i haVe a couple <strong>of</strong> things to talk about this month. I just read Michael Close’s review <strong>of</strong> <strong>The</strong> Berglas Effects in the June issue <strong>of</strong> M-U-M, and a quote from Berglas caught my eye: “<strong>The</strong> order <strong>of</strong> importance in doing magic is personality, presentation, effect, and method.” <strong>The</strong> big mistake that many magicians make is that they work on their magic and spend little or no time on their personality. I travel to Vegas a great deal; the idea <strong>of</strong> personality rings true in that city. You would never just say, “I saw a magic show in Vegas.” <strong>The</strong> more common statement would be, “I saw Mac King,” or “I saw Penn & Teller.” <strong>The</strong> achievement <strong>of</strong> these performers has less to do with tricks and methods and more to do with personality. Many magicians who can do great sleight <strong>of</strong> hand cannot carry on a conversation about anything that doesn’t involve magic. <strong>The</strong>ir time is spent working on tricks and methods. <strong>The</strong> price they pay is too great and the amount <strong>of</strong> money they make is too small. <strong>The</strong> only way to develop an interesting personality is to do things and learn things that have nothing to do with magic. <strong>The</strong> fact <strong>of</strong> the matter is that you can’t make it as a performer without a strong personality. When someone tells me that he saw a magician at a party, and I ask what his name was and he says, “Oh, I don’t remember his name, but he was real good,” it makes me sad. I once spoke to a very good magic booker who told me that he hires guys whom the CEO would want to have come to the house and hang out with all afternoon. Unfortunately, on this subject I’m probably (as Michael Close said in his review) preaching to the choir. So, let’s move on to something else. I like to dig in the dirt. By dig in the 74 M-U-M Magazine I’VE BEEN THINKIN’ NORMAN BECK dirt, I don’t mean literally, but rather figuratively; it is amazing what you can find sometimes. My favorite digging spots are pawnshops, thrift stores, flea markets, swap meets, estate sales, and used book stores. Used book stores have that smell <strong>of</strong> dust and old paper that makes me want to see what I can find. Powell’s Books in Portland is a city block in size. Last week I was in Rochester, New York, and I found <strong>The</strong> House <strong>of</strong> Guitars, a used music store. I have a big passion for music and books. I find many crossovers between the two. In digging around, I found a CD on comedy that those in the magic world may find <strong>of</strong> interest. Topics included comedy magic, writing jokes, the entertainer, likeability, ad-libbing, technique, joke construction, acceptance, persona, ego, rapport, and the list goes on and on. <strong>The</strong> person who was giving the advice was some guy named Carson. You can probably find it; the title is Johnny Carson on Comedy and it is from 1968. I thought that it was a very good find for eight bucks, but it wasn’t my best find <strong>of</strong> the day. You have to understand that I travel a great deal, and I read a lot; on this trip the books I brought had not lasted as long as I hoped. I needed something for the trip home. I saw a used paperback with a bad title. I sometimes will judge a book by its cover or its title, and <strong>The</strong> Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth through Music did not seem like the type <strong>of</strong> book that would be much fun to read. <strong>The</strong> author was some guy named Victor Wooten. <strong>The</strong> bio on the back cover told me he was a three-time Grammy award winning bass player and that he plays with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. As I put the book down, I noticed that on the first page, in big red letters, were the words: “Warning! Everything in this book may be wrong, but if so, it’s all right!” I still had no idea what the book was about. I wanted to put it down, to move on down to other books on the shelf, but that one sentence made me turn the page. I found: “Truth? What is truth? And by the way, if I always tell you the truth, you might start to believe me.” I was finding it harder and harder to put the book down, and I didn’t even know how much it was. I turned to the back cover and looked at the people who had said nice things about it and read: “Don’t let the title fool you…It’s not just about music. Victor’s book blended beautifully with my vocation…in fact, it applies to everything we do in life. <strong>–</strong> Shano Pable, Master Garden Designer.” Okay, I bought the book and I’ve read it. My quote would be: “Every close-up magician who has ever wanted to perform in the real world must read this book.” I would put it in my must-read stack and, more important, I’d put it in my must-reread group. I have one bookcase that contains my treasurers; Wooten’s book goes in that case. <strong>The</strong> book is sort <strong>of</strong> a novel, but it is really about how to entertain with music. Watch a YouTube clip <strong>of</strong> Mr. Wooten and you will understand; words just won’t do it. I was hooked; he had explained more about being an entertainer in thirty-five short pages than I have seen written in all the magic books I have read, and he never once talked about magic. I have since learned that he is also a magician; an article was written about him in Genii. Let me quote some advice from the book: “You should never lose the groove in order to find a note. “Your problem is this: You have been trying to tell your story with a bass guitar instead <strong>of</strong> through it. “<strong>The</strong> foundation <strong>of</strong> any building has to be the strongest part; the life <strong>of</strong> a true bass guitarist is the same.” I will close with what Wooten says on page 64: “Many musicians get caught up, way too caught up, in the technique, when it could benefit them to get caught up in the music. Some <strong>of</strong> them measure their accomplishments on whether they can do a certain technique or not.” You can take this book and swap the word music for the word magic and the advice will still work. I think <strong>of</strong> Don Alan in this regard; he didn’t have a ton <strong>of</strong> technique, but when he performed he produced a lot <strong>of</strong> magic.�
OUR ADVERTISERS Axtell Expressions 7 Balloons to You 45 B. Happie Entertainment 5 Burgoon Magic 55 Colombini Magic 71 Elmwood Magic 77 Genii Magazine 49 Hermetic Press, Inc. 2 Hottrix ® 3 Ian Kendall 39 Joe Mogar - Magic Stars 30 Klamm Magic 48 La Rock’s Fun and Magic Outlet 79 Loomis Magic 55 LotaBowl.com 30 Magic Bistro 75 Maxello Magic 75 M.H. Magic Magazines 30 Mystic Moose Magic 51 Nielsen Magic 71 Phil Kampf 9 Rich Hill’s Illusionshop 55 Show-Biz Services 9 TeachByMagic.com 80 <strong>The</strong> Balloon Guys 48 <strong>The</strong> Tax Magician 9 T. Myers 75 Tom Gagnon 5 AUGUST <strong>2011</strong> 75
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