Didn't Eddie Fields describe a similar approach for the soap pitch?

I use music in my street show and discovered to allow the music from the previous trick to continue until after the new trick has started. This is an audio way of blending the end of the last trick and the beginning of the next. It seems to agree with other suggestions of not having the show end until the hat is passed.

I view the joke/insult lines when people leave the same way I view Telemarketing: I hate being called by a telemarketer so I could never be a telemarketer. I personally would have a problem with a busker insulting me if I left his show because I had to. Although, I doubt I would ever leave a show without tipping. That may be different.

:-)

I know there will always be some people who simply can't stay til the end of my show. What I'm doing it is removing any reason for the rest to do so.

Since I've shortened my show to under 20 minutes and "dovetailed" (thanks Augiemagic! great term for it) the routines as well as kept the running finale line, I'm keeping almost all of the audience as never before. I'm trying to find someone with a decent camera to tape my show from start to finish and I'll post it as soon as I get one.

I was very fortunate to see The Flying Karamazov Brothers back in the '80s when they were touring the country. I found an 8 part video of that very show on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpUQZh9HjJA

Not only is it probably the best juggling show ever created, but they incorporate a lot of what we are talking about here. Please note the introductions of the "Objects of Terror" throughout the show. They lead up to a final conclusion that is awesome!

I can guess that if they Busked with this show, their audience would be HUGE and they would never lose a single person. We can take pointers from this show and apply it to magic very easily!!

Not only helpful, but incredibly fun to watch. Video is poor quality though...

Hey Pop Haydn(!), thanks for filling in the blanks!
,a great Story.
(,curious 'bout your name,.. you didn't start as a Balloon Twister, did you?)
((,.. didn't think so...))

hey Kendall, good luck with your 'dove-tailing',..
although I'm still not convinced about using birds, on the Streets.

(,now you know why Joe Greenstein came after us,
with a baseball bat.....),..!
auf wieder horen,
Gallagher ~ {that was a German smile}

The name "Pop" was given to me by my two grandkids. It suits my performing character, I think.

I broke in as a teenager (magic/fire eating) in a ten in one.

One of the "standard crowd freezer" lines in the bally in front of the girl show(s) was similar to the Don Driver "story" as posted by Pop Haydn. I don't remember the details anymore (Hekk! that was in the '40s!)but, the details aren't important anyway!

The other thing that some of us old geezers may remember was the outside lecturer mentioning early in the bally, that: "The management of the circus wishes me to announce that just as can happen in any large crowd, there may be pick pockets here on the midway. The management requests that our guests be cautious!

The "cannon crew" "cannon" from "gun", "gun" from "gonnif" (Jewish for thief)watched as the marks patted the pocket in which their "leather" was.

Great story, Pop. Love the lines, but would need some adjustment to work in Key West;) I do think it would be killer with a little fine tuning to reflect the wide open lifestyle. I can see the tourists really busting their gut!

Thanks Dick Oslund! I've heard that previously, but had long forgotten it. What a priceless set up!

"Hey, kid! Come watch the magic show! It's great! You'll love it! Parents won't let you watch? Too big of a hurry? Your mum and dad are alcoholics, son! They don't love you!" ~Gazzo

How are the reactions with fiber optics? I never got good responses from rope magic but yet to try this. [/quote]

...same as me..."strangely" my ACR was preferred over Professor Nightmare by laymen...a lot people say card magic is not very good for busking but I'm really reconsider it...it is very flexible and offer a lot of way for interaction and situation comedy...

...and the general comments about visibility is not spot on too...

...but few experiences...what's yours?

...I'm slow with my mind... ...thinking about it rope routines that, contrary to the classic PN routine, don't start with the "gimmick" "exposed" from the beginning (like David Williamson ring and rope or Cut and Restored that flow in PN) are way more effective from the magical viewpoint...

By the way for your enjoinment here the best rope routine I have ever seen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uFuG05rgoQ&feature=related

...it is not for busking but come on...every time I see it, it makes my day...

Do the trickle. Have the money container visible throughout the performance. I've had numerous people drop something in the hat and run. . .late for a date, bus, whatever. They enjoyed the trick, but couldn't stick for the entire show. Better something than nothing!!!

I stopped at "I use the thing to get people to stop"

that's the entire issue right there. you are using a prop, a prop that anyone can buy, to get people to stop. you need to get people to stop based on your character alone. think about that.

I know denver busking, I know boulder busking, its a tough crowd, but if your character is strong, anyone will stop and listen. those places are used to performers. if you go out there and do magic, people will stop because they will give you the benefit of the doubt. others will not stop because they are jaded with performers. But anyone with a engaging personality WILL stop people and others will follow suit.

don't think what trick do I need, I need to think, "what attitude adjustment do I need for this to work"

Yup! Listen to Nick!

It's once again a case of: "The PERFORMER (and his PERSONALITY & PRESENTATION) is MORE IMPORTANT than the PROP!

????????????

I've been performing for 72 years (part time pro. for about 20 years, and full time pro. for about 52).

I could not make ANY sense of what you said.

Nick, can you elaborate on that? How does a character stop people? What is a 'strong' character?

Riff raff do you street perform? have you seen any great street entertainers ever?

an engaging street performer who is performing for a huge hat, is there to STOP THE CROWD. and they will first with how they look. than with what they say, than with what they do. its an unexplained air about them. especially the magic man. people will always gravitate to The Magician. nobody will ever say to an artist "are you a juggler" or "are you the painter" yet when you ARE DOING IT RIGHT, people will say "are you a magician?" and if in that moment you realize you look nothing like a magician, you will know, you are doing it right.

they arent there to be artsy and contemporary. there is a formula guys, a formula that you gotta figure out if you want to stop crowds, get them to stay and pay. its just that simple. it might take you 5 years. maybe even 10 years.

but you need to be an engaging person before you are ever a magician or entertainer.

NICK...I don't know how to cut out your last line, but, people can scroll up to it.

You summed it up exceedingly well! >>> "YOU NEED TO BE AN ENGAGING PERSON <<< BEFORE YOU ARE EVER A MAGICIAN..."

Both character or trick can stop an audience! Depends on What is happening on pitch ( a lot of distractions or not) Nick W Riff Raff is a very experienced street magician. I wonder how you decide to turn up or down Your charcter depending on distractions? I see Boulder as low distraction and Key West as high distractions. I am finding ( which is ever evolving) is character builds well in distraction área and trick builds better in low distraction área. Everyones thoughts please!

So years ago on Boulder mall I met a juggler, those of you in key west know him, he simply had the biggest shows. consistently, daily, the biggest shows AND hats. long story short, I wanted to do what he did: build a huge edge before the show ever started. think about that, read it again 3 more times. the biggest edge before the show started. I wanted that, that was my goal and to this day that's my aim. He went on to tell me its an attitude/mental thing. he said he started each show knowing 100% that he was going to end huge. most of the posts here are about your fears doubts and worries. most of the blabbing here is fear doubt and worry! how can you possibly build a huge show on the streets if you don't even have confidence in your own work? those words affected me in a huge huge way. tony robbins says when things are going wrong, your most likely just a few millimeters off. so if your shows suck and you have weak crowds and tips, I suggest starting each show knowing its going to be huge, just simply knowing that your the bad ass entertainer on the pitch and the people will stop for you because your worth. its just a mental thing folks. just that one simple and very free switch might make the difference between a $35 dollar hat and a $95 dollar hat every show, 6 shows a day 5 days a week.

if that's what you want then its gonna take you 5, 10 years. your going to fail and your going to suck. above all else, you are only as good as your last show. fame is fake.