Midwifing Magic: Birthing Miracles in the Age of Reason

I knew what I was in for when I first met Jeff. He made no attempt to hide the fact that he has been madly in love with lady magic since he was seven years old. Since I only met him when he was 28, I knew she had twenty years on me, and that there was no sense in competing with her for his love. Instead, I began to woo her myself, and found that as I learned to speak Jeff’s primary...

The Value of a Mentor – Through the Eyes of an Apprentice

In our digital age of learning magic by watching YouTube I cannot help but wonder how far one can go by mimicking what they see someone else do in a video. Aside from performing for friends at school, how do you really take your interest in magic to the next level? It is not uncommon for young, aspiring artists to seek out a mentor among the group of successful contemporaries in their desired...

Mike Larkin Interviews Barry & Stuart

What is the concept behind the new show? The show is called “98% Séance” and is about making live contact with ghosts, spirits and demons. As anyone who has ever held a home-made Séance will know, there’s always the chance of nothing happening, and because we are pretty much totally convinced that all those things are horse-sh*t anyway, the remaining 2% of our Séance will...

Putting more funny and entertainment in your act

When you think about it, magic tricks and jokes share a very similar style. In a joke, a comedian sets up in words a story or scenario that unexpectedly changes at the last minute creating laughs. In magic, the magician shows or explains how something is impossible and can’t be done and then unexpectedly defies reality to do it; resulting in applause. Sadly, you must be warned before you read...

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...

Getting the Gigs

HOW TO MARKET YOUR CHILD OR SELF AS A MAGICIAN As a magician, especially a young magician, it is very hard to get magic gigs.  If you want to earn real money as a magician, you need to treat your magic as a business.  When marketing your child/self, don’t put all of your advertising dollars in one form of advertising.  The more places you have your message seen, the better the chances you have...

Magic and Romance

Chalk and cheese, apples and oranges, magic and romance — all things that do not go together. Or do they? As someone who has used their magic successfully in the pursuit of love, I would argue they are not as alien as one would think. In fact a massive part of how I met, connected and ultimately won the heart of the love of my life can be credited to our wonderful art. My little tale hearkens...

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?...

Build your own Home Magic Theatre!

I have a lovely little theatre in my home and I really appreciate the luxury of having a permanent theatrical space to rehearse! The project was inspired by Jeff McBride who has his own home theatre and who teaches his Masterclass students that this is a sure-fire method to improve one’s magic performance. It’s the easiest way to try out new stage material to a friendly audience and...

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...