Weekly Rant

In my last post, I mentioned three magicians I've seen - perhaps the three best magicians I've seen.

At the outset of that post, I mentioned having seen lots of magic - good, bad and mediocre. Since the age of six, I've been embedded in the magic scene: attending lectures and shows, buying books, writing books, working for MAGIC Magazine, working for Fun Inc., organizing conventions, and doing the occasional paid show (though not for some time on that latter one, I must admit).

I attend about six conventions a year. That's no milestone, really, but is still more than the average magic guy. Multiply the number of years I've been in magic (over 20) by the number of conventions I've attended and you get an even bigger number. Add to it the number of non-convention magic shows I've attended, and the total - the grand total of magic shows I've attended in the last 20 years - gets even bigger still.

What's the upshot of all of this? It's simply this: the armchair critic (that's me, so take your potshots now) would like to point out three recurring themes in the performances he's taken in over the years.

1. Meaningless, repetitious patter

Magicians generally are unprepared when it comes to the words they use in performance. Why is it that between stating the obvious ("Look, my hand is empty") and the inane ("Check this out!"), most magicians can't find something engaging and/or entertaining to say? This is old, worn-out advice, but it's worth repeating: video tape yourself and then, however painful you find it, watch the tape. Learn from your mistakes and edit your patter (or, god forbid, your script, if you have one) accordingly. Don't repeat the same pointless blather over and over. You are doing nothing for the magic and even less for your audience. Look them in the eyes, interact with them and offer them something fun, insightful and entertaining. Engage them.

2. Motivated Actions, or lack thereof

Why did you pick that coin up, only to set it down moments later? Did you do it to make a point, or to steal the shell off of it? If your answer was "to steal the shell," well, sorry, thanks for playing, please try again. If your answer was "To make a point about the coin and in that action, steal the shell off of it," then please advance to the lightning round.

Yes, there are secret actions that need to be accomplished in a sneaky way for your card trick to come to a successful conclusion. But that doesn't mean you have to do something strange, funny, awkward or sneaky-looking to accomplish said sleight/move/acquitment/etc. Vernon said it simply: "Be natural." He heard it from Dr. Elliott. They were both right. Think before you act.

3. Stupid Tricks

This is going to make me sound like a curmudgeon, but I'll say it anyway: many magic tricks are lame. And many card tricks are particularly lame. To read a trick in a magazine and have it stimulate your creativity is one thing; to perform that trick for an audience of laymen and bore the s--- out of them is another entirely. Understand, dear readers, that classic tricks are classic for a reason. It doesn't get much more plain than the solid-through-solid sentiment evoked by the Linking Rings or the surprise factor created by the lemons that appear under the cups at the end of your Cups and Balls routine.

There's another reason - an entirely different one - that keep effects like many of the mathematical noodlings Bob Hummer called "magic" from becoming part of the greater magical consciousness and consequently, from being seen by laypeople on a larger scale. Listen to your audience and watch their eyes (you know how the tricks go, so stop watching yourself do them - watch the audience!). Soon, you'll learn that your finessed handling of the 21 Card Trick (done with only 15 cards) isn't really going to entertain anyone, except maybe another magician. And even then...

And there you have three common mistakes that often make their way on to my magical radar screen. Use this new found knowledge wisely, enlightened ones.