Rebuilding A Mystery

Performing in the 21st Century

Magicians always run the risk of seeming archaic, but perhaps the suggestions for Giving Kick-Ass Presentations In The Age Of Social Media might help avoid that.

Performing in Magic Chicago (May 2, 2012)

This week, on May 2, 2012, I'll be performing in Magic Chicago. Also in this month's show are Eugene Burger, Steve Vaught, and Magic Sam.

I'm in the Linking Ring!

Not too long ago I attended a Joshua Jay lecture at the "Chicago" Ring 43. I just got my copy of The Linking Ring, and to my surprise, I'm in the photo they ran! Whoo-hoo!

Why people hate magicians

Last month I was really happy to find something worthwhile in The Linking Ring. Alas, the latest issue arrived and undid most of that goodwill. In the Parade from the British Ring, there's a trick where a member of the audience is instructed to remove a piece of paper from an envelope they've been handed. Here's what they find:

Now I suppose an apologist might dismiss this as "British humor," but in my view the I.B.M. should not be encouraging this kind of audience abuse by featuring this routine in their journal.

Blaney Parade in The Linking Ring

I certainly haven't hesitated to criticize The Linking Ring, so to be fair, I'd like to point out Walter "Zaney" Blaney's parade in the December issue. When a longtime working pro tips routines right out of his family shows, it's worth your attention. Some of the routines need updating (such as the one that uses fire), but look past that to see their practicality.

Prelude to a story

Tomorrow night (Oct 5) the audience at Magic Chicago will learn the story of how I came to possess this strange and spooky item.

Performing at Magic Chicago, Oct 2011

Next week, on October 5, 2011, I'll be performing in Magic Chicago. There are three magicians on the bill this month, and my segment will be brief, but I'm cooking up something to welcome the start of the Hallowe'en season.

Look. At. Me.

Marco, a software developer who's blog and work that I admire, writes about an interview with an orchestral musician in Countless Hours of Work Just to Be Invisible.. He calls out the observation that professional musicians spend countless of hours mastering the art of disappearing while playing. It's all about getting the music right, and getting the hell out of the way of the way of the song. Marco goes on to observe that the same thought applies to great design and software.

Doesn't this also apply to magic? Many magicians insert themselves into the performance in ways that dierespect the mystery, and as a whole, our culture values those who "improve" upon the classics by discovering new ways to further distract the audience. If we sought to demonstrate our respect by making the show about the performance, rather than the performer, would we get more respect in return?

Review: Bullet Party (the book)

My review of Chicagoan John Bannon's book, Bullet Party, is now available.

Review: X-Ray

My review of X-Ray (card trick) is now available at My Lovely Assistant.

Review: The Invisible Pass

My review of The Invisible Pass DVD is now available at My Lovely Assistant.

Hermetic Press goes E

Great to see Hermetic Press release an ebook version of Martin Joyal's The Six-Hour Memorized Deck. And even better to discover that it's a PDF so that you can use it on as many devices as possible. I can personally attest that it looks fantastic on iPad. (Even if you don't want to learn the deck, the history chapters are very interesting and worth reading, by the way.)

Review: Prevaricator

My review of Prevaricator is now available at My Lovely Assistant.

Review: FreaKey

My review of FreaKey is now available at My Lovely Assistant.

Advise for You Tube magicians

"I tell my people that if they want to be artists of TV, the screen is their canvas, but they have to repaint it every three seconds." - Roger Ailes (Fox TV) ESQUIRE, January 2011