Dear Friends in Magic,
As we move into October, the nights are getting longer. So let’s shine some light with…
A BIG IDEA
In two previous newsletters, I’ve tried to uncover the deeper level of deception that expert magicians regularly achieve. It’s the level of work where absolutely nothing of the method is perceived (April 2025) and where no unnecessary action tips off the moment (June 2025). Here I want to get at a third way to approach this depth: having a compelling presentation.
There are some different aspects of magic presentation—and you can read my thinking about it here. But the essential elements of it for deeper deceptions are having an engaging theme and using good words (or music). With these in place, the audience’s mind is split between active listening and watching. Without these, the audience focuses all their attention on what your hands and body are doing. Very few of our secrets can withstand that.
What, then, is an engaging theme? It’s one that genuinely hooks the audience into what you are saying. Eugene Burger was a great master at this. He would ask questions (“Do you believe in spirits?”), address unspoken thoughts (“People often wonder how magic works”), and explore adult concerns, like destiny, dreams, the difficulties of observation, and the history of religion, among others. For Eugene, it was never about being “heavy,” but about exploring themes that genuinely hooked his audiences.
The little word “his” there is quite important. Generating real interest is going to be audience dependent. What hooks an audience of children will differ from what engages an audience of drinkers… or one of thinkers. A common problem I see is performers trying to have a “one-size-fit-all” presentation, often through generic ideas or weak humor, which ends up not much engaging anyone.
To solve this problem, Jeff McBride recommends using different presentations for a given routine that best fit our varied audiences—at least having a different one for drinkers and thinkers. Jeff has up to four scripts for some of his pieces, as well as different music tracks for noisy audiences. Another solution is more in line with Eugene’s approach: to actively limit the range of who you work for so one script will fit all.
And how about those “good words”? I prefer this phrase over “script,” because who would deny we need them? Whether we use words (or music) to convey our themes, they need to be good, not crappy, stammering blather: “Uh, do me a favor…” “I want you to…” “Um, duh, um.” Who wants to listen to that? If the magician doesn’t care how they sound, why should I? Let’s burn their hands instead!
This is the crux of it: when our themes are engaging and words well-crafted (and music well-chosen), audiences can’t help but move into their hearts and minds, which loosens their eyes from the action. This alone is enough to raise the quality of our magic. But coupling strong presentation with the other strategies I’ve been discussing? Well, that’s how we arrive at deeper deceptions.
IN THE STUDIO
I have just returned from the Magic & Mystery School’s Weekend of Wisdom in Las Vegas—our annual event that hearkens back to the School’s earliest years. Along with my annual Dean’s Keynote and lots of magic teaching, I also performed two new routines I have been crafting this past year. Here is a sneak peek of each, what I call “The Instru-Mentalist”™ and “Eugene’s Spirit Slates.” |
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