Another Look at GENII

 

Ok, the second issue of Genii Magazine has come out with the new crew in charge. I had already written about this last month, but I feel like I need to do this again. There is a big difference from the first issue and the second issue. The cover. To be exact, the cover stock is thicker than the rest of the magazine, substantially thicker. It actually feels better holding the magazine, it's not all floppy as when all the pages are on the same thickness of paper. In addition, last month I mentioned 'a lot of white space'. I guess that was just the first issue, because this issue appears to be laid out slightly differently and fills all the pages. 

I really like the way the photographs are laid out as well. It has the look and feel of a totally different magazine. Yet it's still Genii. I always enjoyed Richard Kaufman's videos of what was in each issue. And here, we have Jim Steinmeyer talking about what is in the issue. This particular issue he mentions the column by John Gaughan called the Chamber of Secrets. This month it focuses on the Light and Heavy Chest. And gives a really in depth look into the prop. In fact, they even open it to show the inside. Many close up images. And on the video of Jim talking he interviews John and they show the Light and Heavy Chest during their chat. It's so good.

There is also a great feature for the professional performer, it's about getting booked. Specifically at some of the better known magic establishments like the Magic Castle, The House of Cards, and others. The bookers from those venues are interviewed and give great information on what they look for when hiring performers. Most of the information seems to be common sense to me, but sadly, no every person has common sense these days. A few examples of professionalism: Show up on time, don't short your set, treat the staff well. These should be standard practices. And then they talk about tips on originality and appropriateness. It's a very good article. I hope there is something for pros in every issue. Frankly, this info is good for pros, semi-pros, even folks starting out. Knowing how to approach a booker, knowing what they are looking for is very helpful.

One more thing, Richard Kaufman is back, this time with his own column, great trick, great line drawings. It's all good. Can't wait for the next issue!

I am really liking these changes. If you don't subscribe go to GeniiMagazine.com to get Genii!

The 25th Anniversary of the Passing Away of Doug Henning

 

Has it really been 25 years? Indeed. February 7th, 2000 Douglas James Henning passed away from liver cancer. I know I've written about it before, but I recall the day I heard the news. "How can this be?" I thought to myself. Doug had been making impromptu visits to magic shops across the country. There were sightings everywhere. Even in a magic shop close to me at the time, Barry's Magic Shop in Wheaton MD, Doug was said to have showed up. 

Could he be returning to magic? That was the speculation at the time. And oh man was it exciting. It was also interesting to contemplate, because he was very much a product of his time. How would this 1970s magician, reinterpret magic for the new millennium? But we never got to see it. Hardly a month into the new year, 2000, Henning died.

It's difficult for some to understand Henning's influence on magic. Much of his material is dated. The costuming and prop decorum and music are all from another era. But the magic is still solid. I've said this before and I'll say it again, Doug Henning LIVE in person was so much better than the TV specials. In fact, I think many of his TV appearances were better than the TV specials. I loved the TV specials, but the one thing that I think hurt them was the poor scripting. It was often just dreadful. But Doug was great. And it seemed that any of those routines that were on TV were better LIVE, the scripting was better too

In case you missed it, I covered a number of the Henning specials in the most recent episode of my podcast #107. I have talked about them in the past, but I found out some new interesting material that I wanted to share. Also, if you visit my website for the podcast you'll see a couple of links to Henning performances. On this 25th Anniversary why not spend a little time watching his videos and remembering a true Wizard, Doug Henning.

Truly A Magic Dream - Watch and Read

 

This is Norberto Jansenson. He is a brilliant magician and storyteller from Argentina. He performs mainly in his native tongue, but occasionally, those of us who do not speak Spanish can be blessed by his English speaking routines.

I have been a huge fan of his for years. The first time I saw him, I was struck by the dignity he brought to magic. He used storytelling, references to literature, music, and great magic to create the most wonderful compositions. Watching him, elevated magic in my eyes. 

Imagine my surprise to just now learn about a film he made a few years ago. It was based upon something that really happened in his life. It's called The Dream of Aces. This story is very interesting, as it deals with Norberto in his youth, his magic teacher at the time, and this particular trick. It's a touching story and a wonderful short film. I encourage you to watch the film and then read on, as there is more to this story.

I truly hope you took the time to watch the video. IF for some reason it doesn't show up, you'll need to go to Youtube and in the search box type in  Dream of Aces Jansenson, and it will come up. But either way, watch it and come back.  

Now, the extra can be seen on a video on Norberto's Instagram page. I'm going to put the link here, but just in case it doesn't work, I'll share the important details. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_rGmJ8PjWJ/

It turns out that Charly Brown learned this routine from Gary Oulett, the magician and TV producer. In fact, at one point it was put on on the market as the Dream of Aces in 1993. According to Norberto, a chance running into Gary Ouellet at a magic convention is how he learned the history and where his mentor Charly had learned it. And then. Norberto Jansenson too, learned the routine. Pretty cool.

The routine is a version of the MacDonald's Ace, which first appeared in Dai Vernon's book, More Inner Secrets and it was then called McDonald's $100 routine. The effect itself was likely the creation of Hofzinser and has manner versions over the years.

Gary Ouellet taught it to Alain Choquette, a fantastic Canadian Illusionist, for one of his TV specials. He used a hand held camera so that the entire audience could view the routine. David Copperfield also adapted the routine for one of his TV specials and called it Grandpa's Aces. I'm going to post David's routine below so that you can see the work he put into the effect. According to David, Chris Kenner helped with some of the handling and they really suped it up in regards to the sleight of hand. David's version has some knuckle busting moments in it. You can see that below....BUT then keep scrolling after you watch that one...

Finally, we come to one of the most brilliant versions. And frankly, I think David's and Jansenson's and I'm sure Alain's are all fantastic. But the next one was extremely different and helped to pave the career for no less than Ricky Jay. Same routine, totally different vibe, very different reactions. 

I posted all of these to show you how a classic effect, like an Ace Assembly, can be turned into a wonderful theatrical moment with storytelling, music, emotion, and more. 

Elevating Magic!

The NEW Genii Is Out of the Lamp!

 

When I say, "The NEW Genii" I'm speaking of the magazine first started by William Larsen Sr. back in 1936. This was truly a family magazine for many years. From 1936 till 1999, the magazine was produced by the family Larsen. But in 1999, Richard Kaufman purchased the magazine and has kept it running until January 2025. I believe the magazine was sold to Randy Pitchford before this time, but Richard stayed on as editor.

Now in February 2025 we have a new editor, Jim Steinmeyer, well he is listed as the Executive Editor. Richard Kaufman is staying on to run the Magicana column. Some of the old columnists have remained and some new ones have come on board.

One of the interesting things is the look. As you can see by the image above, they've gone with a new Genii Logo. I hope the color pink is just for this month. The b/w image on the cover is cool. The inside is full color. The lay out is very different from the older Genii. I guess it has a more contemporary look on the inside. A lot more 'white space' at least at the start of some columns. 

It has one magic history column, which I'm glad to see. The Table of Contents breaks the articles up into the follow categories:  Features, Columns, Voices, In Practice, In Performance, Marketplace, Workshop, and finally, Perspectives. 

So what do I think overall? I love it. I am thrilled Genii continues. I hope it continues for another 100 years quite frankly. It is important for many reasons. If you've ever done any research on magicians of old, the magazines of the time hold a huge amount of information. And Genii will continue to discuss, the old, the modern, the new, and the future of magic within it's pages!

If you don't already have one, get a subscription today. www.Geniimagazine.com

Eradicating TRICKS From Magic :Essay

 

I would like to give you, my fellow magicians, something to think about. I am sure I am not the first person to have this idea, and possibly not even the first to come up with this solution. But I would like to eradicate the word "TRiCK or TRICKS" from the magical vocabulary. And maybe to be more precise eradicate it when performing before lay people. 

First let me begin with the why. The word trick to me and to others sounds negative. "Oh He is going to TRICK me" or "She is going to play a trick on me". These both have negativity in them. It goes along with the word "fool" which is another word, I'd like to get rid of but as long as Penn and Teller have their TV show, it stays. 

Here is another reason. I can state for the record, I HATE the people on social media who expose magic and then treat it like something stupid. I'm not naming names or giving anyone credit for being a jerk. But I hate the demeaning of magic. That's where all this came from actually. All those exposure videos and making magic look cheap or stupid. And they all play into the idea of 'tricking someone'. Most decent magicians are not interested in 'tricking someone', but rather creating a unique moment of magic that the spectator can experience.

Watch this. Magic has some stupid explanation. It's just a fake coin, it's just a fake card, it's a string, it's this or that. OK. But let's attack Music for a moment. WAIT, that's not music, it's just sound. You're just hitting a metal string with your fingers to make that sound. Or you are just using your fingers to hit a plastic key tied to a string which makes the sound. OR Art. WAIT, that's just a bunch of paint on paper, so what. Or PHOTOGRAPHY. WAIT, I can do that on my phone, so what.   See when you break things down to the tiniest degree, everything can be shown to be stupid, especially if you talk like Mitch Pelegi (sorry old reference to another time). 

Jamy Ian Swiss said, "Magicians have taken something intrinsically profound and made it appear trivial." And that is a hard statement to hear, because it's true. But perhaps, our own terminology isn't helping matters. Remember when the movie The Prestige came out. They had these terms that they said magicians used to describe certain things in their shows. One of the words was the Prestige.  That's good. We never used it in real life, but we sure should have.

I propose we ditch the word "TRICK" and replace it with 'composition'. The definition of the word means,  a work of music, literature, or art. EXACTLY! Just add magic, to that definition. We can create all sorts of titles for these compositions. But I love calling an effect a composition. "This is my latest composition with cards, I call it The Dance of the Pasteboards" or whatever. It sounds so much better than, here is another trick. 

I know for me, I am going to make a concerted effort to refer to routines in my show as 'compositions' going forward. What do you think? I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts...