talkmagic.co.uk

this is from a fellow member of another site i am part of, he origianlly posted it, but i liked it so much i am posting it here.

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This is somthing that I was sent (along with the other 50,000 people on this maling list) From Denny Haney of Denny and Lee Magic Studio here in baltimore. This sums up what magic is becoming.. and SADLY its the truth.. Maybe this will jog some of your adolecent minds into realizing that what this man is saying is REAL and THE TRUTH.

Jesse

IT'S A EUROPEAN INVASION!!!!!
Back in December I was invited to perform for the Magic Circle in London for thier Annual Christmas Show. One of the most fun times of my life and the Magic Circle and their staff were about the nicest people I have ever met. On the show with me was a gentleman by the name of John ARCHER. We did eight shows together and all six acts on the show were terrific BUT John Archer stole the show each and every time!!! This guy is terrific and I just finished watching his new DVDS. These DVDs are a must have!!!
After watching Jon Archer's DVDs I began thinking about some of the best DVDS that have arrived lately and noticed that MOST are European performers. It reminded me of when the Beatles first came to the United States and then all of the English rock groups followed. Back in the early sixties they called it the British Invasion.
You see, in Europe, they still have what is called "cabaret." If you want to be a real performer in Europe, you must be ENTERTAINING!!
Back in the sixties, I thought that the best magic came from England. That is where Harry Stanley's Unique Magic Studios and Ken Brooke's Magic place were located. It was there that the Dai Vernon books, the Slydini books, and other great magic were published. It also seemed that the magic there was just better. After a while, that died off and it all swung back to the United States. In the 80's and 90's it seemed that the magic in America was the most sought after. Now I see the swing going back again. You see, everything seems to go in cycles.
Lately I have seen some of the finest DVDs coming from the European side. The magic has been strong, the entertainment value high and they don't seem to have been influenced by "Street Magic" the way we have been here in America. David Blaine and Criss Angel have had such a strong effect on magic over here that it seems like their styles are being copied by magicians here. The problem is that their style works FOR THEM because they have TV specials. In the "real world" you MUST be entertaining. Lately I have seen some DVDs from the younger American magicians that have some fine magic BUT very little in the way of entertainment value. They just want to look "cool" and "hip." I just finished watching a DVD from a young performer who shall remain nameless. This is a new "one trick" teaching DVD and NOT ONCE during this DVD did he even smile. He seems to be so serious about this trick that it's just not "fun" to watch. The Blaine and Angel effect is creeping into
American magic and younger magicians seem to approach magic as if they had some dark power. It's as if they want their audience to think they are "real" wizards. They look for only one reaction......How did he do that? There's really much more to the performance of magic than "How did he do that?"
Jeff McBride said something in one of his lectures that I remember very well. I don't know if it is his statement or someone else's but it was a good one. He said that many magicians want to do something for an audience that will "Blow them away!" Then he said that if you do that too much, that is exactly what happens. You blow them----------AWAY!. It's fine to "hit your audience" over the head once in a while BUT if they keep getting hit over the head again and agin, they just don't want to be hit anymore. They will eventually back away from you. You really have to make your performing a "pleasant" experience. Make them laugh or make them smile. Get them involved. Why are we trying to SCARE them away?? If they are having fun watching you and then all of a sudden you hit them with that one trick that is really powerful, they will love the surprise and will love being scared or "blown away." It just must be done in moderation. It is called "pacing" and all GOOD
acts have pacing. It's like coming out to do card magic and opening by doing fifteen different one handed cuts in a flurry of motion. Then when you finally do a card trick your audience will dimiss anything you do by saying "Well sure, he can do ANYTHING with cards."
The younger magicians may say, "Well....Denny's just old. He's not in touch with what's happening today. Today we are "street magicians" with powers to do amazing things. We don't smile because that's not "cool." We are real!!!"
Funny thing, many of us older magicians were doing street magic long before it was called street magic. Years ago it was called "close up magic." Before that it was called "Pocket Magic." Street magic is NOT new, it just has a different name. It has not been newly invented. It's in all the classic books.
If you look at Criss Angel and David Blaine, you will notice that they both have magical "advisors." Who are these advisors??? These are older guys who have been around long before they were born. Both Blaine and Angel are "TV characters." They have a character that they portray on TV. They are now celebrities and can carry that character with them anywhere they go and be instantly recognized. They are very fortunate to be able to do this.
Today's "magician" is not that fortunate. You are not a well known or recognized celebrity, therefore if you go into a restaurant to perform walk around magic, you really can't work in jeans and a T-shirt, or baggy clothes, and perform needles in the eye or string from belly button for the paying guests.
I see this "style" becoming the "new wave" style for magicians today and it's not working well. Do you really want to perform magic for the public???
If so.........take a look at some of these "artists" below. They will open your eyes and perhaps we can get back to performing "entertaining" magic again rather than "bizarre" magic just to "blow them AWAAAAAY!

That sums things up rather neatly!

David The Cryptic wrote:I see this "style" becoming the "new wave" style for magicians today and it's not working well. Do you really want to perform magic for the public???

If so.........take a look at some of these "artists" below. They will open your eyes and perhaps we can get back to performing "entertaining" magic again rather than "bizarre" magic just to "blow them AWAAAAAY!

Can we have the list or "artists" too?

I have a sneaking suspicion that what he's talking about has parallels with the alternative comedy revolution in the early 1980s. Suddenly, no matter how funny they were, certain jokes and styles of comedy became verboten. Even certain comedians. To me, this was totalitarian comedy and the quality simply wasn't there save for pools of true talent like The Young Ones. With notable exceptions such as Bill Hicks, it all deteriorated into a never-ending stream of "have you ever noticed..." jokes. Argh! Then the likes of Vic and Bob exploded onto the scene and showed that there's a surreal middle ground that's both alternative and traditionaly funny. Perhaps that's what magic needs; a thrid way that's both mysterious and entertaining.

As Charlie Chuck once shouted: "Comedy. It's not about nasty, it's about silly."

I've got to stop all this thinking aloud nonsense...

Perhaps a Peter Cook style of magic- intelligent, eloquent, surreal and a slight wiff of booze about it all...

...and if anyone complains, you tell 'em to @#** ***...

abraxus wrote:Perhaps a Peter Cook style of magic- intelligent, eloquent, surreal and a slight wiff of booze about it all...

...and if anyone complains, you tell 'em to @#** ***...

Now that I like.