Hello Everybody

I have loved this amazing resource almost since I started and have decided to finally start posting.
However, I do have a question. Does anyone know what the demographics of the Café are?

That average age of members?

The gender ratio?

Amature vs Pro vs Semi-Pro


Alisdair

Alisdair, welcome to the Café. The questions you are asking really can't be answered. There's really isn't any way for us to tell the ages of our members. As you know, we don't ask any questions when someone joins the Café and even if we did, we wouldn't have any way of verifying their information.

Again, we allow almost any user name and that means a male could register with a female name or vice versa. Many time we know the gender but for others, it would just be a guess. If you click on the members list button at the top of the page, it will give you a listing of all our members. You could make you own guess as to gender.

Again, we may know the professional status of some members but determining pro vs amateur vs semi pro would be very difficult.

Welcome Alisdair Gurling,

I'm sorry, I can't help you with any of your questions.

Are you a Magician yourself.

What Magic interests you?

-Mary Mowder

Yes love magic a peform as often as I can.

Hello Allisdair!

If you wish to divide the members by "class", you should be aware that the "divisions" are;

AMATEUR PART TIME PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL

"SEMI" PROFESSIONAL HAS THE CONNOTATION OF "HALF", AND IS A DEMEANING TERM.

For example, I was an amateur magician from about the age of 8. When I was 13, almost 14, I started making money performing part time. I was a part time professional, all thru high school and for about 2 years after high school, thru 4 years in the U.S. Navy, and thru college. I was about 28 when I became a full time professional. I retired at about 77. I am now 84, and, still accept casual bookings.

Hi Dick, Sorry for following up after such a long time but I was applying to the magic circle the other day and saw this:

Click here to view attached image.

Hi...Well,it did take you 2 years to reply,but, that;s OK!

I was an Associate of the Inner Magic Circle with gold star, but, at my age, 87, I've dropped out of the IBM (67 years) SAM (about 40 years) etc. and, even the MAGIC CIRCLE.

We here in the colonies, had several years of differences of opinion, with George III, and George finally gave up.

I insist that I NEVER WAS A 'SEMI PROFESSIONAL'. You can be, if you so wish!! heehee

I agree there is really no such thing as a semi-professional. This seems to be a self-utilized, self-serving term and definition.

I tend to disagree. For quite awhile, I performed magic half of my time and the other half was spent working a regular job. In that context, I would call myself a semi-professional. If that means "half" as Dick suggests, then that would be correct for me. When talking to laymen and used the term semi-professional, the impression they received was I didn't perform professionally all the time which would be correct.

Alisdair welcome to the Café. As you see there’s lots of great knowledgeable folks, but we often get caught up in semantics.

I doubt anyone has captured the demographics of the Café, but no worries...there rooms and discussions for everyone. Even semi-pros...which the dictionary has as:

adjective: semi-professional
1. receiving payment for an activity but not relying entirely on it for a living. "a semiprofessional musician"

Welcome!

What's your favorite trick to perform?

Teenagelabotomy42:

To whom are you replying?

I (me) have no favorite trick. Every trick that I do (for the last 50 years) which has helped me make a living, is my favorite trick!

They are: color changing silk, illusion routine with boomerang sticks, spot card, and silk thru mike stand (or t&r napkin) Ovette's repeat knots, shoelace knot, Norwegian yoyo, "Slydini" knots, 3 rings, nitemare rope, fancy card shuffles, serpentine silk, mutilatled parasol, 20th Century silks, Misers Dream. That's 45 minutes. If I need 60 for an evening family show, I fill with the lazy magician, paper hat, comedy balloon pump, and Disecto. If it's a senior high school, the parasol is out and the comedy wands & breakaway fan is in.

I think that I remember you. Were you in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"?

Hi imjc!

MY dear friend, Gene Anderson and I discussed this "semi"/"part time" terminology at some length, about 40 years ago. We agreed that "semi" has the connotation of "half", We further agreed that "half professional", didn't quite "make it", Would you print "half professional" on your business card? (I don't think so.)

I made a living with magic for darn near 50 years. I was in show business. Show business is spelled $how bu$ine$$. I was a Performer and a Program Consultant, (a booking agent) I "sold" a dozen different Lyceum programs, every fall. I was NOT a "semi" performer, or a "semi" program consultant.

In college, my English professor insisted on using correct terminology. I got the ONLY two "A"s, in the class.

Since you don't seem to like my posts, do not feel obligated to read them. You might like Bill H's posts better. He took the Chavez Course!

Dick:

I was not disparaging your posts. I was not insinuating you were a "semi" professional magician. I was replying to discussions on what a "semi-professional" is by stating what I found in the dictionary.

From your posts you are the consummate professional. I, on the other hand, am a semi-professional magician. I occasionally receive payment for performing magic, but do not make a living at it.

No offense taken, and, I hope I didn't offend!

I think it was the first Webster dictionary that defined a "net", as "anything reticulated, or decussated, with interstices between the intersections."

Dictionaries generally record usage.

So, if you prefer being known as a semi professional, you may do so. I preferred, when I was a teenager, being known as a part time professional. My buddies in high school were earning about $.50 per hour, mowing lawns, or bagging groceries. I was averaging about $15.00 per hour doing shows. (This was in the mid '40s.) When I was in the Navy, (1951--1955) I got associated with an agent, and, I averaged $25.00 to $40,00 for a 30 minute club
date. For 3 1/2 years, I sent my Navy check home to the bank. I bought a late model car, rented a place in town, and was saving money.

Now, I'm just a retired professional. heehee

In answer to the original post, I'm a live long amateur, male, now 65, working toward being semi-pro.

This conversation leads me to wonder,,,(I wonder what a SEMI AMATEUR MAGICIAN does for a living!) HEEHEE

We can probably create one of those maps where people put a tack in their city. It would show thg e density of people in their location.

How about all those who say that they are "semi-retired" as opposed to "part-time retired" which I don't believe I ever heard? Meaning they are retired but still do some work here and there. They are just words, and honestly no one cares except over-thinking magicians. I have been in magic now for 38 years and 29 years as a professional, the last time I was a semi or part-time professional was when I was a kid earning tips. Personally if I was not doing magic full-time I would prefer part-time professional.

Everyone seems to view the term semi differently or as if it means the type of service you will be receiving. But in reality it means the same as part-time. Some may view it as meaning "not quite a professional" yet whereas most will view "part-time professional" as a professional who works part-time. But most of the time only magicians over-think this stuff, laymen do not care nor spend this kind of time discussing it lol.