20 Minutes of Pure Entertainment?

dontcare_01As often happens, Ye Olde Magick Blogge got me thinking this morning. In the last paragraph Andrew talks about the time he spends on each trick or routine. He says that to fill the allotted time he needs each trick to run about 6 minutes, but he finds 3 to 4 minutes more comfortable. I have to agree, even though he certainly doesn’t need my approval.

In a recent issue of one of the magic magazines there was a picture of some old goat and the story talked about how he could ring out 20 minutes of solid entertainment from a single lame trick. Whoopee do. I’ll guarantee you that it wasn’t magic entertainment, even if it was entertainment at all. How often have all of us sat and watched one of these entertaining routines, filled with lame jokes and humorous insults drag on and on and on and on.

Offhand, I can’t think of a single long routine (and by that I mean 6 minutes or more) which was magically entertainment. Even people like David Williamson, probably my favorite magician, quits becoming a magician and becomes the foole. He does this better than anyone, but it’s not magic. (Note – I don’t consider illusionists magicians – they are dancers – pure and simple)

If you need to fill time and haven’t got enough material do something between the tricks. Dance, tell jokes, do imitations or strip if you have to. Just don’t add unnecessary crap to stretch out a magic trick.

idiotI suppose that I could be accused, again, of thinking like a magician. Believe me, today’s audiences are much more aware than the drooling idiots we frequently think our audiences are.

Take care………

im21

The price of censorship

I doubt anyone reading this blog (Hi Mom!) is unaware of what’s been going on with Hank Lee’s Magic Factory: Harry P. Levy, the owner of Hank Lee’s Magic Factory, admitted he made 134 false transactions between 2009 to 2011 on a customer’s American Express card totaling $561,927, according to a stipulation of facts signed… [Continue Reading]

Continue reading...

It was 50 years ago

this year that one of the most important things to happen to close-up magic occurred. Harry Lorayne published Close-Up Card Magic. This was closely followed by two small paperbacks Personal Secrets and My Favorite Card Tricks. I've always considered the threesome to be a single event. Like many others I cut my teeth on this… [Continue Reading]

Continue reading...

Secret Agenda – A book you must have

As I have said before, we are very fortunate that our silly little hobby attracts many people with extraordinary intelligence and passion. Sure, we have more than our share of idiots (see Magic Café), but we are also blessed to have people like Jim Steinmeyer and Robert Giobbi among us. Recently I have spent some… [Continue Reading]

Continue reading...

As others see us

I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating. 100 years ago, or so, I had the opportunity to visit the Magic Castle and watch Slydini perform. It was like seeing the Stars of Magic jump off of the page. He performed his coins through tables, his paper balls to box and coins across if… [Continue Reading]

Continue reading...