Nothing ventured...

I was looking thru my link tracker for my website and came across an old post on a forum about razor blades (I have a book and DVD about it remember?). On there someone had talked about performing the effect at school and this was someone's response: "Why would you be performing this at school? You could get caught with razors and be either suspended or worse expelled."

Let me tell you why young puritan soul. It's because taking chances is what makes you evolve!

If you don't push your boundaries and find out what you can get away with you will never discover what might lie beyond your safe little walls you hide yourself in. To create art you have to challenge the world and yourself. Do things that scare you and maybe other people. You have to step outside your comfort zone to see what's out there. Don't worry tho'...

You can always come back.

Band together....

I started doing magic in bars and live music venues when I was 16. It's a whole different world. One that you need to be at the very least interesting to keep their attention.

All of that aside, the music scene, like most of the live entertainment world, has rules. The funny thing is these rules can apply to a lot of things, but magic is at the top of that list.

Read On.

Ruminate upon this...

Turd on a wire...

For those of you who may not know about it, T11 has an area called "The Wire". It's a place to upload your creations (after they are quality checked which is good) and sell for a bit of cash. About a month ago I put an effect on there as an experiment. I can say it's not going to make you rich but it's nice to make a small bit of cash while doing nothing.

Regardless, while on their forum I saw someone post this nugget of info, "all my trick will go for 0.99cause that how much i will pay for a trick". That, ladies and gentlemen, is the mindset of the current generation.

In a previous post I mused about how this kind of direct access and saturation would drive the value and price of magic down while increasing the demand for unpublished material.

I'm not going to say I told you so but...

Quick like a bunny!!

The first person to film themselves doing 6 card repeat for a REAL audience and ending it with the line, "And that's 1, 2,3,4,5,6 minutes of your life you'll never get back" will get free stuff from me.

Here's a watermelon and a gun GO GO!!

Twats...

Something I saw on my twitter. It reminded me of EVERY magic forum I have been on.

"REMINDER: If you're about to tell someone why you don't like something they made and aren't going to buy it, stop. They DO NOT CARE."

Some settling may occur...

The straightest path between two points is a straight line... but damn that straight line can be boring. Sometimes you want to take the scenic route.

I have been working on a good way to switch a folded card for a while now. The methods ranged from so very simple to the overly complicated. Each had their problems as I had a list of parameters I needed to meet. (There is a big difference between clever and practical)

This is one of the keys to creativity: Getting what you want.

When you are working on a routine or creating something new there will be people who say "Why not just do it this way or that". These suggestions might make sense but do not fulfill the requirements you have in mind. It's your magic, therefore it needs to make you happy (as well as the people watching too). There is always an answer, however you sometimes have to just go with what works so you can get the routine out there and eventually the answer will present itself.

So my advice to you is the next time you are trying to create something make a list (mental or physical) of the things you want to get out of it and that has to happen (end clean, certain card in this position, certain prop being in this pocket for later, etc) and make it so...

make it just so.

Murphy's Laws

Today is a rare document uncovered by a man who obviously spent too much time in an attic with a tinfoil hat on. It has been preserved at a different location. Click the image to read it.

Weezing the Juice

Today's contributor is one of our prominent buskers here in Las Vegas. All the single ladies, put yer hands up for GRNDL.

An older magician once told me “There’s only 2 reasons a magician goes to a magic show. To make fun of or to steal.” With his new appeal fresh in the news, I remembered this old clip of a little known magician named Orenthal James Simpson. That’s right. O.J. Go ahead and watch the clip if you haven’t.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3F7nkkxOO8

Now let’s see how I can sort this into what I can steal and what I can laugh at.

First, Bea Arthur’s lines about a “smile more dazzling than his golden awards” and “all-around Mr. Wonderful” makes me giggle. Accolades like that, from a Golden Girl no less, have gotta be worth something in Lovelock Correctional Center. But let’s focus on the magic.

Now I realize that this is Circus of the Stars and this is not what these folks are trained to do. OJ, at this point, was used to being on the field, not the stage. He feels a bit awkward at first, fumbling with the scarf in his hand. He explains that he’s rather new at this, as his eyes flit around the audience. We know he knows we know he’s an amateur. Then he tells his story of being inspired to do magic by Muhammed Ali. Strange inspiration, like being inspired to paint by Tony Bennett, but it works as the misdirection to produce the cane. He’s used his knowledge of his awkward nervousness to lull me in, hit me off guard with a name drop, and produced the cane in a way most magicians don’t. And I like it. It’s not the usual flash vertical appearance. It’s a slow, horizontal appearance and it looks very nice. 

Ideas stolen: Embrace the awkward energy that comes at the beginning of the show, the bit before you get your “stage legs” workin right. Sometimes, just the tiniest tweaks on an old effect can make it seem new again, or Goodwill new. 

Laughed at: The awkward hand-off to the assistant after.

He then goes into a silk-thru-cane routine. After the first penetration, he seems to have gained his stride and stage legs. Then he establishes his character: football player. He lets his character share about his life and then made an analogy using magic. This gives him the freedom to talk comfortably instead of sounding rehearsed as he goes through his routine. 

Stolen: Make sure the script reflect your character and make those scripts about something you are interested in and can talk freely on.

Laughed at: Another awkward transition. (1:45) “The great thing about magic is how things just appear out of nowhere”. Not here. I think it came out of her butt while you were digging around there, but that could just be me.

As he ties the white and blue scarves, he starts to head down the dread “Path of Explanation“, the needless narration of what you are doing. But only long enough to establish what he’s doing. He then goes to a character reference about hand injuries, spiced up with name dropping. Name dropping can work for you, too, if not overdone.

Stolen: Have a script prepared for the procedural parts. Explanation minimal.

Laughed at: “In Buffalo, our colors were red, white, and blue” That applies to all NFL team, Juice.

The byplay between him and the assistant about the candle, sucked. But I liked the idea of her holding the flame as he walks away. Stolen.

His movements during the jumping color sequence was a bit awkward, but again, he used it to lull you before producing the bird. Then another awkward hand-off and an oops at 3:45. Bad steal. Don’t wanna start a habit of those. He then transforms the bird into a scarf, and we come back full circle. He looks the same as he did when he first came onstage. Subliminal callback. Neat idea. Stolen. And he needs to push it further. He needs a finale or it will feel like a pointless journey. But then, wait…what the hell is that in the background? Her dress? Has she been wearing that the whole time? Looks like it was designed by a lazy hooker. He then calls all the kids (using “sweetheart” which is bad enough to use on little girls, but creeps me out when used on little boys) to cheer as he produces Bea Arthur.

Lessons Learned

What to do: Use nervous energy or awkwardness to an advantage. Slow down when you are nervous.  Try things in other ways than the way you’ve always seen them done. Recognize the lulls and procedural moments and script accordingly. Keep scripts consistent with character. Write scripts on subjects that interest you. Keep explanation to a minimum. Keeping a flame stationary while moving the fuel source, looks cool. Subliminal callbacks. Come full circle, then push one step beyond. Talk to kids like you would talk to an adult. Include naked pictures of Bea Arthur on a list of demands so you can plead insanity later. (Guess OJ never saw Airheads)

What not to do: Murder my ex and her boyfriend. Get cocky about getting away with murder and write a book. Rob people at gunpoint at Palace Station. Remind a fellow inmate of my dazzling smile.

Thanks, Nevada Inmate #02648927. I’ve learned from you. Now I will return to laughing at you.

Being an Artist

Du kennst ihn, du liebst ihn, er ist der kreative Kopf hinter Wöchentliche Magie Failure. Sag hallo zu Roland.

I read a quote once: "An artist is somebody who is under the delusion that his contributions to life are more valuable than those of others." I can't tell you who said that, but I assume he must have been through a rough period of life. And by that I mean, he has met people who think of themselves as artists.

Is magic art? Certainly not. The same way painting is not art and music is not. It's just paint on a canvas, just notes following each other. But it can be. The colors can be combined with such skill that the overall image creates an emotional reaction that the observer experiences. The notes can be arranged in such an order, that listeners weep with emotions as they get sucked into an area of their memory that connects the most with the music. And that creates emotions. Various emotions. Art can make you laugh, cry, be angry, mad, speechless and remorseful. It can make you think, or question your beliefs. It can change your whole prospect of life. It can start a discussion leading to interesting answers. It can be a monument of silence. Most often, art truly has a devastating impact on those who observe it.

Now apply that to a card trick! Seems pathetic doesn't it. When was the last time a pick a card trick made you cry? When was the time an Ambitious Card made you question your position in life? Where am I going with this? Well, most magic is not art, therefore the magician is not an artist.

So what the hell are we? Entertainers! It is our job to invade a certain time slot in some body's life and entertain them. If we are lucky we manage to put our personality in this, so people remember the magician, instead of remembering that there was a magician.

If you still try being an artist consider this: Most people, most often don't want to see "art". People go to the movies to be entertained. To have a certain time slot in their life be filled with something that is a spectacle. That is the main function. That's what they pay for. It can be art. But that would only be secondary. First it needs to entertain. So if there is a moral to all of this: Be entertaining! Create an atmosphere that people think that only 5 minutes have passed where in reality it was 20 minutes. That's the true essence of entertainment. To make time pass quickly.

Art most often does the opposite.

Randi Rains on your parade...

Today's guest column comes from a very talented prop maker and designer, Randi Rain

When I was asked to write something for this blog, it was suggested I write about how I am always “bitching” about magicians “bitching” about props that they have bought. Bitching is a magicians favorite past time, but I am tired. I am oh so tired. Like I heard from my mother all of the time growing up, “I don't know how much more I can stand.” So complaining about magicians complaining is not going to help, and I don't have it left in me to even try.

So I thought instead I would go a different route this time. I will attempt to explain to magicians how to buy their props so that they don't piss me off. It's really not that hard either. If every magician will follow two simple rules, everything will be just fine.

The first rule is to know that you are not a review board. You should never buy a magic item where your sole intention is really to go on the magic cafe and tell people what you think of it. You are not an authority. If you were, you wouldn't need to buy anything in the first place. Of course we all know that some stuff is just junk and thrown out there for a quick buck, and if that is the case it should be mentioned, but original items are not the same thing. Remember this part. If you buy an original prop from an original creator, meaning “one of a kind”, then you can't be an expert. Now you may have suggestions. There may be parts you would like to change, but going and telling the magic cafe world isn't going to help that in any way, shape, or form. All you have done is confused the whole thing and any progress on improvements that you would have liked has pretty much come to a halt. So instead, you should contact the creator, not complaining mind you!, but telling them what you wished the improvements would be. More than likely they will do them for you and the product will grow. See, pretty simple so far. Rule 1: You're not an authority.

Now the second rule is even simpler. This rule is, don't buy a piece of magic expecting it to make you a magician. If you can break down your reason of your purchase to, “this makes me a magician”, do not purchase it because it is not true. You should first have an idea. You should have a direction that you want to go. This way you can know what you need to buy. The key word there is “need”. For example. A routine that requires a vanish of a bottle would need such a prop, so therefor Neilson would be a good choice. So you go buy one. You should never buy a prop, such as the one in the example, and then expect IT to make you a routine. If you are one that does that, then you have know idea how entertainment works and shouldn't be attempting it. You should also go back and reread the first rule.

Now there is an exception to this rule, and that is where you see a prop and it triggers an idea. That happens a lot in people who know what they are doing. You see, people who know what they are doing are always thinking. Thoughts are flying through constantly even to the point of insanity some times. Those who are able to stay sane, organize those thoughts in little cubbyholes inside the brain. They are there waiting for the key that unlocks them, and sometimes that key is a new prop that they have discovered. You can plainly see that it's still a not expecting the piece of magic to make you a magician. It is a magician making the prop a piece of magic.

So many people, who call themselves magicians, buy pieces of magic on a whim. People buy on impulse. They have to have that new thing that they think will make them a magician. One could say, “they are like kids in a candy store.” Well, not really. They are more like perverted deviants in a sex shop trying to find out what new apparatus there is that they can stick in some orifice. It gets to the point of being sickening some times. That's not what magic is, but!.. If you must, because it may be a disease that can't be helped, reread rule number one. Rule 2: Have a need.

Those are the rules. Pretty simple in my mind, but maybe some people don't understand the “why” with these rules. Let me explain. I build, create, invent magic because people ask me to. There are people out there that want me to share what I can do with the rest of the world. That's because there are a lot of people out there with a need for me share what I can do. There are a lot of ideas out there and even more locked up in those cubbyholes I talked about earlier. Original creators are not out to scam anyone. They are not out to rip people off. They are just simply trying to make a living. No different than anyone else in this world. So remember this the next time you feel the urge to blab about some apparatus that didn't quite get you off hard enough.

Go Naked!

To kick guest week off here is some words of wisdom from the pitbull of magic - Christopher Lyle 
 

For all of you restaurant workers out there like myself, I present you with a challenge...

Next time you go to work in your restaurants, take nothing with you. You heard me...Nada! Not even a deck of cards. Empty pockets, no rubber bands on your wrist...NOTHING!

Play your entire shift by pulling from your environment. Can you do it? If you can't, then you're a slave to your "props" and they will always own you. I know it's fun to whip out the coolest piece of shiny and unleash it on the masses, but is this really furthering the art of magic?

A true performer should be able to take nothing and make it into something. Every so often, I will "go naked" as it's a nice change of pace and keeps me sharp. Can you be equally entertaining and amazing with nothing as you can with a pocket full of magic shop fodder?

What would happen if you got to your restaurant and you locked your keys in your car with nothing on you? Your gear was inside along with your wallet. You had to be inside in just minutes to begin...what would you do? Would you buckle under the pressure or would you be able to provide your audience with world class magical entertainment?

If you prepare for these little moments in time, then it won't be a big deal when they do occur. It also provides you with a challenge and the opportunity to think "outside of the box of cards" and really focus on entertaining your audience.

A magician can only perform magic with his props and toys. But an artist can do far more. What are you? There's nothing wrong with only being a magician, but personally...I want to strive to be more.

The true artist should be able to show up with nothing and do miracles. If you can't, then you should work towards it. It will make you better in the long run!

I remember the first time...

I saw someone do Snowstorm in China. I thought to myself, "That's a lot of confetti".

Therein lies the problem with the effect. It uses something everyone is familiar with. We know it's not "snow". I am not actually sure what the effect really is in that trick. Turning wet paper into little bits of dry paper maybe? I'm not sure the audience knows either.

How old is this trick? Well for one it was in Tarbell. That makes it at least 70 years old... and we still do it. Most of you the same... damn... way.

I was recently at a show where a small child said to his father "I remember this from the other show we saw". That, ladies and gentlemen, is the shit you don't hear when you are performing. I am telling you now it's played out. It's done. It's over. Time to give it up. Put the fans away and toss the bits of paper. You're done.

The snow has melted.

Night Crawlin'....

Old effect, new instructions.

Bamf!

N*Joy.

It finally happened...

When hell is full, the dead will make their own card decks.

When the Blue Crown announced it's website "House of Playing Cards" and the promise of "something never before blah blah blah" I knew it had to be the ability to create your own custom decks.

Damn I'm Good.

If you thought the flood of vanity decks was bad now, just wait til' every yahoo who thinks they know how to design stuff gets their hands on this. We are going to see a HUGE flux in custom decks soon. From the horribly tacky to beautifully autistic... er... artistic.

It's a new era and I am curious to see how long this plays out. This is a great tool but like all tools, must be used properly. Tho' to be honest...

I am very tempted to make my own.

PS: Next week is another guest week. It's been too long. Stay tuned for my special friends and their random thoughts.

Lick it, stick it..

Jeff McBride posted some advice on his Facebook from a teacher past.

The idea of making every move deliberate is a good one. For those of you who need to hear it from a magician, Vernon was known for similar advice. Remove any extraneous moves until you can accomplish the same thing in as few motions as possible (paraphrasing like a mofo here).

The most direct path between two points is a straight line (unless it's on a globe. Thank you Batman: The Animated Series for that one) so why do we tend to meander thru our magic with so much wasted motion and moments. If you need all that posturing to waste time in the music, maybe you need to find some better material?

Take the advice in the article and see if you can posit-ively impact your performance by trying something new from someone who knew what they were doing.

We can still learn from our mistakes.

Hey magician, leave those kids alone...

This is a post I have been sitting on for a while.

Someone associated with the SAM (which stand for "Some Are Magicians" I think) in an online podcast asked for ideas on how to get younger people to come to magic conventions. The problem with asking something like this is they are going to get many answers, but will ignore the ones they don't agree with even if they are right.

My one big piece of advice is actually hire people younger kids wanna see. No offense to Johnny Thompson, but how many conventions a year does he do? Why not do some research or maybe even ask who they younger generation would care to see? Who would they shell out cold hard cash to go hang out with in person? Why not fire these close minded gits who don't know jack about the modern magic world and just keep hiring who THEY want to see?

This brings me to other sad truth about all of this... The younger generation doesn't need conventions anymore!!

They have skype, facebook ,and even online lectures now. They no longer need to shell out cash they don't have to interact with performers and friends. They don't need a dealer's rooms. They can get all they need on the internet. If your convention cannot offer up something they can't get elsewhere you will NEVER get your numbers up. There is no incentive anymore.

This is one of the many reasons so many magic conventions have died over the last year. We don't need them. Evolution is weeding out the sick and old. Oh sure you still get younger kids coming out who are actually serious about the craft, but your hobbyist market is done for unless you can deliver and let's face it, most magicians could barely deliver a pizza.

Time to grow some thumbs or get left behind.

Suck it up...

Saw this on Jeff McBride's twitter - "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." ~ Albert Einstein

There is a good lesson here and a story. I recently resurrected an old idea I have been toying with for almost a decade.  I would come back to it and see if there was a way to improve it. However I didn't know what it needed, I just knew I would know it when I saw it. The other day I finally got it. It's visual and easier than the original concept.

The moral? Don't give up. If you believe in something or if you just REALLY wanna do it don't give up. It might take you half your life but one day, if you are patient enough, you will get it.

It's all just a matter of time.

Get down on it...

Let's say you come up with a great idea for a trick. You don't think anyone but you would like it so you keep it to yourself and eventually get bored with it and it fades into the back of your brain. A few years later you see someone else releasing the same idea and making money off it. Now you kick the hell out of yourself for not being a whore and selling it. What do you do hot shot.. what do you do?

 

Well there isn't much you CAN do. Oh sure you can bitch and moan on the forums and to your friends. It might get you somewhere but chances are you will look like an idiot. You just have to sit back and let it go.

However, I think this is one of the factors that started the "get to market" first attitude of many magicians today. They are afraid they will be left behind or ripped off so to protect their ideas they are forced to sell it and therefore devalue it a bit. It's a fine line a magic creator walks. Mind you if they are a truly creative person losing one idea to someone else is not that big a deal because by the time everyone is catching up they are still 3 steps ahead.

It can be a frustrating ho' however.

A Marked Man

So the winner of the Marked Man contest is Brendan Croft from Australia. He was sneaky and got the closest to guessing how many posts this blog had.

For the rest of you, feel free to go to www.bizzaromatic.com and purchase the new DVD for yourself!

While you're doing that, let me regale you with some thoughts I have on tricks like  the ones I have on the MM DVD. One thing I am sick of seeing is when magicians sell one effect that is a 10 second thing that would work great as an opener or bit of business in the middle of a routine. However these little fucknuts can't spell the word routine let alone put one together so they just slap something together without road testing it and try to make a quick buck.

Usually these things have merit but weren't thought thru enough. Regardless, something that lasts the blink of an eye is not magic by itself. (Unless it's DAMN good) By adding these little moments into your existing effects you can create a more thought out picture that makes you look like a competent performer...

Even when yer not.