Magic Utopia

Adelaide Herrmann, a Magic Utopian

2011-02-26T02:27:00.004-05:00

When her husband, Alexander, died in 1896 and despite the difficulty of continuing the “Herrmann” production at age 43, Adelaide Herrmann continued her husband's legacy and created a very unique one of her own. Her independent spirit, artistic flair, and bold personality graced American stages and earned her the name “Queen of Magic.” In a time when the magic industry was dominated by men, Adelaide’s show featured levitations, wild animal productions, and catching bullets fired from a gun. She performed and continued directing her world famous theater set design well into her 70's. Some scholars believe that when she died at the age of 78, the Golden Age of magic had died with her. We couldn't agree more.

Adelaide’s love for her husband and for magic reminds us that there is more to our art than just “tricks.” Great magicians like Adelaide Herrmann inspire us to make our magic as meaningful as possible. We hope she inspired you as well.

For more, see:

James Hamilton’s article “Adelaide Herrmann” in Genii magazine, Vol 63 No. 8 (2000; pp. 40-52).

James Randi’s chapter “The Ubiquitous Herrmanns” in his book “Conjuring” (1992; St Martin’s Press; pp. 68-72).

Erdnase

2011-02-26T02:05:00.004-05:00

The greater the emergency, or the greater the stakes, the greater the nerve required. (Erdnase)

2011-01-17T00:49:00.005-05:00

Wonder is the seed
Magic helps to make it sprout
Only joy grows here

2010-11-10T20:43:00.004-05:00

"You stick to naturalness to much. When you stick to it, it is not natural anymore. " - - -attributed to Shunryu Suzuki-roshi

Diligent effort

2009-12-06T23:57:00.011-05:00

"The Buddha spoke to a group of monks. “Monks, if you make diligent effort, nothing is too difficult. That’s why you should do so. It is like a thread of water piercing through a rock by constantly dripping. If your mind continues to slacken, it is like taking a break from hitting stones before they spark; you can’t get fire that way. What I am speaking of is ‘diligent effort.’

2009-07-16T12:10:00.004-04:00

"If he cannot stop the mind that seeks after fame and profit, he will spend his life without finding peace." -------Dogen

2009-06-05T13:52:00.004-04:00

“Either he is working MAGIC or he is presenting mechanical or manipulative mumbo jumbo—he cannot have it both ways!” (Charles Cameron, Invocation, Vol I, Iss I).

2009-03-13T20:33:00.005-04:00

"…one can only achieve such beauty by avoiding the most dangerous temptation of all: the temptation to do things the easy way. The easy way not only doesn’t open new paths (once you abandon yourself to it, you have forsaken any further search), it actually limits one’s possibilities, it keeps one from reaching the venerable. Artistic achievement is only possible through laborious insistence on discovering new values, crossing our own inner frontiers to discover what lies beyond. Only then, bathed in light, can we share our efforts with apparent ease."

Arturo de Ascanio, from his prologue to Rene Lavand’s “Magic from the Soul,” page 10. Published by Mike Caveney’s Magic Words, 1993.

Interview

2009-02-22T01:43:00.010-05:00

Q. How long have you been performing?
A. This year marks my 20th year working paid performances

Q. How did you get started?
A. I received a magic kit for Christmas. Well, my brother received the kit, but he wasn’t interested. So, we traded. The kit came with a VHS videotape and taught the standards that are found in most of today’s kits. It was called Magic of Magic Jr. and was instructed by Bill Severn and someone else, I cant remember who.

Q. After that?
A. After that I needed to acquire tricks. I found a man who dealt magic out of his house using mail order. He also travelled around the world attending magic conventions. He was and still is well known in the industry. I started buying from him as he lived in the town next to me. Later, he hired me to work production on some of his items he made in his basement. I would ride my bike there on Saturdays and work all day. He gave me lessons in exchange for my labor. Through him I was introduced to others and, ultimately, to the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) and International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.).

Q. You’ve been critical of clubs and S.A.M. in particular. Why the angst and animosity?
A. The reasons are many. For one, clubs like these are a pay-to-play type organization where anyone can get in as long as you pay the dues. I’ve seen too many people get into these groups with no experience whatsoever simply by knowing a few amateurs and paying the fees. Second, my experience taught me that members of groups like these have major difficulty in the giving and receiving of feedback. Let’s face it, magicians have big egos. It’s precisely this ego problem that prevents them from listening to honest comments about their work. Their inability to process feedback prevents them from advancing further in their art (if any even know what art is). Finally, they have no understanding of how to give good feedback. All I ever heard at these meetings was “that's so good”, “so smooth,” “don’t worry…audiences don’t see things like that.” They’re all delusional about what the real world is like. Third, S.A.M.’s policies on the occult and their establishment of the Occult Investigation Committee is offensive to people who believe in life-after-death. They compare believers of traditional religion to followers of Jim Jones. I will soon be calling for a boycott of S.A.M. if they continue this kind of insult.

Q. How long were you a part of these groups?
A. I was a member of S.A.M. and I.B.M. for many years. I also served as a newsletter reporter, secretary, vice-president, and President of an S.A.M. assembly. I wrote newsletters for three years. I still have them. Some of the content I pulled from Magic Utopia. I added a games section to the newsletter. Popular on my blog, but not one word from the assembly membership. There was never any feedback from anyone. I pulled in a good lecture from a well known magician that year, too. Large turn-out, tons of money, but nothing was said. Not one “Good job” or anything. So, I put in my time, that’s for sure. In the end, my reasons for leaving were a build up of the things I just mentioned as well as something I was reading in “Strong Magic” by Darwin Ortiz. I was reading that book when I was serving as President and I was really fed up with the lack of feedback. He said something about magicians spending too much time with other magicians and I realized that’s what I was doing. I was working way too hard for their approval. A magician’s real approval comes from their audience and themselves. Peer recognition isn’t genuine from groups like these.

Q. I can tell I hit a nerve on this subject.
A. Yes.

Q. Tell us about some of the magic you perform.
A. The market in my area is mostly children’s magic. So, that’s where I get the bulk of my cash from. Birthday parties, picnics, holiday parties, and other events where an entertainer is needed for the children is where I tend to work. I have also worked restaurants, corporate celebrations, cocktail hours, and other walk-around work for adults. Since the recession, I’ve been reading palms, tarot cards, and working a two-person telepathy act with my wife.

Q. Wait a minute, reading palms?
A. Yes.

Q. Isn’t there an ethical problem here?
A. No. Not unless you are S.A.M. or some other holier-than-thou magician’s organizations. Let’s be real here, people will pay to have their palms read. There’s also ample scientific literature to back-up the reality of hand analysis. All I’m doing is pointing out the lines, naming them, and telling people what the lines mean. One can read palms without violating any “ethical standard.”

Q. Tarot?
A. I’m not going to judge people based on their religious or spiritual beliefs like other magicians, or should I say the majority of magicians. It’s this self-righteousness that turns people off to magic and magicians. I find tarot to be very interesting and fun. I also believe in things like destiny and shaping our own futures with visual/spiritual aids. If people want to pay me to do this sort of thing at a party, then I'm happy to draw up a contract for them.

Q. Let’s shift to your writings. What motivated you to begin this blog?
A. This blog was a development of a discussion group that used to exist in the Yahoo domain. It was owned by a team and moderated by a few. It was a fun group, but like most magician’s groups…it was infiltrated by amateurs and holier-than-thous and it became just another magic discussion group full of arguments and nonsense. I started this blog because I have a big ego and I only wanted to see my words on the computer screen.

Q. Do you read any other magic blogs?
A. Yes. Magic and Conjuring, Reverie, Out of My Hat (though, he doesn’t talk about magic all the time), Starting Over/Starting Again (London's blog), Chicago Magic is very good, and I used to read Phantom Notebooks all the time. The others listed in the column on the right hand side of the home page are my regular reads.

(to be continued)

Denny and Lee's Magic Studio

2008-10-26T22:23:00.015-04:00

For years, magicians have been concerned about the destruction and disappearance of the brick-and-mortar magic shop. Younger magicians celebrated its demise in favor of Internet dealers and digital downloads. Some of their criticism was accurate: dark shops packed with junk, dealers seeking to rip off customers, cheap tricks, pirated products made with questionable labor practices in China, lecture areas too small for comfort, etc… It’s no secret that magicians were not satisfied with the magic shops. Thus, their attention drifted toward Internet dealers and on-line magic shops.

the main counter

Denny Haney, in his wisdom, decided to do something about this. He knew that magic shops are places of learning for magicians. They serve as community centers for conjurors and mystery entertainers. Rather than drift into oblivion and give up to the digital dealers, he decided to try something different. Denny’s vision of the magic shop of the 21st century included those things that magic shops in the past had lacked: adequate facilities for learning, high quality products, comprehensive texts, state of the art audio/visual materials, and visiting experts to share their wisdom in a comfortable and spacious environment. All of this has been achieved in the new Denny and Lee’s Magic Studio location in Rosedale, Maryland.

A glimpse of the books section

Yes, Denny and Lee's previous location had all one would want for a positive experience. But today's conjurors want and expect more. So, Denny decided to create this new space so we may continue the mystery arts in the proper tradition: through the direct one-on-one transmission of knowledge. Some of the legendary lecturers who have been to the Rosedale, Marlyand location have been: Jeff McBride, Levent, Sal Piacente, Chris Capeheart, and more. There's nothing like being a part of the community where the community originated from: the magic shop. With the new auditorium Denny has prepared for lectrers, more and more magicians can gather for discussion and camaraderie.

Levent lecturing in the new auditorium

Denny keeps stock of all sorts of things at his studio. He’s a collector, too. When you visit his shop, make sure to ask for a tour of his personal library and ask to see his first edition “Expert at the Card Table” by Erdnase. Magic Utopians make periodic pilgrimages to see this national treasure. We think the experience will give you a great and meaningful experience. You’ll be surprised at the variety of literature, books, and DVDs he keeps in stock, also. Denny’s expertise covers the wide spectrum of magical performance and he keeps the inventory of his shop accordingly. His staff, too, is knowledgeable and often make extra efforts to find items that Denny might not have in the shop at the time. The whole team is amazing to say the least.

Pamphlet and Gray Literature section

Not really interested in shopping right now? Think about signing up for Denny’s periodic newsletter. They are often filled with great performance tips, kernels of magical wisdom, and reality based talk for real-world magicians. He sometimes writes about magic history, too. You can sign up for the newsletter at the web-site. It is, after all, a free newsletter. Give it a try, you might like it.

A real magic shop for real magicians, the way it should be. The magic shop of the 21st century: Denny and Lee’s Magic Studio.

Visit Denny and Lee’s Magic Studio at:

http://dennymagic.com/

Baby, the shop's resident pig. Check out Baby's section of the Denny and Lee's web-site "Picks of the Litter" for quality magic.

2008-09-06T17:46:00.005-04:00

"There is a difference in being professional and being a professional. The first is capable enough to earn a full or partial living from his skills, but doesn't; the second does make his living in whole or part from performances displaying his gifts. Each has attained a level of skill, artistry and/or innovative excellence for which the public is usually willing to pay."

John Booth, The Fine Art of Hocus Pocus (1995, Magic Art Book Company, pp. 246-247).

David Ben's "Dai Vernon: A biography: Artist, magician, muse"

2008-08-02T18:31:00.011-04:00

David Ben has given the magic community a lovely gem with his book detailing the first half of 20th century magician Dai Vernon’s life, titled "Dai Vernon: A biography: Artist, magician, muse” (Squash Publishing, 2006). This first book in a two part series examines Vernon’s childhood, early struggles in America, and the development of key parts of his magic persona. We found this to be an illuminating book and had difficulty putting it down.

I like how Ben traces Vernon’s early acquaintances and the origin of his obsession with the book “Expert at the card table” by Erdnase. Vernon’s travels around the U.S. to find card experts, gamblers, and others who could contribute to his growing knowledge on the subject is treated like a great adventure. We often found ourselves laughing, sighing, or gasping during various events that occurred in Vernon’s life. Ben's rendition of Vernon fooling Houdini is brilliant.

Ben treats Jeanne Vernon’s contributions to the Harlequin and Dai Yan acts as well as the loneliness and suffering she endured while Dai was away from home with great sensitivity in the book. Too often, authors forget about other's in the lives of their main subject and the work befomes one dimensional. Ben's treatment of gender differences in Vernon's history was nice to see. Other biographers should learn from this. .

Like many of the newer biographies of great magicians of the 20th century, Ben highlights the phenomena of amateur magicians stealing great works of art from the masters. Again and again, we find Vernon’s works plagiarized and stolen throughout various publications in the magical literature. Reading about this time period in magic history, we are amazed that this kind of behavior was so rampant. We suppose this is just one of those characteristics that never change in certain communities.

By setting the record straight, David Ben’s book “Dai Vernon: A biography: Artist, magician, muse” is a fun book that reads like an adventure. Everyone should read this book.

Can't find this book at your magic shop? Try Denny and Lee's http://dennymagic.com/) a call. Denny keeps one of the largest collections of magic books of any shop in the United States. That's where we picked up our copy.

John Fisher's "Cardini: The Suave Deceiver"

2008-05-14T23:15:00.021-04:00

Since the publication of John Fisher’s book “Cardini: The Suave Deceiver” there has been a very nice re-focusing of attention on one of the most neglected artists in our history. This 572-page tome is a monument to one of the greatest magicians of the 20th century and offers rare insights into his life, act, and loving relationship with his wife, Swann.

We really appreciated the level of scholarship Fisher applies to Cardini’s life and work. Based on interviews with associates, friends, family members, and Swann, the book also features rare photos, ephemera, and transcripts of diaries from the Cardini estate. The most interesting of the source material is Swann’s recollections of their travels around the world, Cardini’s frustration with those who copied their act, and the time they spent together offstage raising their family. Fisher's treatment of gender differences and family relations introduces a new standard in magic biographies.

This book also details Cardini’s act, including stills from the 1957 “Festival of Magic” television program, which was the first of its kind to feature magic for television audiences (see YouTube link for more). Fisher highlights Cardini’s innovations, subtleties, and nuances in the act with tender loving care. The author also describes the history and evolution of the act, with linkages to Vernon, Tarbell, Zarrow, and other legendary magicians. Vernon, especially, is noted for significant contributions to the Cardini act. (Fisher also includes some terrific pictures from Vernon’s “Harlequin act”.)

Cardini’s act was honed and perfected over many years and was the principal act performed by he and Swann during their career. For many of us, it is striking that this one act born during the Vaudeville era and lasting all the way into the electronic age served the Cardinis their whole career without need for any changes.There were occasional changes, such as the parakeet, rising cards, and an oriental act, but “The Suave Deceiver” remained solidly consistent for decades.

Everyone should read this book and “Cardini: The Suave Deceiver” should be on the shelves of every serious magician's book shelf. Unenlightened magicians who take our art for granted may scoff at the content and complain that it contains no tricks. What they fail to recognize, but Fisher captures masterfully, is that there is much more to our art than just “how’s it done”.

-----------------------------------

Cardini: The Suave Deceiver, by John Fisher. Edited by Todd Karr. Introduction by Lance Burton. Published by The Miracle Factory.

Click on the below links for more:

Find the book at the Miracle factory or Denny and Lee's

Cardini site maintained by his descendents: Cardini.com

2008-04-03T13:58:00.009-04:00

Elmsley, Alex (Scotland). Inventor, author, and world renowned sleight-of-hand artist. Almost every magician has heard of the name "Elmsley."

Abbot, David (United States). Inventor of the Floating Ball, The Talking Teakettle, and Spirit Paintings. Converted his home into a “House of Mystery” in which he and his wife entertained guests, including Houdini.

Collings, Herbert (United Kingdom). Co-founded the Magic Circle with Neil Weaver and Ernest Henry Adams. This organization is one of the most prestigious organizations in the world of magicians.

2008-03-08T17:26:00.006-05:00

“I believe that for the good of the cause of the art, each should give his best to other magicians. Only in this way can the standard of the art be raised. I do not believe in getting a good secret and then guarding it from the other performers so as to have a monopoly of it. The world is large enough for all of us, and each can find plenty of spectators in his own vicinity. Only good for all can come from an exchange of magicians’ best ideas. Had each scientist, on discovering a new secret, guarded it closely from the other scientists, knowledge and even civilization would not be where they are today. The same principle that has advanced science applies also to the magic art; and by a proper exchange of ideas, this art can be advanced with the same wonderful strides that have marked the advance of science.” David P. Abbott

David P. Abbott, “Extracts from My Program,” The Sphinx, Vol. 6, no. 1 (March 1907), pp. 6-7, reprinted in Teller and Karr, T. (2005), “House of Mystery: The Magic Science of David P. Abbott” (2005; The Miracle Factory)

"Neo-Magic Artistry" & "Art and Magic" by S. H. Sharpe.

2006-06-01T10:34:00.011-04:00

Neo-Magic Artistry collects together the revised and significant writings of magic author and philosopher Sam Sharpe (1902-1992). Unrecognized for their inspirational power at the time, Sharpe's writings began to gain recognition toward the end of his life with re-publications of his works by The Miracle Factory. Since then, his works have kindled a quiet revolution within various mystery communities all around the world.

Along with other writings by S. H. Sharpe,The Miracle Factory has published two of his most important: Neo-Magic Artisty and Art & Magic. Long out of print and highly-sought after, Neo- Magic Artistry presents the foundation of Sharpe's ideas. Art & Magic develops the themes and adds a bit more. Art & Magic contains the poetic and profound "A Thousand Thoughts on Art and Magic." This section of the book can be opened to any page for meditations on magic, art, science, religion, and the integration of all these into a harmonious whole. One can literally turn to a page in this section and gain wisdom at any time. Just ask Denny Haney. Not only is he the exclusive distributor of Art and Magic, but he's also a well read Sharpe scholar.

Everyone should read these books.

Links:
The Miracle Factory:
http://miraclefactory.net/

Denny and Lee Magic Studio:
http://dennymagic.com/