I was wondering if any of you knew of good visual street magic that does not break the bank.

What's your experience with magic?

A lot of good recommendations would come from knowing what you already know and what you are capable of.

Erockk! Welcome to our "motley crew"!

If you are wise, you wont need to break the bank!!!

You need to realize that you cannot BUY TRICKS. Neither can you BUY MAGIC! (Let THAT sink in for a minute!!!

You can buy a PROP, and/or a SECRET. Using that PROP or SECRET, you can PERFORM a TRICK.

HOW you PERFORM the TRICK, i.e. YOUR PRESENTATION, determines whether the spectator(s) are ENTERTAINED. (My mentors explained THAT, this way: "It aint WHAT ya do, it's HOW ya do it!")

You see, MAGIC is NOT INTRINSICALLY E N T E R T A I N I N G!!!

Obviously, you are beginning. (Nothing wrong with that! I was a beginner myself. --About 70 years ago!

The best way to begin, is with a BOOK! Check out your public library (793.8...the Dewey Decimal System. The librarian will help you, if you aren't sure about that.

A very good beginners book is the "Mark Wilson Complete Course in Magic". It was ghost written by a good friend of mine, Walter Gibson, who wrote more magic books than ANYONE!

It's NOT a "COMPLETE Course, but, it's very good. You will learn more TRICKS than you will ever need! It costs about $15.00 + postage. Most magic shops carry it. I would recommend DENNY & LEE'S MAGIC STUDIO. Denny is a retired professional (like I am) and, he will treat you right.

Any one who recommends a specific TRICK to you, means well, but, I suggest that you re-read my opening paragraphs, above.

You are not ready YET to "work the streets"! You can become ready, but, that requires, STUDY, PRACTICE, and, PLANNING!

I started performing for money, when I was not quite 14. I definitely was not ready to work the streets!. I LEARNED by doing little parties, etc. for a few bucks. It takes a bit of EXPERIENCE, plus TALENT to perform for strangers. When I was 20, I joined the Navy. I "found" an agent, and I was "good enough" that he booked me lots of dates. I made enough money. that I could send my Navy check home, every two weeks. I lived on the show money. A few years later, I "turned" pro'. and worked coast to coast and border to border (USA) for fifty years.

If you're serious about learning to perform, you can read the TARBELL COURSE IN MAGIC, via pdf. It was written in the 1920s. The patter and presentations are archaic, BUT, you will learn PRINCIPLES. Most of the act that made me a living for 50 years, came from Tarbell. Over the years, I have mentored well over a dozen young men. Many are now full time pro's. One of them was the late DOUG HENNING.

I've spent a half hour, telling you the TRUTH. Whether you accept it or not, is up to you! Good Luck!

"The Secret impresses no one. The trick you use it for is everything." -Alfred Borden, The Prestige

Really learning this concept helps immensely. The Royal Road is a great resource that will last you a life time if you let it. If you're just starting out, accept that performance takes time and practice. I really recommend The Road or Bobo's depending what you're most interested in learning.

Yes! I recommended Jean Hugard's and Fred Braue's "Royal Road to Card Magic" to a young lad whom I was mentoring, about 40 years ago. He NEVER bought another "card book"! He found enough material in "Royal"!

J.B. Bobo and I met in 1951, and we became very good friends. His coin book is still in print after 50 years! Dover (publishing house) thought it was "good enough" to reprint the original edition, when Jay Marshall forgot to renew the copyright.)

Note to erockk: Please note that Danny did not recommend a TRICK. He recommended two very good books. I suggest that you put them on your "Santa Claus list"!

Re: The quote from Alfred Borden (The Prestige). It's a good statement, but, whenever text is quoted out of context, it can easily cause confusion. I would suggest that you "dig up" the complete statement.

The Amazing Vanishing Disappearing Silk Hanky Trick ..... you can do it for a young child, you can do it for an old lady, it doesn't matter if they speak English or not. It is the only trick I need.

-JoeJoe

Thank you very much dick oslund my grandma lives by colon and she had got the book for me one christmas. I have been working hard on it and it is an excellent book. thanks for your time and knowledge

You have a very nice grandma! I hope you gave her a big hug!!!

I'll PM you.

Really, he's not ready to do street magic because he hasn't done paid shows? Seems like a much easier way to get started in magic is approaching someone in a coffee shop and showing them a trick than booking a paid gig where you have to do a full show. Yes you can learn more in a book than from buying one trick, but there is nothing wrong with buying an effect and using it. To actually answer your question, one I use a lot is Pointless by Gregory Wilson. All of his dvd's are great too for street magic. Something that's really popular among street magicians is using invisible thread, there are a ton of applications to that. Rubber band magic is also really big, namely crazy man's handcuffs but there are some other good ones. Invisible deck works great, learn a couple quick card tricks, I would recommend the born to perform card magic by penguin magic it has some great ones that are used a lot in street magic. That should be more than enough to get you started.

Yes buying these tricks is only half the battle, obviously it's up to you to make it entertaining, but anytime anyone posts on here asking for an idea for a trick all they get is the copy and pasted "it's not what you do, it's how you do it" advice. He's just looking for some help on where to start, there are 1000's of effects out there, some are easier technically to start with, some work better in certain situations, some are easier to involve people in, some are easier to build a presentation around. Sure you can just do a cross cut force and make a miracle out of it, he's just looking for some tricks he can work on, what's wrong with giving him something specific. Look in a book doesn't answer his question.

I watched your video of the Kentucky Derby Party. I don't know how long you worked, or how many people you entertained, but, what I saw looked fine.

Now for THIS THREAD. I'm afraid that we, i.e. you and I have a few different opinions.

I never mentioned anything about him doing paid shows. I started mentoring young teenagers in the '50s. Since I began doing that. about a dozen, are now full time, successful working professionals. About another 18 +/- are avid, amateurs. The concept of "street performing", did not even exist until about the last ten or fifteen years, as far as I know.

I encouraged those young fellows to start in by performing for "coffee and cake" for small groups such as Sunday Schools, nursing homes, etc. When they had enough experience, they would ask a small fee, and slowly adjust the fee, as their show improved. Bob McAllister went to New York, and, succeeded in getting booked for two successful children's TV shows. One was
"Kids Are People Too", and, the other, I've forgotten the title of! Both of these shows ran for several SEASONS.

You may have heard of DOUG HENNING. I mentored him, too.

I have had EXPERIENCE, working with young magician wannabees!

Now for a few DEFINITIONS OF TERMS. A TRICK, only exists while it is being performed. See the first eight lines of my post to erockk! Despite what you may have heard, or how a dealer's catalog may "say", you cannot buy a TRICK, OR AN EFFECT. You cannot PERFORM AN EFFECT, EITHER. The EFFECT is what the spectator(s) perceive.

For a young lad just starting out, with a limited budget, an investment in a book, will provide dividends! He needs to learn principles, and how to use generic props (rope, silks, balls, coins, and, yes, even some cards). I NEVER suggest specific "catalog props or secrets.

As he progresses, we discuss things like TTs, etc. (Notice that I didn't call a TT, a gimmick. Knowledgeable magicians realize that a TT, can be a gimmick OR a feke.

My mentors taught me that, "It aint WHAT ya do, it's HOW ya do it!" That's a colorful expression to make the point that the PEFORMER and his/her PRESENTATION, are what make the EFFECT, ENTERTAINING.

I gave him some information and made some suggestions that will help him succeed, IF he is willing to study, practice, and rehearse.

Sophocles said, a few millenia ago, "ONE LEARNS BY DOING THE THING!"

I tell these lads, "I cannot TEACH you ANYTHING! I CAN ONLY HELP YOU LEARN!"

There's an old Navy "sea story" about a ship, heading out to sea. A young sailor on his first cruise, and an "old salt", veteran of many years, are standing at the ship's rail. The young man exclaims: "Man! There's a lot of water out there!" The old timer replies, "What you see, is only the top of it!"

I don't want to hurt your feelings, (here comes the BUT): But, you appear to be much like that young sailor! When you have a bit more experience, you will perhaps realize that, the tricks that YOU LIKE, may not be appropriate for that young lad.

I made a very good living, all my life, with mostly tricks from TARBELL. I performed those old tricks at places like the Waldorf Astoria in New York, and the Magic Castle in Hollywood, as well as a few church basements, and carnie side show tents.

Looking in a book was the way Harry Blackstone (pere) started. Ditto: Most of the old pro's. that I know. --And, I know a lot of them! Heqq, I've been one!

As far as what to do? What do you like?
If you like rope, work on rope magic.
Coins, work on coins
Maybe a water effect.
What ever you do needs to reset easy, not be to heavy.
And really should be something you like.
When starting the streets I always tell people to do 10-15 min show.
Reset and do it again and again lots of reps.

Prof. Nightmare - you can make it up yourself with some colorful rope and it lasts a long time (unlike C&R Rope where you need to carry scissors and keep buying rope.)

Vanishing Silk - JoeJoe speaks. JoeJoe knows.

These might be some old chestnuts but in my experience, A LOT of people have NEVER seen these effects before. You can get some good mileage out of each with the right presentation.

To any, and all "listeners" and posters on this "party line": YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE!!!

I have PMd this young man. He is in the 7th grade, and, got interested in magic 3 months ago, when he learned that his school was going to have a talent contest.

His grandmother lives near Colon, Michigan. She went to Abbott's, and Greg sold her the Mark Wilson "CCIM". He is studying it.

At this point, he is a beginner in the strictest sense of that term. Since he has the 'CCIM', he now knows how many tricks are DONE. --That's only the FIRST STEP! The next step in learning how to DO, a few of those tricks. THEN HE WILL NEED TO LEARN HOW TO DO THEM, SO THAT THEY E N T E R T A I N people!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN "OVER NIGHT"!

He definitely is not ready to PERFORM for anyone, especially the general public "on the street".

He lives in a city in Michigan (where my very dear friend, the late Bob Lund, established the MUSEUM OF MAGIC, which is now a national historical site.)

I am giving him some guidance. When the time is "right", I'll help him learn how to USE a TT.

At this point, recommending specific tricks is of no real value.

Please scroll up and read the post of "ebackes88" on May 8, AND my post, replying to ebackes88. Perhaps you will better understand, what I said.

Thanks for your interest in helping, but, you need to know, as the late Paul Harvey, 'usta' say: "The rest of the story!"

It may be that magic is only of momentary interest, OR, HE MAY BECOME THE NEXT "WGM".