Performance
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The Phoenix: Volume 1 Number 1
From January, 1942 through February, 1954, the Phoenix ran for 300 issues under the editorship of Walter Gibson and Bruce Elliott. It was the direct descendant of the Jinx which ended in December 1941 with the untimely death of Theodore Annemann. With two good friends, I spent a few years digging through the Jinx that… Continue reading
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Book Notes: Bert Allerton: Gentleman Magician
Chicago area magician and author, Chuck Romero, quietly released his latest work without much fanfare. If I hadn’t been scanning through the latest posts on the Genii forum, I may have missed it. Romano previously released books on the life and work of Paul Rosini and the artwork and design of magic illustrations. Both works… Continue reading
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Minimum Requirements
In the opening essay of Shattering Illusions, Jamy Ian Swiss states: When you fool the audience you indeed fulfill the essential mandate of your job. But you have in no way come even remotely close to completing the job-much less having done the job well.There must — simply must — be some larger end in… Continue reading
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Astonishment Is Our Natural State Of Mind
In the December 1996 edition of Genii magazine, the cover featured Paul Harris. Paul has been instrumental in changing the state of close-up magic since the mid 1970’s. I wasn’t aware of him until the early 80’s after the release of Close-up Entertainer and Las Vegas Close-up. Since 1984 and the publication of Close-up Seductions,… Continue reading
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Performing for People
While digesting this material, it is important not to become burdened with your knowledge of the method—it is vital that you perceive it through the eyes and mind of a layman (don’t think about what you are actually doing; concentrate on what an audience is thinking). I say this because magicians have a tendency to… Continue reading
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Scotty on Sleights
It doesn’t seem that many remember Scotty York. He’s faded from memory as the magic culture shifted over the last decade or two. Like his counterparts Jamy Ian Swiss, Eric Mead, Steve Spell and Doc Eason, he was a bar magician. According to his biographical sketch on Genii’s Magipedia: Scotty York (1937-2012), known as “The… Continue reading
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What’s the Effect?
“The great difference between the professional magician and the amateur magician is that the professional magician knows what an effect is. He knows what the audience sees. It doesn’t matter how crude the method of performing-as long as the effect is good, he will use it. The amateur is more interested in the method. If… Continue reading