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Mario Morris Inner circle Mario Morris 2044 Posts |
It strikes me that we have a massive influx of people that want to become Street Buskers.
Many simply becoming clones of established buskers, I can understand why there is that desire but I think there has to be a line drawn. For example you can’t have eight buskers performing one pitch on the same day that do a Gazzo or Cellini show. This would never be conducive to anyone or magic and will effect your hats and possible bookings. Can the established buskers encourage new comers to come up with there own routeen? I am not saying don’t learn from the masters or don’t touch C&B or S Jacket escapes but rather be your own performer. I think it can be help full to try to come up with your own stuff at first, explore and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I think advising new comers to buy books on street performing before they have had a go is premature and bad advise. They end up being shaped by others before they have tried and tested it for them self’s. Watching other street performers perform is far better school if you hold in mind that you want to be original at least in your character. I would say once you have learned a few ropes for your self you will be able to be subjective when reading books or DVD’s. Some times I do feel that the threads are more like dealer dens than real good advice. The best advise I could give to a new comer that wants to busk is simple just go and do it and then keep on keeping on. Mario |
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magickdabid--uk Loyal user 245 Posts |
Seems "street Busking" is the latest fad thing.......maybe the "Mental thing" is wearing off....?
There is both good & bad advice your offering Mario, to tell the new commers to go out and just do it will just produce a batch of bad (wannabe) performers, which in turn will make the job (for real buskers) that much harder!, you only need to take a look at the close-up circuts to see all those who are having a go and plagueing the public with the latest "trick" making it harder for anyone to get a good paid gig if you know what I mean.....? Dave |
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Mario Morris Inner circle Mario Morris 2044 Posts |
Thanks Dave
Your right of cause, speaking from just my own experience it is better to develop your own routeen than be a carbon copy of some one else. Then if you adopt some one else’s routeen at least you have the experience to make it your own. If you simply copy some one else you will have to unlearn a lot to make it your own. You mentioned mental thing, imaging if you were to just copy one act over and over again. Or comedian lifting some ones else’s show for word for word it would not go down well and should not happen. Yes there are props that we all use but we need to work hard to make them our own. A new comer will do well to do just that make it his own. I am speaking to establish performers to encourage creative thinking amongst new comers as opposed to carbon copies of them selfs. Mario |
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magickdabid--uk Loyal user 245 Posts |
There are copies of mental acts Mario, there called Osterlind clones!......
The trouble is, we live in a very fast paced world, and newbie magicians are no diffrent than anyone else, they all want the newest thing yesterday to do today, it's sad, long gone are the days when an act would take years of trial and error to develop, nowadays it's got to instant this & instant that....so sad. Dave |
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Mario Morris Inner circle Mario Morris 2044 Posts |
If that is the case Dave, the best advise I could give to a new comer that wants to busk is simple just go and do it and then keep on keeping on.
Mario |
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magickdabid--uk Loyal user 245 Posts |
Mario.....just sent ya a PM.
Dave |
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Mario Morris Inner circle Mario Morris 2044 Posts |
Thanks
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Paddy Inner circle Milford OH 1571 Posts |
What worriesme now is that Gazzo sold out to Penguin. Now every 13 yr old kid with a rich daddy will be buying his books, his cups and going out and trying to be a busker. That may hurt those of us who live by busking with all the kids doing it poorly.
Peter |
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Dave V Inner circle Las Vegas, NV 4824 Posts |
I think he has the opposite idea. If they learn his routines his way they'll be much more succesful than just stumbling around aimlessly butchering our art and ultimately hurting all of us. Once they get a taste of success, their own style will start to emerge.
No trees were killed in the making of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
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Kozmo V.I.P. 5473 Posts |
It doesn't matter who owns the gazzo stuff because very few can deliver it!
its like the masked magi, remember him...made no differeance at all its about you and your personality....thats it...if you don't have a personality then you will fail and it doesn't matter who you imitate koz |
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Mario Morris Inner circle Mario Morris 2044 Posts |
For the record, I did mention Gazzo and Cellini but it is not about them but rather in genrale. If they want to take a note from this post then they are wellcome to it. As far as what Gazzo does with his stuff well that is his business, he is a very clever business man and even a better busker.
Dave I don't know what your talking about! Stumbling around aimlessly is called learning it is the best thing you can do. They aint going to hurt me it is what stret performers have been doing for hundreads of years. what will hurt is another band from Peru. Mario |
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Brent McLeod Inner circle 1792 Posts |
Street Performing is such a challenge & only rewarding when through your own trial & error have found what works for you & gets the reactions from a lay audience
Coming from a stage background I had to learn all over again for street & festival shows & through small market events where I tried certain effects to now doing shows for hundreds odf onlookers at street festivals It was trial by fire & I soon learned to put together an act that works on the street only-Theres no way to clone someone elses act-it wouldnt work!! Knowing what you do is going to work through your own hard grafting is a real pleasure & you can be yourself & relax with the crowds & they sense this-I guess its called experience It just wont work if we clone anothers act-theres no way I could do cups& balls like Nick Nickalus in this part of the world-as also he cant do the Rings like me!! Street perfroming is invigorating to say the least -What a buzz when a good show is recognised by your lay audience!! Cheers |
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Sir T Special user 535 Posts |
Where to start? I think part of the interest in street peforming, is L and L doing. IN are world of instant everything, as L and L publishes series of tapes, everyone jumps on the band wagon, hoping to be part of the next big thing, be it mentalism or street performing. as little as a year or so ago, you would have been hard pressed to fing a video on Street perfoming now there a more then a few, to slecet from.
Yes, there are more than one Gazzo clone and even a few Cellini clones, and it is my guess, they will last about as long as a head cold Working the streets is a different world from working the living room curcit, you either love it and are made for it, or your not. The clones will come and go, but those that endour and last will still make a nice fat hat! I would like to comment on Paddy post: What worriesme now is that Gazzo sold out to Penguin. Now every 13 yr old kid with a rich daddy will be buying his books, his cups and going out and trying to be a busker. That may hurt those of us who live by busking with all the kids doing it poorly. up front I wish Gazzo the best!! Having said that, the best cups in the world and all the books in the world will not make that kid any good! Gazzo is going to make a mint off his deal, good for him. Those cups and books bought by those kids will be on ebay for a fraction of the cost, and those that can use them for real will get them cheap. Just my 2 cents worth. |
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Tom Frank V.I.P. industrial Strength Magic 493 Posts |
Street Performing is tough, PERIOD!
The weed out factor is HUGE. It's takes an interesting sort to fall in love with rejection on your way to progress and your own style. |
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JoeJoe Inner circle Myrtle Beach 1915 Posts |
I am defidently not a clone - I have never read a Cellini book or seen a Gazzo video. In fact, I've only seen two magicians do a street act - but neither of them were actually buskers (allthough, excellent magicians in their own right - no disrespect intended there at all). Everything I know I pretty much self-taught myself. I have seen jugglers and musicians and what have you, but there don't seem to be as many magic acts and I've just never crossed paths.
From goofing off with a yo-yo on the boardwalk for attention as a kid, to pitching trick sticks to the masses at grateful dead shows, to creating my illusions for my street shows that don't include cups-n-balls or straight jackets - my Disappearing JoeJoe routine was constructed to both build a crowd and collect the tip in mind, and unless someone has stolen it I am the only one doing it. I may or may not be one of the best, I don't really care - I am "JoeJoe", something no one else is which I am proud of. My aim is to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the hat comes second to the show in my book. Would I recommend it to anyone else? HECK NO! Do yourself a favor and get a book and watch the video! You will cut years off the learning curb. Perhaps one day I myself will get some of these videos and books I hear about, but for now I am happy doing things the way I do them and feel outside influence is not what I need at this juncture. I've been doing things my way so long, I don't really want to learn someone else's way. The upside to doing it yourself is the orginality - it was very difficult yes, the rejection is strong - you become jaded and must believe in yourself when no one else does. But it forced a level of creativity on me that I don't think I would have if I was formally schooled. So Mario's comment has merit, no doubt about that in my mind. It just seems like a much longer harder road, when I first started out it wasn't my intention to learn everything on my own - I just didn't have a choice in the matter, I played the cards I was delt and didn't get a Cellini or Gazzo card. To add my best advice: don't limit yourself to just street performing. I've done bars, I've done resturants, I've done comedy clubs, I've done theaters, I've done nightclubs, I've done parties, festivals, amusment parks, and probroly any other venue you can imagine. I've even done magic in shorts on the beach. Every venue has something to teach you ... and all of the lessons cross-over into the other venues. For example, when you are table hopping at a resturant ... you get to talk to people directly and can hear their perspective on your act directly - this is something you cant gather in a crowd format. JoeJoe
Amazing JoeJoe on YouTube[url=https://www.youtube.com/user/AmazingJoeJoe]
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Mario Morris Inner circle Mario Morris 2044 Posts |
JoeJoe that is fantastic dude, you are a real credit to your self and the art of Street Performing.
When I first started, there were no regular Street Performers in Cardiff in fact their still ant. I sore them come and go, as soon as they realized they can double there hat in England they were gone. The great thing about having the Capitol of Wales to your self you can play, explore, and make mistakes. Most importantly you don’t have to compare your self to another performer. Their was one busker that turned up Dave Suvan and his trade mark was a ten foot uni that he made out of a ladder, he would put on these lock brakes and climb up. He was great crowd puller and for about one year we worked back to back. He gave me valuable tips on how to improve my show which I took on board. My show was working well now and I was getting booking in addition been asked to lecturer/workshops on the Art of Street theater, at Magical Societies, the British and European Juggerling Convention’s and the Christian Fellowship of Magician UK. I am doing tow lecters/workshops in the beginning of next year. At this point I had been playing with C&B but not in my show I did that once at the beginning and I was not about to do it again until five years of playing had past. Then I took my C&B onto the street my finale load was six base balls and a large tennis ball from under the hat. After about Seven years I herd of this guy called Cellini so I got his book and adopted some of his ideas but I kept my final loads. Then I herd about Gazzo and him coming to the UK, so I booked my self on to his Master Class I improved my standard 100% with out a dought and as I hope he knows am very thankful to him. The years of trial and era set me up as a performer for life. I was a street performer well before I even herd of these names. There is no way I could have read a few books and watched a few DVD's and hay presto I am street performer. Through my years of just stumbling around aimlessly I learned my trade for life. Just like JoeJoe I now can perform. Street Theater, Side Show, Comedy, Festivals, restraunts, pubs, clubs, and trade shows, Parties, motivational speaker. These skills I have developed due to my early years. Thinking about it every Busker that I have meat that is successful has got their tooth and nail and they are most of all street wise. At least in the UK mind you I have not meat every busker far, from it. Mario PS I will add this is the only thing I can do, I have no other qualifications other than my Driving License. The only thing I have ever done is Street trading, Grafting, and Performing. If there is some thing else you can do, do your self a favour go and do it. lol |
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magicguy67 Loyal user mEL.fLORIDA 287 Posts |
I am new to street performing nad I don't take anyonbes ideas except maybe one hatline but ive made my own.I have this idea of using stage on the streets.
they thought it was impossible until they met me.
theres no reality in magic did the magician come before the assistant or the other way around. |
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Magicpitch Regular user 197 Posts |
This argument is not limited to street performing. Just head to the close up side of this forum, and every other forum, and you'll see loads of people being accused of being Ammar clones because they learn from Ammar. Fact is we all have to learn from somewhere. None of us sit in our rooms and create from nothing. We are influenced by those we learn from and enjoy. It's really up to the individual. Every single person I have met that teaches magic or sells videos will tell you to copy them, it's okay. They say that you SHOULD copy them until you get it all worked out and then, and only then, should you start making it your own.
I'm not sure where the issue comes in, because to me, it's really a non-issue. People copy the late, great, Bob Read, and it's okay, an in some ways, even a tribute to his greatness, but if you copy Ammar, Gazzo, or Cellini, then you're a clone. It seems that the magic community loves to pick and chose who it's okay to model yourself after. Model your card magic after Harry Lorayne and you'll never hear a word, model your card magic from Ammar's videos and you're an Ammar clone. Same with street performing. Fact is we all learn from books and videos written or produced by someone. If it's so wrong to copy someone's routine, then tell those who publish them to quit selling them. That's the source. If everyone's doing Cellini's routines and that's unacceptable, then where'd they learn it from? Someone filmed it. Cellini stood in front of the camera. Where's the outrage at that end? If the material wasn't SOLD, then it wouldn't reach the masses. In the cause and effect world, the source isn't the people who are buying it, it's the people who are selling the effects for money. I believe it's all hype anyway. People sell their routines, people buy them, and they have every right to replicate that routine in any manner which they chose. If it wasn't okay for that to happen, then people should stop selling their pet routines. I'm also amazed at how many times on these videos people claim that something is "their own", only to later find out that the bits, gags, lines, and effects were around LONG before these peformers even thought about performing.
Trying to do the right thing, one customer at a time!
http://www.magicpitch.com/ We weed out the junk so you don't have to! Visit our Blog at http://magicpitch.blogspot.com/ |
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BAH1313 Elite user Ohio 445 Posts |
I agree with Magicpitch. Besides, I've seen the videos of many performers here and on other forums. Most are inherently alike. By the way Mario, yours looks incredibly like Gazzo's. Nothing wrong with it. Just stating a fact. Maybe it's time some of us step down off the soap box for a while.
Everybody emulates their mentors, or their source of learning. Then hopefully, they move on to their own, but until then, why not emulate the greats like Gazzo, Cellini, and Bob Read?
I am truly blessed to have a job where people are laughing all the time and everyone believes in magic....Come to think of it, I'm blessed to even have a job.
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Mario Morris Inner circle Mario Morris 2044 Posts |
Steve I agree with you in part.
Yes use routines but to copy Ammar word for word or to dress like him and say grow a mustache is taking it too far. What I am simply trying to say is my preferred model of teaching is to encourage people to perform, to act to be them self’s. That is what I like so much about Cellinis DVD's he teaches you the trick out of Character. Gazzo may well say "do as I do" but I can’t imagine he means copy my character and dress like me. Yes when I teach someone say a card trick, I will teach them the only way I know the way I do it. But when I teach them to perform it I will teach them to do it they way that suits them. This is a good teaching principal that any Drama School will aim to achieve with there students. Maybe I confused the issue when I said Can the established buskers encourage new comers to come up with there own routeen? It is probably better to say, Can the established buskers encourage new comers to learn to perform and entertain than be a clone? Start the way you intend to continue, learn routines by all means but make them your own If you are a new comer to busking TRY to avoid buying any books or DVD's for the first six months to a year establish your self in your own mind. I promise you, you will learn skills for life. I understand you got to start some where but if you read in between my lines I think you will understand what I am saying. Be creative the whole world is your stage. Mario |
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