Not stirred...

Today I bring you a pseudo-guest post.This was a previous post elsewhere by Lee Presson of "Lee Presson and the Nails" that I have obtained permission to re-post here. (Also don't forget to check out their music over here if you like bad ass swing music.)

Vermouth

"This is a tough one to try and describe, but I'll do my best.  I've often compared research for any theatrical endeavor to the vermouth in a martini.  You pour it in, you swish it around, you dump it out.  Then you put in something completely different, be it gin or vodka, but the hint of that vermouth still remains. So with that metaphor in mind, let's take LPN as an example: I immersed myself in Jazz history, I learned as much about it as I could, I listened to as much of it as I could... and then I dumped it all out and tried to develop an original stage presentation.  But the hint of all that history is still there, see? (also the 70 year-old songs help)

Or say, Edgar Allan Poe at Dickens Fair.  I obviously can't play him as he actually was because this is supposed to be a Christmas fair... a CHEERY occasion!  So, same thing... do the research, learn as much as I can, then toss it all and ask myself the following question: given what I know about this man, how would he behave at a party if he were given the chance to forget about his inner demons for just a few hours?  I think he'd be grateful for the opportunity, and that's how I play him. 

There are two ways to play a character.  One is to pretend you're the character, and the other is to pretend the character is you.  I choose the 2nd approach.  Take the role and make it yours.  Just don't forget the vermouth!"

A little bit of everything...

 This is a great way to think about taking something and making it your own after learning about what has come before. The history of an art is import if for no other reason than to know you are not wasting your time re-creating someone else's wheel. It's also good to know the "Rules" of something so you can then bend, break, and discard the ones that don't apply to you or what you are doing. 

The problems lies in those who don't think they don't need this knowledge and they end up being a pale comparison of something that came before them because they never bothered to research in a time when it's easier than it ever was. 

It's never too late to take a look behind you... 

The incredible journey...

 The internet giveth and the internet taketh away. It has enabled some amazing things in our world but it has also created so many voids. For a few years now I have been lamenting the loss of journey and discovery and what it might be doing to future generations.

I am the last generation to not have internet and then have it. That means I have experienced wacky things like video rental locations, records stores, and and brick and mortar magic shops. You see, there was a time that when, if you wanted something, you had to leave your house to go procure it. If you didn't have a car you had to bug friends or family to get you there before they closed (or take public transit) and Anubis forbid they didn't have it and you had to go to another (and another, and another) store.

Never again will you discover new music while searching through piles of CDs for that ONE song you recorded onto a cassette tape from the radio. You will never know the JOY of standing in a Blockbuster Video for hours while your siblings fight with your parents over what movies to get. Long gone are the days of going into a badly lit treasure trove of magical offerings while some grumpy mage slings advice you don't want to hear but one day will be thankful they did.

We have lost something amazing without the act of the journey and discovery. 

Everything is at our fingertips now and because of that so few things have any real value. You cherished that record or CD because you had to travel the realm and interact with the locals to get it. You had to slay that dragon called "the outside world" to find your treasures. Now so much is disposable and that includes magic. 

The social media generation doesn't have to work hard to learn or obtain the secrets of our art so they treat it like everything else... disposable distractions. Without the experience of the journey and discovery they no longer put stock into it's importance hence it becomes another trivial and fleeting toy to be abandoned as quickly as they purchased it from their phone.

Sure, there are those who know the intrinsic value of certain things, magic or otherwise. However, they are currently outnumbered by those who vie for imaginary internet points and that quick hit of sweet, sweet dopamine. The joy of those thumbs up and views fade fast and they have to chew through material to get that high over and over. Who has time to sort through bins and shelves when you can tap a few buttons and be done with it?

So my advice to you is make more of an effort to go on adventures. Call up a friend, leave your house, and go on a journey to discover something new.

You might just find more than you bargained for.

A flat minor...

Truer words...

 

 Today I am recovering from MAGIC Live here in Las Vegas. I only got about 20 minutes in the dealer's room to look around but I have seen some videos of random effects popping up. One such video got my usual reaction to the glut of the magic released nowadays... "So what?".

 There are so many "minor miracles" released into the magic marketplace disguised as this HUGE thing. Sure in the right hands, almost anything can be a show stopper but how often does that happen? I'm getting kind of sick of seeing mediocre wizardry touted as amazing magic when the effect is basically only good as disposable video fodder. 

Long gone are the days of performers putting in many, many hours to make sure an effect was as solid as it can be. This is not new of course, but it slowly seems to be now be the norm. Far too much is being released far too quick for a quick buck. I'm not saying everything I have ever released has been gold, but I at least gave it more than a week of gestation before putting it in people's hands.

I don't want magic that can't drink dammit!

No respect I tell yah...

 Some of you might be too young to know, or remember, that there was a time in America where variety acts were well respected. There were TV shows that showcased their talent and didn't treat them like some second class citizen waiting to be exploited for clicks, views, or ratings.

Culture tends to be influenced by it's media. Clothing, hairstyles, and other trends come from what we consume. If the media doesn't respect the variety arts, then the general public doesn't tend to either.

Let's harken back to the days when programs like "The Ed Sullivan Show" would bring on people who spent YEARS perfecting a skill set and not for being "famous for nothing". 

 

This is George Carl. One of the great Vaudeville clowns. Did I say clowns? Yes... yes I did. We equate clowns to those who sport facepaint and bright costumes, but there is a whole other kind of clown that doesn't need all that "finery". The physical comedian, the slapstick connoisseur, the... well... clown.

George Carl was a master of many things (as one had to be back then) and created a lot of gags and bits of business that have since passed on into the acts of others, whether they know it or not. As performers we should know what came before to appreciate what we have (or don't have) now and carry on the traditions of entertaining an audience with whatever we have on hand, be it our coats, our arms, or just ourselves.

True comedy is timeless.

First Timers...

 I often wonder what it would have been like the first time someone saw a Nielsen bottle or Fantasio candle used. Things we take for granted but would have BLOWN OUR DAMN MINDS the first time they appeared on a stage. 

Now imagine people seeing a trampoline for the first time.

Larry Griswold co-created the trampoline as we know it today and used it in his act. Can you imagine people going nuts for a trampoline or thinking "WTF is that thing?!". 

Innovation and creation has to start somewhere. The mother of invention and all that. Who knows, maybe one day you will create something that will blow people minds.

It could happen.

FItzkee was right...

 Have you ever read "Showmanship For Magicians"? I don't blame you if not. Fitzkee can be a bit of a dense read. (Protip: Just skim the book and read the bolded and ALL CAPS text. It summarizes the important points and saves a LOT of time)

In the book he suggests that you watch other performers who are the top of their field. Not JUST magicians, but singers, comedians, actors, athletes, etc. See what they are doing and you are not.

With that in mind, I now want you to watch this video:

Observe his timing. Watch as things happen and he just keeps going like it's normal. He doesn't turn and mug to the audience. (He COULD if he was a different performer) He just plows through undaunted which makes it even funnier. It's these bits of business in the middle of exhibiting skill that makes the performance so good. Even if it's not your cup of whatever you drink, you can and SHOULD still appreciate what goes into doing an act such as this and entertaining a theater full of people.

The internet is full of performances like these. Over the next few weeks, I will share some of them with you. 

Plan accordingly...

End of an Era...

 

While everyone is on social media talking about knowing Amazing Johnathan, let's talk about the man himself shall we?

For those who might not know, he recently passed away and it sent a shockwave through the Las Vegas magic world. Most know him for his stand up comedy and magic. A lucky bunch of us got to know him on a personal level. Unlike other celebrities in our profession who kind of hide away and keep to their own little inner cliques, AJ was very giving with his time and information. His circle of friends and family grew every year because he liked to have fun and do silly things with silly people. 

Since he left this mortal plane, many of us have been talking about his legacy and what he has left behind. His body of work was vast and while he has been stolen from by countless hacks, no one has ever really been able to follow in his footsteps. I think the reason for that is that no one could. He was a truly unique animal that came into the entertainment world at the right time and place. 

His biggest influence on the world of magic was that he gave permission to all of the rest of us who wanted to do something different. His material spoke to many of us and said, "It's ok to be weird and do outlandish things in the name of fun! Magic is a tool and doesn't have to the be the focus.". 

For all of us touched by his noodley appendage, I think it's our duty to keep that going and let future performers know it's ok to take the piss out of magic and be a little over the top, even when the world might not embrace it at first.

 The world is a little less Amazing now, but that's doesn't mean it has to stop...