I have been asked just how
I go about selecting performing material. It
seems the process might be simple. Just find
the tricks you enjoy using and put them in the
act. I have a feeling that's exactly how many
do it. There are thousands of effects from which
to choose. Considering the many books, TV specials,
magic conventions, magic shops, and magic videos
there's certainly no loss for references. One
can find, and see, many fine effects with little
effort.
Personality is obviously a
factor. Also, the performer must have some idea
just where he or she wishes to go with magic.
For instance, the hobbyist is totally unrestricted,
for that person can turn in any direction. However,
the performer wishing to obtain some degree
of financial success with magic needs to be
focused. Does he want a 15 minute act or a 15
hour act? We all know of the many card men who
proudly state they can entertain for several
hours with nothing but a deck of cards (I think
we all go through this phase -- it's an ego
thing). How about the magician who travels the
world using only five tricks? How many times
have we heard allusions to that anecdote? (It
could be done, but it would get pretty boring!)
Anyway, getting back to how
I select performing material, I don't select
effects, I eliminate them. I'm well established
in my career and my performing venues, though
scattered about the world, are almost always
similar. In almost every case I will be in an
exhibit hall, an exhibition center, or a convention
center, and there are always restrictions. To
illustrate, I'm not hired by the company sponsoring
the function. I'm always hired by a vendor who
is paying to exhibit in the function. Hence,
I have no speaking voice beyond the client who
has hired me. If there are show rules my client
is required to go along with those rules. Thus,
I can't take on city hall to achieve a goal.
I have already said I don't
choose effects, I eliminate them. I'll quickly
walk you through the process. Right up front
I exclude any effect having fire, using animals,
or needing liquid. The reasons are simple. Most
trade shows will not allow fire of any type
unless it is actually used in the product being
shown, a soldering torch or a gas range for
example. Even then local fire codes apply and
fire marshals are quick to enforce those codes.
(Yes, magicians are getting away with it with
flash paper, vanishing candles, and so on, but
it's only because they are not getting caught.)
As for animals, most trade show managers will
not allow the use of live animals unless the
product being shown relates to the animal. For
instance a supplier of pet foods might be allowed
to have some pets on hand. When it comes to
effects using liquid, I eliminate them simply
because of the many problems fluids can create.
One glass of water can wipe out a million dollar
piece of electronics if spilled in the wrong
place.
You can easily see that by
eliminating fire, animals, and fluids my selection
of performing material has been greatly reduced.
Let's continue. I do away with large props,
effects having critical angles, effects requiring
any sort of involved resetting, and any effect
that causes a mess. I won't bore you with the
reasons as most will be obvious. Also, much
has to do with personal tastes. To continue,
I eliminate all effects using silks, electronics,
thread, and rope. Silk tricks don't fit my personality,
I don't know how to fix an electronic gadget
if it fails, I can't find the thread if I lose
it, and rope tricks are for sailors and boy
scouts. Again, all personal preferences.
Now you are getting the idea.
After reading the above you can see how I have
eliminated literally thousands of effects as
performing material, and I haven't even named
a specific trick yet. So let's get to the nitty
gritty and name some specific effects that are
popular with many magicians, yet on my list
of things not to do. Let me stress that even
though the item holds a spot on my exclusion
list it has nothing to do with the quality of
the trick or how much mileage can be gained
when using it.
So here is a list of popular
commercial effects that I choose not to use:
RING FLIGHT or any effect with
borrowed jewelry. We've all heard of the lost
stone story when doing Ring Flight. I've heard
it for years and the venue is always different,
so it may, or may not be true. It matters little.
I'm simply not comfortable handling jewelry
belonging to another.
CARD WARP. Great effect loved
by many magicians. To me it looks like a puzzle,
which it is.
BILL TO LEMON. This is a great
effect having several methods. The easiest is
to use a stooge who will just read off the number
of the bill already loaded in the lemon. When
I was in club management we had a comic who
used to have me write the bill number on the
palm of my hand, then he'd preload this bill.
During the show he ask me to borrow a bill from
a member of the audience. I would walk away
from the spectator, then ask someone to copy
the bill number as I read it. All I did was
hold up the bill and read the number from the
palm of my hand. It worked well. Anyway, I eliminate
Bill to Lemon because of the mess.
MATRIX COIN TRICK and all related
versions. To my way of thinking this is an obvious
explanation of the one-ahead principal. (I know
I'll get flamed on this one!)
COLOR MONTE. This is probably
the best selling packet trick in the history
of packet tricks, though Wild Card might have
it beat. Hundreds of magicians who openly claim
not to use Marlo effects perform Color Monte.
Wait a minute, Color Monte is an Emerson/West
effect. Well, yes and no. The story line and
the special cards are from Emerson and West.
The method is pure Marlo. Check out Quick Three
Way from Ibidem. My heartburn doesn't come from
the method for I am a Marlo fan. It's the story
and special cards that I dislike. You can not
tell the difference between the colored diamonds
in bright light because they reflect as a mirror.
Moreover, the story is overly cute.
SPONGE BALLS. Sponge ball magic,
when properly performed, can look like real
magic. I even manufacture a top of the line
set of sponge bunnies, yet I have never used
sponge balls. Just a personal thing I guess.
CHOP CUP. One of the frontiers
of close up magic might have started that Sunday
night long ago when Don Alan performed Chop
Cup on the Ed Sullivan Show for the entire nation.
Since then magicians the world over have been
playing "Is it in my pocket, or under the cup"?
Don Alan road companies have toured because
of this effect. I have no idea how many hundreds
of times I have seen it done, yet through it
all I only remember two performers as standing
out. They are Don Alan with his guessing game
routine, and Ron Wilson with a version of the
Larry Jennings handling. Both Don Alan and Ron
Wilson impressed me greatly with the Chop Cup.
If I were to do it I would not be happy unless
I equaled their skills with this item. Sadly,
I'm afraid I'd remain among the garden variety.
Hence, the effect is eliminated. (Yes, I feature
traditional cups and balls in my act, but I've
never used Chop Cup.)
SCOTCH AND SODA. This effect
is among the best of the best when it comes
to a coin transposition/change. It is easy to
do, visual, and magical. Yet I won't use it.
Here's why. I know a guy who for many years
has used Scotch and Soda to bilk college kids
working as food servers out of a free meal.
He follows the published Scotch and Soda patter
line getting the food server to agree to spring
for the meal. He has sent many a young waitress
away in tears as she knows she can't afford
to pay for his meal, yet she's made the agreement.
He tells her a bet is a bet, and he doesn't
ease up. Every time I think of the Scotch and
Soda coin trick I think of this rotten bastard
and I become ill. Hence, the trick goes out.
PROFESSOR'S NIGHTMARE. Two
problems here. With so many modern products
on the market such as one-size-fits-all stockings
and gloves, the viewers think you can actually
stretch the three ropes. Secondly, as with all
rope things it looks like a boy scout trick.
(Yes, I know all the stories about who should
get credit for this thing, so please don't bother
telling me again.)
HIMBER RING. Reread my thoughts
on jewelry.
RUBBER BAND tricks...All of
them. They look like puzzles that don't make
much sense. (All flames gladly accepted.)
BALLOON ANIMALS. Save these
for the no talent bums!
$100 DOLLAR BILL SWITCH. This
may be one of the greatest close up effects
ever. If we could do real magic this is what
we'd do. We would do it again and again until
the supply of $100 bills was overflowing, then
we'd quit. There'd be no reason to perform magic.
As for me, it's simply one of those things I've
never bothered to perfect.
All right, that's enough. By
now you are getting the idea how I eliminate to
finally arrive at performing material. My act
currently consists of the DIME AND PENNY and the
WONDER MOUSE. The Dime and Penny is a kin to Scotch
and Soda, and the Wonder Mouse uses thread. If
I stay the course my career as a magician might
soon be finished.
