Month: December 2018

Ummm…

Yesterday in the car I was listening to CNN and one of the people being interviewed kept saying “ummm”.  I suspect the reason people say this is because they are thinking, and it’s a word to stall while your brain is figuring things out and sending them to your mouth. A while ago a buddy and … Continue reading “Ummm…”

Yesterday in the car I was listening to CNN and one of the people being interviewed kept saying “ummm”.  I suspect the reason people say this is because they are thinking, and it’s a word to stall while your brain is figuring things out and sending them to your mouth.


A while ago a buddy and I started doing a podcast called the Odd and Offbeat Podcast. When listening back to the episodes and editing them, I noticed how much I say, “ummm”.  It’s not just me, it’s my cohost and guests that do it. Being conscious of it really helps cut it down. I’ve now developed a couple of new stalling words. Ideally I’ll have none, however they are better than “ummm”.


There are techniques to help you stall while you think. Contestants in beauty pageants uses these all the time. A common one is restating the question, and that gives you time to think.


Using stalling words is less of a problem in a scripted routine. This is also why routines should be scripted, so you don’t have to stall to think, you know what’s coming next. If you watch an amateur show and a professional show, the main difference is the tightness. They profession know what’s coming next. It’s not just in speech, but prop management, etc.


TLDR: Learn what’s coming up next in your show.

Why Not To Give Credit…

Recently someone in a magic group on the internet said that you should give credit during your shows for magic tricks you didn’t create AND for things that inspired the tricks.  This is an interesting concept and within magic it’s not really done, outside of a presentation angle.   The person thinks you should “live credit” … Continue reading “Why Not To Give Credit…”

Recently someone in a magic group on the internet said that you should give credit during your shows for magic tricks you didn’t create AND for things that inspired the tricks.  This is an interesting concept and within magic it’s not really done, outside of a presentation angle.  


The person thinks you should “live credit” your tricks to honor the people before you, not for a presentation angle.  They then posted a video of them performing, where they say the name of the person whose routine they are doing.  Then they say, “I’ll never be able to do it as well as them, but tonight I’m going to try…”    There’s a couple of things wrong with that. 


First you are telling the audience a story about a show that’s better than your show.  Why are we are your show, if there’s a better one?   Second is that by trying and succeeding, you are saying you are better than the person you are doing a tribute to.   Also in their credit they don’t give us any info on the person whose routine they are doing, and any background about them.  It’s simple a credit, not a tribute.  


Now here’s an example of it done well:


What makes Penn and Teller’s version good, is they don’t just say the name of the performer, they give a little bio.  They also don’t say they will do it better or worse, they let their performance be judged by their performance.   


My position on crediting during a show is that you don’t need to do it.  It’s stupid and would be an insane waste of time if you had to live credit every move, or bit.  You bought the book / DVD / media, the author has gotten compensated, that’s the end of the deal…Unless it’s specifically required by the creator of the trick or bit as a condition of you using it.  


Here’s a noteworthy example.  Ricky Jay did a trick from Expert at the Card Table, almost exactly as written in the book (moves and patter).  He never live credited it to Erdnase in his shows.  In fact he got upset when other people did the routine because he thought they wouldn’t have been doing it if they didn’t see him do it!  


TLDR:  Crediting during your show is a waste of time and dumb. 

 

Impromptu Tricks…

Last week I was having lunch with a couple of magician friends, and jamming magic tricks.  This is one of the best ways to create magic, it to just riff on ideas.  We came up some some interesting ideas and expanded on some existing ideas.   When I’m out somewhere I like to think of ideas … Continue reading “Impromptu Tricks…”

Last week I was having lunch with a couple of magician friends, and jamming magic tricks.  This is one of the best ways to create magic, it to just riff on ideas. 

We came up some some interesting ideas and expanded on some existing ideas.  

When I’m out somewhere I like to think of ideas for magic tricks using things around me.  This day we were at the LunchBox Lab in Seattle.  On their tables they have seven different flavors of salt.  So here’s a quick trick I did with the salt:

This trick is nothing ground breaking from a method standpoint, it’s essentially a card trick done with salt.  In this situation using their salt gave it a feeling of being unplanned, and I think that made it feel more amazing to the waitress.  

TLDR:  Think about doing magic tricks with things around you. 

Unusual Challenges…

If you are a professional performer, you will run it to all sorts of unanticipated challenge in your career.  For 10 days this month I’m performing at the airport in Seattle.  One of the unusual challenges is getting my props past security, and since I’m there to 10 days, being able to do any repairs … Continue reading “Unusual Challenges…”

If you are a professional performer, you will run it to all sorts of unanticipated challenge in your career.  For 10 days this month I’m performing at the airport in Seattle. 



One of the unusual challenges is getting my props past security, and since I’m there to 10 days, being able to do any repairs on the spot.  The big challenge is that I can’t really bring tools or anything sharp past the security check points…and all of my props needed to be approved and cleared by security. 





Once my gear goes past security, it lives there for the whole run.   That means I can’t use any of the props for shows outside of the airport.  That was an important consideration when pitching what material I was going to do.  If my main show was stuck at the airport, I’d need a back up set of props to use.  I do have a back up set of my main show (mostly), and it has come in handy many times.  


Be ready and most importantly, be flexible with the challenges that come with performing in different venues!  

Great Minds Think Alike…

Last week I was watching Death by Magic on Netflix.  It’s a decent magic show, a lot of the old school magicians probably won’t like how it’s shot.  It’s done in the “Post David Blaine Style” with a lot more camera cuts.  I’ve got nothing against that, however some people (usually older magicians) do.  On one … Continue reading “Great Minds Think Alike…”

Last week I was watching Death by Magic on Netflix.  It’s a decent magic show, a lot of the old school magicians probably won’t like how it’s shot.  It’s done in the “Post David Blaine Style” with a lot more camera cuts.  I’ve got nothing against that, however some people (usually older magicians) do. 

On one episode he doe a trick where he talks about naming your first car.  Then he ends up producing a license plate with that name on it.  Sounds like a routine I wrote about in a blog post a  few weeks ago.  You can read the blog post here.  

Obviously the team at Death by Magic didn’t read my post and quickly put the trick into the show.  The show’s first episode was four days after my blog post.  Someone at the Death by Magic team thought of it, it’s not a huge leap to get from the idea of a license plate prediction to the presentational hook of the name of your first car.  

Many magicians think that if they have an idea, no one else could possibly have that idea.  That’s 100% false.  It’s totally possible and happens all the time.  I’ve seen many magicians accuse other magicians of stealing ideas, when their idea was something that you’d think of if you spent any time playing with that idea. 

Cases where someone is doing complete act is an entirely different thing.  Once you add up all the bits and the order they take place the idea of them thinking the of all of that and ending up at the exact same place is very unlikely.  

How I view it, is if someone has the same idea as me and it’s not a blatant case of them ripping me off, I’m fine with that. 

TLDR: Don’t get upset if someone has the same idea as you. 

Magic Trick Bucket List…

Are there any magic tricks that you’ve always wanted to perform?  I’m not talking about the flavor of the month, new trick that just came out.  A trick that you read about or saw as a kid, and you still think about decades later?  I’ve had many, and luckily for me I’ve gotten to do … Continue reading “Magic Trick Bucket List…”

Are there any magic tricks that you’ve always wanted to perform?  I’m not talking about the flavor of the month, new trick that just came out.  A trick that you read about or saw as a kid, and you still think about decades later? 

I’ve had many, and luckily for me I’ve gotten to do many of them.  In the summer I do some library shows and those have allowed me to work on new tricks for my show and do them a lot in a short amount  of time.   What’s great about that is I quickly figure out if I like the trick or not. If I like the trick and so do audiences, then I can move that trick up to my main show. 

Usually the tricks I’ve always wanted to do don’t make it into the main show.  However it’s nice to have done them and scratched the itch and no longer feel the need to do them.   There is one trick that I keep coming back to, and that’s the Multiplying Billiard Balls.  


I did a version of Alan Wakeling’s routine on a tour of 90-ish shows.  The routine got really tight and while I liked it, I think it didn’t connect with the audience as much as I thought it should.  I did a routine one summer that produced 4 balls with no shell! I really enjoying doing that routine, as it had some creative moves in it. 

I frequently do a ball manipulation sequence in my show, and that for the most part keeps me satisfied and I don’t feel I need to work on the multiplying balls.  That is until recently.  I had an idea for a non traditional version of the trick.   This version only uses one ball that the audience is aware of.   I’m excited about working on this trick because it’s so unusual!  

That brings me back to John Carney’s book Magic by Design.  In this book he talks about how there are tricks  you will constantly come back to.  It’s because they may not be right for you now, but they may be right for you in a year.   I totally agree with him, I find ideas in notebooks that I didn’t expand at the time, but that’s probably because I couldn’t.  I lacked the knowledge, or hadn’t thought of a second part to it that would make the trick possible.  

 

TLDR:  Keep revisiting old tricks that you like. 

I Practice With Good Tools…

A couple of nights ago I was hanging out with a couple of magicians and one of them asked if the rumor about Bicycle Cards that are sold are Costco was true.  If you don’t know,  the rumor is that the Bicycle Cards there are “seconds” and not as good as ones you’d buy elsewhere.  … Continue reading “I Practice With Good Tools…”

A couple of nights ago I was hanging out with a couple of magicians and one of them asked if the rumor about Bicycle Cards that are sold are Costco was true.  If you don’t know,  the rumor is that the Bicycle Cards there are “seconds” and not as good as ones you’d buy elsewhere. 

I think that the cards at Costco are the same ones you’d get elsewhere.  I also think that Bicycle’s standard card has become junk over the last 15 or so years. I use them, but I only use them at gigs because a deck of cards at a gig lasts me about an hour.  After an hour the deck is missing so many cards it’s not usable.  

After a Bicycle deck is broken in, I don’t think they handle well.  So personally I buy higher quality cards for my own non-show use.  I find that I practice more frequently using better decks of cards.   Here’s the current deck I’m using:

I know that 90% of the “higher quality” cards are printed at the USPCC, however I’m pretty sure they are not printed on the standard stock.  Having better tools that last longer gets me to practice more.  I’m learning moves I’ll never use, but it sure is fun!

Local Magicians…

Last night I was at a comedy show and one of the comedians asked me if I knew a local magician. I said yes, and they had mentioned they were chatting with them earlier today.  One thing that came up was the magician said they had a hard time with the local magic crowd.  Right … Continue reading “Local Magicians…”

Last night I was at a comedy show and one of the comedians asked me if I knew a local magician. I said yes, and they had mentioned they were chatting with them earlier today.  One thing that came up was the magician said they had a hard time with the local magic crowd. 

Right now in the Seattle area we have a pretty active magic scene.  There are three national magic clubs, then a weekly magic meet up that’s not affiliated with any club.  In addition to that there are a couple of monthly “magic open mic” type shows.  

The magician that thinks the local crowd doesn’t support them, doesn’t go to any of these magic clubs or hangouts.  This magician frequently tries to get other magicians to hang out, HOWEVER it’s done in this way, “Let’s hang out.  Come to my show on Thursday, and we’ll hang out afterward“, and then there’s a link to buy tickets. 

If you want to meet the other local magicians, why not come out to one of the eight magic events that happen each month.  The whole “buy a ticket to my show to hang out with me” thing makes me not want to hang out with this magician. 


There are a lot of local magicians who have worked hard at building a magic community in Seattle, one that doesn’t require buying a ticket to a show.  In fact all of them have a component that’s free (i.e. you could attend and never pay a dime).  


The moral of the story is when you support the magic community, it will support you.  

Are You Working Hard Enough??

Some magicians take pride in not breaking a sweat while they perform.  I used to be very physical in my show, then slowly over time I stopped moving around in my show.  I stood there and did what I needed to do, and I didn’t break a sweat.  This year I performed at GrapeFest in … Continue reading “Are You Working Hard Enough??”

Some magicians take pride in not breaking a sweat while they perform.  I used to be very physical in my show, then slowly over time I stopped moving around in my show.  I stood there and did what I needed to do, and I didn’t break a sweat. 

This year I performed at GrapeFest in Texas and saw an act that changed my mind and made me move around a bit more when I perform. The act played saxophone and while he didn’t move much, he was dripping with sweat.  As an audience member watching him, I got the feeling that for the 50 minute set, he put his entire life into that saxophone!  

So how does one do card tricks or tell stupid jokes with energy?  I think something that Tony Clark said in a lecture 25 years ago is the secret to doing this: 

“When you move, you move with purpose”

That’s something that has stuck with me ever since I heard him say it.  Don’t pace the stage, but when you move you put energy into it.  And it’s directed, so it has purpose.  

I also remember hearing an interview with Jerry Seinfeld where he would hear comedians tell  each other to “go on stage and have fun”.   Jerry’s position was that you shouldn’t be having fun on stage, you should be working your ass off.   

So your homework is to work harder when you are performing. 

An Ending to a Gag…

If you’ve ever seen my magic lecture, there are a couple of main points to it. First is to take what you are doing a step further.  The second is to put endings to things. This blog post covers both of them.  I’ve always liked the Fifty Two on One gag card.   If you don’t … Continue reading “An Ending to a Gag…”

If you’ve ever seen my magic lecture, there are a couple of main points to it. First is to take what you are doing a step further.  The second is to put endings to things. This blog post covers both of them. 

I’ve always liked the Fifty Two on One gag card.   If you don’t know what this is, it’s a card with all the cards on its face.  

How you use it, is you set it face down as your prediction.  You ask someone to say any card, let’s say they name the King of Diamonds.  You say, “your card is right here” as you turn over the card and point to the king of diamonds.  

Funny gag, but it really needs a punch to it.  How can we turn the gag into a trick?   We could glue a king of diamonds onto the back of the card, and put our prediction in an envelope and force the king of diamonds.  Now we get the gag, followed by turning the card over to show you knew their card. 

That’s a good trick.  It’s been done, but still a decent card revelation.   Let’s take it up a notch:

By using a flap card we’ve added a magic trick to the revelation.  Honestly I don’t know if this is better than just turning the card over, but it’s certainly a lot more magical!  

Also by using the flap card for the change, we’ve added an ending to the trick AND taken it a step further.  This is actually something I’ve wanted to make for a long time and just finally making one.  I’ll try it out sometime soon and see how it plays.  



Louie