Tonight I finally tried out  my blindfold routine that has been years in the making.  It went over beautifully.  In fact it played even better than I thought it would have.  I used the method from Corinda’s 13 Steps to Mentalism. I also have to give Richard Osterlind credit for opening my eyes to the routine and adding just one modification to it.

However, when it comes to blindfold routines, the method is only half the battle.  There is tons of material devoted to the methods used in a blindfold act but the area of what to do when blindfolded has been fairly weak.  Even more important than what to do is how you do it.  I think that less is more in a routine like this.  Originally, the routine in Corinda’s book mentions getting a bunch of spectators to put items on a tray placed in your lap so that you can tell people what the items are.  It’s actually much better to use just two or three items.

In my case I had one deck of cards and a dollar bill.  The deck of cards was already stacked in the Breakthrough Card System and I was able to do a card calling routine.  I then followed it up with a read of the serial number on the bill.  Finally I concluded the routine with a drawing duplication using a variation of Dr. Bill’s Mind Index mixed with  the Osterlind Design Duplication System.  It went over fantastically.

A few notes about the above routine:

• I started with the card calling to play it safe.  If for some reason I couldn’t see through the blindfold or if somebody in the audience started to get out of control while I was blindfolded, I would be able to remove it and still perform the routine.  This also allowed me to get a bit comfortable with my audience while being blindfolded.
• One comment about the card calling routine was that I should shorten that part of the routine.  It’s amazing when I call the first card but kind of fizzles out with each additional.  I may replace this portion of the routine with Ted Annemann’s “Par Optic Vision” routine.
• In the future, I would like to also use an ID card of some sort from an audience member or a magazine page for me to describe.
• For the read of the dollar bill I had the spectator use a magnifying glass to see the serial number.  This was a great idea for several reasons.  First, because I am seated with the dollar on the tray on my lap, the use of the magnifying glass allowed the spectator to see the bill without having to bend over too much.  Secondly, if the spectator has to use a magnifying glass to see the serial number, then the audience members reason that it would hard for me to see the number even if I weren’t blindfolded.
• I had the spectator pick a card from the Mind Index/ODDS stack before I was blindfolded.  I was thinking of acting like I forgot about the drawing until after I had taken the blindfold off and then finishing with the drawing duplication afterward.  Not sure which would be more powerful.

I would love to hear your thoughts or insights.  Please feel free to leave comments!

I initially just started this blog as a place to gather my thoughts.  However, I’ve recently noticed the amount of traffic I am getting.  It seems that people are actually reading all the random thoughts I’ve been posting about performing magic and mentalism.  Perhaps they are just stoked to be able to read about their favorite subject without being bombarded by advertisements for all the latest magic tricks that people are trying to sell.  Whatever the reason, I am happy that people are reading my thoughts and I’ve decided to add a feature for users to keep up with me without having to come back to the website.  You’ll notice that in the right sidebar, you can now subscribe to my Feedburner feed.  This way, any time there’s a new post, you’ll be alerted via email.  Also, please feel free to leave comments on any of my posts, I’d love to hear what you have to say.

I thought up a great idea (if I do say so myself) about a new method of posting reviews.  What if there was a user contributed list posted on a website that consisted of potential magic or mentalism products for review.  Then, real professionals could review the list, choose a handful of material to road test and then go out and practice and perform.  Then after a few weeks of road testing the product, the pro can then give the readers a detailed breakdown of the product including the pros, cons and minor changes the pro had to make to the routine to get it to work for them.  There could be an entire website devoted strictly to this concept.  The question would be whether or not professional entertainers would be willing to add new material to their acts and share their hard earned experiences with others.  Perhaps there would have to be some money exchange involved such as making this a paid membership website.  I’m going to stop thinking now as my head might explode with the possibilities…

Christmas was great to me this year.  One of the best gifts this year was Richard Osterlind’s 13 Steps to Mentalism 6 DVD set.  I can tell you without a doubt that it’s amazing and I’ve only watched Disc 3 so far.  For me, if I were to only have received this one disc, it would have been worth it.  Richard performs and explains his variation of the Sightless Vision act contributed to Corinda’s book by J. Elman.  This has provided me more food for thought than any other blindfold resource I have come across so far.  Simply put, the devil is in the details and this provided me some very necessary details.  Just the concept of sitting down for the blindfold reading is a great idea but I wont spoil any of the fun for you.  You’ll have to pick it up and watch it.  I’m sure I’m going to stumble across some more gems on this DVD set and may post about some of them later.

A few nights ago, I was performing some close up magic for a group of teens.  Whilst this has notoriously been known as a hard group to perform for, these guys (and gals) were loving it.  However, after the performance, one of the young ladies walked up to me and asked me if there is such a thing as “real magic”.  Wow!  This has started me thinking about my performance at a deeper level.  Depending on what I said at that juncture, would I make or break her belief in the impossible?  After a strong performance of magic or mentalism, are the spectators suggestible enough that you can influence their beliefs?   I personally have never come across what I would consider to be real magic.  However, just because one has not experienced magic personally doesn’t prove its non-existence.  The norm in today’s society is to discourage belief in magic.  Just look at all of the disclaimers that mentalists use.  My question now is  could it be just as morally unjust to destroy all belief in magic?

Money has a definite effect on the performance of our art.  It can help you hone an act to perfection over time.  Getting paid to do something makes you strive your hardest to do it well.

However, after a while, money becomes an obstacle for a performing artist.  Sometimes, the only reason you are performing is because you are getting paid, not because you want to.  Sometimes, you would do things differently if the issue of money wasn’t involved.  Money makes you abandon the risks you may take otherwise since failure would mean you may not get paid.  As much as you would like to try out that new Q&A method, or that new design duplication, the current material is safe and you’ve done it thousands of times.  It’s guaranteed to get a great response.  Your client wants a great show and you don’t want to disappoint them so you abandon any thoughts of performing new material.

The money is hampering your creativity, but without the money there wouldn’t be a reason to perform would there?  A fine conundrum we find ourselves in.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive” – Sir Walter Scott

I’ve been performing loads of shows recently for the holiday season and I have finally come to a point that I never thought I would reach.  I am officially burnt out.  I love performing magic and mentalism.  I really do.  However, over the past few weeks I have been bummed out by how much disrespect the art seems to garner.  From people forgetting to cut me a check to hecklers during my stage shows, I’ve experienced it all:

• A company decided to hand out prizes and have presentations while I performed walk around, even after I asked them numerous times prior to the show to ensure that I wouldn’t have to compete with somebody holding the mic!
• A visit from “Santa Clause” put my entire show on hold at a childrens Christmas party even though I was told he wouldn’t show up while I was there.
• One show was done for only 10 guests as the remaining 40 of them had yet to show up
• Another show had one table of drunken office members hollering out obscenities and shouts of “this show is stupid” were constant.  This disrupted the other 10 tables that were authentically interested in the show.

The only thing that keeps me afloat are the few instances in which people are really touched by my performances.  For example, a little girl at a Christmas party that was completely enthralled by what I did.  There was also a gentleman that was so interested in what I did that he gave me a one man standing ovation after my performance at his office holiday party.  Situations like that keep me wanting to come back.

I’ve even experienced a lack of excitement in performing recently.  I just don’t have the enthusiasm that I usually do.  Perhaps it’s from the sheer amount of performing I’ve been doing recently.  It could also be the fact that I may need to introduce fresh material to keep myself entertained.  I think in the new year, in order to combat the burn out, I need to do two things:

• Increase my prices. By doing this, this will ensure that people who hire me will be a bit more interested in my services and ensure that I am treated as a professional.  If I charged $1000 for a show, I would be treated differently than if I just charged $250.  (Santa would have to wait his turn dammit!)
• Get New Material. Part of the reason that I am getting lackluster responses from some people could be that I am not as enthusiastic about my old material.  I think that if I had new material to perform it would help me stay enthusiastic and keep my performance fresh.

I’ve been putting together a list of tips and tricks that have repeatedly saved me over the years whilst performing.  Here they are in no particular order:

• Keep a spare car key in your wallet
• Keep a backup of your dates and appointments (I use Microsoft Office and Go0gle Calendar)
• Always pack extras for your most crucial items (i.e. balloons, balloon pumps, microphone holders etc.)
• Always take an extra pair of clothes
• Be careful of where you park.  If you’ve got more than one show, you want to make sure you can get out as quick as possible.
• Ask to get paid as soon as you arrive.  You don’t want to have to hunt down the paycheck after the party is in full swing.
• When performing for walk-around, ensure that your client doesn’t have presentations going on at the same time.  It’s hard to compete with somebody holding a mike.
• Pack a first aid kit

You know, I don’t know why kids magic shows get such a bad rap from a lot of magicians.  It seems that nobody wants to do them!  Why?  If you want to be able to work within your local area and not have to travel but you still want to make more money than a restaurant gig, then you need to do kids shows.  Kids shows provide me with a consistent income year in and year out.  The beauty is that usually, once you have performed for a kids party, you will be invited back the following year for another show (considering that your act was worth it).

In addition to the repeat bookings and consistent income, kids shows virtually market themselves after you’ve done a few of them.  You are not only performing, but you are also marketing yourself to other potential clients that may be watching your show.  Normally after a kids birthday party I will hand out 10-20 business cards to inquiring parents.  Nothing beats this kind of advertising.

There is one key secret that I will share with you on working the kids show market.  Develop a show just for children.  Kids and parents will both know when a magic show has been developed from the ground up just for the little ones and both the parents and the kids will appreciate it.  Don’t go to the kids party and perform a “G – Rated” version of your adult show.  Go out and buy material just for the kids.  Spend time researching and studying the psychology of performing for kids.  Two of the greatest investments I ever made in my kids show was Silly Billy’s book “Seriously Silly” and “How to Become Your Areas Top Children’s Entertainer“.  One last secret that I will share with you is to make sure you don’t undersell your services.  You are offering a unique experience and have spent time and money developing it.  You shouldn’t undercharge your clients for it.

You know, in my walk-around set I used to absolutely abuse Las Vegas Leapers.  I mean, when I was in college, a friend and I developed an absolute beast of a routine based on the version of Las Vegas Leapers from Michael Ammar’s Easy to Master Card Miracles.  It is still by far one of the most talked about routines I ever perform.  “Do the one where they sit on them,” is a constant request.

However, when I started working on stage, I never thought of the cards across as a viable routine to include in my set.  My close-up version wouldn’t translate well on stage and I never liked the versions I had seen other performers do where they just palm off the cards and put it on the other packet.  “It’s too transparent,” I thought.  “They’ll see right through it!”

Well, one day after re-watching Bill Malone’s excellent DVD set On the Loose, I listened very carefully to one segment where he listed the three most powerful stand-up card effects you can do for an audience.  And one of them was the cards across.  Well if Bill thinks it’s a powerful routine then it must be.

After some research and playing around with a few handlings, I finally settled on a routine I was willing to test.  It has not left my act since.  Without fail, every night when I perform this, I constantly get gasps of astonishment.  “Oh my god, how did he get those cards in her pocket?”

I learned that the biggest key to this entire routine is to have strong misdirection when you palm the cards and again when you add them to the other pile.  The easiest way to do this is to have your audience applaud for your volunteers.  I’ll leave the rest to you to figure out.

Whether you’re doing close-up or your doing stand-up…do the cards across! You won’t regret it!