talkmagic.co.uk

Hi everyone,

Been a while since I've been here so I thought I'd use this space to tell you what I've been up to. First off, I'm changing my username. I had visited this site under the guise of blackmahakala, but I've been thinking I'd quite like you all to know who I really am. So I'll be using my 'real' name (Gary Dickson) from now on. I hope this does not cause any undue confusion.

So, what have I been up to? A lot! Let me tell you....

Some of you may know I'm a practicing Buddhist from my previous posts. You may not know I live in a Buddhist Centre in the centre of Nottingham. At the start of the year I got roaring drunk (I don't claim to be good at practicing Buddhism!) and behaved abusively towards some women who were at the centre. As a result of this I was nearly evicted. Understandably they had concerns about such behaviour in what is a public building.

Fortunately the governing body of the Buddhist Centre were happy for me to continue living here if I took a vow not to drink alcohol. So now I am teetotal. This was a particularly hellish time. As I said, I don't claim to be a good Buddhist (whatever that is), but I know what conditions I need to be in in order to thrive and the thought of having to move out was horrifying. I shudder to think what would have happened. I would have nosedived, spiritually and psychologically.

This happened in January. Obviously there is only so long one can abide in such intense mental states. Life goes on.

So I picked myself up, took what lessons I could from the experience and moved on, so to speak. Luckily I live with Buddhists who are generally an understanding and forgiving bunch, especially if they can see you are making effort to grow.

It took me a couple of months to get over the experience, if I truly have, and there is still a lot of work to do rebuilding some of the relationships I have damaged, but I do like a challenge.

You may be wondering why I'm telling you all this. Just to be clear, it's not breastbeating or a public confession a la Mel Gibson. It's more of a reportage kind of deal. Some of you may be wondering what this has to do with magic. This is, after all, a magic forum. Well, I do not hold the view that my life is compartmentalised. Every aspect of my life interacts with and affects every other aspect of my life. While I was in the midst of this difficult time I could not practice magic. It was only when I started to come out of it that I could pick up a deck of cards.

And so.....onto the magic.

Eventually my mental states improved and my love for magic arose. I decided to take my skills onto the streets of Nottingham one Saturday afternoon about a month ago. I met with limited success, at least financially, but I loved performing tricks for lots of people. I'm a busker, I play the djembe which is an African hand drum, so I'm used to working with the public.

I noticed that if I wore a shirt and tie people were much more receptive so I took the plunge and spent my last £100 on a suit from a store well known in the UK for selling designer clobber very cheap (I won't mention their name, you all know who they are!). This was a very difficult decision for me to make. It really was the last of my funds and I was taking a big gamble (I'm not a gambling man). I was counting on the suit paying for itself, or maybe my ability with magic to pay for the suit. I spent about an hour in this shop dithering over whether to buy the suit. In the end I did, but it was probably the hardest purchase I've ever made.

It was the right decision. I look good in a suit and more importantly I like wearing them, so I feel confident and comfortable. Also, a suit can have a wondrous effect on people. Dressed in a suit people take one more seriously. I imagine that if was wearing my normal attire (jeans and t-shirt) people would be less inclined to see me do magic.

So, now I'm a professional magician (ha! I'm laughing as I type this. The idea seems so ludicrous!). I work tables outside bars and get strong reactions from people. They go nuts over stuff. It has been a lesson to me......you can perform the simplest trick in the world (the best ones, I think) and if you do it right, and by this I'm talking about presentation rather than technique, you will amaze, astound and entertain people.

As a result of busking with magic I'm now getting job offers from private individuals and I'm building a good working relationship with the manager of a pub (now that 've stopped drinking!).

I'd like to relate something slightly crazy that happened. I used to work in a shop in a shopping centre in Nottingham. While working there I got friendly with the security guards, showing them my new tricks, or just chatting over a fag (cigarette to all the Americans reading). One of them came up to me and asked for my card. Apparently they might be interested in retaining my services as a magician on Saturdays. My understanding is that they pay well for a days work. This is not definite, or maybe not even a maybe. But as someone said to me last night, if they're interested in you, three quarters of the work is done.

I'm not holding my breath. I imagine they probably want someone bubbly and enthusiastic to entertain kids and I'm not that interested in kids magic but I'm thinking maybe the magician could be for the parents. If not, I could always dust of my multiplying billiard balls!

So, that's all for now. I hope you've enjoyed reading this.

ps: road tested Sean Field's Saw last night. I'm going to post a review if you're interested.

Hi Gary, Welcome to TM. I Hope that you enjoy your stay here!

Phew - that was some read

Hi and welcome to TM

Hello Gary and welcome to TM.
Have fun around here!
With warm greetings from Iceland.

I kinda get the feeling that a lot of people didn't actually read the post all that thoroughly! I love the idea that magic has made that much of an impact in your life. In the end whether somebody does it for fun, or for a living doesn't really matter. If it makes you happy (which I'm sure it makes us all feel) then it can't be a bad thing. It's strange how things worked out so well for you, as life isn't always hunky dory for the majority of people, and struggle seems to be the norm. But the fact that you overcame difficulty and came out a better person is brilliant. I wish you the best of luck with your magic, and your new outlook on life.

PS Why are you not so keen on kids magic, too easy or not the same satisfaction?

Welcome to TM.

welcome again...

keep on turning those corners and making your spiritual and magical connections...

Welcome to TM!