Performer Tip of the Day: SHOW NOTES

 

This is something new, but I'd like to share with you the concept of Show Notes. This is specifically for the performer, but it can be an amateur or professional or even hobbyist for that matter. Magic is a performing art. You can be a lover of magic without performing certainly. But if you do any magic at all, you want to strive for the best presentation possible. For some, that means just doing the trick the way they've seen others do it. This is problematic however. First, you never want to copy someone else's routine, yet we've all likely done it to some degree. Personally, I like to play with magic from long dead masters. It's fun to bring back routines of the past. Levant, who is a comedy magician put together a series of videos on the Linking Rings. He teaches many routines from past masters: Dai Vernon, Roy Benson, Chung Ling Soo, Professor Hoffmann, and others. It's quite revealing to see what has been done in the past and use them as the basis for your own.

But, I'm getting away from my initial thought, which is Show Notes. People, magicians specifically seem to dislike criticism. And that's the first thing you have to rid yourself of if you want to improve. Never settle for 'just ok'. Or 'it gets a response'. Or my audiences seem to enjoy it. No. Always strive to improve your performance and a great way to do that is with fresh eyes taking notes of your performance.

Here is how it works. Find a trusted friend. They can be a fellow magician, or a lay person, or someone in theater, and ask them to take notes during your show. Tell them to look for things that stand out, both positive and negative. But you really want more negative because through these notes you'll be able to tackle the negative things and remove or fix them.

I have a core group of friends. Years ago when we were always together, we would either go to each others shows or we would video the shows. Then we would critique the shows by making notes of things we saw. For example, there are many bad habits we are not aware of. We can't be, we're too close to the material. Maybe you are mispronouncing a word. Maybe you repeat a word over and over. Maybe you don't accentuate the climax of your trick properly, because you rush through it, or don't hold it long enough to get the proper applause, or you kill it with a joke at the wrong time. Trust me, I've done every one of those things. And this was AFTER I tried to clean it all up as best I could. But then a fresh set of eyes comes in and is able to point out things I never realized, or I did realize and never fixed.

NEVER take things personally. And this goes for the note writer too. Don't be personal about your critiques. For example the note says, "that's a stupid trick, why do you do it?"  Not helpful. But instead, maybe ask, "is this effect registering with the audience? Or, I think the audience is seeing right through this trick the way you are currently doing it"  And be willing to work on solutions.

One of the note taking rules we used to have was to be brutal. No sense taking notes and not getting anything back...unless of course your routine is perfect, and whose is? Even the best routine, can probably use a tweak or two. Maybe it's an addition of a line, maybe the removal of a line. Maybe it's standing a certain way. Maybe it's the entrance, when you first walk on stage. Maybe it's the in between stuff that needs to be worked on. 

This brings to me to one of my most frustrating things, and that is when people think the SECRET is all there is to a trick. The METHOD or SECRET is one tiny part. The presentation, the audience interaction, the patter, your movement, all of these things go together. And then there are outside elements, your costuming or how you dress, your grooming, your lighting, your sound if you use it, your diction, your script. I always have a script. I work on it judiciously when I first create a routine. I don't always write it down, which is my own mistake. And I'll go on record to say you should write it down. But my point is, a magic effect, a routine, a composition, is more than the secret. Sometimes, it could be a story which is the focal point and the magic backs up the story. I'm reminded of Penn Jillette's version of the Needle Through Balloon. If you've never seen it, the routine is extremely theatrical and dramatic. It's also very well thought out and totally different from any other routine of the kind. In fact, watch the video.

Now, imagine how many notes went into that routine. I'm sure it wasn't the masterpiece you now see the very first time it was presented. It took a while to get the script down. It took a while figuring out how to deliver the lines. It took a while figuring out just what could be done to the balloon that allowed it to remain without it exploding, and yet each step had to prove a point. I'll be this routine went through a lot of show notes, and yet, look at the result. Brilliant.

This is what show notes can help you accomplish. They help you improve faster than you could do it on your own. It's that fresh set of eyes, that I keep talking about. We are often blind to things that stand out to others. Wouldn't you rather know about those things and fix them? Again, it isn't about people being critical of you, it's about fixing, tweaking, improving, your magic to bring about the best possible results.

Pet Peeve: Magicians and Motorcycles

 

Recently, I came across a promotional photo of a magician leaning on his motorcycle. Someone I had never heard of and I won't be repeating the name. Why? Because I've seen countless versions of this same photo by illusionists and every time I see it I think, "Really? The last person to make that photo look good was David Copperfield. And that was in the 90s."   I also think, "I bet they don't even have a license to operate a motorcycle, lol"

Let's take a deeper look. The Vanishing Motorcycle popular today began with David Devant. His original illusion was called, BIFF. It appears in the book, Devant's Delightful Delusions by S.H. Sharpe. In Devant's version, a motorcycle and rider drove the cycle into a large wooden crate. The crate was then hoisted into the air. The audience could hear the engine revving and then suddenly it stopped and with that the box began to collapse into individual boards and drop on the stage floor below, leaving no trace of the motorcycle nor the rider. 

There was also an illusion created by Oswald Williams called The Dizzy Limit or Cargo Net Illusion. In its original form, a large cargo net was shown hanging from the stage. One side was lifted up to make sort of a hammock. Then a woman would lay down inside the 'hammock' while the entire thing was lifted higher in the air. Upon command a flash was seen and hammock fell apart leaving the net hanging but the girl had vanished. A very effective mystery.

I am not sure when it happened, but at some point, illusionists took the Dizzy Limit idea and rather than use a cargo net, they made the 'net' out of metal instead of rope and you could see into it the entire time. This then replaced the fall apart box for the motorcycle vanish. The motorcycle was driven into the large mental net, it was lifted in the air and upon command it collapsed much like the Cargo net so that one side remained suspended but the rest laid open so you could see through the entire thing.

The first time I saw the Motorcycle Vanish was Doug Henning on one of his TV Specials. He used the Dizzy Limit version. BTW, the Vanish usually involves a vanish and transposition. So in Doug's case he reappeared inside a previously empty box. You can see that video below. You'll note that the presentation is quite dated. It was charming for the time, however.

Now contrast that with the version David Copperfield created a few years later. Same illusion to begin. When David Copperfield did the illusion, it took on bigger proportions. The entire special seemed to be themed around Harley Davidson, the shows logo used the HD Font. David wore a leather jacket. The vanish was done with the same sort of steel or metal net, but David reappearance was more dramatic. Watch.

David Copperfield took it up several notches! He made a much grander spectacle of the illusion. It's fantastic. And sadly, it is what tons of illusionists have tried to copy ever since. But I'm going to say, David was the last to make this look cool. He was believable. I honestly could see him riding his Harley around. But these other copy cat illusionists who don't bring anything new to the routine, they just look like, well cheap copies. At least try and bring something new to the routine. Look at the difference between Doug's vanish and David's. Same illusion, but David has these cool set pieces in the background that help to accentuate the 'see through' nature of the prop. He also has smoke and sparks going off before the vanish. It all blends together seamlessly.  David also has an illusion with a type of Shadow box in which he appears on his motorcycle!

I guess my biggest pet peeve is the fact that no one brings anything new since the Copperfield days. With one exception, I think the Erhlich Brothers do a unique appearance. Similar to David's Shadow box but different enough to make it special. I'm not sure if they do the vanish or not. Every other illusionist I have seen do the motorcycle vanish  looks like a Copperfield clone to me. 

Maybe it's time to do something different? Is that the only way to make a motorcycle vanish? Obviously, appearing in the audience isn't the only way to have it reappear. Motorcycles are certainly interesting props to do magic with, but maybe try and create something different. 

By the way, if you're curious what BIFF looked like. Here is a video of Lance Burton presenting the Vanishing Donkey and I believe this is BIFF, just presented with a Donkey rather than a motorcycle. 

Orson Welles Offended Johnny Carson

 

There is a new book out called, LOVE JOHNNY CARSON, by Mark Malkhoff, with David Ritz. The book includes many wonderful stories about Carson's career and as host of the Tonight Show. One of the more scandalous things in the book is the Carson Hit List. This was a list of guests that were essentially banned from appearing on the Tonight Show.

Among the guests was film producer, director, Hollywood icon, and part time magician, Orson Welles. Apparently, Johnny was a huge fan of the director and had him on many times. But the episode that got him banned was when Welles told Johnny he was going to do some of his mentalism on the show. Now, for those unaware, this became a regular thing for Orson Welles in later years. It seemed every talk show he went on, he did some sort of mentalism. I saw him do some very unusual effects on TV over the years. In his book, The Inventive Magician's Handbook, Judge Gary Brown starts with a story about one of Orson's appearances on DINAH!, which was the Dinah Shore Talk Show. He did a spectacular effect on that show. I'd seen him on Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin do magic as well.

So he is on the Tonight Show and gets two guests out of the audience to participate in the pseudo  mind reading demonstration. It failed. This wouldn't be the first time for Welles. But it sure was the first time with Johnny Carson. Is that what got him banned? Not exactly. 

The ban came about when Johnny learned the two spectators from the audience were plants, or stooges, put there by Welles. Yet still they screwed up the trick. Johnny was said to be furious at Welles, not for screwing up the trick but for being dishonest. In his view, magicians should never use stooges, it was just inexcusable, Mark Malkhoff relayed in his book.

Here is an interesting update: Prior to the banning of Orson Welles, it turns out, he was actually one of Johnny's favorite guests, in his top 10 favorites!