Okay, another trip to International Magic, another chance to get sworn at by Jerry Sadowitz.

Once again, it didn't happen. Jerry was every bit as polite and helpful as I've always found him. As a matter of fact, he was downright friendly!

They didn't have the Michael Rubinstein DVD I was looking for, so I opted for two Roths and a Hooser. All the while, Jerry was chatting away happily, and everything was fine.

But then he asked me if I wanted to show him a coin trick.

This may not seem like such a big deal, but let's put it in perspective. I've only recently got back into magic after a few years of abstinence (long story). I wrote and edited magic tricks and sets for several years, and performed for lay and (mostly amateur) magician audiences. That was then. Now I write comics. I know very few magicians these days, and only one professional. Suddenly, out of the blue, a guy whose sleight-of-hand I respect above basically anyone else's is asking ME to show HIM a trick.

Stage fright doesn't even begin to describe it.

I'm ashamed to say I bottled it completely. "Maybe next time," I said. He seemed perfectly happy with that.

So here's the thing. I know I could use a hardcore professional eye looking over my work, and he seemed genuinely interested in seeing what I could do. Performing a routine in front of someone like Jerry could go a long way to shaking off these three years of ring-rust (it'd be like full-contact day at the Dojo). I know I want to try something pretty technical (I'm thinking along the lines of Reed McClintock's 13-Coin Matrix, which I've pretty much nailed at last), so as to make the most of it, but it'd be a higher-pressure performance than I'm used to.

I know a lot of the posters here have performed in front of many more serious professionals than I have, so I'm looking for some advice. How do you deal with working in front of someone like that, and how do you gear up?

Cheers,

Cy.

You don't. You understand that they, like you, were once beginners. In fact, most of the top guys that you and I idolize still consider themselves beginners.

Understand that. If you go out and try to fool them, there is a chance you will succeed. But there's an even bigger change you will go wrong.

Make a conscious effort to understand that you are fooling nobody. Once you realize this, you will then, hopefully, be a little less tense! Now you can begin to do yourself justice, perform your material fluently and get feedback on the fluidity of your routine.

Forget he's Jerry Sadowitz. He's put in his time just like you

Getting feedback from more experienced magicians can be a real stepping stone towards places you have not considered or imagined.

Nice response. Thanks, Shaun.

When I used to perform professionally, stuff like this never bothered me. If I got a lukewarm reaction from a crowd, I'd look at the routine and fix the problem, the same way I'd fix a typo these days. Now that magic is no longer a full-time job for me, the performances I do in my spare time seem somehow more personal; they're more a form of self-expression.

Does that make sense? Maybe I'm just over-analysing.

Cheers,

Cy.

Seems to me that you're giving your coin work an appreciation and attention that not everyone does. I don't believe there is such a thing as overdoing it when it comes to detail. Every little detail counts. That's what I learned from the Professor (his books).

You could always down a shot of Vodka before the performance

Don’t even feel bad. It happens to all of us. At the last I.B.M. convention Michael Close introduced himself to me at the table where I was having dinner. I about choked. WOW, I thought, here is a big guy I really respect introducing himself to ME. He said, "I have heard good things about you, and would like to see some of your stuff." I said, sure, of course, anxious to impress as many of us get sometimes.

After a few hours later at the V.I.P. suite I saw Mike, I said, hey, let me show you some stuff. We got this group of guys, several friends of mine (thank Goodness) and Mr. Close. I pulled out my dice and the dice went flying out of my hands. It happens, I said, Here let me show you a coin trick. I do not know what happened but I had a hand full of coins palmed and like butter they dropped--like fifteen coins fly all over the floor. Embarrassed like you would not believe. I said to him, hmmm I have had a few cocktails, let me try tomorrow. He shook his head like yea o.k. lol.

I found him the next morning, refreshed with three hours sleep (it was a convention, come on). I proceeded to the table he was at and did not miss a beat. I was dead on with every piece, even my most technically advanced material. I even did something I can’t do half the time and nailed it. I thought to myself (yeahh!!! Who’s the man? What’s that, oh yeah I AM THE M A N.)

It just happens later on after that I realized to myself that these are tricks. That’s it--just have fun. But don’t take that to mean be slack on your discipline. You still want to nail these guys.

Cheers
Reed

These are all great stories, guys. Much appreciated. I also was a magician in remission for about 7+ years, and got the fever again about 7 months ago. So I practice like crazy, and about 3 weeks ago I was over at the house of a former mentor (whom I haven't seen in the 7+ years, of course), and as soon as I launch into my newly mastered Spellbound routine I get the shakes, forgot to take off my wedding ring so it talked, etc.
Funny thing was though, I ended up doing my stuff later for his wife, then his kids after that, and even though he was present at the latter two times, I was able to pull it off without a hitch! Go figure.

That is so funny.

I have this problem that I can do a trick for anyone and nail it but if I do it for my family I mess up. Don't know why but I do. Then I do it second time for them and nail it.

Great story, Reed!

Thanks to everyone who's posted on this. Everything I've read here has helped. It's been such a long time since my magic has received any level of professional scrutiny that I just lost the plot.

Heh, It's funny. I'm 31 years old. I've competed in national-level martial arts tournaments and performed professionally for years, but when I'm asked to perform one little coin trick by someone I geniunely respect I psych myself out and lock up. I never had this problem as a pro, and it's hard to pinpoint exactly what's changed. I'm just putting more of myself into my magic these days. I guess that's actually a good thing.

You're all right. I just need to loosen up and enjoy it. Thanks again.

Cheers,

Cy.

I have reached a point where the only people I truly enjoy performing for is laymen.

Preferably ones I do not know personally.

For some unknown reason (at least to me) familly and close friends are the hardest audiences in the world!

That's an interesting point, Tony.

No-one in my family is really into magic, so I try not to force it on them (heh - sorry).

On the other hand, my girlfriend is very interested, but is a jittery spectator. For some reason, she gets nervous when someone shows her a trick, even to the point of forgetting her chosen card. If the trick is purely visual, or otherwise requires no interaction on her part, she's fine, but the moment she has to participate in any way, she gets flustered.

Cheers,

Cy.

I have learned the hard way to treat magicians at any level like my regular audiences.

At the Workshop in St.Joseph I had the opportunity to get into a feedback session with Dale Salwak and Doc Eason. (A real yin/yang opportunity)

I also clutched doing routines some new and some I have done for years.

In fact in the halls of the convention both before and after I was nailing the routine.

Speaking of conventions I hope to see some of you in Kansas City for the IBM convention in the first week of July.

Harris

I really relate to Tony, I don't show too much magic to people who know me quite well, I guess I feel that they can see right through me because they know me, I know that it's purely psychological because I have performed for strangers and had friends watching from a distance and they still love it.

Glad to hear Tony bring up that point.

Unfortunately, no words or advice can substitute the experience of performing. But a few things you should try to remember:

1) No matter who the person is...he is only human and all humans can be fooled
2) No matter what you do...how many double lifts or retention vanishes etc.,....you have the element of surprise.
3) When working for "seasoned" magicians...a good presentation along with a good effect is just as good as if you fooled the pants off of him!

Years ago I was spending time with Mike Skinner and he told me a story that has stuck with me till now. He was telling me that he was booked to work a birthday party for Frank Sinatra. I asked Mike if he was any bit nervous about this. He replied, "No, if anyone should be nervous it should be Frank. He doesn't know what I am going to do"! Think about that.

Mike

I know how you feel. My first lecture (around '81) I had Murderer's Row three feet away; Roth, Ortiz, Krenzel, Kaufman, Elliot, Stone, etc. It was like a who's who of New York close up. I thought I'd plotz. Somehow I got through it, but I didn't learn how to get through it consistently until a year or so later.

At this point I've done about 10 or 15 lectures, but now I was doing a national convention, I.B.M, or S.A.M; frankly, I can't remember which. Houston, Texas. It's like 9:00 a.m., and I have to do a lecture for about 350 or 400 people in the Grand Ballroom. I'm about nervous enough to toss my cookies right there. As it happens, Karrell Fox is also on the bill, spots me fretting and freaking backstage and comes over.
"How're you doing, kid?"
"Ahhh, I'm just trying to get ready for this."
"You want a Coke or something? Hey, Bob, could you get us a couple of Cokes?"

Us. That was part of it.

And then, along with the friendly cameraderie thing, gives me the best advice I've ever received about performing. I used it all through the shows and lectures for the next few days, and ever since.

"Look kid, you've got nothing to worry about. They want to like you. They want to have a good time, that's what they came here for; they're not here to give you a hard time. Just go out there and do your thing. If you have fun, they'll have fun."

And I went out and did the best lecture I'd ever done.

And took away this lesson. They want to like you. They want to like your work. All you have to do is remember that. I say it to myself like a mantra everytime I'm about to start working for someone. Works better than anything else I've ever tried.

For what it's worth, I'm giving that advice out here since I don't own it, it was given to me. So if you see a kid sweating it out backstage, get him a Coke, chat him up, help him out. Tell him "they want to like you".

Thanks, Karrell.

Best,

Geoff

When performing for a magician I respect, I'm less worried about fooling/impressing them with finger flicking because I have confidence in my presentation. After all, they've probably seen the effect, or something like it performed before. It's what I can bring to it that, hopefully, they'll remember.
If that doesn't work, you can always picture them in their underwear.

Nando

Wow some GREAT advice and comments in here!

I will try to remember all of it the next time I am nervous....

I just had one of these right this moment. De'vo asked my to show him David Harkey's Goldfinger.

Let's just say I was shaking so bad, I had to do 15 takes just because my hands went out of the shot.

Lee

I will try and remember all of it the next time I am nervous....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CoolMagic4U---aka---Ed

Ed, what have you to be nervous about...I'm betting you can beat up your audiences if they make you nervous...lol

Mike

My first time I performed at FFFF, I missed a riffle force. I did the same routine a year later, just to show everyone that I could do a proper riffle force. Failure makes us all better, I think. At least me!I'll never forgot this moment.