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Leland Stone Inner circle 1204 Posts |
Hiya, Bill:
Your comments reminded of a guy at my favourite Starbucks who used to (I'm not making this up) come and play the Pan pipes in the courtyard. The noise made me yearn for the sweet sounds of a bagpipe or a catfight, and I tried to ignore the guy...hey, live and let live. I avoided eye contact, turned my chair, then moved away from ground zero, but this nut FOLLOWED me. Not the kind of Magic I care to do, even though I too use the term "guerilla" Magic! I do like performing for strangers, though, and agree with the assessment techniques written of earlier. As for your concerns about this approach cheapening our Art (good analogy with the opera singer and the bus stop), I've got to think about that a bit. My first thought was, "yeah, keep it separate, distinct, special." But the thought of someone in their daily routine seeing something totally unexpected, delightful, and apparently impossible...that's the essence of Magic, it seems to me. Sincerely, Leland Edward Stone |
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Catmouth New user 63 Posts |
What about the scenario of you doing a few flourishes, one handed manipulations anything that catches peoples attention. As you see someone making eye contact(in retail its a informal way of saying "Hello" )then just say, "Let me show you something." No assault on their person, it's an openended invitation and as in retail, if they say no, they are conditioned to think that they are being rude. If you give them a chance to say no , they will. If you offer something, most people have the courtesy to give you some of their time. Can you tell I have worked retail for YEARS?? hehe. Just another approach. I think this subject also opens up a whole other topic of ,do you feel you do Magic? If so whats your definition of "Magic", or do you just perform effects, and in what surroundings?
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Arkadia Special user Sweden, Sundsvall 866 Posts |
I had an idea that I am to try on a festival in my town this spring. I have been practising coin magic for quite a while. I thought about borrowing some change, do some tricks and hope for the spectators to give me the coins. What do you say?
Don't miss out on the great new mentalist magic: www.metalwriting.com
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Caspar Veteran user Tacoma 316 Posts |
I dunno, it may work. I never had anyone offer me money, then again I never looked for them to either.
I usually go out to the streets just to perform and gain experience. |
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radiantentertainment Regular user Donald Collins 112 Posts |
Does anyone here make money while performing as a street magician? Do you do it while performing strolling street magic? If you enjoy performing for strangers of all walks of life why do it on the street as opposed to the typical restaurant gig? I am rather curious about street magic. I have considered doing it before but have not while in a location that had the right demographics to support it. I love the idea of being able to do what I love many places in the world and making a living at it.
Not to be rude or such Casper but I didn't appreciate your comment saying some people prefer the security of their nice cushy little restaurant gig anymore than you like being called a blaine knock off. I do not want to argue the merits of one aspect of magic over the other. I shouldn't even mention something so trite but I have the feeling you will understand. If you have attempted to break into this market you already understand why it bothered me a little. I've spent years learning about sales, marketing, public relations, how restaurants increase their profits, as well as the study of the magical arts, and much more so I could turn my advocation for close up magic into a vocation. I perform simply because I want to perform as well, so much so that it is all I want to do. Unfortunantly I need to food, water, and shelter.
Life is not a dress rehearsal!
Less is more. & Knock'em dead! |
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Caspar Veteran user Tacoma 316 Posts |
Radiant,
No offense taken. I was only trying to make a point that the knife cuts both ways. I also work in hospitality catering weddings, executive luncheons, and what have you. For some, watching the Blaine television specials got them interested in magic or rekindled an interest in magic. However Blaine was not the first Magician to approach strangers on the streets. A few names that come to mind are Malini and Hermann (Okay I read his book). Also for me it is not about the money but rather the experience which is invaluable. You mentioned something about demographics, I am sorry but to me that just complicates things and sounds a little prejudiced. Not necessarily along racial lines but more or less along class lines. I believe that at every creatures core there is an appreciation for magic. I am not saying that strolling the streets is the only way to go as far as performing is concerned. Frankly, do whatever makes you feel comfortable. For me I like giving a little unexpected magic to somebody every now and then. Whether they are in a suit, homeless, have a hard hat on, a couple of kids on there way to school, to the guy with facial piercings and tatoos. In fact the 2'o'clock crowd downtown is starting to know me now. In fact some people have even thanked me. When I have enough experience I will probably look for a restaurant gig, private party, and dare I dream the stage. Like you I wish that all I could do is Magic. Take Care |
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radiantentertainment Regular user Donald Collins 112 Posts |
Demographics may have been the wrong word. In the town that I am now in I would be lucky to gather a crowd of 5 people and that's if a car stopped. LOL I just couldn't make enough money.
As of now I am performing in a Ryans restaurant and a rather expensive Japanese Steak House. I get a good mix of people. Performing for such a diverse mix really keeps you on your toes and your presentations have to be adaptable to any audience.
Life is not a dress rehearsal!
Less is more. & Knock'em dead! |
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masterofdeception New user Canada 11 Posts |
Hello everybody
I am new to this forum, but by no means new to magic. I have always wondered if there is a "universal" method for approaching a stranger. In my opinion, I do believe that this is the hardest thing in magic to learn. Harder than any sleight of hand or misdirection technique you ever encountered. The method I use for approaching strangers is as follows. I have the M5 on my forearm, and I simply walk up to someone wearing a watch and ask them for the time. They always reply back in a very nice way. Then I say, "is that a fully functional watch, like are you sure its working? I just asked someone else for time and it was totally something different". For a second or two they'll act really worried and really do inspect their own watches, and they finally blunt out, "no I'm pretty sure its working, I can see the seconds hand moving". I say, "If I told you I could stop your watch without even touching it, would you believe me?". They'll always be like no way! Sometimes I ask them whether I can HAVE their watch if do happen to do so, and many of them would say yes, because they don't believe I can stop their watch in the first place (I don't take the watch, but if you include this line, it gets people emotionally involved, just like when you do tricks with someone's ring or borrowed bill). Then I let the impossible happen, i.e. I stop their watch. This totally flips out the people. I think there are some tricks which you should never tell ahead of time what you are going to do, however this is one trick that I've noticed will work best if you let them know what you're going to do before you do it. After this trick, I simply introduce myself and say "My name is this, and I'm a professional magician". At this time, they will always ask me if I have something else to show them. I haven't had a single incident where they would just go like "oh that was great, good bye" they always ask for more. So all of a sudden, the tables have turned, I'm not the one begging them to give me attention, but they're begging me to show them magic. I am not saying that the pro pk watch trick is the universal method, however I do believe it is very close to it, because I've been using this method for years day in and day out and never has anyone ever rejected me. The reason being the introduction is so natural. Everyone asks other ppl for time. This is not like one of those "hey do you have 5 minutes, I'd like to show you something". To me that just sounds as if you're desperate for attention. Hope this helped Omar a.k.a. Master of Deception |
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