Clubs, Magic That
is....
Clubs, Magic That
is.... by Mike Rogers
There
is a popular belief in magic that the professional
magicians, by and large, have little or
nothing to do with the local magic clubs.
This may or may not be true, for we all
know professional magicians who are extremely
active in the clubs, while conversely, we
know other professionals who have absolutely
no involvement with the clubs. Yet these
same professionals, while shunning the magic
clubs, might be quite active in attending
magic conventions.
For
the purpose of this article let's assume
my opening statement to be true, and that
most professional magicians do not involve
themselves with the local magic clubs. Are
they elitists, snobs, or just too good to
become involved? Is their knowledge and
skill level beyond that which might be seen
at the clubs? I think the answer is "No"
to all of these questions. The professionals
enjoy magic and the fellowship of magicians
just as much as any other magician. So what
keeps them away?
If
we were to ask for the answer chances are
the reply would be something like this:
"I don't work for other magicians, other
magicians don't pay my bills, blah, blah,
blah......." We've all heard this before,
and though it may be true, the one giving
that reply is quite often not a professional
magician in the true sense that his entire
annual income is derived from his magic.
There's a good chance he also has a day
job, and the flippant reply simply serves
to pad his ego while alienating others.
My
guess is that the answer from the true full
time professional is that he simply does
not have the time to attend the magic clubs.
When a professional is not out doing what
performers do, performing, every waking
hour of his time is spent seeking work,
adding to his existing work, improving his
repertoire of performing material, and doing
all the mundane things required of one being
self employed. He has to be a book keeper,
a tax expert, an investment expert, a phone
receptionist, a secretary, an artist, a
carpenter, a painter, a technician, and
a general handyman. He doesn't have time
to sit with fellow magicians hashing out
different versions of the current hot trick
making the rounds. Time spent in endeavors
such as that is time not spent trying to
make a living. For every performing hour
of his career hundreds of non performing
hours are devoted to making that single
hour possible. If it doesn't work he doesn't
pay his bills.
It's
not that he doesn't enjoy magic or fellowship,
it's simply that after spending every day
pursuing a career in magic, when it comes
time for the monthly magic meeting he probably
just doesn't think about it. I doubt that
it even crosses his mind. Through it all
it might seem that he loses interest in
magic, doesn't keep up with the trends,
and never knows who the new hot whiz kids
are on the block. An argument could be made
that if he's is indeed a professional magician
he has a responsibility to keep up with
such things. Perhaps so, but there are only
so many hours in a day. If his station in
life is to support his family with a performing
career, priorities quickly change. It's
not like the guy having a day job while
working a few gigs each week when the phone
rings.
A
comment I frequently hear from local magicians
is that such-and-such professional was working
in their town and didn't even bother to
call. Moreover, I hear from them that they
always invite so-and-so to call or have
dinner, yet they never hear from them. As
a result the working performer is quickly
viewed as a snob, a phony, or at least,
one who doesn't care. He might even be considered
as one who violates a friendship. Before
passing judgment think of this. Chances
are he has spent an entire day traveling,
checking baggage, waiting in cab lines,
picking up rental cars, getting lost in
a strange area, being hassled while checking
in his hotel, and maybe finding time to
meet with his client or show producer. This
is all before he's even done one trick.
When trick time does arrive social obligations,
even tiny ones, just can't be important.
What is important is that he present a reliable
performance with the intent of being paid
and keeping the job should it come up again.
Combine that with the fact that he also
desires that the job lead to other jobs
and other clients. When you think about
it, having dinner with a few magician friends,
or checking out a collection of cups and
balls, none of it fits. Chances are it's
not until he's on his way out of town that
he realizes he forgot to call a friend.
When he arrives home I doubt if he'll even
remember there's a magic club meeting the
next evening. To be honest he probably never
knew about it in the first place.
So,
is his position that of an elitist, or that
of a serious business man? I don't know.
You tell me.
