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~ First.. Think as an Entertainer, Then as a Magician ~ As Simon Lovell stated in one of his many lectures ... "Magicians worry about "How do I do it?" Instead of "Why" do I do it? There in lies one of the biggest problems -- there has to be a reason. Magic intrinsically is an illogical thing, but you can do it at least in a logical way. You ask, what's more important to me -- an audience remembering me or the tricks I perform? I would rather them remember ME than the tricks I perform. It's essential to create uniqueness about yourself - separate yourself from the masses"... -Simon Lovell Master sleight of hand artist/ Lecturer __________________ While at a cookout last weekend I was talking with the host (Tim) and he wished for me to entertain all the guests, excluding himself as he told me ..."I am not fond of "magic", I do not enjoy it"... There are those who honestly do not enjoy it, and this is not a bad thing in this case DO NOT SAY ..."YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN ME PERFORM"... (Unless of course in that same sentence you have the ability to make a 2 ton elephant appear in his swimming pool all while you begin flying around his yard... CAUTION- he may call upon a local minister to perform an exorcism.) In this scenario for instance I asked VERY unaggressly ..."have you ever seen a live close-up magician"...? to this Tim said "yes" (In a sarcastic, oh my --magic is for kids type of tone). His comment did not offend me as I have heard this before, I responded to him with ..."so you have not seen any good sleight of hand artists?" to this he said "No". "First think as an entertainer, then as a magician" To make this a shorter story A sigh of relief from you...I heard it), by the evening´s end he was requesting that I perform for ..."this individual and that one over there, oh and they would love the one you just did with me"... Most people have seen the "pick any card trick" and "make six piles", etc. Remember, Become an entertainer, not just a magician. At my kid shows I entertain the adults as much as the children, part of my guarantee! is that ALL THEIR GUESTS WILL BE TRULY ENTERTAINED OR THEY PAY ME NOTHING! I have NEVER had any one take me up on this offer...EVER (Humbly Stated). Usually as the guests are arriving (at a kid´s party) I will do 15-20 minutes of walk around magic (FREE, the client loves this as there is NO dead space and you have even more opportunity to connect with the adults and children before "show" time). "First think as an entertainer, then as a magician" Some times while doing this type of walk around I will have maybe one or two of the laid back "cool brew drinking guys and their buddies saying (As I approach) ..."no, go show the kids I do not want to see any of that stuff it is for children"... I will usually come back with ..."oh, you know I have been working on a few things for this show, for the kid´s and all"... I will usually look around as if I am sharing an intimate secrete with them and suggest ..."would you mind/ be so kind to allow me to show you something that I may want to perform for the children later and since you are family/ friend´s of the family you would be a great judge of me, let me know if you think the children will enjoy this or not"... Now at this point I bring out "Hunters Monte`" (Rudy T. Hunter-Canada), Blizzard Deck (Dean Dill-California) or maybe some mentalism/ card sleights of Dai Vernon (The Professor). The response to this is ALWAYS phenomenal!!! Why? I first think as an entertainer, then as a magician". (those guys will always have me show more of their friend´s and get involed when it comes to the "kid´s" part of the show! "First think as an entertainer, then as a magician" Now you may go into a magic shop and purchase the newest, neatest, trick on the market. After you get it home, the package ripped open, you can hardly contain the excitement, you read the directions, go through the routine a couple of times and then run out of your room showing your parents, husband, wife and/ or children. "First think as an entertainer, then as a magician" Having done this many times, after six months you believe you are "prepared" to "perform" as a "professional" magician. Showing off your "skills" you now possess with your T.T., Professors Nightmare, and a stripper deck. Your friends encourage you and say ..."wow"... that is neat, your parents tell you that ..."you are the best magician they have ever seen"... and because you have six months of "practice" and have bought 15 of the "coolest" tricks sold today you believe you are "ready" to perform as a professional. "First think as an entertainer, then as a magician" Make up business cards with your name stating that you do birthday parties, etc. Now you are making... PLEASE! STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP First, have you taken the time to consider why you want to do "magic Tricks"? Is it for the fame and fortune? If I called you and asked if you know who David Blaine and David Cooperfield are, more than likely you would not hesitate to say ..."they are famous and wealthy magicians"... . Right you would be. But if I were to ask you if you knew the name of Puck, Scott Alexander or Dennis Haney to name a few.. Your reply may be ..."who is Puck, Scott Alexander or Dennis Haney? Why haven't I heard of them?"... ..."They are amazing magicians"... I say to you. You reply, ..."if they are so amazing, I would have at least seen them on TV"... The answer to your last statement is simple -- they have been working. (Practicing, taking advice, practicing, learing, creating and practicing) Scott Alexander has been a top pro for many years and one of the busiest professionals in the world. His credits include Denny & Lee, Malone's Bar in Boca, cruise ships all over the world, Caesar Magical Empire, and now he's starring in his own show at Fitzgerald's in Las Vegas. His style is simple -- comedy that goes right to the center of the audiences brain. "First think as an entertainer, then as a magician" Puck headlines in the new "Magic and Mischief" theatre in Orlando, FL MagcAndMischiefTheatre.com Puck is one of the most sought after entertainers in the nation. Dennis Haney is one of the most famous of all three named here. He owns two magic shops/ studios "Where the pros shop" (Baltimore, MD & Las Vegas, NV); Mr. Hanney is amoung the who´s who in the world of magic (worldwide). DennyMagic.com (When you purchase something, tell them David Breth says "hi" and that you heard of this shop via-Magic Roadshow) Again...the answer is simple -- they have been working. They have "First though as an entertainer, then as a magician" If you try and follow fame and fortune more than likely you will be as Client Eastwood so calmly said in one of his movies ..." You are a legend in your own mind"... Don´t pursue fame and fortune, let it find you. Keep on practicing, reading and listening to those in the trenchs learn from their misteaks and their victorys. David Copperfield, did he "just appear" on the scene? (bad play on words, I know but hey...it is a free article what do you expect), no he was practicing over and over again. Practice does not make perfect, no as one individual told me some time ago, ... "perfect practice, makes perfect"... "First think as an entertainer, then as a magician" Practice, practice and then practice some more. Once you have practiced several times, multiplied by 10 then go into your nearest magic shop, or to a local full time magician and show them what you have been working on, you have two ears and one mouth listen to what they have to say. Go back and practice, oh, by the way have I stated to you that you must practice? (I say this with a curious grin). "First think as an entertainer, then as a magician" A Fellow Entertainer, David Breth http://www.davidbreth.com ______________________________ ~ My Temptation ~ For some reason - I can't resist magic video clips. You've seen them... Sites offer these small gif snippets that show you just enough of a trick to make you lay awake at night and think..... A few I can actually figure out by watching the clips. Others are far beyond my understanding. The good thing is, even though I don't understand, for a couple of bucks I can purchase the 'complete' clip with full instructions and solutions that allow me to view them over and over until I 'get 'em down'. One of my favorite sites is Pubtricks.com . With one click you can view over thirty complete tricks, with more being added every day... Visit them at : http://www.streetmagicsecrets.info/pubtricks.htm _______________________________ ~ Magic Video Depot ~ Another of my favorite sites is Magic Video Depot.com . These folks have over one thousand video clips for you to sort through. They differ from Pubtricks in that they do not offer the solutions... just the performance clips. Remember what I said above... I can figure out a few by watching the videos. I'm sure you can too... Visit them at: http://www.MagicVideoDepot.com ________________________________ ________________________________ That wraps up another issue, and I want to thank you for 'sticking around'. I will have another fr'ee ebook in the next issue, so be sure to check your inbox in two weeks for Issue# 10008. Remember - "Perfect practice makes perfect". I will have a full-length article shortly on 'how to practice' to get the maximum benefit from your effort. Don't miss it ! Also, another big "Thank You" to David Breth for his outstanding article in this issue. Visit David at: http://www.DavidBreth.com You can reach me at any time via email at... Rick@StreetMagic.info ------------------------------------ May my next issue find you well.... Rick Carruth 625 North Brown Beaver Court Moore S.C. 29369 USA ======================= |
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Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic____ Sept.16, 2004 ____ Issue# 10007 Rick Carruth.... editor/publisher____ Copyright (C) 2004 ___________________________
_________________________________ Hello Folks.. As always, I want to welcome each and every new subscriber to Magic Roadshow. I hope you find something useful in every issue. If you have any friends or family you feel would enjoy our Journal of Magic, please have them visit http://www.StreetMagic.info and sign up for this newsletter AND receive the bonus ebooks for subscribing. Both an unsubscribe link and a physical address are provided at the bottom of this newsletter. This journal is protected under international copyright laws (C), and may not be reproduced in any fashion except with the permission of the editor/owner. _________________________________ My wife and I visit Gatlinburg, Tennessee three or four times a year... and Labor Day weekend was one of those times. I had the pleasure of visiting with both Twinkles Baldwin at Make It Magic, and Shannon Smith at Matrix Magic. If you get that way, it will be well worth your time to visit... Well... most of us here in the southeast are preparing for hurricane Ivan. It is coming ashore in Alabama as I write... But, with a little luck, nothing will stop this issue from reaching your inbox- except spam filters. Beginning with my last issue, I now send out a small notification of mailing shortly after sending this issue. If you received the notice and not this newsletter, then YOUR spam filter is preventing you from receiving email you requested. If I can help, please let me know... READ ON ===> |
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