|
|
Peo Olsson Inner circle Stockholm, Sweden 3260 Posts |
After have read the august 2003 issue of Magic (the Simon Aronson issue), and the interview with Johsua Jay, I was wondering what relasionship you both have.
Is it simply the love for the magical arts, or a master/apprentice (ie Obi-One Kenobi/Luke Skywalker) relationship. Also you introduced Josh on his DVD set, which made me think (I might be wrong of course), there is a stronger bond between you two (ie father and son). Perhaps you can enlight us further on this. Once again I might be totaly wrong. Just my 2 cents of thoughts. Peo
Pictured to the left my hero and me during FISM 2006 in Stockholm.
|
Simon Aronson 1943 - 2019 74 Posts |
A father-son relationship? Yes, Josh is my father!
Seriously, we’ve simply been friends for a long time. Josh is a very talented, enterprising, energetic guy, and he has many friends, advisors, mentors and compatriots in magic – of all ages. He and I just happen to go back quite a while, so it’s been a 10+ year friendship. (He started with some misplaced admiration, and he still hasn’t seen the light). One of the things that I’m most amazed by in magic is how advanced the younger generation is. I won’t bore you with all the stories of “how when we were that age…” but there is far more knowledge available, and people like Josh (and Aaron Fisher, Lee Asher, Kostya Kimlat, and others) are learning and developing it in such a creative and dedicated way. Josh’s catchy logo (“The future of magic is in his hands”) is a secure and comforting thought, when you consider the incredible talent of his generation. (The close-up competitions at FISM were another example.) I was fortunate to have the benefit of Ed Marlo’s tutoring and inspiration, so if I can pass along something that inspires the next generation, I’m glad to. Up until very recently, magic has clearly been a “teacher/apprentice” kind of craft, and the lineage of who helped who was pretty clear. It had to be that way, because secrets were, well, secret, and were usually imparted orally, often only after initiation. In my MAGIC Interview, I think I mention a number of the “intangibles” that I learned from Ed Marlo, over and beyond the technical aspects of magic: standards, priorities, values and tradeoffs, aesthetic judgments, etc. One-on-one personal relationships are particularly helpful in this area. Perhaps the current widespread availability of real time, worldwide internet communication, and instant video showing and teaching everything, may change this balance in the future – but ultimately, magic is between people. I’m very proud of how much Josh has accomplished, but I sure can’t take credit for his success. He’s done it mainly on his own. May the force be with you. Simon
"There's a world of difference between a spectator's not knowing how something is done versus his knowing that it can't be done."
Shuffle-bored (1980) http://www.simonaronson.com |
Peo Olsson Inner circle Stockholm, Sweden 3260 Posts |
Oh, and I thought it was:
May the cards be with you. Silly me
Pictured to the left my hero and me during FISM 2006 in Stockholm.
|
Joshua Jay V.I.P. 196 Posts |
Simon Aronson has been instrumental in my magic development…whether or not he wants to admit it. As he mentioned, we’ve been close for a long time now, and I still consult him on most every important decision I have to make, magic and otherwise (he has great advice on dating and relationships…though let’s hope that doesn’t become the next thread topic). I’ve grown close to him and his wife through various stopovers in Chicago, in writing the cover piece for MAGIC on him, and through many correspondences. His generosity and kindness cannot be overstated. Indeed, when my father passed away, he was one of the first people I called…long before I was ready to talk to most friends and relatives.
What never ceases to amaze me are the unbelievable constraints Simon imposes on his own magic (and the magic of his friends). He is constantly challenging himself to improve a trick, sleight, routine, or presentation, and he is almost never satisfied. I have seen Simon discard routines that most would be thrilled to perform or create…for Simon most ideas just don’t make the cut. This is the reason that his output is consistently strong. Remember that we’re seeing only a fraction of his labors…most ideas never leave his kitchen table (where his weekly sessions take place). Being around him and seeing his creative approach has been a huge help in my own magical development. At the risk of revealing too much, I’ll let you in on a bit of his process. Simon once pointed out to me that he judges magicians on three criterion: creativity, presentation, and technique. He also mentioned that he believes many “good” magicians have TWO of the three qualities…but only a handful have all three. When Simon approaches an effect, he typically approaches it from all three angles…but usually they are approached SEPARATELY. For example, I was in close contact with Simon as he was developing his now famous “Undo Influence” procedure, greatly detailed in the first section of Try the Impossible. The first thing that came was the mathematics…something that comes easy to Simon. He had this great combination of formulas and sleights that yielded some interesting results, both with and without the memorized deck. But he lamented to me that he hadn’t found a presentation yet…within a few months he had developed a concept of two “marker” cards that would go in the deck. Now he had to decide what to put on each of those cards. He flirted with writing two numbers that would combine to make a year in the 1500’s and talk about one of the oldest tricks in the world…he wrestled with the idea of messages on each of the cards. Eventually, he found several EXCELLENT presentations, including a presentation of finding two cards at two named numbers. As all this was happening, he was also calling me constantly to run through different sequences of displacing packets. He experimented with displacing them in the hands, on the table, from a spread, face up, and face down. The Undo Influence concept is brilliant, and in that section of his book he details all the best handlings of what I’m talking about… But what struck me was he systematically examined every aspect of this trick. He searched for the best technique, the best presentation, and the best effect…and then he tried combining them into the most potent magic trick possible. For me, watching that concept develop and expand was like getting inside Simon’s mind. And fortunately, he articulates his ideas very well, so you can relive the above experience by reading Try the Impossible. I’ve tried to implement this stringent design process into my own work, approaching the method, presentation, and execution separately at first, and then eventually in harmony with one another. Then, after I think I’ve got it all worked out…I show it to Simon…and he tells me everything still wrong with it (often a substantial list). This is still frustrating sometimes…but when Simon likes something…I know I’ve pleased the toughest critic in magic, and that’s a great feeling. I call him Uncle Simon because he has become like family…I’m lucky to have learned so much from him…and honored to call him my friend. Josh |
Peo Olsson Inner circle Stockholm, Sweden 3260 Posts |
Thank you for your unsuspected and walueable input Josh, very much apriciated.
Peo
Pictured to the left my hero and me during FISM 2006 in Stockholm.
|
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The August 2006 entrée: Simon Aronson » » Joshua Jay » » TOPIC IS LOCKED (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.04 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |