Almost every little kid is a fan of magic shows. Some kids fear clowns and other kids fear elephants or rides, but the magic act is the only part of your typical carnival that is universally loved. I was more into magic than most kids, but certainly not unusual for my age. Besides a few tricks involving prestidigitation and stacking card decks, I couldn’t really do anything. I wasn’t one of those childhood prodigies. Nevertheless, as I grew, my interest increased until I was a magic show performer myself.
When I was a teenager, I would give a free magic show in the park every week. At first, people thought it was pretty dorky. I was known as one of the geeky kids, and I did not have a lot of friends in junior high. Nonetheless, a few kids came by to check it out and were pretty impressed. Soon, the news got around that there were high quality free magic shows going on in park. Everyone wanted to know how I did it, and although my tricks were pretty obvious and available in any magic textbook, I never told them and they never figured them out.
I guess that is the secret to the typical magic show. It all comes down to the fact that people want to believe. Some people love figuring out magic tricks, of course, but even these people usually long for that one trick that defies them, that one act of magic that really is miraculous and not explained by misdirection and clever hand motions. This was the biggest discovery of my life as a magician: people want to believe. All you have to do is help them to do just that.
Of course, throwing a high-quality magic show is a far cry from showing off in junior high school. There are so many professional magicians for hire out there that you really need to do something to distinguish yourself. It is not that you have to be the best, but you certainly have to have an act. David Blaine, for example, specializes in the street magic show. He wanders up to strangers, looking confused, and shows them feats that he seems to find as incredible as they do. Other magicians specialize in grandiosity, wry humor, or even adult overtones. I even had a friend who would do a magic garden show, attending rich ladies garden parties in the summer to provide entertainment for the idle rich. Whatever gets you a niche!
|
