talkmagic.co.uk

well folks i just thought i should post and tell folks about my first gig. So where do i begin...........

A few months ago at a party (my mates) i met a guy who was very into my card magic. Well actually astounded (i blush). Anyways i have never thought to go professional cause i never thought i was good enough but this guy was having a swanky dinner party in glasgows trendy bearsden and asked my mate could i be 'easily' hired to perform after dinner for them (he assumed i was a pro....again i blush). Now at this point i was non the wiser but my mate said confidently that i would do it in a sort of a "yeah i'll get him to perform for you hes a good mate etc etc kind of a way". To cut a bit short here the guy called me and explained that he was entertaining and could i do an hour/ hour and a half of magic, and he had been looking into it and would i do it for £150 bucks "if you could do the stuff i saw you do ect".....now at this point i said id have to get back to him , check my diary etc and called my mate and tore him a new....well you know what i mean.

Anyhoo i thought id do it and if he was gutted i would appologise profusely give him back his redies and get on with my life. But i have to tell you it went swimmingly (sort of). I had a week and a half to routine some stuff and ive been doing it amateurly for ages so my patter was second nature. It turned out that the card stuff well paced took up about 30 mins what with forced cards to impossible locations and paper clipped etc Actually some stuff from rrcm was awsome too. I also done some coin stuff (that i think im not as good as a could be but they absoloutely loved) Then finished off with some mentalism again with cards and again with some billet style stuff. Only once during the card stuff at the begining did a guy (who was totally hammered by the way) grab the cards from right out of my hands as he was returning the card to the deck. I peeked a key card and thank allah buddah elvis and bill hicks he never shuffled them. Although i think that was largely bacause the room was shouting him down a bit.

Anyhoo the guy was delighted and gave me the dough and a nice bottle of vino for the hoose. I have to say it was a huge thrill for me and has made me think that maybe im actually ready to do this professionaly in some way (my mate now takes all the credit fror this). Im a nurse and i could never leave that but..but this....good god i love it

oh and it ran at an hour and five mins......which was nice

good stuff and well done you for taking the time to routine your effects, since you now going pro in a limited capacity might i sugest picking up the sponge toolkit around £15 from most magic stores which in adition to you cards and coins will hold you in good stead for many parties to come.

and ps you can always pm me or watever for any advice to get you going, i don't charge consultancy fees to talk magic members.

Oh wow!! Well done You! Totally envious of you!

spudgun wrote:...Only once during the card stuff at the begining did a guy (who was totally hammered by the way) grab the cards from right out of my hands as he was returning the card to the deck...

See it's this kind of cr*p i can't be bothered with.. years ago I was doing a bit of magic at a wedding and this precocious kid started going through the pockets of my jacket, once when I was wearing it and once when it was hooked over the back of a chair!
I suppose it was his way of saying "show me some more magic.. what have you got?", but is there ever any conceivable situation where it is acceptable behaviour to be rummaging through someone's pockets?? Well apparently if the owner of the jacket has performed some magic then "yes".

yeah theres a lot of very clever chaps on TM and i take everything in and try to contribute where i can so i owe probably everyone one here a thank you of some description......so thank you all very much

sponge balls yes i definite investment cheers

Well done - great to hear you did so well !

Addictive isn't it? Well done!

Well done.......and boy oh boy....don't we all have a story like this! It is a rush and thrill and once you get it once it is hard to imagine not doing it again.

moodini wrote:Well done.......and boy oh boy....don't we all have a story like this! It is a rush and thrill and once you get it once it is hard to imagine not doing it again.

Oooh, yes. It's apparently like heroin - very more-ish! Mind you, I suppose it does tickle the old pleasure centres of the brain too.

I used to come home from the pub after showing people my first bits and bobs and giggle myself silly.

always nice to hear of someone taking the plunge and getting out there in the real world - even nicer to hear when it goes well.

thanks folks......and i couldnt agree more, very morish indeed

Wel done spudgun, the first of many I hope.
It's a good thrill the first time you get paid for doing something that you enjoy and to some degree it never goes away. It sounds like you chose the right effects and had the right attitude. Good on ya!

yeah they went well but im thinking i should develop the billet work and very very interested in switchcraft......

If it works for you, you enjoy it and the specs like it then it's worth spending time one. Even effects I have done countless times before, I try to inject them with the same enthusiasm I had when I first learnt it.
It's a real buzz when you pull off something like a top c****e or p**m right before their eyes and they're startled.
I did Three Cards Across one time and didn't think I had done the dirty work that well but the reaction was one of astonishment with one spec saying it was real magic.
Three Cards Across. Old classic but laymen love it.