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…”

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 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.  blank dice magic trickYears 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 s
ingle 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…”

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” 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. Southern sideshow hootenanny

 

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 … Continue reading “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.

Penn & Teller

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”

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.  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

Subway Stradivarious or Bucket Drummer

A few years ago the Washington Post did an “experiment” where they had a concert violinist play a Stradivarius for people in the subway  (You can read the article here).  This recently popped up again on my Facebook feed and and I have some thoughts on it.   Here’s the video: You can be the best … Continue reading “Subway Stradivarious or Bucket Drummer”

A few years ago the Washington Post did an “experiment” where they had a concert violinist play a Stradivarius for people in the subway  (You can read the article here).  This recently popped up again on my Facebook feed and and I have some thoughts on it.

 

Here’s the video:


You can be the best musician, play the best instrument, but that doesn’t mean you are the right person for the job.  Street performing is a skill, just like playing in a theater is a skill, and those skills don’t necessarily translate.   I bet the guys paying drums on a $2 bucket were making a lot more than him.

 

So why didn’t the violinist build a crowd?

 

Years ago I was told by Tom Frank that before picking a spot to busk, you look the people’s feet.  Are the fast or slow?  The violinist picked a commuter spot.  Not a good choice and any experienced busker probably wouldn’t line up for that pitch.

 

Look at the location, you really can’t build a crowd without completely blocking the foot traffic.  It’s essentially between two doors.  If someone wanted to stop and watch, it wouldn’t be comfortable. They’d have people walking in front of them, or into them.

 

They also picked doing it at “rush hour”…guess why they call it rush hour?  People are in a rush!  You’ll do better before or after rush hour when people have more time.

 

Based on a Q & A I read from the author of the article, that place normally doesn’t allow street performers, so they had to get special permission for it.  So the place didn’t have a street performing culture, which is another big factor.

 

Look at the successful street performers, where do they go?  Do they go where business commuters go, or do they go where tourists go?  Spoiler alert, they go where tourists or people not on business are.  Those  people have more time.  I’m very curious how well the violinist would have done if you put him in a place with a street performing culture?

 

Even if you gave him a good time at a good spot, he wouldn’t have done as well as the guy playing the bucket on his first time out.  He’s playing “ambient music” versus “interactive music”.  Ambient music people walk by, stop for a bit, toss a buck in the violin case and go about their day.  Interactive music would be he says hi people, has little “bits”, sees a guy wearing a band shirt, calls attention to it and  plays the hook from one of that bands songs.  It’s a different style of performing, you can’t do you “theater act” as is on the street and expect the same results.

 

I guess the takeaway from this is that if you are moving venues as a performer, you should expect a learning curve!

Louie

The Stroller Test

I was at a showcase last week for performers trying to get booked.  I watched all of the magicians showcase (that I was aware of) and while I had a crappy showcase spot, I pulled a bigger crowd then all of the ones that I saw.    Why?   They all had long presentations, where … Continue reading “The Stroller Test”

I was at a showcase last week for performers trying to get booked.  I watched all of the magicians showcase (that I was aware of) and while I had a crappy showcase spot, I pulled a bigger crowd then all of the ones that I saw. 

 

Why?

 

They all had long presentations, where mine while they can be long, have jokes in them. In addition to that what I selected to use in my showcase all had big unique visuals.  This comes down to what I call the “stroller test”.

 

How the stroller test works is you have to imagine mom pushing a stroller down the walkway with a kid or two.  Would she stop at your show. You have say 50 feet to catch her attention and get her to sit down. If she’s travelling at around 1 foot a second, you’ve got about a minute to catch her attention.

 

If you are standing up there talking about poetry for five minutes before the trick happens, you aren’t going to grab her.  If you are standing up there talking and have a joke every 45 seconds, you have a much better chance of getting her attention.  If you have a joke every 45 seconds AND an interesting visual you will have an even better chance of getting her attention.

Inventing a Trick That’s Already Been Invented

I always try to keep up with the new magic that’s out and came across this trick:   To me this guy was inspired by David Copperfield’s license plate trick, without the kicker of the appearing car.  This is a more practical way of doing the trick for 99.9% of performers and a smart method. … Continue reading “Inventing a Trick That’s Already Been Invented”

I always try to keep up with the new magic that’s out and came across this trick:

 

To me this guy was inspired by David Copperfield’s license plate trick, without the kicker of the appearing car.  This is a more practical way of doing the trick for 99.9% of performers and a smart method.

 

Whenever I see a marketed trick I try to think of ways I can make them unique to me.  I do two things:

 

  1. Think of a different method:  A new method can lead to a trick that feels different to the audience.
  2. Think of a new presentation:  A completely different presentation will give you a unique feeling trick.

 

So what would I do with this trick (keep in mind this is trick is already a variation of an existing trick)?

 

Let’s start with method.  Instead of using a flip chart, why not use the TOXIC force?  Now you’ve eliminated the flip board and a visual, so the trick now won’t look like the trick above.  Now you’ve got two tricks that simply just license plate predictions.

 

Next let’s get into presentations.  The video doesn’t really have a presentation, and it’s been soo long since I’ve seen David Copperfield do his, that I don’t remember what his was, we have a pretty easy starting point.  Since we’re using a calculator, you could talk about buying a car and how they talk about all the numbers.

 

Now that we’ve got a method and a presentation, there’s one last hurdle, getting a license plate that has only numbers and no letters.  A google search showed me that all modern plates have both numbers and letters, so buying a used plate on ebay won’t work.  However another search showed me that you can have custom “novelty” plates made!

 

Now we’ve got the routine, the props and method…we’ve got a brand new trick, one that’s unique!

 

Louie