magician – Page 14 – MagicShow.Tips

Impromptu Show…

I’m still reading John Carney’s book Magic by Design. I wrote about in previously in this blog post. I’m really enjoying this book and I like his approach. In the beginning John say’s that these are his theories and whether you follow them or not, at least they made you think about why you do … Continue reading “Impromptu Show…”

I’m still reading John Carney’s book Magic by Design. I wrote about in previously in this blog post.

I’m really enjoying this book and I like his approach. In the beginning John say’s that these are his theories and whether you follow them or not, at least they made you think about why you do the stuff you do.

In the book he mentions having an impromptu show you can do. Not just a few impromptu tricks, but tricks that you’ve practiced and know inside and out. Material that’s you treat like the stuff that’s in your show, you know the script, you can do the sleight of hand under fire.

If you’ve hung around me, you know I have a 3 trick show on me at all times. These are three tricks that live in my wallet and are good go. I started doing this after I had read Ken Dyne’s book The Impromptu Mystifier.

You don’t have to do the three tricks just because someone asks, like some sort of trained monkey. However when you need them, you’ll be good to go. My impromptu set will play close up or in a cabaret setting.

The moral of the story is: you are a magician, you should be able to amaze anytime!

Repeat Engagement…

Last night I performed at a gig that I’ve been performing at for something like 17 of the last 20 years. It’s now getting to the point where people who were kids when I first started doing this gig are bringing their kids to the show! While I was setting up the show a kid … Continue reading “Repeat Engagement…”

While I was setting up the show a kid that was probably 10 years old comes in and asks if I’m the magician. I tell her “yes“, then she proceeds to start grabbing all of my props. I tell her, she can look all she wants, but she can’t touch anything. Her reply was, “why can’t I touch?” This is not the first time I’ve played this game with a kid, so I simply say, “There’s a lot of breakable things in my show and if anything gets broken before the show I can’t do the show.” That answer satisfied her and she left.

I knew she was going to be someone I’d have to keep an eye on during the show.

Once showtime hit, this girl wouldn’t shut up. She was playing with some sort of toy, not directly engaged in the show, but constantly yelling out things. I’m not going to engage with a kid where there is nothing to be gained. She wasn’t invested in the show and there really wasn’t anywhere to go with what she was saying. I chose to ignore her.

Instead, I decided to focus my energy on the kids who where paying attention. I let them shine brighter than her. I also played a lot more and the show went over great. I think the silver lining to having to deal with her, is it made me be more present in the show and to mine for gold a bit deeper and I found it!

So the moral of the story is keep plugging away!

Magic Clubs and Newer Magicians…

I love magic, and I love supporting magic. I support magic wherever I go, by going to see shows, visiting magic clubs, visiting with magicians, and doing good magic. One thing that gets me about magic clubs is a lot of the “old guard” are so set in their ways they can’t see past their … Continue reading “Magic Clubs and Newer Magicians…”

I love magic, and I love supporting magic. I support magic wherever I go, by going to see shows, visiting magic clubs, visiting with magicians, and doing good magic.

One thing that gets me about magic clubs is a lot of the “old guard” are so set in their ways they can’t see past their own biases. This isn’t good for people newer into magic. Frequently at one of the magic clubs in my area (there are three) when someone does a card trick an older magician will say “oh god, another card trick…” outloud for every one to hear.

This isn’t good for magic. People get into magic for a lot of reasons, and to tell them their reason is wrong hurts magic. It makes it less welcoming for new people.

Also, the advice that is given to newer magicians is horrible. One of the worst pieces of advice when someone tries something new is, “stick to the classics, they are classics for a reason…” Whenever I hear that I want to ask them to take out their phone and tell me what kind of music is on it…is it classical? Do they use a Acomputer…or stone a chisel (the classic method)?

Jim Steinmeyer wrote an awesome book called, Allow Me To Give You Some Really Awful Advice.

This book should be required reading for all leadership and pretty much anyone giving advice about magic at a magic club. They should also read Joshua Jay’s article from Magic Magazine called What Do Audiences Really Think.

Jim and Joshua’s writings confirm and back up with data why 90% of advice given at most magic clubs is wrong. Magicians need to be out there doing what they love, and innovating, not living in the 1970’s. We also need to be positive to newer magicians and tell them what they are doing right, not what we like or don’t like.

How to Be a Professional Magician…

Right now we’re deep into the corporate holiday party performing season. Tomorrow being the second Saturday of December which is the most requested day for holiday parties. That means if you aren’t working tomorrow you should be. The number one question I get from magicians starting out is, “How do I get shows?” The answer … Continue reading “How to Be a Professional Magician…”

The number one question I get from magicians starting out is, “How do I get shows?” The answer for me was giving to me when I saw Rudy Coby lecture in the late 1990’s was to constantly be working.

So how do you do that if you don’t have any work? Simple, look for it and then take it. Don’t worry about the money, just take the gig.

I know this flies in the face of what every magician in facebook groups tell you when they say things like, “you must charge at least $xxx.xx”. You need stage time to get good before you can charge money.

For me when I was about 19 or 20 I started performing in these late night “after hours” shows. These would be after the bars closed. You would work for maybe 10 bucks, however I was honing my craft, developing my style, and most importantly failing!

As a performing, especially when starting out, you need to take risks, you need to push some boundries and you need to fall flat on your face. This is really hard to do at a $2,000 gig, but it’s easy to do for ten bucks.

Another venue I started performing at when I was first starting out was retirement communities. I learned that they had a monthly budget for entertainment. These shows didn’t pay a ton, but there were a lot of them!

I eventually wrote a book on doing shows at retirement communities. This book covers how to contact them, how to book them and even some tips on doing the gig. You can get more info on this at www.perform4seniors.com.

The key is to simply get out and perform. When I was starting out the internet didn’t really exist. Now it’s easier than ever to find an open mic. A quick search on Craigslist shows several listings looking for performers.

Go out and do perform!

Louie

Be Self Sustaining…

I love tricks that have unusual visuals. Here’s one of my favorite “novelty” card tricks that I do: The problem with it is the recent batch of gimmicks that have come in have had a very short lifespan compared to the ones I was using a year or two ago. I bought a bunch … Continue reading “Be Self Sustaining…”

I love tricks that have unusual visuals. Here’s one of my favorite “novelty” card tricks that I do:

The problem with it is the recent batch of gimmicks that have come in have had a very short lifespan compared to the ones I was using a year or two ago. I bought a bunch of them over a year ago and down to my last one. I have a feeling that the glue that was used had degraded over time and that’s why they gimmicks aren’t lasting as long.

Luckily I know how to make this style of gimmicked card. I started playing with them when I was a teenager when I got the book Gaffed to the Hilt. If you’ve never made your own gaff cards, the DVD Gimmicked by Andost is a great resource.

I have some time today and am going to make up some of the cards for the hole punch trick. The main reason I’m making instead of buying is simple, I have one left and they’ve been lasting me 1-2 shows, I won’t have time to order more and have them by when I’d need them.

Making my own makes me be able to operate without being a slave to shipping times. I’d still rather order them than make them myself, however that’s not an option if I want to do the trick at my gig today and tomorrow.

The moral of the story is that if you are going to have a prop that you use a lot of, have a back up, or if it’s like this card that has a limited life buy a bunch of back ups. Better yet learn to make and repair them!

Louie

Play Around…

When I’m out performing mingling magic (aka roving close up) I frequently throw something into my pocket that’s not part of my normal set. It could be a full trick, gimmick, prop, or whatever. A couple of nights ago I put a pair of blank dice in my pocket. Years ago I published a … Continue reading “Play Around…”

When I’m out performing mingling magic (aka roving close up) I frequently throw something into my pocket that’s not part of my normal set. It could be a full trick, gimmick, prop, or whatever.

A couple of nights ago I put a pair of blank dice in my pocket. Years ago I published a trick with blank dice in the Linking Ring Magazine. Basically the gist of it was someone selected a card. They rolled the blank dice, told you the number they rolled, and you dealt down the number they rolled. The selected card was at the number. This is based on an Eddie Fields trick that uses a name.

Here’s video from the first table I did it at the other night…it’s been years since I did the trick:

After I did the trick in the video above, I realized it needed another phase. For the next phase I added this trick that’s part of my normal card set, but using the “rolled” numbers instead of any number:

Now I’ve got a little routine…but it needed an ending. So I’m ending it with a third phase where they shuffle the cards, roll again and deal down to that number. This time the card is not there. It’s folded up in my wallet.

I like that in this routine, each time the card is found it’s in a different state. First it’s face down, next it’s face up and finally it’s folded up. By the end of the night it went from OK to pretty good!

So the moral of the story is don’t be afraid to play around!

Louie

Don’t Rely on Apps…

I recently has my trick “Splitting Image” reviewed in Vanish Magazine (December 2018 issue) it got 5 out of 5 stars! Here’s the review, and then I’ll make a couple comments it after: REVIEW BY NICK LEWIN Louie Foxx will probably be familiar to readers of Vanish Magazine from his excellent column and the routines … Continue reading “Don’t Rely on Apps…”

I recently has my trick “Splitting Image” reviewed in Vanish Magazine (December 2018 issue) it got 5 out of 5 stars! Here’s the review, and then I’ll make a couple comments it after:

REVIEW BY NICK LEWIN

Louie Foxx will probably be familiar to readers of Vanish Magazine from his excellent column and the routines he contributes. Louie and I met up recently in Las Vegas and he showed me this routine. I loved it. I have been performing it ever since and can assure you that it is an absolute winner. It even leaves the spectator with a very cool photographic souvenir. I consider this one of the finest new close-up items I have seen in years.

The eﬀect is a decidedly diﬀerent take on both the torn and restored bill and the mis-made dollar bill. The performer borrows a phone and takes a picture of the spectator holding a dollar bill. The magician rips the dollar in two and then restores it into a single dollar bill that is now “inside out.” When when the spectator looks at the picture he took of the dollar with their phone, it has magically changed into a picture of the mis-made dollar bill.

This item is GREAT magic with a series of surprises that will astound any layman. The phone is a genuine borrowed phone with no special apps, pre-work or Internet access needed. The two special bills are superbly made and take the Mis-Made Bill to a new level. This is one of these special eﬀects that is as much fun to perform as it is too watch. At this price it is a bargain, heck at twice the price it would be a bargain. You will carry this trick with you and use it a lot.

Highly recommended.

OK, that’s a positive review and Nick notices a couple things about the trick that are important to me. Mainly that it’s a cellphone trick that doesn’t use anything but an actual borrowed cellphone.

A couple months ago I was in a show where a magician asked the audience to download an app to do a trick. This is what’s wrong with magic on a cellphone, once they download the app, it’s the app that does the magic, not you. This particular show the magician hit another problem, no one took out their phone to download the app. Then after some begging, someone took out their phone, but they had no cell service! Finally someone did the trick using the app that was already on the performer’s phone…and the trick didn’t work!!!

This illustrates my policy that any trick that uses a phone must just use the phone, no “magic” apps, no internet…just a borrowed phone. I’ve published a couple methods for book tests using the Kindle or iBook app on a borrowed phone. Sure the tricks are harder as they will end up using some sleight of hand on your end, but it’s better than a trick failing!

Louie

Not Everything Has To Make Money…

One thing that drives me nuts is when performers in online groups say things like, “I won’t get out of bed for less that $500…”. That’s fine, you can have a price that you won’t work for less than, however you are missing out on a lot of opportunities. What I mean by “opportunities” … Continue reading “Not Everything Has To Make Money…”

What I mean by “opportunities” is chances to perform in cool shows that have a lot more value than a paycheck. Here’s an example, last year and this year I’m performing at the Southern Sideshow Hootenanny in New Orleans. This is a festival of sideshow performers and variety acts from around the world.

All of the acts are getting paid the same, and many of their rates are thousands of dollars for a single show…yet they are working for a fraction of their normal rate.

Why?

Easy, this is part of something bigger than a one off paycheck. They are building their brand within their industry AND networking. I’ve made a lot of great connections with people at festivals like this which have yielded more money than I would have made if I got my normal fee for that show.

Then for me the greatest value is to work with great acts! There’s an old saying, “you are the sum of the 4 people you are around the most”. What that means is if you hang out with people that aren’t good performers, you’re going to have a hard time getting good. However if you hang out with people that are amazing performers, it will elevate you and push you to be better.

These festivals are great chances to meet and become friends with amazing artists! Go out and apply to a festival and up your game as a performer!

Louie

Go See Shows!

One thing that’s important to me is to support magic, and variety performers. Whether it’s a local or nationally touring show, I always try to go out and watch. I do this for a couple of reasons, first of all when I was a kid it was a pain to go see shows. I had to hop a bus and travel all day to see a show at a library, or sneak into a casino to see an act. Now it’s much easier, but that struggle to see shows when I was younger placed value on these shows.

Another reason is to support the performing scene. When I go to shows it does it in several ways. First my ticket helps support the performer. Secondly and more importantly the other performers (especially newer performers) see me at these and we can chat and it builds some community.

It can be hard when you are a newer magician to get into the “circles” of people that have more experience. When I go to these shows I get to chat with them one on one. Now I’m not saying chatting with me is a big deal (it’s not, trust me), but for someone just starting out it give me a chance to get to know them.

The other night Penn & Teller were in town performing. My family went out and we hung out with a lot of the local performers, it was a great night and a lot of fun. Not just the show, but the fellowship with the other performers.

Louie

Low Inventory of Birthday Magicians

Right now is a great time to be a magician. Magic is HOT right now, especially close up magic. That got me thinking about one area where magic is always huge, but I think it currently an under-served market and that’s children’s birthday parties. This is a market I don’t really work in anymore. … Continue reading “Low Inventory of Birthday Magicians”

This is a market I don’t really work in anymore. I only do these for friends, or special circumstances. It’s not that I don’t like doing them, they are fun, it’s just that my business has changed.

It got me thinking about how people who perform in this market is drying up. How many magicians that regularly perform at birthday parties are in my area that are under 30 years old? I can think of maybe 2 people. Bump that up to 40 years old and that number jumps to about 5 people. That’s not a lot for such a large pond of potential work.

My advice for someone young who is turning pro would be to put together a birthday show, it will help pay the bills while you are working on whatever market is your dream.

Louie