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Posts Tagged ‘magic’

Wonder And A Lesson Learned

Posted in Lifes Observations, Magic, tagged , , , , , on August 25, 2010| 8 Comments »

Doug Henning believed that it was his job to create a sense of wonder for his audience.   

I remember the first time I saw an effect that created that sense of wonder.  I don’t remember how old I was, I don’t even remember a lot of detail. I just remember an overwhelming sense of ‘holy shit’ for lack of better words.

The magician in question went by the name of Israel.  If you asked him he would tell you his mother is the earth, and his father is the moon.  He was just that kind of guy.  He came into the magic shop, (our basement at the time) took off his sandals, sat cross legged on a bamboo mat he had set up and proceeded to perform ‘coins across’ where magically, four coins travel one at a time invisibly from one hand to the other.  This is a standard effect that most magicians perform, and to this day it is one of my favorites. Perhaps it was my age, where I was in my life, his presentation or a combination of many things at once.  But for me that performance created a sense of wonder.  I think (possibly blame) that moment for my inability to escape magic.  

Another such moment happened years later, only this time I saw it from the other side.

Once again I was in the magic shop in Montreal.  A good friend and brilliant magician Romain was helping us out behind the counter as he often did.

For you magi out there who don’t know who Romain is, well suffice it to say he was a student of Slydini, He was a demonstrator at Tannen’s magic shop, one (if not, the) oldest magic shops in the USA, He has an effect written up in ‘Million Dollar Secrets’ by non-other than Frank Garcia. Romain is the Monarch of Manipulation.  He is known around the world and he is a magic icon in Canada…And, for those in the know, he is one of Canada’s top ballroom dancers.

A young girl wanders into the magic shop.  She actually belonged to the owner of another retail shop a few doors down.  Romain is sitting behind the counter and decides to show her a magic trick.  The response from the little girl is indescribable But it was easy to see what was going through her mind.  She was just old enough to know that magicians show tricks, that things just don’t vanish or appear intellectually she knew it could not happen, yet it just did!  And she was young enough that she only recently left that wonderful childhood place where everything is possible and most things are magical.  Romain let that girl know that despite what she had learned, there is still magic in the world. I will never forget the look of wonder on that girls face.  After she left Romain turned to me and said, “Brian that is what this is all about” It was one of many valuable lessons Romain has taught me over the years. 

Romain, if you are reading, thanks for the lessons you probably don’t even realize you taught me.  I’ve been watching So You Think You Can Dance, it is nice to see your influence has gone beyond magic.

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Why Do All The Weirdo’s End Up At My Front Door?

Posted in Lifes Observations, tagged , , , on August 18, 2010| 10 Comments »

When I ran the magic shop in Vancouver, BC I used to think to myself, ‘self, you should write a book about the people who come into the magic shop” I even had a title, “Why Do All The Weirdo’s End Up On My Front Door”  I know what you are thinking. ”Why are you asking such a stupid question?  They ended up on your front door because you are in a magic store.  Just what did you expect?”

The point is, there were/are so many stories but I struggle to write them down.  Most I have forgotten, and the best ones I can’t tell because it would entail giving away some magic secrets, and that is just wrong.  However I do remember one from quite some time ago that does not require the exposure of a magic method.

For this to make sense you need a little background in the way a magic shop works:

When you walk into a magic shop we are not going to show you how an effect works.  We may demonstrate the effect so you can see what it does, but we don’t ever tell you how it is done.  Once the money is in the cash drawer and you have your receipt in hand we will tell you to go home, read the instructions and practice.  I have been in the rare magic shop where, if you buy the effect they will teach you how it is done on the spot.  This is a huge mistake for many reasons I can write a book on the subject, but to break it down to a very basic level…

  • If we tell you how it’s done, the magic is gone for you and you will not buy the effect.
  • You will see just how simplistic it is and refuse to believe that people will be fooled by it.  Despite the fact that it just fooled the heck out of you! 
  • Just because you know how the effect works, doesn’t mean you will be able to perform it, magic takes practice.
  • If you have to work for it, you will appreciate it more and be better at it.

That is not too say that if you really have a problem we won’t help you, but most of us have to see that you did put some work into it.  And we make it abundantly clear, once you have purchased the effect it is yours.  We do not give money back.  Magic is knowledge.  I don’t use most of the crap I learned in school, can I get my money back?  No because like your education, magic is a process, it is an accumulation of information, each item you buy, each book, each dvd is a lesson, how do you give the lesson back?  Obviously if the material is faulty we will replace it, and a good magic dealer will try their best to ensure what you are buying is within your ability to perform, and is practical for your situation. 

In the end, you are the addict, the magic is the drug, the magic shop is the dealer. You are the john, we are the prostitute and magic is the sex.  I know, scary right?  Well I’ll tell you something a little scarier, many magicians start performing to get the girls and in the end prefer the magic over the girls.  There is an old joke. 

Magician: “boy I wish my wife was still around.”

Magic dealer: ‘I’m sorry for your loss”

Magician: “Oh, it is okay, I traded her for a rabbit production box, but I should have held out for that colour changing handkerchief trick”

Or the magicians anonymous joke.

Magician: (standing in front of a group of recovering magicians) Hello my name is the great Randini I am a magic addict.

Group: Hocus Pocus Randini!

Randini: The other day I actually put down my deck of cards and went outside

Group: Yay, Randini, good for you! We are so proud of you.

Randini: I even met a girl, well okay she was a hooker.

Group: Yes, Yes Randini what remarkable progress so happy and proud of you.  Was the sex good?

Randini:  Well I got her up to the hotel room…

Group: (on the edge of their seats clearly happy for Randini)

Randini: and….I showed her a card trick.

Group: Awww, Randini!

You know, somewhere along the line this post took a really odd turn, but stick with me, I’m about to get back on track.  Thinking about it, this is a pretty long build up for a very little story, but what the heck.

So I was standing behind the counter in the shop in Montreal.  My father was in the office sitting at his desk working on the computer and by computer I mean a Mac IIe.  A customer walked in with a bag of magic stuff he purchased from us earlier in the week.  According to him everything he purchased was crap and did not work.  I remember what he bought.  Svengali Deck, Dynamic Coins, and a beginner set (plastic 4 dollar version) of Cups and Balls.   These are all really good effects and any magician would agree. 

I helped him out and explained things to him but he is not happy, I believed what he wanted was real magic and not a magic trick. I explained the sorry facts of life to him and offered to go over the effects once again.  He was not happy, he leaned over the counter and looked in the office:

Customer: “I want to speak to that man over there, the one sitting behind the computer!”

Me: “sure thing”

I went into the office and quietly explained the deal to my father and let him know that the customer wanted to see him. My father gets up and goes to the front, I head to our stock room and hear the following conversation:

Customer: “Are you the owner?”

Dad: (Who is the owner) “No, but if you hold on a second I’ll get him for you!”

Next thing I know my father is looking at me with a shit eating grin, “There is a customer out front to see you!”

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One Random Thought

Posted in Lifes Observations, tagged , , , , , on May 9, 2010| 4 Comments »

For me, one of the difficutlies in writing is putting some of the random thoughts that run through my head onto the page.  The thoughts are significant but they often don’t go anywhere, no real rhyme or reason they are just there and I think about them and I believe they have a place in my blog. I’m just not always sure why.  Lately I’ve been thinking; do I have to explain them?  Does there have to be some sort of point?  Am I free to hop on my soap box and just post random posts for the heck of it?   Darn right I do, it is my blog dammit so I can pretty much do as I wish.   I will continue to try to keep my three simple rules in place.  I will not discuss work, I will try not rant, (or obviously rant).  And I will try to post at least twice a week.

I was watching Bones the other day and one of the characters mentioned that they don’t like magic. I can certainly understand not liking the way certain magicians present magic, but not too like magic?  It is unfortunate that there are a whole lot of magicians who perform simply to fool, to say look what I can do and you can’t.  A really good magician doesn’t try to fool you, a really good magician tries to create that ‘sense of wonder’ for you. I put the blame of somebody not liking magic squarely on the shoulders of those magi who simply go out and perform without really understanding what it is all about.  Those are tricksters not magicians.  Magicians are (for the most part) wonderful, amazingly talented people who live to entertain thier audiences.

It is (to me) odd that people are ready to dismiss magic because of a bad magician yet still like music even after listening to a particularly horrible singer. I suppose that is because a singer never tried to make a fool out of you when a magician has.  Actually I can think of a bunch of reasons and again it is on the shoulders of bad performers or those pesky tricksters who insist on ruining the magic for everyone.

Paul Daniels a famous British magician had a routine where he had two solid steel rings that link and unlink.  He had a little girl come up on the stage and explained how the effect worked, he explained that all you need is a bit of confidence.  He had the little girl try to unlink the linked rings, of course she couldn’t.  Then he gave the little girl an invisible confidence pill and had the girl try again.  This time of course the rings just melted apart.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on the little girls face.  I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house when he was finished.  Mr. Daniels created magic. 

David Copperfield performed an effect where he told the story of how when he was a little boy he always wanted to see snow.  Slowly it began to snow as the snow got thicker he started to spin in slow circles .  Pretty soon the whole theatre was in the midst of a small blizzard of snow and through it all David continued to slowly spin.  Somehow in mid spin, in front of our eyes David turned into a young David Copperfield.  Right where he was standing there was a little boy with his arms out looking up slowly spinning trying to catch the flakes on his tongue.  I was watching the audience.  I had to smile, David brought everyone back to their childhood if just for a moment.  I still smile every time I think about that particular effect.  David created magic.  

Can you think of a bigger star than Harry Houdini?  He has been dead 84 years now yet I’m hard pressed to find anybody who doesn’t know who he was.  Can you think of a world wide superstar before Harry Houdini?  I’ll save you some time, no you have not.  There wasn’t one.  Did you know Houdini was one of the first 15 people to fly a plane?  He was the first to fly in Australia.  Because of his passion, because of his fame he helped bring air travel, (for good or bad) to the attention of the masses and made it possible, (again good or bad) in a sense for us to live the lives we enjoy today.

The next time you come to the conclusion that you don’t like magic try to figure out why, then drop me a line I’d be interested to know why.  And the next time you are watching a movie think about the special effects and don’t forget to thank a magician for making it possible.

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