Eclectica: Remembering Albert Goshman
A great magician appears at the perfect moment. Chris Power reflects when he first met the great magic legend.
Voices
Personal essays and reflections from magicians on their lives and journeys.
Viewpoints
A Magician’s Secret Weapon
Maybe we can explore the truth, through the creation an illusion. But how are you telling your audiences that story?
Voices
Be a Magic Detective
Leaving clues for your future self in the tried, test, and true form: the notebook. As Krystyn Lambert says: "For 16-year-old me, keeping notebooks was easy. I was constantly scribbling down ideas, whether it was documenting a move I was working on or the premise of a joke."
Voices
Learning Another Kind of Magic Trick
I figured that Bob had some special new illusion to sell me, or perhaps he knew of some show that was for sale that would make me a star in Las Vegas. He asked for a lot of money, so I really wondered what he had up his sleeve.
Voices
Who Are We Inviting?
Using the real you—complexities and all—are the key to reaching a real audience.
Voices
The Frame Defines What the Audience Sees
If we want to perform a new effect, we don’t need to find a new trick. We can simply frame it differently. A few magicians (including myself) have written about framing before, but I’m going back to basics.
Voices
Character Assassination
Looking to advertising and branding for inspiration.
Voices
Maybe You’re A Black Hole?
That’s the question I always ask magicians: Why magic? If you never thought about it, you aren’t alone. So take a minute: Why do you do magic? I’ll wait….
Voices
Eclectica: It Starts With a Story
I remember the very first part of my own journey that edged me towards magic, and my first real magic book. It was all about the driving power of a story, one that engrossed me before I had ever met a magician.
Voices
Yann Frisch Knows Magic is Absolutely Absurd
Through his incessant pounding and banging, Frisch resembles Sisyphus. They both accept the meaninglessness of their respective “punishments,” whether it’s a boulder or a red ball rolling down the hill.
Voices
The Unnecessary Defense of Illusions
“Stage magic is one of the most difficult forms of magic. Illusionists have to manage lighting, assistants, theatricality, and blocking. Don’t ever apologize for being an illusionist.”
Voices
Evolve or Repeat, There Is No Other Choice
Aiming straight for the audience