand to the other. I do it twice tho'. I don't make a big thing of showing my hands empty, it's very straight forward and quick. Coin in right hand, closed fists. Coin in left hand, right hand empty. I do it twice because it is actually more amazing the SECOND time. Magic is odd like that. Some are best once, others twice, and some adhere strictly to the rule of three.

It's true what they say... less is more.

Bizzaro.

Ok so.. let's talk about something I am PRETTY sure has been touch on here before... but hey beating dead things is a good way to spend a day right?

Levitation. In some magician's eyes, the ULTIMATE magic trick. Levitating things with wire and string and bits of metal and... and... gawd the list goes on. There have been many many, too many versions of the balducci since the Asshat made it uber-popular. The elevator, zero gravity boots, king rising, icarus effect (And it's various versions), and now the FLY lev. (I left out some I know.)

What is the obsession with the holy grail of Asshattery... the "Street levitation"? In my experience of dealing with drunks, kids, and the like if you levitate yourself, they assume you can levitate ANYTHING. "Wow that was cool, here make my car float" "Hey that was neet what else can you do that to.. here try my cell phone".

If they don't do that, it comes down to "Do it again, do it again!" so they can look under your feet. Personally I don't think it is worth it. I say float a small object and if they ask if you can float yourself like on TV say.. "yes". No need to prove it.

Chances are they aren't gonna give you any money anyway.

Bizzaro.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"

So a fairly new effect on the market has gotten people all a-buzz. It's called WOW. (Which when spelled backwards is also wow but upside down it's mom.) Now I dunno about you guys, but when I first saw it I immediately thought of an old trick called "The Hidden Sun" (Bottom Right). For those who remember it, you know what I am talking about.

What amazes me is that I saw that effect and IMMEDIATELY went, "Well duh". As usual with magic, just cuz' you can figure it out doesn't make it any less cool. It looks good and that's all that matters right?

This alllll goes back to usual rant about how today's magicians should study the world around them and be knowledgeable of their magical past to a degree. This is not the first time this technology has been used for a trick (or even a science experiment.)

Ah but the Japanese exploit technology and make it their bitch so in turn they can make US their bitch as well. Same old song and dance aye?

Personally I thought Contra Vision had something to do with a video game.

Bizzaro.

All right let's talk about the shiny new distraction in magic right now. It's called Stuck!. Now at 10$ for a fairly visual coin vanish, that's not too bad in this day and age. (Yay instant gratification society)

I actually ponied up the cash for this... which is rare for me. When I decide to spend my pay pal funds I better not be disappointed. I wasn't really. The hype is true tho' it is impromptu (By that I mean nothing added or taken away.) There is something the demo doesn't show you, BUT it's not THAT big a deal. (As opposed to OTHER demo's) Don't let me scare you off with that statement. There is something you have to do to make the trick work, and as much as I wanna make a joke at it's expense I can't without tipping the method... and if I had to pay for it by gawd so do YOU.

I do think the handling and presentation is a bit "Magicky" (Is that a word?) but the best thing about coin magic, (And most difficult to convey to people), is that it is very personality based... so sez Jay Sankey. He's right tho'. The moves, patter, body language, and everything else that goes into a GOOD coin vanish SHOULD vary from performer to performer. The guy who sells Stuck!, his handling and presentation won't work for me anymore than it should work for you.

So be a good consumer, support the arts, get a new trick, fit it to yer style, love it, learn it, use it as yer own.

You'll be glad you did.

Bizzaro.

The 5 stages of a bad show...

Anger
Dispair
Depression
Acceptance
Determination

At least it is for me.

Bizzaro.

Is it live?

Or is it Memorex? Is it magic? Is it art? Is it both? Ask a magician he might say it's a zombie ball routine. Ask someone else it might be a dance. It's an act like this that can be a blessing in disguise because you can be booked as many different things. The best part is it doesn't take much to perform... except the years and YEARS of practice and study of movement, magic, and make-up/costuming. (Among other things) Surpassing the norm and creating something that transcends the stigma of "magician" or "Juggler" is the goal of any performance artist.

My good friend Jeb Sherrill and his wife performed on a french TV show with this guy, (Doing their magic art act) and said it is incredible to see live.

Do you think he would do well over here? (Said with a pinch of Sarcasm)

Bizzaro.

Ok ok so contest time!! I know I know the other contests I have had were kinda lackluster.. but this one will be fun and easy (Like my ex).

At the beginning of 2007 we will be finishing filming of Helter Shelter: The Movie and if you, yes YOU, would like a free copy all you have to do is.... find me the worst magicians website EVAR!!!

I of course will be the judge. There is a LOT to sift thru and my criteria is fairly open. It could be a horrid layout, terrible media, lame concept, or all around fitting 10 pounds of suck in a 5 pound bag.

I will not however accept crappy text only websites as poor cuz' while they are bad, they are bad with no content. You have until X-mas.

------

With that in mind I wanna talk about magic wesbites for a second. Some might say that there are two types of websites. Ego pages and business pages. Ego pages are personal pages made to stroke one's ego and put up things. This also includes pages for your pets or friends, etc. Business pages.. well.. duh. I think magic websites are a bit of both. There is a point where the lines blur and then, sadly, cross. You want the page to be personally ego stroking without being too terribly ass kissing. You also have to appeal to the bidness side of things and look moderately professional... even if yer not. The biggest illusion in magic, is to make yourself look important, or even more decpetive, cool.

Magic websites will NOT generally get you booked. You have to work on agents and whatnot to do that. A magic website serves primarily as an online promo packet as well as another way to be seen by the populace at large. (My site is designed the way it is for mainly these reasons) I know MANY pros whose site is notthat great, but it gets the point across without looking amateur-ish. If you can't do it, learn. If you can't learn it, bribe someone who can do it.

So on with your misson. Find me a crappy site, and DON'T make one of your own!

Bizzaro.

Someone asked me about magic on TV back in the 90's. I decided to go a bit farther back with the history of magic on TV... more or less.

The 60's had Mark Wilson and Doug Henning... Stage magic.
The 70's Doug Henning and David Copperfield... Stage magic
80's? David Copperfield.... yup.. you guessed it.. stage magic.
Most of the 90's... World's Greatest Magic, Lance Burton, Rudy Coby, etc... Mostly stage magic.

1998 - The rise of the Asshat. Yup "Street" magic got it's firm nasty little grip on the world and the youth of magic was forever changed.
2000's: Criss Angel sez', "I want some of that Street Magic Money". Good stage performer from what I have heard and seen. Gets on Tv and gets all "Street cred" and goes right to hell.

Here is my pondering for tonight. When does the effect supersede your ethics? Copperfield was well known for using stooges to get the desired effect or joke to happen every time (Still is). Did effects you could ONLY do on TV really or involved clever camera angles. No real editing or special FX just creative use of the technology. He did ride a fine line but kept mostly on the side of ethics.

You'll notice no TV magic shows anymore say, "Everything you see here is live and is exactly what you would be seeing if you were here". If they did it would be a big fooking lie. The Asshat did stuff you could ONLY do with camera editing and specially built store fronts. Criss Angel did one better and got actors and jerky ass editing to do his bidding.

The worst part is with the loss of a major stage magic influence, today's kids are missing that flair for the dramatic and the rhythm that comes with being a stage performer. They only influence they see is the best thing magic can be is a close up guy in T-shirt and jeans saying "Waaaaatch".

Now I am being a bit pessimistic I know, but hey stick with what yer good at. Someone told me stuff goes in cycles. Well I say after almost 40 years of stage magic as an influence, this whole damn close up street harassment better not last that long. There will always BE stage performers, but with little mass influence on the public, it's subtle nuances may very well fall by the wayside and become merely pages in a book or pictures on a screen.

I'm just a tad worried thaz all.

Bizzaro.
(Who sez yah have to be cheery on a holiday?)

What exactly is magician hell you ask? Well today it's This Guy.

Bizzaro.

"For the summer that's once lost now is gone..."

So I'm here listening to this tune and there is a line that made me think about our activity in magic. It goes as thus...

"For your world won't change while you sleep" - Flogging Molly

It's true too. If you take a passive casual observer stance to not only magic but life as well nothing will change. Your magic, your achievements, anything really. You can sit at home and practice your faro or double lift. Watch video after video, read book after book on magic and technique.. but if you don't go out in the world and practice your art it's just gonna stagnate.

If you take an aggressive mindset to change your life, magic, or people's viewpoint no matter what it's for then you are at least changing something even if it's just ONE person's mind. I have encountered a few people who don't like magic for one reason or another. Sometimes cuz' they have seen a poor performer or.. ten. If you make an effort to get out there and show these people a better world then.. your their world.. and your might just change a bit.. and for the better.

Life... and magic... is not a spectator sport.

Bizzaro.