Tag: john carney

Magic Videos…

A month or two ago Nick Lewin wrote an article about Magic Flix (you can read it here), which is a streaming magic video website. Nick’s article go me interested in check in it out. I found a free month trial code and checked it out. What I’m really enjoying watching on MagicFlix is the … Continue reading “Magic Videos…”

A month or two ago Nick Lewin wrote an article about Magic Flix (you can read it here), which is a streaming magic video website. Nick’s article go me interested in check in it out. I found a free month trial code and checked it out.


What I’m really enjoying watching on MagicFlix is the Stevens Magic Emporium Greater Magic Video Series. These were put out in the early 1990’s and feature a lot of the older magicians, so the up and coming ones, like Micheal Ammar, Daryl, and John Carney. When I was a kid I couldn’t afford these, and it’s very interesting to watch them now.


My goal is to make it through the whole series. There’s a clear point where close up magic changes, with the style of routines that guys Ammar or Carney were doing. That’s the style that’s existed until Blaine came on the scene. Then there’s been another change with Shin Lim and the close up manipulation act style of magic.


From a magic history standpoint watching these videos is amazing!

The Vanishing Bird Cage is one of the hardest tricks I’ve ever worked on. It seems like every problem I solve, another problem pops up. In the recent past when I did the cage, the plan wasn’t for it to stay in the show for very long. Because of this, I didn’t put a ton … Continue reading “”

The Vanishing Bird Cage is one of the hardest tricks I’ve ever worked on. It seems like every problem I solve, another problem pops up. In the recent past when I did the cage, the plan wasn’t for it to stay in the show for very long. Because of this, I didn’t put a ton of time into it.


Now that I think this is something that’s going to be in the show for a little while, I’m putting more time into it. I want to do the vanish of the bird cage faster than the “slow motion” vanish. I’m having a frequent problem with the cage hanging up on my sleeve at the exact same spot. I think it has to do with the coat more than the cage. Material seems to bunch about 3 inches inside my sleeve and the cage gets stuck about 20% of the time.


My solution was to have it not run up the sleeve. I’m having it run across my hand. This gives me a more unusual grip of the cage, the cage sits on the palm of my hand. It’s similar to the one handed grip that John Carney uses in the CARNEY 2013 video on the Vanishing Bird Cage.

John Carney Vanishing Bird cage

The main difference Carney’s grip and mine is that my hand is completely palm up. The cage can be displayed with no support from either hand, aside from my right palm as a base.

Adjusting my grip has reduced the cage hanging up to less than 5%. This is good, but still a long way to go!

Do It Backwards!

When I was about 15 years old, I saw John Carney lecture in Minneapolis. One of the things he talked about was doing the pass. He said the best way to create a new pass was to do an existing one backwards. For example a Herman Pass is essentially a Classic Pass Backwards. Occasionally when … Continue reading “Do It Backwards!”

When I was about 15 years old, I saw John Carney lecture in Minneapolis. One of the things he talked about was doing the pass. He said the best way to create a new pass was to do an existing one backwards. For example a Herman Pass is essentially a Classic Pass Backwards.



Occasionally when I’m jamming with magicians I’ll start to play with a move or an idea backwards and it will yield interesting results. Recently I was talking to a mentalist and the subject of spoon bending came up. I asked him if anyone had done it backwards. What I mean by that is bending the spoon towards the bowl, instead of away from it.


He mentioned that a lot of the optical illusion parts of bends may not work. He then demonstrated the spoon bends that he does, and he was right about them not working with the bend going the opposite direction. However, this playing around with flipping the bend backwards led me to come up with what I think is a new spoon bend!

TLDR: Try doing it backwards!

Magic Trick Bucket List…

Are there any magic tricks that you’ve always wanted to perform?  I’m not talking about the flavor of the month, new trick that just came out.  A trick that you read about or saw as a kid, and you still think about decades later?  I’ve had many, and luckily for me I’ve gotten to do … Continue reading “Magic Trick Bucket List…”

Are there any magic tricks that you’ve always wanted to perform?  I’m not talking about the flavor of the month, new trick that just came out.  A trick that you read about or saw as a kid, and you still think about decades later? 

I’ve had many, and luckily for me I’ve gotten to do many of them.  In the summer I do some library shows and those have allowed me to work on new tricks for my show and do them a lot in a short amount  of time.   What’s great about that is I quickly figure out if I like the trick or not. If I like the trick and so do audiences, then I can move that trick up to my main show. 

Usually the tricks I’ve always wanted to do don’t make it into the main show.  However it’s nice to have done them and scratched the itch and no longer feel the need to do them.   There is one trick that I keep coming back to, and that’s the Multiplying Billiard Balls.  


I did a version of Alan Wakeling’s routine on a tour of 90-ish shows.  The routine got really tight and while I liked it, I think it didn’t connect with the audience as much as I thought it should.  I did a routine one summer that produced 4 balls with no shell! I really enjoying doing that routine, as it had some creative moves in it. 

I frequently do a ball manipulation sequence in my show, and that for the most part keeps me satisfied and I don’t feel I need to work on the multiplying balls.  That is until recently.  I had an idea for a non traditional version of the trick.   This version only uses one ball that the audience is aware of.   I’m excited about working on this trick because it’s so unusual!  

That brings me back to John Carney’s book Magic by Design.  In this book he talks about how there are tricks  you will constantly come back to.  It’s because they may not be right for you now, but they may be right for you in a year.   I totally agree with him, I find ideas in notebooks that I didn’t expand at the time, but that’s probably because I couldn’t.  I lacked the knowledge, or hadn’t thought of a second part to it that would make the trick possible.  

 

TLDR:  Keep revisiting old tricks that you like. 

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.  

Magic by Design by John Carney

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!

Recommended Reading

Right now I’m reading John Carney’s book Magic By Design. It’s a book on theory of how to become a better magical performer.  One of the things he mentioned was writing down your “ideals” for your magic. Some guidelines as an artist of what you want for your magic / show.   Here’s some of … Continue reading “Recommended Reading”

Right now I’m reading John Carney’s book Magic By Design.

Magic by Design by John CarneyIt’s a book on theory of how to become a better magical performer.  One of the things he mentioned was writing down your “ideals” for your magic. Some guidelines as an artist of what you want for your magic / show.

 

Here’s some of mine:

  • The magic has to be good.  By that there can be no easy explanations of how things work.  
  • Every trick has to have a unique visual.  
  • I have to sweat.  I need to work on stage.
  • The audience has to feel like this “isn’t just another magic show”
  • The audience gets to know me during the show
  • The material has to “move the show forward”

 

I’m sure that I’ll come up with more, but this is just the quick list I’ve come up with.  There’s not much to it, however I’ve always said that creating with rules is so much easier than creating without rules!

 

I’m only a few pages into the book, but I highly recommend it!

 

Louie