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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts |
I normally don't go out on weekdays when it's hot and humid and rain is threatened. It's usually too slow to make it worthwhile.
Today I made an exception and I'm glad I did. One of my few customers was a little boy who apparently was spending his birthday money during an outing with his grandmother. After his grandma explained the concept of a donation, he pulled out a balled up dollar bill and held it up to me. I told him to hold onto it until I was finished and he shoved it back in his pocket at the speed of light. It was the cutest thing. Then I asked him if he had ever seen a "magic clown nose" (sponge ball). He said no and I made one appear. I've been incorporating bits of magic into my balloon busking as I try to become a magician at 51 years old. I was about to go into a short routine when I noticed an old man stop to watch from a few feet away. He was dressed nicely although he was a bit disheveled, one shirttail out, messy hair, untrimmed eyebrows and like that. People stop to watch all the time so I didn't pay much attention to him Anyway I did a few tricks ending with three balls appearing in his hand and one on my nose (I slit one in the center), much to his delight. Then I asked him what type of balloon he wanted and he decided on a T-Rex. I make many different T-Rex's and I decided to make one of the more elaborate ones for a couple of reasons. First because I was having a ball with this kid, and second because it was so slow. I knew I was getting a buck but I didn't care. I found out long ago that it all evens out in the end. I noticed that the old man was still watching with a big smile on his face, but I only registered him for a split second before I started twisting. I made the T-Rex using as many bits of business as I could, getting the usual laughs. When I was finished I handed him the balloon. The look on his face was priceless. It's why I do this. All the while the old man was watching, apparently having a good time. After thanking him he started walking away when his grandma reminded him about the money. You know how kids are. Out comes the balled up dollar. I made a comment about how you have to be careful with money or it disappears. Then I did a few passes with it, making it appear behind his ear, from his nose etc. I then told him that it didn't seem that the dollar wanted to leave him and told him that it would be better if he kept it. His grandmother thanked me, as did the kid and they walked away, leaving me with this big stupid grin on my face. I was watching them leave when the old man approached me and reached out to shake my hand, telling me that he thought that what I'd done was very nice. When I took his hand, I felt the feel of a bill being pressed into mine. This has happened to me before. It's usually a buck or two. Sometimes it's a parent who is a bit ashamed about how little they have, sometimes it's an onlooker just wanting to show their appreciation. I never care. As I said it all evens out. Anyway as I watched him shuffle away I glanced down and saw....Ben Franklin staring up at me. Time seemed to stop and I just stared at my hand. It must have been longer than it seemed because when I looked up, intending to thank him, he was at least fifty feet away. I yelled out thank you, and he just waved and kept going. He moved pretty fast for an older fella. It looked like the rain was about to start, so I sat down and started to pack up. All the while I was thinking about my life as it is now compared to how it was before. On my train trip home I thought about karma, which has always been a problem for me since I'm an agnostic and don't believe in causes having effects which are apparently unrelated. Strange universe we live in. To tell the truth I'm feeling a little conflicted as far as busking is concerned. I'm hoping to establish myself as an entertainer, intending to reach the point where I don't have to busk. When I reach that point, as I know I will, a part of me will probably be a little sad. I know I'll miss the freedom.
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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MagiCol Special user Dargaville, New Zealand 929 Posts |
A touching story. Thanks for sharing it.
The presentation makes the magic.
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gallagher Inner circle 1168 Posts |
Ahhhh,.. I really enjoyed your story.
Thanks for sharing it. I 've read it a couple of times now,.. once to my wife, Monika. She said, with the biggest rabbit-smile in the world, "ahh! Beautifull!!,... read it again!!" geeeeeze. ,amazing how a hundred bucks can make so many folks warm, how the actions of a few,.. can tickle pickles thousands of miles down stream.. Life's great,... with great people. 'rabbit smiles', Gallagher |
Iron Butterfly New user 66 Posts |
Life has a way of working like that at times. Good for you.
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imgic Inner circle Moved back to Midwest to see 1336 Posts |
What a wonderful heart warming story. Thanks for telling it here.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
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Herr Brian Tabor Special user Oklahoma City 729 Posts |
Very cool
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troppobob Veteran user Crescent Head Australia 372 Posts |
G'day NYCTwister
Thanks for taking the time to tell your story. Bob Latta (aka Troppo Bob) |
Angela P New user Baden Baden, Germany 26 Posts |
I enjoy your story very much. Please write more of your experiences. I find them pleasant I enjoy reading of experiences compared to theory. Being a teacher professionally I understand the differences. Angela
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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 4, 2014, Angela P wrote: Thx Angela and welcome to the Café. I too prefer experience to theory in all aspects of life. Here's a quick one that happened recently. I made a Darth Vader for a kid who was a Star wars fan. It's a pretty complicated thing, about twelve minutes, but it was slow at that time also, so I took the request. When I was finished his father was stunned. He tipped very well. Here's where it gets hysterical, to me at least. When I handed it to the kid he grabbed it roughly. His father immediately yelled at him to be careful but this wasn't what the kid had in mind. He exclaimed "I HAVE YOU NOW VADER!!" and proceeded to completely demolish the balloon, ending by throwing it to the ground and stomping on it until every last bubble was popped. It was a massacre. Balloon guts were everywhere. During the demolition his father was screaming at him to stop. I just stood there in shock. When he was finished he raised his arms in triumph and screamed "LONG LIVE THE JEDI!!" and turned to us with a look of satisfaction on his face that I'll never forget. I looked at his father, who was livid, but his fathers rage had no effect on this kid. Seems this boy considered himself a Jedi and felt his mission was to destroy the Sith wherever they were found. As they walked away I just lost it. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. It was at least five minutes before I was able to breathe normally again.
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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LeoH Elite user 437 Posts |
I love your stories, too. They are little mirrors that reflect the humanity of the street.
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TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
Great stories there. You should give up the busking and invest in a typewriter. Thanks for brightening up my evening.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 7, 2014, TonyB2009 wrote: Why?
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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TKF New user 62 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 7, 2014, NYCTwister wrote: I think he was implying (in a good way), that your writing is superb! Awesomely detailed and well written account of a your events! It read like a story, and definitely put a smile on my face. Thanks for sharing. |
gallagher Inner circle 1168 Posts |
"....invest in a typewriter."
" "Why?" " .....,now remember,.. YOU ASKED! https://flic.kr/s/aHsjZvCshj oK,.. those are the photos,.. here's the story. The winter of 2011, to beat the cold in Germany, we headed south,.. southern France. We met up with the sun, in late November, in Avignon. But,.. the pedestrian-zones were filled with autos, scooters, beggars, and bums. Full. We headed on,. Nimes. Montpelier. Sete. le Grand Motte. Palavas,... same story. The townes had changed in five years...... The townes were too cloutered,.. out of control, for us to get our Show going. We blocked the chaos,.. creating more,.. worse. Terrible. Walking Dooley-the-Dog, one night,.. we found an old Typewriter, on a garbage can,. this Show idea came together. A small, compact,. hit-and-run Show that we invisioned in the back,.. small streets. Streets too tight for autos,.. not interesting enough for the beggars. We packed up, headed to the abondoned shores of the Mediterrainien and put it together. 10 days of practising, ,planning. ,sewing. ,singing. ,dreaming. Everything but sleeping, .....we brought it together. The photos tell the Story. One photo, the first,. is included,.. 'the big Show',. no typewriter.. just for comparision. We started the Show in Perpignan and pulled it all the way over to Monaco. Narbonn, Marseille, Toulon, Nice, Nimes, Beziers, Cannes, Sete,..... January, Febuary, and March. We parked outside of the townes and carried it in on our backs,.. on bicycles. The plan; seven music 'pieces',.. four German(!) 'Chansons',.. three rhythmic melodies. The 'Mashine de Ecrire' , typewriter, was played,.. "masterfully"(!!?), with all ten fingers. Two bicycle bells and one horn,.. helped fill things out. (Beethoven would have been thankfull he was deaf,... I loved it!) Monika pulled off most off the 'magic',... her productions and manipulations,.. combined with her song and dance. I sat,.. played,.. masterfully,.. and pulled off three effects. A 'bouncing hank' effect,.. but NOT 'clowny'. Some Finger Manipulation a'la Meir Yedid,.. with two 6th-fingers thrown in,.. to throw everybody off. And, a floating wine glass,.. from the bottle. Our Showed walked 27 minutes,.. and the Madams et Monsieurs weren't really sure what hit 'em! Stunned. ...it was fun. so,.. "why a Typewriter." ha,.. you asked. smiles, gallagher p.s.: blow the photos up,.. they work much better. and... there IS a discription with each photo,.. somewhere, on each photo IS a 'discription' balloon,. good luck,.. thanks. |
NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts |
Gallagher those photos were awesome. Thanks for sharing them.
They really give insight into your world. You have an amazing life travelling the world doing what you love. My favorite was the one of you riding your bike with a table strapped to your back. I had to clean the coffe of my monitor when I saw that one. I would love to see video of your show. Thanks again and.... Peace.
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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RiffRaff Special user 671 Posts |
I like the photos, gallagher. Hope to see some video one day.
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Goldfield Veteran user Traveller 388 Posts |
Thank You for your stories gentle men
So proud to hear were all scattered around the world spreading love through magic!
The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love & be loved in return.
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Angela P New user Baden Baden, Germany 26 Posts |
NYCTwister thank you for your Darth Vader story on stages such events do not happen!
TonyB it was very fine you mentioned the typewriter or we may not have seen Gallghers story! Gallagher I enjoy your pictures and your storys very much. I believe one picture is on the toilet practicing. Am I right? The pictures of assembling the show are very inspiring. I could feel it happening. I love the pictures of practicing on the empty road as well. Much respect. Thank you for telling. Very enjoyable. Street performers are a very flexible group of,performers I believe. I believe they must be. I wish some day to show such pictures as well! It is my dream. Thank you for showing. Angela |
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