talkmagic.co.uk

I thought I'd ask this... I searched and I didn't find a thread with this exact question so hopefully I'm not repeating something done ages ago.

I want to know your top 5 personal inspirations in magic - not a list of who you think are the top 5 best in their field, but just who you personally adore and respect, and who's performances spurred you on. And in no particular order, unless you want to put them in order.

My 5 would have to be...

- Bill Malone - So loveable, and a wonderful teacher, too.

- Derren Brown - Pure affection.

- R Paul Wilson - I just love him! A modest showman, but a card master.

- Oz Pearlman - ".PERFECTION" is one of the best card effects in the world. No more needs to be said.

- Angela Funovits - She is truly an inspiration to me. So skilled and so exquisite.

I'm not being facetious here, I actually do think it's great how differently people see things and what inspires them! Bill Malone - whilst he does great material - to me comes across as sweaty, corny, lecherous... a perfect example of the sort of magician I don't really want to be, in terms of presentation. And Oz Pearlman, again, very skilled, but I think his presentations can be a bit stiff, although I far prefer his style to Bill's.


Mine would be:

Eugene Burger - Mysterious, charismatic, blackly humorous - everything a magician should be in my eyes.

Jay Sankey - Say what you want, Sankey has put out a lot of very good stuff. He was instrumental in me learning magic, so thanks, Sanks.

Roger Curzon - from Sheffield, not someone most of you will know. But Roger is a quietly spoken, highly skilled cardman and intriguing mentalist. Seeing his "dream envelope" is pretty much why I'm here.

John Archer - proving that comedy and mentalism can just about go hand in hand. Generally hilarious and a great bloke to boot.

Aldo Colombini - Because he taught me magic doesn't have to be complicated or even difficult to be powerful.

Farlsborough wrote:I'm not being facetious here, I actually do think it's great how differently people see things and what inspires them! Bill Malone - whilst he does great material - to me comes across as sweaty, corny, lecherous... a perfect example of the sort of magician I don't really want to be, in terms of presentation. And Oz Pearlman, again, very skilled, but I think his presentations can be a bit stiff, although I far prefer his style to Bill's.

Well there you go! People do see things differently, and although I agree Bill Malone is a large and very "80s" looking fellow, I doubt he's sweaty, and as a woman (me, not him) I don't find him lecherous in the slightest. You've got him on corny, but then even he would admit that!

And, come on, even you must enjoy the work he put into Sam the Bellhop, or his immaculate handling of the Cards from Mouth! He's a sweetie and he can have a cuddle from me anyday.

Bill Mah Lone! Bill Mah Lone!

Top 5 inspirations in magic?

Funnily enough my top one (and really the reason I'm on these boards) would be Neil Gaiman.
If you've never heard of him, you're not missing out on great magic effects or anything as he's a fiction writer.
His character Shadow from his brilliant book American Gods is a magician in the books, and whilst I wont bore you with the details - that character brought me to magic.

If I had to pick four others (and I'm not sure I could...) I guess somewhere up there would be Jay Sankey for me too.
He might have gone a bit off the rails lately, but there's no doubting that some of the stuff he released before he went a bit mad was brilliant magic and whilst I don't really use much of his stuff in routines anymore, the impromtpu nature of a lot of it causes me to call upon it in moments of "show us a trick then".

Another one up there would be Mr Derren Brown owing to my more recent move into full on mentalism - showing a refreshing approach to mentalism and using his inimitable brand of dressing to turn minor tricks into full scale miracles.

Jean Hugard is probably up on the list too - reading through Royal Road To Card Magic even now is still immensely useful, and above all else, Mr Hugard taught me that the most important part of magic is to be entertaining - "presentation is everything" and all that.

And if I have to rack my brains for one more magician I'll go for... Greg Wilson.
Watching him do genuine miracles in 100% impromptu situations is still to this day, thoroughly enjoyable.


There we go.
My five top inspirations.

David Copperfield - It was watching this man whilst I was a small child that suspended my belief in the world around me, that taught me that no matter how bad I was having it, there were great things that could happen in this world.

Roberto Giobbi - I am still to this very second amazed at how much detail and effort has gone into Card College. Anyone who has ever tried writing up one of their own effects will testify to how boring a process it can be after a while, you just want to stop typing and pick up a deck of cards.

Guy Hollingsworth - When I saw the Worlds Greatest Magic from the Magic Castle, and there were all these over the top American magicians doing their big stage productions, with dancers, lights and music, and then there was this representative from England, a quiet, unnassuming, distinguished miracle worker with a deck of cards.

Wayne Dobson - I don't think I really have to say much here. A constant inspiration and I can't wait to meet the guy again in October.

Steven Barry - Not many people know about his young man yet, and I do mean YET. I have the great pleasure of pasteboard jamming with this guy just about every week. I have yet to meet someone with such an ability to captivate an audience so quickly and easily.

A few names come to mind when I think of Magic and where it has surfaced during my life. Here are a few =P

Paul Daniels - Some of the first Magic I ever saw and the first Magic set I ever bought. Only now have I looked back at some of his proper routines and can appreciate them from a different perspective than just an 8 year old boy.

Paul Zenon - Such an awesome persona and generally an entertaining guy to watch perform on stage or in the street. Best lesson from him was certainly that the complicated things are not always the best.

Blaine - Despite his near death stunts he pulls I like his original card magic and his ACR was one I really enjoyed watching.

Bill Malone - His card handling is excellent despite the annoying audiences he has on most of his videos =P

Paul - He'll make himself known if he wants others to know but this guy has kept me going and pushes me to keep practicing magic. He's always showing me new things and pushing me in new directions so certainly an inspiration.


Just realised that 3/5 of my people are Paul..... scary =/

David P. Abbott- the guy in my avatar. His effects all seem to surpass mere trickery to his audiences. In his time, he was close friends with many of Magic's finest. Okito, Kellar, Houdini, and Han Ping Chien, among others, came to visit him to trade their greatest secrets for his. He was a true genius who, basically for fun, would discover the most devious of secrets used by mediums through private experimentation and thought. Descriptions of his free shows, which were by invitation only, make it out to be a truly magical experience. Abbott's show is the skeleton of my ideal performance.

Teller- Sparked my interest in magic. Teller seems to read and know more about magic than most of us can dream of. His ideas, magical and non magical, are inspirational. Most importantly, to me, Teller adds content to his effects. You walk away from the P&T show knowing P&Ts' opinions on life.

Kenton Knepper- I learned the significance of psychology and words in magic through Knepper's books and CDs. Psychology opens up so many doors in deception.

Derren Brown- no explanation necessary...

I can't make up my mind on a fifth at the moment.

Derren Brown - for making men with goatees seem a little more hip, and for being such a swine and so bleedin' good at what he does

Lewis Jones - two books, seventh heaven and his encyclopedia of forces - those two books will genuinely give you a lifetimes worth of effects, and taught me the only stacking system i can honestly remember

theo annemann - absolute hero, out of everyone, he's probably my number one influence, to the point, his instructions are sometimes just a paragraph - and he understood how to get entertain. Im always going back to his work...i've always imagined him as a lenny bruce kinda hep-cat and a bit of a rogue on the quiet too...

john riggs - queenie, if you like large hairy men look no further!
he's the veritable human encyclopedia of mentalism...his work is phenominal, and his gimmicks, envelopes, and heath robinson approach to things is inspirational. and he makes the best imp devices known to man.

it's a tie for 5th as i lay here thinking about it - kenton, lennart green or sadowitz...cant decide...

My top five in no particular order are

1. Vinny - Good friend and the guy who got me into magic and led me I think on the right path not opening up too much too soon. Without him I wouldn't have carried on nor appreciated magic for what it is so cheers fella.

2. Bill Malone - Great effects and I like his OTT performance style. I can imagine him baffling you with even the simpliest of effects and even if you don't enjoy his magic sure as hell you'll laugh till it hurts

3. David Stone - Is there anything this guy can't do including entertainment at its finest.

4. Greg Wilson - As for the reasons above, greatly entertaining and can work with "nothing"

5. Aldo Columbini - Has you in stitches and shows you have simple magic can be really powerful when dressed up correctly.

As you can see I like entertain magicians and these are the ones that are inspirations to me

Ali Cat: Most of you won't remember him (indeed, I don't remember much about him). I know I was very keen on the TV show 'Magic Circle' when I was a kid. I think the programme came after my first magic set, but I know I had both spin-off books from the show, plus an Ali Cat annual (with some very good tricks for the target age group).

http://www.toonhound.com/alicat.htm

Paul Daniels: Not a direct influence now, but Paul reawakened my interest in magic (it's been a hobby I would get interested in for a while, then leave for a couple of years, right up until my latest and current phase which shows no signs of ending five years in). I owned all the individual tricks he sold in the early 80s, apart from the production box. Contrary to some of the advertising that showed completely different props, the other tricks you got with the box were ones I had already bought.

Derren Brown: Along with the 'Monkey Magic' team, Derren got me interested again in 2003. I didn't particularly like the laddish format of 'Monkey Magic', but I loved Derren's shows. I still do. It was also Mr Brown who influenced me to move towards mentalism. So you can blame him.

Kenton Knepper: I find him thoroughly entertaining. I love his presentation, his effects and his thinking, especially the attention he pays to overall concepts and deeper meanings. I think I own almost all his books, and there's something great in all of them.

Richard Osterlind: He's a wonderful magical thinker. He comes across as warm, human and very engaging. The audiences (OK, they are L&L, so it's hard to be sure) really do seem to enjoy his performances. His effects are clever and practical. He has written some great books on magical theory too.

In no particular order...

Derren Brown - for being the best entertainer this country has produced in a long time.

Juan Tamariz - his madcap exterior hides the sheer brilliance simmering inside him and on the verge of boiling over with no warning.

Theodore Annemann - superb. Just superb. Annemann's The Mutilated Card, remains one of my favourite T&R effects. And then, of course, there's the mentalism....

Mark Wilson - that book was one of my earliest magical purchases and no doubt played a significant part in setting me on the road to wonders and astonishment.

And not forgetting Andy Nyman - Derren Brown's other half. Not that other half, the other other half. Oh, you get the gist. Nyman's DVD Get Nyman is a treasure trove of ideas and a milestone in mentalism.

In no order (sorry!)

Gregory Wilson-Very impromptu peformances and unique funny style

Darwin Ortiz-Exceptional card skills and origional thinking

Joshua Jay-Proof that it doesnt take 30 years practice to become very experienced...(open for debate Im aware! )

Derren Brown-Superb presentation and makes me enjoy watching mentalism (which isnt something Im usually too keen on!)

Doc Eason-Uses classic "commercial" routines, but makes them his own and is very fun to watch

Farlsborough wrote:John Archer - proving that comedy and mentalism can just about go hand in hand. Generally hilarious and a great bloke to boot.

I'm sure he's a nice bloke, and maybe it's the 'northern humour' that doesn't quite travel, but i think John Archer is about as funny as a trip to the dentist, and the silliness weakens his effects to the point of boredom.

Great topic!
In vaguely chronological order...
-A guy called Martyn: A friend of mine who bought me the Royal Road a few years ago. I was kind of looking for something, and magic seemed to fill the gap. I've never looked back since.
-Roy Walton: Mr Walton has given me countless pieces of advice, alternative handlings for things I've been working on, and loads of encouragement. A true gentleman. I am, like countless others in the Glasgow area, very lucky.
-Harry Lorayne: The first non 'pick a card, return it and I'll find it' card magic I can remember seeing after getting into magic (a 4 ace production). This inspired me, by hinting at the wider possibilities of card magic which, as a beginner at the time, I was unaware of. I now have numerous Lorayne publications, and some of my favourite effects come from them.
-A street magician called James: Or maybe 'James James'. I've seen him a few times, and it was watching him that I learned a bit about the dynamics of that kind of performance (build the crowd, build up the performance, amazing finale, and pass the hat) I have used this approach on a smaller scale in my work in pubs, and it works well. He was the first person I ever saw that made me consider the possibilities of performing in public. Oh, and his show was very good too - first time I ever saw a live cups and balls performance.
-Kevin Mcmahon: So I was getting into magic, worried that I was a bit of a late starter (27ish) and then I saw this guy on TV learning some skills and eventually quitting his job for magic. How could I not be inspired by that? I saw his show a couple of years ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but at the same time I was thinking 'well if he can do it...' One day I'll have my own show, just you wait.

Only 5? Bah, no room for Pat Page, Andrew Galloway, Darwin Ortiz, Eugene Burger, Jerry Sadowitz or a little known magician by the name of Vernon, but these are more influential in the sense of learning actual 'things' about magic, misdirection and performance, while those listed above are at a more personal level.

This is an incredibly difficult question to answer. I can name 5 performers who I find incredibly influential, but that doesn't tell the whole story.

Theodore Annemann - There's absolutely no need to give reasons for this
Richard Osterlind - beyond his published materials, he's very approachable and his thinking beyond the performance is incredibly inspiring.
Bob Cassidy - His work has inspired more creativity from me than anyone else.
Jay Sankey - Still one of my favorites. I can toss in a dvd of his and watch it solely for the entertainment factor.
Patrick Redford - Simply for the bold thinking. His work has been one of the greatest of recent inspiration in that it demands complete confidence in what you're doing.
Derren Brown - I didn't want to seem like a bandwagon rider, but he really is an incredible performer.

Again - this list is just a "right now" thing. Really, every performer I come into contact with or read about is an inspiration to some level. Some of our own TM "mates" have been incredible inspirations to me - guys like Ecko and Abraxus have helped push my creativity and thinking to all new levels.

Everyone you meet has the potential to inspire - so my true list really doesn't have an end.

edit - I realize now my list has 6 entries. Sorry...