talkmagic.co.uk

Those who've known me since 2003 when I joined the boards will know I have always aspired to stage magic but I've never been sure what style etc.

Then you'd also know that life has taken me on different directions (radio, computing etc) and I'm 'Most Likely to Disappear and Reappear' having won the award twice in a row now lol

Anyway, I'm doing a couple of comedy workshops over the next couple of months in stand up and improv and a little lightbulb went off in my head regarding comedy magic!! That's what I want to try!

Any tips on the best people to research and any good resources for comedy magic?

I'd just try and watch those who have been successful...John Archer, Carl Einar Hackner etc.

Thanks... I was looking for names of the best I'll obviously use my own style but I want to see what sort of stuff goes down really well etc.

Your best inspirations for comedy magic are unlikely to be magicians at all. I notice that you are planning to do a course in Stand-Up Comedy. Well comedy magic is almost exactly the same as stand-up except that the tool to feed your comedy is not, for example, various complaints about your mother in law or how long it takes your wife to get ready to go out, or how its really funny what happens in supermarkets etc. The magic trick itself is the tool to feed your comedy - the little stories that you have invented/got hold of and use as patter for your various magic tricks are where the laughs should come from.
Additional comedy can come from funny props that you are using, but that isn't entirely necessary, the meat of the comedy comes from your characterisation and the stories that your character tells, just as it will when you do stand-up.

Good examples to look at are:

Tommy Cooper, Michael Finney, Bill McComb, there are some videos of Mark Lewis knocking around on You Tube that show some decent comedy magic, and David Regal can be very funny.

There are a number of comedy magic DVDs out there: I remember seeing one with an american who swallowed a baloon. V funny he was, but don't recall his name.

... thanks

Jordan C wrote:I was looking for names of the best

Paul Daniels.

jim

Jay Sankey's 'Zen and the Art of stand-up comedy' is a great starting point. It is predominately a guide on 'stand-up' from starting out and character development. There's a section on incorporating additional skills with stand-up and he touches on incorporating magic here also.

Defiantly worth getting and its probably a bargain on Amazon.

jim ferguson wrote:

Jordan C wrote:I was looking for names of the best

Paul Daniels.

jim

He is SLAYING at the panto in Redhill this year.

@OP as said before, study comedians, not magicians.

ok, i would say do "normal" magic but put your personal spin on it. Be creative. Think out the box. Show people something that little bi different. What some magicians find funny lay audiences don't. Magic in its own sense is funny. For goodness sakes though do not copy other comedy acts and dont script jokes. When i do comedy stuff i routine my acts and change them to fit my style and improv on the comedy and flow with the crowd. Hope that helps.

russellmagic wrote:Show people something that little bi different. What some magicians find funny lay audiences don't.

I agree. Personally, I run a mile from any advert that says "filled with hilarious tried and tested lines". This usually means that it contains some lines that got a giggle at a magic convention in the late 1970s. Come up with your own lines and jokes that suit your character, rather than try to shoehorn other scripted bits into your performances.

If you're going to ad lib comedy in a routine, you also need to know what makes the things you say funny. I recommend two books:

Comedy Writing Secrets by Melvin Helitzer. Who he hasn't written for isn't worth knowing.

The Naked Jape by Jimmy Car and Lucy Greeves. Yes, that Jimmy Carr.

Tomo wrote:The Naked Jape by Jimmy Car and Lucy Greeves. Yes, that Jimmy Carr.

I love that book, I got it for Christmas and couldn't put it down!

Pete Firman's well worth watching too, he's very funny. Probably my favourite comedy magician going.

Anything by David Acer.

Really I like to Comedy very much. I have seen many shows on comedy. And Really want to become a better comedian. Thats why I want some tips to become a better comedian. Can anyone help me.