|
|
Go to page 1~2~3..10~11~12 [Next] | ||||||||||
*Mark Lewis* V.I.P. 1325 Posts |
I have just discovered to my great delight that Silly Billy of New York agrees with me that the British way of entertaining children is far better and he has known it a long time. That is why he performs in the British manner and in his book tried to let everyone know that this is the right way. In case you don't believe me then listen to this:
http://www.irishmagicnews.com/irish-magi......aye.html John Kimmons is chattering there also in a Yorkshire accent that some of you may require an interpreter for. He is known as Kimmo and his mother bought him a Svengali deck when he was six years old from me in Blackpool and now he is the World Champion children's entertainer according to the Blackpool Magicians Club which as everyone knows is an authority on these matters. |
|||||||||
Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Mark
You must understand American magicians are a lot like sports fans, and none of them will everm admit to anything of the sort. This thread is liable to go on for months with manny Americans pounding their chest to proclaim that my team is better than your team. In a nut shell American magicians believe that it is all about who has the coolest props, and British magicians believe that it is all about the skill of the magician. Let the jousting begin
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
|||||||||
themagiciansapprentice Inner circle Essex, UK 1381 Posts |
... and who entertains the best with humour
Have wand will travel! Performing children's magic in the UK for Winter 2014 and Spring 2015.
|
|||||||||
Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
ME
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
|||||||||
*Mark Lewis* V.I.P. 1325 Posts |
There is something very intelligent about David Kaye. I once read an article of his pointing out the differences between the UK style and the US style and the history behind it. However, in the article he didn't come down on one side or the other. Tony James did point out at one point that David was working like a British magician after viewing a clip of him. On that interview he mentions that he went over to the British style once he found Supreme Magic. He explains that kid show entertainment has it's roots in the Church in the US and in Britain the roots are in British Pantomime and of course Punch and Judy.
British is best. Apart from Potty the Pirate of course with his awful nose emanations and disgraceful wind emissions. |
|||||||||
Starrpower Inner circle 4070 Posts |
I am the best. Hands down. End of thread.
|
|||||||||
Potty the Pirate Inner circle 4632 Posts |
I performed at a school "Good Attendance" party the other day. Last time they saw me was Christmas, and one kid came up to me and wanted to chat, so I asked him what his favourite bit was from the Christmas show? He had loads of cool bits to choose from - the "Bah Humbug hat", "Vanishing Bandanna", "Picto Transpo", "Ring Grinder" and "Gumball Machine"....and of course, Stinkey Winkey, the farting rat, as well as lots of other bits. Guess what he said? "The Letter. When you were standing on it, and couldn't find it, I loved that, it was really funny!"
d**n you, Mark Lewis!!! :pirate: |
|||||||||
themagiciansapprentice Inner circle Essex, UK 1381 Posts |
Thanks for posting the programme it was really interesting and showed how we all react to the markets we are in. Kimmo is simplifying everything (backdrop, sound system - now very small with fX buttons) whilst David is going the other way.
Have wand will travel! Performing children's magic in the UK for Winter 2014 and Spring 2015.
|
|||||||||
professorwhut Inner circle Posts R US sold me 1353 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-07-11 10:08, Al Angello wrote: Some of the very worst magicians I have ever seen rely on nothing but cool props. I like cool props as much as anyone, but they do not make anyone an entertainer. I strive for a happy medium.
After much soul searching about a signature, I decided not to have one.
TG Pop [aka ProfessorWhut] |
|||||||||
Starrpower Inner circle 4070 Posts |
I confess, I am not really sure what the "U.K."style is and what the "American" style is. This pretty much assumes that in the U.K. all acts are the same, and in America all acts are the same. So I plead ignorance.
I think that the defining difference is the performer's personality. I watched Mark Lewis' kid performance that he linked to, and honestly, I do not see a style difference. It looks pretty much like a standard way to perform. The difference, of course, is the person doing the performing. So, what is the "U.K" style and the "American" style? |
|||||||||
Mr. Pitts Inner circle David Pitts 1058 Posts |
I do appreciate Mark annoying me enough with the topic line that I took the time to listen to the entire interview. John and David are very knowledgable and original, and I appreciate original thinking in this business. As far as UK or American style, I'm with Starrpower, I don't see that either country has produced such standardized entertainers that they could be said to have a national style. My act is my style, not much influenced by any other children's entertainers or magicians at all. I guess it COULD be said that my style is British because my appearance and physical comedy is sort of Chaplinesque, and Chaplin was a Brit, trained in the British music halls. But my verbal delivery is more like Groucho Marx.. American Vaudeville. My plate spinning and vent is like Wences, a Spanish guy. So I guess, with these various influences, Spanish, British and Jewish American Vaudeville.. it could be said that my style is... American.
|
|||||||||
*Mark Lewis* V.I.P. 1325 Posts |
I shall explain to Americans the difference. Both Kimmo and David Kaye stated clearly that there is a big difference. Americans tend to do a magic show without all the silly nonsense. They don't like it when the kids call out and scream at them and actually think it is rude whereas British kid show performers actually encourage it. We say, "Oh no I didn't" and expect the kids to yell back "Oh yes you did".
American magicians are terribly keen on "wonder" whereas we British wonder why. We British know all the kids want is to have a good laugh. The magic comes along for the ride but it really isn't that important. Americans cannot possibly understand the British method purely and simply because they don't have Pantomime over here. You never had Supreme Magic over here. You hardly have Punch and Judy either. Your kids entertainers always want to put a "message" into your magic and sometimes that message is in bad taste such as when I saw a performer's video indoctrinating children into following a religious message. That would be quite frowned on in the UK and of course gospel magic is virtually unknown there and would be disapproved of it it were. I have seen a noted American children's performer do a lecture here in Toronto. He actually had a live audience of kids. His approach was entirely different from the British approach and not as effective. His focus was mainly on the magic although he made a few jokes. The kids want a little bit of magic but what they REALLY want is a good laugh and jokes are not the way to go. By all means do some magic if you really want to and the kids will like it but you need to get them participating and yelling out to you and laughing their heads off. Now the reason you are seeing no difference between the British style and the American style is that in the last few years some of the more intelligent American magicians such as Silly Billy and others have been studying up on UK methods and nowadays more Yanks do things the British way than they used to. They are studying British books and using British props and watching British kid show entertainers and are picking up their good habits. We in the UK have a tradition of kid shows and it is not looked down on as it is in the US. We have more venues to do kid shows and have less territory to cover so we work more and consequently are in most cases light years ahead. Actually American magicians are getting better whereas some British kid show magicians are actually getting worse. But generally speaking our style is superior. I am afraid you will have to grin and bear it. |
|||||||||
TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
I am with Mark that the best style is the British - plenty of personality, audience interaction, getting the most out of routines, and less reliance on props.
However, in the interests of historical accuracy I must point out that the British style grew out of pantomime. And any historian of the stage will tell you that pantomime was shaped and developed almost two hundred years ago by a charasmatic comedian on the London stage, Dan Leno. Dan was the first panto dame, and invented many of the bits of business we still love and rely on. But Dan was not British. His real name was George Galvin, and he came from County Clare in Ireland. I am proud to say I am a descendent of his. Mark's so-called British style is actually the Irish style. And Mark spent enough time here to absorb it well, which is the only reason he is so good.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
|||||||||
TommyJ Inner circle Foxboro, MA 1750 Posts |
My style is better than yourrrrrrr style. Na, na na, na na, naaaaaaaaaa. What are we in? Kindergarten?
"Keep the Kids Laughing!"
https://www.tommyjamesmagic.com/store |
|||||||||
*Mark Lewis* V.I.P. 1325 Posts |
Typical Bogtrotter. They are always trying to claim credit for everything. Just recently they were claiming that President Obama was Irish. And I remember reading a claim by them once that even Hitler had Irish ancestry. They said Elvis was Irish too. In actual fact they got everything from we British. Even their bloody mailboxes which if you look close are actually British mailboxes, the only difference is that they have covered the red paint over with green paint instead. Yet you can still plainly see the British Royal coat of arms underneath. They even got their legal system from us. Not that they actually enforce it of course.
I well remember asking my Irish driver why the Irish as a general rule were very lax in enforcing their own laws. I was told it was the fault of the British. It seems that when the British were running Ireland the Irish would rebel against all the heathen British laws although when the British left they still used the same laws because they were too lazy to change them. I retorted that the British had been gone for decades so what did that have to do with the Irish rebelling against enforcing the law now? The reply was, "Ah well, we just got into the habit of rebelling against you Brits so when you left we just carried on ignoring the laws out of habit" But back to the subject at hand. I do have to confess that one of the greatest pantomine dames was Irish. The most wondrous Danny La Rue came from Cork I believe. And I have always marvelled at the fact that the giants of ENGLISH literature are all bloody Irish. Incidentally I didn't learn kid shows in Ireland. I learned them in Blackpool. Quote:
On 2011-07-11 20:12, TommyJ wrote: Thomas old chap. This is the magic Café. Of course it is just like kindergarten. And the British style IS better than the American style. Silly Billy says so. And even his name sounds like a typically British children's entertainer. |
|||||||||
TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
Mark, Blackpool is just up the road from Liverpool, which is well known as one of the biggest Irish cities in the world.
As Mark acknowledges we gave the world literature. We also gave you proper magic. Because of U2, Sinead O'Connor, The Nolans, and Jedward, I will not claim credit for giving the world music. But two out of three ain't bad.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
|||||||||
TommyJ Inner circle Foxboro, MA 1750 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-07-11 20:16, Mark Lewis wrote: Hummmmmm, how can we settle this???? How about a competition!!! That would be a great idea. American entertainers Vs. British entertainers. Would we hold this competition in the US or the UK? Whoever wants to put it together, count me in
"Keep the Kids Laughing!"
https://www.tommyjamesmagic.com/store |
|||||||||
TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
How about making it a three way competition; American Vs British Vs Irish. We're willing to take on the world.
I have seen some great British entertainers (Kimmo springs to mind) but in general I think that Irish acts like Pat Fallon and Quentin Reynolds beat them hands down. Modesty forbids me mentioning my favourite Irish entertainer. I am not saying this just for the sake of controversy. I believe that our strong oral tradition of storytelling is why our children's magicians are so good. And our stand-up comics seem to punch well above their weight as well, for the same reason.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
|||||||||
TommyJ Inner circle Foxboro, MA 1750 Posts |
Lets just make it an open competition to any children entertainers in the world. Now, would judges be American, British, Irish??? How bout one of each? I'd be willing to bet the competition would end, in a three way tie! lol
"Keep the Kids Laughing!"
https://www.tommyjamesmagic.com/store |
|||||||||
Starrpower Inner circle 4070 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-07-11 19:43, Mark Lewis wrote: Now I get it! Thank you! The UK way is doing exactly as every other act does, right down to the lines they use ("Oh no I didn't.") If that's "British and Better," I am proud to be an American. |
|||||||||
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The little darlings » » Silly Billy agrees that the UK syle is best! (11 Likes) | ||||||||||
Go to page 1~2~3..10~11~12 [Next] |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.05 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |