I started my professional career as a kid doing birthday parties, libraries and churches. By my college days I performed nightly at a restaurant-bar doing strolling magic and balloon animals. I have since performed mostly stage shows with the occasional strolling show. I do the occasional strolling show for corporate engagements. But the schedule is usually short. This show was four hours straight. It took me back to my college days. Non-stop magic, occasionally stopping for a quick soda or coffee (I mean real quick) and the occasional reset of tricks or restocking my pockets with things I used up in the performances.
No doubt the balloon swallow was the most popular thing I did followed by the human block head. As far as pure magic goes, I performed a trick where I never touch the cards and yet still the spectators signed card (even after they put the card in the middle of the deck and put it back in the box and sealed it ) ends up in my pocket. And really I NEVER touch the card from the time they take it to the time the put the whole deck back into the box and the deck is no where around when I take the card out of my pocket. I learned it from a man at the Magic Castle two years ago after he blew magicians away with it...including me. I did linking rubber bands, and a cute four card trick called eye test where one by one queens turn over then their backs change color until finally their backs turn into little eye charts. I also revealed chosen cards by having the spectator squeeze my arm so hard they bruise me...the bruise bore the name of the card....
Here is the bruise!
Here is the bruise!I also bent spoons "with my mind" and did a number of coin tricks and mentalist tricks. All in all the night went really well.
In the buffet I went up to one table where two men sat. One wanted to see magic the other didn't. The man who didn't (man 2) did everything he could to make the experience of man 1 a bad one. But I have 7 kids, and have performed before over a million people in my lifetime. So I have experience with all types of people. Those early college days where I often performed for drunks, who are the worst type of hecklers, had prepared me for this man. I should mention one more thing, it was all you can eat crab night at the buffet and man 2's hands were covered in crab juice and butter. After doing the afore mentioned eye test the man wanted to hold the cards and check them out. Well, one look at his hands told me no way...so i told him no way. He took that as a sign of "trick cards"...no matter how much I tried to prove otherwise without dirtying my cards up by giving them to him he would not relent. So I pulled out my utility deck (who cares if those cards get dirty ..this deck is the one I use for card singing and tricks that often end with the cards on the floor, ceiling, etc. so who cares if crab juice and butter spoil them further) and performed the afore mentioned card to pocket...where I never touch the card. He relented and gave me high praise after that and even tried to tip me. I didn't take the tip...winning him over was good enough for me.
But boy were my dogs tired by nights end. There is a definite difference between my stamina when I was in my early twenties and today (I'm now in my mid.....twenties...would you believe thirties?....Ok I'm 45! No. Really! It's early gray.) When I got home I had a hot meal, a shower, and bed. I slept dreamless for nearly 9 hours. Very nice.
In the buffet I went up to one table where two men sat. One wanted to see magic the other didn't. The man who didn't (man 2) did everything he could to make the experience of man 1 a bad one. But I have 7 kids, and have performed before over a million people in my lifetime. So I have experience with all types of people. Those early college days where I often performed for drunks, who are the worst type of hecklers, had prepared me for this man. I should mention one more thing, it was all you can eat crab night at the buffet and man 2's hands were covered in crab juice and butter. After doing the afore mentioned eye test the man wanted to hold the cards and check them out. Well, one look at his hands told me no way...so i told him no way. He took that as a sign of "trick cards"...no matter how much I tried to prove otherwise without dirtying my cards up by giving them to him he would not relent. So I pulled out my utility deck (who cares if those cards get dirty ..this deck is the one I use for card singing and tricks that often end with the cards on the floor, ceiling, etc. so who cares if crab juice and butter spoil them further) and performed the afore mentioned card to pocket...where I never touch the card. He relented and gave me high praise after that and even tried to tip me. I didn't take the tip...winning him over was good enough for me.
But boy were my dogs tired by nights end. There is a definite difference between my stamina when I was in my early twenties and today (I'm now in my mid.....twenties...would you believe thirties?....Ok I'm 45! No. Really! It's early gray.) When I got home I had a hot meal, a shower, and bed. I slept dreamless for nearly 9 hours. Very nice.
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