talkmagic.co.uk

Who are you influenced and inspired by? Although naming magicians here is allowed, I'm really after your NON magical influences, that may have shaped your performances, or character.

Liam.

well there was this girl who took me behind the bike sheds in 5th grade......

sorry not quite what you ment, to some extent it was my wifes sorry again late wifes push to do kids shows so she could rat me out that changed my direction in magic, that and her own alchemical magic with mixing prescription drugs that spurned me on to study psychology and human nature that has shaped my act to this day.

then ther was my uncle who got me started but he is a magician himself so dos'nt realy count, well this i a tuffy and no mistake, ok a bit of potted history from birth to school it was paul daniels and his quality tricks not the plastic crud he flogs thease days, but i was not that good as i owned my own company called doormats are us get the picture so everyone used and abused me, during coledge druce lee and later on jakie chan taught me self respect and the mystical side of magic if you have ever whatched some of the old martial arts movies you will understand.

haveing been battle hardened in the fires of last picked at sports, and then finding my selfworth through magic and body lanquage i am now a better performer.
from ten to fifeteen when not at boarding school being a captive doormat i was with a groupe of faith healers and psychics who did a nice line in cold / spirit reading so hearing voices was never a problem.

so in conclusion id say the most influence on my magic today was via my wife, which was coincidently my hardest part of my life, being a battered husband and living with a prescription junky made me a better person.

as i have said before that which does not kill you can oly make yourself stronger, now im of to the basement to tend to the vines that grow around the heating pipe they sing such lovely songes when ther digesting rats.

Liam, who are yours?

I think that the music that I listen before i perform can put me into a different performing mood. If I'm working normally, I'll listen to silly punk rock (wheatus, stuff like that) and it puts me in a witty, carefree mood... which is good for performing close up.

If I'm doing something bizarre, I listen to something more depressing, something along the lines of Ryan Adams love is hell.

Other influences come from Eddie Izzard, i think. Since seeing Eddie, and how excellent he is with what he does, I've added the same unrehearsed feel to my work.

Notice that I say unrehearsed, not unpracticed. People should think that I'm a capable magician, making it up as I go.

This is my approach in most performances, because it lowers peoples expectations of the magic you are going to do... "He's funny, and probably a little pants at magic"... then when you hit them with something, it gets a stronger reaction than it normally would.

Perhaps an example of this theory in action would be the Canadian Mafia... Jay Sankey, David Acer, Richard Sanders. Their magic is sometimes underestimated because of their performing characters.

Well, just some thoughts,

Keep yours coming! This could be a wicked little thread!

Liam.

Oooh... exciting!

Right, my main influence to perform is creativity.

I have a built-in urge to create - to be creative.

Magic is a wonderful outlet for this. It inspires me to create patter, routines, moves, tricks - it's great. Without this outlet, I'm like a smoker who's just kicked the habit - all jittery and without purpose.

Other influences include my fascination with the supernatural, science fiction and horror. I sometimes create a 'mentalism' atmosphere, and do a dark and evil set of tricks - to recreate the mood of a seance, for example.

Mentalism can be used to great effect for this end - and even humble effects like the ID can be used to give an eerie, almost mystical effect. And it's the link between magic and the supernatural that influences some of my effects.

I am also influenced by the people around me. I have very often tailored a trick to suit a particular friend or relative - which I would say is an influence.

Performance wise, I am also a great fan of Sankey, as mentioned by Montz... but I am also a huge fan of Guy Hollingworth - who's typical English charm and quite matter-of-fact style is great when doing cards.

Magical influences are so far spread it would be hard to name them - but Lennart Green, Sankey, Paul Daniels, Derren Brown, Tommy Cooper, Simon Drake... I don't think I'd be able to finish...

But all in all, I think the main influence, which I'm sure I share with a lot of you, is the desire to entertain. It's an urge, a buzz, a kick. When creating a trick, or practicing a routine - I can imagine how certain people would react. If I think they would not react the way I want, I alter the performance. Easy... and so this is surely an influence in shaping my magic???

Good topic, as usual, Montz