10 Secrets of Magicians
By Judy Colbert – May 2021
Whether they’re performing a big illusion that makes a tiger disappear or showing off card tricks on a table, magicians spend years perfecting their performances. We spoke to several from across the country (and beyond) to find out how they learn their trade, the type of resource they spend thousands of dollars on, what they hate most at shows, and the one question they really wish you’d stop asking.
1. THEY DON’T GO TO MAGIC SCHOOL.
Surprise: There’s no Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry out there. “There’s no real training,” says Dave Taylor (a.k.a. Magic Dave) from Southend-on-Sea in England. “It’s all personal experience, lecture notes, DVDs, books, etc. You can go to workshops, but for most things you have to be self-taught.” One big asset, he notes, is a local magic club, which can provide feedback on shows.
Randy Follis, a magician from southwest Missouri, agrees: “The training is mostly independent. Researching books, DVDs, and—if you’re fortunate enough to find them—fellow magicians.” After that, all that’s left is a lot of hard work and practice, practice, practice.
2. THEY SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON BOOKS.
“Most magicians are serious scholars,” says Las Vegas magician Xavier Mortimer. “I don’t know any professional magicians who don’t have their own extensive libraries about our craft.” (One notable example, Harry Houdini, assembled close to 4000 books on magic and spiritualism, now held at the Library of Congress.)
The costs of those books can add up, though: “Most books are small print runs, for a small audience, which can lead to high prices,” Mortimor says. As an example, Denny Haney, who owns the Denny and Lee Magic Shop in Baltimore, Maryland, says that one book he sells—Soirees Fantastique by the French illusionist Christian Fechner—goes for $3000.
3. THEY MIGHT SPEND A YEAR PERFECTING ONE TRICK.
Magicians are nothing if not obsessive. Danny Whitson, a comedian and magician from Knoxville, Tennessee, says he spent a year in front of the mirror mastering one particular move. “It sounds insane,” he says, “but a great magician is always learning.”
All that rehearsing can take a toll on loved ones. “You spend most of your time rehearsing a trick over and over again, to the point where it annoys everyone else around you,” Taylor says. “My wife threatened (jokingly) to leave me if I kept playing with a Rubik’s Cube after I spent a solid two weeks learning the ins and outs of a trick.”
4. THEY CAN EARN THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS PER GIG.
Magicians can earn more than you might think, but it depends on the type of gig. “Corporate gigs pay the most at $800 to $2500, then your bars, clubs, festivals $300 to $1000, and a birthday party $200 to $500,” Whitson says.
While that might seem substantial, as Taylor notes, “you are self-employed, so you could work lots in a week and then the next two weeks have nothing. Then, there’s the task of advertising yourself, administration, rehearsals, prop maintenance, etc., which take up your time. You might only have two shows in a week for two hours and get paid £500 [about $675], but you still work a full week doing everything else.”
5. THEY AREN’T ALLOWED TO HAVE BAD DAYS.
“Being a pro magician basically means you are selling a product—yourself,” Taylor says. “You have to convince your audience you are the best even when you don’t feel like it.” That means pulling through a bad show, or a bad day, with a smile: “If you’re in an office you can be in a bad mood. If you are in front of hundreds of people performing that’s another matter.”
6. CONNECTING WITH THE AUDIENCE CAN BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE TRICKS.
Doc Eason, a legendary magician who performs at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, and at the Stonebridge Inn in Snowmass, Colorado, is known for his incredible memory; he does one trick where he memorizes the names of 20 people in the audience as well as a card held by each person. Despite the impressive feat, Eason says, “The trick is not the thing … what is the thing is connecting with the audience. Without connection, you just become a clever person who learned to do a few cool things.” Establishing that connection is a matter of eye contact and remembering the names of the people in the audience, Eason says—which requires plenty of practice in front of friends, family, and then strangers before taking to the stage.
7. THEY HATE CELL PHONES MORE THAN HECKLERS.
Magicians have probably dealt with hecklers (“I know how you did that!”) since they first stood on a stage. But today’s electronics are considerably more annoying, performers say, what with people constantly recording the show, checking messages, or texting during performances. “Holding audience attention is increasingly difficult,” Eason says. However, he doesn’t ban cell phones, since that can “start a show on a hostile note.”
Randy Forster, a magician from Delaware, handles the annoyances of technology by turning them into an opportunity for humor. He’ll open a show with a comment like, “If you have any devices with you with an on-off button, such as a snow-blower or generator, please turn them off now.” Should someone’s phone ring, he’ll say, “We’ll just hold the show until you get that,” or “Put the phone on speaker so we can all hear.”
8. THEY’RE NOT ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL.
Haney says there are several types of magicians: those who specialize in close-up magic (like card tricks on a table), illusionists (think Siegfried and Roy or David Copperfield), mentalists (those who pretend to perform mind-reading), the “bizarre” (think sword swallowers), and children’s entertainers (balloon animals), among others. While some may do one or more types of magic, they generally stick to one category, and develop routines that play to their own strengths.
That’s worth keeping in mind when you’re hiring a magician. Although many magicians are happy to accommodate special requests, keep their specialty in mind—”someone who does close-up [magic] might hate animal tricks and wouldn’t do them within the scope of a close-up act. Each has its place,” Haney says.
9. THEY’RE TIRED OF THE DORKY STEREOTYPES.
“The media gives magicians a bad name sometimes,” Taylor says. “Think Howard Wolowitz on Big Bang Theory with his cheesy, annoying manner and performing at inappropriate times.” Then there’s the memorable Gob Bluth from Arrested Development, whose ineptitude as a magician is matched only by the obnoxiousness of his personality. Magicians like Taylor aim to change those unpleasant associations: “Many magicians, like myself, try to make the magic cool. Not over-the-top cool, but entertaining enough that you’ll talk about it in the pub that night and be impressed and not use ‘geeky’ to describe it.”
10. THEY’VE HEARD ALL YOUR JOKES BEFORE.
Rich Bloch, a magician, inventor of magic effects, and owner of Dickens Parlour Theater in Millville, Delaware, says that when you think you’re being clever by asking the magician, “Can you make my husband disappear?” or “Can you saw my wife in half?” or “Can you change this dollar into a $1000?”—you aren’t. Also, the magician has probably heard the joke “How’s tricks?” before, even if they laugh with wide-eyed amazement like you’re the first person to ever crack it.
