Out of the Gate



When I tell people that I am a full-time magician, I often get a look that says "I can't believe anyone can make a living as a magician". Many times, they'll skip the look and just blurt out the previous sentence. These days, in spite of the popularity of TV magicians like David "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" Blaine, or Criss Angel, magicians seem to be a dying breed. While there are an awful lot of people who are quick to show you a bad card trick or a plastic gizmo they bought at a magic kiosk, there are decidedly few of us making a full-time living just performing magic. What I'd like to do here in my corner of cyberspace is let readers know a bit about what it's like doing what I do every day. I figure some of the folks I've worked for might like to know a little more about the person they saw on stage for a few minutes, and the odd person actually considering going into this business may also want to see what life is like in the trenches.

As someone who does all his own booking as well as performing, a good part of the job revolves around finding new work. The bulk of my performing is in schools and libraries, but when it comes to paying the mortgage, I will be as diverse as needed. I have worked in a mind-boggling variety of venues, and will probably continue to do so. In this space, I'll be writing about the weird, funny, and occasionally warm and fuzzy things that happen at my shows. Check back often- if I've worked at your school, library, or wherever, you may find yourself mentioned in here. If so, drop me a line, and I'll send you something cool for letting me know you read it.

About the name of this blog- "Backstage With the Magician"- it refers to a stage illusion presented by Doug Henning back in the 1970's. Doug was one of my earliest and most important magic influences- back then, there wasn't an awful lot of magic on TV, and Doug was one of the few. Doug was also kind enough to write back to me when I was 12 years old and sent him a fan letter. I still have the letter he wrote back to me.

Enough for now. Get offline and go outside.