The Value of Veterans

I marked yesterday's Veteran's Day in a different way than I have before. I have always given my utmost respect to our veterans, particularly as a member of the Sons of the American Legion. But yesterday I joined a club in Chicago called The 3 Sheeters Club. The 3 Sheeters is a club for entertainers - you'll find magicians, musicians, clowns, comics - nearly every type of variety act. Most of the members are long retired from show business, and have been club members for 20-30 years on average.

It brought to mind a passage I read in Eric Evans' book, "The Secret Art of Magic." In the book, Evans relates various principles of magic to those in Sun Tzu's "The Art of War." It may sound morbid, but really it makes sense: When performers have a great show, we "kill." When we do poorly, we "die." A natural extension of this way of thinking would give the moniker of "veteran" to those who made a career out of performing.

In the picture above, you can see me in the center of the photo (in the blue shirt). I'm getting feedback on my performance that evening from Dirk Losander, Johnny Thompson, Billy McComb (the white-haired gentleman, my hero), and Whit Haydn. This is from Michigan Magic Day 2005 in Flint, where I had a giant shift in my way of approaching performance, thanks to the advice of these veterans.

The best way to improve yourself as a magician, really as any sort of performer, is to learn from those who came before you. Seek out one of these show business veterans; they are more than happy to share their wisdom and experience with you.