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.

Magic + Theater

This week I was fortunate to catch a performance by Dr. Lawrence Hass of Muehlenberg College. Dr. Hass is the creator of The Theory and Art of Magic program at Muehlenberg, which brings in various magicians from around the world to discuss our art in an academic setting.

Dr. Hass is also lecturing this weekend in Chicago, and after seeing his performance, I'm definitely looking forward to the lecture.

His performance has also sparked my thinking more about magic in the theatrical setting, and the type of training that prepares you for it.

Chicago, as you may also know, is home to the best training grounds for improvisation comedy in the United States, in the form of The Second City, i.O, and Annoyance Theater, to name a few. In the early part of this year, I did a class at Second City, to see what I could pick up from it and channel into my magic.

Fortunately, you don't need to move to the Windy City to get this sort of experience. Australian magic master Tim Ellis has created Magic Sports, based off of Keith Johnstone's Theater Sports for improv actors.

The idea is to foster a magician's creativity by challenging the person to come up with effects on the spot. Games can range from pulling a random object (not a magic prop!) from a bag, to performing your favorite routine to randomly chosen music, and seeing how well you adapt.

I've already set up a Magic Sports activity night with my local club. I hope if your club needs an interactive activity (as opposed to another sit-and-watch activity), to give Magic Sports a try.

New Stuff or Classics?

When I decided to get more serious with my magic, I made a conscious decision: I wanted to avoid all the flashy DVDs with finger-breaking cuts and flourishes, and concentrate on learning solid classic magic - effects that have withstood the test of time.

When I was entering this more serious phase, I was an attendee at a convention where Gazzo lectured. He uttered a phrase that has stuck with me ever since: "A classic is a classic for a reason."

Don't get me wrong; the flashy DVDs do have things to contribute. With so many of these DVDs coming out constantly, all the folks seem to want are the "newest" things. Whenever folks ask me what's new, I usually tell them "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you."

Case in point: At a recent convention, I found myself sessioning with a 14-year-old card magic enthusiast. He could do all the fancy cuts and moves - stuff I can't do. When I showed him Marlo's Estimation Aces routine, he was floored! That day, I sold him on buying a copy of Revolutionary Card Technique and on the power of the "old" classic texts. He promised me he'd put down the DVD remote and pick up the books.

Because a magic trick or book has been published for years and years, doesn't mean that it's old and stale - it means it's old but powerful. For the beginning magician wanting to impress his friends or the guys at the club, reading the "old" books and learning the "old" tricks is what will set you apart and open more opportunities for you in the magic world.

The Pros and Cons of Magic Clubs

I can wholly attribute my rapid rise in the world of magic to a small group of people in my home state of Michigan: IBM Ring 54, Doug Dean Ring: The Magicians' Guild of Lansing.

Because of the camaraderie of my fellow Ring members, I was motivated to continue on in magic, pushing me to learn and practice, and later to compete, all the while creating some meaningful, lasting friendships.

But I also know that not everyone can claim as life-changing an experience as I can. In fact, some people downright hate magic clubs, often with good reason. Things can become more about the politics of running a magic club, and less about the magic.

All too often, I hear clubs who lament the lack of participation by most members, the drop in attendance, and fewer new, young members to perpetuate the club's existence. To attract new, young members, clubs need to offer them a reason to come. Meetings should be organized to create interaction among older, more experienced members and the new members who are eager to learn.

Avoiding the problem doesn't solve it. For members to join a club, then never make any attempt at fixing it while complaining the while accomplishes nothing in the long run.

If you see your club heading down a path you don’t think it should, you should make it known in a diplomatic way. Get involved, step up. Run for an officer position. Bylaws and parliamentary procedure are only tools used at meetings to make them run orderly. The original purpose of the meeting, to learn and perform, must always remain forefront.