talkmagic.co.uk

You mentioned a great routine, however think very carefully about the way it is worded.

"Did you see it go? Yes? because it is not gone yet"

Now you have just made a fool out of your spectator. I don't like it and again that is personal. I prefer not asking 'set' questions to my spectators. I perfer the line:

"Watch carefully, see right now it is not gone yet" open the hand and the coin is there, close the hand again, "And now it is gone" open the hand and show it gone.

Not absolutly necessary to use a shell using that patter either, just so you know. Please don't think I am trying to talk you out of using shells, I am not. I think they are a great tool. I use them in Hopping Half as mentioned earlier, Scotch and Soda and the Alchemists Fantasy. All available for purchase somewhere.

As for the question of transport. That is the exact reason why I shy away from gimmicked coins in the first place. I only carry around the above, and usually only one of them if I know I am going to perform a trick or two and don't want to work that hard. Other than that I always have four halves in my pocket, a deck of cards, a haunted key on my keychain and a cig through coin (coin) also boldly on my keychain. And I'm off and running. ohh almost forgot, colour monte is never that far out of reach.

I'm in two minds on the "making a fool" thing.
Largely I think it unnecessary for a good effect and indeed with a change in patter I think the same thing and almost the same words could achieve as good an effect without the fooling.
It depends on persona though, I imagine.

On the other hand - the spark that got me back into magic was when Todd Various picked me out of the crowd for the cups and balls up in Edinburgh. A huge part of the act was 'How many?' 'Nope, wrong!' type stuff which worked perfectly and left me both in fits of laughter and amazed.

BigShot wrote:I'm in two minds on the "making a fool" thing.
Largely I think it unnecessary for a good effect and indeed with a change in patter I think the same thing and almost the same words could achieve as good an effect without the fooling.
It depends on persona though, I imagine.

On the other hand - the spark that got me back into magic was when Todd Various picked me out of the crowd for the cups and balls up in Edinburgh. A huge part of the act was 'How many?' 'Nope, wrong!' type stuff which worked perfectly and left me both in fits of laughter and amazed.

I absolutly agree, it depends on the nature of the perfomer. If you have the personality to get away with it and not insult your spectator then you are golden.

If however, you are like me and just don't like most people in general it is hard to pull off. I always am on the edge of slapping my spectator silly as it is.

That in itself could be a good persona for a performance.
It often works for comedians to act like they don't want to be there and that they resent everyone in the room for turning up and making them work... maybe there'd be room for that in a magic act too.

Of course - assaulting your spectators may well be a step too far.

I dunno though - I'm still trying to lose the parkinsons-shakes with my performances and fumbling a shell all over my office when I should be working!

Haha.

I'm intrigured though, how does someone who dislikes people end up in the kind of job or hobby that involves other people so closely?

BigShot wrote:That in itself could be a good persona for a performance.
It often works for comedians to act like they don't want to be there and that they resent everyone in the room for turning up and making them work... maybe there'd be room for that in a magic act too.

Of course - assaulting your spectators may well be a step too far.

I dunno though - I'm still trying to lose the parkinsons-shakes with my performances and fumbling a shell all over my office when I should be working!

Haha.

I'm intrigured though, how does someone who dislikes people end up in the kind of job or hobby that involves other people so closely?

I was enslaved into magic plain and simple. Blame my folks. When I was just a wee lad of 9 my father sold his company and opened a magic shop in our basment in Montreal Quebec Canada. And as one of four children we were all required to help out with the new family business. As I got older I found that working was actually easier than looking for work. So I continued to help out around the shop as I grew. The shop grew too big for the house and moved to an actuall store. Eventually I wanted to leave the East Coast and go West, (Vancouver, B.C.) where we opened a second magic shop which I ran on my own for 10 yrs. Then I met this wonderful Woman who lived in Central Pa. Folded up the shop in Vancouver into the one in Montreal and decided at that time to step away from the magic scence, (because y'all just annoy me ) Got a job in a bank (hated every moment of it) Started up the Local IBM magic ring here and realized just why magicians annoy me and dis-entangled myself from that once the club was up and running, (it still is going strong).

Now I sit in my armchair and practice at my leisure, I show friends and family my latest and greatest and I perform only when and where I want. I truly do love magic. And some of my best friends are magicicans, and my mentors (in life, not just magic) are magicians. Albert Goshman, Romain, my father and a few others. So I can't really just up and leave, but it is certainly nice to be able to sit in the shadows now.

Oh and Perfect Magic, (my fathers shop) is still up and running. You can visit them at www.perfectmagic.com. Or find them on Facebook or Twitter.

Thats my story and I'm sticking too it.

...and a good story it is too.

"...because y'all just annoy me " - nicely put.

I also liked the (maybe unintentionally) 'racist' overtones of "some of my best friends are magicians"... do all magicians look the same to you, by any chance?

No they don't all look alike, and that proves to be a problem because I can't pick a magician out of a crowd so every now and again one manages to sneak up on me. But it is never long before they want to show me a trick. Magicians can't seem to help themselves. LOL. Its all good.

What is funny, is when I interviewed for the job I currently have they asked about my ability to work with others. I replied, "oh, I don't really like anybody, but I can get along with everybody." I often wondered why they hired me anyway. And I am sure there are moments when they ask themselves the same question. Like I said, its all good.

Nice interview technique you have there.

On the plus side, I'm not the kind to show tricks all the time so I probably wouldn't end up showing you against your will.