I was wondering if you have ever owned a Magic bar? I know you have worked the streets a lot early on in your career, but was wondering about your thoughts on working bars and restaurants as a means to make a living?

Obviously if you are an owner the monetary rewards can be much greater, but also the hard earned experience that can be learned from working these venues.

Some of the top corporate performers started out this way, like Jason Randal, Brian Gillis, David Williamson.

Oh and are you going to be at the LVMI coming up soon?

Take care

Sean

My first wife and I were part owners of a bar and restaurant in Greensboro, NC in the mid-eighties. I did magic at the bar and around the table, and my wife managed the restaurant. It was one of the hardest things I ever did.

The hours are long, the stress is huge. It takes a special kind of person to run a successful restaurant/bar and I am not that person. My wife was an excellent manager, and did the brunt of the business work, but neither of us enjoyed the experience.

I worked for restaurants and bars doing circulating magic and magic behind the bar many times over my career, but never worked as a "bartender magician." I would perform behind the bar, but not serve drinks.

I worked for many years in the seventies and early eighties for Marie Callenders restaurants in the southern California area, and later worked for years with Jason Randal at Gladstones on the Malibu/Santa Monica beach. Jason gave me a lot of advice and help, and was another big influence on my performing style. Jason went on to become one of the most successful corporate magicians in the country.

I worked for RJ's restaurant in Beverly Hills, with my good friend Paul Green, another excellent restaurant and bar performer.

I also worked in Santa Monica at Merlin McFly's magic themed restaurant and bar. Other performers there included Brian Gillis, Jim Bentley, and George Tovar.

The first truly great bar magician I met was Brian Gillis. He was working in Knoxville, TN at the time at a place called Barney Googles. He taught me bar magic, and eventually introduced me to his mentor Eddie Fechtor, who had a profound effect on my magic.

Brian learned many of my stage routines, and perfomed them in amusement parks in the Tennessee mountains. Meanwhile I went to California and made a living in restaurants and bars essentially doing his close-up magic.

Eventually, both our acts changed and became our own original material, but for a couple of years, we basically traded acts.

Brian still performs my four ring routine occasionally, and does it really well. He is an excellent magician, and I would not be nearly as good a performer if I hadn't had his help and influence. There are times in my career I might have starved if he wasn't also such an easy touch.

Other great bar performers who have influenced me are Bob Sheets, JC Wagner, Terry Lunceford, Heba Haba Al, and Mike Skinner.

I will not be able to make it to LVMI, unfortunately.

Hi Whit,

Thanks for mentioning me!

I would like to state that Whit Haydn is one of Magic Community's great assets. He is a thinker. He is a deep thinker. Reading his material from the School for Scoundrels is a great education.

Whit is also one of Magic's nice guys! I consider myself lucky that I know him.

Kindest regards,

Paul Green

You mentioned Heba Haba Al. Now THERE'S a memory set! I worked behind the bar at the old New York Lounge with him after my return to Chicago in 1980 (and some of the times before I left in 1975).

That little man had the finest classic force I have ever seen (he taught it to Maven, who does it superbly, and tried to teach it to me - with less spectacular results).

A true great. And one of the lesser known greats that ever was.

Heba was a genius at the most important thing a magician doing close up needs to know - judging accurately, in the first few seconds - what plays best for the people he was in front of.

THAT is real magic.

Of course, the fact that he could do the bra trick, to a NUN (!) and not only have her in tears of laughter, but get a kiss on his bald head and a blessing afterwards simply says it all!

Thanks for the memories.

Now, to the questions - how do YOU size up a particular table or bar section when you approach? How do you gauge what will and will not play for a specific group?

Just to show that this isn't all reminisces on this side of the net!

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.

Did Heisenberg really say that? And does the net have sides? How do we move from one side to another?

You present so many difficult and engrossing questions that I will focus on the one that I can answer. Unlike Heba Haba Al, who had a great repertoire and could easily improvise magic on the spot, I tend to create routines that will work for anyone. I usually do the same set on a first performance for everyone.

I start with cards, and gradually get to judge the people's knowledge of magic through certain feints and dodges that might get them to reveal their level of insight into magic. They sort of get trapped by thinking they know how something is done, and then get hosed by the climax of the trick.

The way I present my routine Chicago Surprise is an example. If they know a little magic, I am able to guess from their reactions how much they know. By fooling them badly when they think they know what is going on, I am able to get the wise guys to sit back and wait before saying something stupid again.

By the time I have finished the card routine, the wise guys are sitting back instead of jumping on me the first time they think they know something.

Then I can introduce something simple like the sponge balls without getting pounced by those who have seen it before. Once I take it further than they understand, they will come to appreciate it once again.

So I do tend to set up routines in such a way that they appeal to everyone without any changes, but at the same time I am playing a more sophisticated game with those who have some knowledge or insight into magic.

I basically try to first guage and disarm the spectators before I introduce anything that might be familiar to anyone who went into a magic shop. If there is someone in the group who is knowledgeable, I will play to them in such a way that they respect me, and that acknowledges their "smarts" so that they feel more like a co-conspirator with me than a "defender" of the group.

If I get a real sense that no one in the crowd is that familiar with magic, and only then, will I introduce things like the coin in bottle, the rising cards, invisible deck, etc. which can get you creamed in front of the wrong person.

BTW My friend Paul Green also has a devastating classic force. Hi, Paul. Thanks.

I enjoyed reading this post Whit because I have been thinking a lot about gaing instant respect from my audience. Prestige helps if you have a certain celebrity but we magicians have to garner respect very quickly in front of an audience.

For a long time I closed my close act with the Cups and Balls, it is a great closer.
Now I OPEN WITH IT.

This will do several things, it lets the audienc know that you are an absoulte master of your craft, both technically and artisticly and most importantly it disarms the audience into a state of total acceptance.

From this point, the rest of my show is about building a relationship with the audience. I can afford this becuase I have a number of routines that can close the act very powerfuly.

This approach has takes years to reach.

The formula is very simple: Establish your credentials, build the relationship and finish off by reminding the audience who you are.

With respect

Michael Vincent

Hi Whit
I know this is your area to talk with us but I would really like to ask Mr. Vincent a question, if you don't mind.

Mr. Vincent you said that you open you show by performing the cups and balls. Arguably the best close up effect that you can do as a magician. Here is my question, What effects do you do for the rest of your show?
What can you follow the Cups and Balls with? Coin trick? Card trick?
Thanks for your response in advance and thank you Whit for allowing me to ask this question and for sharing your knowledge with us.

I hope to be back in Vegas in January, see you then. Chris Reesman says hello.

Everything Michael does is a closer. Michael, can you answer this question for him, please?