When it comes to learning magic, anybody who knows me will tell you that I prefer books over video. Its not just because books are a better VALUE than DVDs / instant downloads, or because a lot of the content found in new DVDs can ALREADY BE FOUND in the books of the past, or because books allow (read: force) you to CREATE your own presentations and idiosyncrasies rather than copy, or any of that. I just really like books- and I suppose the rest of that comes into play as well.
I've been wanting to begin reviewing books here on my blog, and it seems the first step in this would be to set up a rating...
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Here is a list of the daily tips from the masters of magic which I post on Twitter under the hash-tag #MasterTip.
"If criticism is constructive, listen to it. If it's not, ignore it." -Paul Daniels #MasterTip (As quoted in Absolute Magic by Derren Brown, pg. 113)
"It's a good idea to abandon the audience put-down jokes... They reveal you as frightened and over-rehearsed." -Geoffrey Durham #MasterTip (Professional Secrets by Geoffrey Durham, pg. 137)
"I usually use psychological forces with some sort of "out" for myself." -Banachek #MasterTip (Psychological Subtleties 2 by Banachek,...
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These are the upcoming PUBLIC performance dates for magician Ryan Horsfall.
Thursday November 17, 2011
Sho-Ka-Wah Casino
13101 Nokomis Road
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Come enjoy a magical dining experience at Sho Ka Wah Casino.
No cover, all ages.
Saturday December 17, 2011
WALK THE PLANK COMEDY COMPETITION
FINALS
The competition began with over 200 comedians and Ryan Horsfall is among the 8 finalists!
Location TBD
8:00 PM
Due to the Wharf Room closing, the Walk the Plank Comedy Competition is still deciding upon a location for the finals. Check back here for updates or follow on Twitter.
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"Michael Goudeau said that variety arts were for people who watched the movie 'Groundhog Day' and thought it looked like a good thing." -Penn Jillette
The quotation above is a favorite of magician and media icon Penn Jillette, one which I have heard or read him say several times when the topic of his chosen career comes up. It always generates a gentle chuckle, or at least a slight smile. Penn recites the quotation verbatim each time. It has become less a "quotation" and more of a "line," a line which I'm sure has been varied and experimented with over the years to its yield its present,...
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If you are a magician then you no doubt have seen the hilarious parodies of David Blaine's street magic specials by the YouTube team ThoseLilRabbits. On the surface these are well acted, well scripted, well executed, spot on spoofs of the man who single handedly changed the magician's uniform from sequins and pleats to muscle shirts and denim.
These videos are as side splitting now as they were when the first one was released five years ago. Like any good parody, they mercilessly mock the subject matter while still showing a respect for the material and reminding us all why we love them...
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Clark Kent is from another world, Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, Bruce Wayne has an unrivaled sense of morality backed by unlimited funds, and Penn & Teller are a couple of eccentric guys who have learned to do a few cool things. We understand where these heros get their superpowers, how they work, and their limitations, but the question is: where do yours come from?
Here are Two Questions You need to ask yourself right now!
ONE: Where Do Your Powers Come From?
Let me be clear: for most of us this should be an internal script. Your audience does not HAVE to be aware...
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Ruffled some feathers with that one didn't I? Let me explain.
To me, there are only five fields we can really call Art.
THE FIVE ARTS
Literature. (Written or recited)
Music.
Theatre.
Dance.
Material Art (painting, sculpture, light design, etc).
That's it. These are the mediums which touch hearts, sway moods, transport minds, transfer ideas, and communicate in an artistic fashion. And all of the above can do so independently of any other. You can express love through dance without music. You can express anguish through music without anything visual. And you can show heartbreak...
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Tommy Wonder's performance of his "Ring, Watch, and Wallet" is the greatest opening magic trick I have ever seen.
Here's a handful of reasons why, and the lessons we can take from his masterful introduction.
One: Tackle the Cliche: Wonder immediately addresses the cliche of a magician being a pickpocket and therefore an untrustworthy character. He does not ignore this and instead openly, and honestly, explains that his audience does not need to be on their guard around him.
Two: Define Yourself: He clearly states "I am a Magician" (Check out my article on this topic.)
Three: Provide...
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Magicians like pockets almost as much as they like props to put into those pockets. Of course managing which pockets hold which cards, coins, ropes, markers, handkerchiefs, metal washers, lighters, balloons, and secret items is quite a task.
Here are my quick thoughts on pocket management for professional walk-around close-up performances.
I mentally have broken down all of my props into certain categories. The goal of pocket management is always to maximize the amount of material you can carry, while minimizing the number of props and bulges.
First things first, eliminate anything non magic...
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Alright I'll just say it: magician is a sucky word.
It fails to accurately describe what most magicians do, and the general public's view of a magician is far too narrow to encourage them to go searching beyond the connotations and stereotypes the word brings forth.
I mean let's clear things up: I don't do kids shows, I've never pulled a rabbit out a hat, I don't fool you to make you look and feel stupid, and my apartment isn't crammed with doves! But I am a magician.
And it would be great if there were two or three syllables which the general population understood as a word which communicated...
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