Like a lot of magicians, you might use an iPod to play music during your show. It’s no surprise that this is so popular because you can carry multiple versions of your show’s music — along with your regular tunes — and nearly any assistant or show tech who hasn’t been living in a cave for the past 9 years will know how to operate the device.

However, even an experienced iPod user can occasionally struggle under the pressure of finding and starting songs while following along on a cue sheet, and probably under poor lighting conditions.

Fortunately, there’s a little-known mode built into most iPods that addresses both of these problems. Instead of the usual iPod interface, this mode allows you to display your cues and music on the device’s screen. Also, you can optionally prevent the operator from accidentally changing to another playlist or getting distracted by browsing your music library.

This technique works only with “third generation” or later classic-style iPods that have a scroll wheel and a display screen. To be sure this will work with your iPod, use this chart from Apple and make sure your model was introduced in September 2004 or later. Alternatively, just check to see if your iPod has the “Notes” feature, found in the Extras menu on the device. If it’s there, you are good to go.

Now here’s the secret: tucked away inside your iPod is something that Apple calls “museum mode.” It’s a feature of the Notes function that is designed for creating self-guided tours of museums. It essentially allows you to create a custom iPod interface that mixes text and links to audio or video files.

By creating a few simple text file that describe your cues, and the music or sound file associated with each cue, you turn your iPod into a self-explaining cue sheet and sound source for your show. Here’s an example showing the first cue for a hypothetical show.

When your assistant hears your cue, they click the song link (by pressing the center button on the iPad’s wheel) and this starts the music. At the end of the song, the iPod automatically stops playing and returns to this screen. Your assistant turns the wheel until the “Go to Cue #2″ link is highlighted, then clicks, and the next cue instructions and music link appear.

Simple, and as you can see, virtually foolproof. The first link on the page is automatically selected, so to play the song, they simply click again. No more worries about finding and playing the correct song; the cue sheet enforces the correct sequence for you.

Creating an iPod Cue Sheet

To put together your own interactive cueing sheet you use a text editor to create simple HTML_like files. You can do this with NotePad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac OS X. The files contain the text you want displayed on the screen, a link to a song that’s on your iPod, and a link to the next cue. Here are two examples, showing the text files that define the cues in the photos above.

Cue #1
Approx 2:15 Gordon says:

"...and I felt so relieved, I immediately started to dream."

Play Song: Cindy Gal (1:15)

Go to Cue #2

Cue #2
Approx 6:30 Bernie (holding candle) says:

"...join us on our tour of the damned!"

Play song: Trampled Rose (2:15)

Go to Cue #3

Once you’ve created the files that define your cues, you install them on iPod by turning on Disk Mode in iTunes, then you drag the files to the Notes folder on the device. From then on, when you go to Extras > Notes on your iPod, you’ll see each of your files listed.

To open a note, scroll to select it, then click it by pressing the center button on the touch wheel.

It’s a good idea, but not strictly necessary, to name the files so they sort in the order you want, as I’ve done here.

You also have to make sure that the songs or sound files you’re using are on your iPod. You link to them using the song title, as displayed by iTunes or on the iPod, as shown in the examples above.

And that’s it; you’re basically done, unless you want to get even fancier.

Doing More

If you’re lucky enough to be working in a theatre where lighting cues are available, you can incorporate instructions for the operator into your iPod cue sheet too. Just add a text file that describes the cue and links to the next cue in sequence. In other words, you don’t have to include a music file to play if it isn’t necessary.

If you want to make your iPod cue sheet even more foolproof, consider taking advantage of the “Notes Only” option. This turns off all of the iPod’s menus and options other than Notes.

Doing this prevents your assistant from doing anything with your iPod other than use your cue sheet. When the iPod is turned in, it automatically goes to the Notes function. This could be a good way to put an older iPod to permanent use for your show, or an excuse to buy another.

When the iPod is in this mode, however, that you can’t use iPod as you normally would. To return your iPod to normal functionality you need to connect it to your computer and delete (or rename) the special text file that triggers this mode. Simple, but not something you can do unless your computer is handy.

Another handy technique, especially if you have more than one show, is to create a menu that allows you to choose among multiple sets of cues. To do this, simply create folders when you copy the text notes to the iPod.

Conclusion

There’s much more you can do, too. You can, for example, you can play only a portion of an audio track by specifying the starting and ending times in the song link.

For all of the details, including how to use the Notes Only mode, see Apple’s iPod Notes Features Guide available in PDF at: http://developer.apple.com/hardwaredrivers/ipod/iPodNotesFeatureGuideCB.pdf.
The documentation is written for people who are comfortable with editing files, writing simple HTML, and those who are not afraid to experiment a little. Here’s a tip that will help you — after you install new files on your iPod, give the device a moment to recognize and inventory your new additions. A good way to force it to do so is to go to Extras > Contacts or some other Extras feature other than Notes.

If you’re interested in other tips about using iPod and iTunes to provide music for your show, see my article “Digital Music and Magic,” The Linking Ring (Feb 2004), available in PDF at my website. Look for the link titled “Articles for Magicians.”

About the Author: Gordon Meyer is a Chicago-based writer and magician. He frequently contributes to My Lovely Assistant and writes about magic about at Chicago Magic Studio.

I knew what I was in for when I first met Jeff. He made no attempt to hide the fact that he has been madly in love with lady magic since he was seven years old. Since I only met him when he was 28, I knew she had twenty years on me, and that there was no sense in competing with her for his love. Instead, I began to woo her myself, and found that as I learned to speak Jeff’s primary language, doors opened up in his heart and he could let me in to deeper places. Jeff is very focused on his passion for magic. I know that if I ever want his full focused attention on me, all I have to do is pick up a deck of cards, and show him a new false cut, and ask for his feedback. He will instantly, completely engage. The more ways I find to interact with magic, the more ways I find to love my husband.

Creation begins with vision, inspiration and ideas. Cooper Edens, a writer of children’s literature reminds us that: “Our early creativity is fragile and can be easily crushed.” According to The National Women’s Health Information Center, the healthiest babies are often born to the mothers who have the best pre-natal care. In the same way, the strongest, most successful ideas, the ones that actually come to fruition, are often the ones that are treated most gently in the earliest stages.

My primary language is music, when I’m creating a new piece, there are specific things Jeff can do to help me in my process, just as I help him in his. Receiving support is instrumental. When in the early phases of a new song, really, all I want to hear is that I’m doing great, that he likes it, and thinks I should keep going with it. Sometimes I question my own creativity, and run the risk of listening to the voices of self-doubt and judgment that ask: “is this trite? does this sound like every other song I’ve ever written? is this ok? am I ok?” Hearing words of encouragement from a voice outside the imaginary ones in my head, saying: “Wow, I like this, you’re doing great, keep going!” often gives me the nudge I need to move beyond self-doubt, and to relax more deeply into the creative process. In just the same way, when Jeff shows me a card move he’s working on, even without any script or polish, the best thing I can give him is my kind support, and praise. There is plenty of time later for more focused feedback. It is important to recognize and remember that when something is newborn, it is fragile.

Lee Silber, in his book on Time Management stated:

Creativity is fragile; if you don’t nurture it, it can die, leaving you recycling old ideas and pretending they’re fresh.

Birthing can be a long process, many hours, days, weeks and months go into bringing forth new life. As a midwife to magic, I must have patience with the process, and be willing to listen, to watch, to pay careful attention. When Jeff was learning the magazine memory effect, I must have heard every page of TIME magazine fifty times. It becomes something of a game, something we can share in.

As a midwife to magic, I play many roles, one of them is the Muse. The Muse was first seen in Greek mythology and was a being who inspired the creation of literature and art. A Muse is both a guiding spirit as well as a fountainhead of inspiration. They were considered the source of all the knowledge that was contained in lyrics and myths.

So, how do you inspire and nurture creativity? I know there are many different methods; a quick Google search for “how to nurture creativity” returns over a million results in less than half a second. One of the suggestions that consistently comes up is related to the idea of exploring everything that interests you. At the Magic and Mystery School, we often have the students do an exercise in which they list all of their passions on one side of a page, and all the magic effects they know on the other, and then draw lines to make connections. I try to take time on a regular basis to explore- away from the computer, outside of the home… to explore in the world, not via a medium of a book or computer screen, but to go to a museum, or a botanical garden, or around a fire circle, or up a mountain, to seek inspiration and fresh ideas. I often bring Jeff along with me, and this becomes another way for us to grow together. By breaking our normal routines, we open to the possibility of new inspiration, and make room for new revelations to appear.

Great ideas are often born in a flash of inspiration, in the moments between waking and sleeping, sometimes while the mind is focused on other things, like driving, for instance. We’ve learned to keep notebooks and pens at arms reach, all over the house, near the bed, in the car, on the back patio… Being able to capture the idea, even with only a few jotted key words helps to begin the process of making the magic manifest in the real world.

Another way to nurture our creativity is to consciously choose to make time for it. Each morning, when Jeff wakes up, he comes downstairs, starts the coffee brewing, and goes into his rehearsal space to practice three routines. The great Sufi poet, Rumi, wrote:

Submit to a daily practice. Your loyalty to that is a ring on the door. Keep knocking, and the joy inside will eventually open a window and look out to see who’s there.

Practice is a way to court the muse of creativity, to show devotion and discipline, to get a little better every day. A new magic effect is like a new baby. Before it is even born, it needs to be given a safe space to gestate. By honoring the time and space taken for practice, I help to create a nurturing environment. Jeff has written that performing magic is mind-altering, both to the performer and the audience. Perhaps it’s related to the biochemicals released into the system when performing; adrenalin, dopamine and oxytocin all can make a person feel good. Just as a woman giving birth is flooded with a variety of biochemicals, so, too is a magician performing magic. It *is* good medicine. If Jeff is having a grumpy sort of day, I’ve been known to tell him to go do some magic for someone, because I know it will improve his mood, and, by extension, make my day more pleasant. Encouraging him to perform is just one of the ways I help to midwife his magical growth.

Another role that comes under the heading of midwife of magic is that of the Witness. Just as a midwife will watch a woman in labor, keeping an eye on the entire process through regular examinations, so, too, do I watch and witness. As a woman in love with a magician, I am in a unique position. I’m the one, primarily, who he has the opportunity to “practice on.” So, I think one of the things Jeff can do to help me to help him is to realize the difference between, “Hey, c’mere, I want to try this on you,” and “My darling, when you have a moment, I have something I’d really love to do for you.” When he does approach me, I want to recognize, that he is offering me a rare and precious gift, to witness the unfolding of his creativity, so this is not a chore, but a newborn window of opportunity.

Once I’ve had the chance to see a new effect, I need to remember that this is an expression of my beloved’s creativity, and it will do me good to respond with care as well, after all, this is the man I love, right?

Just as a midwife will be supportive of a woman who comes in to see her and is already pregnant, I want to be sure to start with positive feedback first. I want my beloved to feel encouraged, not shot down. I’ll tell him what I liked, even if it’s just the idea behind the effect, and then I’ll ask him if he is interested in hearing my other ideas. Sometimes, he’s not ready for feedback, and that’s ok. There’s a difference between just wanting to try something out in front of someone, and wanting feedback from them. If he is ready, then I will tell him, clearly and kindly, in my opinion, what isn’t working. Often, I’ll offer my ideas on how the problem could be solved, whether it’s by shifting his finger position, changing his body posture, clarifying his script, or videotaping a move so he can see what I see. I want to balance my praise and encouragement with the gift of honesty. To allow him to continue performing an effect while flashing or fumbling would be akin to sending a five year old to school with his pants on backwards. I don’t want the “other kids” to laugh, right?

A midwife will tell a mother-to-be to breathe, to push, to not give up, to be strong. In this manner, I am also a Coach. Technique has to come first. If an effect is flashing so badly that the magic is nonexistent, it doesn’t matter how good the script is, or how inspiring the story is, so I watch carefully, seeing what a layperson would see, seeing what a magician would see — giving specific feedback, “try turning your wrist a little more away from me, that way you won’t flash,” encouraging him to video himself, so he can see what I see objectively.

Once the technique is solid, then I also use my skills as a writer and speaker to help craft the script for the effect, making sure that the right words find the right places. Magic spells and incantations, mantras and words of power all get woven together. We often start by following one of Eugene’s suggestions, and audio-recording a run-through of an effect, and then transcribing, word for word, what’s being said. From this starting point, we can edit out and tighten up what’s being said, so that each word has meaning, and every phrase moves the effect forward. As part of my undergraduate degree, I studied public speaking, voice and articulation, and interpretive speaking. So, we pay careful attention to pronunciation, inflection, pauses, and eye contact. All of these help make the final script strong and healthy.

After the technique is perfected and the script is clean, we turn to the feel. I ask him questions, “what sort of response are you hoping to elicit from your audience? where do you see yourself performing this effect? how does this fit into the flow of the whole show?” Sometimes, by asking the right questions, I can help Jeff to find his own answers, which may or may not lead him to make changes in the script, the technique, or both.

It’s all coming from a place of wanting to see him succeed, because I care… because I love him, so I make it a point to offer my feedback kindly. As David Devant said, “All done with kindness.”

Part of what makes my feedback valuable is that I’m genuinely interested in magic. It’s one of the creative activities that Jeff and I share. We have other interests we share as well, like music, ballroom dancing, and fire circles. But when it comes to magic, I have nearly twenty years of experience both onstage and behind the scenes, going to countless magic conventions, witnessing hundreds of magicians both great and… not so great. All of these combine with my sincere desire to assist Jeff in his creative process, just as he does in mine. Together, we have given birth to many magickal children, including the Magic and Mystery School, the Vegas Vortex, the Show Doctor and countless shows all over the world…. Our magical legacy will live on and on. Thank you for being part of it.

In our digital age of learning magic by watching YouTube I cannot help but wonder how far one can go by mimicking what they see someone else do in a video. Aside from performing for friends at school, how do you really take your interest in magic to the next level?

It is not uncommon for young, aspiring artists to seek out a mentor among the group of successful contemporaries in their desired field. Painters, photographers, sculptors, to name a few, all take on students to utilize their help while at the same time pass on techniques and tricks of the trade in order to nurture the student’s interest in their art. A mentor wants to see their student reach the level of success they desire. Regardless of what kind of artist you are, we all can benefit from the experience of those who have come before us.

When we begin developing as magicians we cannot help but look up to the great performers in the world today – we aspire to be just as successful.  Our first reaction is to mimic them though we soon realize that we only get so far with that. And then what? How exactly do we begin to find our own style?

It was seven years ago that I approached Jeff McBride eager to learn as much as I could from him.  I knew that he was a master of his art and that I could learn a lot from someone of his stature. When I first met Jeff in 2003 I had a dream but no idea how to manifest it to reality.  Spending time with him and helping him set up his show allowed me to learn what it takes to travel with an act and put together a big production.  Experiencing the ins and outs of the business can give us insight that we would never get from reading a book or watching a DVD.  For me, the real lessons have come through observation – not by being told how to do something but rather seeing how a real performer handles themselves in various situations.

One of the first experiences I had with Jeff taught me just how a simple gift of magic can make a huge impact on a person. One night we were in the checkout line of a supermarket and Jeff asked the checkout guy if he likes magic. He replied that he had not really seen magic before. Without hesitation, Jeff began doing card manipulations for him and ended by giving him one of his cards. The guy was so shocked that his entire demeanor was transformed into a state of bliss.  As we were walking out to the car I realized how a simple magic trick in an unexpected way will almost instantly bring people out of their mundane task.  This was one of those unique moments that had I not witnessed, I never would have understood.

I often get emails from people asking what advice I can give them on finding a mentor.  One of the best pieces of advice I can offer to anyone is to seek out a magician in your area or local market whose work you admire and who is willing to “show you the ropes”. It is not about learning tricks, it is about watching others and learning from the way they work. Having a mentor will allow you to see what real world performing environments are like, to learn what goes into structuring a show, and to absorb all the wisdom that comes from their years of experience. Having someone to not only help guide you but also teach you the life lessons of being a performer is invaluable.

What is the concept behind the new show?

The show is called “98% Séance” and is about making live contact with ghosts, spirits and demons. As anyone who has ever held a home-made Séance will know, there’s always the chance of nothing happening, and because we are pretty much totally convinced that all those things are horse-sh*t anyway, the remaining 2% of our Séance will employ some freaky trickery in order to guarantee some spine-chilling scares.

How has it been going?

It is going really well. This is our third year at the Edinburgh festival and so far it has been the best. The tickets sell out every night and we are getting 4 and 5 star reviews across the board. You can’t ask for anything better than that.

What are you up to next?

After Edinburgh we immediately travel to Spain and Portugal for shows through September and then it is back to London to film some exciting stuff for the BBC. We are always working on new live material, performing for a real live, breathing crowd is often more satisfying for us than filming for TV because the interaction with real people makes each performance unique. For us it’s an adrenaline rush because if tricks go wrong, there is no second take!

What are you ambitions in magic?

Even though we have performed all over the world we would love to tour with a big show, that is something we have never done.

What famous Scottish landmarks would you like to “Do a Copperfield on” and disappear, etc?

Even though that is not really our style, to vanish the Edinburgh castle during the festival would be an impressive feat and it couldn’t go unnoticed. Maybe we could make it re appear at the top of Arthur’s Seat, that would be a great trick. And if Fred-the-Shred would donate his pension to us maybe we could make it happen!

Has anyone famous came to see your new show?

There were only a handful of very small preview shows before Edinburgh

What sort of reactions have you had?

This show we wanted the show to get different reactions to what we normally get during our performances. There has been screaming, laughing and one night there was a girl who was so freaked out by what happens in the show that she could not stop crying. As she left she was laughing but there were still tears streaming down her face. That was totally unexpected, there was nothing we could do

Were you inspired by Edinburgh’s ghostly past?

Yes, Edinburgh is a great place for our show because there are so many ghost stories from there. The venue we are performing in isn’t far from Grassmarket, where they used to do all the public hangings. In the 1700’s child-murderer Maggie Dickson was hung and declared dead, as they disposed her body a banging was heard from inside her coffin. When they opened it she sat bolt upright. They were unable to repeat her sentence as she was already declared dead and had a death certificate to prove it. They saw it as God’s Will and she lived another forty years.

What sort of research did you do?

We used to look to old books to find inspiration. We read a lot of historical accounts of mediums and seances that had been held both in Europe and the US. We learned about the deceptions they were employing to achieve spiritual manifestations and although it was all very fascinating, we really didn’t think that either the methods or the events would be very convincing or frightening for a modern audience. So with that we virtually had to start from the ground up using techniques that we developed that would hopefully make an audience believe that ghosts and spirits were present.

What magicians do you admire?

Our absolute heroes are all dead. We can’t talk to them in the seance but there are old books that describe who they were and what they used to do.

Which magicians do you hate?

No one in particular but we don’t like the style of the super-posing illusionist who just dances around boxes looking like a tool. We like magic that means something, which is why we do the bloody, gross and scary tricks that we do.

Any plans for new television projects?

Yes, we have a few different things going on. We are most excited about creating more tricks for the BBC. Ever year they ask us to make on-line tricks that people can use on April Fools Day to trick their friends. We have a page on the BBC website at www.bbc.co.uk/barryandstuart up there now are some great tricks that we also tell you the secret to so you can trick your friends. We will be making some more to up there when we finish Edinburgh.

Anyone in your family have any history of seeing ghosts etc?

Stuart: When I was 10 my great aunt Mona would sit with me and ask the spooks to tip tables in the room. It was so freaky to imagine that her tables were rocking and falling because of ghosts but it also totally captured my imagination. Being a young magician I was skeptical and was on the look out for trickery. If she was knocking those tables I never caught her, there’s always a part of you that wants it to be real, it’s like that with any magic trick.

What is the secret to good magic performance?

We’ve always thought that magic should capture your imagination. It doesn’t just have to be a great trick it also needs to connect with the audience in some way. We love using the audience in our performances and that allows us to be spontaneous and have events happen on stage that the audience know don’t happen every night.

What is the biggest accident you have had so far?

It was our last show at the Edinburgh Festival 2009, everything was running great until the shows grand finale. We performed a big illusion using a large box. Once you got inside it you closed a door on the front, then activated a series of secret mechanisms. That night, right at the climax, the front door of the box came loose and completely fell off! The audience could see exactly how the trick worked. It was a real “caught with your pants down” moment. There was nothing we could have done about it, absolutely nothing. We just wanted to say, “thanks and goodnight!” leaving the stage as quickly as possible. It was hilarious but totally embarrassing to have a trick go so badly wrong.

Are you working with any people outside of magic?

We quite often work with actor Andy Nyman, who is a brilliant writer and director. He is a good friend and one of those rare people who really understand what a good magic show should be.

Have you performed for any celebrities, any famous fans, etc?

Funnily enough one of the first shows that we did together was for Billy Connolly’s 60th birthday party. We went to his house where there were lots of famous people and performed magic there for an hour or so. We’ve worked with lots of celebrities of various calibres throughout the years mostly when doing TV projects. We became friendly with Derren Brown a few years ago too and we were recently part of a 3D magic special which he hosted and selected his favourite magicians for.

What do your parents think of your unusual careers, what did they want you to do?

Barry: My mum is happy as long as we don’t make any jokes about her.

When you think about it, magic tricks and jokes share a very similar style. In a joke, a comedian sets up in words a story or scenario that unexpectedly changes at the last minute creating laughs. In magic, the magician shows or explains how something is impossible and can’t be done and then unexpectedly defies reality to do it; resulting in applause.

Sadly, you must be warned before you read any further that discussing comedy is not funny. In the same way that dissecting a frog to show the biological process kills Kermit, talking about comedy is the very opposite of funny.

But I think important lessons and guidelines can be learned, so let’s continue:

Here’s an old joke for an example:
“An elderly couple walk into a hotel to check in. The guy is lugging a huge, ancient, beat up suitcase. The clerk checks them in and then says: ‘What about the old bag? Should I call a bellman?’ And the man answers “Nah, my wife can walk’.

The humor comes from the mistaken assumption that the “old bag” referred to is the suitcase. When it’s revealed that “the old bag” mentioned by the clerk is the wife, it gets a laugh.

In a magic trick, the performer might show the inside of cloth bag, leading the audience to mistakenly assume that it’s empty, but when a dove is produced, the magic occurs and the audience applauds.

So let us magicians take some lessons from comedians. When it comes to LPMs (or as it might more accurately be referred to in magic situations; EPMs), comedians often have us beat.

By LPMs, I mean “laughs per minute”, a guide to how funny a TV show, or comedian’s routine may be. By EPM’s I mean, effects per minute, a guide to how many magical effects take place during the length of the magi’s routine.

You don’t really hear professional comedians tell “joke-jokes” anymore. That’s the type of joke that’s a long story that begins “A rabbi, a priest, a bear, and a nun walk into a bar…” While in decades past that might have been the style, today those types of jokes are perceived as not being personalized and taking too long to get to the punch line.

Today, comedians for the most part use shorter set-ups and then quickly go for the jokes. Here’s one of my lines: “My mother’s neurotic about washing things; she cleans on the sub-atomic level. She was watching TV when they announced scientists discovered a new particle in between the proton and the neutron. She yelled out “That’s dust! I can clean that!”

But too often magicians have long set-ups with a lot of time passing before they get to the actual effect and the part where the audience applauds.

You know the tricks I’m talking: A deck of cards is examined, one is chosen, it’s signed, the cards are cut into piles, they’re divided by the month you were born, and it seems like half an hour later until the card is revealed. Many mentalism effects are also like this. So much time is spent showing that the performer is blindfolded, has no confederates, couldn’t possibly see anything, has no electronic gimmickry, couldn’t possibly have memorized every page in a stack of randomly chosen books, etc.; that by the time the word is revealed five or six minutes later it has become boring instead of great.

People’s attention spans have shortened over the years. “Cut to the chase” are words to live by.

In twelve minutes, if performer “A” does twenty-two effects, but performer “B” does three; then even if those three effects are really great ones, at some point a lay audience will like performer “A” better because his twelve minutes was so much more dense with effects than magician “B’s”.

“But Robert” you say, “if I don’t make it absolutely clear that what I’m going to do is impossible, how can they appreciate that I did a miracle? If I don’t take all the time necessary to set up that it’s impossible, how will they appreciate it?”

And Robert says: At least give them some entertainment on the way to the entertainment! Put in some jokes and lines and bits along the way to the climax and then speed it up as much as you cam. Remember that entertainment is your goal, not strictly magic. Magic for the sake of magic by itself can sometimes be little more than a puzzle. A guitar player does not come out and pluck the strings of his instrument and say to the crowd “The A note, the B note, the C note, the G note. Now worship me!” What he does is take the skills he’s learned in music to put the notes together into a song, and most often the song is about things the audience can relate to. Have you ever noticed there are lots of songs about love and heart break, but few songs written about the cut and restored rope or the linking rings?

Sometimes a magician does seem to be going “See the coin, now it’s here, now it’s gone, now it’s there, now it’s gone again, now it’s back. Worship me!” That’s the same as the example of the guitar player above. It doesn’t fly for the musician, why should it be okay for the magician?
So the two pronged attack to make your routines more entertaining is to do more tricks quicker, eliminating as much of the set up as possible; and when the set up has to be there, to make the steps along the way as amusing and quick as possible.

Here’s an example from my strolling and close-up work: I do a ringflite routine with so many gags and bits of business along the way, that if we never get to the ending: the ring being found in the key case; the audience still had such a great time, they don’t care or know what they missed! This often happens in real life situations: The meal is served just as you’re reaching your magical climax, the event emcee announces that the first dance is going to take place, the person’s favorite Aunt Hilda walks over in the middle of your trick, or the D.J. plays the couple’s favorite song and now everyone is asked to dance. The audience for the magic trick that you’ve spent five minutes building up to goes away.

By having lots of comedy shtick and byplay along the way, I don’t care. I know that the crowd had a good time and will go over to the event host or party planner and say how good magic boy was even if they never saw the ring in the key case!

Here’s just some of my gags along the way for a ringflite routine:

• I have a dozen or so other rings pinned inside my jacket. When asking about the ring I want to borrow, I flash the rings inside my jacket and ask “Can I interest you in a trade-in?”
• I carry around a jeweler’s eye loupe. When looking at the ring, it’s funny just when I pull the eye loupe out to examine it, but then I make all sorts of jokes along the lines of the fine quality of merchandise the Home Shopping Network is selling these days.
• Of the rings in my jacket, there are many joke rings. There’s a “three carrot” ring, an actual ring with three tiny carrots on it; there’s a “bathtub ring”, a tiny bathtub from a doll’s house that’s got a line of dirt around the inside; there a “diamond” ring, a ring with a U.S. dime coin attached to it; and lots of other joke rings like this.
• With the jeweler’s eye loupe, I do a number of “cup and ball” like moves, loading the ring under the loupe and making it vanish and appear at unexpected times.
• I vanish the borrowed ring inside a square of flash paper. When it ignites there’s always “oohs” and “ahhs” at the small burst of flame.
• Plus, I always start the routine by pattering about what a special day this is for whatever reason it is that I’ve been hired to perform at this event; and I start off my search for a ring to borrow mentioning how rings often commemorate special days and memories.
• Sometimes, if after asking for a ring but not being able to get anyone to lend me theirs, I will still do all these gags and lines and tricks with my own ring and no one even knows that they’re missing out on the actual ringflite trick!

By making this routine so dense with bits and tricks along the way to the ring inside the keycase climax, it’s never boring; there’s always laughs and “oohs” on the journey; and by asking first what the meaning or special memory of this ring is for the volunteer, I’m always bonding with my audience on an emotional level that a trick with the cups and balls or an okito coin box often can not do.

For stage performance, I have done a silent comedy manipulation act where the effects came fast and furiously, but never became aimless manipulation. We’ve all seen floating Zombie ball routines where every move that was in the book was performed, but didn’t have to be. The performer knows that he spent 17 months alone in his room mastering every billiard ball move, but that doesn’t mean the audience appreciates it. Since the art in magic is concealing the art, do magicians have to show off every sleight they know? At some point this can become what I like to politely term “magical masturbation”, where the performer gets off showing all his moves and the audience just watches. I like to think what should go on is a love affair between the performer and the audience, where both get off from the performance. A mutual climax if you will.

It was famous old time magician Al Flosso who put it to me this way when I was a child: He said “Only magicians care about magic tricks kid, real people just want to be entertained.” So when it comes to patter tricks, and choice of material, I always try to remember the fact that the audience is not as interested in magic as I am. One of the ways I try to get them to care just a little more about my performance is by using props and items that they can relate to. There are very few red and gold asian dragon boxes with metallic paint in the real world, so I tend not to use any. And does anyone really care deeply about the three of clubs? Not unless they’re gambling and hoping to pull a straight flush. So I tend to do very few card tricks.

Thinking about this in advance of your next show can help you to be a better performer. Each of us in an artist, and what I feel is right for me, isn’t necessarily right for you. But movies where an average guy hero who achieves despite being knocked down are often the basis for a good story. This story works because the audience relates to the average guy hero and feels for him. The problem for the magician is that the very act of performing magic takes you out of the “average everyman” category. Having these secrets that you can’t tell makes the performer a little off putting and geeky to begin with. By working hard to fight against this very nature of our art we can achieve our goal to entertain. Film makers do not often make successful films about how difficult it is to make a film for the film maker. The film maker’s struggle, experience, and vocabulary is so different than the general audience’s that to focus on those things would be like us focusing on our zombie ball moves. But make a magic act or film that regular people can like and empathize with and you will be a better entertainer.