Borrowed Dollar Problems…

In my interview on The Variety Artist podcast I talk about working on a drawing duplication trick. It hit me yesterday that this could be the solution to the hurdle of borrowing money from the audience. The challenge of borrowing money is the time it takes people to get out money, or whether anyone will … Continue reading “Borrowed Dollar Problems…”

In my interview on The Variety Artist podcast I talk about working on a drawing duplication trick. It hit me yesterday that this could be the solution to the hurdle of borrowing money from the audience. The challenge of borrowing money is the time it takes people to get out money, or whether anyone will have money to offer.


How do you get from a drawing duplication to borrowing a dollar bill?


Simple, they draw the picture, I fold it up and it turns into a dollar bill. I give them the dollar bill. Then a bit later I need to borrow a dollar bill and of course the person who I just gave the dollar to has one ready for me to use.


Then later, I have the picture that they drew that I can load as a prediction, or as a production of their drawing. I think this solves the problem of time and uncertainty of borrowing money from the audience.

How To Be a Good Guest…

Recently I was interviewed by The Variety Artist podcast and that interview comes out tomorrow! If you don’t listen to it, it’s got tons of tips from people way smarter than me. In my episode we talk about creating original material, and some fun stories from my life. One thing that’s important when being a … Continue reading “How To Be a Good Guest…”

Recently I was interviewed by The Variety Artist podcast and that interview comes out tomorrow! If you don’t listen to it, it’s got tons of tips from people way smarter than me. In my episode we talk about creating original material, and some fun stories from my life.

Magician louie foxx

One thing that’s important when being a guest on podcast, or at a TV spot is to plan what you are going to do. Don’t come in with and just “wing it”. One this. A few days before the show I wrote down things that I wanted to talk about and my responses to what I thought John would ask me. During the podcast I kept my notes nearby and referenced them during the podcast.


The key is having thought about what you’re going to say. This doesn’t guarantee you’ll talk about those things, but having thought about it makes you a stronger guest. The majority of things that I talk about on the podcast had a note of some sort written on a legal pad in my hotel room.


Preparation is 80% of the key of being a great guest!

Bonus Tricks…

A year or so ago I published a trick in Vanish Magazine that used a Sharpie Marker as a prediction. How it went was someone picked a card and drew picture on it. I then told them to look a the pen they are holding and it said, “you will draw a smiley face” which … Continue reading “Bonus Tricks…”

A year or so ago I published a trick in Vanish Magazine that used a Sharpie Marker as a prediction. How it went was someone picked a card and drew picture on it. I then told them to look a the pen they are holding and it said, “you will draw a smiley face” which was exactly what they drew. This was playing the odds. I noticed that most people when asked to draw a pic on a card will draw a smiley face. If they don’t draw it I don’t tell them to look at the pen.


I call things like that bonus tricks. Tricks that when they happen are amazing, but don’t always happen.


In my close up card set I force the same card over and over again. Finally they get a different card. I top change it for a similar card. If the initial forced card was a 7 of Diamonds, the different card will be something like a 9 of Hearts. They remember the 9 of Hearts, and I top change it for the 7 of Diamonds and ask them to sign it. At this point one of two things will happen, they will either notice the card had changed or they won’t. If they don’t notice the change, then I get a bonus trick once they are done signing it!


The bonus trick is that I take the card back face down and top change it for the 9 of Hearts, which is what they think they signed and set it face down on the table. I do a pass to bring the signed 7 of Diamonds to the center of the deck. I ask them if they remember the card that they signed and they’ll say the 9 of Hearts. I then rub it on the table and show that their signature has disappeared. For the finale of the bonus trick I spread the deck and show that their signature is now on the 7 of Diamonds!


This is a really amazing trick and hits hard! Being on the lookout for bonus tricks in what you already do, you can do some real miracles!

The Elephant in the Room…

One of my best friends (who is also an amazing performer) always says, “you’ve got to address the elephant in the room”. What he means is if there is something that the whole audience can see or is aware of that’s a distraction, you need to acknowledge it. When I perform at fairs, sometimes the … Continue reading “The Elephant in the Room…”

One of my best friends (who is also an amazing performer) always says, “you’ve got to address the elephant in the room”. What he means is if there is something that the whole audience can see or is aware of that’s a distraction, you need to acknowledge it. When I perform at fairs, sometimes the “elephant in the room” is a literal elephant, other times it’s not.

A few weeks ago the backdrop to my stage was a row of porta-potty’s. It’s something that I needed to address, so here’s how I did it:

By addressing it immediately in the show, I got a big laugh. It also shows a bit of my personality, it shows that I’m fun and don’t take myself too seriously.


I talk a little bit about this in my interview with John Abrams on his podcast The Variety Artist that comes out on August 12th. I talk about a stage I performed on where to get onto the stage people from the audience physically had to leave the building and go around back. I also talk about how I addressed this problem. If you don’t listen to the podcast, you should give it a listen!

It’s a Community…

I’m a frequent traveler around the United States and while I travel I try to meet up with local magicians. I usually do a Google search for the city and the word magician then contact whoever turns up. I’ve met some cool people while travelling. Last week I was in Wyoming and I didn’t find … Continue reading “It’s a Community…”

I’m a frequent traveler around the United States and while I travel I try to meet up with local magicians. I usually do a Google search for the city and the word magician then contact whoever turns up. I’ve met some cool people while travelling.


Last week I was in Wyoming and I didn’t find any magicians on the internet. However while I was in a small town coffee shop, there was a business card board, and I glanced at it and saw a magician’s business card! I gave him a call and we met up.

It was a lot of fun jamming with him, swapping stories of legendary mentalist Bob Cassidy and talking shop!


If you’re a travelling act, look up some local magicians and hang out! It’s good for magic!

You Gotta Change…

In the last few weeks Holland America Line has implemented a ban on using balloons on their ships. This isn’t just for decorations, but also for use in shows. Here’s what’s making the rounds on social media: It’s interesting what magicians have to say about it. Most are asking questions about latex products. These magicians … Continue reading “You Gotta Change…”

In the last few weeks Holland America Line has implemented a ban on using balloons on their ships. This isn’t just for decorations, but also for use in shows. Here’s what’s making the rounds on social media:

It’s interesting what magicians have to say about it. Most are asking questions about latex products. These magicians are idiots, clearly this is specifically balloons, and not just latex balloons, but all balloons (so this includes mylar).


I perform on Holland America Line and I use a balloon in my show. I got this notice a few weeks ago, and I’ve dropped the trick that uses the balloon from my show, not just for that line, but all shows.


Why all shows?


Simple, it will keep my show tight. My muscle memory isn’t going to start doing that bit, then I have to back track.


Keeping up with the times is important, whether it’s using preferred pronouns, or not using a balloon. It also forces you to grow as a performer. People who cannot innovate will be left behind, where people who can will rise.

Make it Yours…

One of the new tricks I added to my kid show this summer was the Gypsy Yarn (this is Nick Lewin’s version of the Gypsy Thread). I’m using his method for the set up / handling, and string/yarn. Whenever there’s a trick I want to do, if Nick Lewin has a routine for it, I’ll … Continue reading “Make it Yours…”

One of the new tricks I added to my kid show this summer was the Gypsy Yarn (this is Nick Lewin’s version of the Gypsy Thread). I’m using his method for the set up / handling, and string/yarn. Whenever there’s a trick I want to do, if Nick Lewin has a routine for it, I’ll always use his as my starting point.


Here’s my final routine:

In the video I should have paused a bit longer at the end of the trick showing the string restored.


If you are familiar with Nick Lewin’s routine, you’ll see that while I use the foundation of his, the routine is 100% different. I think the only thing the same is we both reference a spit ball. This is a good example of taking an existing routine and making it yours. It takes more than simply filtering someone else’s script through your mouth.


You need to actually put yourself into the routine. In the video above while you don’t learn “facts” about me, you get a peek into my personality with how I interact with the kid.


You’ll also notice there are no standard “kid show” bits. It doesn’t feel like a “kid show” magic routine. Yes it’s silly with the counting bit, but there’s no Look, but don’t see, or sucker magic. It’s a fun original routine for a standard trick…and the trick is good!

You Get What You Give…

Recently I was working at a fair where there were two stages next to each other. One stage was going while the other was doing its act change over. When one stage ends, it sends its audience right next door. This usually works great… What ended up happening is that one of the acts on … Continue reading “You Get What You Give…”

Recently I was working at a fair where there were two stages next to each other. One stage was going while the other was doing its act change over. When one stage ends, it sends its audience right next door.
This usually works great…


What ended up happening is that one of the acts on my stage started his act on time, but the act on the other stage was running long. A bit later in the day the act on the other stage asked us to not start until he’s done. That’s fine if he’s done in a reasonable amount of time.


Then as the week went on the act on the other stage started doing preshow bits on the mic while our stage was still active. The courtesy of us not starting until he was finished didn’t extend the other direction to him not starting while we were still going…and we were still within our scheduled times.

This easily could have turned into use blasting music into his show, both me and the other act on my stage were much louder shows. However were are also professionals and know that no one wins when two stage right next to each other try to drown the other out. Once we realized the courtesy wasn’t being given to us, we simply did our scheduled start time, and frequently stepped on the end of his show.

Slow It Down…

One of the things that I’ve been trying to do lately is slow down a lot more. This is something that I’ve struggled with my whole life, however in the last few years I’ve gotten a lot better at slowing down. This is something that makes my show better and I know it, but still … Continue reading “Slow It Down…”

One of the things that I’ve been trying to do lately is slow down a lot more. This is something that I’ve struggled with my whole life, however in the last few years I’ve gotten a lot better at slowing down. This is something that makes my show better and I know it, but still struggle with it.


This summer letting things marinade, or waiting for the laugh to start dying off before I keep talking is making noticable differences in my show. It make what I’m doing or saying feel much more real, and in the moment when it’s scripted stuff. Rushing to get to the next punchline makes it feel more scripted.


I’m a big fan of letting the show breathe, and it’s something that physical comedians do all of the time. They let the audience get caught up with them, instead of constantly being ahead of the audience. Once you get too far ahead of them, it’s hard for them to catch up.

Travelling…

Right now we’re at the peak of my busy performing season. Something that seems to throw off a lot of performers is travelling (especially by airplane) with their shows. Today we’ll just talk about travelling by car, which in some ways is more difficult that travelling by airplane. When I’m packing up my show for … Continue reading “Travelling…”

Right now we’re at the peak of my busy performing season. Something that seems to throw off a lot of performers is travelling (especially by airplane) with their shows. Today we’ll just talk about travelling by car, which in some ways is more difficult that travelling by airplane.


When I’m packing up my show for a few weeks of shows, and putting it in the trunk of my car I have some decisions to make. The first one is the size of props. I don’t mind taking large props by car, but the prop still needs to justify loading it in and out for several weeks, and I need to be able to move it by myself.


The next thing to consider is the amount of supplies it’s going to take. While doing a mouth coil routine once doesn’t take up a lot of space, however doing three shows a day for three weeks starts to take up some space when you are packing.


Then you’ve got to decide whether to bring things you might need. This could be things like an extra power cable, or even an extra filler trick. Bringing extra material on the road is a good idea because sometimes props break and you can’t immediately get it repaired or replaces.


Personally when travelling by car I tend to overpack, but then I’m never at a venue without the proper connection to plug my mic in!