Tag: magic show

Zen and the Art of Stealing Other People’s Material…

A buddy of mine had a trick of his stolen a few years ago.  We know it was stolen because we were in a show with the guy that stole the bit.  Later when we asked him about where he learned it, he openly admitted he saw my friend do it and he started doing … Continue reading “Zen and the Art of Stealing Other People’s Material…”

A buddy of mine had a trick of his stolen a few years ago.  We know it was stolen because we were in a show with the guy that stole the bit.  Later when we asked him about where he learned it, he openly admitted he saw my friend do it and he started doing it.   My friend asked him to stop doing the trick…the guy didn’t.

 

Now let’s fast forward to today.  The tricks originator has recently run into several people who learned the stolen trick from the guy that stole the trick.  That made my friend upset and he contacted the trick thief and asked him to stop doing it and to not teach it to other people.

 

The trick thief’s response amazed me.  Here are some quotes from the thief’s response and my commentary:

 

  • “When I first saw you do this I was inspired”  Great, be inspired to create, not take!
  • “I don’t feel like I would have the right to police what people do and don’t do as far as material.”  Ummm…if you created it and the only reason another person is doing it is because they saw you do it, then yes, you have the right to ask them to stop.  I do understand there’s the independent invention thing, and that does happen a lot, but it’s not in this case.
  • “People do material that I feel I made up as well.”   This is the same as saying, “I’m not racist, I have black friends…”  it’s a way of justifying taking.  Also if you are someone that freely takes stuff, then of course you can’t have a problem when your stuff gets taken.

 

At the end of the day takers gonna take  and there’s really nothing you can do about it.  People who do original material and going to fade away and it sucks when someone takes your bit.  In magic there are a many creators that have stopped performing because of this.  I know of several magic creators that no longer put out marketed material because of it getting knocked off.  They’ve lost the incentive to create.

 

You can justify taking a bit all day long, however in the end it’s only going to hurt the industry as a whole.  Creative acts will stop working publicly, then the well will dry for the acts that only take and not create.  This leaves a industry that will stagnate.

 

How do you get material if you aren’t creative?

Easy, hire a creative person…or actually put in the work and starting writing down ideas.  Either way works and pushes the industry forward.

 

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 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

 

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

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.

Another Presentation for the License Plate Prediction…

A couple of days ago I wrote about a post about the License Plate Prediction trick (you can read it here).  I was thinking about it some more and came up with another, probably better presentation.  The idea is that in high school you named your car.   You have a list of the top baby names … Continue reading “Another Presentation for the License Plate Prediction…”

A couple of days ago I wrote about a post about the License Plate Prediction trick (you can read it here).  I was thinking about it some more and came up with another, probably better presentation.  The idea is that in high school you named your car.   You have a list of the top baby names from the year you bought your car. You run scissors down the list and they saw stop whenever they want.  You cut the list at that point. They read the first name from where the list was cut and end up matching your license plate.

 

Mind reading magic trick

 

This would simply be the trick where you have the list of names printed upside down.  So when you cut the list, the name at the top where they think you cut it is actually the last name on your list.  That’s a simple and effective force for a trick like this that is list bases.

 

I think there’s tons of room for fun in this trick. “I named my car “Carl” and would tell my mom that carl and I are going out. It was month before she realized that Carl wasn’t real.”  

 

Now that I’ve got the hook and the method, it’s just a matter of writing the script and testing it out. 

 

Louie

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

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

 

Some Sound Advice…

In a facebook magic group someone asked about sound systems for bday parties.  I was kinda amazed by the response of the people. I think one of the interesting responses was , “you don’t need one for a dozen kids…”, i find this interesting because while a dozen kids in average, having 30 is not … Continue reading “Some Sound Advice…”

In a facebook magic group someone asked about sound systems for bday parties.  I was kinda amazed by the response of the people. I think one of the interesting responses was , “you don’t need one for a dozen kids…”, i find this interesting because while a dozen kids in average, having 30 is not uncommon.

 

Another factor is production value.  Having music in your show adds a lot to it.  It kills dead time and opens up other things to do, like musical gags and bits.  Whenever I do shows without music, I feel the show isn’t living up to its full potential.

 

Then there’s the core issue, having your voice heard.  I’ve seen too many shows where you can’t hear the performer and it’s a small group.  It could be because the show is outside and there’s a lot of background noise, or it could be the performer not projecting.  

 

Finally there’s the whole, 3 or 4 shows a day thing.  You can blow out your voice in a weekend. A $300 bday party isn’t worth it if it wrecks your voice for the $1K gig you have saturday night.  


Invest in the best sound system you can afford.