When To Say "No"
In previous
articles I have alluded to performing etiquette
and when to perform. I mentioned that Max
Malini was the only magician to be admitted
to the prestigious Friars Club in New York
because he was not always pushing his magic
on everyone. He would perform when called
on only after some prodding.
The
beginner magician is constantly trying to
prove to everyone around him that he is a
magician and worthy of everyone's respect.
He has just learned a few cool tricks, maybe
even owns a cigarette through quarter. He
probably even glanced at the instructions
and ran through the rudiments of the method
(paying no attention to the "effect") during
his one minute practice time.
Perhaps
I should stop here for just a moment and cite
a passage from Pure Magic! A Primer In Sleight
Of Hand by Henry Gross. He states "You spend
only a fraction of your time performing; the
rest, practicing. If you don't enjoy practicing,
there's not much point in choosing magic as
a hobby. Regard practice as a pleasure, not
a chore, and you will make rapid progress."
I don't want to dwell on the importance of
practice in this monograph, so suffice it
to say that before you venture out into the
unknown, be certain that you have thoroughly
practiced every aspect of each effect.
Good
performances by good magicians are seldom
seen by those spectators whose opinion of
"magicians" was tainted by an exceptionally
poor performance or by being placed in an
embarrassing situation (i.e. 20th Century
Bra) by some amateur who insisted that they
watch his "tricks . . . and too many of them
at that! As it applies to other endeavors,
the same is true for the art of magic . .
. one bad apple can spoil the bunch.
I understand
the urge to show somebody, no, I mean everybody,
this new packet card trick or that new zig
zag gizmo when I was young in magic. For some,
this immaturity in magic lasts a longer than
it does in others. Many of us constantly carry
some coin trick or other doodad in our pocket
every day. It's like a good luck charm that
goes with us everywhere. We would feel naked
without it. It becomes just as natural to
load our pocket each day as putting on our
shoes. We carry this/these geejaws just waiting
for someone to ask us to do a trick. We dare
them to even hint that they would like to
see a trick. We almost literally jump at the
chance to show them what we can do. And if
they don't ask, then we can prod them into
asking by directing the conversation to magic.
We
don't need to contrive to get people to talk
about "magic", rather we should orchestrate
the conversation so that whatever the topic,
we can weave our pocket trick into the discussion
to demonstrate a point. If we intentionally
talk about magic, then everyone will of course
expect a trick and part of the impact is lost
because of their expectations to be fooled.
On the other hand, when you are talking about,
say, the recent space shuttle launching and
during the discussion you bring out a red
piece of paper, fold it like an airplane,
ignite it and it floats off into the air,
then you have created an "impromptu" miracle
and established your position as a wonder
worker.
Magic
should just happen and seem natural rather
than unnatural or contrived. For example,
it would seem unnatural to pull out a little
plastic box to perform the zig zag cigarette.
Compare that to the naturalness of just making
a lighted cigarette disappear.
In
an informal setting where you are not employed
as a magician nor expected to perform, it
is not necessary to overwhelm them with how
many tricks you have on you or how many tricks
with a salt shaker you can do. If you continue,
then you are only proving that you beat them
to the magic shop. You should stop after two
or three effects at the maximum. If you should
be asked to continue, then give them your
card and mention that you are available for
parties, bar mitzvahs, rocket launchings,
etc.
Don't
try to show everyone everything that you can
do at the very hint of the word "magic" during
a discussion. To be more specific, if you
are directly asked to show them a trick, then
you should not seem so anxious to immediately
show them twenty ways to get their selected
card to the top of the deck. Wait until you
are certain that the request is genuine and
not just a polite request to satisfy your
need to show them something. Wait until they
ask a second time on their own so that you
are satisfying their needs. You want the idea
to come from them. The impact will be that
much stronger and their appreciation will
be exponentially greater.
While
on the topic of performing in impromptu situations,
I would like to briefly elaborate on a Howard
Bamman editorial that was published in The
Linking Ring many years ago. Why should you
give away your best stuff that took time,
effort and money to learn and you may feature
in your paid performances? What I mean is
that if you studied to be an attorney or doctor,
then should you be expected to give free legal
advice or perform minor surgery when introduced
as a professional at a cocktail party? Why
is it then that when you are introduced as
a magician or a musician at a party, you are
asked to perform for free ("Could you play
a few Christmas songs on the piano?" or "Do
you mind showing us some of your tricks?"
"Oh, everyone would love it!")? Of course
everyone would love it, that's why people
pay entertainers to perform at their parties.
I have a fundamental problem with performing
on command like a trained seal. I feel "used"
and not considered a real friend. I feel as
if there was a hidden agenda in my receiving
the invitation to this party. Of course it
could be that you have brought it on yourself
by being known to always carry "something"
with you and being ready, eager and willing
to perform at the drop of a hint.
If
we do perform, then it should be because we
choose to do it when and where we want. There
is nothing wrong with doing a few things to
establish/maintain your reputation, but only
after a little prompting.
But
when should you perform? How long should you
wait until the conversation or the situation
is just right for you to appropriately insert
your effect to make it seem as if real "magic"
is taking place? To quote Max Malini "You
vait a veek."
