Tag: tony clark

Knife Swallowing Magic Trick

Recently, I was on a quick vacation to Chicago, and one of the things we did was go on a Pizza Tour. At our last stop on the tour, we were sitting at a table with a family that had a kid who was probably six years old. This was a great moment for sneaking in a magic trick. The family didn’t know I was a magician, so it would be a surprise.

What trick did I do?

Since I didn’t have anything on me, I did an impromptu trick where it looked like I swallowed a knife. I learned at a Tony Clark lecture when I was a teenager at Bob Goodsell’s West Coast Wizards Magic Camp in the early 1990’s. It’s a great trick and if you don’t know it, it’s worth learning!

I asked the kid how he liked his pizza, then I said that I loved it so much I wanted to eat the knife (that I cut it with), and then I did! I played it for real and that’s one of those moments of pure wonder that I created!

As a magician, you should be able to do something at any moment, sometimes it’s an improvised trick and sometimes it’s a planned trick that you carry with you. Also, just because you CAN do a trick and any time, it doesn’t me you have to!

Moments like that are great and perfect for impromptu magic!

-Louie

Are You Working Hard Enough??

Some magicians take pride in not breaking a sweat while they perform.  I used to be very physical in my show, then slowly over time I stopped moving around in my show.  I stood there and did what I needed to do, and I didn’t break a sweat.  This year I performed at GrapeFest in … Continue reading “Are You Working Hard Enough??”

Some magicians take pride in not breaking a sweat while they perform.  I used to be very physical in my show, then slowly over time I stopped moving around in my show.  I stood there and did what I needed to do, and I didn’t break a sweat. 

This year I performed at GrapeFest in Texas and saw an act that changed my mind and made me move around a bit more when I perform. The act played saxophone and while he didn’t move much, he was dripping with sweat.  As an audience member watching him, I got the feeling that for the 50 minute set, he put his entire life into that saxophone!  

So how does one do card tricks or tell stupid jokes with energy?  I think something that Tony Clark said in a lecture 25 years ago is the secret to doing this: 

“When you move, you move with purpose”

That’s something that has stuck with me ever since I heard him say it.  Don’t pace the stage, but when you move you put energy into it.  And it’s directed, so it has purpose.  

I also remember hearing an interview with Jerry Seinfeld where he would hear comedians tell  each other to “go on stage and have fun”.   Jerry’s position was that you shouldn’t be having fun on stage, you should be working your ass off.   

So your homework is to work harder when you are performing.