Question 1

How long have you been performing card magic?

Accepted Answer

Since the summer of 1973.

Question 2

How did you get started in card magic?

Accepted Answer

Do you know the name Doug Henning? He was a Canadian magician, who in my opinion, brought magic back to being cool during the 1970s, after decades of it being considered stuffy, out-of-step with the times, and past its prime. Like anyone famous, Doug Henning had an attorney, and his attorney had a son named Danny. Doug taught Danny how to do magic with playing cards. During the summer of 1973, I was at an arts and performance camp in Ontario, Canada, and Danny was in my bunk. Danny showed me card magic. I knew that if I learned this art it would change my life, and it did. I was mesmerized instantly and hooked forever. Danny took me to a magic shop in Toronto. He suggested a couple of books for me to get (yes I still have them);I also bought some regular cards and a special deck too. The following year, Doug Henning’s groundbreaking “The Magic Show” opened on Broadway and ran for 1,920 performances. Doug helped change the world’s perception of magic with this terrific production, which I saw live in New York City.

Question 3

Performing card magic changed your life?

Accepted Answer

Indeed it did. For one thing, my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator went from Introvert to Extrovert.

Question 4

How long have you been a busker and why do you choose to be one?

Accepted Answer

I’ve been a Licensed Street Performer in Chicago since 2005. The street is usually where I try out my new material to see how well it plays, and develop finesse and fine points of scripting, timing, presentation, and humor. While the street can be a challenging, variable, and highly unpredictable venue, I love the randomness and aliveness it provides. I also use the experience to connect with people from all over the world or potential clients who I wouldn’t otherwise meet;some folks I’ve entertained on the sidewalk have hired me to perform at their private or corporate events, and even their wedding receptions.

Question 5

Have you performed outside Chicagoland?

Accepted Answer

Yes, I have cards with me almost everywhere I go. I admit that it’s a bit of an obsession. I’ve had the great honor of performing at “Magic Corner” in London’s Covent Garden, a street performance mecca since 1662. I’ve also performed on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, Times Square in New York City, and 16th Street Mall in Denver, and many other locations all over the United States, plus in France, Mexico, Canada, Holland, and Kenya.

Question 6

Do you perform magic other than cards?

Accepted Answer

My repertoire includes a few effects of mentalism, but the medium is still primarily cards.

Question 7

How do you learn magic?

Accepted Answer

I learn mostly from books. I have bookshelves crammed with card magic books and pamphlets, DVDs, videotapes, and many, many boxes full of cards (see samples in the picture below). I’ve taken live lessons and online tutorials. I attend lectures and shows by other magicians. I occasionally create my own pieces of card magic too.

Question 8

How does someone get good at this stuff?

Accepted Answer

Study, practice, script, rehearse, and perform for real people. See what works for your audience and your character, make the most of it, and repeat. Be willing to learn and to grow and take some risks. Watch, listen, observe, and adjust. Get creative and stay curious. Be ready for anything;audiences will show you what works by their reactions. Remember that people experience magic in different ways.

Question 9

Is a magician an actor?

Accepted Answer

To me, the answer is a clear yes. Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, in his book of 1868, Secrets of Conjuring And Magic, wrote “A conjuror … is an actor playing the part of a magician.” Here is the full quote translated by Professor Louis Hoffmann in 1878: “Prestidigitation seems to imply, from its etymology, that it is necessary to have nimble fingers in order to produce the illusions of magic, which is by no means strictly true. A conjuror is not a juggler;he is an actor playing the part of a magician;an artist whose fingers have more need to move with deftness than speed. I may even add that where sleight-of-hand is involved, the quieter the movement of the performer, the more readily will the spectators be deceived.” I’ve done Toastmasters (for public speaking), taken improvisation classes at Second City, Annoyance Theater, and ImprovOlympics, been in plays, attended mediation training (to understand communication and conflict), and done lots of deep self-growth to gain new perspectives, to understand my audiences better, to let go of unhelpful judgment, and to know who I am and what I want to bring to this world through card magic. I regularly read magic books that discuss techniques, theory, specific effects, performance, the science and psychology of magic, creativity, and other allied topics.

Question 10

Do you teach card magic?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Usually, I teach individual beginners, but have sometimes taught small groups or Math-a-Magic classes at schools. It’s fun!

Question 11

Do you believe in magic? Is magic real?

Accepted Answer

To me, good magic elicits a cognitive dissonance that causes surprise, encourages wonder, and moves the audience beyond that mental experience. When I perform, I intend to bring joy rather than creep anyone out, but I can’t control how anyone will react. Magic is not a belief, per se, rather it’s a performance art where the denouement (the moment it happens) is simultaneously the end of the “trick” and the start of the amazement. Magic can include elements of psychology, mathematics, physics, language, perception, assumptions, sleight of hand, misdirection, management, and, among other things, memory (such as mine as it occurs, and the audience’s after it occurs).

Question 12

What are a few unusual events you were hired to do?

Accepted Answer

I’ve worked at so many gatherings, but a few that stand out as memorable were these: – That first professional event (for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Holiday Party) – That first wedding reception – A celebration of life for the writer of “You May Want to Marry My Husband” – Being the penultimate stop on a scavenger hunt that ended with a marriage proposal.