The "Houdini Gram" is the official Houdini Club newsletter devoted to fellow magicians, upcoming magic activities, useful magic tips, reviews, etc. You must be a member to get the full issue. But fear not, you can find excerpts from featured articles highlighted right here. This gem of info alone is worth the price of being a member! ~ Julie Sobanski editor
Excerpt from "My 2 Cents" by Tom Burgermeister 3/10 regarding "do's and don'ts" in the business of magic.
DO always remember that an outstanding performance by a capable magician helps us ALL. If my performance is well-received and my customer’s experience working with me is a favorable one, they will consider having another magic performance sometime in the future. Maybe next time they’ll hire YOU. On the other hand, I know of real situations where the customer’s experience with a certain magician for hire was so awful, they would never even entertain the thought of hiring another magician. This, naturally, hurts us all.
DON’T be the bad news that is sure to get around fast. At the risk of stating the obvious, if you are hired to do a show, be a reliable, dependable, friendly person to work with. Prepare and deliver an outstanding, top-shelf program. If it sounds like this is beyond the scope of your ability, don’t hire out and spoil the market for the rest of us.
Excerpt from "Under the Chop-Cup" by Marshall Philyaw
...describing a very strange TV reality show entitled: “The Conveyor Belt Of Love.”
First of all, presenting a “magic trick” to introduce one’s personal character as prelude to a possible involvement with someone was, in the eyes of these ladies, to immediately invite deception into a relationship. Second of all, it would mean using precious minutes (during which personality is being judged) to hide behind a pre-arranged “bit” as a sort of scripted mask. Thirdly, in order to present magic, one must in most cases assume an attitude of superiority over a person or group. And this, in every case I saw on that show, magic or otherwise, was for some reason a complete turn off for the ladies. And so it came to pass that the minute it became obvious a contestant was going to do magic, all the “not interested” signs went up almost simultaneously.
Most magic, as we know it, is not really designed to turn single ladies on, but to entertain groups of mixed individuals in a festive atmosphere. So, for you guys on the make, there could be something of a lesson in all of this. Namely, that one cannot expect much of a romantic return from the sultry blonde you have just met by sliding a huge die around in a box and asking her to guess which side it is on. But you might indeed save the evening if you don’t take yourself too seriously, and it certainly helps a lot if she thinks you’re cute while you are doing it.
