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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
It continually amazes me how much we can notice if we just really look at what we’re seeing. I’ve been calling it “connecting the dots” for a couple of years, and it resulted in an interesting ahhh-HA experience this past weekend.
Donna and I went up to Seattle for a long weekend, just to get away and chill. Friday we went to the Space Needle and also visited the Experience Music Project, which is definitely a must-see. Anyway, we were in this section that focused on Latin American music, and they were playing a short scene from “La Bamba,” showing Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens. I don’t have a clue if the real Ritchie was anything like the movie portrayal, but the energy in that scene was unbelievable. I turned to Donna and said, “Do you know what he’s doing? He’s driving the audience.” In that scene, “Ritchie” wasn’t just singing: he was actually leading the audience into what “he” wanted them to do, which was to sing along and dance and jump up and down, and yell, and go into a frenzy. To me, what I saw in that scene was showmanship. That same evening, we had dinner at a steakhouse, and there was a pianist, a guy in a tux playing a baby grand and a couple of keyboards. Granted this guy was supposed to be providing background music, but I kept watching him and he seemed totally oblivious that there were people listening to him. It was like he was playing for himself. To me, that was not showmanship. How often have I seen a musician up on a stage apparently playing for himself, or a singer singing for himself? More often than I care to admit. Then I watch a guy playing to the audience, aware of the audience, leading the audience, interacting with the audience, and the difference is like night and day. That was interactive entertainment before the computer folks came up with the term. I was working on this ‘way back when I was doing the cards-and-doves act, and the response was very noticeable. Today, I find it so refreshing when I watch a magic act and the performer is really leading the audience into a response instead of just doing the magic and expecting a response. I haven’t seen this term “showmanship” used in the Café very often, and I guess I have to wonder why.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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cinemagician Inner circle Phila Metro Area 1094 Posts |
Good post. Perhaps "showmanship" begins to wither when we become "professionals". A guy doing his third kids show of the day knows he can just go through the motions and collect the check at the end. A guy who is performing strolling magic for a really large group of people at an event that offers a variety of other forms of entertainment begins to feel like wall paper. Kind of like the pianist you mention. He is there to provide background music while the patrons eat.
Similarly, the restaurant magician knows he is only there for a few minutes and is also not the reason why people came to the restaurant. He does what he knows will work. And then goes home. The conditions under which the majority of us work may at times limit the performers ability to really play to the audience, especially when most of the time no one came to see him in the first place. When there is an appropriate venue and/or an atmosphere that allows the performer to properly gain the attention of the audience then this is when a performers "showmanship" can shine through and the performnce can reach a higer level. Then again, some people have absoulutely no showmanship abilities at all. It has been my experience that often some very good technical magicians are terrible showmen. Whereas I often see some guys that really don't know a damed thing about magic but know how to entertain and please an audience. It's best of course to have both abilities but only a minority of magicians have both.
...The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity...
William Butler Yeats |
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Patrick Differ Inner circle 1540 Posts |
I too know people that possess technical perfection but are as dull as dirty dishwater and then I too know those who couldn't cut a deck with a razorblade in each hand but were absolutely the living end life of the party.
In college I noticed that people chose something in either Arts and Letters or they chose someting in Math and Sciences as their majors, and this decision was heavily based on their personalities, I perceived. This was an aspect of human nature and behavior I found very interesting! What's that got to do with the price of Bicycles at Costco? I'll tell you. Most magicians I've met are attracted to the Math and Science aspect of magic. And this fact bespeaks itself in their performances. The Wonders of the Universe often translates into "lookee what can be done." In other words, the performance is technical and scientific. The performance lacks a human interest element. It lacks a hook. That lacks art! That lacks letters! It lacks the aspect that elevates any practice above the "look what can be done." It lacks showmanship. Quote: Why not play the bad guy? Why not be the evil-doer? Why not be the agent provocateur? Why not be the guy that upsets this delicate balance in our safe society… the one who upsets the apple cart, who rocks the boat, who throws a monkey wrench into the works?
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to show when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. |
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Good post, Patrick!
Now that you mention it, I think that is so true. Really puts things into perspective for me. I even see it in theater, with so many people who go into in the creative end but who are really more interested in the technical stuff. And sometimes they don't even notice it.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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Skip Way Inner circle 3771 Posts |
It may also be a generational thing. Many of us grew up watching the masters perform on stage or on various variety television shows. We saw the showmanship that was passed on and nurtured through personal apprenticeships with earlier masters. This was back when magic knowledge and skills were handed down and protected. Today, these secrets are available in books, videos, YouTube, countless Internet sites and a variety of other sources...but, the showmanship principles and skills are rarely stressed or passed along.
We have a very gifted young man in our area - highly skilled mechanically. He asked one of our local masters to tutor him and the master graciously agreed. The first assignment was to read the first few chapters of Nelms' Magic & Showmanship. The kid refused stating that he didn't need that - he wanted to learn advanced magic. The tutor walked away and never looked back. Sadly, this belief that the effect is everything is very common among our younger magi. It's for this very reason that Phil Willmarth has been so determined to revive the Magic Youth International program: To reintroduce historical pride and professional showmanship to our younger generations.
How you leave others feeling after an Experience with you becomes your Trademark.
Magic Youth Raleigh - RaleighMagicClub.org |
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-08-08 16:22, Skip Way wrote: I remember those days. When I first started out, at eleven or twelve, learning from library books, I thought the effect was everything too. I mean, gee whiz, I was a magician and people were interested in magic, right? What was the difference between those guys on TV and me? At that time, I just didn't get it. It wasn't until I started getting serious about magic that I started reading up on showmanship and studying other performers. By the time I joined IBM and started attending Ring meetings, I already had a bit of an idea about showmanship and presentation, but some of the guys at the club started pointing out stuff that I didn't know, and it was a huge help. At that time, most of our Ring members were pros or semi-pros who performed for the general public; "doing the latest for the other guys" and "being the guy with the newest toys" were still to come in the future.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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Patrick Differ Inner circle 1540 Posts |
If you ask me, I'll say that showmanship is all about the hook. "Ya gotta have a hook, kid!"
It ain't the trick that hooks them, it's the hook that hooks them. The trick is only the mode of entertainment... the tool. The hook is why they are interested in you. Take Eddie Van Halen, for example. He's a brilliant rock guitarist. He's the only cat that will ever come close to Jimmy Page, in my book. When Eddie started out, he would stand there and play massively brilliant rock licks. One day, somebody told him that he should at least smile when he played, or maybe jump around and show everyone that he was enjoying himself while writing history. And the rest is history. His hook was his "watch the ladies wet themselves" smile. Believe me, I asked plenty of ladies what they liked most about him. The answer was always the same. The same goes for any performance art, magic included. Tricks and licks are cool, but if you really want them to wet themselves, you gotta have something that hooks them and gets them interested in you. Look at every top-listed magician that ever was. What is the one thing they all have in common? They all have a hook. Bill Malone's hook? Bill Ma-Lone! Whit Haydn's hook? "Pops" Haydn. My hook? Your hook? These are the real answers to the Character Interviews. Another thing I've noticed about the split between Science and Math, and Arts and Letters is that most people tend to go towards one or the other. This choice is motivated largely by their personality and innate ability. The people that interested me the most were those whose innate abilities and personalities allowed them to excel in both fields. They were the people who could obtain majors in both disciplines and actually had a hard time deciding which way to go because they were able to do both. These types of people I always found to possess a clear streak of insanity. Clear and obvious. And I find that aspect of their nature massively interesting. :)
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to show when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Here are the first two verses from "Style" – from The Magic Show, starring Doug Henning, Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz - Broadway version...
As I was saying to my dear old friend, Rex Reed, the other day To succeed You don't want brains or talent, diligence or guile No, my simple little friend, the thing you need To make your way Is what the hoittiest-toits in the uppermost crust have The one thing you must have Is style It's a matter of style, flair, Je ne sais quoi Without it you're a bust You gotta come on with that smile, that air That qu'est-ce que c'est ca As I told Jascha Heifetz In our line of life it's A must
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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JackScratch Inner circle 2151 Posts |
Have you guys looked at the "What's the perfect magic trick?" thread in this section. There is a war going on there, and it's pretty much about not needing showmanship, just great tricks. I'm a firm believer in "the magician makes the effect/method great", but every day I feel more and more alone in that.
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Patrick Differ Inner circle 1540 Posts |
Reminds me of Bill Malone's quote I've seen somewhere...
Nobody ever hired a deck of cards.
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to show when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. |
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Michael Kamen Inner circle Oakland, CA 1315 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-08-14 09:28, JackScratch wrote: Clearly you are having a go at everyone here Drew. It is inconceivable that a person intelligent enough to type their name would equate a discussion of the value of a well-designed magic trick, with a denial of the importance of showmanship. Hope you are having a good time with your prank.
Michael Kamen
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-08-14 09:28, JackScratch wrote: I've kept out of that battlefield, but you bring up two points. One is that the term "showmanship" is very often misinterpreted to mean some kind of over-the-top presentational style. But it doesn't have to be that. Showmanship can be very subtle: it's all about the character presenting himself or herself in an interesting, appealing way that makes the audience want to see what he's doing. I've seen kitchen-gadget demonstrators at Costco that make people stop and watch just because he or she is interesting. I've seen others that come across as robots and don't get the audience, no matter what the gadget is. As far as just needing great tricks... there was this guy named Sinatra, who used to say that the secret to his success was singing great songs. Yes the songs were good, but he had a unique style that made him and his delivery memorable. Just like with Houdini, when people went to see Sinatra, they went to see Sinatra, not to listen to "some guy" singing great songs. The largest lettering on his albums said "Sinatra," not "When I was Seventeen" or some other song title. I'm not about to argue about this with a guy who made gazillions and became a legend because he had showmanship... and very good advisers.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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The Burnaby Kid Inner circle St. John's, Canada 3158 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-08-14 09:28, JackScratch wrote: I think that's not exactly what's being argued there. The point that I see being made is that strong magic doesn't need as much showmanship as weaker magic does.
JACK, the Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery, a free card magic resource for beginners.
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-08-14 12:37, George Ledo wrote: The term "showmanship" may be getting crossed with "charisma". I see showmanship as the performer's ability to "sell" the magic tricks (or songs, etc.) to the audience. They are able to take a specified path of delivery, whether subtle or outrageous, and commit 100% to delivering that, in a manner that the audience finds interesting enough to watch with emotional commitment and response on their part. Charisma is the performer's ability to sell themselves to the audience. Charisma creates interest in the performer as a character (or person), rather than the piece presented. I have seen shows that had tremendously effective showmanship, yet the levels of recall for the specific person(s) that performed were varied. In some cases, I very strongly remember the trick or song performed, but in other cases, I very much remember the performer, but could not as easily tell you exactly what they performed. In either case, one atribute was stronger than the other. A performer possessing both is obviously ahead in the game.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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JackScratch Inner circle 2151 Posts |
I see showmanship as the ability to make a good show. To me that would include charisma and more. In the case of a magicians, that would include good selection and proper execution of magic effects. I would consider the later 1 part of many in the whole. If you think what I am doing in that other thread is a "prank" then please, don't even bother. I take all of this extremely seriously.
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Whit Haydn V.I.P. 5449 Posts |
Drew, you conflate everything in ways that make discussion impossible.
Showmanship is about techniques that can be taught and learned. So is the technical side of magic-including performing, routining and practicing sleight of hand. But by calling everything "showmanship" you actually devalue and trivialize "showmanship." By saying that everything is about theater, you devalue and trivialize both the art of deception and the performance of magic. I don't think what you are doing is a prank, but I think it is a great disservice to those who are trying to learn the skills to become a better performer. I think that you are opposed to definitions of terms and distinctions between similar things because that would tie you down to positions that others can prove mistaken. By fudging all your definitions, you can always "be right" even if you don't ever say anything. The result is that no one can make a valid statement about any of your "claims" about what is or isn't magic or art. You say this is to preserve your "freedom" and ability to make choices without being subject to "rules." But then, what can you say that is meaningful about the subject to anyone? You are a gamesman in the Stephen Potter sense. You can prattle on and on about art forever, sounding like an authority, acting like an authority, posing like an authority--yet saying nothing of any use to anyone trying to learn. You have never offered a routine to the magic community, published video of your performances, or done any of the things that would prove your "status" in the community as one who has anything to say. If you were in academe, you would be forced to "publish or perish." No one in the world of higher education would listen to a neophyte who has never written a magazine article, much less a book. If your work is so unique and different from that of mine and others in this field, show us your stuff! If it isn't ready to show, then your theories are not yet tested, are they? You have said several times that you "feel sorry" for me, because I obviously don't understand what you are trying to say and will never get anywhere in magic because of it. Okay, that may be true, but at least I have video of my efforts available to everyone, have lectured on my ideas and written books and videos. I am willing to argue my position with you or anyone else. I will explain everything I say, and define every term I use. I am perfectly willing to murder to dissect--even if it is my own performance and routining that is being analyzed. This is my life's work and I take it very, very seriously. You have publicly challenged my ideas on many ocassions, and I get tired of it. You have important points to make. Prove it. Show us the real stuff. Let us ask you to commit to defining your terms and standing by the things you say. I am convinced that your "lonesome battle" is one seeking approval and recognition for yourself, not one of standing by yourself fighting the good fight for art. I think that your whole message is a bag of hot air, and it gets in the way of any substantive discussion. Tell us in one sentence what it is that you get and everyone else misses... Boil it down to at least something that people can agree with or not. |
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cinemagician Inner circle Phila Metro Area 1094 Posts |
Drew's assertions always seem to be concocted from within. I personally can't remember him quoting any particular written source or theory from any of the magic books that deal with these topics.
...The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity...
William Butler Yeats |
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Donal Chayce Inner circle 1770 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-08-15 11:26, Whit Haydn wrote: :applause: |
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JackScratch Inner circle 2151 Posts |
No puzzle piece is a "puzzle" and they don't make a picture until you assemble them correctly. "Showmanship" is not the ability to do any one part of the whole, but rather the ability to do them all, and assemble them meaningfully into an entertaining "show". Obviously all showmen have weaknesses that they use their strengths to compensate for, but the good ones weaknesses aren't all that weak. I have seen plenty of great magic performances (Whit's linking rings included) which used what would normally be considered old, dated, unimpressive, or even bad effects. I have never seen a great performance, no matter how "great" the effect, where the performer had a lack of personality, character, or script (which includes and is sometimes even limited to blocking) flow. Without "A" magic effect, it would be inaccurate to call a performance "magic", however without showmanship it would be inaccurate to call a performance "entertaining". Since entertainment is the single most important goal of any performer, and a magician is, in fact, a performer, it stands to reason that achieving "magic" but not "entertainment", would be regarded as a failure. Where as providing an entertaining performance with no magic would be regarded as, at worst, a misnomer.
Why, exactly, must an explanation be restricted to one sentence? Do you not like to read? If I say something that is true, but the machination of my own head, does that somehow make it less true? Is everyone, lacking in formal edumacation, worthless? Is your observation only valid if you can site book, chapter, and verse? If credentials are so vitally important, then I insist that Whit produce his Doctorate in Psychology post haste, or cease dispensing amateur psychological prognosis post haste. |
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kregg Inner circle 1950 Posts |
George, as for the pianist, you have to cut him a break, he was probably hired as background and nothing more. I was born in 1960, so, I got to see the last generation of well rounded performers who cut their teeth in Vaudeville. It seemed like those performers could do anything the client asked them to do. The writers alone had more skill than the modern day star and they were so much fun to watch on the Tonight Show. When I watch Criss Angel, everything around him is more interesting than him.
I think the technical skill level has been pushed up to a superior level. But, if anything unusual occurs out of happenstance these folks need an in camera edit to get back on track.
POOF!
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