Great Scott! It's Magic!

Are my ebooks still available?

2011-12-10T00:58:00.000-08:00

I've received more than a few inquiries as to whether my ebooks are still available after having closed down my website. In a word--YES! I sold the rights to all my ebooks to Chris Wasshuber over at Lybrary.com, the largest magic ebook site in the world, where they are selling pretty well. As of this writing, I'm in the top ten in several different categories:

1. Balls, Eggs & Dice: I'm the #4 bestselling author with the #9 bestseller, "Peanut, Butter & Jelly" (my sponge ball routine). "Great Scott's Table-Hopping Cups & Balls" isn't far behind.

2. Card Moves: I'm the #6 author. "Knuckle-Massaging Card Techniques" is at #5, and "The Guinn Utility Backslip" is also selling well.

3. Coins: I'm the #8 bestselling author in this category.

4. Paper & Paper Money: My "Working Pro's Bill in Lemon" is the #6 bestseller in this category, where I am the #8 bestselling author.

5. Rings: I'm the #4 author here, with two of my ebooks in the top ten bestsellers--"Great Scott's Ring & Rope Routine" is #6, and "Great Scott's Symphony for ring & String" is #8.

I don't make anything off the sales--Chris paid me well to obtain the rights--but if you're interested in getting my material, head on over to my page at Lybrary.com

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

2011-09-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

As you are surely already aware, it has been a long time since I’ve posted anything on this blog. My life has changed considerably since I wrote that last article, including, but not not limited to, two MAJOR changes...

1. I have been hired full-time as the pastor of my church (I’ve wanted to be a pastor since I was 8). This obviously takes up a large chunk of my time, especially if there is a wedding, funeral, etc in addition to my regular duties. And I'm LOVING it!

2. This summer, an adoption has fallen into our laps from heaven. Kristi and I have been married for 20 years and unable to conceive or adopt previously. A lady who has been going to our church for about two years contacted us in June to pray for her pregnant best friend and for someone to step up to adopt her baby. We knew right away that “someone” was us! The baby is due to be born on October 10, just 10 days from today! His name will be Josiah Scott Guinn. (Josiah means “God helps.”)

As a result of all this change, I don’t perform much anymore. I still do a handful of shows per year, but nothing like the several hundred a year I did when it was my profession. My priorities have changed, and I sold off the bulk of my magic library and props to help cover adoption expenses. I'm focusing on being the best pastor i can be, and on learning how to be the best daddy I can be.

I've never been happier. Magic is now a fun hobby that I get to when and if I have the time, and I’m good with that! God is GOOD! ALL the time!

So, this will likely be my last post, and I don't foresee writing any more books or creating any new material. I no longer have a magic website, but all of my ebooks are now available at Lybrary.com, to whom I sold the rights.

Before I go, I want to thank all my friends, followers, fans and customers. You have enriched my life, and I cannot put into words how much your support and encouragement over the years has meant to me!

All the best to you,

Scott

Level of Difficulty Points

2010-05-24T01:23:00.001-07:00

In Olympic Sports like gymnastics and diving, part of each competitor's score is dictated by the level of difficulty. One gymnast doing a vault, for example, may have a much higher possible maximum score than another athlete doing a vault with a lower level of difficulty. As a result, spectators not familiar with the sport are often surprised when one of the most highly skilled gymnasts makes an error on a vault and yet receives a higher score than another athlete who may have performed an easier vault flawlessly. Because the level of difficulty boosted the maximum possible score so much higher, even with a mistake, the score will be higher than a near-perfect but significantly easier vault.

However, magicians often get themselves into trouble by applying this mindset to their performances. Forgetting that the effect and its impact on the audience are the most important factors, many prestidigitators believe that their shows will improve by incorporating incredibly difficult technique.

Before I go on, allow me to qualify what I am about to say: There are some performers who can do extraordinarily difficult techniques flawlessly--it seems as if nothing at all happened. And there are times when the more difficult method is, in fact, the better method. That's not what I'm talking about here; I'm referring to incorporating difficult technique for its own sake into a show with the assumption that it will automatically make the show better.

I recently had the privilege of performing at the Mystique Magic Dinner Theater in Boise. Sadly, the reason I was asked to perform was because the scheduled performer, Andrew Goldenhersch, was very ill. I was asked to cover his shows for a couple of days. Now, I have seen Andrew's act. He is a fabulous magician--one of those guys who can do incredibly technically difficult material flawlessly. (Joe Skilton, another excellent magician, described Andrew's act this way: "Andrew, probably more than any other magician I've ever seen, understands the moment of magic.") I informed the manager that I would be happy to help, but that I was no Andrew Goldenhersch. He said he understood that, and no one was expecting that. So, five hours later, I found myself being introduced for the first show.

Here is the act I performed at the shows that night and the next:

1. Bill Abbott's Five-Card Repeat

2. My Rope routine

3. Peanut, Butter, and Jelly (my sponge ball routine)

4. Magic Western Union (my Flying Eagles routine with a double kicker)

5. Card set, consisting of my versions of

Red Hot Mama
Triumph
Signed card to Ostin Bulldog Clip (which had been hanging in full view since before I entered the room)

6. My linking ring routine

Let's analyze each of these routines from a technical standpoint and rate them on a scale from 1-5 (1 being extremely easy and 5 being extremely difficult) as regards level of difficulty.

1. The Five-Card Opener is essentially self-working. Level: 1

2. The rope routine certainly has some moves in it, but nothing particularly challenging. Level: 2

3. My sponge ball routine does require a few retention of vision vanishes. Other than that, it uses subtleties and a gimmick. Level: 3

4. Magic Western Union requires a thumb palm and one Han Ping Chien move. Level: 2

5. Card set: In this routine, I do have to palm a card once, but it is on the offbeat under heavy misdirection. A card is controlled, there are a couple of double lifts, and a Mercury Card Fold. Level: 3

6. Linking Rings - there is certainly some technique involved, but nothing that would qualify as difficult sleight-of-hand. Level: 2

The average level of difficulty for the entire act is 2 on a scale of 1-5. The other (world-class) performers at Mystique would have a rating more like 4.5. And yet the owner, the manager, some of the other magicians, and some of the repeat guests all told me my act was of the same caliber as the other acts.

Now imagine if I had tried to do more difficult material for its own sake in an attempt to fit in better. I would have been nervous and uncomfortable, and that would have come across in my performance. I likely would have botched a trick or two. And unlike Olympic Gymnastics, a higher level of difficulty in a magic routine does not allow for any mistakes. If you botch it, it's botched, and the audience's experience of magic is ruined.

Listen, if you are of that rare breed that can smoothly cruise through the most difficult technique as if you are doing nothing at all, then I say more power to you! But if you are like the vast majority of us, do not feel that you need to incorporate some near-impossible sleight where a simple coin gaff or gimmicked card will create the same (or even a better) effect. There is no shame in that. If you do relatively easy material well and sell it well, you can make a living performing magic.

Always remember: It is MUCH better to do easy to moderate material very well than to do very advanced material badly!

When enough is enough...

2010-04-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

Before I get started, just an FYI...

The sale on my ebook compilation (details in the post immediately preceding this one) will end at 11:59 PM (MDT) on Friday, April 30, 2010. This is, by far, the best price I've ever offered and I seriously doubt I'll ever sell the collection this cheaply again. So... if you want a TON of material while saving a TON of money, ACT FAST!

When is enough... enough?

There has been some discussion lately on The Magic Cafe regarding performing at your restaurant gig after your shift ends. There are people at both extremes(as usual), and others more in the middle. I'll be fleshing this out more fully in my next Magic Menu article, but in the meantime, I'd like to hear your opinions on what you feel is the right thing do when:

1) You've finished your shift, packed up your stuff, and are ready to head out the door, only to have a mom (or hostess) ask you if you'll stay "just five more minutes" to perform for a table that was just seated.

2) You are at your venue for dinner on a night you're not working. Some guests recognize you and ask if you'll come to their table and "show us something".

You can let me know what you would do by either posting here, sending an email to me (scottfguinn@gmail.com), or if you are a member of The Magic Cafe, you can send me a PM there.

MAGIC LECTURE ETIQUETTE

2010-02-05T22:51:00.001-08:00

While I am well aware that I am not the first to broach this topic, I feel it is important enough to address it here. Having booked, attended, and given many magic lectures, I have seen an appalling lack of proper decorum and etiquette. It is my hope that this is due to ignorance and not intent, and that perhaps at least some who read this will actively pursue correcting the problems. Let's go through some of the more common infringements of good magic lecture etiquette.

1. Interacting with the lecturer

If you see that your lecturer is in the middle of setting up for the lecture, or packing up after it, or in the middle of selling his stuff, please do not attempt to monopolize his time. During his setup, for example, you could very well distract him enough (he will likely be too polite to tell you that he is busy and would rather be left alone at the moment) that he will forget some key component, stack, prop, etc, and as a result will be unprepared for that effect in the lecture--or even worse, not realize that he is unprepared and have the trick not work as a result. I know; it's happened to me, and I've seen it happen to others.

Further, please don't try to monopolize his time, period. At every lecture I've ever given, hosted, or attended, there has always been at least one guy who seems to think that the lecturer is there to be his sounding board--to stand there and listen to him drone on endlessly about how he does McDonald's Aces with the threes, or how he gets twenty minutes of entertainment out of the thirty-second effect the lecturer explained just before the break, etc. Remember that there are other people there to see this honored guest--it's not all about you!

It is perfectly legitimate to introduce yourself, tell him how much you enjoyed the lecture, how valuable you found his book to be, etc. If you're buying an item, it is fine to ask him to autograph it and make small talk. Just don't act as if you are the only person in the room and he is there to do nothing but chat with you.

2. "Fiddling" during the lecture

Here's a biggie: during the lecture, please do not continuously riffle your cards or jingle your coins! This is so annoying to everyone else, and is distracting to the lecturer. If you want to take out your Bikes or coins and "walk through" the explanation of a particular trick, that's one thing. But please don't "fiddle" with them during the whole lecture. It is the equivalent of going to a movie you've eagerly anticipated, only to have the person in front of you texting and talking on his cell phone the whole time, while the person behind you keeps kicking your seat.

I booked a Northwest tour for a well-known performer a few years ago, and I drove him from city to city. At every lecture, there were several guys who were constantly jangling coins and riffling decks. At one, there was a guy standing off to one side near the front jangling his coins so obnoxiously that my friend finally had to stop mid-explanation and ask, "Could you stop doing that, please?" The rest of the room burst into applause!

3. "Me, me, I, I..."

This may well be the single biggest hindrance to a positive lecture experience for both the lecturer and the other attendees.

When attending a lecture, do not interrupt the lecturer to tell him how you go about doing a particular effect or how you have modified his routine, etc. After the performance or explanation of an effect, if he asks if there are any questions or comments it is fine to say, "I do that effect and it always plays well. Thank you." or words to that effect. But don't go on and on about how you've added this and that, or how you do a watch steal in the middle of your Ambitious Card routine and so forth. The other attendees have paid to see and hear the lecturer, not you. Keep the "me, me, I, I" stories for sessions and club meetings, or for your own lecture.

The exception to this, of course, is if the lecturer specifically asks you to go on. Otherwise, ZIP IT!

4. Video or audio recording and photographing

This should go without saying, but...

ALWAYS ask for permission before you begin to record or take photos! 'Nuff said.

5. Heckling

You would think that this wouldn't be an issue... but it IS! I have seen guys yell out what they perceived to be the method ("You kept it in your other hand!" "You just did a pass!"), smugly "hold court" and correct the lecturer ("Wait! That was actually first explained in a letter from Al Cohen to Ed Marlo in 1968, where..."), etc.

At one lecture I hosted, the lecturer asked to borrow a quarter. One of the wise guys attending offered him a gaffed coin. The lecturer looked at it, tried to be "game", smiled and said, "A regular quarter" as he handed the owner his gaff. The guy did the world's worst switch and handed him back the same coin! That particular lecturer was ticked, and rightly so.

Another time, the lecturer was demonstrating a routine using Grant's Million Dollar Mystery, where a couple of bills are torn in half and the half-bills are given to different audience members. As he was speaking, one of the guys with a half-bill took out his own bill, tore it in two, and at the climax of the trick returned the half from his own bill as if it was the one handed him earlier! Unbelievable!

If you are so insecure that you can't let someone else have the floor for a couple of hours, and you feel like you absolutely have to correct him or sabotage him, do us all a favor: never attend another magic lecture! One guy who messed with a particular lecturer has no idea how close he came to getting the living daylights beat out of him. And the rest of the club would have applauded!

6. "Group purchases"

I can't believe that the participants in this little scheme think they are putting anything past anyone. You see it at almost every lecture...

Three or four guys huddle together, pull out their wallets, and tally their cumulative resources. Then they walk over to the sales table, where a three or four-volume DVD set is available. Each of them buys one volume. "Coincidentally", each of them buys a different volume. Like I said, who do they think they are fooling?

Worse yet are the club officers who tell everyone in advance (I have seen this happen!) NOT to buy any DVDs, because he will buy one for the "club library", and they can rent it and make their own copies!

Here's a thought: Just knock the lecturer down, steal his stuff, and take his money. It will save everyone some time, and is a lot more honest!

7. Booking and hosting the lecturer

There are several sub-topics on this that I want to address one at a time.

a. Attendance estimates

In their desire to make their club seem like a more appealing engagement, many club representatives will grossly exaggerate the expected attendance. "We should have between 70 and 85 people there for you." The lecturer arrives, to discover 28 people will be attending. You may wonder why that should be such a big deal. Well, it is, for a couple of reasons.

First, even in this electronic media age, most clubs want (and most lecturers provide) hard copies of their lecture notes, other books and booklets, and DVDs. If you tell me 80 guys are coming to the lecture, I'm going to have 55-60 sets of the notes printed, and bring 40-45 of each of my booklets and DVDs. For 28 people, 15-20 of each would have sufficed. Besides the wasted expense of printing, if I am flying to your city, I either had to ship that stuff in advance or pay to have it loaded on the plane--not an insignificant expense in either case. Then I have to get it back home again; another needless expense.

If you call a lecturer to ask him to come to your club, make a realistic estimate of attendance. In fact, it's better to underestimate than to overestimate, much less to knowingly exaggerate. A lecturer would rather be pleasantly surprised by the turnout and take orders to be filled when he returns home than disappointed with the turnout, have all those leftover copies of everything, and all the extra expense. This is especially true if he is crossing international borders, where customs fees will be added!

If you are the person booking the lecture, make sure you actually tell people about it and promote it. At one lecture I'd booked in a major US city, my host "forgot" to put the word out. As a result, the people attending consisted of me, my friend who had come on my tour to share the driving and take care of my sales table, and the host. That's right, ONE GUY--the one who had booked me--showed up! And there was supposed to be an attendance of better than forty! Ridiculous, but true, annoying, and financially painful!

b. Airport pick-up

The big issues here are timely pick-up and identification. With the latter, if you are picking up a lecturer that doesn't know you, don't assume you'll be able to recognize him from his publicity photo, and just hang around outside waiting for him. Stand at the waiting area with a sign that has his name in large, legible letters. Don't put him through the added stress of hoping that you will recognize him.

Timeliness is another matter that shouldn't have to be addressed. And yet, it is amazing how many times a lecturer will have to wait hours for his ride, who shows up 20 minutes before the lecture is to start, drives him straight to the venue, and expects him to give a quality, focused lecture. The guy probably hasn't eaten, he likely wants to change clothes and maybe have a shower, etc. Please don't make him wait at the airport!

c. Directions to the hotel and venue

If your lecturer is driving, whether from the airport or from another city, please make sure that the person giving him driving directions knows the city, knows exactly where the hotel and venue are, and knows the difference between left, right, and north, south, east, and west. It is also important that he understands the best routes to avoid delays, and knows pretty closely how much time the drive will take. Do not underestimate travel time! There is nothing worse than bad directions and wasting time driving all over, worried if you are going to be late to your own lecture. When someone told you that a seven hour drive takes "about four to five hours", it is extremely frustrating!

By the way, sorry, techies, but Google Maps and MapQuest don't cut it. They are often just plain wrong, and do not take into account the shortcuts, traffic jams, and road construction that a local knows. Hook a brother up!

d. Accommodations

If you promised the lecturer a hotel room, don't surprise him with a hide-a-bed in your living room or a flea bag motel that rents by the hour! I once gave a lecture for a major club in a major American city where the hotel they booked me seemed to be right out of crime movie! The elevator was broken; there were bars over all the windows and doors. My room's bathroom floor had a hole in it--in the hole was a coke spoon, a needle and a pocket mirror, and all night I heard gunshots and sirens!

I have always told people I don't mind staying in someone's home, provided it is not too far from the lecture venue and the route to either the airport or to the next city on my tour if I'm driving. Further, I explain that due to a bad back and joints, I need a real bed. A hide-a-bed, cot, or air mattress on the floor will have me walking like a 90 year-old the next day. In spite of this, one time I was put up in a home where my "bed" was a sleeping bag on a hardwood floor--in the nursery, where a baby woke up and cried to be fed every few hours! Like I said, hook a brother up!

e. Payment

Now here's a real source of irritation. This has happened to me more than once, and I know others who have had the same experience:

You book a lecture in good faith. You show up on time ready to go. You give it your best effort. You are as amiable as possible with everyone attending. As you are packing everything up, one of the club officers approaches you and apologizes that the club treasurer had the flu and didn't make it to the lecture, and he asks if they can mail you a check.

WHAT????

First of all, especially if the lecturer is on the road for a couple of weeks, pay him in cash if at all possible. If you're worried about club financial records, make up a receipt for him to sign. But if you can, pay him in cash--it is much easier to spend, and it never "bounces" (yes, I HAVE had the check for my lecture fee bounce--more than once!).

Second, pay the guy before the lecture, as soon as he walks in the door. That's just one less thing he'll have to worry about, and he'll be able to put that much more of his focus into giving you a good lecture. Don't make him come looking for payment like a bum looking for a handout.

The same is true at the sales table. Don't ask if you can take the stuff now and send the guy a check later. If you don't have any money with you and none of you friends can float you some, order the stuff later. When you are buying stuff, again, if at all possible pay the guy in cash. It really stinks when someone writes you a bad check for ten dollars and your bank charges you twenty-five because of it--you're out thirty-five bucks for a ten dollar item! It would have been more cost effective just to give the guy the item!

I'm sure there are other issues regarding lecture etiquette that could and should be addressed. However, I will leave those for another time, and possibly another writer. If you can make sure that you and your group follow the above guidelines, though, the lectures you book will be smooth and pleasant experiences for everyone involved.

Mystique Magical Dinner Theatre in Boise

2010-01-23T01:54:00.000-08:00

Last night (Thursday, January 21, 2010) I went to the grand opening of Mystique in Boise with my wife Kristi & our friends Vic & Lorie! This beautiful facility is located just off Overland Road, across the street from the Edwards Cinemas.

We were impressed immediately by the lovely, classy decor. The meal (five courses) was excellent--Kris and I both had the prime rib, and it was out-of-this-world good.

The staff are actors who not only provide excellent service, but play the parts of "butlers" and "ladies". Our butlers "Graves" and "Broom" were a real hoot, and truly added to the enjoyment of the evening.

My new friend Farrell Dillon put on a great, magical, fun-filled 45-minute show after dinner. Farrell is a gifted magician, with a winning, warm, witty personality. He did a little of everything: some manipulation, some card magic, some mentalism, and magic with ropes and linking rings. Everyone loved him.

After Farrell's show we got to see my other new friend, the amazing Jon Armstrong, do about 20 minutes of world-class card magic at the bar.... A blast! Jon is an incredible card man, and very personable and amusing.

After they shooed everyone else out, the four of us got to hang out with Farrell and Jon for a half hour or so before we headed home. From the moment we entered to the moment we exited, we had a truly delightful time.

If you would like to visit Mystique, contact me first for an "insider" discount.

Highest recommendation! If you love good food and good magic, you'll LOVE Mystique!

Primary Sleights for Close-up Workers

2010-01-15T04:29:00.001-08:00

I'm often asked if one has to have an encyclopedic working knowledge of sleight-of-hand to make a living performing close-up magic. My answer is a resounding no. Though mastering various extra sleights certainly doesn't hurt, there have been legendary magicians who made great money and reputations with nothing more than a force, a control, and a change.

Lists of this sort are always subjective, but here are the sleights I would encourage you to learn if you were my student/protégé...

CARDS

1. A force: The Classic Force is king and well worth the time to master. A riffle force is also very helpful and easier to attain, as is a Hofzinser under-the-spread. Other easy forces that have their place are the Crisscross (Crosscut) force and the Balducci Cut Deeper force. I also like the slip force and the touch force, although a lot of cardmen don't. (But frankly, I don't much worry about what a lot of cardmen do or don't like.) If you only learn two, learn the classic and the riffle.

2. A control: The ability to control a card to a known location is very important to the card magician. If you don't mind putting in a little work, the Sidesteal is a good choice, as is a pass. If you decide to learn a pass, my personal preference is either a Hermann-type pass or a spread pass. Other easier controls include The Hop (which is an underused and underrated move in my opinion), the double undercut, and controls using mechanical means (crimps, long/wide cards, etc). I'll also put in a plug here for my Guinn Utility Backslip (GUB), available as an ebook from my website (www.scottfguinn.com) on the "Card Magic" and "Books" pages.

3. A double lift: There are just tons of variations of the double (multiple) lift out there. Find one that you feel comfortable with and that approximates how you naturally turn over a card. Then adapt the way you turn over a single to finish matching up to your double, and you're in business!

4. A palm: Yes, I said a palm. It seems that most magicians are scared to death of palming, but if you do it well, confidently, and on the off-beat, you can create miracles that just aren't possible without it. My Automatic Bottom Palm (taught in a number of my card magic ebooks) is a super simple method that does all the work for you and provides plenty of cover. It's my favorite and most-used version. I also recommend you learn the top palm.

5. False Counts: The kings here are the Elmsley Count and Jordan Count. There are lots of others, but learn these two first, and you'll be able to do an awful lot of the tricks that are out there.

6. A false shuffle: The king here is the Zarrow. But an overhand jog shuffle is much easier and you don't need a table. I also use the Charlier Shuffle and Optical Shuffle a lot in my work, as well as the Ireland Shuffle. There are other, more advanced false shuffles, but those mentioned above will serve you well enough to make a living if you do them well.

7. A top change: Can you get by without this? Well, yes, but many of the all-time greats relied on it heavily. Focus on getting the timing and body language down.

8. A multiple switch: There are times when you need to swap out one packet of several cards for another with the audience being none the wiser. There are lots of multiple switches out there. My favorites are my Spread Turnover Switch (taught in many of my card ebooks), and the Hellis Switch (from Barrie Richardson's Theatre of the Mind, and also taught in most of my books). The Hop also works well here, depending on the circumstances. The Jinx Switch is another popular multiple switch, as is the Vernon add-on.

There are tons and tons of card sleights out there, including false deals and more. If you really want to focus on card magic, many of these are worth learning. But you can get by in pretty fast company (not to mention slower company) with the list of eight sleights above. Mastering the moves on this list will certainly give you enough to make it performing for laymen.

COINS

1. Palms: The classic palm, finger palm, and thumb palm are essential. There are other more advanced and cutting edge techniques, but these are the big three.

2. A good vanish: I really like the toss vanish. A retention of vision vanish is also nice to have in your arsenal. Obviously, the vanishes from the above palms are a given.

3. A switch: My favorite and most-used is the Bobo Switch from Modern Coin Magic.

4. A click pass.

5. A load: I use the Vernon Load all the time. The Maskelyne Load is also very good.

Again, there are tons of other coin moves, but the five listed here will give you an arsenal that will allow you to do plenty of really strong coin magic. Most of these moves can also be used with virtually any other small object, like rings and balls. I have a three-ball routine with rubber balls that uses a lot of these moves, as well as some that are unique to balls. Check the "General magic" page of my website if you're interested.

OTHER STUFF

1. A good sponge vanish is a necessity. If you're looking for a commercial sponge routine, may I immodestly suggest my "Peanut, Butter & Jelly", which I've been performing for over 20 years and is my most-requested routine.

2. Some ring & rope and finger ring and string moves will serve you well. Again, I have routines for sale for both on my website.

3. You could do a lot worse than learning a chop cup or cups and balls routine. These feature lots of different magical effects, and are audience favorites. The moves you learn from these types of routine will teach you a lot about misdirection, timing, and audience management, and many are applicable to other effects. My chop cup routine is unpublished, but my table-hopping cups and balls routine is available on my website.

4. Some rope moves: You can get a lot of magic and entertainment out of nothing but a piece of rope or two (or three!). There are great routines out there by Daryl, Aldo Colombini, Tabary, George Sands, and Richard Sanders, among others.

5. The shell game: Audiences LOVE seeing the shell game. For years I have performed "Supershells" by Gary Ouellet, available from The Camirand Academy of Magic. Whit Haydn has a great book on the shells, and a number of other magicians have published their work on this classic.

Of course, you don't HAVE to do a sponge routine, or a shell routine, or a chop cup routine, or rope magic. You also don't have to do ANY coin magic or card magic. As I said, any list of this sort is subjective. But this list contains a lot of the stuff I've used as a professional magician for decades now, and if you were my student, this list is what I would teach you first. After that, the world is your oyster!

REVIEW: Annihilation by Cameron Francis

2009-12-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

Cameron is a very clever and inventive magician. He also happens to be a fine performer. Even more important, he's just a heck of a nice guy. So I am happy to review his new ebook here.

"Annihilation" is a card routine that uses the "magician in trouble" plot to knock the mental socks off your audience. You remark that you have a couple of predictions in the deck. Your participant (we'll call her Marietta--because it's my blog and I CAN!) selects a card. In the process, both the faces and backs of the spread cards are seen by the audience. You now remove two cards. Let's say they're the 9 of spades and the 5 of clubs, remarking that these are your predictions. You explain that these cards, combined, tell you what card Marietta chose--either the 5 of Spades or the 9 of Clubs. Marietta, however, reveals the card she selected is, in fact, the 8 of diamonds.

OOPS! Looks like you blew this one, Trick Boy! But wait! You forgot to mention that you wrote your prediction on the backs of these two cards. You turn them face down to show that on the back of one is a large diamond, and on the back of the other is a large numeral 8! Bazinga! You da man once again!

There is also a second version of the routine, but you'll have to buy it to read about it.

I really like this effect. The ebook is very clearly written--you'll have no trouble learning the routine. You already have everything you need for it (except the ebook, of course!). And the best part? It is sleight-free and virtually idiot proof. It's extremely clever in a Feng Shui kind of way. And it resets instantly, making it ideal for the strolling or high-repeat performer, as well as being a great feature routine a more formal close up act.

I performed this for my wife, explaining that I hadn't really learned it well enough to do it in a show yet, but just wanted her opinion. When she turned over her selected card (after I showed her my prediction cards), she jokingly said, "You suck!", knowing something must be coming. I played it up like I'd really messed up, and like she'd hurt my feelings because I'd already told her it was brand new and not ready yet. She instantly softened and got all apologetic and started to console me--then I turned over the prediction cards. She started laughing and smacking me for teasing her. In short, she loved it! She was very disappointed to hear it wasn't MY routine... it's all about the Benjamins with her!

Cameron will be releasing this the day after Christmas 2009. You'll be able to get it from his website at http://www.cameron-francis.com/index.php. I can pretty much guarantee you're going to like--and USE--this one!

Highly recommended.

Review: Five Card Opener by Bill Abbott

2009-12-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

I suspect this is one of those products that in some ways will find itself in a catch-22 situation.

OK, admittedly, that was a bit cryptic. Allow me to elaborate...

Have you ever heard of the old church expression, "You're preaching to the choir"? It was a way of saying that the people listening already know and practice the principles you were teaching, and the people who didn't know them weren't listening. I hope I'm wrong, but I worry that's what will happen with Mr. Abbott's Five Card Opener.

You see, this is, at its core, the haggard old six card repeat effect (but with five cards rather than six). Newbies who buy it might not find it visually stunning enough to pay it any attention. And the move monkeys and burn-outs likely won't appreciate it, either. "Big deal," they'll say, "it's another version of the six card repeat. No new techniques, no new methods."

And you know what? They'd be right. But they would also be WRONG! Because while Bill hasn't added an avant garde method to this old chestnut, he HAS added some details that make it very valuable indeed for the working performer. Please note that I said "working performer". If you do a trick or two here and there, you're probably going to want to pass on this. If, however, you are a magician who actually does SHOWS for real people...

So what has Abbott done with the routine that makes it valuable for workers? For starters, he's given it an ending (please forgive the play on words). The standard presentation repeats the same phase ad infinitum, albeit justified by the patter in some cases. This routine has a distinct ending, and it is clear to everyone that it IS, in fact, the ending. Further, the routine is abbreviated to only three phases, in my opinion a great improvement.

Additionally, Bill's presentation gives this routine its reason to be an opener. It sets the tone of the show and "trains" the audience, so to speak, in how to behave during the show, unbeknownst to them. It virtually assures you of positive responses throughout your entire act. And, at least to my way of thinking, therein lies its inestimable value. Even if you don't perform this routine, you'll be able to apply these principles to whatever routines you already choose to perform.

As to the package itself: You get all the necessary props, including a set for close-up and a set for parlor/platform/stage. Also included is a DVD where Abbott goes into painstaking detail on just about every conceivable eventuality. More importantly, he delves deeply into the reasons and philosophy behind the routine, and it is from this that the product's greatest value is derived as far as I'm concerned.

Five Card Opener by Bill Abbott is available from your favorite dealer for around $80.

REVIEW: WRITE ANGLE BY JESSE FEINBERG

2009-10-31T14:32:00.001-07:00

Instructional DVD from Black's Magic, Approximately 50 minutes

Write Angle is the second of two DVDs by Jesse Feinberg that I purchased a couple of weeks ago (see my review of MAGICAP a few posts earlier) from Hocus-Pocus in Fresno, CA. This DVD, like the other, teaches a trick with a Bic Stic pen.

The effect: You hold a Bic pen at your fingertips, perpendicular to the ground. Your other hand gestures toward the pen and it begins to bend at a right angle--but get this: it is not the top of the pen that bends downward, but the bottom of the pen that bends upward! You immediately hand the pen out in its permanently altered state. And yes, you can write with it!

My opinion: So if you read my review of MAGICAP, you know that I was highly irritated by what I considered the too loud, annoying music track playing constantly in the background, often making it difficult to hear the soft-spoken Feinberg speak. I'm happy to say that, while the music runs constantly in this DVD, too, the levels are set much better. It is still louder than it should be IMHO--I think it should fade out completely or nearly so after the first couple of sentences in each segment. But at least I had no difficulty whatsoever hearing Jesse this time around, and the track itself is not nearly as monotonous as the one on MAGICAP.

The effect itself is very clear, strong, and magical, and should appeal to both mentalists and magicians. The handling is clean and straightforward, and accessible very quickly to all levels but a rank beginner.

You will need to gather a few items and do a little craft work. However, you likely already have all but one of the materials in your junk drawer. The esoteric item required is very inexpensive, and Feinberg gives you a source where you can purchase it. Gathering the required materials will probably take longer than the actual craft work, which is only a 4-5 minute investment of time.

I really like this effect. Write Angle is highly recommended for mentalists and magicians of all levels who perform in close-up environments.

Review: MAGICAP by Jesse Feinberg

2009-10-20T19:48:00.001-07:00

This DVD from Black's Magic has a running time of approximately 40 minutes. I got it at a good price from Hocus Pocus. The DVD features Jesse Feinberg performing and explaining a number of different effects with MAGICAP.

The basic effect is this: You visibly remove the cap from a Bic pen. The cap vanishes, only to reappear on the pen. There are a lot of variations to this theme, as well as some pretty cool different effects.

So let me tell you what I don't like about this product, and then I'll tell you what I do like about it.

CONS:

I am in my 40's. I'm not a young punk, but I certainly don't qualify as an old fart yet, either. But this DVD has one feature that drives me INSANE, and it is becoming more and more prevalent these days on instructional DVDs and even radio stations. The background music (which I don't care for anyway--it's a "House Mix" kind of thing with only about two chords, repeated ad nauseum) is blaring virtually constantly throughout the entire DVD.

Now don't get me wrong: I'm into music. All kinds of music. I like Rock, jazz, blues, classical, and lots of other stuff. I used to be a DJ on a radio station, and I've sung lead in several fairly successful bands. I double-majored in college--one of my majors was music! I'll repeat: I LIKE music! The problem is that this isn't supposed to be a dance mix CD. It is supposed to be a teaching video. The music is far too loud and it's distracting (and not particularly interesting or melodious). Add to this the fact that Jesse is a pretty soft-spoken guy, and it becomes difficult at times to hear and assimilate what the man is saying. I found it difficult to "stick it out."

Maybe my background in music and radio cause me to be hypersensitive to this kind of thing. The thing is, background music (in radio, it's called a music "bed") is supposed to be just that--in the background. Not competing against (and sometimes winning, in this case) the speaker in its volume level.

There is room for different tastes in music. I don't expect to like every music bed on every DVD in the magic community. But for the love of mutt, gang, FADE IT DOWN when the instructor starts to instruct! I (and there are a WHOLE lot of people who agree with me on this) do not buy a magic teaching DVD to listen to the music. I buy it to learn the magic. Anything that takes away from that makes the product more annoying and less valuable to me.

The other thing that disappointed me about this particular item is this: There is a "special something" required. It is very inexpensive. However, it is not super-easy to find, and when you do find it, you have to buy it in huge bulk quantities--more than you and five of your friends would ever use in a lifetime. Were I to have come up with this idea and put out this DVD, I would have purchased the bulk quantities of this "special something" and included several of the items (maybe three) in each DVD case as a "value-added" bonus. Not only would this likely increase sales, it would build customer satisfaction and good will. The buyer would have everything he needed to get going as soon as he had the DVD in hand--he wouldn't have to go on a scavenger hunt.

OK, those are my cons. Here is what I really liked about this product.

PROS:

Let's start at the ground floor. This is a really good trick. It is eye-popping-ly amazing to watch, easy to learn and do, and extremely versatile. Plus it is done with an everyday item that everyone has seen and does not raise suspicion. This alone makes the DVD worth the asking price. Simply put, it's strong magic!

Jesse does a good job of teaching the construction of the prop, its handling and care and feeding, and the effects possible with it. It is clear that he paid his dues working with this item. This isn't something that occurred to him on Monday and was put on the market on Thursday, like so much of the K-R-A-P on the magic market these days. Jesse really thought about this and developed it. And while I don't know this for a fact, I suspect he has performed it in the real world for real people at least several hundred times.

Finally, the MAGICAP is a very practical, commercial, usable item for amateurs and working pros alike. It's FUN!

OVERALL:

So, what it boils down to is this...

My problems with this product boil down to its production values. Fade out the music when the man begins to speak and give me a couple or three of the required "somethings" so I don't have to buy a package of like 5000 of them, and I'm happy as a clam with this. The merits of the MAGICAP itself--its usability and the strength of the effects possible with it--far outweigh my crotchety complaints about the production values. As a working pro, this is worth many times the asking price to me.

MAGICAP by Jesse Feinberg is highly recommended.

Mission Accomplished (FINALLY!)

2009-10-12T01:42:00.000-07:00

Well, A Little Something is finally done. My seventeenth book (the largest one to date) is fianlly completed and available for purchase from my website. I had a number of hurdles to overcome with this one, and the sheer size of the project was, I must admit, just a tad overwhelming. It was on the back burner for more than a year. I finally buckled down and knocked it out.

I'm very proud of this work--it has some really good stuff in it: 14 card routines, 2 stunners with coins, and 4 workers for parlor / platform /stage. Best of all, you'll find 4 incredible card routines by the legendary Ray Grismer in this book--this section is worth more than the asking price all by itself!

You can purchase or find out more about this book on the "Books" page of my website:

Click Here to go to my "Books" page.

Magic My Way... for “Real People!”

2009-09-04T23:27:00.001-07:00

At a recent magic convention I attended, something happened that prompted me to do this lecture. It was late--about 2 AM; the midnight lecture was over and all the attendees were hanging out, trading moves, tricks, stories, etc. A couple of beginning magicians had asked for my advice on the best moves to learn and what types of tricks to do if you want to make a living performing magic. As I began to demonstrate some items and offer my opinions, a small crowd gathered around me.

One guy asked me to show him a good false cut, and I began to do one of the false cuts described in this lecture. While I was explaining it, a guy about 20 years old walked over to see what was going on. I glanced up just in time to see a look of disdain cross his face. He decided it was time for him to step in.

"Here's a great false cut!" he exclaimed, and he went into an eight-packet whirling dervish cut that would have made Jay Sankey blush. Some 45 seconds later, he reassembled the deck and smugly stated, "A full-deck false cut!"

While I had to admit the difficulty level and his ability to carry out the maneuver were impressive, as a working pro I can't afford to spend nearly the first full minute of my approach to table or group showing off my ability to juggle cards. Further, my opinion is that this sort of flourish does just the opposite of what a false cut is intended to do: pass unsuspected because it looks like a regular, casual cut.

The "intruder" wasn't done yet, however. His next attempt to discredit me was a question asked with a smirk, "So, do you do a perfect one-handed faro shuffle?" as he proceeded to demonstrate the technique for our collective edification. Everyone in the group looked at me to see what my answer would be.

"No, I don't, actually."

Mr. "Marlo, Jr." grinned broadly. "So what you're saying is you CAN'T!"

I pointed out that I had never tried to learn it and had no desire to do so. His response was, "Then you're not interested in being a TRUE magician!"

I'd like to say I shrugged this off and went my merry way...

But it was late, I was grumpy, and some punk had just insulted my magical manhood--so I called him on it.

"Listen, "I said, "Would you mind telling us how long it took you to learn those two techniques?"

"About 15 months," he said, beaming proudly.

"And in those 15 months, how many paying shows did you have?"

His smile faded. There were too many members of his local magic club around for him to lie. "Uh, about ten or so, I guess."

"And how many of those 10 were repeat bookings?"

"None," he said, visibly shaken.

"Exactly!" I said. "And until you lose the cocky 'I can do this and you can't' attitude, you won't get any!"

He picked up his freshly false cut, one-handed-faro-shuffled deck and stormed off.

I tell you this story to make a point. Too many members of the magic community are like this guy. They are eager to impress their fellow magicians; eager to show off their new-found moves to friends, family, and anybody else who will watch. But nobody likes a showoff--especially a cocky, arrogant, intrusive showoff. And showing off your ability to shuffle isn't necessarily particularly entertaining, even when done by charming, humble, engaging people. Darwin Ortiz and Martin Nash are two of the most skilled men in the world with a deck of cards, and neither would ever consider doing a fancy cut or shuffle simply for its own sake!

Please don't misunderstand me: I believe in learning your craft and learning it well. I perform card routines that require palming, classic forcing, a pass, and a perfect faro shuffle (not one-handed!). My point is that the audience is never aware these techniques are in play! (At least not if I can help it!) How magical would an effect be if I did this...

"I'm going to make you take the ten of clubs--see?" (Classic force) "You thought you had a free choice, didn't you, you poor naïve thing? Now I'm going to put that card in the middle of the deck, but secretly and invisibly control it to the top--see, here it is!" (Pass) "Now I'm going to do what they call a perfect out-faro shuffle, which leaves the ten on top of the deck, followed by what looks like a real cut, but is actually a false cut. Thus, your ten is still on top!" (Faro shuffle and false cut) "Look! Now I'm going to sneak it off in my hand while you thought I was simply squaring the deck, you poor simpleton." (Top palm) "Now you cut the cards wherever you want, and I'll just unload the palmed card on top of the deck as I pick it up, and... tah dah! Your selected card! Gee, ain't I clever!"

I'm sure you'd agree that this would be not only offensive but ridiculous. The whole experience of magic, amazement, astonishment is "the absence of moves" as Vernon would say.

Good magic is based on effect, not method, and like my good friend Aldo Colombini, I believe in making the method as simple and direct as possible while maintaining the strength and impact of the effect. Albert Einstein said, "Things should be as simple as possible, but no simpler." Think about that...

Magic my way is strong, direct magic that freaks people out, combined with interesting, usually funny, patter. Magic my way is magic that entertains and amazes, not magicians, but "real people" who are paying me to entertain and amaze, and who re-book me more than 80% of the time. Magic my way allowed me to quit my "day job" and make performing magic my sole source of income. Gearing my material for "real people" allowed me to perform over 200 shows in five states in 1996, not counting two nights per week every week at Loco's Restaurant in Boise.

Magic my way is not necessarily magic that I originated (in fact, it often isn't). It isn't even necessarily magic that I have routined and for which I have written the script (though it usually is). Magic my way entertains my clients so they are glad they hired me. It makes them want to have me back. If a trick fits into those criteria, I'll probably buy it and learn it; if it doesn't, I won't. I don't care if it's a clever or beautiful prop or gimmick. I don't care if it's the newest, coolest move. I don't care if it fools other magicians! Does it entertain and amaze the people who book me and pay me? THAT'S what I care about! THAT'S...

Magic My Way ...for "Real People!"

FISM, Feuding, & Farquhar

2009-08-07T13:00:00.001-07:00

There has been quite the firestorm regarding Canadian magician Shawn Farquhar being awarded the Grand Prix prize at the recent FISM competition in Beijing. Virtually every magic forum on the internet has at least one topic with polarized plebeians ferociously fighting about whether Farquhar should have won and whether he stole the act he performed from U.K. magician Russ Stevens. Further, some accuse one FISM judge (Australian magician Tim Ellis) of bias because he admits to being a friend of Shawn's. Lots of mudslinging is going on, with an occasional fact here and there.

Before I give you my take on the matter, in the interests of full disclosure I will state this up front: I do not personally know either Shawn or Russ (or Tim Ellis for that matter). I have not seen either of their acts live. I HAVE, however, seen both acts on video.

I'll start with the biggest issues--those of theft and collusion.

First, let's look at the accusation of theft. Farquhar is accused of stealing Stevens' act. Both perform to Sting's song "Shape of My Heart." This particular song is tailor-made for a card magic routine, as it relates a story about a deck of cards and their meaning, specifically mentioning a number of cards. (I'll wager there are more than just these two gentlemen who use the song somehow in their acts.) Both men produce the specific cards as they are mentioned in the song. Both do some flourishes during the instrumental breaks in the song. Both reveal a selected card (a heart) as the finale. However, Farquhar's routine is essentially an Ambitious Card with some extra cards revealed (as named in the song), while Stevens' is a manipulation act.

Are the acts similar? Absolutely. Are they identical? Absolutely not. In fact, were one to view them without the music, they would not even be seen as similar. And there's the rub. Stevens has been doing his act since 1993, Farquhar since '95. Stevens (and others) claim that Farquhar saw Stevens' act on video and copied it. Farquhar claims that he'd never seen or heard of Stevens until after he'd been doing his act for some time.

So did Shawn Farquhar steal Russ Stevens' act? I don't know if Shawn viewed Russ' act on video or not. Regardless, my answer would be no. If he did, I would certainly say that his act was inspired by Stevens', but I think the actual routines are different enough to preclude a verdict of guilty of theft. If he did, in fact, view the footage of Stevens' act, he should have contacted Stevens, explained his own routine, and asked if it was OK with Stevens if he did his routine to the same song. But even so, that would be merely a professional courtesy. Stevens does not, after all, own the rights to the Sting song. Having said that, however, I personally would not have used the song if Stevens had objected.

As to the charge (implicit or explicit) of Ellis, in his capacity as a judge, being in collusion with Farquhar... Well, that is simply ludicrous. Even if that were the case--and I do not believe for one second that it was--he was merely one judge on a panel of seven or eight. I just don't buy that either of these guys would be involved in such unethical behavior.

The other big debate pertained to whether Farquhar deserved to win at all, regardless of originality. Some said that he performed badly, flashed all over the place, and "shook violently." I watched the video footage of the performance and saw none of that. Not having seen any of the other acts, I can't say whether I would have voted for Shawn or not. But I thought he was very good. Is he the best ever? No, and he doesn't claim to be. But neither is he the worst ever to win this prestigious award.

In reading the posts on the forums, it's interesting to note that, with a few exceptions, those demeaning Farquhar are almost universally from Europe or people with a personal axe to grind, while those defending him are typically friends, Canadians, or Americans.

Here's my bottom line: If I put myself in Russ Stevens' shoes, I would probably be bothered that Farquhar does his act to the same song as my signature piece that predates his by two years. If I'm Shawn Farquhar, I'm upset that people are mudslinging, defaming, and calling me a thief because I do a different routine to the same song as Stevens--a song that Stevens can claim no right to, other than maybe that he heard it first. But the fact of the matter is that what's done cannot be undone. Let's move on.

Before I close, I do want to say this: BOTH of these men are outstanding performers, and at a skill level beyond where I will ever be. As such, I offer kudos to both.

My Response to a Reader’s Response to “A Pet Peeve”

2009-07-26T18:07:00.001-07:00

On The Magic Café recently, a member posted a response to my previous article "A Pet Peeve":

I can guarantee you that for everyone here that had a mentor, there are many more out there who don't and are forced to rely on Youtube or sheer trial and error for their education. In magic, where the secrets are held tight and close, how is a person from, Hog Holler, Kentucky supposed to find someone in his area to teach him, let alone going elsewhere and approaching a professional magician holding a dump truck load of credentials and memberships in orginizations like IBM, SAM, ZQRX, HWSQ123 to teach him to become a magician? There is no Hogwarts. There are a few schools like Jeff McBride's school but what else? There are no university courses, that I know of, that grant a BA in Magical Arts. So, what else is there? When I was wanting to study magic as teenager, I approached a magician, one of only two I met and his response was, "I don't train future competition."

I can only speak from my experience...

I did a little bit of magic for years and then got seriously interested in it in the 80's. Guess what? Star, Idaho isn't exactly Chicago, LA, NYC, Vegas, or London. It's pretty much Hog Holler...

So I decided to save my money and I went to a few conventions. I looked for performers who were likeable, fun, and friendly. I approached them, asked questions, and LISTENED. I did not tell them a lot of "me, me, I, I" stuff. I shut my trap and let them talk. I did not expect them to GIVE me anything, except maybe some anecdotes and general advice on how to proceed, a couple of books to buy, etc.

I met Aldo Colombini and knew that this was the kind of magician I enjoyed watching. I got to know him. I asked him to come lecture in Idaho. I paid for his hotel and had a friend donate his office's conference room for the lecture. I met him at the airport, bought him lunch, took him to the lecture, then bought him dinner and took him back to his hotel. Next morning, I picked him up and took him to the airport. A few weeks later, I called him and asked him about the possibility of coming down to LA (where he lived at the time) and getting some lessons from him. We set it up. I found a place to stay down there and went to his house at the appointed times. I PAID him in ADVANCE for his time. I watched and LISTENED. Each night, I spent hours working on what he'd shown me that day. We became (and still are) good friends.

Same thing with Ray Grismer as with Aldo.

Though I never went to his home for lessons, I established a similar relationship with Paul Green.

I went out of my way to book a lecture tour for Dan Fleshman and later David Roth. I drove them from city to city to the lectures, helped them with their sales tables, kept people from bugging them while they were preparing. I LISTENED to them--let them do most of the talking. Made it clear that I EXPECTED nothing, but was willing to learn anything they cared to share.

Guess what? I'm now friends with all of those guys. On a much smaller scale, I built budding friendships with Larry Jennings and Gary Ouellet, may they both R.I.P.

My point is, it's easy to sit around and make excuses. I made SACRIFICES to get my magic education. It cost me a lot of TIME, MONEY, and EFFORT. I didn't expect anyone to GIVE me something for nothing. All of them did, but it was their choice, because they liked me, because I had approached them politely and humbly, because I LISTENED instead of trying to impress them. It was something I wanted to learn about, and I did what I had to do to get to these guys, introduce myself, and win them over. I really couldn't afford the expenditure of time and money in those days, but when you really want something, you're willing to make sacrifices to get it.

The proliferation of magic in the computer age makes it more accessible than ever in history. With Skype, IM, email, and forums like The Magic Cafe, the tyro has more access to more "name" magicians than ever. And we have more people griping more often about how hard it is to get help and advice to progress than ever! No offense, but if that's you, you don't know what "hard" is!

Bottom line: when things become cheap and easily attainable, they lose their value. Familiarity breeds contempt. Prosperity breeds laziness. And we have a generation of prosperous beginners who can easily become familiar with more big-names than ever. Do the math...

A PET PEEVE

2009-07-06T00:23:00.001-07:00

My biggest pet peeve is people who are rank beginners billing themselves as "professional magical entertainers." They're not professional, magical or entertaining.

There are far too many guys who are charging for shows and advertising that they give lessons in magic, when they should be TAKING lessons!

One guy I know of got a bunch of tricks left to him by a kindly old man at his church. He came to a club meeting to find out what the props were and how they worked. ONE WEEK LATER he was charging for shows and billing himself as a "professional!" That was several years ago, and he is not much better now.

This same guy came to a lecture by David Roth in my home. Now mind you, this guy claims to be a "professional magician" in close up as well as stage, kids shows etc. He has been performing in restaurants (usually very short runs). Roth showed his shell coins across and this guy asked, "How do you get that shell to fit over half dollars? I got one with my Scotch and Soda, but it won't fit over a half dollar." David patiently explained to him what an expanded shell was, and after the lecture commented to me that it was nice to have a "beginner" like that feel unafraid to ask such a question. When I explained to David that this guy claimed he was an "experienced professional magician specializing in" among other things, "sleight of hand with cards and coins," and also as "one of Idaho's best magic teachers for sleight of hand with cards and coins," David recoiled in horror!

Another guy took ONE lesson from me and two weeks later I see his flyers and business cards all over town, billing himself as "One of Idaho's Best Professional Magicians." His big selling point was that you got more value for your dollar with him, because he performed "30 tricks in 30 minutes!"

Yet another local "pro" told our club in his first meeting that he had been performing "illusions and prestidigitation" for 20 years. Later in that same meeting, he asked someone explaining a trick to, "slow down, I'm new to all of this!" A 20 year pro who is new to all of this? Talk about an oxymoron! Not long after this he got a weekly gig at a restaurant, which shortly thereafter fired him.

The biggest problem in magic, the thing that bothers me most, is that people seem to think that it is EASY to be a real magician, professional or otherwise. This attitude shows no respect for the art, the people who love it, or the audiences upon whom they foist themselves.

Doing magic WELL is most definitely NOT easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is. It is HARD work, and it is the HARD that makes it GOOD! If you don't enjoy the HARD--if it doesn't thrill you and inspire you to strive to excellence--you should not perform in public.

The method behind a trick may be very easy, and you may learn it quickly. But that just means you are someone who knows how a trick works--it doesn't make you a magician. Knowing how to take a number of effects (whether the methods are easy, difficult, somewhere in between or a combination of all of the above), adapt them to your performing persona (after you've established one), routining them to flow and build to a climax while holding an audience's interest by entertaining and amazing them--THAT makes you a magician, whether you get paid for it or not!

(He slowly steps off his soapbox, turns, and quietly walks away, realizing that the people who agree with him didn't need to hear this, and the people who needed to hear it aren't listening...)

Out of Date?

2009-06-23T20:57:00.001-07:00

"How many ideas have there been in history that were unthinkable ten years before they appeared?" – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

There is a line of reasoning regarding classic texts in magic and the legendary creators and performers of a generation or two ago that I must confess I simply do not understand. True, magic has come quite a long way since Modern Magic, or even Greater Magic, for that matter. True, there are avante garde techniques today that Hofzinser, Robert-Houdin, Vernon and Slydini didn't even dream of. It's also true that technology allows us a whole range of effects not previously possible, from high-tech methods involving micro-electronics to low-tech methods thanks to synthetic material that is hard to see and often used with an ITR or spooler of some sort.

Having said that, it is unfathomable to me that some people would use the progress of the art as a reason for casting aside the classic works like so much garbage. It's true that much of what we have at our disposal today makes effects possible that would have been unthinkable ten or more years ago. But this truth in no way negates the validity of work older than that!

Imagine for a moment how far students in other areas of study such as mathematics, science, music and theatre would go if they had this mentality. All of these fields of endeavor have fundamentals and build from there. They all have "classic" work that one has to learn. Imagine a music student refusing to use the notes of the scale in his melody because they are "hackneyed." Imagine a scientist stating that the Law of Gravity is "dated" and that other, newer and fresher laws have been discovered since the days of Newton which make gravity obsolete! Modern day theatre companies still regularly perform the works of Shakespeare.

Good is good and sound theory and philosophy is sound theory and philosophy, whether it is 3 years old or 300! I was astonished to see that some people on The Magic Café were pooh-poohing Stars of Magic, saying that it was out of date, that it contained no good material and that it was absolutely useless for today's magicians. I'll warrant without fear of correction that any performer worth his salt would soundly wow these critics and any lay-audience with virtually any routine from this classic tome. In my opinion, it is one of the best buys in the literature, with more solid, commercial material (especially for the price!) than just about anything else out there! I have repeatedly fooled large groups of magicians at lectures and conventions with material straight out of The Tarbell Course in Magic, Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic, Greater Magic, Stars of Magic and many other books 50 or 100 years old.

Isaac Newton said that if he could see farther than those who had come before, it was because he stood on the shoulders of giants—those who had come before. I'm not suggesting that all books and material put out recently are worthless. To the contrary, some of it is very, very good. I am saying that this fact in no way diminishes the worth of the older good books, but rather enhances and builds on that worth. I am saying that while the quote above from Dostoyevsky is true, the inverse is also true:

"How many new ideas have there been in history that would have been thinkable without the ideas that preceded them?"
-- Scott F. Guinn

HOW TO GET PEOPLE TO ENJOY WATCHING MAGIC

2009-06-23T01:26:00.001-07:00

DON'T:
-Act like you are smart and they are stupid because you know the secret and they don't.
-Perform a trick 5 minutes after you get it, in spite of what it says on the box.
-Do routines that make them look/feel like an idiot. Fooling them is a lot different than making a fool of them!
-Buy a couple books, DVDs and tricks, maybe take one lesson and then bill yourself as a "professional magician," charging for shows a couple of weeks later.
-Force magic on people who have not indicated that they want to see it. Not everyone loves magic as much as you do.
-Interrupt people deep in conversation, in an argument, in the middle of a business deal or divorce, etc to "show them something."
-Take your deck of cards or coins everywhere you go and "fiddle with them" to get people to ask you to show them. Especially at weddings, funerals, church services, and other magicians' gigs!
-Perform every trick exactly as you saw it on the videos you own. People will think you have Multiple Personality Disorder!

DO:
-Find good, solid material that suits your personality and style. (This assumes that you have a personality and some style!)
-Practice that material until you know it forward and backward. Then rehearse it just as much. Practice involves the sequence and mechanics of the routine; rehearsal involves the presentation of the routine.
-Treat people respectfully. You can play around with them and tease them tongue-in-cheek, but they have to KNOW you are playing. It can't be mean-spirited.
-Involve them in your act, but not right off the bat, especially in close up. Give them a minute or two to size you up before you start asking them to "help" you.
-Have fun! Let them see the joy you have and it will become infectious.
-Make the show about the audience, not about you! In other words, not "here I am" but "there you are!"
-Be sensitive to the situation, venue and emotional state of the spectators.
-Put yourself into the material. Jokes about marriage and a career are not well-suited to a 14 year-old magician.
-Read, study, examine and critique your own performances. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. Only those who are constantly striving to improve will do so.
-Make it your goal every time you perform, whether you do one impromptu trick or an entire formal show, to leave your audience thinking better of magic and magicians!

Tough Room!

2009-06-09T16:56:00.001-07:00

If you perform for pay much at all, I guarantee that you will, sooner or later, have a tough show. I'm talking about one of those shows where you would just as soon be sitting in a dentist's chair getting a root canal with no Novocain. So what do you do?

I have heard (repeatedly) in magic forums, lectures, conventions and sessions, the old cliché: "There is no such thing as a bad audience; only bad magicians!" I think there is some truth to that, but I don't think it is an absolute. In other words, I think that sometimes, there ARE "bad audiences."

I had a show once for a group of guys who worked for a major heavy equipment manufacturer. It was the last night of a training conference. They were liquored up, they'd had dinner, and they had been told that, "as soon as the magician finishes his show, we're all gonna go to the strip club!" For the next 45 minutes, THAT was a tough room!

I had another show where I was performing at an all-night graduation party for a wealthy private school. I went on at three in the morning. All of these kids drove nicer cars than I do. They were excited, spoiled, tired, and feeling like magic shows were for little kids. THAT was a tough room, too!

Another time, I was doing a Christmas party for the employees (and their families) of a large corporation. There had been a great deal of tension between management and the workforce. Both sides were there and they had been drinking heavily for about three hours. A couple of fights actually broke out during my act! Talk about a TOUGH ROOM!

Then there was the time I was playing at a nightclub. It was my fourth engagement at this club in about 18 months. The first three times, I was a HUGE hit. But this fourth time, right after I had been introduced, the BIGGEST, meanest-looking guy I've ever seen outside of a biker gang or pro wrestling event stood up, started yelling obscenities and throwing tables across the room, and threatened to KILL me and anyone who stood in his way. THAT was a REALLY tough room, in more ways than one!

Over the years, I've done literally thousands of shows. About 75% of my business is comprised of repeats and referrals. I regularly get standing ovations at the end of my show. It "plays," to people of all walks of life - construction workers, insurance agents, CEO's. I know it's a good show, and I've done it enough times to know everything that could go wrong and how to cover it. And still, maybe once in every several hundred shows, I find myself playing to a tough room. Most of the time, the audience simply needs to "warm up" a bit, and by the end of the show, I've got 'em. But sometimes…

So what does one do when those "sometimes" become THIS time? Well, it depends.

Whenever possible, I "soldier on." That's what I did at the first two gigs mentioned above (the guys waiting to hit the strip club and the grad party). It wasn't easy, and it was like pulling teeth to get audience volunteers to help me, but I did the time I had been booked to do. I focused on a few people who were really trying to enjoy the show. If a certain genre of trick didn't play well, I cut out anything similar to that genre later in the act. Conversely, when I had a "hit" (albeit a minor one), I tried to play to that. I took my check, thanked the person who booked me, and apologized that it wasn't better received. In both cases, that person apologized to ME for the behavior of the audience, and thanked me for being a professional.

In the latter two examples from above (the manufacturing corporation party and the nightclub), well, that was a different story. My safety (and the safety of others) was at risk in both cases. In my performance agreement, it very clearly states that I will be provided with a safe environment in which to perform. At the first event, I looked at the boss and said, "You've got to do something about this." When he didn't move, I said, "I can't work like this." I packed up and left--and I kept my paycheck. At the second event, I stopped and waited as the manager called the police and told the aggressor (who was on parole) that the cops were on the way. He left, and then I went on with the show.

It is perfectly legitimate to evaluate yourself after a performance; to try to figure out what you could have done better to "put the show over." But gang, sometimes, no matter WHAT you do or could have done, the show wouldn't have gone better because that particular audience (or at least a portion of it) didn't WANT you to go over well. That audience would have treated Houdini or Copperfield the same way. So, if at all possible tough it out, knowing that better days are ahead. But if safety becomes an issue, better safe than sorry!

In a Rush to Put Out the Trash

2009-06-04T13:19:00.001-07:00

This is gonna be another one of those articles that generates angry email. But I have to vent, and I figure I have this blog to do just that. So here goes.

I'll start by saying this: I just don't get it!

When I was a kid, one of my jobs was to put out the trash. I HATED IT, even though it didn't take very long to do. It was just not something I enjoyed or was in a big rush to do. It was something I did because I had to. Given the choice, I never would have done it.

So it is just unfathomable to me why so many new and/or young magicians are in such a big burnin' hurry to "put out the trash" in the magic community! It seems that not a day goes by where there isn't some newbie somewhere putting his "latest greatest creation" on the market! Everybody is writing a book or working on a DVD or marketing tricks. On a magic forum I frequent there was one kid who, admitting he was a total beginner, was asking everyone how the most absolutely basic effects and sleights were done. ONE DAY LATER he starts a topic about how he is writing a book on magic! Not only did he know nothing about magic, he couldn't put two intelligible sentences together--without misspelling at least half of the words--if his life depended on it!

I was involved in magic for over 20 years before I put my first product on the market. And then, I was hesitant—almost reluctant. Just like when I was a kid, I was in no rush to put out the trash. If something was gonna be out there with my name attached to it, I wanted it to be something GOOD. Maybe not the best ever and I understood that not everyone is going to like it, but I wanted it to be good, practical and useful. I didn't want to put something on the market just so I could say I had something on the market!

What is with these guys? Why in the world would you want to market something that stinks? You've got to learn to crawl before you can win an Olympic medal in the marathon! It takes dedication, effort, commitment, research, talent, and training. You don't go from first grade arithmetic directly to calculus! You have to learn how to do something before you can begin to teach it to others.

But that is not even the worst part. The worst part is how many of the magic "old-timers" coddle these beginners! Heaven forbid that someone should advise the cadet to wait a while, actually learn the craft and take some basic grammar and composition classes! In the name of "brotherhood" these "benevolent boosters" harangue anyone who tries to lead the dilettante to the true path and give him a better picture of reality, while telling the clueless novice to "ignore them and act on your dreams!"

In the case mentioned above, I was surprised to see that the people admonishing the kid for stealing others' material and claiming it as his own (he'd been caught red-handed) were "called out" more than the kid was! He blatantly plagiarized others' posts from that very site as his own and then after he was caught, tried to defend it and explain it away. Overlooking that with excessive permissiveness and making special dispensation because he is young will not help him to grow or mature in the least. If we do not show youth how they are going astray, how can we ever expect them to stay on the right path? No one was calling him names or telling him never to write a book. Rather, virtually everyone in the topic encouraged him to continue in magic and to go ahead and write a book--later down the road when he has more experience and is better equipped to do so.

I agree that that the kid should be nurtured. His parents/guardians and family should have the largest role in that for life in general. I agree that he should get a mentor if possible. He should also be encouraged--encouraged to keep learning magic, encouraged to use and develop his creativity, encouraged to try to understand that one must learn to crawl before one can win an iron man triathlon, and encouraged to study hard in English, creative writing, drama and other such classes so that he can learn to effectively communicate his thoughts and ideas--something where, even for a 13 year-old, he needs a lot of work. These are not insults or "flames" or "calls out," but rather exhortations to keep the faith, fight the good fight, and earn his stripes, so that when the time comes that he DOES put a book out, it will be the BEST book he could have done--a book that will garner appreciation and rave reviews rather than disappointment and ridicule.

The magic community should try to HELP newcomers! We should WANT them to succeed! But if you put out a book at this point—this infancy—in your magical life, with poor writing and communication skills, you are virtually assured to fail. Spend the next few years learning how to speak, write and think effectively, learning how to solve problems, honing your material through the baptism by fire of real-world performance. Then, ask some folks with more knowledge than you to proof-read your writing and others to provide credits for the routines. If you've got good enough stuff, and if you are willing to pay the price, you WILL succeed!

It's all well and good to have a goal. But you have to take steps to reach that goal. You can set a goal of say, making a billion dollars in your lifetime. But if you don't come up with a business plan, do the research necessary to be successful and then work your tail off to implement that plan, you'll never reach that goal. If you think you can set the goal and skip all the steps required to reach it and wake up tomorrow morning and find a billion dollars in your bank account, you're sadly mistaken.

Again, no one was saying this kid should never write a book. Writing a book is a perfectly legitimate goal. But he needs to take the steps required to put out a book that will be successful. Those steps include learning his subject matter and how to communicate it effectively. He needs to learn how to write a paragraph before he attempts to write a book. He needs to learn what basic effects and methods are before trying to write a book about them.

Encouraging someone to go ahead with a project for which he is clearly and totally unprepared does not help him in the least. Much better to help put him on the right path by encouraging him first to become prepared and then to move forward with his project and do what you can to put him in touch with the resources that will do just that. Then you will have set him up to succeed rather than to fail.

Who is the one who is truly helping him? The one who doesn't want to hurt his feelings and so just encourages him to go for it when almost certain failure is obvious? Or the one who encourages him to learn and prepare (even though this advice may disappoint him in the short term), so that he can put out a product that will succeed? Is it the one who ignores the fact that he is plagiarizing, or the one who encourages him to study (and then to take the basic principles and go creatively in his own direction, crediting the sources that inspired him) that is truly watching out for his best interests?

This example, of course, is not just one rare exception. More and more, especially with the advent and widespread growth of the Internet and self-publishing, it is becoming the rule. It is caused by a selfish desire for ego gratification and greed, and a lack of respect for the art and its more informed practitioners. Sadly, in many cases, items put out by such "creators" even sell fairly well--until word gets out that they are just flat-out bad.

So I will make one final plea before I finish this installment, though I am more than a little suspicious that those who need to hear it are no longer listening. PLEASE, for the sake of magic and magicians everywhere, don't be in a rush to put out the trash!

More Than a Hat Rack?

2009-05-28T23:22:00.001-07:00

I had a message waiting on my answering machine one night. A local restaurant was desperate to hire me. While flattered, I was more than a bit curious as to the reasons. So I called the manager. The story he related to me amazed me (not in a good way!), and I was even more amazed that he would ever want to work with a magician again!

It seems that this particular restaurant had hired a magician to come in on "family night" once a week to perform table to table. They made it clear up front that they did not want him soliciting tips and paid him a good wage so he wouldn't need tips, to which he agreed. So far, so good, right? Not hardly!

It wasn't long before it came to the manager's attention that this magician was selling "starter magic sets" to the kids—while table-hopping in this restaurant! That's right, without running the idea past the boss and after agreeing not to solicit tips, the guy was hustling "Skippy's Special Magic Set" to the unsuspecting patrons for a couple bucks a pop! When the boss found out this was going on, he immediately asked our "brother magi" to cease and desist, reminding him of their agreement. So, of course, the magician therefore continued to do it anyway!

Some of you may be thinking that we should be giving this guy credit for coming up with a clever idea to generate an "extra stream of income." Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! When you agree to certain stipulations in a performance agreement, whether a one-time private show or a steady restaurant gig, you are bound by honor, duty and professionalism to abide by it! Trying to "sneak by" with something like this is not only cheesy; it is downright dishonest and unethical.

However, this is not the end of the story. It turns out this guy was taking young kids into the back room privately to "show them how to do the tricks." Now, I am not implying he was doing anything beyond that, but in this day and age, what do you think the perception is going to be? A grown man taking the little ones into the back room alone—and again, without so much as asking or telling the management? Whether or not he had any ulterior motives, that is just unbelievably bad judgment! And he was immediately fired for it.

BUT… THERE'S MORE! A friend of my father-in law's asked me the other day if I knew this individual. I hesitatingly admitted that I did, especially after noticing the strange expression accompanying the query. He explained that he was at a dinner where this guy was also in attendance. With no request or urging from the hosts, our "brother" got up and started table-hopping at the banquet. Now, many of you are already starting to shudder. But wait! This event was (I am NOT making this up!) the dinner for family and friends immediately following a FUNERAL! As the late Fred Rogers would ask, "Can you say, 'inappropriate?'"

Do I need to explain to my readers why I am so appalled by the behavior of this "performer"? Not if you are a regular reader of my articles, I'll wager. But I will say that I am astounded that this restaurant bothered to make an effort to contact me to replace the guy. Typically, in situations such as this, the client is soured on magic in general and will never hire a magician again. And words cannot explain how horrified I am that a magician would begin performing simply of his own volition at a funeral!

As a kid, when I made a really boneheaded mistake that disappointed my dad, he used a line that I'll always remember: "Good grief, boy, use your head for more than a hat rack!" I think that line applies here, compounded exponentially. Not only was this an example of bad business practices, the guy was setting himself up for possible lawsuits.

If you have the good fortune and great privilege to represent our art before the public, and especially if you are additionally blessed by being compensated to do so, please make sure you abide by the terms to which you agreed when the engagement was booked. And I beseech you, for the love of our art and its reputation: use your head for more than a hat rack!

Thanks, But No Thanks, Part Two

2009-05-21T19:13:00.001-07:00

Not too long ago, a good friend of mine shared with me a story that I'll never forget. They say that dumb people never learn from their mistakes, but smart people do learn from their mistakes, while wise people learn from smart people's mistakes. I try to be wise.

My friend is a well-known full-time professional magician, and one of the busiest performers working today. He is one of the top trade show workers in the business and he makes a very good living at it. He had one client in particular who had hired him several times to do close up magic at their booth and hospitality suite. He had made tens of thousands of dollars from this company, and they were obviously happy with him, as they kept hiring them to do their shows. Well, the last time they booked him, they decided to try something different. They wanted to add a stage show at the hotel for the whole convention, sponsored by them and featuring my friend as the star attraction. My friend had never done stage magic, but not wanting to disappoint the client, he agreed to "put something together." He went out and bought some props and effects and worked on getting his act ready.

A few months later the show came. As always, he performed flawlessly in his close up duties and his friendly and professional manner attracted lots of people to the client's booth. And as always, the client was very pleased. Then came the evening of the big extravaganza. My friend took the stage—and failed miserably. He knew he was failing and tried to pull it out, but he was not a stage magician—never had been nor had he ever wanted to be. The show went over like a wet blanket, and both my friend and his client (and the audience!) were disappointed.

In retrospect, my friend confided to me that he never should have taken that show. He was so worried about keeping his client happy and about keeping their business that he had decided to go ahead and try something with which he had absolutely no experience, and he had been wrong to do so. He ended up losing that client, and realized that he would have been better served—as would they—had he either insisted on doing only close up or referred another magician for the stage show. Instead, he had marred his previously stellar reputation and lost a big, important client in the process.

There is an important lesson to be learned from my friend's experience. There is an old saying: "You gotta go with what got you there." When you are working paying gigs, go with what got you there!

It is one thing to put an act together to use down the road. I have another good friend who decided he wanted to add a platform act to his repertoire, so he could branch out from just doing close up and strolling magic. I am a mentor to this friend, so he came to me and asked me how he should go about it. With my other friend's tale fresh in my mind, I advised him to do what I had done when I started out in magic. Work on putting an act together and then perform it for free as often as you can until you find out what plays and what doesn't and why or why not. Rehearse and practice and perform for free some more, until every little unexpected thing that can go wrong has and you know how to avoid it or react to it so the audience is none the wiser. This friend took my advice, and slowly began to put an act together. He appeared weekly at open mic night at the local comedy club, honing his act, working on different parts of it and audience-testing it in the real world. In the meantime, if he got calls for a platform show, he referred them to me, as he knew he was not ready yet for a 45-minute paying gig. How far to the opposite extreme this is of the typical magician who comes into a magic shop asking for something new that he can perform in his show later that night!

If you are a children's birthday party magician and you get a call for two hours of strolling and a 45-minute after dinner show for a glitzy corporate function with an audience of 700, for heaven's sake, don't take it! You will only end up damaging your reputation and the reputation of our beloved art. A paying corporate gig is not the place to "try out" an entire new act! Refer the show to someone else in your locale that has experience with that type of show. The same is true if you are a stage magician who is asked to entertain with strolling, sleight-of-hand magic. Unless you have spent as much time putting together and polishing your close up act, tell the client, thanks, but you are not qualified in that area. Refer them someone who is. Hey, you can even take an agent's cut from the guy you refer. But this way, everyone ends up happy. You still get your stage show, your client gets both types of performances, your colleague is thankful that you booked him, and the audience isn't subjected to someone who isn't good at what they do!

I understand that it is possible to be proficient at more than one type of magic. I'm not saying you can't do that. I happen to live in a fairly small market, so I can't afford to specialize; I do kids shows, gospel programs, platform shows and close up. I also do stand up comedy. But I have a lot of experience in all of these areas, and I didn't charge for any of my acts until I knew they were of a caliber that would be worth their pay. No, I'm talking about people who have little or no experience with a genre of magic taking a paying gig at the same or better prices as their regular act that they've been doing for a long time.

I once went to a church function with a friend who had invited me because they had a "gospel" magician appearing there. Five minutes into the show, it was clear that the performer had no idea what the gospel was, much less how to do gospel magic. He was in a very conservative church, dressed in dirty biker clothes with a tattoo that said "kiss my…" and using profanity in his patter! The people were so offended that the pastor stepped up on stage (rightfully so) and stopped the show, apologizing to the audience. I went outside as the guy was packing up and politely asked him why he had taken this show. "Dude, they needed a magician and I needed the dough, so I took the gig. I figured they wouldn't notice!" Ridiculous!

I'm not just talking through my hat here, gang. A while back, I was asked to perform at a professional basketball game at halftime. BIG bucks, 10,000 people, center court, surrounded for 10-15 minutes. I turned them down. I don't have an act for that size of an audience in those performing conditions, and I wasn't about to try to drum something up in a month to get by. I had learned from my friend's mistake.

If you aren't qualified or don't have the tools to fill the client's needs at a particular show, you will be doing yourself, the client, the audience and magic a big favor by just saying, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Thanks, But No Thanks! (Part One)

2009-05-17T23:16:00.001-07:00

This time, I'm going to predict right off the bat that a lot of you are going to disagree with me. That's fine. I've said this before, but what I'm doing with this blog is sharing MY philosophies and opinions—the stuff I've learned from mentors, resources and the experience that only comes from trial and error. However, even if your initial reaction is to shut me out, I hope that you'll consider the points I raise before relegating them to the mental "round file."

I know lots of guys who never turn down shows. I turn them down all the time, and I'm going to take up this installment and the next to tell you when and why.

The general thinking goes something like this: Not every show is going to be ideal. There are going to be grumpy, creepy people and low-paying jobs, but I don't mind spending a few hours putting up with the jerks, and I'd rather make $50 than nothing—it's all good, right?

WRONG! I'll share a story with you to illustrate my first reason.

I have a friend who is a master carpenter. Now when I say master, I mean it—people from all over the country commission this guy to build furniture, mantles and more, and he charges a LOT—and rightly so. Some time ago, he told me about a lady who asked if he could build a large oak mantle to go over the fireplace in the home she was having built. He went to the site, took the appropriate measurements, figured the cost of labor and materials and gave her a quote. She was shocked. She said that figure was almost double what another local carpenter quoted. My friend remarked that she was almost certainly right about that, as the other fellow had only been a working carpenter for about three years, and was still trying to establish his business. He didn't have my friend's experience or reputation, and my friend told her that if cost was her only consideration, she should hire the other man, but she should seriously consider whether she wanted a less experienced person building the mantle for her multi-million-dollar home.

Well, this lady quibbled and griped and complained and nagged, but she finally hired my friend—after he agreed to give her a 15% discount off his quote if she paid in full in advance. He showed up on the appointed day to do the job, with all the wood and required materials. She wasn't there to meet him and let him in as she promised. When she did arrive later, she "hovered" the entire time he was preparing and as he began to do the work, she complained about every little thing, saying that the "marks" (grain) of the wood weren't "very straight" (!), asking if he had to hammer so loudly (?), etc.

Finally, in exasperation, my friend took down the piece he had put up already and started packing all the tools and materials back out to his truck. The lady became flummoxed. She started questioning him rapid fire about what he was doing and why and where he thought he was going. He didn't say a word—just kept packing his stuff into the back of his truck.

When the last of his stuff was loaded, he turned to the lady, pulled out her check, tore it in half and handed it to her. She was speechless. He looked her right in the eye and explained. "Ma'am, I have a policy: 100% customer satisfaction. In the last hour it has become clear to me that if Leonardo de Vinci were making this mantle for you, you'd still find things to criticize and complain about. It is obvious that there is no way I am going to please you. As I said: 100% customer satisfaction. So if I can't satisfy you, then you can't be my customer! No charge for my time. Good day." He then got in his truck and drove off.

Now, some would say that this was a bad move. But I think he did the right thing. She didn't lose any money, she didn't have a mantle that she felt was overpriced, and some other guy made her one (that I'm sure she felt was shoddy and overpriced). Rather than have her tell all her friends about his "poor work," my friend decided not to do the work at all. He told me he should have done that right off the bat, when she talked him into coming down on his price.

Some people are jerks. You could be Lance Burton or David Copperfield or Ricky Jay doing a two-hour show for their club for $50, and they would complain and criticize and say that you cheated them. In my opinion, it is better not to work for folks like that at all. They always want a discount. So you give them a discount. Then they call your competitor and tell him they got a better deal from you, so he undercuts your price. Then they call you back. And so on, and so on... (I'm not saying you should never give discounts. I'm just saying you should never give discounts to people like this!)

I had a man call me one day.

"How much do you charge?" he asked.

"Well, sir, if you could give me some information about the type of event, size of the audience and length of--"

"I'm not interested in hearing your **** spiel! Just give me a price!"

"But sir, my price depends on a number of variables, including loca--"

He cut me off again. "Listen, you stupid ****, I'll try to use small words so you can understand: HOW MUCH?"

"Five Thousand Dollars."

"Five THOUSAND?!?! What the **** is THAT for?"

"That's for me to perform for several hours a day for five days in your trade show booth. I'll attract a crowd, include your company and product information in my presentation and segue into your salesmen giving their presentation."

"Well, Holy ****, I don't need all that ****! I just want some entertainment for my company awards banquet. I don't know where the **** you got the idea I needed a ******* trade show pitchman!"

"Sir, I had no way of knowing, because you wouldn't tell me. That's why I need to ask you some questions." He finally agreed to give me some details, and I quoted him my standard after-dinner show rate.

"Son of a… Are you trying to rob me? Where the **** do you get off, charging almost my weekly ******* salary for 45 minutes? Now, how much do you REALLY charge?"

"Sir, I'd have to say that, at this point, I'm not interested in working for you at any price. I can tell you won't be happy no matter what I do or how much I charge, and I don't care to be spoken to so rudely. Good luck finding someone for your event." I hung up.

People like this will do more harm to your reputation (even if you give the best show of your life) if you take the gig than if you don't. They refuse to see the good in your show. They will find any little minor thing and focus entirely upon it. THAT is the thing they will spread to all their friends. They'll even invent something if they have to, because they can't stand to be positive and see the good in anything. My advice is to make a wide berth!

Often, another "biggie" in this regard is charities. I get a number of calls every month, asking me to work for free at these charities. I used to take a lot of these shows, but I discovered something. If people are paying me a lot of money, they treat me like a king! They are polite, respectful and professional, because I am VALUABLE to them—they're spending big bucks on me. When I give clients a significantly reduced rate or donate a show, you would think that they would be grateful and treat me even better. But usually, the opposite is true. Because they have little or no investment in me, I am of no worth to them. I was cheap or free. That's how they usually treat me. Now I do only a few donated shows per year for certain charitable or non-profit organizations whose cause I believe in and that I know will treat me well.

Often, these agencies will try to "woo" you with "benefits."

"We can't pay you, but you're welcome to join us for hot dogs and ice cream at no charge."

"We won't be able to pay you, but there will be thousands of people there and we'll announce that you donated the show—you'll get a lot of exposure!"

Yeah, it'll be exposed that I work for free and you can treat me like a stray dog, feeding me table scraps in exchange for my services! Exposure like that I don't need! A person can DIE from exposure!

You can usually help agencies like this find ways to pay you, but if they aren't interested in hearing about that, I say, "Thanks, but no thanks!"

I'll be back next time with some more reasons you should "Just say no" to some shows.

Until then, as always, you have my best wishes for your success.

BEND AND STRETCH

2009-05-14T18:29:00.001-07:00

Picture this:

You've arrived at the venue for your performance. You have all your props, your suit or tux and everything else you require. You're an hour early so that you can set everything up in plenty of time. You walk up to the door and…it's locked! You knock, but no one answers. You walk around the building and try all of the doors—all locked and no one comes when you knock. You head back to your car and get your cell phone and call both the number for the venue and the number for your contact person. There is no answer at either one. You start to wonder if the event was cancelled and they just forgot to call you.

You figure you'll wait awhile. 45 minutes later (just 15 minutes before you're scheduled to start) a big tour bus comes in. It's your group. Turns out they were skiing all day and lost track of time and the drive back took longer than they expected. Susan, your contact, approaches you and apologizes as she leads you into the performance location. You look around. NOTHING is as they said it would be. The tables are set up completely differently, there is no platform, you will be on a dance floor in the middle of the room (surrounded) rather than on a platform, and the $2000 dollar wireless headset mic they promised you is missing. The only remaining microphone is the coil job attached to a podium, which is self-contained with its own cheapie, 20-watt speaker. Susie explains that Jim, the guy responsible for setting up the room and providing the microphone, fell on the slopes earlier and broke his leg. He'll be fine, but he's not coming tonight, and no one else knows where the equipment is or how to run it.

Further, Susie explains, the food is late, and could you possibly perform about 45 minutes later than you were scheduled to?

Now, here's my question. What do you do? I'm assuming you've read my previous columns and have a contract stating when, where, how long and how much. (Maybe you've taken my advice and added a waiting clause that states that you get paid extra for each increment of time you have to wait past the scheduled start time.) So now you're at the venue and, other than the audience, NOTHING is the way it was described or agreed. What do you do?

There are those who would counsel you to just walk away. "Hey, they made promises and agreed to conditions that they did not meet. Keep the deposit and leave—it's your legal right!" And they are correct. Legally, you would be justified in doing exactly that.

New question: Would you rather be legally right or have a great reputation and lots of business?

There is a big difference between acting in a legally justifiable way and building good customer relations and building your business. Your willingness to "go the extra mile" and soldier on in spite of the client's lack of preparation and reliability will do more for you than you can possibly imagine. If you walk away, yes, you keep the deposit. But you won't get the balance owed and you won't get any referrals or repeat bookings. Therefore, my advice is, unless you have another show you have to make, go forward with this one at the newly changed time. If you do have another show, do everything you can to either go on early enough that you can make both engagements, or do an abbreviated show for this group.

However, you had planned for a platform show with the audience in front of you, and now you're on the floor and surrounded. There is the practical matter of what to do regarding angle-sensitive effects. I'll recommend a couple of things here.

First, make the bulk of your material angle-independent and "high"—that is to say, you can do it with any angles and you work up high around your chest and face as opposed to below the waist or on the floor. Then you'll be able to do the bulk of your show unimpeded, virtually identical to a typical performance.

Second, have "substitute effects" at the ready. There are some effects and routines that are extremely powerful and worth having in your show that are, in fact, angle-dependent or "low." If you are planning on doing these effects, always assume the worst will happen and bring a high, angle-independent effect to take its place. Then, if everything is as agreed, you can do your show exactly as planned. But if all is not as promised, you can still do your show.

Look, gang, stuff happens. People break their legs skiing. The bus breaks down. Flights are delayed. Cooks dump whole turkeys when removing them from the oven. Contact people get fired or quit. Treasurers die, leaving uninformed people behind who didn't know they were supposed to bring your check. Pacemakers stop, cell phones ring, kids vomit, old people fall, young people drink too much, and co-workers misunderstand or forget to voice expectations. How YOU handle any and all of these eventualities dictates how well you are received and how willing the client is to go the extra mile for you! Just as stretching your muscles to make them flexible before working out prevents injury to your body, a little flexibility with your client goes a long way in preventing hard feelings and keeping a "fit" business relationship that can bring in literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years!

In the end, of course, the choice is up to you. But if you want my opinion (and you must or you wouldn't be reading my column!), you're better served to follow the Romper Room philosophy with your clients: "Bend and stretch and reach for the sky!"

You have my best wishes for your success!

Scott

Internet Magic Forums

2009-05-11T17:44:00.001-07:00

Someone asked me to write an article regarding my opinions of magic forums like The Magic Café, Genii, Magic Bunny, etc. At first, I was gonna take a pass on that, but I guess I've changed my mind. So here goes.

First, let me point out that I have been VERY involved with a number of forums over the years. I was a moderator at the old MoMM (The Visions forum), where I had the most posts by quite a little bit. When The Magic Café started, I joined within the first month, I believe, and was quickly made a moderator, and then later became the Chief of Staff, a position I held there for several years (and took briefly a second time years later). For the first several years of The Café's existence, only one member had more posts than me. I also belonged to MagicTalk, The Magic Bunny, and the Genii forums, as well as several other lesser-known forums.

One thing I have found interesting about these forums is how much people GRIPE about them! Think about it... All of the forums I named are (or at least WERE) free to join. Somebody else went to the time and expense of putting them together and hosting them. People would then become members and start talking to each other via posting. I had the opportunity to "meet" people like Randy Wakeman, Andrew Wimhurst, Steve Youell, Darwin Ortiz, Ron Bauer, Wesley James, Harry Lorayne, Curtis Kam, David Neighbors, Whit Haydn, etc, etc. These guys took the time to reply to my posts. They actually answered my emails! Some of them sent me tricks via email or even DVDs via snail mail! Newbies who had never done a show in their lives had an unprecedented resource and privilege literally at their fingertips; to mingle with and learn from world-class, world-renowned artists! Talk about a huge reason for gratitude to the host!

But instead, herds of members would start to rail against their benefactors. On one forum, they would complain that the site was not well-moderated, and too many jerks were allowed to say whatever they wanted to about anyone.

On another, they would complain that too many posts were getting deleted, and people should be able to say whatever they wanted to say about anyone else. Newbies and wannabes would gripe about legends getting "preferential treatment," about their "free speech" being denied, crying out that each member was equally important and his opinions were equal, and that experience should not be a factor.

Here's my take on magic forums in general. I think every single person who has ever joined a forum should take the time to go buy a really nice Thank You card, write a heartfelt note of gratitude, and send it to the person(s) who built and runs the forum. Why? Because it is a lot of work, a lot of hassle, and a lot of expense to create and maintain these forums!

I have yet to visit a forum (magic or otherwise) that is run exactly as I would run it in every way. But that only makes sense, as it is NOT MY FORUM! Just I have never visited a home where all the furniture was right where I would have put it, all the décor and color choices mirror my own, etc. It's not MY home, so I do not expect it to be set up as if it were!

There were people on The Magic Café that I would not have banned that were banned. The reverse is also true--there are some folks I think should have been banned that have not been. There are entire sections (forums) that I would not have included. I would not have used a green background. The list goes on.

There are people who are "trolls"--obnoxious, idiotic jerks whose sole purpose in life seems to be getting someone to "bite" on their "bait." There are rivalries, where two or more otherwise rational, classy people cannot seem to stand it when the other one(s) make a post; they just HAVE to post a reply with a "dig" after it. There are rank beginners who post as if they have been performing for audiences of thousands for decades, when in actuality they have performed for the mirror and a younger sibling (who was probably bound and gagged at the time). There are experts who think that there are incontrovertible laws for every possible situation and only ONE all-encompassing answer for each of those situations--and bar the door if you happen to disagree with them!

Yes, there is all that and more on virtually every virtual magic club on the WWW. But...

There are also some of the kindest, most generous, most knowledgeable and clever people you will never have the pleasure to meet! If you are willing to overlook the jerks, morons, posers, and whiners, there is a resource like none other in the history of magic! There is an opportunity to learn, teach, share, give, communicate, and build relationships with people of all skill levels, from all walks of life, from all over the world!

I for one am thankful to the people who provide these wonderful resources. I'll say it publicly, right here and now: Steve Brooks, Richard Kaufman, Shane Causer, Kevin James, and all the rest of you who have created and maintained Internet Magic Forums where I've participated--THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! You run your boards as you see fit, and I'll do my best to abide by your rules and be a responsible and productive member.

The Aging Magician Lament Rap

2009-05-08T00:15:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, back in the day I was quite the rapper. Seriously! This was in the early to mid 80's, when rap was still about having fun--before it became about rape and killing cops. In fact, when I went into the army, a lot of the black guys from DC, NYC, LA, Chicago, Detroit, etc, absolutely loved havin' this skinny (yeah, I used to be skinny, too!) white boy from Tacoma (they nicknamed me "Jukebox") "dog" their boys in rap-offs.

Well, times have changed... I'm definitely "old school" when it comes to rap. These were the Run DMC days, the days when the movie "Breakin" was huge. By today's standards, my rhymes are probably too lame to even enter me into a competition, much less win one. But I don't care. It's still fun! Just for kicks I wrote a few lines on The Magic Cafe tonight, and I thought I'd share them here. This is just sort of my way of laughing at myself about growing older and the continuing deterioration of my digital dexterity due to (for those of you who love grammar, that was just a PRIME example of alliteration!) multiple injuries over the years.

So, for your enjoyment and/or mockery...

STILL REPRESENTIN'

Well I'm chillin' in my crib
Tryin' to stay calm
While I'm buggin' on that shift
to the diagonal palm

So my mind gets on my money
and my money on my mind
but I'm sweatin' that Hirada Hold
and it's got me in a bind

And my second deal keeps clickin'
yo' it's drivin' me nutty
I tried doin it while holdin' out
but yo, my palms are putty

And the book I'm workin' on
yo, it's harsh and that's for shiz
I shoulda loved on some Steve Beam
'stead I'm hatin' on Ortiz!

'Cuz my hands' been busted up
I ain't what I used to be
But I gots to keep magishin'
'cuz I'm POOF DADDY G!

I'm just glad that I'm still workin'
I'm still out there representin'
What I've lost in my technique
Yo dog, I've gained in my presentin'

So don't hang down your head
Yo don't shed a tear for me
I may be old but I ain't dead
And I'm still POOF DADDY G!

Applause Please

2009-05-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

My friend Burt Yaroch of Texas posed a question about applause on The Magic Café. After responding to it and reading some of the other responses, I thought it would make for a good Pro-Files installment.

Burt was basically wondering if applause is important or even necessary. For him, the look of astonishment and stunned silence was enough, and he was asking if there were valid reasons, beyond ego gratification, to encourage applause.

Like several other respondents, I feel that the applause issue is largely dictated by the size and formality (or lack thereof) of the performance.

In close up magic, I never "cue" applause (although I gratefully accept it when offered). If someone says, "Wow!" or "No Way!" or "Unbelievable!"--I smile at them and (tongue in cheek) say, "An appropriate response!"

However, as I said, I do gratefully accept the applause when offered, even in close up situations such as table-hopping at a restaurant. I have a glowing letter of recommendation from the owner of a restaurant where I appeared 4 nights a week for several years. One of the key lines of this letter states that he could hear the guests laughing and applauding while he was in the kitchen, so he knew I was doing my job to help the restaurant meet its goal of giving the guests a positive, enjoyable experience. The implication is obvious: Had he not heard the applause, he would NOT have been so sure I was doing my job.

So, while I personally am just as happy with stunned silence, in a paid performing venue, it was important, at least to the guy who paid me, that an audible positive response ensue.
Therefore, one of the primary distinctions as to whether applause is essential, or at least whether it is important, is this: Are you being paid to entertain and help someone else meet a goal, or are you just trying to astonish some friends at their house? Both are completely legitimate performances. However, in the informal, unpaid venue, the expectation of the third party (and a way to “prove” you are living up to it) is not present.

In my bigger shows, on the other hand (paid or not), I do "solicit" applause, starting off with a joke as to when they should applaud. This gets a big laugh and applause, and I may do it once or twice more in the show, but once they "catch on" that it's OK if they applaud, no more "cueing" is necessary.

Why applause? There are a number of reasons, besides the obvious gratification of the ego.

Often, the person who booked you is the person in charge of the event, and more often than not she is in the next room, not even seeing the show, because she is handling problems, preparing for the next event on the agenda, cutting checks, etc. The only gauge she has regarding the success of your show may well be the applause she hears (or doesn't hear!). So, if she keeps hearing enthusiastic applause, she knows you are "killing them" and that is one less thing she has to worry about.

Applause is also a good thing for the audience. It gives them a sense of community--they are acting as one unit instead of 250 individuals. When you "have them" to the point where this is true--they are acting as one single entity--it is a truly wonderful thing. It also allows the audience to blow off steam, release tension (caused by the astonishment) and to show their appreciation.

Have you ever felt true gratitude for someone and, in attempting to express it to the person, were just waved off? Imagine for a moment that someone did something really special for you. I mean really special—he made your day. Now imagine that, in your most sincere, heartfelt gratitude, you tried to express your thanks, and he just waved you off dismissively. That is a real downer—even offensive—and it partially if not completely ruins the entire experience. We WANT to show people our appreciation. It completes the experience, so to speak.

This is the same way an audience feels when they start to applaud a performer and he “waves them off” dismissively. When an audience gives you an ovation--particularly an unsolicited standing ovation--bask in it. Smile, thank them, and let them do it. To do otherwise is not only foolish and rude, but it hurts their feelings and diminishes their enjoyment! They are “completing the experience!”

So don't be heavy-handed with applause--don't force it. But certainly feel free to accept it and even, at times, to encourage it! And always feel free to ENJOY it, particularly when it is offered sincerely and appreciatively. It is the audience’s way of responding, of interacting, of thanking you for “making their day!”

Interviewing for Corporate Gigs (from Pro-Files, Jan '02)

2009-05-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hello again! It’s a new year, and maybe you’re thinking that this is the year you’ll break into performing for the corporate market, either for banquets, sales meetings or trade shows. As someone who makes all of my living from magic and the bulk of my bookings from corporations, I feel qualified to proffer some advice to those of you who would like to be hired for corporate events.

I’ll start by relating a true story that happened to me just last week. The Boise office of a major insurance company contacted me about possibly performing for them at a banquet near the end of December. I was asked to fax them some information about myself and my show, and told that they would be interviewing several people whom they considered to be the top candidates for the job. (This interview process is a fairly common practice in the corporate world. They want to have a “face-to-face” before closing the deal.) As soon as I hung up the phone, I faxed over my promo packet (I’ll give details on that in just a bit). A couple of days later, they called back and set up a “ten minute interview” with me for last Friday at 2 PM.

When Friday rolled around, I put on my suit, got my organizer (in which I had the proposal I had written up in the meantime) and put it in my briefcase along with the props for my sponge ball routine and my rope routine, and headed to the office in downtown Boise. I arrived at the office at 1:50, introduced myself to the receptionist and told her I had a 2:00 appointment with the managing general partner. A few minutes later, I was in his office, along with two other partners.

He started by stating, “Just so you know up front, we’re talking to a number of people, and we still have several to meet.” I replied, “I understand. Please tell me about your event and how you would like me to help you make it a success.”

The event is their big annual awards banquet. They have a cocktail hour at 6, dinner at 7, presentation of awards at 8 and entertainment at 9. It will be held at Boise’s newest and most prestigious hotel, and they expect about 150 adults to attend. He was quick to add, “But even though the audience is all adults, it’s a function sponsored by this office, and we don’t want any material that will be too off-color.” I assured him that my strongest line could be rated PG-13, tops.

After he had told me about his event, I said, “And what is your goal for the entertainment? What do you hope the person you hire will accomplish?” He thought for a moment before responding, “We want everyone to be involved and have fun without anyone being embarrassed or offended. Last year we had a comedian, and he threw in every four-letter word in the book in every sentence! We want to avoid that, but still have a good time, lots of audience involvement, and portray a professional image that makes the three of us look good.”

I smiled at him. “Sir, I believe I can help you!” I said. I explained that I had been doing this as my full-time job for over a decade, and that the bulk of my work was with businesses. I drew his attention to some of the “raves” from different clients that I had included with the information I’d previously faxed him (which, I’d noticed, was on his desk, though I had brought an extra copy, just in case). I further went on to say that it was my goal to help him make this year’s banquet the best ever. I assured him I was a professional entertainer, who used magic and comedy to amaze and entertain, but never to belittle, insult or embarrass. Then I remarked that I had brought a couple of things with me to demonstrate the type of material I do, so they could have a preview if they wanted one. He quickly asserted that they did.

I did my rope routine for them and they loved it! I commented that this was a typical example of my act; the type of comedy and the quality of magic and the way I handle assistants from the audience. Then I broached the possibility of strolling magic during the cocktail hour (something none of them had previously considered). I explained the concept, and then showed them my sponge ball routine as an example of what I would do in that situation. They loved that, as well!

At this point, the boss brought up price. He wanted to know how much I would charge for an hour of strolling magic during cocktails, and an hour after-dinner show. I pulled out my notebook. “Actually, when your assistant called me, I asked her how long you wanted the show and how many people would be there, and I’ve already drawn up a proposal for you.” I gave him the proposal, which listed prices for a 45-minute platform show, a 60-minute platform show, and both of those shows along with an hour of strolling magic.

He was very interested in having both strolling and platform, but stated that his budget was a bit limited. After some dickering, we settled on a price he found reasonable for 45 minutes of strolling and an hour platform show, plus he threw in dinner ($50 a plate!). He shook my hand and said, “You’re our man—you’ve got the job. Send us the necessary paperwork!” Remember, he still had three people left to interview, but he booked me right then!

As he was seeing me to the door, he said, “Would you like to hear about two of the guys we saw before you?” I said, “Sure!” and I listened intently. The points he brought up were excellent (some SHOULD be very obvious) and as soon as I left the office, I wrote them down so that I could share them with you.

1. Dress. I was the only one who showed up in “business attire”—a suit and tie. The first prospect (1p) wore jeans, a T-shirt, and sandals! The second prospect (2p) was a little better; Dockers and a polo shirt. The boss said, “The second I saw you, I knew you were someone who knew how to dress appropriately.”
2. Grooming and hygiene. 1p, according to the boss, “Had shaggy, unkempt hair halfway down his back, a dirty beard halfway down his chest and such awful B.O. that the entire office stunk for an hour after he left!” 2p slouched, had dandruff flakes on his shoulders, dirty nails and bad breath.
3. Manner. 1p was arrogant and overbearing, 2p was hesitant and unsure of himself. Both flopped down in the chair in the office before being asked to sit or directed to a particular chair, and 2p sat while the clients were still standing.
4. Preparedness. Neither 1p or 2p had brought along an effect to demonstrate, nor were they able to articulately describe their acts.
5. Focus. Both of my predecessors basically wanted to know how much money the client had to spend. Neither asked the client what his needs were.
6. Professionalism. Neither had a proposal, nor more than one option for the booking. Neither suggested strolling magic. Neither had bothered to ask during the phone call about the length of the show or the size of the audience. Neither had asked the boss in any way to describe the event or his goals for it. Both had poor grammar, and both were unable to articulate what their show was like and how it could help the client. Both showed up to the interview late, one by 5 minutes, the other by 15.

There is GOLD in this evaluation! My price was significantly higher than 1p, and over TWICE 2p’s quote, and yet I was the one walking away with the booking! Why? Because I have experience with the corporate world (both as an entertainer and in sales, marketing and training), and I understand how to deal with it. Let’s take this by the numbers.

1. Dress. You should show up for an interview like this in a nice suit. (In this case, the actual performance is at a formal dinner, so I’ll be wearing my tux, but a suit is more appropriate for the interview.) It doesn’t have to be a $2000 Armani, but it shouldn’t be something you got at the thrift store either. It should be cleaned and pressed, fit properly and be in style. Your shoes should be in good condition and shined, your shirt should be cleaned and pressed, and your tie the same. I’ve seen magicians in an old, dirty, wrinkled suit, a 7 year old white shirt with a frayed collar and a tie with gravy stains on it, thinking they are “dressed up.” This is one of those things I shouldn’t have to address, but it’s clear, at least in this case, that it does need to be addressed!
2. Grooming and hygiene. I know that there are some who perform in the corporate world with long hair and beards, but this is the exception, not the rule. You’re probably better served to be clean-shaven and have short hair. At the very least, your hair, whatever the length, should be clean and groomed, and your beard trimmed and clean. There is NO EXCUSE for offensive odors of any kind! For crying out loud, take a shower, brush your teeth and put on some deodorant! Use a dandruff shampoo, if necessary. Clean your fingernails—as a magician, people focus on your hands. Don’t smoke a cigar, drink alcohol or coffee, or exercise right before the interview! I ALWAYS shower and shave prior to the meeting, and I use a breath mint immediately before entering the office. More stuff that should be obvious.
3. Manner. Be confident and polite. Get some books on grammar and etiquette if you don’t know what the standards are. When you shake hands, grip firmly. Don’t be a “dead fish,” but don’t be a “bone-cruncher,” either. Smile! THANK THEM for taking the time to meet with you. Don’t sit until you are asked or they gesture for you to sit, and NEVER sit while the client, particularly female clients, are still standing. Wait for them to show you where to sit and/or ask you to and they have begun to sit themselves before you sit. Maintain good posture. Be attentive and interested.
4. Preparedness. Know why you are having the meeting (to book a show) and be prepared to tell them and demonstrate to them why they should hire you! Have a couple of effects ready, and be able to articulate what you do and how it can help the client have a successful event.
5. Focus. Simply put the focus on the client, not yourself. Get all the information from him that you can about the event, what his goals are, and in what ways he wishes or envisions you helping him to achieve those goals.
6. Professionalism. Be flexible and offer choices. Suggest alternative or additional options. Find out in advance the venue, type and size of audience, and desired type and length of the show, and then write a proposal based on that information. Include options of a shorter or longer show, an additional show (strolling, for example), etc. Show up on time! Don’t tell him about how great you are and how many cities you’ve played, etc. ASK, LISTEN, and then EXPLAIN how you can help!

As I said, most of this should be obvious, but it was clear from this man’s description of the other two candidates that it apparently isn’t.

I closed the deal by saying, “If you choose to hire me, I guarantee my show. If your employees aren’t talking about it in the office, telling you and each other how much they enjoyed it, I’ll refund your money.” He asked me how I could afford to do that. I said, “Simple! No one has ever asked for their money back!” That sealed it.

I told you at the beginning of this article that I faxed the client a promo packet. This is not a fancy, glossy, tri-fold brochure (they don’t fax well!), nor is it a five-page “letter!” One page gives them a brief bio. Another describes the different kinds and lengths of shows I do, and a third is titled “Raves.” It has a bunch of quotes from other clients about my show. That’s it. It works for me. I am by far the most expensive magician in my area—I’m also by far the busiest!

I hope you found this article informational and valuable. For those of you who already dress and groom well, it is my hope that some of the other information was valuable to you. I’d love to hear from you if you have any questions, comments or concerns. Until then, you have my best wishes for your success!

Self-Abuse

2009-04-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

I have seen many, many magic acts, both those that claim to be “comedy magic” and those that claim to be “straight magic” that use insult humor. More than one has been so bad that I (and several others) have walked out in the middle! This kind of act may have a place—magic conventions for magician-only audiences or comedy clubs—but there are far too many who use insults and abuse to try to obtain humor in their shows.

NEWSFLASH: Bad idea, gang! While you may gain a few cheap laughs, you will lose the respect of the audience as well as more than a few future bookings!

This begs the question: Where, then, do you instill the humor in your act, particularly if you are billing yourself as a comedy magician? I would like to offer the solution that I use most often: self-deprecating humor.

My character is a sharp-witted, somewhat conceited performer who is overly sure of his skill and his good looks, but is still likeable—kind of a much more intelligent Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show. You’ll remember that everyone in Mayberry (and in TV land) loved Barney, but they still liked to see him taken down a peg or two every once in awhile. My performing persona is much like that. The audience likes me, but they enjoy seeing me become the butt of my own jokes. Sometimes I do that on purpose, and sometimes it seems that I am unaware of it. This never fails to get lots of laughs and build lots of good will, and it never offends anyone or alienates me from my audience.

A few examples may be in order. When I introduce myself, it is as, “The greatest magician in all of unincorporated Canyon County, Idaho!” As you may have surmised, I am the ONLY magician in unincorporated Canyon County. When I come to the front after the intro, I make overblown, exaggerated bows. I smile and wave to different people in the audience, bow again, point to and wave to imaginary people in the imaginary “upper levels” and bow some more. I open with a few lines, some of which are old standards, some borrowed from Harry Allen’s books. For example, “Thank you so much for your warmth and love—but I know that you can’t help yourselves! I am Great Scott! I’m sure you’ve heard of me. I do magic and comedy. So if you see something that you don’t find particularly funny, THAT’S the magic! Some of you may have heard that I recently got a contract with HBO, which I’m very excited about. It was $19.95 per month, plus $11.50 for the installation.”

If I am talking to a female audience assistant and she asks me to repeat something or is unclear about some instructions, I don’t zing her. Instead, I might look out at the audience and say, “Listen, you can’t blame her, folks. When the package is this pretty, no one cares what’s inside! Something happened to me yesterday that reminded me just how attractive I am to the opposite sex. I was walking through a restaurant, and a lady stared at me and said, ‘You are so strikingly handsome, I can’t even concentrate on my meal!’ Wait, that’s not how she put it. Oh yeah, now I remember—the meaning’s exactly the same—she said, ‘When I look at you, I can’t eat!’ I was SO flattered!”

I also do sucker effects, but turn them around on myself. One example from my family and kids shows is the old “Topsy Turvey Bottle” trick. The premise of this is that the spectator is always wrong and you are always right. I use this in conjunction with Zanadu’s “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” hat, where a kid ends up with a toilet plunger on his head. But, instead of following the instructions that come with these props, I am the one who is the butt of the joke. I bring the kid up and give him the bottle and tube. I state that I, too, will use a bottle and tube, but first I have to put on the “special bottle trick hat.” I bring out the covered plunger, which looks like a very cheap sorcerer’s hat. This gets a few laughs. Then I take my bottle and tube, and explain to the kid that it is very important that he does exactly what I do. “We’re going to turn the covered bottles back and forth a few times to get the magic going. When we stop with both bottles upside down inside the tubes, something very magical will happen.” We turn the tubes upside down and right side up a few times. Now, in the marketed presentation, when you lift the tubes, yours is always upright, and the assistant’s is always upside down, and it is all his mistake—that’s where the “comedy” is. But in my presentation, the bottles are SUPPOSED to be upside down—I’m the one screwing up! I act a little flustered and turn the kid’s bottle over and ask him to make sure he copies me exactly. Then I “remember” that I’m supposed to wave the magic wand over the tubes first, and take the wand out of the plunger hat. We try again—again the kid is right and I’m wrong. I “remember” that I’m also supposed to wave the magic hanky over the bottles. I remove the cloth cover from the hat, exposing the plunger, and wave the cloth over the bottles. The kids are ROARING with laughter, yelling that there’s a plunger on my head and pointing at it. I pretend not to understand, turn around to look at what they’re pointing at, turn back to face them, etc. Finally, I reach up and feel the plunger, get a disgusted look, and remove it from my head. I look straight at an adult and say, “Well, THAT part of the show went right in the toilet!” HUGE laughs. Finally, I “realize” that the kid isn’t supposed to have a bottle and tube—those are just the spares. I’m SUPPOSED to show the bottle upright in the tube (I do so), have the kid wave the wand over it (he does) and lift the tube to show the bottle has magically turned upside down inside the tube (it has). The audience gasps, and I send the kid back to his seat to a nice round of applause.

Do you see what I mean? Both of these props were marketed and intended to get laughs at the expense of a member of the audience. By a simple presentational twist, the laughs are at MY expense. The kid is not insulted or offended, the audience is not alienated. In fact, they laugh harder and like me more. And they are still amazed that my bottle is always pointing the wrong way and that it magically turns over at the end.

Another classic example of this type of prop is the bra trick. I’ve done it—on myself! I have two spectators holding the ends of the tied handkerchiefs, and state that when they pull on them, the hankies will penetrate my body and end up, still tied together at the center, behind me. I count to three, they pull, and a bra appears tied between the hanks. I blush, grab the hankies and put them away as I say I can’t believe I made such a boob of myself. This gets a MUCH better reaction than doing it to a spectator, and because I have raved about my incredible skill and extreme good looks, the audience enjoys seeing it happen (even though they know my tongue was firmly planted in my cheek).

I’m sure that if you think about it, you will be able to find many ways to turn audience abuse and insult “comedy” back onto yourself. Believe the voice of experience, dear readers—your audiences will love you for it!

You have my best wishes for your success.

Say WHAT?

2009-04-26T16:10:00.001-07:00

After all the years I've spent in magic, all the magicians with whom I've spoken and all the performances I've seen, the one thing that amazes me more than anything is how many magicians sabotage themselves by performing a piece that they have spent hours and hours learning, but spent little or no time considering what they would say while performing it! The result is that what should have been an amazing feat of magic—an entertaining, interesting, even spooky or moving performance piece—becomes a mere puzzle at best or a tedious and annoying waste of time for the audience.

In a "talking" act, what you say is every bit as important as what you do! You can verbally give importance to the points where you want focus or "gloss over" the points that you don't want to be remembered. You can reinforce a "false memory," or change a person's perception of what happened with nothing more than your words! Thus, "patter" (the popularly accepted term for what a magician says when he performs) is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. We are fools if we ignore it.

An example of creating a false memory can be found in my routine, "Coincidental" from Great Scott! It's Card Magic! This is a full deck "Matching the Cards" effect, where the cards keep matching up even though the deck has been thoroughly shuffled and cut. In this routine, I start by shuffling the deck (secretly controlling the cards) and then I cut the deck in half, giving a half to two members of the audience. The two audience participants then give their halves one riffle shuffle and then cut as many times as they want. Later in the routine, I use a very carefully worded review sentence: "Not only did I shuffle and cut the cards, but both of you have shuffled and cut your cards as much as you wanted." This sentence is absolutely true, and yet it is misleading. In fact, they have cut as much as they wanted, but they have only shuffled once. I don't say, "You have shuffled as much as you wanted." That would be a lie and immediately recognized as such. But the former wording is ambiguous, and in that ambiguity is the truth. A seed is planted, and the participants (and most of the rest of the audience) will very likely "remember" that they did shuffle as much as they wanted!

Patter is also an excellent way to lend clarity to magic. In a more complicated effect, such as a transposition, by telling the audience what is happening as it happens, you can remove any confusion and make the effect more clear. An example of this can be found in "Brundle-Fly Transposition" from my book, Magishing My Way. Two cards change places and morph, which could be very confusing for the audience to follow. However, in relating the story of the movie remake of "The Fly" starring Jeff Goldblum during the performance of the trick, I give clarity to the effect as it is happening without simply giving a narration of the actual sequence of the trick itself. Goldblum's character, the scientist Seth Brundle, creates two teleportation pods to attempt to transport himself from one to the other. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to him, a fly got into the pod, and his DNA morphs with that of the fly. Anyone who has seen the movie (and even most that haven't) can instantly understand and relate to what is happening with the selected cards, in what could otherwise be a difficult-to-follow routine.

Certainly one of the biggest advantages that patter gives us is to lend entertainment and meaning to an effect. The Haunted Pack is a great trick. Even performed "bare bones" it can get a great reaction. In my experience, however, it got an even better reaction (and was certainly more fun and memorable for the audience) when I started using the following patter (also from Great Scott! It's Card Magic!), about an imaginary friend from my childhood who was also a magician. Assume a card has been selected, signed and returned to the deck.

MY INVISIBLE FRIEND

"I have a five year old nephew who is just as cute has he can be. He has an imaginary friend named Roger. It's adorable! Did you ever have an imaginary friend? I did. His name was Elmer. Only, unlike most imaginary friends, Elmer didn't go away as I got older. Oh, no! Elmer stuck around and became incredibly competitive. He just wasn't happy unless he was better than me. So, of course, when I got into magic, Elmer did, too. As a matter of fact, he fancies himself quite the expert in card magic, and he... Oh, no! I don't believe this!"

(Now speaking off to the side, to thin air.) "What do you want?"

(Pause, then to audience) "Elmer is here and he wants to do this trick for you. Do you folks mind?"

To Elmer: "All right, but just this one."

Perform the Haunted Pack.

To audience: "OK folks, give Elmer a big hand!"

To Elmer: "Now go away and let me do my job." Pause a beat. "What? A ride home?!? (sigh) I suppose, but leave me alone until then!"

To audience: "Sheesh! Some imaginary people!"

This patter is effective for me because it suits my style and personality. But there are a few other things that make it effective for just about anyone who cared to use it. Practically everyone, at least in modern western civilization, is familiar with the concept of an imaginary friend from childhood. Almost all of us either had one or knows someone who did or does. So people can relate to the premise. The concepts, "What if my imaginary friend stayed with me through adulthood" and "What if he became extremely competitive" are ludicrous, yet feasible and interesting, with inherent dramatic and humorous consequences. The suggestion that he has suddenly shown up because I was talking about him and then actually does the trick seems to "prove" that my imaginary friend exists in more than my imagination—a very compelling scenario. And the "fact" that he wants me to give him a ride home (and the final tagline) give a sense of completion and a humorous release of tension to end the routine.

The works of Rene Lavand and Juan Tamariz are full of excellent examples of effective patter. Darwin Ortiz' Strong Magic may well be the best single source extant for the student who wishes to study many techniques for making his patter (and many other areas of his magic performance) more effective.

Michael Ammar has said that when we are performing, we should imagine a neon sign flashing the words, "SO WHAT" on the foreheads of our audience. Ron Bauer mentions that his favorite way of creating presentations is to ask "What if?" In other words, we need a REASON for doing the magic we're doing. It really doesn't have to be logical outside of our performance in the real world, but it should have its own intrinsic logic.

For example, look at the famous Gypsy thread trick. A long piece of thread is broken from the spool. This piece is then broken into small pieces, balled up and restored into a long piece again. This is semi-amazing, but what is the point? This is where patter comes in. Eugene Burger uses it to illustrate the history of the Hindu gods. That works for him, but it is a bit much for my tastes, and does not suit me at all. So I didn't do the trick for a long time, even though I really wanted to. Then I came across Charles Greene's presentation using dental floss. I adapted it for the thread, and now talk about my mother, who was raised during the Great Depression, who was taught the old adage "waste not, want not." I explain that this was so driven into her in her youth, that she found it impossible to throw anything away, even if there was no use for it. I go on to explain that she would always mend all our clothes as long as she could to avoid having to buy new ones. But after stitching them up, there was always the little piece of thread left on the needle after she broke the thread off to tie it. Rather than throw it away she would save it, even though it was too small to use. One day, noticing all the little pieces in her sewing box as she was putting the most recent one in, I offered to use my magic to help her. I took all the little pieces, rolled them into a ball and magically fused them into one long piece that could be used to mend the next article of clothing. People, especially those who experienced the Depression, can easily relate to the story, and it made sense—there was a reason—to restore the little pieces into a big one.

Clichés about magicians can be a good basis for patter. One of the most famous is "The hand is quicker than the eye." We know, of course, that nothing could be further from the truth, but this is still probably the single most popular misconception about magicians. I combined this premise, along with a risk premise (where I have a chance to lose something of value—another very powerful premise—see Strong Magic) with a "magician in trouble" plot (another wonderful premise) in my patter for my Card in Purse routine (again, for those interested, found in Great Scott! It's Magic!). In this routine, I offer to prove the hand is quicker than the eye. I guarantee it, saying that I'll give the audience participant a silver dollar (which I remove from a coin purse and then replace) if I fail. It then seems that I DO fail, but when the participant opens the purse to remove the dollar, she finds the dollar is gone, but inside is a folded card—her signed card—"proving" that my claim is true! Here is the patter in its entirety:

CARD TO PURSE

"I'd like to show you a card trick. Not just any card trick. This one comes with a guarantee... a silver dollar."

(The coin is removed from the purse).

"Have you ever heard that the hand is quicker than the eye? I'm about to prove that. If I don't, you get this dollar. We'll come back to that a little later."

(The coin is replaced in the purse, which is then set it aside. Vandella removes a card from the deck and signs it and the card is lost in the deck. I hand the deck to Vandella, turn away and cover my eyes.
She shuffles and cuts the deck.)

"The hand really is quicker than the eye... just ask anyone with a black eye! In fact, I'm so sure that my hand is quicker than your eye that I'm betting my dollar..."

(The purse is tilted forward so the coin is visible to the audience.)

"... that I can grab your card quicker with my hand than you can with your eye!"

(The purse is closed and replaced on the table.)

"I'm just kidding. Here's the deal. I will close my eyes, spread the cards face up and give you a three second head start. Grab your card and win a buck. Ready? Go! Did you get your card?"

Vandella: "No."

Me: "Did you see it?"

Vandella: "No!"

(I spread the cards around, looking for her.)

Me:"You signed it, right?"

Vandella: "Yes!"

Me: "I don't see it either!" (Crestfallen) "Technically, I guess I didn't prove the hand is quicker than the eye. I am a man of my word."

(I nod at the purse).

Me:"You get the dollar."

(When she opens the purse and removes the folded card, I act surprised.)

Me:"Hey! Is that a card?"

Vandella: "Yes!"

Me: "Is that your signed card?"

Vandella: "Yes!"

Me: "Was that card in the purse?"

Vandella: "Yes!"

Me: "Did you see me put that card in the purse?"

Vandella: "No!"

Me: "See? The hand is quicker than the eye!"

Notice that, while technically I am "beating" her in a contest, there is no "sting" even though there is a challenge—because the challenge is all on me and I'm the only one with something to lose. Something magical happens to her card, which she gets to keep, and she is not upset about "losing" a dollar—because it was my dollar and I did what I said I would!

The above are just a few examples from my work of the patter I actually use for popular effects. Another example is my sponge ball routine, where the balls are named Peanut, Butter and Jelly. The patter is silly and funny—it is not a story, but it makes the routine more entertaining and amusing. The structure of the effect and the patter have their own intrinsic logic—it makes sense within the context of the routine and is infinitely more involving to the audience then the typical, "Here I have a ball. Look! It has turned into two balls! See how they jump around? Oops! They've disappeared!" I call this sort of thing, "Dick and Jane" patter, from the reading primers I had in elementary school. ("See Jane. See Dick. Dick sees Jane.")

In my ring and rope routine, I explain the difference between magic and logic. This gives me a REASON to show the ring magically penetrating on and off the rope. Without this reason, the audience may very well be asking, "So what?"

Use your life experiences, your hobbies, a scientific impossibility, a challenge, a movie, a book, a preconception, a favorite childhood memory, a funny thing that happened to your kid, a paranormal event your neighbor had, the Old West, the Roman Empire, Greek Mythology… whatever inspires or interests you. Ask yourself, "What if?" Ask yourself, "So what?" You certainly don't have to give a story presentation to every trick, nor do they have to be funny. But they do need to have some meaning, however ridiculous that may be OUTSIDE the context of the routine.

In short, as I've said many times before, THINK about your magic. PERSONALIZE your magic. Pour yourself into your presentations. You will connect with your audiences as never before, and they, like me will give you their…

Best wishes for your success!

Scott

The Lost Art of Routining

2009-04-25T02:35:00.000-07:00

I miss J.G. Thompson…

For those of you not fortunate enough to know who he was, I’ll explain. Thompson’s vocation was a banker, but his avocation was a performer and writer of magic. His books include, the Top Secrets of Magic series, Magic to Delight, The Miracle Makers, My Best and others. But he was probably most respected for his skill in routining magic. Thompson had the ability to take the simplest little trick, often something most magicians considered a “throwaway,” and turn it into a stunning feature piece of magic. He is one of my biggest inspirations in magic—I aspire to the standard he set, though I most often fall short.

Nowadays, the term “routine” has come to be synonymous with the words “effect” and “trick.” As a matter of fact, one highly touted book of the recent past included a glossary of terms in its appendix. In a nutshell, it defined “routine” as “a trick or effect.” If you looked up “effect” you found “a routine or trick.” I submit to you that these three terms have somewhat similar but NOT identical meanings. The “effect” is what the audience perceives to have happened—what they would tell you they saw. A “trick” is a piece of magic—for example, a card trick is a piece of magic done with cards. A “routine” on the other hand can mean a number of tricks combined into one performance piece, such as Aldo Colombini’s “Mama Mia Rope Routine,” which has 17 tricks strung together into one flowing magical performance piece with a rope. “Routine” can also mean “construction”—the way the trick or tricks are put together.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of magicians are sadly lacking in (if not totally bereft of) routining in either sense. The problem is that this is a somewhat intangible topic. It is very difficult for me to spell out to you how you should go about learning to put routines together. Perhaps the best way is to use bad examples—to show you how NOT to do it—and then to try to follow up with some ways to avoid the pitfalls.

In my study and observation of bad magicians (and they are easy to find), I have found and given names to five general groups

1. Slappers – These are the guys who just take a bunch of tricks and slap them together at random with no thought. This is probably the worst magician. He has to stop and set each trick up before doing it and then stop and set the next trick up before doing it. He is always searching his pockets/case for the things he needs to do the trick (often it’s something he had just moments before that he put away, only to have to search for it to use it again one or two tricks later). Unfortunately, he also never spends any time thinking about any patter, showmanship or presentation for his tricks, either. He is very dull and the audience feels cheated, even at a free show.

In a 30-minute show, he spends 20 minutes looking for stuff and getting set up and only has time for two or three tricks.

2. Themers – Themers take a good concept to the extreme. They feel that their acts should always have a theme (not always necessarily true, but a good idea), and will go to any length to make every trick they own fit that theme, even if it has nothing at all to do with the theme. So they do a chop cup with an aluminum cup and a mini basketball at a Renaissance Fair while telling a story of a knight (basketball) who keeps magically teleporting into his castle (chop cup).

This is as ridiculous as a favorite scene in the movie "The Cable Guy." Mathew Broderick and Jim Carrey are at a medieval-themed restaurant called “Medieval Times.” When they ask their waitress, played by Janine Garafolo, for silverware, she responds, “There was no silverware in medieval times, therefore there is no silverware at Medieval Times! More Pepsi?”

Another kind of Themer believes that every trick should ALWAYS lead into the next. So he begins by producing a deck of cards, doing a card trick, making a rope appear under the cards, making scissors appear from the card case which then turns into… you get the idea. This can be a good thing, but like almost everything else, it is horrible when taken to an extreme, and the “kicker” endings to produce props at the end of one trick to start a new, totally unrelated trick are not only incongruous, they’re exhausting for the audience!

In a 30-minute show, a Themer can do 30-40 tricks!

3. Overextenders – These are the guys who are always saying, “I get twenty minutes of entertainment out of that,” when referring to the hot rod or appearing cane. They can take a good 20-second trick and turn into 20 minutes of truly painful drudgery. They really ARE magicians, because they have power over time—they can make 5 minutes seem like eternity! Any time I hear these guys start to say, “I get 20 minutes of entertainment out of that,” I literally cringe. With VERY few exceptions, they get 20 minutes, but NOT entertainment!

I’m going to upset some folks here, but I’m going to say this anyway. Most (not all—not the few good ones) bizarrists are Overextenders. My buddy Vic Brisbin and I came up with a definition for most Bizarre Magicians: “A Bizarrist is someone who dresses like the Grim Reaper and then bores you to death!”

Overextenders are very organized, but like Slappers, they do three tricks or less in a 30-minute show.

4. All-encompassers – The goal of the All-encompasser is to put every single move or flourish he knows into every routine. In a simple card location, he will do every exhibition fan and false cut he has ever learned. His Linking Ring Routine has 35 phases, and his Matrix has 15 variations, one right after the other. He has spent hours and hours learning and putting together the routine, unlike the Slapper, but he is equal parts Themer and Overextender—a deadly combination!

In a 30 minute show, All-encompassers go 15 minutes long to finish their opening routine!

5. Ad Libbers – Here’s another very common performer. He never knows what he’s going to do until he does it. He likes to call himself a “Jazz” magician (there are a few good ones, but they are rare, indeed!), and is typically technically very proficient. Sadly, technique alone is usually quite the opposite of entertaining to a lay audience. Even sadder, this guy thinks of himself as a comic genius along the lines of Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters, when he’s really about as funny and spontaneous as Saddam Hussein! He spends all his practice time on moves rather than on tricks that use them and presentations that make them entertaining.

In a 30-minute show, there’s no telling how many or how few tricks an Ad Libber will do.

So, where do we go from here? I can’t tell everyone who reads this column how to go about routining his magic. But I’ll try to do what I can.

I am probably best known among magicians for my sponge ball routine, “Peanut, Butter & Jelly.” Every time I’ve ever shown it to magicians at lectures, conventions etc, I’ve received comments about how impressed they are by the construction—the routining. Well, this was no accident. I spent YEARS working on the routine, changing sequences, adding subtleties, and discarding whole phases. Routining takes a lot of WORK, even for those who are good at it.

Let’s assume you want to do Linking Ring routine. A slapper would just open a book that had some ring moves in it, give a couple of them a cursory review and slap them together in any old order. A Themer would figure out how to produce the rings from his card case at the beginning and change them into sponge balls at the end. An Overextender would write 2 hours of patter for a three-phase routine. An All-encompasser would learn every move from every book/video he owned or could borrow and put them all into the routine. An Ad Libber would do the same, but wouldn’t perform them all in the same routine—he’d just do whichever moves happened to come into his mind at the time—whether they fit together or not.

So what should you do? I’m certainly not arrogant enough to think that I have that answer. But I can tell you what I did when I put together my routine. I got all the references I could on the rings. I discarded any moves I didn’t care for. I knew I didn’t want to do any “figures,” so those were out, too. I made a list of all the really cool moves I found, and categorized them according to where they would fall within a routine: openers, middle sequences and closers. I decided to figure out what my opening and closing moves would be first, and then I’d fill in the middle sequences. Then I set to work learning the opening moves.

Right away, I discovered that some of the moves just didn’t fit me, so I scratched them off my list. I narrowed it down to three or four, then two or three, and then finally settled on my opening move. Then I did the same with my finale move. I then started to work from both ends toward the middle, finding sequences that I liked and that could be done from the position where the preceding one ended or the following one started. When I was done, I had 15 sequences—WAY too many! So I rated each of the middle sequences based on how magical it was, how funny it could be, how strongly it compared to the other moves and how well it flowed with the moves before and after it. After many hours of work, I had the sequence of moves for my routine.

Next, I sat down and decided what I would say with each phase. This took many more hours. Finally, I practiced the moves until I could do them in my sleep and I rehearsed the lines as I did the moves. Then it was ready for my show, and it KILLED! There has been some tweaking since, but it is essentially the same routine I put together in 1994.

So after all of my ramblings, how do you routine your magic? Basically, I can only give you some pointers, not specifics. Find the strongest moves/tricks/sequences for the effect you are trying to achieve. Start putting them together in a logical, flowing sequence that builds to a climax. Discard anything that doesn’t feel right or fit well. Then start pruning.

As I said earlier, it’s hard work. But it’s also fun! And you’ll get better at it as you go.

You have my best wishes for your success,
Scott

Some People!

2009-04-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

Pro-Files, August ‘02

As you can probably tell by this installment’s title, I’m on my soapbox again. But I have to vent. So if you came hoping for a new trick or advice on which new video to buy, stop reading now—you’ll be disappointed.

I’m not famous by any stretch of the imagination. But I do get emails, calls and letters from people who read my articles and effects on the web, visit the forum I moderate, go to my lectures, etc. Most of these people are kind, courteous, upstanding folks. But some people…

First, let me say that it’s okay with me if you disagree with me about things. In fact, I love receiving an email from someone who thoughtfully and passionately presents an opposing point of view to something I’ve said here or elsewhere. At least they took the time to think about what I said and why they disagree. But some people…

In just the last month I have received a number of messages that literally disgusted me. Let me run a few of them down for you.

A few issues back, my column was about pricing, and I recommended that you become the most expensive magician in your area. So this guy sends me an email:

“ Scott,
Please explain something to me. I have read all your articles and I perform all your tricks and think they are awesome. You said I should be the most expensive magician in my town, so I raised my price for a birthday show from $50 to $350. Well, guess what? Everybody who has called for shows says I cost too much and even the older guy who has been doing magic for a long time costs less. One lady said she wouldn’t pay teenagers that much money for anything. So I’ve been following your advice and I already lost three shows. What’s the deal? I know I’m good, and I have been doing magic for almost two years, so it’s not like I’m a beginner. Your advice doesn’t work dude! You suck!”

What!?!? If he had really read all my articles, he would know that I believe you have to pay your dues before you even start charging at all for shows. I won’t even comment on him “performing all my tricks.” I NEVER recommended raising your price SEVEN HUNDRED PER CENT overnight, and if there is an established professional in your area, he ought to be making more than some kid with less than two years in magic. But it’s all my fault, because my advice doesn’t work and I suck! Some people…

Another guy sees on a forum that I offered to email my version of a card effect to anyone interested. He asks me to send it to him, so I do. He doesn’t know a move I refer to in the explanation, so I send him another email, teaching the move. He performs the trick, but it goes south. I get more info from him and figure out what went wrong and explain to him how to avoid it. So he does it again and everything goes great and he tells me it’s the best trick he’s ever learned, etc. Now he wants me to send him more tricks. I refer him to Visions and tell him about my books. He wants more. I tell him he needs to buy my books. So he sends a string of threatening emails, describing in graphic detail all the violent and sexually explicit things he and his friends are going to do to me because I won’t send him my entire repertoire for free! Some people…

Then there are the questions like, “Is there somewhere on the Internet where I can download videos of you performing and explaining your tricks for free? I think you are great! I’m really committed to magic, and I would practice really hard before I did the tricks for anyone.” When I replied that I haven’t done web videos, and that I didn’t feel he could be TOO committed if he wanted it all for free, he called me egotistical and illegitimate and referred to my mother in a less than complimentary way. Some people…

There are more, but that’s enough to give you a general idea. I have some observations about these examples.

First, they all started out the same way—complimentary (or what some would refer to as blowing smoke somewhere in my anatomy). Then they want more. The first kid wanted me to give him the “secret” to being an overnight success without him having to do any work. The second and third guys want me to share everything that I have studied, purchased, practiced, pored over, etc—free of charge. To think that I would refer them to another source they could buy or tell them I was keeping something to myself, or they should buy my books, well! The outrage! Haven’t I ever heard of the brotherhood of magic? Don’t I remember when I was starting and others helped me? And if my advice didn’t work, than shouldn’t I be obligated to “fix” it? Some people!!!!

Listen, gang. My advice is just that—advice. It’s what works for me. That doesn’t mean it works for you. I don’t offer a money-back guarantee on these columns (although, since I don’t get paid for them, I could!) And NO magician who creates or performs is OBLIGATED to share with anyone! He may choose to if he wishes, to whom he wishes.

I believe that the single biggest contributing factor to the disdain that the general public and the entertainment industry have for magicians is this growing attitude that magic is easy, it should be free and I should be able to make a bundle off it without any effort or thought on my part.

Magic is most certainly NOT easy (nor is almost any worthwhile endeavor)! It’s hard—very hard to do WELL. As Tom Hanks said in A League of Their Own: It’s SUPPOSED to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it. It’s the “hard” that makes it GOOD!

It is the easy access to information in this age that can cheapen our glorious ancient art. Far too many see it as an expectation and a demand instead of a great opportunity that should be cherished. Instead of respecting and valuing all the wonderful information that is available to us, some people don’t value it at all—because it was cheap; it was free. And if it cost them nothing, that’s exactly what it is worth to them.

Spare me the bull about it being the obligation of those who are more learned in magic to pass on the information to anyone who expresses an interest. I value magic too highly. I will share some ideas that will work for those willing to put the time and effort into applying them. I’ll share some effects to whet your appetite (hopefully) so that you’ll buy my books. But I will choose whom I will share with and what I will share. And I will only share the “real work” with those that I feel are worthy of it. If someone asks me for lessons and I believe they will do their best to elevate the art, I gladly teach at no charge. If I feel they’ll degrade the art, no fee is high enough. So yes, I WILL share… with SOME people!

Ian's Story

2009-04-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

Let me just preface this article by saying this: When this event happened and I wrote this article a couple of weeks later (in early 2003), I NEVER expected it to touch so many people. Ian's story has literally been read around the world, in over 15 countries in at least five different languages that I know of. It has been published in several major magic magazines and read by magicians and non-magicians alike. That makes me happy. I have chosen to add this to my blog, because I believe that Ian can be a lasting example to all of us that life is a vapor, and our lives touch the lives of everyone we meet.

A REMINDER

The call had caught me a bit off-guard. It started off sweetly enough; turns out one of my readers all the way down in Sunny Florida had recommended me for a show in the Boise area to a family member. The lady on the phone told me how much my reader (her step-brother) had appreciated my columns and he'd said that I would do an excellent job for her son's 10th birthday party. Then she hit me with a shot out of left field: "We really want to make this special for him, because it looks like this birthday will be his last."

Ouch.

"How much will you charge us to do this? My brother said you're the guy to have, so we aren't interested in talking with anyone else."

I had the day free, and I couldn't see putting this family through any more financial hardship, so I told her I'd be happy to donate the show. You would have thought I had just given her a million dollars--she was unbelievably excited and appreciative. She explained that it probably wouldn't be a very big party, just a few friends and their parents. It would be at the clubhouse of their subdivision.

I arrived at the venue, and I have to tell you, it was heart wrenching. It's even difficult for me to write about it now. At the center of the room was a cute little boy. His name was Ian. He was in a wheelchair and had a couple of tubes running into him. He had no hair. He was pale as a ghost. He was obviously very ill, and yet he had a life and a joy in his eyes and a smile that lit up the room. Surrounding him were 40-50 people, ranging in age from babies to octogenarians. Everyone there knew Ian, but many of them did not know each other. They were taking turns telling everyone how they had met Ian and what their favorite memory of him was. Many of them started crying as they related their anecdotes. I noticed a common thread: In spite of his pain and illness, every person mentioned how much joy and caring and love Ian had brought into their lives. Nurses from the Mountain States Tumor Institute, members of a Harley Davison Motorcycle Club (which had made Ian an honorary member), schoolmates, relatives, friends, church members; all were inspired by this little guy's courage and spirit. It was truly moving.

When the sharing was over, mom told Ian that he had a special guest there. Ian said, "I know!" And he pointed to everyone in the room. I just about lost it. Mom got a little misty (grandma broke down), and she said, "Yes, honey, they are ALL special. But there is someone else here that you haven't met yet. He's a friend of your uncle Rick and he is a magician. His name is Great Scott, and he's standing over there in the corner."

Ian's eyes went wide and he turned to look at me, his face the very image of joy and excitement. He asked me if I was REALLY a magician and if I could do part of my magic just for him. I said I'd be happy to, and went into my show. I've been entertaining for most of my life, since I was a little kid myself. This was by far the most difficult show I've ever done, while at the same time being the best. I wanted to drop to my knees and just take that little boy in my arms and cry with him and pray for him. But I had a job to do: I was there to bring some joy and magic into his life on his last birthday party on this earth. So for the next 40 minutes, I fought my impulse to cry and I laughed and magished, putting every ounce of energy I had into making that little fellow amazed and astonished and happy. When he laughed, he laughed with everything he had, and it was contagious. The whole room was soon filled with laughter and applause. And when I finished my last trick, Ian looked up at me, his eyes shining and a smile spread all the way across his face, and he said, "Thank you, Great Scott! That was the best birthday party I ever had!"

In that moment, every big-paying show I'd ever had faded into meaninglessness. For a dying little boy, I had, for however brief a time, become the best magician he'd ever seen. I was his hero--and he was mine. I thanked him for having me and told him I hoped to see him again and I'd do some more magic for him then. He said that would be awesome. As I left, mom, dad, and grandma all offered to pay me. I told them I couldn't take their money. It wouldn't be right, because Ian had already given me more than any amount of money ever could.

A couple of weeks later, I got an email from Paul Preston (Rick), Ian's uncle who had referred me for the show. He told me that he had picked up his mom (Ian's grandma) at the airport, and she had told him that I had done a great job. He also informed me that, after battling leukemia for eight long years, Ian had passed away peacefully at home. He died exactly two weeks after his birthday party.

I'm not ashamed to tell you that I broke down and cried. I had known him only very briefly, but he had made a great impact on my life, and I will never forget him. Ian reminded me why I got into magic in the first place. And that is worth far more to me than any amount of money ever could be.

No Fooling?

2009-04-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

As any of my regular readers know by now, I am not afraid to speak my mind or to get on my soapbox when I feel there is an injustice being done to magic. I take a lot of flak for this sometimes, but I meet enough people who tell me they enjoy my articles or that something I said made them think about their magic that it is, at least for the time being, worth any angry emails or lack of popularity I may have to endure.

One of things I feel most strongly about is something that seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. I am referring to those, especially among the younger up-and-coming crowd, who seem to think that the only important thing in performing magic is to fool people. They vehemently disagree that you have to be entertaining, likeable, and pleasant to be near (or to interact with or watch).

Periodically, a discussion on what qualities were needed to be a good close up magician pops up on The Magic Cafe. In one of these topics, I got into a debate with some folks who disagree with me on this issue. The following article is largely taken from my responses in that forum, along with some other thoughts I’ve had since. While much of this article is specifically directed at close up magic, it is applicable to virtually any genre in our art.

Let me begin by addressing the statement made by my detractors: “The most important part of being a magician is to fool people.” Quite simply, this is a flawed premise. Think back to your days in elementary school, when you would walk up to a classmate and say, “Your shoe is untied!” When he looked down to see that, in fact, it was not, you would gleefully shout, “Fooled you!” And you were right—you did indeed fool him.

I would be flabbergasted if anyone reading this agreed that this shoelace incident was an example of good magic, or that it made the kid a magician. Yet (according to the logic used by the people who subscribe to this thinking), this is exactly the MOST IMPORTANT PART of being a magician. Of course, I think everyone can see that fooling someone doesn’t make you a magician anymore than walking into a garage makes you an automobile.

Too, there is an important question to be asked—who are you REALLY fooling? When you are all about fooling people, and you don’t care in the least whether you are entertaining or likeable when you do it, odds are good that as you walking away thinking, “I killed them!” your audience is thinking, “I’d like to kill him!” And I have seen many magicians of this ilk think that they were fooling the pants off of everyone, when in reality the audience was just being polite so the that the guy would reach the end of his show and leave! More often than not, the magician is only fooling himself in these cases.

Many magicians seem oblivious to the fact that not everyone in the world loves magic, and that there are, in fact, people who are more interested in the pressing issues of their own lives than in being insulted and treated like an idiot by some guy who thinks he’s God’s gift because he can do a perfect one-hand faro shuffle.

What makes a GOOD close up magician? First and foremost, it takes a good PERSON--someone who is performing for the love of magic and for the love of bringing a little fun and joy into the lives of people; NOT someone who is in exclusively for his own ego gratification.

There is a well known "up-and-comer" in California whose lecture was highly recommended to me by someone. I happened to be at a convention where he was lecturing, so I grabbed a couple of my buddies and we went. About five minutes into his lecture, he said, "What I'm about to tell you is the most important thing you'll ever hear at a magic lecture." Well, I perked right up. What did this 20-something guy have to say that was so important? "When you do strolling or table-hopping magic, don't be 'squishy.' Don't walk up and say, 'Hi! How are you? What's your name?' Don't ask them if they want to see magic, and don't take no for an answer if they say they don't want to see anything right now. You need to understand that people are like little sick kids, and you're the parent with the medicine. They might not WANT the medicine, but they NEED it, and it's your job to cram it down their throats if you have to!"

Shocked, angry and realizing that was the single WORST piece of advice on performing I’d EVER heard in my life I walked out, my friends following close behind.

What makes a good magician? Someone who understands the performance is about the AUDIENCE, not the PERFORMER! You can do the best magic in the world, but if you're boring--or even worse, an arrogant jerk--while you do it, no one will care! They will hate you, they will hate magic, and by association they will likely hate every other magician in the world, not giving the ones who really get it a chance (or at the very least putting those performers at a true disadvantage).

All the greats in close up--Leipzig, Vernon, Jennings, Thompson, Skinner, etc--understood what Leipzig put so well: People don't mind being fooled if they like you; if they are being fooled by a gentleman! They have to LIKE you.

Don’t misunderstand me, though. I'm not saying that you can be a good guy who's a hack and still be a good close up magician. What I AM saying is that you can be the best magician in the world technically, but if you are boring, if you are clearly interested in no one but yourself, if you are an arrogant ass, or if you assume everyone is stupid, you WON'T be a good magician, close-up or otherwise. You may be a very knowledgeable "move-jockey," but to be a TRUE magician, you have to perform for someone other than yourself in a manner that not only fools but also entertains.

This is especially true if your aspirations are to be a full-time pro. Those who are able to retain this status for any length of time understand that the tricks are the LEAST important part of the job, and that the successful show is all about the audience, not the magician!

Most of the folks who disagree that entertainment and likeability aren't essential to being a good magician tend to be of the very flourishy, arrogant, "Look what I can do, and you're not smart enough to figure it out" personality type. Some of these people are very skilled. I would say that they are excellent technicians or jugglers, but poor magicians. At the opposite extreme are those whose motto is "I just entertain them," but whose magic skills and technique are atrocious. I would say that those folks may be good entertainers, but they are poor magicians.

In a nutshell, here’s my opinion of what makes a good magician: Someone who is likeable, has good people and communication skills, and performs strong, entertaining, and amazing material.

What's Your Angle?

2009-04-08T23:32:00.000-07:00

I've said this elsewhere, but one of the most overlooked technical aspects in all of magic (in any genre) is angles. I have seen MANY magicians, from raw beginners to some of the biggest names in our art, performing trick after trick, blissfully unaware that there is a contingent of the audience (or sometimes several) who can see everything they are doing. This is often a problem with too much mirror practice--looks good to the magician in the mirror--but more than that, it is simply a lack of thought.

Mirrors and camcorders aren’t bad—they’re good, although you shouldn't become dependent on them. You don't have to be a math genius to figure out where the bad angles are in a particular move or trick. But the video camera is a good idea until you've performed a lot (and been caught a few times), when you will get an uncanny, virtually unerring "feel" for where the angles are. If you don't have a camcorder, get a friend you trust to watch from different angles and to tell you what he sees. Tell him to watch the "wrong" hand, etc. Then, either figure out a way to cover that angle or make sure no one is there when you perform that move.

As a side note, I agree with the likes of John Carney and Tommy Wonder in the use of misdirection as it regards this area. Some feel misdirection should be used to cover poor technique or bad angles. Carney and Wonder feel just the opposite. Misdirection is not something you slap on like a band-aid to cover the "sores" in a routine. Rather, it is the ultra-important technique of audience control (both physical and mental), and should be in your thoughts at all times, not just as a "hey, look over there!" to throw their attention off while you execute a move that would otherwise be discovered.

This latter type of application does the reverse of what it should--it actually raises suspicion and tips off the audience as to exactly when you did "the dirty work." Better to learn your angles and adapt to them, perform routines with techniques that are well within your current ability, and devise presentations and audience control techniques that focus on the effect, not the method.

I think using a mirror is fine. My point is that some folks use that as their sole source of information and don't bother to think about which angles the mirror can and cannot see. A tri-fold mirror is a good tool, as is a camcorder, but neither is as good or important as your mind, your experience, and how you use your mind to learn from experience!

As an example, at a recent meeting of the Boise Valley Magic Society, I was explaining to the rest of the club a technique I use in card effects to make sure my angles are correct when holding a break or double, executing a pass, etc in my performances. I call it the “Rule of Thumb.” In a nutshell, it is simply making sure that, when holding the deck in dealer’s grip with your thumb stretched along one long edge, you make sure that the thumb is pointed down, not up or straight ahead. Try it—you’ll see that when your thumb is pointed up or forward, the front edges of the cards are very visible. When the thumb is pointed down, the flat surface of the top card is in the sight line, but the edges are not.

This is only one example. If you think about it, you will come up with many more. The whole point here is one that I try to make with all of my articles, regardless of their subject or whether they are on the business side or performance side of the art: we need to THINK more about what we are doing! The greatest magic of all is your mind. USE IT!

Rates of Interest (from Pro-Files, Feb '02)

2009-04-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Readers of my column and attendees of my lectures often voice a common concern about performance fees.

“How do you decide what to charge? How do you justify your fees? What about the guys who undercut your fees?”

These are important questions, indeed. While I don’t claim to have all the answers for everyone, I can share some of my feelings and philosophy on this issue.

Most performers have the impression that their prices have to be “competitive,” or comparable to the other magicians in their area. I adamantly disagree with that mentality. First, who decides what the “competitive” price is? The odds are good that you will be basing your prices on the concept of what fee is acceptable, decided by someone who has put little thought into it.

I have researched this subject, asking magicians in every town to which I have traveled what they charge and why. The results have been amazingly similar! Let’s take a standard kid’s birthday party as an example. In my experience, the average fee for a 30-45 minute kid’s birthday party is $75-100. That’s the average, whether it’s in the Southwest, Midwest, Eastern Seaboard, Northwest, or West Coast (I haven’t been to the Southeast, but I imagine the results are similar there). When I ask the magicians why they are charging that fee, the answer has been the same: “That’s the going rate!” My question from the above paragraph remained: WHO DECIDED THAT WAS THE GOING RATE? So far, no one has been able to answer me to my satisfaction.

Now, I am fully aware that some of you are fairly new at this. For some, $75-100 for less than an hour of work sounds like good money—REALLY good money! And for some magicians, it is much more than they are worth! But there are many journeymen magicians out there doing very good shows, making exactly the same amount of money as the hacks. These guys have invested time, effort and MONEY into putting together a good show. Unfortunately, they haven’t invested any THOUGHT into what they charge and why!

Let me address a few things before I explain what I charge and my reasons for my rates. First, most magicians “run long.” In other words, when booked for a 30-minute show, they almost always perform at least 45 minutes! Time goes faster than they think, and in their rehearsals (for those few who actually rehearse), they don’t take into consideration the time burned by applause, laughter, assistants coming to the front and returning to their seats, ad libs, etc. Second, many kids’ magicians hang out after the show to do balloon animals, and they (and the parents) grossly underestimate the time taken to twist balloons and give them to the children. So a 30-minute show easily (and usually) ends up taking well over an hour! So they have doubled their workload without an increase in price! Third, most magicians fear “losing” a show. Therefore, they fear increasing their rates or backing off on the length of time involved. Finally, as I have now stated several times, virtually all part-time pros and most full-timers simply blindly set their fees at the “going rates.”

You need to consider what goes into doing a show. You had to purchase the props. For an average kid show magician, that means several hundred dollars. If you have a suitcase table or some kind of case, add the cost of that in as well. Then, hopefully, you spent a great deal of time and effort practicing, rehearsing, writing patter that suits you, etc. You had to decide which effects to put into that particular show. You spent time on the phone selling the show. You spent more time loading the props and equipment into their cases, and then loading the cases into your car. You had to drive to the location of the show, using gasoline, oil, and putting wear and tear on your car and tires. You had to unload everything from your car, haul it into the house and set it up. Then you most likely had to wait around for the kids to finish their game or activity, go to the bathroom, wash their hands, go find the kid who was missing, send two more kids to find the one who went to look for the first one, wait for mom to set up her video camera, etc. At last, you did the show itself, which, as explained above, probably took twice as long as you anticipated. Then you had to pack everything and haul it back outside and load it back into the car. Odds are good you had to wait around a while longer for the check. Finally, you had to drive back home and unload all that stuff from your car back into your house. When all is said and done, from the time you started packing the show to the time you hauled it back into the house, that “little show” took around 4 hours out of your Saturday, plus expenses! At $75, you just made $18 an hour before expenses! But hey, if that’s the “going rate”…

I’m going to suggest something radical—something I suggested here about a year ago. Assuming that you are a quality, entertaining magician who has paid his dues, it is my advice that you become—immediately—the most expensive magician in your market. If everyone else is charging $50-75 for a ½ hour birthday party gig, charge three to five times that! Do it right now, for the very next call you make or receive. It might seem a bit scary, but do it anyway!

Some of you are thinking, “But that’s crazy! I’ll lose the show! Someone else will get it! $50 is better than nothing!” My friends, that is a flawed premise. (Well, most of it is; you may, in fact, lose the show.) But a couple of other things will happen. You will book more shows than you thought you would. And you will start to get the higher-class clients that weren’t even calling you before. There is a perception among most people that “more expensive” means “better.” That may not be true, but in the business world, it is perception, not reality, that affects the bottom line. You will find that you were losing some bookings before because you were too cheap, and therefore (at least in the perception of the prospective client), not good enough. And losing a $50 show can be a good thing, if being booked for it meant you had to turn down another show that may well have paid considerably better.

Another factor to consider is the “cookie cutter syndrome.” If there are six magicians in your area, all of whom do the same effects for the same price, why should the prospect hire you instead of the other five? Find some reasons that make you different. One of those reasons can and should be your fee, but you need to have others to justify the increased expense. Maybe you do giveaways or include a free magic set for the birthday child. Perhaps you do an illusion (a bigger more expensive effect) at the end of the show with the birthday child. Or you have live animals. In my case, I am the only professional ventriloquist in Idaho. I am also the only magician in my area whose sole source of income is derived from magic. That increases my prestige in the eyes of the prospects, and therefore, raises my perceived value to them.

If you don’t do kid’s shows, this still applies. My corporate business DRAMATICALLY INCREASED when I raised my rates significantly. I now rarely do a program for less than $500, and often get more than $1000. A few years ago, I would have considered $200 to be good money! I’ve stated the concept Paul Green presented to me before, but I’ll do it again now. If you’re doing 10 shows per month for $200, or if you’re doing 4 shows per month at $500, you’re still doing $2000 of business per month! In the latter case, work a little bit harder and book one more show per month—just one—and you’ve got a 25% increase in pay, while doing half as much work as in the former case!

For restaurant magicians, I have developed a little formula to help you to decide your fee and justify it to the decision maker. Look over the menu and figure the cost of a typical meal. Multiply that by 2 if this is your first restaurant gig. So, assuming the average meal is $12.50, your total would be $25. This is what you present to the boss as your hourly rate. You can explain how you came up with this number, and further explain that, if only two people (assuming you’re working a two hour shift) come in to see you, you’ve paid for yourself—you’re free to everyone else and the restaurant for the rest of the night. Of course, you make sure to tell your family, friends, acquaintances and prospective clients to ask if you’re there when they come in and to ask the manager or host to send you to their table. This way, the boss can quickly see that you are well worth your fee. As you develop experience and a following, you can raise your rate, proportionate to the number of people you know you are drawing—your regulars, who come in specifically to see you. Simply take the minimum number of guests you know will come in to see you and multiply it by the cost of the average meal. You can also move up to more expensive restaurants, where the formula automatically gives you a raise, but still justifies itself.

Finally, I’ll address the under-cutters—those who charge very low fees. If the prospect is simply looking for the lowest price, you will lose the show to these guys. But then again, it doesn’t bother me to lose a show where I am going to get paid well under what I feel I am worth. But if price ISN’T the only issue, then under-cutters aren’t an issue at all. For one thing, many of these guys SHOULD be charging less because they just aren’t very good. (Those who are just starting out and trying to get some experience and are charging little or nothing don’t constitute under-cutters in my opinion. If you know someone like this and the prospect is concerned about cost, refer them to each other). Of course, you shouldn’t say, “You don’t want him! He SUCKS!” I usually say something like this:

“Well, I can’t really speak about what he charges or why. All I can do is tell you about my show and my rates. I am more expensive, but I know you will feel you received value for your money. I guarantee all of my shows—if you aren’t satisfied, I’ll refund your money. In all my years of performing, I’ve still never been asked for a refund, which is why I can assure you that you will be satisfied. And let’s face it. If you’re satisfied and feel you’ve received more than you paid for, than the show isn’t expensive, but if you’re not satisfied, than a lower price still won’t be a value. If you’d like, I can certainly provide you with some references.”

Unless price is their ONLY consideration that does the trick (pun intended)!

To sum up, charge what you are worth. You’ll feel better about it, which will translate into a better performance, which will make your client feel better about it!

You have my best wishes for your success!

Handling Hecklers

2009-04-05T00:03:00.000-07:00

Dr. Heckle and Mr. Hyde

There is one question I seem to be asked more than any other when I am discussing real-world performing with other magicians: “How do you handle hecklers?”

Let me get on my soapbox and get a few things out of the way right now. I’m going to make what many will feel is a controversial statement, but I want you to think about it before you fire off a rapacious email to me. Here it is: 99% of what most magicians consider heckling is NOT heckling! Stay with me, now…

TRUE heckling, like you’d see in the days of vaudeville and comedy clubs of the late 70’s to mid 80’s is virtually non-existent in today’s society—at least in the U.S. I have yet to meet a modern day magician who had tomatoes thrown at him, or people in the audience shouting obscenities and questioning his manhood, etc. Most of what today’s performers call heckling is nothing more than INTERACTION! There are rare occasions, particularly when working for drunks (which I RARELY do!), in which a performer may have to endure real hecklers. But those times are, as I said, rare.

Let’s say you are performing the hundred-dollar bill switch. You’ve borrowed a one from an audience member and changed it into a hundred. A spectator whips out several ones from his wallet and shoves them in your face, saying, “Do me! Do me!” This is NOT heckling; it’s interaction!

In the same situation, a different scenario: The first spectator rips the $100 out of your hand and sticks it in his pocket, saying “Hey, thanks!” Again, NOT heckling! Interaction, and poor audience management, yes; heckling, no.

Let’s try another one. You’ve borrowed the one, promising you’ll return it in the same condition. You turn it into a hundred, start to give it back and then “remember” your promise. So you turn it back to a one and hand it to the owner. He calls you a rotten SOB. This IS heckling—but by the PERFORMER, not the audience member, particularly when done with the cocky “gotcha” persona that I’ve seen used so many times with this effect.

My point is simply this: a heckler is someone who is trying to truly ruin your show. It’s someone who wants to see you fail and does everything in his power to make that happen, including verbal abuse, physical abuse, breaking your props, throwing things at you, etc. When someone makes a comment about the effect, or cracks a joke, or even teases you (when it’s good-natured), that is NOT heckling! It IS interaction! It’s the sort of thing that I thrive on and encourage, because it makes the show seem more spontaneous and personal.

I laugh if someone makes a joke or funny comment. If I unintentionally set someone up and they make a joke, I’ll wait for the laughter to subside and then say, “That was really funny—I wish I’d said it!” Or I might say, tongue firmly planted in cheek, “Good one! But it’s MY show, OK?”

If I flash something and someone calls me on it, that’s not heckling, either. It’s MY fault, not the spectator’s. I’ll usually say something like, “Sir, pretend you didn’t see that. The rest of you, pretend you didn’t hear him. All of you pretend I’m a magician—I’m obviously pretending I am!”

It is of the utmost importance that you not take yourself too seriously or think of yourself too highly. You must be able to laugh at yourself and admit your own mistakes and faults. You also must have a very good to exceptional show. (If you have a horrible show, you DESERVE to be heckled!) But for goodness sake, don’t lay into someone with all those mean-spirited “heckler-stoppers” just because they felt comfortable enough with you to make a comment or a joke!

What about the few times when what takes place constitutes true heckling? In thousands of shows, this has happened to me probably less than five times. Four were drunks. Three of those times were in strolling close up, and I just walked away. One of those times, the guy threatened to do me bodily harm if I didn’t tell him how I did the trick. I replied, “That would be a lot scarier coming from someone who could actually stand on his own!” (This got a huge laugh—the guy was REALLY drunk!) Then I thanked everyone else and walked away.

Another time a guy was quietly insulting me through the whole show. He was at a front table, and only his table could hear him, so I just ignored him, though it was annoying me. Purely by accident and bad timing, at one point he made a rude, sarcastic remark during a silent moment, and everyone heard him. NOBODY laughed, and he was clearly a little embarassed. I looked at him, smiled, and said, "See? That's why you're down there, and I'm up here." "He replied, "Yeah, up there being an a--hole!" Without missing a beat, I said, "Well, I guess I'd rather be standing here being paid to do that instead of sitting there doing it for free!" The room exploded into laughter, and the guy kept his mouth shut the rest of the show. But I only did this after a LOT of his remarks, and only when he began annoying everyone. My first line to him was pretty mild, but even then, I still wouldn't have used it on him if the majority of the audience hadn't heard him.

The only other time I was truly heckled was by a group of Jr. Highers. I tried to ignore it and muddle through, but several stormed the stage, trying to grab my props. I firmly took the props, put them in my case, and left.

It is ALWAYS a better idea to walk away or ignore the “true” heckler than to try to “put him in his place.” Typically, when attempting the latter, either the situation is escalated or the entire audience is alienated. Remember, jerk or not, he is one of “them.” Whatever you do, don't whip out the "I don't show up where you work and knock the..." line on someone to "nip things in the bud!

Next time you feel like you’re being heckled, take a moment to evaluate the situation before taking action. If you find yourself being actually heckled, first try ignoring the offender. If strolling or table-hopping, walk away. If doing a stand-up show, politely ask him to stop. If he continues, leave. You will live a lot longer and have a much better reputation!

If, on the other hand, you realize it’s just good-natured teasing, or someone just having fun or feeling comfortable enough with you to comment, just roll with it! Stay in control, but understand that by allowing the audience to interact and be in the spotlight (however briefly), your stock only goes up in the eyes of everyone in that audience—including the person who booked you for that show, and those who will surely book you in the future!

You have my best wishes for your success!

More on Banquet Shows

2009-04-04T23:53:00.000-07:00

On With The Show!

It’s finally here! You’ve booked the show, practiced and rehearsed your tail off, contacted the venue, and set the stage. Dinner is over, the M.C. has announced you, and you are walking on stage. Now what?

First, take the stage like you own it—like you belong there and you’ve been doing this all your life. Stride confidently, with your shoulders square and head held high. Smile! Try to covey, before you’ve said a word or started an effect, that you are a pro who is going to give a good show, and that you are happy and looking forward to it yourself. Stand with your weight forward, on the balls of your feet rather than on your heels. This gives you a more energetic appearance and makes you lean slightly toward the audience, as if you want to be near them. By being conscious of your body language and making sure it is confident and upbeat and energetic and happy, you can “trick” yourself into actually feeling that way!

When you address the crowd, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First and most important is EYE CONTACT. Whether you are speaking or going straight into a silent routine to music, look at individual people in the audience. Meet their gaze, hold it for a moment or two, and look at someone else. Intersperse this with looking at your props or hands at the appropriate times, but look at individual audience members right in the eyes. Don’t work your way down the row—look at someone near the front to the right, then near the rear at center, then in the middle to your left, etc. As the show progresses, you will notice the people who are really “into” the show. Focus on them. Don’t concentrate on the people who don’t seem to be enjoying themselves, but don’t ignore them either.

When you speak, even if you have a sound system, SPEAK UP! Project your voice. Don’t shout, but imagine that your mom or dad is at the back of the room and you are talking to them without the sound system. Make sure to enunciate—speak clearly and distinctly and fairly slowly. You will probably be talking faster than you think you are, so make a conscious effort to speak slowly. If people don’t understand you, they will lose interest. Also, make sure to speak directly to different people in the audience. Address the audience as a whole part of the time, but spend as much time speaking to individuals. This is the secret to “connecting” with the audience.

When performing your effects, always go a little slower than you feel you should. If you are at all nervous or excited, you will tend to rush. Don’t drag, but go about a quarter slower than you feel you should and you’ll probably be just about right. T. Nelson Downs said that the main difference between an amateur and a professional is that a pro performs slower!

Whether you are doing a “talking” act or a silent act, remember that the pauses between words and actions are as important as the words and actions themselves. This is called “timing.” If you are talking or moving nonstop, there is no time to appreciate what is taking place and the show quickly becomes boring. It has been said that the art and beauty in music comes through in the silence between the notes. The same is true of magic. Eliminate all extraneous patter or motion. Try to have a “flow” to your routines.

There are a couple of schools of thought regarding the opening of the show. Some say you should hit them hard and fast with your second best effect (second only to your grand finale) right off the bat. I belong to the other school (along with the likes of Red Skelton), which says that for the first couple of minutes, the audience isn’t really paying attention to what you do—they are sizing you up and deciding if they like you, and the actual routine will probably go largely unnoticed. So I “warm them up” a bit with some lively banter, telling them a bit about myself and thanking them for the opportunity to perform for them. Then I tell a quick joke or two. After I get a couple of laughs and I have “connected” with them, then I “start” the show. Now they are paying attention and they want me to succeed—they are ready to be entertained, and I am ready to entertain them.

I cannot and will not attempt to instruct you in what routines to perform or how to arrange or construct your show. Everyone is different. There are a few general rules, however. Don’t do a whole bunch of routines in a row that require audience assistants. The “dead time” of having them come up to the front and return to their seats can quickly kill the momentum of a show. Intersperse routines where it is just you up in front, and have at least one or two effects where you go out into the crowd, even if it is only for a short part of the effect. Your first routine should “set the tone” and your last routine should be a killer that they’ll remember.

But keep in mind that YOU ARE THE MAGIC, not your props. People often tell me before a show, “We had you here last year. You know, I don’t remember a single trick you did, but I DO remember laughing, applauding and having a great time.” I used to think that this was a flaw in my show, that my magic wasn’t strong enough. Now I realize that it is the ultimate compliment—they don’t remember the tricks, but they remember ME and HAVING A GREAT TIME! When it comes time for them to rebook, I’d MUCH rather have them say, “We’ve gotta get Great Scott!” than, “We’ve gotta get that guy who floated Edna. What was his name? Can anyone remember?”

Most important, have fun! The audience will sense this and they’ll have fun with you!

You have my best wishes for your success!

What tricks do you do?

2009-04-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

Program Guide

I received a lot of emails from my Pro-Files readers asking me to be more specific about the actual effects I perform (both in restaurant and banquet shows). So I decided to some time to answer those questions.

I’ll start with my restaurant repertoire. You’ll remember a few issues back that I suggested that you have at least six basic sets of 3-5 effects; three sets for tables with kids and three for tables with only adults. I’ll give you a couple of my basic sets as examples.

My standard, first time set for either group tends to be:
1. “Peanut, Butter & Jelly,” my sponge ball routine. The first few phases do not require any action on the part of the spectators, so they won’t feel uncomfortable. I open by introducing an unusual item (purse frame) and asking meaningful questions (“Do you know what this is? Have you ever seen one of these?”). The ensuing magic is strong, and the lines get laughs, putting the guests at ease. By the time I am ready to have them help me, they are more than eager to be involved. While the routine is very strong, the patter is friendly, corny, light and lively, and the routine builds well, making it an excellent opener.
2. “Magic Western Union” or “The Famous Invisible Flying Quarters.” These are two different presentations for the same trick, Eddie Fechter’s “Flying Eagles,” with my ending and a kicker climax. The last two phases, again, end in the spectator’s hands, and everything may be examined, making for a strong, meaningful climax. Also, the patter gets more laughs. By the time this routine is over, the guests are very relaxed and having a great time. They are laughing and applauding. In other words, they are perfectly set up for the closer.
3. “Red Hot Mama’s Lips,” my handling, presentation and extension of “The Chicago Opener.” I know, it’s called an “opener,” but I use it for a closer in my set. I have a couple of very good reasons for doing so. Many people have a natural aversion to card tricks (largely due to the fact that almost everyone has only seen tedious mathematical card tricks with little or no entertainment value). Therefore, I don’t want to open with a card trick. After the last two effects, however, the barriers have come down. They’ve seen that I am having fun and I want them to have fun, too. They’ve seen that I’m not just “Uncle Charlie,” who “knows a few tricks.” So they are very open to a card effect, and this is one of the most charming and commercial effects around. It is fun, interesting, it involves them, and it has THREE very powerful climaxes. In addition, it leaves them with a souvenir to take home.

For an adult only set, I often do the following:
1. My rope routine, which is based on Aldo Colombini’s “Mama Mia Rope routine.” Once again, this routine is not only very baffling and magical, but you are well into it before the spectators are asked to be pro-active. I think this is very important, as they need to “warm up to you” a bit before you start asking them to do all the strange things that many effects require.
2. “Pouched CSB,” my handling of the Copper/Silver/Brass effect (a coin routine).
3. “The Idaho Travelers,” a very easy, entertaining and baffling version of Dai Vernon’s “Travelers” effect, which can be found on this very website.
4. My “Ambitious Card” routine, with John Kennedy’s “Mystery Box” as the big finish. They keep their signed card as a memento.

The important thing in routining effects for restaurants is to either make them brief or multi-phased, such that you can stop at any time if the food arrives. They should be strong, but even more importantly they should be charming, entertaining and fun, portraying a positive image of both you and the restaurant.

Notice that I have put the sets together with an opener, mid routine(s) and a closer.
• The opener, as I’ve already stated, should be very strong magic with time for the guests to “get a feel for you” before you involve them.
• The middle routine should have plenty of participation and/or laughs.
• The closer should be EXTREMELY strong, preferably with the finish happening in their hands or leaving them with a souvenir.

Stand-up shows at banquets are a whole different ballgame. My buddy, Salt Lake City magician Dan Paulus, had an article on Visions that addressed some important considerations in this venue. It is required reading for anyone wanting to do this type of gig. I will touch on a few points here, some of which Dan addressed.

First and foremost, you need to be seen and heard. I am not a fan of manipulative coin magic to music at an after-dinner show, where you are usually at floor level with no spotlights, and people are seated at tables stretched up to 100 feet away from you. If the audience is larger than about 30 people, you probably should use a sound system (I recommended a great one in a previous column). Your props either need to be extremely visible, or you should have two or more audience assistants acting as a committee up front. In this case, the audience reacts to the reactions of the committee.

I don’t think you should have too many card effects. When possible, use jumbo cards. Otherwise, consider using jumbo INDEX cards, which are poker-sized cards whose indexes are the same size as those on jumbo cards. These are MUCH easier to see from a distance. For adult audiences, I try to stay away from “tricky box” tricks. Below is a program I have performed many times to excellent response.

1. “Who’s the Greatest?” This is a “McCombical Deck” type of effect with two sets of several cards with magicians’ names on them. The climax is totally unexpected and a sure applause-getter.
2. My rope routine.
3. “Water Monte,” a monte effect with three cups and some water.
4. “The Card or the Cash Matchup.” This is a quiz show presentation, using a spectator’s borrowed $20 bill. A second spectator gets a chance to “win the prize so graciously donated” by the first spectator. There is a lot of comedic byplay, a transposition, and two very strong prediction effects before this routine ends. This is a feature routine that is fairly long, but the multiple climaxes break it up and hold interest.
5. My linking rings routine.
6. “Return to the Nest,” a borrowed finger ring in nest of boxes effect.
7. Closer: Either my Bill in Lemon routine or “Wedded Bliss,” my routine for the “Wedding Rings” lock effect.

This program runs around 45 minutes, has plenty of comedy and audience participation and a good variety of strong effects. Four of the routines use items borrowed from the audience, which always builds interest. The whole thing easily packs into my suitcase table or one catalog-style briefcase (including my folding Harbin-style table), making it very portable and versatile. However, much of the time, there are several people up in front with me, or I’m using people from different parts of the audience, making the show seem “bigger.” I don’t need any special setup, I can do it with or without a platform, and I can haul everything in one trip. As I finish each routine, the props are replaced in the case, so I can just close it at the end and walk off! This program is my standard “first-time client banquet show,” and it has paid for itself many, many times over with referrals and repeat bookings.

If you are interested in the actual working of the routines, most are from my books. However, you don’t necessarily have to do ANY of these effects. I’ve simply given them to you as examples of the framework that I use. Think about your effects and how you can routine them into a show. Some will almost literally scream to you that they are an opener or closer. In between, try to have a good mix of effect and pace, and mix some “just you” effects in with the audience participation tricks. Put plenty of time and effort into your scripts as well, and don’t forget the transitions between effects. Before long, you’ll be knocking ‘em dead!

You have my best wishes for your success!

“Setting the Stage” (Pro-Files #10)

2009-04-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

I’ve been addressing various key points about banquet shows over the last few columns. Before I get into this installment’s information, I want to make a couple of additions in regard to my last column on contracts. My friend and fellow Visions staffer, Dan Paulus, emailed me after reading last issue’s Pro-Files. He pointed out a couple of things that I feel are definitely worth noting.

First, I said I require a 10% deposit. That was a typo. I require a 50% non-refundable deposit. However, I am starting to lean more and more toward full payment in advance, half of which is refunded if the client cancels sooner than two weeks prior to the date. When all or most of the money is in hand, the chance of cancellation is virtually negated.

The second point regards a statement I made about not requiring the deposit in the slower seasons of the year. Dan pointed out that, in fact, the slow time was when you most need to get the deposit for the shows to keep the money coming in. For example, if you’re having a slow September and people start calling to book shows in December, get half or all of the dough now! Late November through early January, enough shows will come pouring in to take care of the income, so get the cash (or as much of it as possible) from the early birds up front to take you through the “lean time in the meantime!” Good advice, Dan! You changed my mind!

On to the topic of the current column, “Setting the Stage.” Several days before the show, talk to the on-site contact person. This is not necessarily the person who booked you. Rather, it is the person in charge of the venue; the place where the event is being held and your performance will take place. In a hotel, this is usually the Food and Beverage Manager. At a convention center, ask to speak to the person in charge of your client’s event. Try to schedule a time to meet this person at the venue a day or two before the event. Introduce yourself, explain what you will be doing and ask to see the room where the event will be held.

Here are some of the key points you’ll want to discuss:
• What is the planned layout of the room? Usually, they will have a chart showing how the tables will be set up. Ask to see it if they have one. Explain that it is important that everyone be able to see your show, and suggest changes if required (suggest—don’t demand!). For example, perhaps the room is long and narrow. If at all possible, have it arranged so that you are centered along a long wall, not at a narrow end. Also, let them put the tables good and close to the platform. This increases visibility and also improves the “feel” of the room and “connection” with the audience, as you won’t have tables 75 feet away with 15 tables separating you from them.
• Is there a platform? Most hotels and convention centers have portable platforms or risers, and they are happy to let you use them. If at all possible, explain that you will need this to be used exclusively for your act. It’s okay if the boss wants to say a few words after your show, or they want to call door prizes from there, but if there is a band or DJ, try to have them set up on another riser on the other side of the room. Otherwise, you’ll be in each other’s way, both setting up and performing, not to mention tearing down. Sometimes restaurants don’t have a formal riser. Last week I did a show in a restaurant where they had a door laid across some milk crates. It wasn’t great, but it was better than nothing! It put me 18 inches off the floor, which commands more respect and attention and makes the show easier to see! (You might consider providing something like this yourself for those times when the venue has nothing available.)
• Is a quality sound system available? I don’t want a podium with an attached microphone. If at all possible, I want a wireless headset mic. If one is not available, a wireless lapel mic is my next choice. (If they don’t have either, I bring my own system.) I also need at least one regular mic and a stand for my audience assistants. If I am going to use music, I ask if they have a CD player. I’ll talk a bit more about my sound system later in this article.
• Is a dressing room available? Often, this will be the restroom, but occasionally, I have been given a complimentary room at the hotel to use for a couple of hours. This is particularly nice if it’s a bit warm when you’re hauling in and setting up your show, or if there is a long time between your set up time and performance time.
• Where is the nearest entrance that I can bring in my gear? How close can I park my car to that entrance? Again, at hotels/convention centers, there is often a loading dock or service entrance and luggage carts to haul your stuff. Hey, if they’ve got it, use it!

Okay, once you have all this information, you are prepared for show day. Try to arrive 45 minutes to an hour before the event starts (not before your performance time!) to set up, do a sound check, etc. What do I bring to a banquet show? It depends on the size of the room, crowd and platform.

If there are more than fifty people in the audience, I want a P.A. system. If the venue doesn’t have an acceptable one, I bring my own. As far as I’m concerned, what I’m about to tell you is the best advice you’ll ever get on a sound system for a one-man or small group show. I spent literally hundreds of hours researching and asking experts (not magicians, but audio/visual technicians) before I came up with what I believe is the best system available for banquet and stage magic shows. It is the Fender Passport system. 500 watts with four channels, the speakers attach to the amplifier/equalizer tower. The whole thing goes together in a one-piece unit with a carrying handle. The tower has a compartment to hold all your microphones and mic and speaker cords. You can carry the whole thing in one trip, it takes only a minute or two to set up, and easily fits in the back seat of a compact car, but it is a high-quality, professional system that will work for crowds of 50-5000! It comes with a corded mic, and the whole thing (with speaker stands and a carrying bag for them) can be purchased for under $1000. (1-3 shows, and it pays for itself!) I recommend you add a good wireless headset mic, which will set you back another $150-400, but the added convenience over a handheld or mic on a stand and the vastly superior sound quality over a lapel mic make the added expense more than worthwhile.

If the platform is big enough, I always try to set up my backdrop. It makes the show appear more professional and “bigger,” as well as providing privacy for set up, etc. Mine is a very professional, classy looking backdrop. It is “homemade,” but significantly nicer and better quality than one I bought from a dealer for several hundred dollars, at a fraction of the cost.

Often, the lighting in a restaurant banquet room, hotel or convention center is atrocious for a platform magic show! Walter Blaney’s portable lighting system is detailed in David Charvet’s Banquet Magician’s Handbook. I liked the concept, but found the wood box to be too cumbersome to carry and too time-consuming and costly to make, so I adapted the idea. My lights are mounted in a metal toolbox. You simply open the lid and set it on a chair and plug it in. When the show is over, unplug it, roll up the extension cord and tuck it inside, and close and latch the lid—entirely self-contained with its own carrying handle! I got the toolboxes on sale at Home depot for $8 each. Two of these small, lightweight outfits provide you with low-cost, professional lighting.

Another investment you might consider is a suitcase table. I absolutely love mine. It acts as the packing case and the performance table, and again, it easily fits in the back seat or trunk of almost any car. The one I have has a Velcro-compatible exterior, which allows me to easily decorate it or customize it for any occasion. Believe me, this is noticed and appreciated by the client. A nice tip I got from an old Linking Ring magazine: the interior of your table (suitcase, roll-on or nightclub) should be a light color (I use a light wood grain contact paper). This makes it significantly easier to locate props in a dark room with bright lights shining in your face!

So work out the details, make sure you can be seen and heard by everyone, look as professional as possible and entertain them!

You have my best wishes for your success!

Contracts (Pro-Files #9)

2009-04-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

If you ever perform for pay, you have probably used some form of a contract at one time or another. After getting burned on several occasions, I now use contracts in ALL of my shows, even the ones I do for free for churches and charitable organizations. In this article I will cover the basics of performance contracts, in addition to a few points you may not have previously considered.

First, following the lead of a number of books on this subject, I do not actually use the word “contract” with the client. The document is called a “performance agreement.” Legally, the terms mean exactly the same thing, but for some reason, the word “contract” can be a turn-off to a potential client. So I always call it a performance agreement, which is also the heading at the top of the document.

There are a few items that MUST be included in every performance agreement. These include the following information about the show: date, time, type of show, fee, length of show, name of the group or company, and location of the show. You will also want to include a line for additional expenses, such as travel time and other expenses like a hotel room for an out of town gig. The format doesn’t have to be a legal form. It can be fairly informal, such as the following:

Performance Agreement
Scott F. Guinn will perform a 45-minute platform show for the Idaho Broadcasters Association on Friday, July 27, 2001 at 7PM at the Elkhorn Lodge in Sun Valley, Idaho. The fee for this show is $750. In addition, the Idaho Broadcasters Association agrees to provide a room for Mr. Guinn and his wife at the Elkhorn Lodge the evening of July 27.

You would then have a line for your signature and date at the bottom right, and lines for the company representative’s name and title as well as a date line at the bottom left. I typically fax the agreement to this person, who signs it and faxes it back to me. This way, we both have copies and don’t waste a lot of time with the mail.

The above is a basic agreement and legally binding. However, through trial and error, I have discovered some other items that I feel should be included in the agreement.

1. The name and phone number of the contact at the venue. In the above example, this would usually be either the food and beverage manager or guest relations manager of the hotel. This person will know the size of the group and the layout of the room where the show will take place. I call her: to arrange a platform or riser if available; to see if the hotel has a P.A. system or if I will need to bring my own; to arrange a place where I can change into my suit or tux; to give me directions (hotel employees are better at this than the customers booking the room) and tell me where I can load and unload my equipment; to discuss the setup of the room.
2. A cancellation clause. I have been burned a few times by cancellations. I was booked for a certain date and time, and was referring other shows to other magicians. Then my show cancelled. Not only had I lost that show, but also the other ones I had referred to someone else, as well as referrals and repeat bookings from the shows I turned away. I now include a clause that states that if the client cancels within the two weeks prior to the performance date, they must pay me half of the agreed fee. If they cancel within a week of the show, they owe me the entire fee. This prevents last minute cancellations, and keeps me from losing money on the rare occasions when they occur. If I have to cancel due to an emergency, they owe me nothing.
3. A deposit. I require a 10% non-refundable deposit to lock in the date and time. During slow seasons, I often forego this step, but in the busy times (like the Holiday Season), it is required before I will reserve the date. This makes it far less likely that they will cancel, as they are now financially committed. If I have to cancel due to illness, etc, I will refund the deposit.
4. A “waiting fee.” Sometimes, particularly around Christmas, I book six or more shows in one day. If I go on 30-45 minutes late at the first show because of a long-winded company president, it could very well make me late for every other show that day. I include a clause that states that the company must pay me an additional $50 for every 15 minutes or portion thereof that I have to wait past the scheduled start time of my show. However, I give them a “grace period” for the first 15 minutes. In other words, if I’m scheduled at 7 PM and I go on before 7:15, no extra money is due. If I don’t go on until 7:35, they owe me an extra $100. This encourages them to put me on at the agreed time and to have the speaker go on AFTER me.
5. A pay or play clause. I stipulate that I must receive the check immediately prior to the show unless we specifically make other arrangements in advance. Too often, I found that the company treasurer or whoever was responsible for signing the check was conveniently absent at the show. “We’ll get a check in the mail to you tomorrow!” Yeah, right! Many times, I wouldn’t see the check for weeks or even months. Now, I require payment before the show or I don’t go on. The agreement states that this is considered a cancellation by the company, and they owe me the full amount even though I don’t go on. Believe me, the check is THERE before the show!

Some of you may be thinking that some of these things seem harsh or even unfriendly. Actually, it’s just smart business. Once they sign and return the agreement to me, it’s just that—an agreement! They’ve AGREED to the stipulations. It protects me from getting burned. Oh, and I always bring the agreement to the show with me. Sometimes, a client will have “accidentally remembered” the wrong amount (interestingly, it’s always a LOWER amount), or the wrong time, etc. I can pull out the agreement and show the client what they agreed to.

There is another advantage to the agreement. It makes the CLIENT feel secure. They have a document signed by you, which promises that you’ll be at the right place at the right time for an agreed upon fee. You won’t be able to raise the price or say you didn’t hear them right when they told you the time, etc.

You’ll remember at the beginning that I told you I use the agreement even for free shows. I have a reason for doing so. Free shows tend to be the ones where the client tries to take advantage of you. By having the agreement, they can’t change the time, length or number of shows on you. In addition, by putting in your regular show fee and then discounting it, you have a record for tax purposes.

I hope I have been able to make you see that contracts (oops! I mean, “Performance Agreements!”) are smart—both for you and the client. I also hope that maybe I’ve brought up something you hadn’t previously considered or that you find useful. Please let me know if that is the case, or contact me if you have any questions.

You have my best wishes for your success!

Performing at Banquets (Pro-Files #8)

2009-03-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

The after-dinner show market is one of the most open and lecrative markets for magicians. Companies and organizations of all types will typically have one or more banquets every year, and they usually want entertainment for these events to get people excited about attending. In my experience, these are "tweener" shows, in that they are bigger than a living room show and smaller than a stage show. So this is the environment where "packs small, plays big" truly comes into play. Shows of this type are akin to the old smaller night club acts.

I do a lot of these shows. I really enjoy them, and they pay pretty well. The next few articles will address some of the things I've learned about this type of show over the years.

Booking Banquet Gigs

Banquet performances can be very lucrative for magicians. I do a hundred or so of these every year, and it’s work that I truly enjoy. In this column (and the next several), I’d like to make a few recommendations from my experience for those of you who are considering entering this field.

First (and I shouldn’t even have to mention this), you need to have a good show. Typically, the length of show at banquets is either 30 or 45 minutes. The audience is usually comprised completely of adults, most often from a particular company or corporation. Usually (and I try to make sure this is the case), your show will be “the big finish,” the end of the evening after the president has given a speech and awards and door prizes have been given. With this in mind, here are some points to be taken into consideration for the show:
• You need to have 30-45 minutes of strong, commercial, entertaining stand-up magic that is visible for groups of up to 500.
• The material needs to be age-appropriate. Adult material doesn’t mean “blue” (rated R or X) material. The “Ding-dong” and “Bra Trick” might be fine in Vegas or comedy club shows, but they have no place in corporate, after-dinner shows. On the other end of the spectrum, leave the “Winky-Blinky” and “Fraidy-Cat Rabbit” at home as well.
• Your lines and effects should, whenever possible, incorporate messages, jokes, slogans and mottos of that particular company—which means you need to do some research!

So, get together a repertoire of effects that will be appropriate. I’ll talk about this in more detail in a future column.

Once you have your show together, you still need to book it! There are many ways to do this, and different sources always seem to think their way is the best. Some examples:
• Cold calling on businesses
• Direct mail marketing
• Email and/or Fax campaigns
• Joining a leads club or Chamber of Commerce
• Advertising in local business magazines
• Yellow pages ads
• Sending promo videos

I use some of these tactics and stay away from others. For example, I’ve seen several books and courses that say that you pretty much have to have a super fancy, ultra high-quality promotional video, or you’ll never get any work at all! Well, I’ve been doing hundreds of shows per year for years, and I don’t have a promo video! I personally detest direct mail and cold calling, so I don’t use them, either. I just don’t feel that they are time and/or cost effective (although, I do sometimes use direct mail with established clients). That doesn’t mean they won’t work for you. They’re just not my style or preference. So, you may be wondering, how do I get work in this arena?

It’s much different now than it was when I first started, because about 75-80% of my business is repeat or referral. In other words, companies I’ve already worked for hire me again, and people from those shows refer me to others who are looking for entertainment. That is why having a good show is so important—it is your single biggest and best marketing tool! But before I got all those referrals and repeats, what then? My show was still my main marketing tool! I worked restaurants, where I made contacts. I was asked if I did corporate banquets, and took it from there. I also worked all the local fairs and festivals, making sure to have the announcer mention that I was local, and that anyone interested in having me perform for their group or event should contact me after my show. I have an ad in the yellow pages. That’s pretty much it--my show and a yellow pages ad. Oh yeah, and a promo packet.

I don’t have a big, fancy, slickly produced packet here, either. I have a professionally taken and reproduced “Head-shot” photo—that was the biggest expense. Along with this go my business card, a thank you note for the potential client’s inquiry, a list and description of the different types of shows I do, some press clippings, and plenty of referrals and references. These are all packaged in a clear cover with a slide-on binder. I usually try to drop this off in person, so I can again use my biggest and best tool (my show, remember?). Let me explain.

Assume I am talking to someone on the phone about the possibility of providing entertainment at his function. After I get the key information (date, time, location, size of audience, reason for event, length of show), somewhere in the course of the conversation, I am almost always asked if I have some promotional material. Often, they want to know if I have a video.

Uh-oh! You said you don’t have a video! You’re screwed!

Actually, that’s not the case at all—quite the opposite. I set up an appointment to have a “face-to-face” with the decision maker. I explain that I will draw up a proposal with several options, and that at our meeting I will give him that proposal, along with my promo packet, and a brief, live demonstration. (There is a “magic marketing guru” who sells a course that would lead you to believe that a live demo was his original concept. Don’t you believe it! Magicians, along with other sales and business professionals, have been using this ploy for centuries!) I draw up that proposal, giving my rates for a 30 minute and 45 minute show, the regular cost of an hour or two of strolling magic and a discounted rate for this service if they hire me to do it during the cocktail/social hour in addition to the main show, and any other “extras” we discussed on the phone. I place only the promotional material germane to their type of business into the promo packet, along with the clippings and photo. I show up at the office 10-15 minutes early, dressed in a business suit, with two or three KILLER routines of the type I’ll be doing should I get the gig. When I meet with the boss, I give him the packet to peruse briefly. I then offer to give him the live demo, as I explained on the phone, asking if he’d like to invite some of the office personnel in to watch, so he can see their reactions. Then I do about 7-10 minutes of performing. The advantage here is that he’s seeing how his people are going to react to me. He knows a video can be edited, but a live performance cannot. After the demo (and the employees are sent back to work), I give him the proposal, and go over it with him. I try to sell him on the biggest and best package first, and then “back-off” as needed. I have NEVER failed to get booked using this approach! I can’t use this tactic every time I get a call, but if it is a big company or a gig I really want to get, I go for it exactly as I’ve outlined here.

To the best of my knowledge, I am currently the only entertainer of any type in my area using this approach. Many of my competitors have slickly produced and very expensive promo materials and videotapes. And time after time, I beat them out for the gig, often at a higher price! Why? Because I understand some things.
• Performing professionally is as much about sales, marketing and customer service as it is about the actual performance.
• Building relationships will get you much more business than advertising or fancy bells and whistles.
• My show is my biggest and best marketing tool.
• People are more likely to hire people they have met and like than people they haven’t met or don’t “have a feel for.”

By meeting the boss in person, having a proposal specifically for his needs and wants, giving him a live demonstration, showing up early and well-groomed, and being polite and professional, I have covered ALL of the above bases! And that means, I am almost certain to get the show!

Next time, I’ll address the topic of contracts. Until then, you have my best wishes for your success!

Jackpot!

2009-03-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

I just got home from my weekend at Cactus Pete's Hotel and Casino in Jackpot, Nevada. I was booked to do two one hour shows in their Gala Showroom on Saturday night; the first at 5 PM, the second at 8 PM.

This was a great gig! The showroom is really nice, and while it is fairly large, it is still somehow cozy, and there are no bad seats in the house. There's a full stage, and backstage and down the stairs was a fully equipped Green Room and dressing room. They took care of lodging (very nice, seventh floor, with a beautiful view of the snow-covered mountains) and all meals for my wife and me for two days and two nights, plus they paid me well for the shows. In addition, they reserved a table for my guests at each show. I had a total of ten guests (five at each show), who got to see my act and enjoy a lovely dinner at no charge. Way cool!

The shows themselves both went very well. I'd say the early one was the better show, although the audience was a bit more reserved. The second show didn't go quite as smoothly, however it was a bit more fun as the audience was more rowdy.

In each show, one thing went sideways on me, but it was a different thing each time, and each time I was able to cover, with no one but my wife and a magician friend being any the wiser. The issue in the second show was entirely my fault--I just got a bit careless, but the problem was very minor and I was able to cover and blow right past it. The first show, though...

I was about halfway through my act, and doing "Pro-Mega," my multiple selection card routine. During this routine, I walk out through the audience and have seven or eight people select cards, which are then lost in the deck. I go back upstage and find the cards (and remember who took each one and what his/her name is) in more and more impressive ways. So as I'm going around the audience for the last four selections, I notice the first guy who chose a card (and in his case, he holds onto it--I reveal it with a jumbo card prediction that's been in full view since the start of the show) is not at his table. I don't know why, but it struck me as odd. But I put it in the back of my mind and went back up to the stage. He was still gone when I got on stage, so I skipped him and revealed everyone else's cards.

Now the way I do this routine has a lot of build and audience involvement, so a good ten minutes have past, and I'm doing the big finish when I notice the guy come back to his seat, and I catch a little glimpse of something in his hand--a blue-backed Bicycle playing card. But the card he chose from MY deck was still sitting on his table!

When I'm performing, I have a heightened state of awareness. I can't really explain it. My brain just works faster and I notice every little thing going on in the room. So in a fraction of a second, I comprehended that this dude had gone up to his hotel room where he had a matching deck of cards, and he'd taken one out and brought it back with him--he'd switched his selected card to try to mess me up! He'd taken the seven of clubs, but I knew that the card he was holding was NOT the card he took!

Thankfully, I had planned a gag as a joke-finale to the routine. I had a second jumbo card that has all fifty-two cards, separated by the suits in four rows on the face. THAT is the card that I picked up. I turned to him and instructed him to keep the suit of his card, but to divide the value in half. "In other words," I said, "if you are holding, say, the ten of hearts, you would keep the hearts but divide the number in half, getting five. So when I ask you what you ended up with, you would say, 'the five of hearts!' So, what did you end up with?"

Gang, some days are diamonds and some days are stones, and yesterday was most definitely a diamond! Here I was, having to use an "out" because this guy had decided to "punk" me. I had that out, but it wasn't ideal. But guess what? The card he had switched in? IT WAS THE TEN OF HEARTS! He held it up, disgusted, and said, "I ended up with the five of hearts."!!! YEAH, BABY! Pure luck, sure, but I'll take it every time!

I kept a straight face and acted like it was all a part of the plan, and then I went on to say that I was now going to turn over the jumbo card I was holding to show them the chosen card. I turned it over and pointed to the tiny card among the other 51, which got a big laugh and a nice round of applause.

It just goes to show you: come prepared for anything, because just about anything can and will happen. And I learned a long time ago: when you get outrageously lucky, play it like it's exactly what you planned and all part of the act! You know the true situation, but the audience just thinks you're really good!

Other Considerations in Restaurant Magic

2009-03-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

More on Restaurants (Pro-Files #7)

In my last few columns, I covered how to get hired at a restaurant, how to let people know you are there, how I go about approaching the tables, and some guidelines for a repertoire. In this article, I’d like to address some of the “odds and ends” of restaurant performing.

1. Outside Shows: One of the major reasons I work in restaurants is to make contacts so that I can book shows. There is a right way and a wrong way to go about this. The right way is to start off by explaining your intentions to the manager when the two of you are discussing the possibility of your tenure in his restaurant. There should be no surprises in this regard. I always explain to the manager up front that I make my living performing magic, and that part of the reason I want to work in his establishment is to meet new people and book shows for them. I explain that, whenever possible, I will try to schedule the shows at times other than those when I’m scheduled for the restaurant, but sometimes, there will be a conflict, and I pretty much have to take a several hundred dollar or more show when it comes up. I further explain that, in this situation, I have people available to come in and substitute for me (more on this in a minute), or the establishment can just put up a sign saying that I won’t be in that evening. I leave the choice to the manager. Done up front in this way, this has never created a problem. But the restaurant needs to be prepared for this possibility in advance.
2. Booking Shows: I NEVER book a show on the restaurant’s time! I’m being paid by them to entertain their patrons, not act as my own agent. Also, I do NOT actively PURSUE shows while performing at the restaurant. If someone asks me if I do private parties or other types of shows, I say that I do, give them my card and ask for theirs. If they ask me how much I charge and what my availability, etc is, I explain that I’m not comfortable discussing this while I’m “on the clock” for the restaurant, and I’d be happy to call them to talk about it in detail. I ask them when would be the best time to call them. This approach does several important things. It makes me look professional, and lets them know I won’t be “hustling” shows when I’m working for them, and it keeps the boss at the restaurant happy, because I’m not spending time for which he is paying me to try to drum up other work (and I can move on to the next table). Also, and perhaps most importantly, it sets the guest up with the expectation to receive a call from me. Many times, they will forget to call me if I just hand them my card. By taking their card and asking for the best time to call, I have permission to call them, I know when they will be available, and I WON’T forget to call them! I have, therefore, increased the odds of booking the show exponentially!
3. Substitutes: I would highly recommend that you have at least two, if not three or four competent magicians who can fill in for you if you are sick, called out of town, or booked during your shift. Reliability, people skills, personality and integrity are more important traits in a substitute than technical proficiency. I would much rather have someone who only used trick decks and coins, but who I could count on to be there, on time, and treat the guests and employees respectfully than to have a really good magician who showed up late, with poor grooming habits and bad manners. The first can learn and improve his technique; the second will only make you and the restaurant look bad!
4. Letting people do tricks: All the books seem to agree that you should never allow a guest to perform a trick, because you don’t want people to think just anyone can do this. I must voice my dissent. If I’m performing at a table and someone asks if they can show me a card trick, I willingly and cheerfully hand them the deck! I can hear some of you saying, “Hey! That’s wrong! You’re being paid to PERFORM magic, not to watch it!” I would say that is a flawed premise. I’m being paid to CREATE GOOD WILL FOR THE RESTAURANT! And by allowing a guest to have the spotlight, I’m certainly doing that! So, I let the guy do his trick. If it works right, I compliment him on it; if he blows it, I say, “Hey, been there, done that!” I feel this in no way impinges on my prestige or reputation—quite the opposite. First, it is HIGHLY unlikely that his trick will be REMOTELY as amazing or impressive as the material I’m performing. Second, it makes me look like a good guy when I allow the guest to take the spotlight and perform his trick. Finally, it is just one more opportunity to establish that rapport that is likely to get me business down the road.
5. Regulars: The biggest thing you can do to make sure you are a success is to REMEMBER THE NAMES AND OCCUPATIONS OF THE REGULARS! After they’ve been in several times to see you, you don’t even necessarily need to perform for them. Just walk over, say hi, and ask them how sales are at their company or whatever. PEOPLE LOVE TO TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES, AND THEY IMMEDIATELY LIKE ANYONE WHO WILL SINCERELY AND ACTIVELY LISTEN TO THEM WHEN THEY DO! Of course, if they ask to see some magic, oblige, but remember, CREATING GOOD WILL AND RELATIONSHIPS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN DOING TRICKS!
6. Employee Relations: Listen my friends: restaurants are real-life soap operas! The assistant manager just broke up with the head waitress, the busboy owes the cook a hundred bucks, and the shift manager wouldn’t give the hostess the night off to go to her prom. Make friends with all these people, treat them with respect, but do not, under any circumstances, get caught up in their squabbles. If you do, it is sure to come back and bite you in the butt! Also, I know that many books and articles on this topic urge you to never do any “non-magic” work, like bussing a table. I agree with that to an extent, but if the place is unusually busy or the staff is short-handed, I’ll carry a bus tub, or help a waitress carry an order, or bring a table a to-go box. I don’t think this demeans me in the least, and once again, it builds good will—this time with the staff. It makes them that much more eager to promote me to the guests.
7. Visiting another magician at a restaurant (or any other venue): If you go somewhere to see another magician work, PLEASE have the decency and good sense to let him, without creating problems for him or “stepping on his toes!” I have found that, often, my worst audiences and biggest hecklers were other magicians! On several occasions, they have done everything in their power to mess me up or make me look bad in front of their friends. Even worse, I’ve actually had magicians who were visiting my restaurant gig START PERFORMING FOR THE GUESTS THEMSELVES! And once, a magician “friend” came into a restaurant gig of mine, did both of the above, AND touched a waitress inappropriately! Needless to say, I now have nothing to do with this guy, and he was forever banned from that establishment. PLEASE treat the magician you’ve come to see like you would like to be treated! Applaud and laugh at the right times, even if you know the trick or the joke! If you see someone else in your party doing something to ruin an effect, stop him. Recently, Drew from Showplace Magic was in my area. He came to a platform show I had at an event his parents were involved with. Drew made himself known to me and helped me with an effect. The next night, he came into my restaurant gig, with his whole family. They told the boss they came in specifically to see me. They had me come to their table and do a set. They were the best table I had all night (thanks, Drew)! That is what all magicians should do when visiting other magician’s restaurants—build them up, not tear them down!

Okay, I’ve covered quite a bit of ground on restaurant magic over these last several issues. I hope you’ve found this information useful and of interest. If I have been unclear, or if there is an issue I haven’t addressed, please feel free to email me.

Next time, I’ll start a series on banquet or “after dinner” shows. Until then, you have my best wishes for your success!

Building a repertoire for table-hopping & strolling

2009-03-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

In this, the sixth installment of Pro-Files, I wrote about putting together a repertoire for restaurant and strolling magic. Now I want to be very clear--all of my "advice" is rather biased. It is based on what has worked for me over the years. I'm not saying there are no exceptions, or that anyone who does things differently must be wrong. When Shane at Visions asked me to write a regular column, the intent was to provide advice and suggestions from a working pro's perspective, and that's all I'm doing here. If you're already successful doing things differently, more power to you! But if you're just starting out, maybe this can be of some help.

Your Repertoire

I’ve been talking about getting booked to perform magic regularly in a restaurant. Obviously before you even go about trying to get the job, you’ll need to have mastered a repertoire of tricks and routines you can perform in this venue, and that will play well. So what types of effects work best in a restaurant environment?

In The Complete Guide to Restaurant and Walk-Around Magic, Kirk Charles gives a list to define the material best suited for restaurant workers:
1. Simple and direct
2. Inoffensive
3. Easy to carry
4. Durable or inexpensive to replace
5. Automatic or quick reset
6. Angle proof
7. Workable on any surface or with no surface
8. Highly visible
9. Examinable
10. Repeatable

While not every effect has to necessarily meet every one of these standards and some may disagree with some of these criteria and/or add others, this is a good starting point. Go over your close-up effects and figure out which ones fit all or most of these categories. These will be performable in a restaurant venue.

Now, take Michael Ammar’s advice and go back through the material, rating each item’s strength in regard to entertainment value—that is, how it plays for “real people”—on a scale of 1-10. Get rid of everything that doesn’t get at least an eight. Throw it out and never perform it again—it’s a waste of time! The effects that are left will constitute your performing repertoire.

Let me address another problem. For some of you, at least, you’ll be left with mostly card tricks. That needs to be remedied. You should have at LEAST as many non-card effects as card effects. Except for those rare tables of all guys who play cards regularly and want to see nothing BUT card routines, you should usually do no more than one or two card tricks at a table. Learn some coin routines, tricks with finger rings and paper money, rope tricks, and effects with items found on the table or in the restaurant. The routine I perform most often (and is most requested) is my sponge ball routine. Al the Only, in The Business of Restaurant Magic, gives what he calls his “Bread and Butter” routines: Cigarette Through Quarter, Invisible Deck and the Bill Tube. Right behind those, he rates Vanishing Cigarette, Card on Ceiling and Multiplying Rabbits. Note that there are only two card effects on his “Bread and Butter” list.

As an aside, you will note that Al lists cigarette tricks. Increasingly, cigarettes are not around in a restaurant (or even many bars these days!), but that doesn’t mean you can’t do cigarette magic. In most family restaurants, and in more and more “Upscale” establishments, the restaurants provide items that are perfect for any cigarette routine. They give them to the kiddies—CRAYONS! You can do Crayon through Quarter, appearing/disappearing crayon(s), color-changing crayon, broken and restored crayon, multiplying crayons, etc! and no one will be offended!

OK, so it seems like you need to learn a whole passel of routines. Actually, that is not really the case. I recommend you have six basic sets of three to five routines, each ready to go at all times; three sets for tables with adults and three sets for tables with kids. These sets are for first, second and third time audiences. This way, you don’t have to wrack your brain, trying to remember what you have or haven’t performed for them. A family comes in and wants to see you. You do your first-timer family set. They come in two months later. You don’t remember them, but they say they saw you once before. You do your second time family set. Two weeks later, mom and dad come in with another couple. You overhear them telling this couple that they’ve brought the kids in to see you. You do your first-timer adult set. That couple has seen you three times, and even if you don’t remember them, you’ve done three different sets for them! With a repertoire of only 18-30 effects, you can keep working for a very long time without repeating tricks!

Of course, I have regulars. For them, I perform new routines I’m working on, and other effects in my repertoire. I might explain that this is a new trick I normally wouldn’t do, and they feel special. Or they bring in friends and ask me to do their favorite effect for their friends. Great! My point is, putting together these six sets is an easy way to make sure you aren’t doing the same effects over and over for the same people (without having to know 500 tricks!).

So, put your repertoire together, use some of the tactics I’ve explained in my previous articles to get the job and approach the tables, and get to work!

You have my best wishes for your success!

What's Your Approach?

2009-03-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

One of the most oft-repeated questions I got from magicians when I was working restaurants regularly was regarding how to approach tables in a restaurant, or a group in a strolling gig. My 5th Pro-Files installment addressed this topic.

APPROACHING PERFECTION

One of the most important aspects in restaurant and strolling magic is “the approach.” How do you go about beginning your performance for a table at a restaurant, for example? While this topic has been addressed a few times in the literature, it has rarely been at length, and the stated opinions have differed widely. Rather than refer you to a ton of different books that may devote only a few lines to the subject, I’d like to give you my philosophy, and why I came up with it.

First, let’s look at some examples of standard approaches in a restaurant environment.

Bad Example #1:
He wears a Tuxedo in a restaurant where the clientele wear tee shirts, jeans and sandals! Right off the bat, he looks like a dork! Then he has a laminated "Magic Menu" safety-pinned to his lapel (with a list of what seems to be the only 10 effects he knows or will perform!). He walks up to a table and asks them to read the list and tell him what they'd like to see. Now this is bad enough, but I've actually seen the following scenario play itself out: Guest-"How about number two?" Bad Magician (a.k.a. B.M.--take either meaning!) "Oh, I'm sorry, but I don't have that set up to do for you at the moment. Please pick another." Guest- "Okaaaaaayyy, how 'bout number six?" B.M.-- "Well, I've already done that one ten times tonight, so pick something else." Guest--"Ok, how about zero, the one where you disappear?"

Bad Example #2
Even worse is the guy (B.M. #2) who doesn't have the sensitivity, sensibility or just plain sense to know when NOT to perform or approach a table! "Hey, did anyone lose a white knife?" he asks. The patrons, obviously disturbed by his intrusion say no and turn away. "Oh, well how about a black one?" The man at the table says, "Cute, but we're discussing our children's custody in our divorce right now, okay?" B.M.#2 "Hey, I understand! It takes two people to make a marriage work, just like it takes two knives for this trick, one black and one white..."

There are a couple of schools of thought on the approach. One says that you should just walk up and start performing, because you don’t want to give them a chance to say they don’t want to see you. There are some VERY big-name magicians who subscribe to this approach. They walk up and do the color-changing knife bit, or light a piece of flash paper or pull a coin out of someone’s ear, etc. The thinking here is that, once they see how good you are, they’ll want you to stay, and if you had asked and they had refused, they would have unwittingly denied themselves the pleasure and joy of your performance. The problems here are numerous—from the above example (BM #2) to the fact that, while some folks will be polite and allow you to perform, they will be annoyed and consider you rude. I do not want to be perceived in this way. We need to remember the bottom line in ANY performance in ANY venue: the show should be about the audience, not the magician.

The second basic approach is that you walk up to the table and say something to this effect: “Would you like to see some magic?” This is certainly a much more courteous method than the first, but odds are good that they’ll say no. This can start a chain reaction; if people are visiting the restaurant for the first time and hear another table say they don’t want to see you, they’ll probably assume you’re not very good and they will turn you down as well, and the pattern continues! Before you know it, you’re out of a job. The people don’t want to see you, and the boss doesn’t want to pay you for standing around doing nothing!

I have an approach that falls somewhere in between the two. On every table is a table tent, giving some information about me and the days and times I’m at that location. At the bottom, it says, “Tips are always appreciated, but never required!” This lets them know they don’t have to pay me, but I do accept tips. The tent also tells them that if they would like me to visit their table, they should set the tent at the table’s edge with the opposite side facing out. What does the opposite side say? “SHOW ME THE MAGIC!” My presence and this process are explained to them by the host or hostess, and then mentioned briefly again by the server. Using this method, I do not have to approach tables “cold” where they may be discussing a divorce, death, business deal, romance, etc. In addition, no one ever says they don’t want to see me. This is desirable, not because it strokes my ego or I have a fear of rejection, but because of the “chain reaction” I mentioned earlier. I walk up to the table and say, “So, you want me to show you the magic?” Since they put the card out there, they always say yes! Now, I’m starting a POSITIVE chain reaction!

Another tactic I use is something I call, “Playing Big to Play Small.” (This is the opposite of what I do in a corporate banquet venue. There, I sell strolling magic as a nice warm-up and icebreaker to prepare the people for the bigger show to come.) In the restaurant, my first few effects are large and easily visible to everyone in the room. Examples would be the linking rings or rope routine. If neighboring tables are laughing and applauding as well, I speak to them and involve them as well as the table for which I am working. Then I go into the smaller effects, just for the current table. When everyone else sees how much fun and how amazing those smaller effects (which they can no longer see) are, they put their tents out as well, so they can have me show them what they are missing.

Still another tactic in the restaurant venue is to perform for the folks waiting in line or at the bar for a table. Just do one or two quick tricks (don’t want to get interrupted in the middle when their table is ready!), and explain that you’ll come to their table later if they want to see some more—“Just set the table tent that says ‘Show Me the Magic’ out on the edge of your table so I can see it!”

Okay, that’s what I do in restaurants. What about banquets, parties, open houses, etc? We're talking about a whole different animal there, fellas.

First, I always try to get the client to let people know I’ll be there—in their advertising, announcements, flyers, bulletin boards, emails, newsletters, etc. I have a lobby board, with my name and photo, just inside the door where people can see it as they enter. If the event is an open house where people are free to arrive and leave at any time, I try to set it up so that I am in one spot (like at a trade show) and the people can come to me. Again, I start with my “Play big to play small” ploy to attract attention and get people to come over.

If the event is a banquet, cocktail hour, private party with a definite start and stop time, etc., I “mingle” throughout the crowd. (I still use the lobby board and make sure the organizer has let everyone know that I will be there so that they’re expecting me.) I walk up to people who are not engaged in lively conversation, introduce myself, and explain that the host/hostess has asked me to come entertain them for a few minutes. This simple sentence does several things: 1) “The HOST asked me to entertain you…” I am acting on the host’s request, and I am a special gift that he wants to share with them. 2) “The host asked me to ENTERTAIN you…” I’m going to entertain them, not fool them, trick them or insult them. 3) “…to entertain YOU…” This is a special, personal interaction. 4) “…for a FEW MINUTES…” I’m not going to tie them up all night or bore them with 100 card tricks. Even if they view me with some fear and trepidation at first, when they hear that it will be only a few minutes, they are much more relaxed and willing to watch. Then I do exactly as I said—I entertain them for a few minutes, thank them, wish them a pleasant evening and move on to another group.

The most important thing is, as I said earlier, to remember the bottom line: the show should be about THEM, not about YOU! Keep this in mind, find an approach that doesn’t force yourself on them, but makes them want to see you, know when to quit, make sure that they had a good time, and you will be “approaching perfection!”

Getting Prestige

2009-03-24T23:29:00.001-07:00

This article was the fourth installment of my Visions' Pro-Files column, written back in 2001. Here, I discuss separating yourself from the competition and gaining prestige in the eyes of your clients and potential clients.

One of Europe's most prominent magicians thought so much of this particular article that he plagiarized it, word-for-word, in his magic business course--even went so far as to leave the name of the magician that "he'd heard about" Scott, and the restaurant where this Scott performed Smoky Mountain Pizza and Pasta! I guess I should have been flattered, but mostly it just ticked me off, as I would have happily given him permission to use this and the articles of mine he stole if he had simply asked me.

But that's another story. Here's the article.

A Hot Commodity

Something interesting happened to me at my restaurant gig at Smoky Mountain Pizza and Pasta the other day. I came in a little early to have a coke and relax, and the manager (Johnny) took his break and had a coke with me.

This particular location is in a complex adjoining a huge movie theatre multiplex. In this complex are about 14 different restaurants of all price ranges and varieties. The managers of the restaurants all eat for free at all the other restaurants, trading out gift certificates with each other so that they don’t have to eat the same food all the time.

On this particular day, about an hour before I arrived, the manager of the Mexican restaurant two doors down (Ramon) decided Italian sounded good and came into Smoky’s. He noticed the large poster on the door, publicizing my performance times, and asked the Johnny if I was any good, and if they paid me to perform there. Johnny told him I was great and that I performed at all their stores, and that, yes, they paid me.

“Oh, that’s crazy!” said Ramon. “Let me help you. We’ve got a 15 year-old kid that comes into our place sometimes, and he performs for free! He’s pretty good, too, and it’s fun to watch him get better and learn new tricks and stuff. I’m sure he’d be happy to come here, too, and you wouldn’t have to pay him. It’d save you some money, and you’d still have a magician here!”

I love what Johnny told the guy in response! “You don’t understand. People don’t come here Saturday afternoons to see a ‘magician,’ they come to see Great Scott! I’m sure your kid is good, but Scott’s been performing about twice as long as your kid has been alive. His magic is great, but that’s not all there is to it—people like him. He’s funny, he’s super with kids, but he can entertain a party of adults just as well. Plus, he’s kind of our P.R. man. He lets us know if someone needs something, or if people have been waiting awhile and we haven’t noticed them. And a lot of people come here specifically to see HIM! They bring their friends to see him the next week! He pays for himself many times over. I don’t know what we’d do without him!”

Now get this! Before Ramon left, he asked Johnny to tell me to come see him about working at the Mexican restaurant, too! After he was going to “help Johnny” by sending him the free kid, he wanted to hire me! Well, I have an exclusive restaurant performance contract with Smoky Mountain, and Johnny told Ramon as much.

My point in telling you this story isn’t to feed my ego. It isn’t to downgrade 15 year-old magicians (I was one once) or to knock performing for free. My point here is this—you need to be perceived as indispensable at your performing venue. I am not just “the magician” I am “Great Scott!” People come to see ME. I mean no disrespect to the guys who substitute for me on occasion, but when people come in and one of my subs is filling in for me, the guests are always disappointed. Not because my subs aren’t good; they are. Rather, it is because they didn’t come in to see my substitute, they came in to see ME.

You’ve got to become a “Hot Commodity.” I already knew the restaurant business. My first full-time job was at a Denny’s, and I worked various restaurants for several years, doing everything from busboy to host to waiter to cook to assistant manager. I also worked in sales and management in other arenas, so I know a lot about customer service. Even when there are tables that don’t want me to perform for them, I will still smile at them as I walk by, ask them if everything is okay, and make sure the staff is taking care of them. If they need something or there is a problem, I immediately notify their server or the manager. I am always ready to end a routine quickly if I’m needed at a table where the order has been burned, etc.

Besides in my restaurant gig, I am THE magician to hire for private parties in my market. I often have people tell me that when they started to plan their event, a friend or co-worker told them, “You HAVE to get Great Scott!” Not “a magician” or “a comedian” or even “entertainment” but “Great Scott!”

How do you become a “hot commodity?” You’ve got to have a great show, yes, but it’s more than that. You have to be uniquely YOU. Understand that, for the most part, your competition will be “cookie-cutter magicians.” If you perform the same tricks they do in the same way, with the same patter, why should someone hire you? All things being equal, a client will usually hire the cheapest act. Do you really want to be known as “Des Moines’ Cheapest Magician?”

Therefore, it is up to you to make sure that all things are NOT equal. Why do more people buy Toyotas than Yugos? They’re both cars, and the Yugo is MUCH less expensive. Simply, Toyota has a reputation for QUALITY.

But it’s not just your act. You should be the best-dressed, friendliest, most courteous, most prompt, and easiest to work with performer in your area. You should always go the extra mile for your clients—they notice! A few examples of this: giveaways for your audience assistants, thank you notes and roses or chocolates for the person who hired you, allowing the group to use your sound system for the rest of the program at no extra charge, playing nice background music over the system during their meal before you perform.

If you work with an agent, always talk him up, NEVER agree to a repeat booking that excludes him, send him a fruit basket and card after a big booking and never give anyone anything to complain to him about.

It all boils down to two words: “Professionalism” and “Originality.” Be number one in your area in those two areas, and you’ll be a “hot commodity!”

Work on this, beginning today! You have my best wishes for your success,

Scott

The Public's Perception of Magic

2009-03-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

This article upset some folks when it was first published on Visions. But I still believe this kind of thing needs to be said.All I request is that you spend a bit of time pondering the questions posed at the end of this article, and honestly assess whether you are part of the problem, or part of the solution. I'm well aware, of course, that the people willing to spend the time and effort to do that are almost certainly not the ones who need to. No, the ones who need to won't bother.

Rome, Games and Magic

I am a sports fan. I’m not a gung-ho lunatic who takes his shirt off at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field in December to show my tattoo of Vince Lombardi, but I am a fan. I follow the NFL, NBA, MLB, pro boxing and tennis, and the Olympics and world championships, particularly boxing and gymnastics. I don’t often have time to watch these games, due to my performing schedule, so I listen a lot to sports radio, notably the Dan Patrick Show and the Jim Rome Show. It was while listening to “Romey” that I was surprised to hear the topic of magicians come up.

Apparently, someone had referred to a particular athlete as “a magician.” Mr. Rome went on a tirade, trashing magicians, saying that they were basically the scum of the entertainment industry, parodies of themselves, losers who didn’t even know what losers they were. He said that being called “a magician” was an insult, not a compliment! OUCH!

A magician friend of mine who also listens to “the Jungle” (as Mr. Rome refers to his program) had lunch with me shortly thereafter, and asked if I’d heard this tirade. My friend said he couldn’t believe it—he was offended and was going to stop listening to the show. I looked at him, and said, ”Why do you think he went off like that?” My friend responded, “He’s probably never seen a good magician. He’s probably only seen or heard about lame magicians, like _________ (name of local lame magician).”

“Exactly!” I said. “And he’s absolutely correct in his assessment!” My friend thought about that for a minute, and then asked me, “What can we do about this? How can we raise the standard of how magicians are perceived?” Good question.

As tough as this question is, I have a couple of easy answers. First, make sure YOU are not one of these "lame" magicians! I’ve addressed this topic enough by now that you should know where I stand. If you want some more detailed info, read my previous articles.

But there are other answers, ones which magicians don’t seem to want to address. Instead of giving you my answers, let me ask you some questions, to help you start thinking about what your answers are.

1. Why do we have “membership drives” in our magic clubs? Why do we want to see the size of the clubs increase? Why do we let anyone become a member, regardless of how well their “audition” went?
2. Do we really need to add more people the magic community in order to raise the perception of our art? Or is it possible that thinning the ranks would do that better?
3. Why do most magicians think we should have magic courses in our “community education” classes?
4. Why do most magicians and magic shops teach tried and true, classic standards of magic to anyone with a buck, without any concern for how well those people will study and practice, or what kind of persona they are going to project?
5. Why are the magicians described in the above questions the ones who seem to yell the loudest about the sad state of affairs magic is in?
6. Why are young, cocky, smart-alecs who are disrespectful of their elders, and who think they are God’s gift to magic and the world at large, encouraged and coddled and given prizes and told they are the second coming of Copperfield or Roth or Vernon?
7. Why are you getting ticked off as you read these questions?

I think you can judge from the type of questions and the way I worded them where I stand on these issues. What about you?

Are you offended by a sports radio talk show host “dissing” your art? Or are you more offended by the fact that he had a perfectly true and legitimate reason to do so? And before you send me any more hate email, are you mad at me because I’m mean? Or because, deep down inside, you know I’m right?

Where Do I Start?

2009-03-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

Probably the single biggest hurdle for the magician who aspires to make a living performing is diguring out how to go about getting hired. How do I get started doing shows? What considerations need to be addressed? In my second installment of Pro-Files, I wrote about just this matter.

The "Big Three" Questions

You’ve finally reached the point where you are ready to start performing for pay. You’ve “paid your dues” and honed your act, and you have learned how to deal with people in a professional manner. Now it’s time to go about making some money.

Before we go any further, let me give you a reality check. There is an old saying that is as true today as it ever was. “The biggest word in ‘show business’ is ‘business.’” You’d better start hammering that into your brain right now. Being a professional magician is not all fun and games! You’ve got to do paperwork, taxes, book shows, make contacts, adapt programs, pack and unpack, drive for miles alone, etc. Yes, you still get to do magic, but as Eugene Burger said, there is a big difference between performing magic because you want to for some friends, and performing magic because it’s Monday night and you’re scheduled to appear in a restaurant. If you think you’re going to have fun all the time, and you’d rather do magic than “work for a living,” you’re in for a shock! I’m not trying to discourage you from following your dream; I’m just trying to wake you up to the reality of what it takes to bring that dream to fruition.

Ok, if I haven’t scared you off yet, we’re ready to address the three biggest issues to starting to magish for dollars:
1. Where will I perform?
2. How do I get hired?
3. How much should I charge?

First, you need to figure out the type or types of magic you want to perform, and then discover where you can present those kinds of shows. For example, if you decide to put on a two-hour full-evening stage show, don’t approach the local McDonald’s and ask if you can do it in the playroom. I wouldn’t go to the local comedy club to try to book a children’s gospel magic show. Understand? If you do gospel magic for kids, an obvious place to start would be churches and Christian schools and daycare centers. If you keep the same show, but “secularize” it, you could try doing birthday parties. Then you could put an ad in the local family magazine, and with party planners. If you’re thing is close-up, you have a HUGE market available, beginning with restaurants. So decide what you want to do first and then identify the venues where you could possibly do it.

Now, how do you get someone to hire you? You could take out an ad in the newspaper and the yellow pages, and then just sit back and wait for the phone to start ringing. You could, but you’d go broke! You’ve got to go get the business! If you’ve followed my advice from my first column, you’ve already been performing for a while doing free shows. Hopefully you’ve made some contacts there. Ask them to write you letters of recommendation (without mentioning in the letter that you performed for them for free!). Get as many of these letters as you can. Now start talking to people. Maybe someone from your church is a manager at a local business. Ask him if his company has a Christmas party or summer picnic. Try the local libraries and bookstores. Many of them have “story times” for kids and a budget to pay you. How about scouts? Schools?

If you’re not a kidshow performer, the principle still holds. If you want to get a restaurant gig, start eating out a lot. Find a restaurant that is neither too busy nor too slow, and has the kind of ambience and clientele that you would like to be identified with. Go in several times, during the slow hours of 2-4 in the afternoon, and strike up conversations with the waitresses and managers. The fourth or fifth time, bring a deck of cards and a magic book. After you’ve been seated and your order has been taken, open the book and begin practicing a routine. One of the staff is sure to ask what you are doing. Explain that you are a magician. They’ll always ask to see a trick. Do a strong effect. In talking with them, if the manager hasn’t shown up, say that you’d like to show them another trick, but you need another person to help. Ask them to “go get Bob.” Do your strongest effect. Talk to them some more, and see if they come up with the idea of having you perform there. If not, don’t force it. Finish your meal and leave. The next time you come in, have a deck prepared to do Paul Gertner’s “Unshuffled” (from Steel and Silver). Instead of having it read “unshuffled,” have the name of the restaurant on the deck. Ask to see the manager and remark that you had an idea after you were in last time. Briefly describe the concept of tableside magic, and show him “Unshuffled” as an example of what you could do. Go on to give him some of the benefits you could provide (filling time for people waiting for tables or meals, bringing in repeat customers, etc.). I have never failed to get the gig using this approach. You get the idea.

OK, you’ve got someone interested in you. How much should you charge? I’ve known some magicians who wanted to know what I charge so that they could charge the same, to avoid “undercutting” me. Well, if you’ve never done a show for pay, I don’t think you should charge what I do after 30 years of entertaining part and full-time! I don’t think a beginner is capable of undercutting me. I have name recognition in my market, and the majority of my business is repeat and referral bookings. On the other hand, you aren’t going to get very far charging $5 for a one-hour birthday party! I would say that when just starting out, you should charge about 50-75% of what the established pros in your area charge. Then raise your rate by 20% every year in November. Why 20%? That’s not a hard and fast rule, just a guideline. Why in November? Because December is THE time of year for magicians, and you can use this as a marketing tool to get people to book early. “My rates go up December first, but if you book a show before then, even if the show is after the first of December, you’ll get my current rate!” Remember when setting fees for steady gigs, as opposed to one-timers, that you will need to lower your rate significantly.

Once you are established as a full-time pro, I highly recommend that you become the most expensive magician (of your type—kidshow performers shouldn’t compare themselves to trade show performers) in your area. Why? I have a couple of reasons for this advice. One is that many equate “most expensive” with “best” and will hire you because of that. Second, I’d like to share some advice I got from my good friend, Paul Green, years ago. Two magicians live and work in the same town. Magician A charges $200 per show, and averages 10 shows per month. Magician B charges $500 per show, but he only averages 4 shows a month. Who is more successful? Answer: B! He’s making the same money for less than half the shows! And if he books only one more show in a particular month, he makes 25% MORE than A, while doing half as many shows! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, though, to figure out how much Magician C, who took the principle too far, makes. He charges $1200 for a show comparable to A and B, though he isn’t as skilled or polished. If he gets lucky, he might book about one show every few years!

Until next time, you have my best wishes for your success,
Scott F. Guinn

Paying Your Dues

2009-03-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

In a recent discussion at The Magic Cafe, the subject of inexperienced magicians promoting themselves as "professionals" and charging for shows arose. That reminded me of the very first installment of my "Pro-Files" column on the Visions online magic magazine. Since I was planning on posting those articles here eventually anyway, I thought I'd just go ahead and start doing so. Here then is the first article from Pro-Files.

Don't Quit Your Day Job!

So you’ve learned a few tricks, you feel like you’re pretty good, and you think it would be really cool if you could make some bucks performing magic—maybe even make it your full-time profession? Whoa! Easy, big fella!

There are two basic definitions of a professional here. The first is, “Someone who performs for pay or as an occupation.” The second is, “Someone who performs skillfully, in an expert manner.” Rule number one to performing professionally (in both senses of the word) is this:
You’ve got to pay your dues first!

I talked about this in my book, Officiously Yours, but I want to elaborate on it here. Imagine a freshman in high school that had one semester of woodshop under his belt. Would you want him to build your dream home? How awful would it be to undergo open-heart surgery at the hands of a junior higher who had taken health class? Yet every day, people who have learned a couple of tricks bill themselves as “professional magicians,” and foist themselves on unsuspecting clients who are looking to provide quality entertainment at their events.

Do you ever wonder why magicians often seem to be perceived as one step above trained seals in the entertainment industry? There’s a simple answer: rampant unprofessionalism! (Again, I’m referring to both of the above definitions of "professional"!

I know I’m probably not going to make too many friends here, but it’s time we raised the bar in this business! Stop telling the other guys at the club or in the “session” how good they are, or how flawlessly they executed a routine if, in fact, they totally sucked! Don’t be a jerk about it, but let them know if they are flashing that palm or pass. Tell them if they are coming across as an egotistical, arrogant putz. More harm has been done to our art in the guise of “just trying to be encouraging” than a thousand “Masked Magicians” could ever do!

So, before you quit that day job (or even start charging for performances on the side), you need to do a few things:

1. Make sure that you have taken the time to study, understand and learn the effects you are going to do. This means the presentation and staging of the effects as well as the methods. A local magician in my area actually had a piece of promotional material exclaiming that he did thirty tricks in his thirty-minute show! I saw him perform. It was horrendous! There was no presentation at all—it was a quick demonstration of some props (“See this handkerchief? Look, it’s a cane!). The people who hired him were mortified, and so was I.

2. Contrary to what a number of well-known “names” advise, I think you should spend several years performing for free at community events, churches, charities, nursing homes, etc. Some seem to think this cheapens magic and undercuts the local pros, to which I reply, “Bovine excrement!” Offer your services to the above venues, explaining that you are studying magic, and would like to get some experience performing in front of a real audience. Give the event coordinators evaluation sheets to rate you on a scale of one to ten in different categories as they watch your show. These categories would include appearance, stage presence, interaction with the audience, audience involvement, audience reaction, etc. Have them fill these out anonymously and give them to you all at once after the show, so no one will feel uncomfortable about criticizing you. At the bottom, have the question, “What could I have done that would have made this show better?” When you get the forms home, read them and apply them! I spent five or six years doing this before I ever charged for a show. It is far better to have people at your free shows consistently telling you that you should be doing this for money, than to have people at paying gigs saying they can’t believe you actually get paid!

3. Once the two above requirements are met, you’re ready to begin charging for your shows. But before you take the plunge into full-time magicianship, you better make sure you have enough bookings over the next six months to a year that you’ll be making at least as much as you would have in your day job. I’ll discuss some things you can do to meet that goal in the future. For now, there’s no reason not to do some professional gigs to supplement your income. The big questions in this regard are, a) In what venues? b) How do I get the gigs? c) How much do I charge?

I’ll address those questions in the next installment. Until then,

Best Wishes for Your Success,
Scott F. Guinn

Just Be Yourself

2009-03-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

I've got a new "cyber-pupil." By that I mean that I've agreed to help out a less experienced magician via the Internet. He loves magic and wants to get better and get out there and perform, but he's been frustrated with trying to "find himself" as a performer. The old books typically tell you "Just be yourself," while the new books rarely even address the topic. He asked for my advice in this regard. Following is my (edited) response.

Regarding the "Be Yourself" advice... I think people have oversimplified that to a point where it is useless as they comprehend it. What Vernon (and others) was saying is not to adapt some put-on personality that doesn't fit you. For example, I've seen 14 year-old kids doing routines by the old masters word-for-word: "Don't get me started on marriage!" "Working for a living was giving me the blues" etc. Now done right (or even unintentionally), this can be very funny, but obviously, it doesn't ring true.

So, if you are not a doctor or lawyer, don't present your magic as if you are delivering a speech to the AMA or trying to win a case in court. If you are not a naturally funny, goofy guy, don't try to emulate a Jay Sankey or David Williamson or Bill Malone. Be yourself, but be a bigger, better yourself. Emphasize your strong points, and don't bring up your weak ones unless you can use them in a presentational application: "I'm so hen-pecked, that when my wife asked me if I could make big money for her in magic, I instantly did this without thinking" and a coin turns into a jumbo coin, etc.

I say bigger and better for an important reason. If you are feeling a bit blue, or your stomach's a little sour or you have a hangover, you can still perform at full capacity in a lot of jobs. An assembly line worker can stand there frowning and groaning and still get as much work done as on a day when he's feeling fit and perky. But a performer has to be Mr. Happy and Mr. Energy. You have to be a bit more commanding in your presence than the average shmoe, or no one will be interested in watching you. The problem is, a lot of guys go too far with this, and they go way over the top, so it is very insincere and phony, like a used car salesman who is acting like he's your best friend and is interested in every detail of your life because he wants you to buy from him.

My performing persona is simply me, as if I was having one of the best days of my life. You ever have one of those days where everything just seemed to be going your way and all was right with the world? You're happy, you're excited, you're not stressed, and you’re enjoying life. IMO, THAT is how you should be when performing in a formal show.

Now when you're just doing something impromptu for folks who don't know you're a magician, that's another matter. It would seem weird if you were "on" like that, unless that's more or less your usual personality (it is mine--I'm a class clown, center of attention, life of the party kinda guy). This is when you're friends and acquaintances will go ballistic. You aren't "Mr. Magic" about to do a show for them. In the course of the events that are happening, you start out sharing something interesting with them and then hit them over the head with a moment of astonishment that catches them off-guard and completely surprises them. If you are "on" when you start in this case, they will smell that something's up, and the impact will likely be diminished.

But of course, this is a different situation than when you are "doing a show." You don't have this luxury when you've been introduced as "the entertainment." When you're introduced like this, you'd BETTER be entertaining, most especially if you are getting paid to be! That's where being your "bigger, better self" comes in.

How about a debate instead of an argument?

2009-03-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened to the gentlemanly debate? JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, among others, belonged to a group called The Inklings. These were some of the foremost thinkers of their time in England (and the world, for that matter). They were fast friends. Yet they disagreed on a LOT of things! But the general attitude of the day was to not allow different positions on some matters to interfere with friendship. Indeed, men like these believed that it did one little good to have a friend who agreed with you on everything. That doesn’t challenge you to think or to consider if your position might be wrong.

Magic is a pretty small community. And while it has its moments and the potential to bring a ray of sunshine into the lives of the downcast, let’s face it--magic isn’t brain surgery. It’s not finding any cures to cancer. We magicians may be able to make a patient with terminal cancer smile, but we aren’t going to cure him. A magic trick, in the grand scheme of things, is a fairly trivial thing.

And yet, magicians as a rule seem to think that we must agree on virtually every issue or we are enemies. This attitude rears its ugly head in magic clubs, on forums, at conventions and lectures--anywhere magicians congregate in groups of two or more. There are “camps” or “schools of thought” on almost everything. “NEVER do a card trick for women or children!” “ALWAYS stand when performing restaurant magic!” “CHALLENGE has no place in magic!” “Anyone who uses a close up pad shows that he is an amateur. True pros NEVER use them!” “ONLY do magic that doesn’t require a table!” etc, etc, etc. If one should take an opposing view, two camps form, slinging verbal assaults at each other, insisting that their respective way is the only RIGHT way.

But as I asked, whatever happened to the gentlemanly debate? Can’t we calmly state our case and then allow the opposing side to do the same? Should we not at least consider whether said opposing case might have merit? Should arguments about the use (or lack thereof) of a close up pad make us enemies? For me, at least, it seems such a trivial thing to cause enmity and strife.

Every day, on magic forums and in magic clubs across the world, someone will ask a question or make a statement about a magic trick or how to perform it, hoping for some input in order to make an informed decision, only to have the topic degenerate into mud-slinging, racial and religious slurs, profanity, and threats. To quote The Apostle Paul, “Brothers, these things ought not to be!”

I cherish the times when I’ve had some good, solid, civil discussion and debate on the performance of magic. Sometimes, it’s caused me to change my mind. Other times, it’s caused me to come to understand WHY I hold the opinion that I do. Every time, it got me to think about my magic and the way I perform it. To quote the non-apostle Martha Stewart, “That’s a GOOD thing!”

Don't people know good ad copy when they see it?

2009-03-11T01:40:00.001-07:00

So I've got this big ol' stack of my publicity photos that were taken a few years back. I send them to my clients when they book a show so they can put 'em on the bulletin board or whatnot, to let people know I'm coming to do their banquet or whatever. But I got such a deal when I bought them, that I ordered a TON of them--way more than I'll ever need or be able to use before I need to get a new photo done.

So I thought to myself, hey, why not put 'em up for sale on your website? Offer them, autographed, at a mere $2 a pop--they'll go like hotcakes, right? Well, no, apparently not right.

Now I have training in sales, marketing, and business management. I used to write ad copy for radio stations. Not to brag, but I know how to write an ad. And not to put my utter lack of modesty on display, but I am an exceptionally attractive fellow. So, between the beauty of the actual photo and the genius of the ad copy, even with my superior intellect, I've been unable to understand why I'm not sold out of these photos yet! I mean, just read this incredible ad copy:

Let's face it--Scott is one pretty, pretty piece of magical man-meat! Who wouldn't want his picturesque, ruggedly handsome mug hanging on the wall? Just be careful guys--if your wife/girlfriend sees it, you're out of luck! Send an email stating to whom you want it autographed.

That has everything one could ever want in an effective advertisement! The allure, the call to action, the...

Oh wait, it just hit me. Of course! It's precisely the fact that the potential buyer couldn't bear to have his main squeeze see my face--she'd never look at him the same way again!

Sheesh! I'll probably NEVER sell these photos! Ah, this beauty is a blessing AND a curse!

Back in the saddle again...

2009-03-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am, running a website again, blogging again, participating on The Magic Cafe again, and getting back into performing again... back in the saddle again!

Magic has been a huge part of my life for many years now. I had been performing professionally as my main source of income for about 12 years, and a part-time job for many years before that. A few years back, I got burned out on it, probably because my vocation AND avocation were one in the same. My church offered me a part-time position and I took it. This meant I needed to back off on magic--couldn't very well have someone call me and say, "My kid is in the hospital! Can you come down and pray with us?" only to respond, "Well, I would, but I have to go do a magic show right now!"

Things change. My in-laws' business where my wife is employed (like so many others in this current economy) has been struggling, so she got her hours cut way back. My church felt the economic downturn as well, so my pay there was cut. To pay the bills, I had to find another stream of income. So.... I'm back in the saddle again!

Understand that I used to perform at restaurants 4-5 nights per week, in addition to a hundred or so bookings per year. During that time, I was "on top of my game" as far as my technique and delivery. Last year, I think I did all of 7 shows, 4 of them in a 10 day stretch in December. So if you said I was a bit rusty, you wouldn't get an argument for me.

But as I've slowly been working my way back into a fuller performance schedule, something I already knew has been further ingrained into me--or maybe I should say has moved to the forefront and become more apparent. Al Goshman probably put it best when he said: "YOU are the magic! The props only come along for the ride!" That's certainly been proven true to me. These last shows were among the best I've ever done, even though I was a bit rusty and my technique isn't what it used to be. Why? Because I wasn't relying on the tricks to carry me! I did some really simple stuff and built it up with some showmanship, and just focused on having a good time with the audience, and BAM! Great responses!

So why a blog? Well, I imagine there are some other magical burnouts out there, and I know there are some folks just getting started performing. Maybe by sharing my experiences as I get back into the swing of things I can help somebody else who is facing the same or a similar situation. If nothing else, it's cathartic for me to write! If you happen to choose to stay tuned, well, thanks!

I mentioned my website above. On it, I offer a number of my routines and publications for sale, as well as those by some of my friends. There's also a booking information page. Here's the address: www.scottfguinn.com

Projects I just completed include four new ebooks: A three-book series called My Best to You in which I have excerpted some of my best material from my first eight (now out-of-print) books. The fourth ebook is called Marked for Death, teaching my marked deck system and a number of routines using it.

Projects I'm working on include a big book of new material called A Little Something. I'm also going to be doing a downloadable video, teaching and explaining The Guinn Utility Backslip.

But right now, my biggest focus is on preparing for a big upcoming gig. On Saturday, March 28th, I'm doing two one-hour shows (at 5 PM and 8 PM) in the showroom of Cactus Pete's Casino in Jackpot, Nevada. I'm really looking forward to that. I'll keep you posted on how that's progressing.