Alyx
Inner Circle
Registered:1547649872 Posts: 22
Posted 1547654200
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#1
Hi everyone, I'm 32 and started magic when I was 7 doing shows at elementary schools etc. Wow, it's easy to get paying gigs when your little and adorable. Hah! Then I spent time in my late teens studying sleight of hand did several restaurants and later a lounge. I moved into busking after meeting Kozmo at one of Hank Lee's conventions and did that full time for a season before grad school and then on and off for the last decade. As a result I've ONLY done three tricks (sponge balls, card in mouth, and cups and balls) for about 10 years! Or at least until recently. I have a sadly very limited repertoire... but I'm really good at those three tricks. Oh brother!
Now, as a stay at home mom with very limited busking opportunities, I'm wanting to pick up some restaurants and eventually corporate parties, etc., so I'm delving back into my studies of broader magic and frantically grinding off the rust of the rest of my sleight of hand beyond my street show effects.
I was a student of John Blake for several years when I was younger, I'm hugely inspired by Reed McClintock (and wish desperately that he still did magic), and I've just discovered (with elation) Ron Bauer. I'm ridiculously excited about Mr. Bauer's Private study series.
OK, I think that's all about me for now. Thanks for reading, and I'm exciting to be a part of this community. 😉
Mike Powers
Honored Member
Registered:1454629495 Posts: 1,513
Posted 1547655264
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#2
Welcome Alyx! This is a very friendly forum with knowledgeable people. Looking forward to your posts. Funny you should mention Ron Bauer's series. I just posted here the other day re: Gadabout Coins Revisited. What's up with Reed McClintock? I didn't realize that he wasn't doing magic any longer. He is a great talent and a nice guy. He was also crazy enough to do the razor swallowing trick with real blades! Mike
Tom G
Inner Circle - Moderator
Registered:1453082139 Posts: 846
Posted 1547657047
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#3
Welcome Alyx, enjoy your visits. The Bauer series is great. I've heard that about Reed also... Tom
Alyx
Inner Circle
Registered:1547649872 Posts: 22
Posted 1547657763
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#4
Thanks for the warm welcome Mike and Tom. I'll have to search out your post on Gadabout coins. I just got that manuscript last week, and am so delighted with it! The plot is so simple and understandable, which I adore, but it all fits together like real magic -- it's as if there is no tricky business. The scripting is amazing, and Mr. Bauer's thoughts on "premise" is making me rethink how I present all of my routines. The booklet was a gamechanger for me, and I went ahead and ordered four more of his booklets.
And regarding Reed McClintock, now you have me second guessing myself. His internet presence has completely dried up and I heard he left magic, but maybe I'm wrong? I hope so! I have been doing his "Men without Hats" for years and started on the streets with his Defiance II Cups and Balls before eventually switching to Cellini's take on Vernon/Malini/Miller's work (I think Malini was in there... ). What I really loved about Reed's work was his ability to make me believe the magic was real. The emotions invoked by his work are what I imagine I would feel if I saw real magic.
Waterman
Inner Circle
Registered:1452898002 Posts: 541
Posted 1547660187
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#5
Welcome Alyx...I don't think there is anything sad about having a limited repertoire. I think less is more should be a cornerstone for many magicians as they embark on a performance career...especially when working the streets. I used to spend time with Reed when I first moved to the Pacific Northwest. I'll never forget the first time I saw him perform his magic in person...truly blew my mind!! He is a gifted man in many ways, not just magic. I'm sure his departure from mainstream magic is benefitting others in a capacity where he can utilize his diverse talents.
Dave Campbell
Inner Circle
Registered:1535750530 Posts: 101
Posted 1547660807
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#6
Welcome aboard, Alyx… as you've seen, the community here is friendly and supportive. I have not been here all that long myself, but it feels good 😉
__________________ -=Dave
Alyx
Inner Circle
Registered:1547649872 Posts: 22
Posted 1547661653
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#7
Thanks for the welcomes, Waterman and Dave Campbell. For sure, I can already tell this is a great community.
Yeah, seeing Reed perform is amazing. When he partnered briefly with John Blake, I picked Reed up in Boston to head to a Hank Lee's convention. We stayed the night in Boston first, and he did what I can only imagine must have been his full repertoire from Knuckle Busters and his DVDs. It was hours of astonishment in the purist sense of the word. I had never seen that type of sleight of hand in person (or anywhere) for that matter. The best part is back then, I wasn't privy to the classic force. So, when I selected a card, and then he did his simple masterpiece with his ribbon spread tattoo, I think I nearly cried it from the overload of emotions. I've never been so moved by magic, and I'm excited to get back into close-up performances where I can chase similar abilities and create those types of moments (lofty goal, but ya gotta shoot big). Whatever he's doing in the world, people are better off for it, I'm sure.
And with the small repertoire of my own, I used to agree with you, Waterman! But now, I can't lug my table and cups around strolling events or restaurants. I feel pretty stripped of my powers, ya know? Plus, after so many shows with only three effects, they're so polished, that everything else I do now looks reeeeaaaaallllllly amateurish (because it is, hah!) -- that's painful. Just gotta put in "new" dues, though. Right?
Anthony Vinson
Honored Member - Moderator
Registered:1460490519 Posts: 1,798
Posted 1547665250
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#8
Hey Alyx, and welcome to TMF. Glad you're here. Sounds as if you'll fit right in! Lately I have been asking new members how they heard about us. If you don't mind answering it'd help us get a better grasp of how magicians wander over this way. Av
Alyx
Inner Circle
Registered:1547649872 Posts: 22
Posted 1547665582
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#9
Hi Anthony, Tom G and some others at another magic forum made the recommendation after I inquired about tips on Ron Bauer's TTT. Thanks for the welcome. 😉
Wayne T
Inner Circle - Moderator
Registered:1512000209 Posts: 209
Posted 1547683036
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#10
Welcome, much has already been said that this is a very friendly and knowledgeable place. Sounds like you have a lot of experience that I am sure many would like to hear about.
__________________Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic . - Arthur C. Clarke
chris w
Inner Circle
Registered:1528683200 Posts: 102
Posted 1547687078
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#11
Welcome, Alyx! Excellent introduction. Great to have you here. I saw Reed McClintock doing stuff in a hotel lobby nearly 20 years ago and haven't gotten over it yet.
Rudy Tinoco
Founding Member
Registered:1452639747 Posts: 4,038
Posted 1547688937
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#12
I’m glad that you joined us, Alyx! I appreciate you introducing yourself to us. You might consider joining us for one of our Saturday Seasions. These are all online gatherings via Zoom, where we are able to demonstrate some of the magic that we’ve been working on. It’s a great way to learn some new magic and meet new friends. I will be scheduling one here in the next couple of weeks. If you have any questions about the forum, please feel free to ask. I look forward to getting to know you! Rudy
__________________http://www.facebook.com/magicrudy http://www.facebook.com/themagiciansforum
Alyx
Inner Circle
Registered:1547649872 Posts: 22
Posted 1547690702
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#13
Thanks, Rudy. The Saturday Sessions you set up sound really awesome. It would be very fun to join in. Thanks for the welcome!
Nice to meet you Wayne T and Chris w. Chris, I know the feeling.
Mbreggar
Inner Circle
Registered:1523120565 Posts: 234
Posted 1547693719
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#14
Hi Alyx. Can’t say much more than the others. Welcome!
Bmat
Inner Circle
Registered:1520255458 Posts: 241
Posted 1547745753
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#15
You were a student of John Blake? He tried to hire me to work in his magic shop when I moved to PA. He was an odd sort of fellow but a good magician. I can't tell you how many times I had to hear, "Well Frank Garcia used to do it this way..." He passed away several years ago. Was quite a loss.
__________________bmat10@wordpress.com
Alyx
Inner Circle
Registered:1547649872 Posts: 22
Posted 1547747060
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#16
John was a good friend. I spent time learning manipulation from him (though I never became a good manipulator). He definitely liked to talk about the heyday of New York magic at Tannens. I think about him and his talk of Frank Garcia sometimes. He taught me Frank's 3-fly, but I never kept up with it, and I wish I could remember the routine...