Hello everyone!

I spend a lot of time lurking here but don’t post very much. I wasn’t sure where to ask this but since my end goal is probably a busking set I figured why not start here.
Very briefly, I’ve been in Magic now for about 13 years (I’m 25 now) and the last few years have been where things really clicked for me and I stopped buying all the latest tricks and instead starting seeking out performers to learn the art side of magic. Long story short I’ve been very inspired by the talented people in this art form and it’s left me with a kind of empty feeling in that for so many years I focused on the wrong things. Upon realizing this I’ve made great strides in redifining my act, my effects and my persona but one area I still have yet to fill is in my repertoire. I started making around the cusp of the internet era where things have apparently drastically shifted. Many of the effects I put hours into learning I now realize are more for my own ego or other magicians. In my latest research I’ve really fallen in love with the classics of magic and I intend to learn them now while I still have the time to really dive into them fully. For awhile I was booking close up shows and working in a few restaurants but a battle with addiction and mental health put a huge stop to my progress in that area. I’m two years sober now and just starting to really feel motivated to go out and continue my journey but this time I’d like to focus on busking and the stand up areas of magic.

TLDR:

Of the classics I’ve found captivating there are a few I’m considering more than others. A caveat: while I do intend to learn many of these in my career one of the things I’ve learned for myself is to give a routine the time it deserves. I personally prefer to work on one routine at a time and dive deeply into he resources and history of said effect, so my question is not which to learn but do you have an opinion on which to start on.

The linking rings: I’m exceptionally seduced by this effect in particular, for a trick that’s been around for so many years I’m amazed how many different ways to perform it their are. From pop Hayden’s teaching act, to Jeff McBride’s beautiful flashy 8 ring routine and everything in between it’s just a gorgeous thing to behold. My reservations are few, for one the ancheint nature of the routine obviously leads to a wider knowledge of the methodology. While I think this can be circumvented I’m a few different ways (a lovely switch ala Chris Randall, or a more tried and true approach of exposing the method and in reference to how “others would perform this”) it’s still something that leads to a slight hesitation although classic nature and beauty of the moves make it high on my list regardless. I also have a huge love for effects that feel as fun to practice as they are to perform and I feel like this would be one of them. (While the price tag is also steep, I would love to ideally find a used set first and I’d not I’d willingly buy a good set that will last me awhile rather than something cheap)

Slydini silks: I’m not entirely sure what it is that makes me love this effect so much. In premise it sounds so simple yet after watching Slydini or any other capable performer you can’t help but be left with a feeling of awe. When I was very young and first started in magic I learned this, but quickly brushed it off. How mistaken I was at the time. I don’t have many reservations about learning this apart from one. My worry is I wonder how much impact the changing of culture has had on the effectiveness of this premise. While the same can be said for a lot of magic I feel this trick in particular may suffer from the shortening of attention spans. Perhaps that’s just me, I realize the mark of a good performer is making things relatable I suppose just for myself I feel like it would be easier with other effects but despite all my worries I still value and admire this effect enough to want to learn and perform it.

Cups and balls: I’ve “known” this effect for awhile, infact one of the first things I ever purchased was gazzos cups and balls dvd. Before my brain was conditioned with the “rules” of magic, in my very first years I would walk up to a table with a cantaloupe hidden behind a close up pad and after dropping something I would place it on the floor. At the end of the routine I would slap my hat with a stick, intentionally drop the stick and while I revealed the balls under the hat I would drop to pick up the stick and load the cantaloupe. I got away with it all but once during my first gig ever. However the one time being caught led me to never try it again since in my youth I didn’t understand how to cope with being “outed”. The reason it’s on this list is because although it’s known, a part of me wants to buy a good set of cups (or a chop cup and model my biggest inspiration in magic with a one cup routine) and really work out my own routine. My reservations are this, when I was working restaurants Garrett Thomas once said something to me. I was talking to him about how a lot of the effects I performed were either his or based on some of his effects and he told me that although we were many hours apart, people travel and if one person saw each of us perform the same effect than it’s a true shame because it severely diminishes the astonishment that would have been possible otherwise. Of course I’m paraphrasing but my point is this. Everyone and their mother uses a cups and balls routine. Especially those who busk, and theirs a great reason for this. IT WORKS. But part of me is very turned off by that. Sure it’s an easy way to a tried and true slot but at the cost of being unique.


A few other mentions without long explanations...

Ramsay’s coins and cylinder: in close up one of my passions is coins. I LOVE coin magic I’m sure I’ll be learning this beauty st some point but I don’t think it’s really made for the streets...I reserve the right to be wrong.

Rope work: I love watching rope work as a magician, a part of me always intends to learn it until I consider my spectators. Apart from the catch all of “eye candy” I don’t see why rope magic would resonate. Why do ropes growing, shrinking, losing ends etc mean anything to them? I realize the more you follow this line of thinking the harder it is to justify any effect, but due to this stipulation I feel I’ve created some of my best work to date. I think there’s a line somewhere there about following that train of thought just enough but not too far. I’m sure as I grow it will evolve.

Juggling: I have to say, how can anyone not at least be lightly interested in this after watching Charlie fry. Single handedly made me want to learn and incorporate some form of it. Discovering Xavier Mortimer just made me interested more. I think I’ll learn this in my “free” time while focusing on something more defined, just to gradually trickle it into my skill set.


I’ll leave it at this for now. I hope some of you with experience and knowledge could help me sort through my thinking and ideas and I’m also open to something I haven’t listed yet. The more I experience the more I fall in love with the past. If I’m missing something please let me know as I quickly fall deeper in love with the magic gem years gone by.

I hope you all are well and I just want to say thank you for being one of the greatest communities I’ve ever been a part of. At many points in life I don’t think I would have kept going if it weren’t for magic.

Hello,

I give you the same advice I've been given. Go outhere and perform. Take a table, a sign and try to perform your three older tricks. The ones you can perfom in your sleep. Talk to people. Interact with them, entertain them.
This is the street, you perform whatever you want to perform. Don't wait to learn one more trick, one more routine which would be perfect for busking. There is always one more trick, but you know what ? The street is a great teacher.

I hope this helps.

One bit of advise I would give is: Find something you really like and absolutely master it. For the street it could be Egg Bag, Chinese Sticks, Rope, etc.

The one thing I would hesitate on....is the Cups & Balls. While an absolutely GREAT piece of magic....the problem unfortunately you will now encounter....if you want to start doing Festivals, the last thing the
admin want to see is another Cups and Balls magician. Saturated.

Best of luck in your quest.

Oh. And please let us know about your journey.

As others have said the best school is performance, you might drop, miss their card, etc... but you will truly, truly learn.. learn the routine, learn the performance, what works, what doesn't, keep a notebook , make notes... the path is the journey and the journey is ridiculous fun !

Slydini knots still good. Keep it short like Slydini or Bill Malone. amazing magic.

Do all these things. Don't search for more advice. Don't search for more better tricks.

Just start now with this advice.

Hello tjkie
Just wanted to encourage you to hit the streets!
If you put as much time. As it took to write the above post on the street
I think you may be surprised at the result.

Sounds to me like you have more than enough material.
Have you watched street acts before?
Do you have a place to busk in mind?
Okay then go and have fun

Nickoli

I took an hour to PM the OP. I even sent him a pair of "Slydini Silks" He replied with his life story all over again. I didn't ask for $, but he offered to pay for the silks. That was the last that I heard from him. (late August)

I cancelled him fr0m my PM list.

Seems to be common occurrence here on Café, especially with new members