How did you learn of this mailing list? How familiar are you with it?
Through [name deleted]'s web page.
Are you a member of any magic societies? Which ones and for how long?
No.
Which magic journals/periodicals do you subscribe to?
None currently.
What is your current interest in magic? Why do you want to join the magic mailing list?
I have my standard set of tricks, a few new, many I've been doing for most of a decade. I've done shows for employers, shows for kids, tricks during business presentations. I'd like to move from performing acceptably every once in a while to performing with real skill on a regular basis.
I also use magic to demonstrate that psychics and such aren't necessarily real just because they can do something that looks impossible.
How many years have you been performing magic? Professional or amateur?
Amateur, for about 20 years. I still remember performing my first trick when I was eight years old -- I was disappointed to learn that magic was a bunch of tricks and not the real stuff, but once I got over that, I started doing magic shows. Created my first original trick when I was 10.
Do you do shows? Approximately how many shows have you been paid for?
I've done shows when the occasion arose (I'd like to get more active). Usually for an employer (Christmas parties and such). I've only been paid for the couple of kids birthday parties I've done.
Who is your favorite performer or performers? Why?
Penn & Teller, because they have a fresh approach that strips a lot of the accumulated dreariness from magic. Too many tricks have been performed for too many decades to seem very interesting, especially in this high-tech world. Whether doing an old trick or a new trick, I like to find an approach that connects to a modern audience and really surprises them and draws them in -- Penn & Teller are an inspiration for that.
James Randi, who is very good and has accomplished so much more than mere tricks in his life.
Also, Timothy Wenk. I haven't seen him perform, but I enjoy performing the kinds of magic he produces (Misled, especially).
Finally, Corinda. I never saw him perform either, but the no-nonsense approach taken in 13 Steps To Mentalism is great.
Describe the kind of magic act or acts you perform.
I tend toward in-your-face tricks -- stuff that has no apparent gimmicks and just seems absolutely impossible. My latest favorite is the [product name deleted] for that reason -- I don't do anything fancy, just make a bill float under impossible circumstances for a few seconds; just long enough for the audience to take it in and be amazed, then I toss the bill into the audience.
Other examples are the [second product name deleted] (best way there is to make a person instantly believe you're psychic), the needle thru the arm, and even the vanishing silk in the thumb tip. I started performing that as a joke -- it seemed so hokey to me -- and it quickly became the favorite of my audiences. I'd do a half hour of magic, and that was the one trick they remembered the most. I never will understand the allure of that one, but I've probably performed it a thousand times by now (no exaggeration, and that's a lot for an amateur...).
For adults, I tend to start my act by showing the first trick I ever performed, then I show a couple of other standard, kid-like magic tricks so that the audience thinks this is the level of stuff they're going to get. Then I suddenly move to effects that they are completely unprepared for -- for instance, I'll show the needle thru the balloon, then I'll say "As a kid I learned to put a needle thru a balloon -- and I kept working at it and working at it, until I could put the needle thru my arm..." and I'll move into that one. This approach really amplifies the impact.
About how much money have you invested in magic? How much time?
I have no idea how much money -- a couple thousand dollars spread out over the years. My time has fluctuated a lot -- over the last 20 years, I've probably spent about five seriously working on it.
Describe your collection of magic apparatus and books briefly. List a few purchased effects by name.
What I can see from where I'm sitting:
- Misled
- [Same aforementioned product name deleted]
- Don Wayne Dancing Hank
- Malini egg bag (never used it, though...)
- Chinese linking rings (close-up size and stage size)
- Needle thru balloon
- [Second product name deleted] (from Johnson Products -- a great company)
- Needle thru the arm
- lots of pulls
- a collection of thumb tips and fingertips
- finally, of course, juggling chickens (for the kids shows)
Books:
- Anneman's Practical Mental Magic
- Corinda's 13 Steps to Mentalism
- Eldin's The Magic Handbook
- Hugard's Encyclopedia of Card Tricks
- Robert Houdin's King of the Conjurers
- Nelm's Magic and Showmanship
- Klutz Book of Magic (surprisingly good)
- Tarr's Now You See It, Now You Don't
- Ginn's Professional Magic for Children
- Hays' The Amateur Magician's Handbook (required reading for every kid)
and more, but that's a representative set.
Where have/do you purchase your magic? Name some dealers please.
I love Johnson Products for anything that involves metal work; their [second product name deleted] and silk pulls are great. I used to order stuff from Metempirical Magic. Abbott's is always good for the sheer amount of stuff they carry. I used to get some stuff from a place called Rabbit In the Hat, I believe. Otherwise, it's mostly through whatever magic stores I come across, especially when traveling. Just a couple of months ago a magic store moved in five blocks from my house, which is a new experience (and temptation) for me...
Have you ever won an award for magic?
No. I once did a magic show instead of an essay report in school, and I got an A...
Have you had any formal training in magic? Have you gone to camp, or received lessons?
No. Just lots of hours of work on my own.
Have you ever been published in a magic journal? Which journals?
No.
Have you even been associated with a commercial magic venture or item?
No.
Magicians are often secretive about their knowledge. How do you feel about this? Are there some secrets that should be protected? Why or why not?
To be honest, I don't believe in the absolute secrecy. Part of my motivation is exposing frauds, and sometimes the best way to do that is to show how it's done. And absolute secrecy is a charade anyway -- anyone can do what I did when I was eight and check a book out of the library for free to see how it's done.
That said, I tend to have a limited set of things I'll show. Dumb things that any five year old can find out about -- like the thumb tip or a simple card trick. The [product name deleted], on the other hand, I guard with my life. It's one of the few tricks that's actually more complicated than people think, and it's just too elegant and too good to disclose. Same with the [second product name deleted]-- it's just too good to give away.
If you read USENET, what do you think is the best use of the alt.magic newsgroup?
I've only scanned alt.magic a few times, and it seemed so full of people asking how tricks were done and other people yelling at them for asking that I gave up on it. The best use is probably publicizing the resources available to magicians. Beyond that, the public forum seems pretty limiting for any real discussion.
If you know anyone on the magic mailing list, could you give us their names as references?
I don't know if I know anyone on the list...
Why should the members accept your application? What do you have to offer to the rest of the membership?
A strong desire and ability to find and present magic that truly works for adults in this day and age. I can often see ways that "standard" tricks could be used to accomplish great effects. I'm very good at devising creative routines. I want people to walk away thinking about what cool things I can do, not thinking I'm hokey or that I'm condescending to them.
Also, a lot of scientific and technical knowledge and analytical ability, and some reasonable knowledge about frauds and psychics and the like. I have a lot of computer programming experience and writing experience (creative and technical) which I might be able to put to use for the group.
Mostly I can offer the rest of the membership intelligent and (hopefully) interesting discussion that breaks out of the traditional view of magic. What I hope to get from the list is the motivation to really learn this craft and become a very good or excellent performer, instead of a just okay one.
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