talkmagic.co.uk

It's been a while, but I'm sticky so....

Just went to a small festival run by my mates for all their mates. About 100 folk I guess on a small field with lots of live music etc, the usual.

This year of course I took some magic up my sleeve.
I fretted that I couldn't remember half my more snappy instant card tricks so took my dvd's with me as there was little time to prepare. I had a few days in advance but as it happened I never got a chance to watch them. I fretted a bit but then decided to remember all the sage advice from round here and took about 3 effects out with me that I knew well.

As it happened all I needed all night was two of them, or course.

I managed to go around everyone 'gorilla magician' style with nobody suspecting any magic and my saying " Hey let me show you something cool...."

It was awesome and with my 2 perfected tricks I truly melted some minds and everyone loved it. I was rapidly coined "The magic man..."

It was in Newcastle; "Wow, your tricks are proper mint man!!" was phrase of the night

Nicely done MrCat

Well, It's been bloomin' ages...

I haven't done any magic in ages, but actually that's not true;

I reckon I've been a bit lazy. I've been mental busy and this is the first time I've been back in the old magic talk zone for a while and mmmm it feels good, I'd forgotten how relaxing it was around here But not to digress, I was thinking ... which led on to my thinking how lovely it was to effectively have my whole magical path so far here as a sticky no less, and thought I should add some more.

It's been ages since I did any 'proper' practice on magical, or many tricks at all. Mainly through life getting in the way, but when I say 'lazy' I mean I've found myself just using Extreme Burn 2 all the time! I guess that's maybe not lazy, perhaps just piratical as it's so damn easy and quick and once you have it down it's just beautiful, easy and quick! Is that lazy?

I'm feeling now like I just need a couple more of those. I'm getting a real taste of what really blows people away...some tricks melt some peoples brains and others don't care so much or second guess through it, and others the opposite. And of course some people just don't want to be entertained! But some tricks, just occasionally you'll find one, seem to be universal and tick most boxes for most people whilst at the same time suiting the kind of style that you (or I!) find you want do and that works for you as it comes naturally.

I have not bought any magic in a long time now, I think I may even have unsubscribed from a few mailing lists plying me with new stuff every day! I still have one that comes in but more like once a week, and more to the point I have exhausted my funds and had enough experience to know that no matter how exciting things look it's always worth waiting a bit because next week there'll be something equally exciting, and it won't ever stop! But what will happen is after a few weeks you'll likely know the reality before you fork out, and you'll also have a massive box of unused stuff to remind you, the old dusty magic chest

Back to the lazyness, I'm not sure you can be really lazy unless you're a working magician? I should do some magic and find out

Brilliant post, I am about to get stuck into learning the stuff I've had lying around for ages. I did go and have a session with a local magician who showed me a thing or two a while ago and the one thing that stuck in my mind was 'you can get away with more than you think'. A problem I had was when I had learned something, for me, the 'magic' was gone and I thought everyone else would be able to see through the trick Just not the case at all. Carry on doing what you are and I'm going to do the same! (after I get my tax return done!)

Haha! Yea get that tax return done first matey... And I'm glad you got something from the post

Absolutely spot on with the 'everyone will see through this, because I know how it's done and it's so obvious' haha. It's always amazing what you can get away with and there in lies the beauty of it. You definitely don't have to have the next latest greatest more amazing thing than the next man, just enjoy what you do

Mujician wrote:(after I get my tax return done!)

Crikey, I thought I left it late by only sending mine a couple of weeks ago but Jan 29th is right there on the edge!!!

I find it best to not start performing the latest stuff straight away but wait a month or so until the fuss dies down and the others have moved on to newer things. That way you could be the only one doing the things in your set and therefore be somewhat unique-ish.

Haha, yes, I know i leave it late, every year is the same. I might have got it done a week ago, but we have a month old baby (our first) and she gave me an excuse to put it off! A friend of mine worries something chronic if he doesn't have his done by november!!! I might try and get it done in april this year so I actually know where my P60s are!!!

I started well and put every bit of relevant paperwork in an envelope marked 'Self Assessment Stuff' (I have a way with words y'know!) But there were still some statements missing and I was told by two banks that they no longer send these things automatically, I had to request them via their so called Customer Service Dept at a premium telephone rate. I pointed out that there's a legal responibility for us to submit these things and, if they can't afford the postage, they could offer online downloadable PDFs which is the format I use to send them to the accountants. I got the bum's rush, of course, but in May I'll be bombarding both banks with email requests at daily intervals!!! The result this year is that I need pay no tax but won't get a rebate. Mrs.M, on the other hand will get about £300 back - it ain't fair guys!!!!

Mandrake wrote:I started well and put every bit of relevant paperwork in an envelope marked 'Self Assessment Stuff' But there were still some statements missing and I was told by two banks that they no longer send these things automatically, I had to request them via their so called Customer Service Dept at a premium telephone rate.

I pointed out that there's a legal responsibility for us to submit these things and, if they can't afford the postage, they could offer online downloadable PDFs which is the format I use to send them to the accountants.

I got the bum's rush, of course, but in May I'll be bombarding both banks with email requests at daily intervals!!! The result this year is that I need pay no tax but won't get a rebate. Mrs.M, on the other hand will get about £300 back - it ain't fair guys!!!!

Nice.

Am practicing being very nice.....

Ah sorry Mandrake, I had modified your story significantly...but for some reason it didn't come out here...

No worries, am still being sooo nice to Mrs.M she thinks aliens have replaced me!

Ha, good one. I'll try that on more time.

Mandrake wrote:I started well and put every bit of relevant paperwork in an envelope marked 'Self Assessment Stuff' But there were still some statements missing and I was told by two banks that they no longer send these things automatically, I had to request them via their so called Customer Service Dept at a premium telephone rate.

I pointed out that there's a legal responsibility for us to submit these things and, if they can't afford the postage, they could offer online downloadable PDFs which is the format I use to send them to the accountants.

As it turned out I ended up having to go to the bank managers office where I explained that a lot of time and money could have been saved, and paper too (producing some sheets of blank paper) if they simply got their act together and just sent me these (waves paper in air) missing statements (missing statements appear on paper) in the first place!

I then left, leaving a book of stamps on their desk.

Nicer.

Hi MrCat!

I think I am a bit late to the party but have just read through this whole thread - awesome! Well done for just getting out there and doing it. I think I am at about the stage you were maybe a month before your first post

How's it going now? ASny tips for getting over debut nerves?! (The only person who has seem my attempts at magic is me in the mirror and I don't think I count as audience)

Hey Tommy, it's never too late to join the party!

Tips: Well, I tend to run everything passed my girlfriend first, at least the more technical stuff with 'moves' I don't wanna blow on anyone else, and if she doesn't spot them I'm good to go A best friend is equally good!

As for nerves, that's a tricky one, I still get real nervous but it depends how much I've done stuff before to good reactions I think, I'm much more relaxed with the ones I know generally garuntee the biggest wow (people will argue it's all about the performance, but you know what I mean!). Which of course you only really know from showing them to people! I chose my local pub for general practice as I know everyone who runs it/works there and half the people frequenting it so it feels kinda safe somehow. Strangers are the best folk to be showing off to tho as you can breeze in, they have no idea you're not Dynamo which is great, and if anything does go wrong you can just walk away and never see them again haha. And when everything goes right they do think you're Dynamo which is even better! I think once you get passed those first tentative goes it all becomes a bit easier each time untill you just look forward to the reaction in the knowledge it's pretty well in the bag already

I haven't ventured any further into the world of 'pro' or paid gigs, but I do enjoy the oppotunity for a bit of gorilla magic at parties and events where nobody suspects a thing until you utter the magic words 'hey, can I show you something, check this out...'.

I guess in brief find somwhere local you feel relaxed in and try picking on some random folk sitting about. It doesn't always work, I once went round the pub and got turned down flatly by 4 tables of really boring people on the trot so I gave up, but most of the time it works. And of course it's al about the patter, which when targeting random strangers I find for me comes a lot easier somehow, probably due to the fact you can be anybody you want when someone doesn't know you

Good luck and let us all know how it goes! It's always good to hear.