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mark lewis wrote:Card magic can be quite wonderful and it is no accident that Hofzinser described it as the "poetry of magic". However, it has to be done in an entertaining manner by an interesting personality.

I don't know has card magic ever been done in an entertaining manner by an interesting personality (aside from Bill Malone). And if it was, I don't know would it be entertaining. Certainly would not match a good comedian or a solid circus act.

Tony. I haven't seen much in the way of ANY kind of magic, let alone card magic, done by interesting personalities!

mark lewis wrote:Tony. I haven't seen much in the way of ANY kind of magic, let alone card magic, done by interesting personalities!

That's an interesting point.

It looks like there are two approaches/ extremes here. On the one hand we have those performers who like the magic to be the focus (e.g. Mike Skinner), and on the other, we have performers who like their personality to be the focus (e.g. Bill Malone). Both men make (or have made, in the case of Mr Skinner) their livelihoods from this approach, so it can be surmised that both approaches 'work' (here I'm defining 'work' as 'an audience is prepared to part with their cash to see')

I'm not here to say that one is better than the other, as each has its merits.

TonyB wrote:Certainly would not match a good comedian or a solid circus act.

I think this is a false equivalence. Magic can be presented in a comedy fasion, but obviously will not be as funny as a comedian, as that is not the primary focus of the performance. Ditto circus acts and displays of overt skill.

A good comedian or a solid circus act would not be as magical, as a magician.

It is utterly ESSENTIAL for the magician to have an interesting personality. The magic alone won't do it. But by "interesting personality" I don't mean a loud American one like Bill Malone or a loud Spanish one like Juan Tamariz. I am not a fan of loud noisy performers although some people go for it. You can be perfectly interesting in a quiet way like Slydini or Vernon. I think it is a mistake to over present as well as under present.

The magic is only a peg to hang your personality on. But of course you have to have strong pegs so the magic should be good as well. However, tricks are always secondary to entertainment. And a large part of entertainment comes from the performer's personality.

Card tricks can indeed be very entertaining if they are done in the right way with an engaging personality. This concept is described very clearly in the back section of Expert Card Technique in the Presentation section. Charisma is far more important than technique and should be part and parcel of being a magician. If you haven't got it you badly need to develop it somehow. If you can't then in my opinion there is no point doing magic in the first place.

mark lewis wrote:The magic is only a peg to hang your personality on. But of course you have to have strong pegs so the magic should be good as well. However, tricks are always secondary to entertainment. And a large part of entertainment comes from the performer's personality.

Could you clarify your first sentence? Do you mean that you see magic as being the vehicle by which the performer displays his personality, or that it's his/ her personality (in terms of charisma and rapport) that is the vehicle for the magic?

PS. Yes, the section on performance in ECT is a must-read!

The answer is both. The point is that YOU are the magic. But you still need the magic. The trouble is with noisy extroverted performers is that the personality overshadows the magic and that is not a good thing. The magic should be the focus but it is the personality which drives the magic. It should be there delighting people in the background but not too overpowering but you are still delightfully aware of it. I liken it to a window. A good window doesn't draw attention to itself. It simply lets the light in. A good magician doesn't draw attention to himself. He just lets the magic in. However, he can let it in far more effectively if he has an interesting personality.

There are basically three ways to present yourself presenting magic. You can be dark and mysterious a la David Blaine or perhaps the rather long winded Max Maven. You can be the hilariously funny performer such as Tommy Cooper. Or you can be the nimble, quick witted, light hearted tongue in cheek, glib tongued performer with a twinkle in the eye. You choose the character which you wish to play which may well be an extension of your own character. The key element is to, as I stated, present YOURSELF presenting magic.

By all means let the magic take the forefront but the audience is well aware of the personality which is present throughout the performance.

The first time I saw David Copperfields "Escape From Alkatraz" as a kid there was a small moment which really caught my eye. It was a sort of "Spellbound" transformation of two or three coins into a set of lock picks. What made it stand out was that rather than rubbing the coins and having them turn straight into the lock picks, we also got a glimpse of the process mid transformation. It really looked like he was magically turning one into the other.

Years later this little piece was the inspiration behind a couple of effects.

I was similarly inspired by a performance of the classic Bill Switch, performed by the great Doug Henning. This was one of the many things which instilled in me a belief that sleight of hand should be done slowly and deliberately.

I felt very moved the first time I saw Lance Burtons Floating Bird Cage. What a beautiful piece of magic that is.

Lately I've been finding inspiration in channel fives "Once Upon a Time" and believe it or not, Harry Potter. I am currently working on two effects which have been inspired by the magic depicted in these.


Jim

Thanks all. The last few posts have totally redeemed this thread

I am a card man my self and love every moment of it, I am not sure what type of personalty to have as in RL I am a people person and can talk to anyone but do love the dark type of person but not sure if that will work with me?

Raven1s wrote:I am a card man my self and love every moment of it, I am not sure what type of personalty to have as in RL I am a people person and can talk to anyone but do love the dark type of person but not sure if that will work with me?

You should probably be yourself. Most card magic is done impromptu in a social situation rather than for money. If this is the case then the people probably know you or will get to know you. If you put on some sort of dark personality which isn't you it will appear false and could make you look ridiculous. If you are performing professionally then it may be a different story but even here my gut feeling is that your personality should be an extension of your own true personality. Card magic in any case doesn't really suit a dark mysterious persona and only a few can pull it off.

Thanks everyone for their contribution. Much appreciated, will go check all you recommendations out now. Thanks again.

mark lewis wrote:

Raven1s wrote:I am a card man my self and love every moment of it, I am not sure what type of personalty to have as in RL I am a people person and can talk to anyone but do love the dark type of person but not sure if that will work with me?

You should probably be yourself. Most card magic is done impromptu in a social situation rather than for money. If this is the case then the people probably know you or will get to know you. If you put on some sort of dark personality which isn't you it will appear false and could make you look ridiculous. If you are performing professionally then it may be a different story but even here my gut feeling is that your personality should be an extension of your own true personality. Card magic in any case doesn't really suit a dark mysterious persona and only a few can pull it off.

was thinking of doing card magic professionally but will just card magic do or need to add more to it?

The best advice is not to turn professional in the first place, card tricks or not. The second money is involved is the second the fun starts to disappear. Of course the really determined will ignore this advice and either end up as big stars or starving magicians, the latter being more likely than the former.

But to give you more specific advice the odds are that you need other skills besides card tricks to survive. Show business is hard enough without making it harder. Having said that there have indeed been a tiny few performers who have succeeded with card tricks alone.

The odds are against it though. Be careful. And don't believe the hype that professional magicians are all living in luxury. I will tell you how you know that they aren't. Here is the dead giveaway. As soon as you hear they are lecturing for magic clubs or conventions and especially putting out products that is usually a bad sign. It usually means they cannot sustain an income performing for real people.

mark lewis wrote:The best advice is not to turn professional in the first place, card tricks or not. The second money is involved is the second the fun starts to disappear. Of course the really determined will ignore this advice and either end up as big stars or starving magicians, the latter being more likely than the former.

But to give you more specific advice the odds are that you need other skills besides card tricks to survive. Show business is hard enough without making it harder. Having said that there have indeed been a tiny few performers who have succeeded with card tricks alone.

The odds are against it though. Be careful. And don't believe the hype that professional magicians are all living in luxury. I will tell you how you know that they aren't. Here is the dead giveaway. As soon as you hear they are lecturing for magic clubs or conventions and especially putting out products that is usually a bad sign. It usually means they cannot sustain an income performing for real people.

was planing on going pro as in school fairs and private party's no way good enough for stage stuff lol

mark lewis wrote:As soon as you hear they are lecturing for magic clubs or conventions and especially putting out products that is usually a bad sign. It usually means they cannot sustain an income performing for real people.

In contrast kids show workers and comedy magicians rarely give lectures at clubs, because we have no difficulty making a good living off magic.

I have paid all my bills from magic for nearly twenty years, and I have just two card tricks, one of which I have not done in more than a decade. If you want to turn professional, be realistic enough to know that only a tiny handfull of people worldwide can make a living exclusively doing card magic.