During a show recently someone mentioned that they didn’t like a trick because they “felt stupid” because they didn’t know how the trick worked. Here’s what my reply was:
“If you don’t know how a trick works, that means that I’m doing my job. I don’t understand how an airplane works, but I still clap for the pilot when we land!
I’ve started to work this into my show at the beginning with the rope trick I’ve been opening the show with. I think it’s an interesting thing to address in the show, that if someone doesn’t understand why a trick works, they aren’t dumb, it’s what’s supposed to happen and that’s totally OK.
-Louie
Tag: magic show tips
Magic Audio Cassette Tapes!
When my summer season ended a few weeks ago, I had a 14 hour drive home. During my travels over the summer I found some magic audio cassette tapes, so I bought a cheap tape player and listened to magic on the drive home!
It was really interesting to listen to two different Dai Vernon lectures without being able to see anything. I was kinda amazed that I was mostly able to follow what what he was explaining. It did help that I was familiar with his books from when I was a teenager and had worked through most of the stuff decades ago.
The Radio Magic tape by Steve Shaw (Banachek) and Scott Wells has a lot of great information that still applies today! It’s solid advice for doing a radio or podcast spot and a lot of that applies to doing things like TV morning shows or news spots.
I barely got into the Kreskin and Dunniger tapes. The Kreskin ones were audio of a TV show. It’s interesting to listen to them, they’re from 1972 and the material he’s doing is still solid material! Kreskin was ahead of his time!
Just because something is on an old, outdated medium doesn’t mean you can’t learn from it!
-Louie
Yeah, Don’t Punch Me
Last month when I was performing roving magic at a fair, I had an interesting interaction with a family. A guy approaches me and asks me if I would show his family a magic trick. Of course I said YES, then he said, “I’m not going to watch because I’ll probably get frustrated and punch you.” Then he looked away and his family had a great time watching some close up magic.
I personally thought it was really cool of him to give his family a moment to see a magic trick. I should add that the guy looked like he’d punched a few people in his lifetime. I’m glad he knew his personal limitations and didn’t put himself in a position where he would punch me!
I mentioned this to another performer who was shocked at how “violent” and inappropriate this guy was. I look at this like someone who had a problem with alcohol not wanting to see me do a show at a bar. This guy wanted his family to have fun, even if it was something he wasn’t into. Did he need to tell my why he wasn’t watching? Probably not, but I would have wondered why he asked, then didn’t watch…and probably would have tried to engage him (and gotten punched!)
-Louie
Why I Don’t Do Halloween Shows
Halloween is a busy time for magicians, there’s soo much work out there, everyone could be performing and there’d still be gigs leftover. That said, I don’t normally perform on Halloween anymore. Here’s why:
Halloween shows usually suck!
When you put audiences (kids or adult) in a costume they act really strange. The will play up their character which isn’t what I want in my show. I want them to be themselves, not Darth Vadar. Also when in costume, you can’t always see people’s faces clearly, which makes it harder for an audience and you to connect with them. The amount of times I’ve picked someone from the audience to help who wasn’t wearing a mask, then as they got up to walk onstage they put a mask on is remarkably high.
Then you have people’s costumes that interfere with basic functions that you don’t anticipate. Some costumes will have sleeves that will make it harder to do things like hold a prop the the audience can see it, or make it difficult for people to move.
I’m not saying that I will never do a Halloween show again in my life. Sometimes the pay is insane or there’s something I want to buy, so the show will finance it. However I very much dislike them and do my best to avoid them.
-Louie
Shell Game Set (Homemade?)
I just added a new shell game set to my collection:
I’m pretty sure this was a home made set, as they look like nothing I’ve ever seen. The look like they started as candle snuffers, and someone took the stick off of them and glued a bearing over the hole. I like their weight, but don’t like how tall they are. The height and strange shape makes working with them a bit awkward.
They’re a great addition to the collection, but won’t replace my working set!
-Louie
Show Introduction
When I perform at showcases, my agent has me use a preshow video. There’s a great reason for this, usually the MC sucks and the video sets the vibe for what they are about to see! I also use this for shows that have video as an option. It’s simple to keep it on a flash drive and give it to the tech crew where ever you’re performing.
Recently I was at a hockey game and realized that all sports do this.
It really hypes up the crowd. After watching the Seattle Kraken’s introduction production, it really highlighted how important this is. I was trying to imagine watching the game without it and how strange of transition from nothing to the game would be.
Go out and watch a sporting event and see how their preshow sets the mood for the game. There’s a lot that can be learned from sports that can be applied to your show. For example all of the transition music bits, and bits with people in the stands when there isn’t play happening.
Watch a game in person and imagine it without music. It’d be really strange and the energy level would constantly be going down. In my show I fill they gaps between routines with joke or music, which is essentially what happens at arenas, just on much bigger scale.
Go out and see a game and you’ll learn a lot!
-Louie
Applause Please Available Soon!
Woo hoo! I just got a text from Brian at Magic Crafter that a batch of the boxes for my Applause Please trick are finished!
I still need to add the electronics and a couple other things to them before they’re ready for sale. The bad news is that I’m out of town for a few weeks, so I won’t be able to work on them for a little while. I’m hoping to have them done by Thanksgiving.
If you haven’t seen the trick, here’s the promo video:
These will be available at Hocus-Pocus.com when they’re completed.
-Louie
The Rocket Card Fountain
I’m still working on my Rising Card routine. At the end of it I’m doing a bit where I push the out jogged card back into the deck and it rises up again. I do that several times, but the bit is lacking an ending. It’s the same joke over and over again.
I’m thinking that maybe after it gets pushed down and pops up a few times, I set the glass into my case, THEN all the cards come shooting out of the glass.
I started playing with it in the green room at the fair a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t really try it at any shows at the fair as I don’t want to deal with the clean up of cards everywhere at the stage I’m at.
Here’s what the ideas will look like:
I’m using The Rocket card fountain. I really like this, it’s pretty quiet and so far is very reliable. I can’t wait to actually try it in the show!
-Louie
Shipping Notice!
This is a heads up that I’m out of town from 10/27 to 11/12. No orders will be shipped during this time.
If you need something sooner, contact Hocus-pocus.com as they have most of my catalog in stock!
The daily blog posts will continue to be posted below this notice!
Small Changes
In my Drawing in Ball of Yarn routine, there’s a middle phase that’s a mismade bill. I’ve been having trouble with the the mismade bill part. The bill part was essentially my 13 sided bill routine that I do close up. Here’s what that looks like:
The mismade bill phase was too long for it’s spot in the show and I dropped it for a few weeks. Then I added it back in with a little change, I’m using a Quadraflex style mismade will that has the four quarters.
The routine for the mismade bill part of the routine is simple. I say, “I’ll fold your dollar four times.” then I do that and ask the kid, “do you know what that does…it turns it into four…” as I’m slowly unfolding it. For the last 30+ shows the kid has always replied, “dollars”. Then I say, “four dollars?! Have you seen the budget for this show? It turns it into four quarters!” Then I reveal the mismade bill.
I think this works a lot better because I keep dealing with the number four and it foreshadows what the audience is about to see and then at the reveal, it tells them what they are seeing.
I’m glad I put the mismade bill phase back into the routine and tried a different approach!
-Louie