Discourse in Magic

With his passion shifting away from magic, Tyler says goodbye to the magic community and to Discourse in Magic in episode 133. Over the course of two hours, Tyler and Jonah discuss why he has decided to leave while reminiscing about their time working on the podcast.  The Reasons Behind his Departure Tyler never planned to become a professional magician. He originally got into magic as a way to get social attention. Magic allowed him to interact with and captivate people. He was happy being the magic person among people because it gave him a way to interact. But, with his life moving in a different direction and finding a passion for video editing, Tyler has found his passion for magic fading away. Magic is no longer helping him form meaningful relationships with people, so he has decided to step back and focus on just being him. As he has mentioned over the last few episodes, Tyler has found a passion for video editing. It’s a task he is able to sit down and complete which is something that has always been difficult for him. Tyler goes on to explain that he wants to be able to move on from projects. With video, he may create several drafts, but he will eventually deliver it to his client and be done with the project. With magic, there is always something more to improve and he can’t move on like he wants to. He further goes on to explain that working for someone else pushes him to be his best. It is a consistent job, and he doesn’t feel guilty completing other tasks outside of his work. Overall, Tyler wants to focus on being just Tyler. Reminiscing The second half is spent briefly covering the 132 episodes they have done together, providing a behind the scenes glimpse into the recording process. Jonah and Tyler cover their favourite episodes, the mistakes they made starting out, and the memorable moments that weren’t recorded. Ending Notes Tyler is glad he did the podcast and believes it has benefited the magic community. He reminds everyone to be good. Not just in magic, but in general. In and outside of magic. Tyler wants you to not just better yourself the whole time, but to try to better the world. You have a gift–a talent you worked hard for. Everything is a gift and you need to remember that. Tyler wants to the thank and apologizes to the fans and the people he has built relationships with through the podcast. It only took one person each week to keep him and Jonah putting out episodes. He thanks you for listening and supporting them over the years and encourages people to continue listening to the podcast after his departure. He hopes that, in the future, he has more to give to the community because it has given him so much. The podcast will continue, but Jonah encourages fans to reach out and keep up with Tyler if he has affected you in any way. If you wish to send Tyler a message, you can reach him at tylersolwilliams@gmail.com   The post Why Tyler is Leaving the Podcast appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Known for his appearance on Fool Us, David Parr joins Tyler and Jonah. Bringing his theatrical background to magic this episode, David discusses the value of live theatre, the power of storytelling and Fool Us. David received a magic set when he was younger, and, once he learned all its tricks, needed to know more. His studies led him to the local library and magic store. Soon after, he was performing for library programs in his hometown of Milwaukee. As he moved into regular gigs, his focus was on the enjoyment of performing magic and letting people experience the things he loved. It wasn’t until seeing Doug Henning perform that it dawned on him that magic was something he could do for a living. Sharing the Live Experience David emphasizes that the value of live theatre lies in the moment. Everything the audience and the performer is experiencing is a product of that set of people, in that room during specific conditions. The value of the ticket comes from the ephemeral moment that the audience gets to experience. From these moments, the audience can have their effect on the magic which allows the performance to undergo its evolutionary phase. During his show with Joe Diamond, David mentions that they use to ask the audience who had seen a live magic performance before. Most people had not. For David, this becomes an opportunity to define what live magic can be for the audience. Defining Magic David believes that the definition of your magic influences what you do. He explored this concept in his book, Magic Mirror, which he co-authored with Bob Neal. While Bob came up with a (self-admitted) convoluted defition, David realized he needed to come up with his own simpler definition. This led him to his current description: Simulated impossibility.   This base definition becomes his foundation. From there, he builds the theatrical and technical elements that allow him to fulfill and exceed his audience’s expectations. By giving people multiple levels to engage with, David is able to capture people’s attention and give them memorable moments. People will find something to engage with–whether the puzzle element or the stories–if you give them multiple elements. By the end of the show, people should have an understanding of who he is as a person. Storytelling and Scripting Theatre and film have procedural aspects to their narratives, David explains. Narrative is a powerful tool at our disposal because humans are programmed to connect with narratives. By taking them from point A to point B, you can create memorable moments that they can retain in their mind after the show is over. People will go out and try to share their memories, extending the performance beyond the initial room. David strongly believes in scripting magic. Scripting is the chance for a performer to make deliberate, conscious choices about their performances and why they are doing specific things. David goes on to remind us that you don’t have to be chained to your script. You can deviate and respond to your audience–a script will just allow you to return to the trick without the need to fish around. When writing your script, David recommends recording your performance and transcribing everything you say during it, including the verbal ticks. You can then see where the problems are and can start to make conscious choices about the way you’re performing. You can begin to ask questions like, “what does my audience need to know to understand the narrative?” Fool Us David points to his Fool Us performance as an example of how important narrative is. The back-and-forth game of his trick acted as a compelling enough narrative that people were caught up watching; they didn’t have the opportunity to reverse engineer the procedure. David goes on to say that he fooled them with theatrics as he knows Teller is aware of the effect’s principle. Wrap-Up Magical PSA Ask yourself “Why am I doing this?” If the answer is “look at me” then you probably need to reassess why you’re doing magic. Asking this question over and over will allow us to grow not only as performers but as people. Question of the week? Who am I? How have the threads of the people who have inspired you been woven into your work? Magic is a process of self-discovery. What do you like about the 2018 magic community? Something you don’t like? Many magicians are clinging to the past because they can’t horde secrets anymore. They are denying the reality we live in. So give them more beyond that. Give them a human being to relate to. Take Home Point Jonah resonated with the idea of editing and including as little as necessary to give people multiple layers they can connect with. David liked the idea of determining what it is you want to accomplish. Tyler liked the idea that a script is not a straightjacket and that it can only serve to better your performance. Endless Chain Chrisitan Cagigal or Joe Diamond Social Media Website: https://www.davidparr.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parrmagic/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/parrmagic?lang=en   The post Performance That Engages on Multiple Levels with David Parr appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Harapan Ong joins Tyler and Jonah this week to discuss Instagram magic, developing your art, and the public’s exposure to magic. While Harapan is not a full-time magician, you can find him performing from and reviewing magic books on his Instagram show, Fully Booked. Growing up in Singapore, Harapan had a very limited exposure to magic. His intro to magic began after seeing David Copperfield performing his Grandpa’s Aces routine on T.V. Completely mesmerized, he spent the night trying to figure it out. For his birthday, his dad found a magic shop, called the Magic Castle, hidden away in a shopping mall. The Amateur Magician When he was younger, Harapan considered quitting school to purse magic full time, but parental pressure stopped him. However, he has no regrets. By not needing to focus on magic that would appeal to a hypothetical audience, Harapan has the opportunity to explore the magic that interests him. Currently inspired by the blog, The Jerx, Harapan recommends their booklet, Amateur at the Kitchen Table, for amateurs looking for ideas and performance ideas. Instagram Magic Magic online, primarily on Instagram, is often a contentious issue that sees magicians taking sides. Harapan steps in to provide a young person’s insight mixed with the understanding of the older generations. To him, social media magic is just a new platform to perform on. Referencing Paul Harris’, Harapan reminds the audience that some tricks were developed solely for television. Social media has just become a more accessible video avenue To grow on social media, you need to follow certain rules and apply techniques — it’s a whole new art form that Harapan wishes more magicians would explore and utilize to share their magic. He does warn, however, that you should be able to perform some tricks in real life to show people you’re more than just a person on the screen, but someone they can connect with.   Creating and Improving While Harapan does highlight the pros of using video to learn, he focuses primarily on a books ability to better spark the imagination. To him, the value of a book comes from the number of ideas it inspires in you. This is why books with decent ideas appeal to him; they come with tricks that he is able to improve on, in his own way. To new magicians–primarily young magicians–Harapan emphasizes the need to create your own magic. Creating allows you to understand your voice, pushes you to be original, and teaches you how to be unhappy with a method and how to find a solution to fix it. Where Harapan takes issue with creating is trying to sell a trick too early in your career. If you’re creating tricks for the sake of publication, you probably won’t be creating material worth publishing. Public’s Exposure to Magic As magic continues to mature and its popularity grows in the mainstream, Harapan hopes it will push magicians to be more original and become savvier with magic. Recounting a story told to him by Pipo Villaneua, he explains that Spain had two channels on T.V., and one was basically dedicated to Juan Tamariz performing card tricks. Spanish people were exposed to really good card magic at a young age, which resulted in the public knowing what excellent magic looks like. Young magicians were trying to top Tamriz which resulted in the amazing Spanish performers we see today. Wrap Up Magical PSA Strive to be good at what you do. Strive to be original. In terms of learning, explore everything. Learn about the art you love. Never lose focus on what you love about magic. Be the best magician you can be. Question of the Week Why are you not reading Ascanio’s books on theory yet? What do you like about 2018 magic? What do you hate about 2018 magic? Harapan really likes how exposed the general public is getting to magic. They are seeing good magic which, as a result, pushes the art form as a whole. He doesn’t like the gap between the newer and older generations. Where the new is detached from crediting and doesn’t seem to want to pay for the material, the older generations don’t exactly seem willing to help the younger generation understand the history of magic. Endless Chain of Magicians Pipo Villaneua  Favourite Parts Jonah liked that part about encouraging people to create is fine, but releasing too soon is a problem. Tyler liked the idea of releasing unpolished stuff to get feedback on via social media. Harapan liked the idea of magicians getting accustomed to sharing online and generating a discussion about magic. Social Media Instagram: @Harapanong The post Bridging the Old and the New with Harapan Ong appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

This week, Tyler and Jonah sit down to discuss their past month’s projects, advertising, their views on ethics in magic and Shin Lim.  Catching Up Tyler has continued with his studies into media creation. His focus has primarily been on video production, and he is looking to branch out his video into magic related areas. Jonah’s month was full of magic between his show at Dave and Buster’s starting up, two Art of Magics since the last catch-up, and a performance at TIFF. Advertising Alongside his performances, Jonah has been delving into the world of online marketing for his shows and has discovered that it is a nuanced process. He has had to not only consider the audiences he wants to be targeting, but how to balance the cost of the ads versus the revenue coming in from the sales. Ethics in Magic In response to a fan question, Tyler and Jonah spend time discussing the ethics surrounding magic. Their discussion centers around the audience’s perception of the magician and their performance. The two tackle the question of: is the context of a magic show enough for an audience to know it’s not real? Or does the magician need to be explicit in their presentation that it’s a trick and outside forces? Shin Lim With Shin Lim’s recent America’s Got Talent win, Tyler and Jonah are excited about how magic is being perceived in the public eye. The two see Shin Lim as elevating the art and performing a different kind of stage magic compared to what people are use to seeing. He pushed the limitations of card magic, and has moved the performance and creation of magic forward. Referencing the Garret Thomas episode, Tyler and Jonah note that people are consuming magic without feeling the need to perform it. People are interested in experiencing the magic, not just deconstructing how it the trick was done. Shin Lim has had a noticeable effect on this transition alongside Penn and Teller’s Fool Us. Resources: If you’re interested in video production and editing software like the ones discussed on the episode, here are some programs to look into: Adobe Creative Cloud (Tyler’s recommendation, and used by professional editors) Hitfilm Express (a free alternative to Adobe, perfect for people starting out) Avid Media Composer (paid and free versions, industry standard) The post Ads, Ethics, AGT appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

We are very excited to have Axel Hecklau join us. He is an award-winning magician, taking second place for parlour magic at the 2018 FISM World Championship, who brings his unique insight to improving existing methods this episode. Axel took up magic when he was 12 years old after deciding he wanted to perform a magic show for his grandpa’s birthday. Alongside a group of young magicians and the support of a magic club, Axel continued learning and practicing magic. The club eventually put on a competition which Axel competed in. From there, he focused on perfecting his routines for competitions rather than the public. Creativity and Originality Axel believes that to bring the art form further, we need to be creative in many ways. However, inherent creativity and talent is not something you can work on, so you should play to your strengths. If you are a talented performer, then it is fine to perform tricks developed by other creators as there are some magicians who cannot perform. He is never satisfied with a trick, as satisfaction means there is no chance to develop further. His approach to improving his magic is to identify the problem, the moments in his routine he’s unsure of, and find the solution. He makes it clear that if you find yourself thinking “oh, nobody noticed” about a particular part of your performance, people will notice. The audience will feel the offbeats in their gut, breaking them from the moment.  Approaching Magic The little moments in our lives is where the magic lies, Axel explains. It’s about looking at the relatable human moments in your life and telling these stories through your routine. He refers to Dai Vernon when he says “be natural” when performing. Your moves and story need to be believable for your audience to experience a moment of life when the strange and unbelievable begin to happen. Disturbing your magic with artificial elements will cause the audience to notice, breaking the atmosphere. In recommending the Book of Wonder by Tommy Wonder, Axel explains how you have to work on every little detail like Tommy Wonder. There needs to be a willingness to not simply be satisfied and to push yourself to create and perform better magic.  Magic Influencers Magicians’ performances and views of magic are influenced by the other magicians around them. In terms of the German style approach to magic, Axel highlights Alexander de Cova and Eberhard Riese, author of Foundations, as the two biggest influencers. Magic PSA Axel says to be unsatisfied with your things. But be satisfied with the success you had also. It’s always two things. Not only be satisfied but keep creating. Who Should we have on the Podcast? Tim Trono. Take Home Points Tyler liked Axel’s explanation of magic in everyday life. Jonah liked the idea of asking how far are you willing to go to make something possible. Axel liked the part about taking a routine you’ve performed for years and improving on it. Where to Find Axel Email: mail@axelhecklau.com Website: www.axelhecklau.com Instagram: @axel_hecklau The post Innovation and Being Unsatisfied with Existing Methods with Axel Hecklau appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

We start episode 127 by catching up with Tyler and Jonah. While Tyler hasn’t been performing much practical magic, he has been developing his video and editing skills. Meanwhile, Jonah’s month was steeped with magic. He recently finished his summer tour and had the chance to visit L.A. to perform some intimate closeup shows. Jonah also had the chance to visit the Magic Castle where he saw Laura London, Rob Zabrecky, Nick Paul, Jon Armstrong, and Karl Hein perform. After returning from L.A., Jonah performed at another sold-out Art of Magic show. Picking up from where they left off in episode 125, Tyler and Jonah continued to answer listener questions.   Getting Gigs and Followers Listeners had an interest in learning how to land their first few magic gigs. Jonah recommends finding the kind of gigs you want to do and performing at them for free. Whether you want to perform on stage or in an intimate closeup environment, Jonah says to focus on collecting photos, videos, and testimonials that you can send to potential clients. From there, you should focus on building a website and ordering business cards. One listener asked about how to gain followers on social media. Tyler and Jonah both agree that you need to post interesting content every day, referencing Glenn West’s 365 challenge as an example of how one can grow their following with limited resources by posting once a day. Loving your Art The next question involved how to keep magic a joy and not a job. Jonah says to keep magic a joy, you have to enjoy what you’re doing. If performing and getting people to laugh is where you find joy, maximize that. If learning and creating new tricks is your joy, then being a creator or consultant may be a better route. Tyler adds that you should take time to explore your other interests. If you find yourself being drawn back to more magical things, then pursue them. Tyler continues with the idea that you may just be tired of what you’re currently doing, and should look into new experiences with the art. Another question asked about what pushes Jonah and Tyler to continue practicing, performing and thinking about magic. Jonah sees magic as a hobby he loves and would move on it if he lost the passion completely. He goes on to explain that his love for magic is constantly changing based on his current motivations to perform. Tyler sees his passion stemming from his puzzle-solving mentality and being able to show people what he wants them to see. Where to Begin with your Magic Some listeners had an interest in learning where to begin with getting into magic. Jonah recommends finding tricks you want to perform and discovering the moves you need from there. He recommends attending your local magic store, looking at free resources, and following Youtubers like Alex Pandrea and Jay Sankey. Tyler reflects on when he was learning and wishes that he had spent more time learning how to perform alongside sleight of hand. In answering a question about finding a mentor, Jonah reminds listeners that not everyone wants to teach. You can reach out to someone and be a great fan, but ultimately it’s up to the person. Tyler recommends making a connection and making your interest clear. For books on scripting, Jonah refers to Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber and Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz. The State of Magic In response to a question about the seeming lack of magic in magic due to social media, Tyler sees magic as undergoing a change that relies less on a character and more on people creating the online content that initially inspired them. Jonah mentions that there such is a rich diversity in magic nowadays that you can find the kind of magic you want to see. Jonah sees people as carving out their own versions of what magic is to them. To anyone who feels like they’re focusing on the end rather than the moment, Jonah suggests slowing down to stretch out that magical moment. We love getting your questions and plan to do more Q&A’s in the future.  Send us your questions or message to discourse@discourseinmagic.com or contact us through Instagram.     The post Summer Catch-Up and Remaining Q & A appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Episode 126 is with Slight of Hand magician Karl Hein who is known for WOWing audiences with amazing and original magic and routines. Jonah has seen him perform both at the Magic Castle, and at a Toronto Magic Company show he produced in Toronto. Karl started in magic at an early age, learning and performing tricks first from a Disney Magic book. Once he started buying tricks from a local magic shop, he started finding out about clubs and conventions, learning about sleight of hand from there. Finally after college he wanted to go pro. So in those 4 years of college he found many odd magic jobs (birthdays, walk around etc.) and gained enough referrals and money to earn more than his professors were at the time. Making the move from science to magic. From there, he focused more on performance rather than creation, gaining a read on entertainment and strong magic. Karl then goes on to talk about context – in terms of character, audience and venue – and how to figure out your type of magic (who am doing this for and who will appreciate it?). Also figuring out how to best express yourself to the correct kind of people. Then, Jonah asks Karl about how he can make magic stronger. He recommends, performing to an audience, but being present and aware to how they’re reacting (mostly on the sceptical and analytic types, and getting them to react) – either by originality or surprise. We want to impress all 100% not just 95% of the audience. Performing in a variety of environments helps, intentionality is important to craft your own show and character (and then changing that over time). This moves the discussion over to the problems with creativity, noting that there’s an importance to it, but a lot of what you do is based on other people. Don’t be persuaded by what you hear about originality. He says that the more of yourself you put into it then the more creative you become. Finally, Karl hits on some big piece of advice that he talks about throughout the rest of the podcast. The amount of creativity needed depends on the context you’re performing in (talking again about character, venue and audience). With publishing, allow more time to focus and refine what you’re releasing so that in 5 years’ time it will consistently be relevant, and also just enjoy it! Creativity is a cool currency to spend. Do you think that a prop can be overused in magic, so that it goes out of style? “It can be, but if its more creative in a different way, then it may not matter” Karl says that with Rubik’s Cube magic, it was being done in the early 80’s and as poplar during its’ come back in the early 2000s. There was innovation then, and there is popularity now. What would you like to tell the audience? Start doing the Vanishing Bandana What do you want to ask the audience? How accurate is your awareness of the audience’s perception of you? And how do you act on it? Who would you recommend to next be on the podcast? Cody Fisher Find Karl Hein Website: http://www.karlhein.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/karlheinmagic      The post Magic Goals and Winning the Crowd with Karl Hein appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Today’s monthly episode is a 1 am Q&A Episode, with Discourse in Magic: Nights. There was a lot of questions this time, mostly from the mailing list, sorry if they didn’t get to your question. Get on the Newsletter by clicking here, to be in contact with Jonah and get your questions answered next time In this episode they talk about the state of magic, their favourite magicians, incredible recourses, advice and getting better, secrets to booking gigs, character advice. They’ve received over 35 questions, and many even came in after the episode was recorded, and we will get to those questions in the next episode with Tyler and Jonah. Then, in an amazing twist, the boys ask each other questions. Tyler wants to know What the best way to have all the secrets and not be an ass for not sharing them? Jonah feels very torn, but if he makes it more about the character, method and experience, then it doesn’t matter. He then asks Tyler what he does when he doesn’t feel like he’s progressing fast enough, where he obviously replies that he uses the handy Discourse in Magic Website whenever he’s stuck in a rut (but he’s also cool with growing at his own pace) and hanging out with magic friends helps. We love getting your questions, so keep asking them for future episodes! Also leave a comment somewhere if we got to your question… Let’s keep up the Discourse in Magic The post Quarterly Q & A appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

David Peck is a Toronto magician who specialized in manipulation. He is now a speaker, a writer, and a mover and a shaker in the world of social change. You may recognize him from his Face 2 Face podcast. His introduction into magic involved being astounded by strange tricks from the community and his uncle. He became extremely intrigued by it all and once he received his first magic kit from his parents and he started to spend a lot of time in the magic stores around Toronto. David then went on to become a kid’s magic performer and becoming a real member of the community by joining magic clubs. He learned magic from all parts of his community, including the customers and owner of the magic store he worked at, developing his manipulation technique from Herb Morrisey of Morrisey’s Magic He then went on to learn – and later teach – philosophy, writing papers on astonishment and captivation. Moreover, he started using magic in his lectures to further develop his abilities, preferring to bring emotion and story to his performances. This then starts the conversation on how magic affects people, and what makes it inspiring. “Is it magic, or is it just card tricks?”. Our put differently, is there any way to use this wonderful thing we have called magic to make a difference in the lives of the people around us. The answer is YES, and David Peck has done it! Many hears ago he and Matt Disero created the Mosquitos Suck tour, to raise money and awareness on malaria, and he talk sall about the process in this episode. His podcast, Face 2 Face (which is in its 385th episode!), also helps by being a “Weekly podcast about wonderful people doing wonderful things”. Promoting the importance of making every moment count. What do you want to ask the Audience? What assumptions are you currently making that need to be simplified? And what are you reading? What do you want to tell the audience? Find someone who you can trust and listen to their advice, and work together! Who should we get on the show next? Jay Sankey, Richard Sanders or Greg Freeman The post Using Magic to Make an Impact with David Peck appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Kayla Drescher is a … magician, who recently performed on  Pen & Teller’s “Fool Us” and has a new podcast, called Shezam chatting all about women in magic. She got into magic by accidentally walking into a magic shop with her dad, became very curious at what was happening and started from there. She then started to take lessons and joined a magic society, headlining her first magic show very young (Kayla is also the first woman to MC the Magic Society for American Magician’s Stage Contest). But she also wanted to focus more on performance and go professional after not liking her work after finishing her degree, so she quit her job and tried hard to get there. Kayla Drescher shares her knowledge on learning character, acting, and comedy She talks about the importance on taking improv classes, studying character acting for all magicians and ways to make the audience comfortable. This means making the overall performance run more like a movie. The discussion then goes to women in magic, her new SHEZAM podcast and why there aren’t enough women in magic. She gives a beautiful metaphor about laying bricks that will help you understand the limitations in magic for women, and what we can do in 2018 to help more women into magic. Plus Her Shezam podcast that she launched with Carissa Hendrix  is all about this subject exactly, and the need to stop asking the question “What’s it’s like being a woman doing magic?”, by making a magic podcast for women. How important Is it for your character to be an extension of yourself? “As long as you play it well and have it enough, it doesn’t have to be anything to do with you. You need to understand that your bringing to the performance” What do you want to ask the audience? Why are you doing a certain trick in your performance? What do you want to tell the audience? Be better, damnit! Who do you want to be on the podcast? Ondrej Psenicka Plugs: Shezam Podcast: http://www.shezampod.com/ http://magicinheels.com/ http://championsofmagic.co.uk/ The post Becoming an Amazing Performer with Kayla Drescher appeared first on Discourse in Magic.