talkmagic.co.uk

For those of you who missed this excellent article by Jamy Ian Swiss.
http://www.antinomymagic.com/swiss.htm

Thanks, great article! Not sure if it will make any inroads beyond those who likely already agree with it. Definitely a lot to think about.

Facinating stuff, but i dont know when he wrote this piece.
This style of hit and run magic is kind of going out now.

I dont really get the whole "street magic" thing. Surely nobody can actually make money that way. In David Blaine, Derren Brown and whoever else, its not like he is just some stranger walking up and going "Want to see some magic?!"

I think 9/10 people would be genuinely creeped out by that unless the guy just happened to be a famous TV magician or at least had a camera crew with him. Busking is something that works, street magic, in my opinion is a pipe dream that is steadily going out of fashion.

Matthius88 wrote:In David Blaine, Derren Brown and whoever else, its not like he is just some stranger walking up and going "Want to see some magic?!"

Actually, it can be just like that! My sister was once approached on the Tube by a young man who wanted to perform a magic trick. It was Derren Brown, before he was famous - or at least before she had heard of him. Needless to say she dismissed him instantly as a freak and wanted nothing to do with him. I think she possibly regrets that now

That sort of proves the point exactly though doesn't it? At the time he's just a stranger accosting her in the street.

With a famous face and a camera behind him, saying "I'm doing a magic show for channel 4, would you like to take part in something" I imagine suddenly she doesn't see him in quite the same light.

Not necessarily though I was on the metro the other week playing with a deck of cards when some lasses asked if I played polker I said naw I just dabble abit in magic (I Played it cool ya see to impress them), they asked me to prove it, I showed them a few tricks they were impressed with it and then I got off the metro leaving them bewildered.

Its only ever happend once but some people out there are interested you just need to ask them.

TLS

Ah, but thats having the audience come to you. He was looking to see something, not just some randomer that you chased down. If the audience comes to you, the want to see something. Someone just walking down the street might not.

I believe its all in the approach really, I often just make small talk with them first, my accent helps I am canadian but mix that with Geordie, Smoggie you get some sort of wild Irish sounding accent.

I speak to them about little things before saying Listen I dabble abit in magic do you mind if I just show you something quickly...

you can tell by the small talk that they are willing to interact with you and by doing this you gradually move them a comforting zone to a new but yet comforting zone.

TLS