Are You A Magician or Do You Do Magic Tricks?

Are You A Magician or Do You Do Magic Tricks? That’s the question. What are you answering to yourself? And what is the difference? Often people start out buying a trick or two. Soon they amass more and more tricks. They love it and the reaction they get. Benefits? Plenty. It’s an ice breaker. It makes you the center of attention. It gives you self-confidence and you can  even make money from it. Besides that, it teaches you to think differently in all aspects of life. Things are not always as they seem. But even if you are having fun and performing tricks, does that make you a magician? It may, and it may not. It depends on your natural ability as a performer. Some of us have it and some of us do not, even though we can do the tricks well, there are things that are not in the instructions. These are the tricks of the trade. This is what separates the men from the boys. (Just an expression, ladies!) Where do you learn the tricks of the trade? There are books and DVD’s of course. You can take a magic course, but even magic courses may teach you magic tricks, but not necessarily the tricks of the trade. Enter, Guy Camirand of the Camirand Academy of Magic.

Guy Camirand is a seasoned professional, with many high paying gigs under his belt, from corporations to children’s shows , from walk around to stage, he has done it all and has been giving courses since the 80’s. A producer of magic effects, magic books and DVD’s, he has a lot to offer his students. In his course you learn more than magic tricks. Professional working magicians have taken his course, just to learn about the “other things” he imparts to his students.

He has 2 levels, and you must take the first in order to be elegible for the second. The course is bilingual French and English and language has never been a problem. If you are interested in taking the course here are the details:

• Attn.: Étudiants / Students : 2013 cours # 1 Prix/price: $300.00 Taxes incluses/tax included
• Objet: Cours de Magie niveau 1: la base, calendrier et curriculum
• Subject: Magic Course Level 1: the essential, calendar and curriculum
• Heures / Time 7 PM to 10 PM Mardi / Tuesday
• Où: Chez/at Perfect Magic, 4755 Van Horne suite 100A, Montréal H3W 1H8
• Where Perfect Magic. 4755 Van Horne Ave, Suite 100A
• Tel. 514-738-4176

The next course starts on Tuesday March 5th, but if you are planning to take the course please note that there is a break between April and May. These are the dates:

• Cours(e) 1 – Mar.: 05
• Cours(e) 2 –Mar.: 12   
• Cours(e) 3– Mar.: 19 
• Cours(e) 4 – Mar.: 26 
• Cours(e) 5 –  Avr.: 02 
• Cours(e) 6 –  Apr.: 09 

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• Cours(e) 7 –  Mai 07 
• Cours(e) 8 – Mai: 14 
• Cours(e) 9 – Mai: 21 
• Cours(e) 10 –  Juin: 04

Space is limited so phone to reserve a place if you are planning to come.

Guy is generous with his time and information. Sometimes his students are here asking questions even after 11:00pm. You will not only learn how to do tricks, but how to be a magician.

Richard Turner, Card Shark Has Run In With Sailfish

I met Richard Turner  2 years ago in Hamilton at the CAM (Canadian Association of Magicians) Convention. While on the subject of the CAM, don’t miss the CAM-JAM April 28th at Niagra Falls, and if you are closer to B.C. one will be held there June 23. If you’re a member of CAM its free, so join up now if you are not.  But I digress, back to Richard Turner. He is master of a deck of cards. Wicked. He dazzled the spectators, me included, and we watched in awe. What makes it more incredible is that he is blind. Dai Vernon said of him “Having seen countless numbers of card experts execute for over eighty years, I consider Richard Turner to be by far the most skillful…I doubt if anyone can equal him” Ed Marlo said, “Technicians, as a rule, are not usually good actors or entertainers, Richard Turner is all three!”

Why do I tell you this now? Over the week-end he sent us an email of one of his experiences that I thought I would share it with you, after I got his permission.

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 Here’s the story as relayed to us by Richard.

“We were in Costa Rica this last December and my son Asa Spades, my brother Mike and I caught 1 four foot Mahi Mahi, 1 nine foot Marlin, and 5 7.5 foot sailfish.

I wanted to check out my sailfish and the Captain moved my hand across the sail, then over the eye, then down towards the mouth where I accidently put my right thumb into the sailfish’s mouth and it clamped down hard.

I had a show the next day and my wife Kim said my thumb looked so gross that the weak of heart would pass out so I had to cover both sides of the thumb where the sailfish bit down and left many rows of teeth bites.”

All has ended well (maybe not for the fish) and Richard back on tour. Watch the action

Does Doing Magic Make You Nervous?

You love magic and you practice and you do fantastic magic….when you’re alone. In front of people, its another story. It’s hard doing magic for people. You get nervous.

I think you have to be nervous. You have to have that rush of adrenaline.  I may have mentioned this before but once I had to give a speech in Toronto. I was the after diner speaker. I got there in the afternoon and took a nap. When I woke up I was still tired. I didn’t feel I had the energy to give the speech. But I dragged myself around and when I got to the dining room and saw all the people I got nervous. My heart started racing and suddenly I was awake. I was happy to be in that state of nervousness or I never would have made it.  No one would have noticed or heard my heart beating and once I got into it I calmed down.

I talk about this because Elaine, the lovely lady and grandmother I spoke of 2 posts ago, called today. She practices everyday and feels she knows how to do the tricks well, yet her friends, although they thought she performed well said she seemed nervous.

Does anyone have advice for Elaine. Any tips that might help her? Have any of you been though this and what did you do about it?

Please step up to the comment box and see if we can help.

MAGIC, FAME, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL & GUY LALIBERTE

So I was speaking to a manufacturer of magic supplies today, someone I’ve known for a long time. Somehow we got on the topic of  Cirque du Soleil and Guy Laliberté.  This manfacturer was amazed how someone with such humble beginnings became so famous and built such an empire. It is indeed a wonderful achievement and we Quebecers are proud of him, to say the least.

But this fellow went on and on  about how Guy was just an ordinary person and used to be a street performer and walked around on stilts, etc ., etc., and he just couldn’t get over it, that he had gone into space and has shows all over the world.

After I got off the phone with him, I had to smile. He was so amazed. He couldn’t believe it. And yet, this supplier’s own father, a bagel baker from Brooklyn, also from humble beginnings, became famous as “one of the world’s most famous close-up magicians of all time”, and his products are known everywhere as the best. He built a sponge ball empire and every magician worth his salt knows about Steve’s father, Albert Goshman.Yes I’m talking about The Albert Goshman. He died many years ago, and his son Steve is running the business and it was Steve I spoke to. I think I’ll give him another call, to make sure he knows how famous his father was. Sometimes we don’t see what’s right in front of our eyes.