Confidence…

One thing that carries a lot of shows is the performer being confidant. Standing tall and doing what they do with authority, even if what they are doing isn’t very good. Recently I saw an act where the performer’s confidence carried the show. He told some jokes and did some singing: His character was a … Continue reading “Confidence…”

One thing that carries a lot of shows is the performer being confidant. Standing tall and doing what they do with authority, even if what they are doing isn’t very good. Recently I saw an act where the performer’s confidence carried the show.


He told some jokes and did some singing:

His character was a space alien. He delivered his lines like they were the best lines ever, and people seemed to pay attention. In my opinion what carried the act was him selling the material like it was amazing, also a very friendly audience really helped.


However had he done his material with any doubt that it wouldn’t hit, the act really would have been rough. So go out there and portray confidence in your material!

Dressed Up…

One thing that I get frequently get criticized about is how I dress when I perform. This is at less formal venues like at a fair or festival, not at a formal venue like a theater. A good example of my less formal “show clothes” is this: It’s a black button up shirt, and if … Continue reading “Dressed Up…”

One thing that I get frequently get criticized about is how I dress when I perform. This is at less formal venues like at a fair or festival, not at a formal venue like a theater. A good example of my less formal “show clothes” is this:

It’s a black button up shirt, and if it’s outdoors I wear maroon pants with it. To match it up my socks are black and my shoes are maroon. I’ll give you that it’s not a formal look, it’s still a look.


Recently this promo video came across my facebook feed and I’m not criticizing his act, or why he chose that as his costume, I’m using it to justify what I’m doing.

I think what I’m wearing looks more formal that the polo with your company’s logo on it. I think the polo makes you look like an employee, versus the performer. From a distance you can’t see the logo, so it’s just a polo.

Sure, I just may look like some guy, however that’s kinda my character and done intentionally.



Put In Some Effort…

One of the challenges of performing that I struggle with are people that don’t speak much English. My stage show is a lot of verbal stuff, which can make it a challenge to get across when there’s a language barrier. The barrier is a bit easier to deal with when doing close up. Last night … Continue reading “Put In Some Effort…”

One of the challenges of performing that I struggle with are people that don’t speak much English. My stage show is a lot of verbal stuff, which can make it a challenge to get across when there’s a language barrier. The barrier is a bit easier to deal with when doing close up.


Last night I did a corporate holiday party for a company and most of their workers spoke Spanish and very little English. I speak very little Spanish, by very little, I know a handful of words. One thing I did was ask how to say things in Spanish, like how to say “Three of Diamonds”. I then tried, they it was a really made a connection because I was going to them. I took an interest in them.


I could have just mimed what I wanted them to do and it would have worked. However, the connection with the audience would have been way different. Make the effort to reach out to your audience instead of making them reach out to you.

On The Job Training…

One thing that’s been a staple of my close up work is the Three Shell Game. It’s been something I’ve done since I was a teenager. It’s a great trick, everyone knows what it is and how to play it. This week at my gig at the airport I added the Trade Show Shells. These … Continue reading “On The Job Training…”

One thing that’s been a staple of my close up work is the Three Shell Game. It’s been something I’ve done since I was a teenager. It’s a great trick, everyone knows what it is and how to play it.


This week at my gig at the airport I added the Trade Show Shells. These are a jumbo set of shells and they work differently than a standard set of shells.


I’ve owned a set of a long time, and never really had a place to use them. When I do stage work, it’s hard to make them play, as I’m usually on a raised stage with the audience below me. That makes it hard to see the pea or follow it.


What’s cool about doing this at the airport is that they want the people to win. We’re playing it for prizes, so it’s not a “magic routine“. What that means is that I get to practice handling the props and doing the manipulation. In each group, there’s one person that I use the gimmicks on and am working out a routine that way. Essentially I’m getting paid to work out a routine for the trick!!! It’s great!

Experiment…

While performing at the airport this week, one of the things that I”m doing is roving with a Girl Without a Middle illusion. I built this one so that I could get inside of it and walk around with it. That works well, I stop people, I get out, put someone in, chat about it, … Continue reading “Experiment…”

While performing at the airport this week, one of the things that I”m doing is roving with a Girl Without a Middle illusion. I built this one so that I could get inside of it and walk around with it. That works well, I stop people, I get out, put someone in, chat about it, then move on.


Today I tried something different. Instead of me walking around inside it, I just pushed it and then stopped people and put one of them inside it. This worked really well. I was really amazed at how much better doing it this way was. I think what made it play better was that I could put my hand inside the box and point to things, where I couldn’t.


One of the things I frequently try to do is look at things from a different angle. It worked out in my favor this time!

Don’t Speak Up…

Whenever possible I try to go out and support magic shows. Last night I went out and saw a friend’s show. The show also had a musician and burlesque dancer in addition to my buddy’s magic show. It was a fun show. My main critique of the show was that lack of the use of … Continue reading “Don’t Speak Up…”

Whenever possible I try to go out and support magic shows. Last night I went out and saw a friend’s show. The show also had a musician and burlesque dancer in addition to my buddy’s magic show. It was a fun show.

My main critique of the show was that lack of the use of a microphone. There was a handheld mic, but only the singer used it. Using a mic is an important thing to do, it makes the show so much easier to pay attention to. My hearing is reasonably good, but I’m always amazed at how much I have to strain to hear an unmic’d performer.


Using a mic in whatever form is pretty cheap right now, compared to 15 years ago. You can get a cheapo headset mic and wireless pack and be good to go for probably less than about a hundred bucks. Would it be the best mic…no. Would it be better than no mic…probably.

I Hate That It Works…

Right now I’m doing a trick during my run at the airport that uses a magnet. The trick has a clever way to hide the magnet, however because of the gig I can’t use the method that was designed for the trick. So, what did I do? I put the magnet on my finger and … Continue reading “I Hate That It Works…”

Right now I’m doing a trick during my run at the airport that uses a magnet. The trick has a clever way to hide the magnet, however because of the gig I can’t use the method that was designed for the trick.


So, what did I do?


I put the magnet on my finger and then put a band aid over it. I really hate that no one has questioned the band aid on my finger, but then I don’t know the last time I asked anyone about a band aid on their finger. It’s a “hidden in plain sight” sort of deal.


This method works great for this gig because I do one trick per set and do it over and over again. The band aid method wouldn’t work if I was to do it as part of a show. As much as I dislike the band aid, it works for this very specific application!

Picking People is an Art…

Today at my gig at the airport, they wanted me to do some “media” with the local news. I had my flea circus out, but at that moment it was really slow at the airport. Unfortunately I couldn’t choose my time or location for the media spot. My boss grabbed the first family that came … Continue reading “Picking People is an Art…”

Today at my gig at the airport, they wanted me to do some “media” with the local news. I had my flea circus out, but at that moment it was really slow at the airport. Unfortunately I couldn’t choose my time or location for the media spot.


My boss grabbed the first family that came by and they weren’t a group I would have stopped. Their body language said that they weren’t into it, however it was “go time” and we had to start. The act went OK, however the kid was clearly uncomfortable the whole time.


There is an art to picking people for a show, or to be the base for a crowd. You don’t want just anyone, however sometimes you have to deal with what you’re given…

Ballrooms Are The Worst…

Performing in hotel ballrooms is one of the worst situations for a comedy magician. The main problem is that they aren’t designed for a show, but for a wedding, or meetings. Here’s a panoramic picture of the ballroom I performed in last night. There are a few problems with this room. The first is that … Continue reading “Ballrooms Are The Worst…”

Performing in hotel ballrooms is one of the worst situations for a comedy magician. The main problem is that they aren’t designed for a show, but for a wedding, or meetings. Here’s a panoramic picture of the ballroom I performed in last night.

There are a few problems with this room. The first is that the DJ is set up on the stage, which makes it unusable by me. With the giant dance floor in front of the stage, it’s not a huge loss as I could lessen the distance between me and the audience by working on the floor.


The next problem that the darkest places in the room where the stage is and directly in front of it on the dance floor, where I’d be performing. I asked if there were lights (anything) that we could turn on and after going up the chain of command at the hotel, I finally found someone who could as was willing to turn them on for my show. These lights were the general lights, so the room was lit up as if there was a meeting in there. This is better than performing in the dark, where the audience is better lit than the stage.


The moral of the story is either get there super early and try to convince them to move the stage to one end of the room, or be assertive of your needs with the space how it currently is when you get there.

Too Much Economy of Motion

When I was a kid I remember someone telling me the secret to sleight of hand is “Economy of Motion“. Using the least amount of motion to get the job done. I agree with that…for the secret stuff. However moving efficiently isn’t always what you want the audience to see. A good example is in … Continue reading “Too Much Economy of Motion”

When I was a kid I remember someone telling me the secret to sleight of hand is “Economy of Motion“. Using the least amount of motion to get the job done. I agree with that…for the secret stuff. However moving efficiently isn’t always what you want the audience to see.


A good example is in my card to wallet routine. I can open and remove the wallet too easily and quickly. When I do the trick I have to remind my self to slow down and fumble a bit, like it’s the first time I’ve done this.


Slowing down also lets the audience catch up with you, or even get ahead of you. I want them to think, “no way that’s my card…wait, it’s going to be my card…” when I do card to wallet. If I want that, I need to give them time to think it!