However, yesterday was an experience worth documenting, if only because it involved Tyler and myself going to the mall and wandering around, looking for bored store clerks to show magic too. I was actually surprised by some of the things I learned, and it's caused me to re-evaluate my own biases, including some which I consider to be fundamental. It's also worth noting that Tyler considers this a worthwhile training tool assuming you go about it the correct way. I'll post more on that later.
Another thing that was unexpected was the fact that we were actually able to work with supplied props. One store was giving away "stress sponges" that you squeezed with your hands. Tyler was able to rip them into sponge-ball substitutes. Once, when Tyler needed a coin for his copper/silver-esque routine, he was able to get a nickel from a clerk. And TWICE clerks were able to provide their own decks of cards. This is one advantage to the sort of holistic, flexible training that Tyler is a devotee of -- when somebody is in a position to want to know if you can do the trick without your potentially tricky magicians' apparatuses (apparati?), you don't need to offer an excuse or an apology. Instead, you can blow them away with their stuff. Anybody who's interested in the concept of building a claim to power ought to know the immediate value in this. The downside, of course, is that you need to be prepared to handle that sort of situation. The plastic cards I got from one guy, for instance, made it really difficult to find the natural break between packets on the Slop Shuffle, and I fumbled my way pretty roughly through that one before finishing. Again, this is not a new idea -- Harry Lorayne's been saying this for decades -- but it's just interesting how it resurfaces, and what the implications for that sort of thing are. (More on borrowing items later)
As for the experience itself, I was pretty much limited to three tricks... Dr. Daley's Last Trick, Slop Shuffle Triumph, and a singular performance of an Ambitious Card quickie involving two phases, with no climax -- I just hit him twice (pass, DL to show it's not there, ask the card, show it's there, top change, insert into the middle, have it jump to the top) and then afterwards just left it at that. Anybody who knows me knows (a) I like big presentation pieces and (b) I hate the ACR, but it's hard to argue with the reaction of a spectator who's just been smoked.
That was the last trick of the day, for a guy at a kiosk whom Tyler had shown stuff to earlier, and most of the other tricks prior to that weren't quite so positive. No tricks failed outright or anything, and it wasn't that people weren't impressed, it was just that I didn't have the presentations to take advantage of the venue. Somebody in a store, even somebody who looks like they're willing to give you their undivided attention, might have to be taken away at the drop of a hat to deal with a sudden phone call or a new customer. That means that the sort of tricks that work well in that environment are so short, that by the time they're finished, I'm usually getting started blah-blah-blahing my way into my intended presentational framework. Magic, I suppose is like alcohol -- sometimes it's best to savour the fine wine, and other times you've got to throw back the tequila shot. The flexible magician is prepared for both. I'm not a flexible magician yet.
Other things I've been working on lately... polishing the cups and balls routine (word to the wise, practice on coffee mugs -- you'll be better prepared for an impromptu performance, and if you do happen to have your own set, it gets almost ludicrously easy)... trying to figure out better presentational frameworks for all these tricks... learning Crazy Man's Handcuffs, Copper/Silver, and 2-in-the-hand-1-in-the-pocket... trying to develop an Isn't/Is card trick (a card that isn't theirs changes into theirs, ala I've Got A Surprise For You or Dunbury Delusion)... taking the pass live... etc.
Oh, it's also been great talking with Pat Umphrey a lot lately about the sort of material that he wants to bring into his stand-up act, although I still think that he's only going to see the success he deserves to get when he fully embraces his inner asshole and unleashes it. Once he figures that out, the guy is going to be a sensation, as he's already got technical skills galore.
And now, for a break-down of Mall-based Guerrilla Magic Training, or, How Ye Olde Magick Blogge Learned to Stop Worrying And Love Ellusionist (Musgrave/Erickson)
* First, before starting, this is damned important. READ EVERY BULLET POINT BELOW. Somebody who browses quickly through this, and only takes away the idea that bored store clerks are great targets for practicing magic, runs the risk of messing the whole opportunity up in a big way, both for themselves and everybody else involved. If you decide to pass along any of the advice in this topic, then pass along ALL of it. Either refer them to this blog entry, or else copy and paste it in its entirety if you have to -- you've got my permission as the author of it, and Tyler's as the purveyor of most of the really good insight.
* Essentially, what this is all about is going to a mall, locating store clerks that are bored out of their skulls, and offering to show them a magic trick. This is primarily a great training technique, and although obviously networking and other opportunities can come of it, I won't be spending any time exploring that. The sort of magician who can benefit from this is anybody who's looking to refine a technique or break in new material, mostly the sort of hard-hitting stuff that would work well not just in the Blaine-ish Street Magic sense, but also potentially for walkaround or strolling magicians.
* The major advantages to performing magic for this type of audience are twofold. First, the person in their shop feels empowered. It's not the same as accosting random people on the streets or in a park or in a coffee-shop or something. It's their space and they have power, and they enter the trick with a good mindset from that standpoint. Second, there's also the already-mentioned fact that, depending upon the store, they might be in dire need of something interesting to happen. One store where we found two willing participants sold sunglasses, and upon talking to them we discovered that they really didn't get much business during the winter months from about 5:00 on, since people don't usually have sunglasses in their mental shopping list when it's cold and dark out. We were there for ten minutes, and not a single customer came in during that time. It wouldn't surprise me if they went a half-hour without seeing anybody.
* If you're lucky and you've identified the right people, and you give them a good, hard-hitting magic trick, then the next time they see you, you are now a known quantity and they are now more likely to be a willing audience. Suddenly, all that fear about approaching them, concerns about the right opener to use, dealing with rejection, etc. are practically rendered moot. What's more, if you do a really good job, you might find them recommending you to others, and that endorsement can make things easier as well. One of the major (unfortunate) functions of openers for walkaround gigs is that part of what you need to do is establish prestige and credibility. This might mean making concessions in terms of material, performance style, etc. Winning them over once means you can have a bit more leeway the next time.
* Before I go any further, one important key... SHOW COMMON SENSE AND SOCIAL GRACE These people, first and foremost, have a job to do. They are not there to help you practice your magic performance skills. They have product that they must sell. Customers, phones, etc. are an immediate priority. I was able to do Dr. Daley's Last Trick for one counter-person, and while she liked it, I immediately saw that she was in the uncomfortable position of having customers just walk into her store, and while I knew that on the one hand she'd like to see another trick, on the other, duty was obviously calling. Contrary to logic, to make an offer to show her another trick would have been far from generous on my part -- frankly, it would have been inconsiderate, since it would have had to put her in the position of having to say "no", which is frequently just as unpleasant for the person who has to say it as the one who has to hear it. Similarly, when Tyler and I were at the sunglasses store, one guy just went off-shift, and recommended to his replacement to watch Tyler do a trick. Tyler immediately said, "Please, if you're busy, don't let me get in the way. We're in no rush and can wait for you whenever you like." The new guy, who might have very well stood there in his jacket and watched the trick out of politeness, was grateful and went about getting set up to mind the store, before making sure that he had the spare time to watch the trick. The result? Tyler, having shown the clerk respect, had in turn earned it, and he also made sure that by the time an actual trick would be shown, that he'd have the guy's undivided attention.
From Tyler: "This sort of thing is like returning to my roots. Back when I was just looking to perform, the mall was always a safe place or (more frequently) polish old material. ... Assume the sale. I know I have 99.9% will love what I do. So long as I treat them as a person and recognize their position, there's little reason to decline the offer."
* The approach isn't quite as tricky as you'd think. Tyler told me afterwards that he made a point of using the most horribly cliche'd of all approaches as often as he could: "Would you like to see a magic trick?" As terrible as magicians will tell you this is, you frequently don't really need anything sneakier than that to get a "Yes" out of them. Instead, it's a matter of following this general strategy: Find a bored store clerk, acknowledge that things seem a bit slow, and ask them if they're busy. They say "No", and then, without any hint of pretension, ask if they'd like to see a magic trick. Tyler got one rejection all day, and he called it ahead of time -- a surly-looking older woman who just didn't seem really all that friendly. Everybody else was keen, although that had a lot to do with the fact that the targets were well chosen.
* Incidentally, Tyler stresses that acknowledging that things are a bit slow is a crucial step. Building rapport before introducing magic to the scenario is important, far more important than obsessing to the point of paralysis over the precise wording to use when offering to show them magic.
* If you've got misgivings about this sort of thing, here's an attempt from Tyler to describe the right attitude for a magician to have: "I've got a gift. What I'm showing them has the power to affect their day, week, or possibly month in a positive manner. It's like you have $20 in an envelope, you know it's valuable, and you're asking if they want it. When they say no, it just means they don't know what's in the envelope. But your magic and training has value in a very similar way. This helps maintain confidence, a belief in the product."
Regarding rejection, malls are great because there are so many stores that, if you're rejected, you're seconds away from the next one. Don't take it personally if you get rejected. They might love magic but be unable to see it due to temporary circumstances. There's also no shame in having a performance cut short because of any minor distraction.
* Less-than-ideal targets: Stores where the sales staff obviously work on commission, where the boss is present, where the staff is obviously busy with a task, where there's a lot of loose valuable product out there (a clerk may be easily distracted because they have to worry about shoplifters), where there's at least one customer there, etc. Kiosks are tricky, because the people working there need to be of the mindset that everybody who walks by is a potential customer, so if their attention is on you, even for the minute or so magic trick you've got for them, they might be missing out on a sale each time somebody walks past and doesn't get attended to. That might mean a dozen people, or more.
* (One additional less-than-ideal target: Assuming you're a guy, a single woman who might fit the demographic of somebody you'd date. It's very difficult to keep that sort of thing from becoming a distraction. Even if you don't intend it, she might assume it.)
* Better targets would be anybody who doesn't fit the above criteria (there's more than you'd think -- I think we visited more than a half-dozen stores, and we didn't even have to resort to assailing people in the food court), younger staff, stores that had more than one clerk there (meaning that one could watch and the other could field potential distractions). Making sure to operate outside of peak hours or heavy shopping seasons (like Christmas) is a great idea as well.
* The material needs to adjust for this venue. If you're like me, you'd consider a proper Ambitious Card trick to have five phases, the fifth being a killer climax, and all the usual bits of byplay, convincers etc. In this sort of venue? Overkill. An ACR with five phases isn't one trick, it's five tricks. All those extra bits of theatrical gold? In this venue, they're unnecessary, and potentially a harmful distraction. Tyler advocates "bullets" -- tricks that get the point across with minimal presentation and don't demand too much of the spectator's ability to focus. He makes the point that despite his misgivings about Ellusionist, "Brad Christian is striking a very workable model of performance for this particular kind of venue." He adds that "[Ellusionist's] emphasis on sleight-of-hand competency, selling the magic moment, attitude during performance, and basic style of effect" make for the sort of magic that works well in this venue. I have to confess that as much as the prospect of endorsing Ellusionist makes me die a little inside, when it comes to this sort of thing, he's right, and I had to learn the hard way.
* One other aspect to the brevity argument... If you're in the position of needing to get as much performance practice as possible, what's better? One two-minute trick, or two one-minute tricks? Keep in mind that a clerk who thinks all your magic is quick and easily digestible is likely going to be in a better position to ask for one more, whereas even a clerk who loves your five-minute Out Of This World presentation is probably not going to be prepared to see another one. Let's say you go back. Do you want them to remember you as the guy who can show them a fun trick in under a minute? Or do you want them to remember you as the guy who needs five minutes to get the trick over with? These concerns aren't universal in magic -- the sort of magic "bullets" that work well in the mall could be extremely unsatisfying for the spectators who come to your venue expecting a proper show. Still, lately there's a huge bias amongst serious performers in favour of rich presentation pieces that could easily spell your death in the mall.
* Now, that said, if you already have made a great first impression, then the next time you come, you are in a better position to make more demands of the audience. What that means is that on your first go-round, it would be a bad idea to use a trick that had a slightly-more complex presentation (Triumph with the usual accompanying story), and ludicrous to ask to borrow a finger ring or a large denomination bill. On the second go-round? You might have a bit more leeway.
* Keep in mind that some routines just shouldn't be attempted, period. Doing a 2-in-the-hands-1-in-the-pocket routine using store merchandise that you hadn't bought would be absurd. On a more general level, think of the position a clerk's in should that happen. "This guy I don't know is putting our stuff into his pockets." Similarly, while doing a complete vanish of an item and not bringing it back can be a great way to let a mystery linger while at a strolling gig, this sort of thing at the mall with a borrowed item would be showing form so poor that it's practically destitute. While the idea of putting one's self into the spectator's shoes isn't exactly new, it does need to be re-stressed that it's not enough to put yourself into a spectator's mindset, but a clerk's mindset. The exercise is simple enough... how would you feel if you were on the job and somebody wanted to practice their magic trick on you?
* Tyler's comments on the socialized approach, or the Re-Tangled Web: "Eric Meade makes the case for bonding with the group and asking their profession, even in professional settings, and when the question is returned and answered 'Magician', even then waiting for the request to perform something. Granted this is a rather stylized approach, and not always possible, but the benefits are enormous. If somebody says 'Hey, show me something,' it's all there. You have a better hold of their attention, you have their permission, all the things that normally need to be overcome are taken care of. All those opening questions are gone, no fear of rejection, etc."
* The benefits of this sort of thing? Probably the greatest is the prospect of an ever-changing audience. Constantly performing different tricks for the same audience is the downfall of the amateur. Being able to perform the same trick a half-dozen to a dozen times in the same day can help you evaluate a trick in a more generalized way -- to develop a sense of what works, to understand how to adapt to the venue, to understand when theatrics are necessary and when they are not, these are all good things for the magician-in-training.
* Again, this can't be stressed enough: if you decide to give this a shot, use common sense and display social grace. They aren't there for you to feed your ego. You're there for them, to give them the gift of entertainment.
* As stated above, if you want to pass along any of this information, then you'd better pass along all of it. Either refer them to this blog entry, or else copy and paste it if you have to.
* If you suspect that there is additional information that is being held back in this blog entry, the "inside work" if you will... you'd be correct. I've included what I believe is necessary so as to arm people with good information responsibly, but there are additional items that would be beneficial for many magicians to explore, be it amateur or professional. Personally, I think that's up to Tyler to decide how to part with it, under what terms, and for what cost.
* Also, one last piece of advice: Don't dress like a bum.
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