talkmagic.co.uk

Hi TM,

Hows it going? You look well fit.


For a while now I've had it nice and easy. Weddings during dinners, polite corporate chit chat, and club rooms filled with well watered wealthies, all in a room with perhaps a cheeky bit of background music, a babble of kids or a TV broadcasting football - which elicit yells now and then, but nothing too upsetting.

On Sunday night, however, I was booked to perform music in a club. Yea - like a proper club. Like with the BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM derrrrrrrrrm BOOM. You get it. It was so loud, talking was off the table.

The gig went surprisingly well, and most of what I performed worked - but this challenge sprung up a lot of realisations and ideas.

1. IT fails. Flashing lights, dark room. I'm an idiot. why did i think it wouldnt be seen?
I soon figured this out though, and realised that close to my chest, it was again invisible.

2. FIRE. Use it, love it, embrace it, don't let drunk people neart it. I did 3 fly, appearing the coins in a lighter flame at the start, and vanishing them back into the fire in the end. I used small bits of flash for each appearance. WIN. Whole club transfixed.

3. The failure of sponge. Ok, so some of you know I hate sponge balls, but convinced by some of the affable nitwits on here, I learnt some excellent routines, and started working them. Good reactions indeed (although still not a convert, it does not suit my style). Anyway, i figured, easy, visual - perfect for the club. SOoooOo i took them, and the sponge balls got their revenge for a decade of being shut away. I have 4. here is how they each met their fate;

NUMBER ONE - We will call him Bob. Bob ended up bobbing in someones pint. Gracefully sailed through the air (after being thrown by a chav) and straight in. Fail.
NUMBER TWO - We will call him Jim. Jims intrigue was too much for a drunk girl, who ripped him to pieces like some sort of roman sacrifice to the gods.
NUMBER THREE - We shall dub him Tim. Tim fell to the floor, and rolled beneath safety of a nearby cigarette machine. He shall be missed.
NUMBER FOUR - Who shall forever be know as Billy (no mates), sits alone in my case. Bereft.

4. Clubs are awesome. I mean, I have never had an easier gig. My tip gag actually got me tips. People hugged and high fived me all night. I got a million offers of a free drink. Girls clambered over me. I laughed all night, and none of it was hard work. Each trick was slower and more methodical, because the simplest of stuff amazed.

5. MURDER. I got away with it. I can pickpocket, but i was literally not even concealing my attempts. At one point i literally undid a watch without the moves. I did card to shoulder numerous times with MORE THAN ONE SPECTATOR. Everything i did was golden.

In summation, a gig that i was really nervous about, ended up being a reinvigorating, refreshing and absolutely and utterly enjoyable one. I got a lot of new likers and followers the next day as well, so people actually looked me up. Its always great to throw yourself out of you comfort zone guys because who knows, it may just be a lot more comfy than you expect.

Well done that man.
Clubs; with their music and drunk (and whatever else) kiddies can be a daunting environment.
Sounds like it went well, kudos to you!

This kind of thing is totally my element, i have so much stuff aimed at what I call "drunk students"

And you might not believe me til you try it but balloon modelling in a nightclub goes down REALLY well!

We should talk...

Sounds like an awesome night! Top job!

Off topic slightly, but what trick do you use with flash paper? I have tonnes of the stuff and every now and then I get it out, stare at it, then put it back. I want to use it, but need inspiration!!

K

Kev. Get a Frixion pen and write reveals on the back of your business cards.
Best use I currently have for flash paper!

I've got a frixion pen. When does the flash come into it though. Sorry if I'm being stupid. I'm on nights!!!

K

Never mind how well the gig went - your post was the most entertainingly written I have read for an age! Thanks for the giggle!

ha cheers Philip. Glad to be of service.

FLASH PAPER HMM!?

what can't you do?! its heroic - the questions you have to ask yourself are a) where will I hide the paper 2) how will i greate ignition?

once you have these down just create like mad.

I do loads.
firstly, i attach flashpaper to my bizcards on the back, and i write/scratch/burn predictions on most of the cards underneath the paper. I DL so i can show the back of an unmarked biz card, then get them to light a lighter, wave card over it SHAPOW it catches on fire... i blow it out and act a little then reveal prediction. epic and they want to keep the card after cos its an impossible trick.

3 fly.
i use huge silver coins for my 3 fly cos its funny. also, i blutack wads of FP to the back of each before the trick starts. as i palm off coins, i simply push the FP to my fingertips. I get them to hold the lighter on, touch the FP to the flame, and reveal the first coin. I let them hold that one, then repeat with the other two at the same time (one in each hand).
NOW I DO MY 3 FLY or any other coin routine i fancey.
I then do coin vanishes, and take more flash paper. when they think the coin is in my hand, its just more paper and its amazing when the coin vanishes with a small flame. to end the trick.

FP is perfect to entertain smokers. if you are at a venue lots of people go out to smoke, a captive audience. they all have lighters and lit cigarettes. I like saying stuff like 'i used to smoke but now i cant' and being all melodramatic. then they ask why and i proceed to blow up loads of cigarettes in my own face. "same reason I cant grow a beard". funny stuff.

if you have loads of FP, start carrying it, and you will find a million uses. its great for casual miracle when NO ONE expects an inferno.
Use sparingly for little productions, and GENEROUSLY for tricks where you make people c*** (not the best) themselves.

Thanks for that!! I'm going to start practicing with it next week! I expert some burnt fingers.

K

do it. its a way of life!

Am I allowed to link to a blog post I wrote outside of here? If so, I've just written about magic in nightclubs here http://magiciansblog.com/magic-in-a-nightclub/

Personally it's not for me, I understand that there is a monetary incentive, but it's not the ideal environment for magic.

Also, as I've said elsewhere on the forum - for anyone using fire, make sure you have the correct insurance cover, otherwise it's a disaster waiting to happen.

I think it depends really. I've done stuff as restaurants and received receptions from people that were positively hostile. I've approached tables to show magic to people and they've said 'no' they weren't interested. I think it's a matter of what people expect to see. A magician in a nightclub is rare in my opinion. In a restaurant it's also quite rare. I've never eaten in a restaurant and had a magician perform for me in my life.

I think everyone would be a lot safer with balloon modelling as suggested. Although magic is best appreciated when it happens in your specs hands, that probably doesn't apply when those hands belong to a drunk person. It'd probably be best to stick to flash paper and balloons - things a drunk person can understand and appreciate!!!!

K

Excellent post Shuff Shuff, glad it turned out well for you!

Thanks Mandrake glad you like it.

And Kev thanks for the link, an interesting view.

One of the parts of your post that i found interesting is the potential for negative response. I found that following me gig i had a lot of new followers on twitter and FB likers, and because everyone was so drunk, the reactions were great, and i was doing a ton of tricks with biz cards as I used them to introduce myself so people understood why I was there (with a trick of course).

Now yes, people wanting to grab at all my stuff was a little bit irritating, and there were spongy casualties, but i quickly adapted my audience management to gain respect and control.

I found hostility in some people, but there was not one person i could not get on my side, and in some cases all i had to say was 'ok, i wont trick you, why dont you be on my side?' and i would stand next to them, or drag them next to me and act like they were helping. Due to the fact that i was yellling in their ear and no one else could hear us, to everyone else it looked like i was just performing to him, and he relaxed more as did I.

Also, as i mentioned, i could get away with anything - a perfect environment to try something new. I have draw up a hhuge list of stuff to try next time, each more ballsy than the last.

We do magic because we LOVE it, but as with any job there are always bad jobs/bad days at the office, but you know what? You're getting paid, which is awesome. Excellent comedians have to do horrible WMClubs and thoses gigs suck. Bands have to play in grungy pubs and those gigs suck. artists have to sell their art in pubs, and that SUCKS but - they are performing, developing, creating, learning and getting stronger, and hopefully with a smile on their face.

Through adversity and challenge we get better, so definitely do the hard stuff.

kevmundo wrote:I've got a frixion pen. When does the flash come into it though. Sorry if I'm being stupid. I'm on nights!!!

K

If this hasn't been answered already, frixion ink disapears with heat as well as friction, so flash paper can be used to change/vanish/reveal (underneath frixion ink) drawings/words.

Thanks for that. I got a PM off Lawrence with a cracking effect. Ill try it out when I see some daylight!!

K