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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
If you are new to the art of magic, here is something you may not be aware of. But getting this clear in your thinking will be a springboard for your planning of a possible future in magic. Â
I realize many of you may not want a "career" in magic, and that's ok, too. Still it's good to know these things so you can make informed decisions on your purchases of effects, even if for just a hobby. It could save you thousands of dollars. What I'm talking about here is the different facets of the gleaming magic diamond. Let's  call it the "genres".  I'm not sure if I will even be able to hit them all up in one article, but maybe some of the other pros out there can chip in and flesh out what I say. These genres or performance arenas are so numerous that I'm sure to miss some! But let me try. Let's see. There is close up magic, parlour magic, street magic and stand up magic. There is stage magic, escape magic like the greatest of all time, Houdini.  We have  manipulative magic, grand magic and illusions.  There is restaurant magic (table hopping), cabaret magic, corporate magic and nightclub magic. We have bar magic (and betchas), birthday party magic for the kiddies,  library shows and school shows. There are shows designed for scouts. And let's not forget bizarre magic and mentalism, which in it's purest form is not considered by some to be magic.   There are performers who build their act around a certain item. You can, for instance, specialize in coins, ala David Roth. Gene Anderson created a WONDERFUL act using only newspaper!  These people are truly specialists. For example, some specialize in dove productions and vanishes. There have been acts that produce nothing but silks. Or cigarettes. Or thimbles. Or cards. Or parasols, believe it or not. So in that aspect, we could say there are specialist within the specialties. A guy with a dove act is technically in the manipulative field, but he only manipulates doves. Or perhaps doves and candles. I have seen acts that did nothing but rope magic. The list goes on.  So through all this, I'm only trying to expand your thinking about the possibilities. a It would be impossible for you or any one person to explore all the possibilities. It would take a lifetime and cost a fortune! But I would recommend that if you have a chance to see any of these acts in action, do not pass it up. Somewhere among this massive conglomerate of magic acts, you may just find yourself!
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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Andy Gemini Regular user England 119 Posts |
You have been giving out some BRILLIANT advice lately, thank you!
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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Well, I'm blushing! No actually, I don't know about brilliant. (.Remember Wile E. Coyote: "Genius sheer genius! I'm such. genius!" then, BOOM!!!! The dynamite blows up in his face!
All I want to do is help others. I want to save them time, money, wasted years and heartache. And if I can reach out through cyberspace and rescue them from making the dumb mistakes I made back in the 70's, then the art of magic will benefit. So I hope something I say will help someone, an up and coming magician, (maybe the next Copperfield?) in a significant way. That's what the Café is all about . That's the stated purpose. We're only here on this earth for a brief moment. Helping others is the purpose of being alive. Posted: Jul 22, 2014 06:16 pm Oh, I forgot the obligatory Wile E. Coyote voice link from my cartoon voices channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA8HooZU7......a_player
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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55Hudson Special user Minneapolis 984 Posts |
Nice post, DaffyDoug.
I would like to add that magicians should also think about the character they will portray and make sure the magic is complementary. For people who only do tricks for friends and family, the character probably isn't far off from their natural state, but it can be. A great study on this would be Pop Hayden. He plays the same character all the time and the magic is complementary. Take a look at a few of his videos - not to copy, but to see someone who has spent a long time thinking about his character and perfecting it. Hudson |
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
So true. I think other than perfecting the actual mechanics of the effects, this will probably be the single most difficult thing a magician will have to do. (Nailing their character).
There might be some to whom it comes easy. Guys like Gregory Wikson just to name one, have a naturally gregarious, playful fun filled way of interacting with people. I cite Greg because he just came to mind first. But His character is that he obviously loves what he does, and he obviously loves and mixes with people, and I honest to God don't think that any of that is faked. The man is infectious, and people naturally gravitate to him, and he's a joy to watch. And when I was young, that is one of the first things I read in a magic book. "Get people to like you!" If you can do that, you who are new to magic, then your battle is half won! If you can make your audience laugh and have a good time, they are going to love your magic. They won't be able to resist! I hope every new magician watches a performance by Gregory Wilson, Aldo Columbini, or Bill Malone. These guys (there are others too) are masters at causing their audience to like them. Even LOVE them. This to me is a secret even bigger than the secrets in the instructions that come with the magic effects. They all have a GENUINE likeability. We can't impersonate them. We can't be them. But we can strive for that professional confidence and relaxed demeanor that they emanate. Should I mention that this confidence is born of diligent practice of the effects they present? Not a hint of nervousness because they KNOW THEIR STUFF. That allows them to relax and win over their audience with their fun nature. Also, it goes without saying that this did not come overnight! We all have to start at our own beginning. I will never forget my first payed performance (es) and how I was shaking like a leaf! But you got to do it. And you got to get past it and move forward.
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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Kbuck54 Veteran user 343 Posts |
Absolute Gems of Wisdom Daffy. I swear, it took me 30 years to finally settle on a character and approach to my magic. Oh, I had big shows, little shows, birthday shows and close up shows, sit down stand up, you name it. Now, after all of that, I have a good set of effects that flow. All of you newbie's, take heed, these lessons can save you a lot of time and money.
Keith Shazam
SHAZAM!
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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Maybe some of the new guys would feel better if they knew how my first shows were a comedy of errors. Comedy, yes. But I sure wasn't laughing!
I did some dumb mistakes! Oh yeah! Caught my hand on fire, once. On another occasion used a dove that was epileptic and it jumped out of a flaming dove pan (no, I didn't burn it) but it jumped out of the pan and flopped out onto the floor and started having a public seizure and began flopping on the floor in a circle with it's tongue hanging out like Curley from the Three Stooges. Tried to produce a glass of wine by magic like Slydini and spilled it all over my pants. Did a trick that I learned from the great Mark Wilson called the "Thank You Banner" and the words Thank You appreared magically UPSIDE DOWN. (.Nice way to end a show with a laugh) except it was supposed to appear right side up. My first shows made the great Balantini look like David Copperfield, next to me. So cheer up guys. No matter how bad you start out, you can't be half as bad as I was!
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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Atom3339 Inner circle Spokane, WA 3242 Posts |
Good stuff, Doug. I'm still working on my style.
TH
Occupy Your Dream |
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
It's a lifetime endeavor.
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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