Wheels of Mystery

Not long ago, I watched the 2007 J.J. Abram’s TED Talk about unseen mysteries and the potential that they represent. A centerpiece of the talk is a “mystery magic box” from Tannen’s Magic Shop, which Abrams bought as a young boy. Abrams still has it and shows it to the audience during his fascinating speech. The box was sold as a “grab bag”—the contents of the...

What is Education?

As a college professor and magician, I have spent a long time thinking about this profound question. One reason for my focused attention is fairly obvious: I am in the “education business” and an “educator” so it seems pretty important to get clear about what I should be doing. But another reason is that “education” seems to have become a problem in the subculture of magic. Why do I say that?...

There is magic all around us!

Many years ago, I wrote a song with the refrain, “Behold, there is magic all around us.”  Today, more than ever, I am realizing how deeply true this simple statement is.  When I wrote the song, I was visiting Jeff in his New York City apartment.  He had gone out, to pick up some food for us, and I was waiting, alone, in his space.  I remember looking around, and seeing the variety of...

Tips from a professional Master of Ceremonies

1) Prepare for the show. It may sound obvious, but you would be surprised how many performers think they can just wing it as an MC.  You CAN wing it, but you don’t want to.  For a standard introduction, here are three bullet points that I find work well: 1) an accomplishment like an award or book; 2) a personal fact like where they live; and 3) something that appeals to the emotional side...

Principles: The Three Laws of Perception®

In this second part on The Magic of Creating we will explore my Three Laws of Perception®. I had already written this essay but decided to rewrite it together with my good friend Tom Meseroll, the Martial Magician. He brought the physics of perception into the mix. As a result the Laws are even more inescapable than before. So fasten your seatbelts because, paraphrasing Niels Bohr -the famous...