Uncategorized – MagicShow.Tips

Magic Swap Meet!

Last week the Portland Society of Magicians had their monthly magic meeting and annual swap meet!

I really liked the less formal feeling of this meeting over the slightly more formal way the meetings are normally done. I sold some props, and picked up a few books:

I’ve owned the Nick Trost book and Card Craft in the past, but it’s been at least a decade. Both are great books that I’d love to find time to work through again. That may be wishful thinking as there’s a lot of books ahead of them.

I have an idea to make a video series called, “A Toast to Trost” that has updated versions of his tricks, or new tricks inspired by his. This is a back burner project that hopefully I’ll get to someday…

-Louie

The Louie Foxx Magic Lecture

In January, I have two magic lectures: one was last week, and the other is in just over a week. I usually don’t do many of these, as my performing schedule is busiest during the summer, when the magic conventions happen.

I had a blast at the one last week for the Portland Society of Magicians. Here’s a peek at what the 90 minute lecture looks like in 60 seconds:

If your local magic club would like a lecture, feel free to contact me and we can try to make it happen!

-Louie
PS: you can get the lecture notes here:
http://www.magicshow.tips/lecture-notes-2025/

Radio Mind Reading

In my reading of The Bat magic magazine, I found an interesting trick from July 1945. In the magazine, this is called Radio Mind Reading by Professor Elkan M Lipka. Despite the name, I’m not sure how this would work over the radio, but the magazine says it’s a good phone trick that makes much more sense.

The effect is you show the layout below. Someone thinks of a any card and they tell you if it’s in row A or B. Then they also tell the which of the numbered rows it’s in. You then tell them the card they are thinking of.

I posted this on my Facebook and had people do it. I did make one change: instead of them telling me which rows it appears in, I had them tell me the sum of the rows. I think that buries the method a little bit by adding a variable where you could get to a number multiple ways.

A change I would make is to adjust the method to match a memorized deck stack rather than the ace-to-king order. That would make it a trick that the average person couldn’t backtrack. That said, in either form, all the person has to do is say it’s math or an algorithm, and they’d be right, and there’s really nothing you can do to dispel that.

I think that if you used this with a physical prediction, like an invisible deck, you might have something. If you put the layout image on a projection screen and talked about how magic used to be done, and how it’s done now. Here’s how this trick would look in 1945, and here’s how it looks now.

-Louie

Slippery Cards Gag!

When I open a new deck of cards and have them shuffled by someone in the audience, 90% of the time they will comment that they’re slippery. That’s where this gag comes in.

When they comment on the cards being slick, I take out a little caution sign and set it on the table. That gets a laugh, and it’s a gag that will introduce the prop. I like using a gag to introduce a prop, another example of this is my Bodega Coin Tray. Also, when you use the prop for a gag, it serves a purpose and is less suspect later, since the audience thinks it’s already fulfilled its role.

What happens is that during your card tricks, at one point, the signed card appears under the little sign (like card under glass). Then later, you say the card is under the sign, but it’s not; however, the sign has changed to say the name of their card! Then, a moment later, the signed card has reappeared under the sign again!

I’m having a lot of fun with this little prop!

-Louie

Street Fair Magic Show

Over the summer I was hired to do a show for a street fair. I’ve done many of these in the past, but this one was a little bit different. When I arrived I was directed to my “stage” which was the middle of the street.

Doing a show in the middle of the street with no defined performing area is not a problem, I’ve done that before. For me the bigger challenge was trying to find a situation where the audience could be in the shade for the 45 min show.

There really wasn’t any shade that wasn’t blocking a business. I didn’t want to tell people to stand under a business’s awning, but I also knew that people would choose the shady spot to watch the show.

Once I started to talk up my show, people immediately filled the shady area directly in front of a business!

As my friend Skip Banks says, if you make the audience area comfortable, they’ll show up. They were a great crowd, and it was a fun show!

-Louie

Out of Town Shipping Notice

The Daily blog will continue to be updated below this pinned post**

This is a quick heads up that I’m out of town October 4th, 2025 through October 12th 2025.

No orders will ship during that period or work on products will happen while I’m away. In stock items will ship on 10/13/25.

**The daily blog will continue to be updated below this pinned post**

The Moisture Festival Podcast – Cyara Hotopp

On this episode of the Moisture Festival Podcast we welcome in Cyara Hotopp. We discuss a wide variety of topics including her law degree, where she practiced law and how she gave up being a lawyer to pursue the circus arts.

We talk about her background as a figure skater and all the lessons she learned from that and their application to ariel. A great conversation with a fantastic performer.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Nice Seeing You!

I just wanted to give a quick “thanks” to all the magicians who came out to visit with me this summer!

Here’s the pictures of some of the magicians that visited!

There were a ton more, but I can’t find the pictures.

If I’m ever performing in your area and you come out, be sure to say HI!

-Louie

Saying Thank You!

One thing I try to do is send a handwritten thank you postcard for every gig I do. Well, almost every gig. If it’s a horrible experience and I don’t think it’ll change and don’t want to do it again, they don’t get one.

There’s not much to these, just a simple thank you. That’s all. I used to send a more elaborate thing with a survey, but no longer do that. Just the postcard.

This is just another way to keep your name in front of the booker after the gig.

-Louie

Wes Barker Show

It’s taken bit to get to posting about this, but about a month ago I went out to see Wes Barker‘s show when he was in Seattle. Before the show I met up with Eric and Alyss Stevens for a quick drink.

Then on the walk to the venue, we ran into another magician Brian. When we got to the venue, we ran into Wes taking tickets.

There was a miscommunication about booking a ticket taker with the venue, so Wes did it. He was great taking tickets. He handled it really well and was essentially an opening act to his show. The show was Wes and two comedians.

Wes is a great example of what a modern magic show is. Not a ton of props and a lot of personality. There was one idea in his show that I thought was amazing and wish I had thought of it. The whole show is really great with a lot of surprises. If he’s in your area, it’s totally worth checking out his show!

After the show Eric, Alyss, Brian and I had a little magic jam.

I do love seeing shows that inspire me to be better!

-Louie