Steampunk Show Case Manheim, PA

What a great Steampunk Convention!. While performing at another event I learned about this one.
Tucked away on the second floor of the Spooky Nook Sports Complex, the vendors set up and the meeting rooms were ready for the panels.
I left Brooklyn Friday night with my camper trailer in tow. In the past I've stayed in hotels the night before a show away from home but this time I thought it would be nice to just stay in the camper and save on the hotel and have a little more freedom.
I parked at the closest rest stop to the venue and bunked down for the night.
Saturday morning it was off to Spooky Nook for the Con!
One of these weekend events is A LOT of work and I must compliment Allen Wong and his staff for their effort.
I arrive and changed into my Steampunk garb and grabbed my table and headed into the venue.

The vendors were all on site setting up their wares and one of the hardest things at one of these is to not buy too much stuff I don't need.....kind of sounds like a magic or clown convention!
I walked around and introduced myself to all the vendors and discussed the dynamics about my gathering a crowd and then recommending them to shop shop shop at the vendors.
Part of this time is also spent  looking for the "best" spot to set up my table based on what appears to be the traffic flow of the guests and layout of the room.
I selected my spot......

Just at the end of the vendor aisle at the passage to the panel meeting rooms.

Set up and ready to go I continued to walk around and speak with people and vendors.

I noticed across from me was a table with books on it and the author was behind the table. Now if you are a Steampunk fan then you know this name, Leanna Renee Hieber , she writes novels in the Steampunk genre and she is very good, great characters and great stories. I decided to buy 2 paperbacks and she autographed them for me! I wish I could have been around for her panel discussion about writing these types of novels, but I'm sure I can catch her at a future event. 

Then it was time to perform. I did my street act numerous times during the day for all sizes of 

crowds, and happily all the shows went very well. 

Besides the panel discussions, there were a few fun events scheduled throughout the day.

I made sure to take plenty of breaks to sit in on panels that interested me and they were both fun and informative, not to mention that I made a bunch of new acquaintances of the Steampunk crowd.

By the end of the day I was done, and packed it all up and back out to my camper to change and head home. One of the best things that happened was a compliment I received from one of the vendors.

He motioned to me and called me over to speak with me. He said, "I just wanted to tell you that I've done a lot of these events and seen a lot of magicians doing what you do and by far you have the best technique and mannerisms I've seen, I really enjoyed it...."  Honestly this was completely unexpected and unsolicited, and I actually blushed! That made my weekend, My hats weren't that great but that small compliment made me feel great! 

I look forward to the next Steampunk event I'm scheduled for in April 2020, or anything else that come up  in the meantime.

Until the next post......Keep 'em clean and Be Well

Bruce

2 great events......

Every year I look forward to performing for Autism Speaks at their Walk-A-Thons both in NYC at the South Street Seaport and on Staten Island at Staten Island University.
The Seaport event happened at the end of September and it takes over the entire pier! Families and school groups, Girl Scout troupes and College Fraternities join together after raising funds and donating time to support people with autism. There are also a bunch of booths with organizations that support everything from supportive therapy for people on the spectrum to educational foundations and schools.
Of course Autism Speaks has their own tents with resources and additional booths with healthy snacks and water for all those in attendance.
I arrived early to run through the layout and register at the volunteer tent. After I got my button I headed up to registration area to get my Blue Pompom to shake as all of these events are sensory friendly. Now it was time to turn on the bubbles! I have found in the last year or two that the best prop to work with at this and many other events is a very productive bubble wand-machine.

The majority of my time at the walk is spent walking around with a stream of bubbles flying from the wand and dancing with the kids and encouraging the families to have a great walk and thank them for "joining the walk today"

Then onto the Staten Island Walk at SUNY Staten Island University. This event has a very different vibe. Its much smaller and quite intimate, but just as exciting and all the families who come to walk for their friends or family on the Spectrum are there with lots of energy and support. 

My performance is about the same with the bubbles and some physical comedy interacting with the people, getting laughs and smiles all around. 

I know that the events go on no matter what and I feel honored that they allow me to contribute my time and talent to add to the event with laughs and smiles, hugs and dancing, and I really do look forward to this every year!

Be Well, and Keep 'em clean

STEAMFEST 2019

2 Weeks ago I was privileged to participate at the first SteamFest hosted by WeDiscoverGeeks in Bethlahem PA. The location was AMAZING! A place called The Stacks. This was the perfect backdrop for a SteamPunk event. The old factory and buildings were great to look at and use as a backdrop for photos and selfies.

The plan was to host an event that highlighted the importance of STEAM in education and how the Maker movement has encouraged and embraced this philosophy. SO on August 31st I arrived and checked in. The excitement was like static in the air. The goggles and gears and Victorian dress was everywhere. I strolled around the vendor area to check out the wares for sale. I am always impressed by the level of art and ingenuity of the creators that make up the vendors. I met and spoke with a few as I scoped out my pitch trying to gauge guest traffic flow to get the most foot traffic.  I set up my table at the top of one of the vendor isles between the vendor area and the Steampunk Sailboat-Car

Yeah it was cool. And I spoke to the builder and its a real vehicle and he actually drove it to the fest. I put on my badge, put out my hat and watched the crowds grow to start my show. 

What a great day! I did about 10 shows, and had generous hats. between shows I walked around the Fest, sat in on some panels and just soaked in all the creativity and enthusiasm for this cool genre.

At the end of the day I spoke with my hosts and they told me they pre registered and expected about 600 people but in the end they had well over 1000! Truly a successful event...…and of course I was invited back for next year. 

Then as a bonus, they contacted me about another event WeDiscoverGeeks is hosting and invited me to work that event as well. I also plan to reach out to some other SteamPunk Festivals I learned about from people I got to know during the day. 

I look forward to working at many of these events in the future......

Be Well and Keep 'em clean

Bruce

Well....it actually happened!

After performing the cut and restored rope for almost 35 years I finally screwed up and cut my finger while cutting the rope! It was quite a scene, at least from my side. I was performing at the Carousel Fantasy Forest in Flushing Meadow park and I was having a great show.

A nice little girl was helping me and I handed her the scissors and asked her to cut the rope in the center loop I presented to her and used the line," remember the rope is the white thing and my fingers are the pink things" she cut the rope fine and the routine was going well. Next after restoring the rope, I am supposed to take the scissors back and after the volunteer sits down I go ahead and trim the end of the rope for the next step.....that's when it happened. I was snipping the end off the rope and came too close to my left thumb and slice! I caught my thumb in the scissors. Pretty stupid mistake and I immediately looked at my finger and thought," did I really just do this? Well luckily it isn't bleeding...."
Well I thought too soon..... I continues with the rope trick and suddenly noticed the end of the rope was bright red! Ahhh....so that ended the regular finale of throwing the restored rope into the audience, the rope trick was OVER.
I grabbed my towel I use to wipe off my hands and wrapped my thumb up and held pressure on the cut. The audience to my knowledge didn't realize what was going on. I flagged one of the staff from the Carousel as he walked by and asked him to get me a band aid from the office.
I know they have basic first aid stuff on hand, like band aids and ice packs etc, some child is always running and falling and scraping a knee or banging some body part on something, or a klutzy magician who doesn't know how to use a scissors.
I get the band aid and remove the towel and put band aid on the cut. Problem solved........well not quite.
The next effect is the Peanut butter and Jelly trick. This has got to be one of my favorite parts of the show. It is easy to perform and fun for kids and adults alike. Part of the routine is to get a kid up to stand in between the 2 tables and hold the paper bag with the 2 slices of plain bread in it. Then at the end you tear open the bag to show the bread is now a real peanut butter and jelly sandwich! amazing and tasty too...
I put the slices of bread in the bag and fold over the top flap and hold it up and just as I am ready to call a kid up to hold the bag, I see my thumb bleeding through the band aid and starting to run down the back of the bag......uh oh change of plans.....I don't call a kid up, I just put the bag down on the ground between the tables, I clench my thumb into my fist and squeeze,  and say,"and now the finale, the Peanut Butter and Jelly Trick" It wasn't supposed to be the end of the show but now it was going to be. I finished the trick and grabbed the bag tearing it open and holding my thumb behind it and showed the real sandwich.....Thanked my audience and they applauded and dispersed. One little girl from the front row came up and asked ,"are you ok, did you hurt your finger" I assured her it was ok and said, "remember you always have to be careful with sharp scissors"
SO that's how it finally happened, I cut myself during a show during the cut and restored rope.
I'm sorry if this post is too graphic for some.....I didn't include any gory pictures.......But its a real lesson that you should never get too complacent about performing, "second nature" doesn't mean you don't pay close attention to what your doing, accidents can always happen.
Keep 'em clean and Be well

Circus Magic In The Park

It was a great day! Thanks to my Son @phineasjuggler I was on the list of performers for the weekly entertainment her in Queens NY at the Flushing Meadow Park's Fantasy Forest Amusement Park at the Carousel. Every weekend they have a performer to do a "clown show" at 2 and 4 and I was the performer today (Sunday July 7th)

So I put on my Dr. Molar Magic Summer clown costume and headed out to the park. I arrived and set up my show in the designated performance area and then went about the gathering a crowd. This part of my job consisted of walking around the rides and interacting with the people on the lines, doing walk around stuff, small magic, and letting them know that the magic clown show will be starting at 2pm.
At 2pm we started the show. As the families gathered and the kids took their seat on the artificial turf put out for them and I started with some juggling. My shaker cups (a personal favorite) which are loud and visual. Once the crowd was settled it was on with the show!
My 30 minute kid show is fast paced and involves lots of audience participation. This show I added something new....the new Rocky The Raccoon Zig-Zag.....yes our old friend Rocky comes out of the magic closet and instead of just doing the usual gags and jokes, I place him into a vertical box slide bladed through him and move the middle section apart from the others! Its Rocky meets Harbin. The routine is fun to perform mainly because its just so ridiculous and in the end if a real fooler. I'm glad I added it to the set as it got a great reaction from the kids and their parents.
My finale is the Bells.....bells in the key of C covering a full octave and a few of the sharps/flats just in case they are needed. I line up 6 young volunteers and they each get a bell. Now if you want fun and comedy just give 6 little kids bells and tell them not to ring them until told.....yup its a tough one, but that's where a lot of the comedy and fun develops. We manged to get the kids under control and they were able t follow directions to allow this impromptu bell band to perform Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and of course the cell phones were videoing and taking photos of their performing kids!
After the last note and a colorful throw streamer the show was over and everyone had a great time.
I love this kind of show because the families come to the park and they know the rides are there and maybe they know about the show but they are not paying a fee for the show. They are staying and enjoying the magic and fun. I'm proud to say that the audiences were large and there was plenty of clapping and laughing. I know that when I have fun performing the audience has fun along with me, I'm happy to say the audience agreed.
Be Well and Keep 'em clean

Have Magic Will Travel......

For any of my regular readers you all know that as a Busker I try to perform everywhere I travel. So for business or vacation I always have some magic with me and some sort of busking set up.
I also happen to be a bag and case fanatic! I love different bags and cases both custom and generic and I've spent a lot of time looking for that "perfect bag" to carry my act that is both portable and can hold all the magic I need to street perform. I've also come up with many different portable magic table designs that are adapted very well to the portability needed for street performing.

Well this trip is no different. I'm back in Baraboo Wisconsin and Wisconsin Dells for @Pupperdoodle18 's YMCA Gymnastics National Competition. So I assumed there would be some down time so I brought my Busking bag. This case is one of my favorites. I've travelled all over the place with this one, its a case that holds a tiny table top and tripod stand as well as my 8 inch linking rings, chop cup and a bunch of other magic for a solid 20-30 minute street show.

Its a violin case I found at a thrift shop and after removing the guts from one side it holds plenty  of magic as well as one of my Steampunk hats, goggles included. Its small and has a handle and the case can be left open leaning against the tripod to have a collection bin after all those clever hat lines at the end of my act. So keep an eye out on your travels for me and of course other buskers. Be they magicians, or musicians or balloon sculpture artists please support street entertainers. 

Until next time Be Well and Keep 'em clean

Bruce

Busking Cardiff

What a great trip! I Just returned from Cardiff Wales where I participated in the SCHOOL OF BUSKING with Master Magic Buskers Mario and Veronica Morris. Got there Thursday morning jet lagged but excited......I fell asleep, very exciting I know, but I did wake up in time to get some dinner in a local restaurant. Cardiff is a very nice city and everyone I met, spoke with, or just interacted with was pleasant and happy to talk. Very welcoming! Friday morning we gathered at the Ocean Arts Center and after meeting the rest of our group, Jeremy, Jan, Phil, and Scott we started working through our acts giving feedback and getting feedback from each other. No matter how long you've been performing, and how great you think you are its always a good idea to work with a coach or director or even just a colleague to get objective feedback. This means notes on the good and bad aspects, what works and what doesn't. Its a very important part of the improvement process.


Then we hit the streets. Mario scoped out a good pitch and we all took turns doing our shows. Stopping the crowds, getting them to stay and watch and then collecting the money for a show well done.

By the time I started my Cups and Balls Finale I was performing for a crowd of about 75 people and everyone was having lots of fun. It was great when I started my hat lines I hadn't even finished the finale and people rushed forward to put money in my pouch! Then after the finale it kept coming....it was a good day.
Clearly the busking environment in Wales is much different than NY.  I can't wait to head back and busk more places in Europe.....but that's sometime in the future. For now I'll be out in the Parks in Queens and Manhattan.....and a few festivals around the tristate.

Be Well and Keep 'em clean

Dachshund Spring Fiesta!!!

Its that time of year again! The twice yearly meet up for all Dachshund lovers in Washington Square Park, NY under the Arch at the base of 5th Ave. The last Saturday in April and the First Saturday in October lovers of this adorable dog breed meet up with their Dachshunds and schmooze and at 1 PM sing the Dachshund Song, and of course pet and play with the dogs.
So last Saturday Pupperdoodle and I took Otto to Washington Square Park for the festivities.

The weather was great in the park, not too hot with a slight breeze and all the Dachshunds you could handle. All combinations of color and type enjoyed each others company, sniffing and barking in celebration of their breed. 

Then the culmination of the event came at 1PM when everyone grabbed a song sheet and accompanied by Murray Weinstock we all sang the Dachshund Song by Paul De Vries and Murray Weinstock. 

Its always great fun and we look forward to this meet and greet each October and April

And of course Otto loves the event but it takes a lot out of him 

I'm sure after a good nap he'll be up and ready for the next adventure!

Keep 'em clean

Bruce

why hire a magician for your event.....

Let me set the stage for you. You've planned your event, be it a graduation party, engagement party, or even 50th birthday party. Everything is in place, the venue, the food, the decorations and your guest list, and the party begins, music plays and your guests begin to arrive.
What do they do? Have you ever given any thought to what your guests will do as they arrive. They come in, look around, notice your efforts to set the scene and your attention to detail in the decorations or the sign in board or place cards, ah the place cards!
      Have you ever noticed how people stop and spend so much time at the place cards, or even as they stop and note to themselves the seating arrangements. Guests will find their card or scout out a place to sit and then take note of who else is there or invited and if they know them or not. They are looking for a friend or at least acquaintance to find a comfort level. "Oh great there are people I know so there will be someone to sit and talk with" That's what they are thinking and once they realize there is going to be someone they know there is a relief that they are not "alone" at your event. 
     At a wedding or family event this is much easier (or maybe not when dealing with family relationships!) Then the party begins and you may notice that people gather in small groups with those they already know. After all this isn't a self help group where they need to introduce themselves to everyone in the circle.
    As the host you may have the time or inclination to go to every table and make sure that everyone at each table has introduced themselves. "So everyone this is John from work and this is Jane my second cousin I found out you both like Star Wars...." No that's not likely as the host you have other responsibilities. So where does this have anything to do with hiring a magician for your party.
The art and performance of magic is ALL ABOUT INTERACTIONS!!
      Yes its not just card tricks and wow how did he do that? Its much much more. As I walk around performing at a cocktail hour or table to table at a party, my first job is to interact with every guest, weather they know each other or not and engage them in conversation and entertain with my magic. If there are 2 or 3 small groups on the floor just talking I can engage all of them and help them all interact as they all together engage in the enjoyment of the magical effects I perform. I've found that people at a party who don't know each other and would never even make the effort to introduce themselves or make small talk will come together, watch and engage in the magic weather its selecting a card, holding out their hand hold an object, confirm a serial number on a bill, or even just contribute by watching, and of course reacting.
       Have you ever been to a party where people line up just outside the kitchen door waiting for the next tray of  hot passings to come out, or are just leaning up against the bar looking around the room, because there is nothing to do and that's the most exciting thing  going on until they are asked to move onto the next part of the event. Now these same people have moved into the cell phone world and are just standing there checking their emails and social media. But as a magician I look for these guests and help them engage with those around them. That's what magic is all about, its a way to engage and help people interact and enjoy themselves along with other humans in the room.
So I ask you to think about this next time you're at a party or an event. Just look around and check out what your guests are doing.
     I promise you they are clumping in small groups who already know each other from work or family or community and there will be lone stragglers on the fringe just buried in their phones. Lets get them involved and lets engage them and help them enjoy your event with some escape from the mundane and enjoy some magic!
       If you have an event coming up, reach out to me by email "thebrooklynmagician@gmail.com" or call (917) 324-6066 and we can talk about how I can bring magic and amazement to your guests and make your special event even more special and memorable.
Be Well and Keep 'em clean

We have seemed to reach that point in life.....

I was watching one of my favorite movies from one of my favorite franchises, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, and I heard a line that I had forgotten and when I heard it I thought s was very profound......" It seems we've reach the age where life stops giving us things and starts taking them away" Wow, that's serious stuff. But is there such an age? I mean is there ever a time when life stops giving us things? Should we ever stop giving away to others, giving of ourselves? That's when I focus on my feelings about magic and its performance.  I have always strongly believed that the performance of magic, the creation of mystery and wonder is a gift I give my audience. The former Dean of Mystery School the late Eugene Berger often spoke in class about gift magic and it's importance. I make it a point to "give away" something to my audience with each performance. It could be simple as a signed card, the torn corner of a card from the effect or even a napkin rose- those are easy and wonderfully received.

Now I don't actually believe that by seeing my magic their lives will improve, or their illnesses will be cured or their mortgages will get paid faster but for the moments of the performance as the audience focuses their attention on my script and my hands I can take them to a magical place.
We work with the same philosophy when we perform at clown rounds and enter a room. We can't effect the illnesses or the seriousness of the condition  but we can effect the people there and in that moment to change the energy in the room, and change their focus. That what magic is and can do. In fact that's what all art should do, is have some effect on the viewer or audience. And after all is said and done, Magic is an art form, a performance art form. Magic isn't just tricks and secrets, or it shouldn't be. It needs to be more.Often times magicians will start their performances with the statement," I'd like to show you something," when what they mean is they want to show you something that you will enjoy watching, or a mystery to get you to think about things differently.
If we as performers can achieve that simple goal of effecting our audiences and giving them the gift of wonder even for a few minutes then we have created great art with our magic. SO go perform an give away some wonder and magic.....then keep doing it!
Just an update I just got some new promotional photos.....here's one

Be Well and Keep 'em clean

How many of those have I read?

Once during a class, the professor took everyone from the lecture hall for a walk to his office and as we all gathered and crowded into his office he said," take a look around what do you see?" His office was densely packed book shelves on three sides. We all replied, lots of books! "how many of them do you think I've read?" We all took our guesses and we were all very surprised at the reply....it wasn't that many and my surprise soon turned to disappointment.....I really thought he had read, or should have read all of them.....
This brings me to the theme of this post. I enjoy books, one of my prides and joys is my magic book collection. And after that day I went home and looked at my magic book collection and asked myself, " how many of these books have I read?"

It was an interesting question, I decided to go over the shelves book by book and see if I've read everything. My feeling was that I had completely read 95% of them.
I thought there were a few different types of books, those you read and re read often, those you buy to read once then keep as collectibles, lastly  those you start and put down after a few pages because it didn't meet your expectations.
So off I went to review each and every book title. I realized that I was almost right, it turns out that I have completely read about 75% of the books. I found a few that I didn't even remember I had,  and rekindled my love for certain titles that I haven't gone through in years.
I did find many book marked and dogeared pages for effects and concepts that I wanted to revisit to improve or enhance my performances. Out of those ideas many of them have actually made it to my act, some of them went in and didn't make the cut.
Reading magic books is often a great way to relax. Last post I wrote about things that inspire you to be creative and often times reading through certain classic magic books helps solve creative problems. For me whenever I come across a magic or routinizing challenge I can't wait to crack the binding on one of my favorite texts.
How do you decide on what books to buy? You really can't just get every book that comes out as they do take up space and they are not all relevant, so where do recommendations come from?
I encourage you to join discussion groups and speak to other magicians about the books you read and undoubtedly they will have recommendations. I have gotten the last few book recommendations from discussions in the McBride Mystery School and some from The Magic Word Podcast, two sources I've mentioned before in my blog posts. My most recent books have been about performance skills, script writing, magic philosophy and history.  I've made it a point to email or post my thanks to those who recommended the titles and that I really enjoyed them, kindness and gratitude are always in order.
So that brings me back to the question, "how many of these books have I read" I've made a neat pile of books that I havn't read and started to add them to my reading list. So far I've found lots of great information that was right there on MY shelves all this time......yup, there was great stuff right in front of me, and I didn't even realize it.
Be Well and Keep 'em clean

What Inspires you?

In my opinion the biggest obstacle to creativity is stress. The stress of daily life and work can often overwhelm even the most creative people and lead to mental blocks and at worst even depression and no one can move forward in that case. So what inspires you?
I've found that as a magician whose job is to bring amazement and wonder to my audiences, I NEED to keep the creativity flowing. So I thought I'd share with you my dear blog reader what I do to keep the new ideas coming and fresh perspective for my magic.
Firstly, I surround myself with things and people who remind me of creativity and previous experiences that fed my creative side. Two examples that come to mind you'd find on my nightstand. My two friends Figment and the Maker Bot

.
Figment of course is a Disney character who speaks about the importance of IMAGINATION, and the Maker Bot is one of the logos and representation of the Maker Movement, the ultimate in using creativity, art and science to solve problems and improve the world.

On the dresser there are two small busts of two other inspirational men, Houdini and Ben Franklin. Both were important to their times, and innovative in their fields. There are also a number of my Steampunk items, like the lamp and light switch. I feel the Steampunk genre is one of deep creativity and imagination which is why I've embraced it in my current magical performance persona. Lastly there are the many Star Trek items I keep to remind me of the philosophy behind the stories and themes of that universe, which I find very inspiring.

Then of course there are my notebooks. I take one of these everywhere with me. I write down ideas and thoughts about magic and routines and even notes about how performances went. The other is more of a dream journal which I learned to keep after learning about it from a Jeff McBride class back in the early 90's.  In the morning after waking if  I had an interesting dream I write notes about it and then write the whole story later. Some of the memories that come out in dreams are really cool and a few times I've remembered something from my childhood which was an absolute thrill.
Once in a while I'll refer back to these notes to help come up with routine ideas.

The other source for ideas are books. I read books about magic, history, science, philosophy, and science fiction. Reading in many areas and exploring other ways of thinking are a very big influence on the creative process.
As time goes by and magic and performance take up more of my professional time, its very easy to get set in my ways and lazy. When a performer does the same thing for long periods of time its easy to get jaded. Sometimes the performances begin to lack enthusiasm and it will really show to your audience..this is when your creativity and need to recharge your creative batteries is really important. So What inspires you?
Feel free to post a comment about this, and please if you find anything I've written enjoyable or thought provoking go ahead and post a comment.
Also please let your friends and followers know about my blog, every post I enjoy seeing more and more readers.
Until the next post.......Keep being inspired,
Be Well and Keep 'em clean

More Buskers Please......

I was looking around the posts in the magic cafe,( https://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/index.php) and someone posted an article about a city in Massachusetts that is looking for MORE BUSKERS!


https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/12/22/cambridge-wants-more-street-performers-they-eliminating-permit-fee/miPukrLQfrvrwQNtAKlcON/story.html

In a nutshell, the city is eliminating the fees and restructuring the permits to encourage an increase in street performers recognizing that much of the character and ambience of a tourist city can be improved by buskers and other colorful cultural enhancements.  Obviously Magical Street Performers will be a part of this.....I hope.

As I've discussed in previous blog posts, I investigate the busking situation everywhere I travel. We take many driving trips during the year. Some for business and some for vacation. Before each trip I spend time online and on the phone with the local chamber of commerce of our destination finding out the rules in that city on street performing. Some places require permits, some don't, some have clear laws against it. If there is a chance to perform we schedule that into our time away. Usually the family goes off shopping or to some other attraction and I look for a pitch. For me....It's heaven.

You see NY has over the years become a very difficult busker market. Often the police or park police will ask you to move along, " you can't do that here", "You need a permit for that".....all of which is untrue, they just don't know the law and like to flex their authority. Silly Police...go to NYC.gov and read your own laws!
 I fell in love with Street performing when I was in College at NYU and lived in the dorm around Washington Square Park. This was 1987-89. The golden age of busking was before this but things were still very active in and around the park on a daily basis. I highly recommend the book, "Drawing a Circle In The Square" by Sally Harrison-Pepper for a perfect accurate description of the busker scene in NY.

I watched performers for hours between classes, and studied technique, crowd management, etc. My favorite performers were a magician named  Chappy Brazil and a Juggler Uni cyclist named Joey-Joey. Over time I got to know Chappy and was honestly in awe of him. His grand finale was stealing a spectator's watch off their wrist while holding their arms during a sponge ball trick. Then as a thank you for helping him he offered them the gift of their watch.
His cigarette and card manipulations were quite impressive.
Just imagine this street act today? Smoking and stealing an audience members watch on the street, they'd have a fit and call the cops! They'd come after you and the video would be online in seconds!
I started performing north of Washington Square Park at Union Square Park at the entrance of the farmers market. I never thought I was qualified to work Washington Square so I stayed away. I performed three days a week for a year and a half on that pitch, and never had any negative interaction with police. I was never asked to move on, or stop the show, in fact they often stayed to enjoy my show!
I followed Chappy's career and watched it grow. I even hired him to perform at a College Club show I produced. We tragically lost Chappy after a fatal motorcycle accident. I was told he was heading towards a taping for a video teaching watch steals. I have always missed watching him work he was a talented innovative magician. Recently in an issue of VANISH magazine someone ran an article remembering Chappy. It was great to see and I wrote a note to the editor thanking them for its publication ensuring we won't forget this young talent lost much too soon.

I would love to see buskers thrive in NY and get the respect we deserve for bringing art and culture to the city and adding to its character not only for the tourists but for the native NYers as well; at the Seaport, in the Parks, all over the City and in all 5 Boroughs.
And when you're walking down the street and you hear live music or see a live performer, thanks them and applaud then drop some money in their hat!
Be Well and Keep 'em clean

Happy New Year Blog Post..what else?

It seems some sort of Blogging rule that there's supposed to be a Happy New Year or New Year's resolution post on or about January 1st or 2nd so here we go

Its a New Year, 2019 what should we change, what should we do more of? Well as far as I'm concerned its quite simple. I would like to perform even MORE. Magic is a performance art and therefore it must be performed!!! For people!
I used to have this conversation with a friend of mine about going to magic club meetings and that if you just stay home, you'll end up performing for yourself in a mirror and that can be very lonely.
You must get out and do stuff. That means as magicians we need to get out and perform our art for live people. Some like to make YouTube content as their performance for the public but I personally think that's a poor replacement for the real human interaction...now that's magic. I've written about this before, that's why I'm in love with Busking. Its REAL interaction, not scheduled, or planned in any way, just strangers who aren't expecting to see magic stop to watch your performance.....that's the real magic...the chance to affect someone's day or mood by showing them something unbelievable even if its just a small effect, or simple trick you can really bring your audience to the magical place in their minds.
When my family and I do our Clown rounds, (which we haven't had time to do in a while but would love to get back to - talk about your New Year's Resolutions!) We would work very hard to "change the energy in the room" We'd go in and interact with the patients and the families and even the staff to take them out of the moment and change the emotional energy which improves mood and outlook helping the healing process.
Magic is a wonderful art form and Magic on the street or in parks is one of the best ways to view and enjoy this art form.
SO as we start 2019 I will work hard to keep that magic in my life, Busk more and everywhere I go.
Oh yeah and Loose more weight, exercise more maybe join a gym, eat healthy etc etc......like everyone else..boy those have become cliche resolutions.
Honestly, we have some exciting events coming up this year, lots of volunteering and volunteer shows, lots of travel and performance, and participation in busker festivals and Steampunk Conventions, so keep reading and following me, and PLEASE tell your friends to follow along on all my social media posts, they're all @drmolarmagic.
Be Well, Happy New Year and of course
Keep 'em clean

To Scipt or not to Script......your magic performance

"For my next trick I'd like to show you....." These are (in my opinion) some of the worst words a magician can say during a performance.   I fully embrace the philosophy that I am there to entertain using the art of magic  not just doing magic...Do you see the difference? As a performer you are there with a purpose....to entertain. I try very hard with every show or event to follow this.
When I perform I work from a script. Its not set in stone but it is written. There are stage directions and everything including pauses are written in. Then during performance I work from the script allowing for on the fly impromptu changes and ad libs. None of my scripts begin with the phrase,"for my next trick", or "this is a trick made famous by the great....." or anything of the sort. I prefer stories and background information that introduce my magic. I get to present the scenario and engage the audience as I do.
"Does anyone here believe in time travel, because I do and I've actually traveled back in time with my dog Otto. While we were there I needed a way to earn a little extra money. I set up my table in the park and asked the first person who walked by, would you be interested in witnessing a miracle?"
A very different approach. Another example, my sponge ball routine, " I've always been fascinated by Black holes. Like these. They are small handheld Black Holes, may I borrow your hand to hold one and I'll hold this other one......" etc. etc.
I spent a very long time performing magic without using a script. I knew what I wanted to say but it usually came out noting like what I planned and there were a lot of "uh", "um", between words because I had to think about what I was saying. Once you have a script and rehearse it, you can focus on the magic and use it to entertain and not just show the tricks, while staring at your hands. ( boy did I have this problem for a long time) 
What pushed me into this? I read the book Scripting Magic by Pete Mccabe after a recommendation from a colleague. It really made the point that I should start scripting my magic. I actually recently finished Volume 2 also a great read.

What else helped my performance? Backstory!
I came across a few threads on the Magic Cafe Chat room about the importance of having a definitive backstory for your performance character which will help the things you say and do so they will come out of your character. There was also an interview about this on Scott Wells Magic Word Podcast. Scott does a great job and I look forward to listening to every episode for interviews, recommendations, convention and magic travel reports making me feel like I'm there! I highly recommend it.

Scripts are not hard to write and they don't need to be in any official format, although it helps me. But I do encourage you to try scripting your performances. If you need topics for your scripts and Ideas for stories and themes, I recommend looking at your favorite children's stories, or poems or quotes from your favorite historical figures or mentors. Anyway you get there, start scripting your work and I assure you that your ability to entertain your audiences will increase......that's how you get call backs and repeat clients.
Be Well, Keep 'em clean

Which one are you? An update on My dove work

As my readers already know I have 10 doves, 4 parent stock and 6 second generation. All the offspring are from the same father, he's a tangerine dove named StudMuffin.The reason I got tangerine doves was that my performance character is the SteamPunk Time traveling Magician and Canine Psychic , Dr Vir Lateus Dentum. Steampunk involves a lot of copper and brass tones in the costume and props so when I decided to work with Doves I wanted birds with the orange color in their feathers. Its actually a very nice match.

As with all animals, each bird has a bit of a different personality and each is better at certain things than others.

                                                             4 of the 6 second generation

All 6 of the birds were hand held and fed while sitting in my hand from very early on.

 Even with that some of them are more tolerant of handling than others. #5 and #6 the youngest of the birds are currently still the most relaxed and take well to being handled and in the harnesses and load chambers of the various effects. #2 is good with siting on my head and won't fly off,

                                      Not the best picture of me but there's #2 on my head.
#3 is the most aggressive and hasn't responded to the training very much at all. #1, and #4 actually have god days and non cooperative days. But through it all I have had one problem......telling them apart without lifting them and looking at their tag numbers! So I decided to get different colored leg tags. Most leg tags come in a single color set, so all of the bands are orange. Now I've had to buy a few different colors and keeping their numbers, they will all have different colors. Now when it comes time to go through the training exercises I will be able to just pick up the dove I need to work with. Simple solution but sometimes the obvious simple solution is the one we miss. Which is the message for this post. I've been spending a lot of time working on my different shows. My Street show, my table to table show, my walk around show, and even my stage show. All related to the different venues at which I perform in my magic life. The work when putting together a good show is to stuff it full of great magic and good scripts and sometimes music, then start the real hard work of cutting things out to streamline and fine tune everything to get rid of what is really unnecessary. You need to get rid of the stuff that my clown teacher Dick Monday of The NY Goofs taught us that the great Clown Lou Jacobs called, "Shpegetti" Its very temping to keep adding magic and the latest effect I've found on ebay or trick I've learned at an SAM or IBM lecture and I need to work had to keep things tight and focused. More  magic isn't better, its just more complicated. Everyone advises to KISS and its good advice.
By the way I got the same advice from Jeff McBride at Mystery School! You'd think I'd learn it by now.....
So when your planning your act and show don't overdue it, just get rid of all the Shpegetti!
Be Well
Keep 'em clean

A Lot to be Thankful For

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and boy it was a good one! Yes I'm still stuffed from that meal that the Kitchen Goddess @thoreaulife made an amazing meal as usual. While @pupperdoodle18 helped get the house in order for the extended family arrivals and @PhineasJuggler was working for Macy's at the parade I was set free to go perform and CLOWN!
Every year I try to get to the Elohim Church in Richmond Hill to perform walk around for the gathering community there for a church provided Thanksgiving meal.

I arrived at 12:45 for the 1pm meal and went in, I was in my regular clown outfit but due to the cold I added the new sport jacket and because it was Thanksgiving I added my new Turkey Hat, man I looked good....

I went in and just started wandering around dusting with my feather duster and engaging the people. Wishing everyone a happy thanksgiving in English and Spanish (actually I speak fluent Spanglish, in a rather embarrassing Brooklyn accent)
The next hour was spent engaging the people and doing magic and playing games with the kids I made and gave out a lot of napkin roses and took plenty of photos with everyone. As the buffet line opened and tables started going up to get a sumptuous meal prepared and provided by this great community center in the Elohim church and food pantry I excused myself. After all with all that great food and groceries who needs a turkey headed fool with a feather duster!
As I made my way home my cell phone went off and I was tested that at home we needed lettuce. I headed to Keyfood and went shopping. Its amazing how so many people are so wrapped up in themselves that they either didn't even notice me or when they did they just ignored me. I wasn't trying to get attention but attention kind of follows me. Many shoppers did acknowledge me and smile which is all I ever ask, and I wished every one I passed a happy thanksgiving. I did make a bit f a scene at checkout, actually the nice lady who rang me up didn't even look at me, but four other cashiers came over and asked to take a photo with me.

After that it was off to the house to deliver my Lettuce and get ready for the family..
I would like to wish all my readers a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving and try, just try a little everyday to do good for another human on our planet....that's the only way it gets better.
Magically Yours
Be Well and Keep 'em Clean
Bruce

Hey why are you out here instead of doing magic at parties or something?

That's a question I was asked by a member of one of my audiences after a show in the Park. Often after the hat lines are done and the money is in the bag people want to come up and want to speak with you. This is one of the great aspects of busking, you get to interact with PEOPLE!. Any of my reader who are performers and have ever worked on stage at a banquet in front of a diner crowd, you'll know that you can only interact with the audience generally not one on one. I love working the streets because its mostly closeup and parlor type magic and with the gags and lines and even the hat lines you are directly interacting with the audience. You see their reactions to everything you do and say. You can develop a show and script all you'd like on paper but getting in front of strangers and performing is the acid test. I like it better than restaurants because you are getting the audience to stop and watch, they are not captive while eating.
I've been hired to do many types of shows and worked for lots of different audiences of all ages and backgrounds and its always better when I can work close up and watch their reactions. Even the lines and gags that I use can vary based on the reactions I get. For example, once my show starts and I finish the first effect, in most cases its the "mystery of black holes" a routine with black sponge balls, I put the sponge balls away and grab 2 small squeaky dog toys shaped like steaks, and I  move them up into the air one in each hand and say," Ok now I'm doing it, raising the steaks" Now I always try to do a clean family show and this gag is really cute and good for everyone and it usually gets a laugh. I also use this gag as a barometer to see how the audience reacts and I determine how much comedy I can disperse between and during the magic. If they laugh I can go on with more, if they crack up and really laugh out loud I know I can go and use another gag as soon as it fits, If they don't react, I know they are low key and I stick to the magic without as much by play. If they just walk away, well that happens also......BUT its the street, the next audience is just a few steps away.
I enjoy performing anywhere and everywhere, but busking and working the parks and streets will always be my favorite. (please feel free to use my gags but give me credit when asked where you got it......)
Be well
Keep 'em clean

quick I need a story......

So I 'm busking at the Steampunk Festival and I decide I was going to use my thunder tube to make noise and get the passers by to stop because there is a magic show starting. What's a thunder tube? A great little bit of seventh grade physical science, (I learned this stuff in the seventh grade I don't know what grade its taught in today) Its a demonstration of sound waves. Its a spring attached to a tube and the spring pierces a drum head. when you shake the tube it rumbles like thunder and its surprisingly loud. The movement and wave shaped motion of the spring transforms to sound waves once it passes through the drum head.

After I stop the linking rings which gets attention and they stop to see my next effect- "The Black Hole Theory" which is a routine for multiplying black sponge balls I shake the thunder tube and announce the show will now begin.
But as the people gathered around and respond to the sound they began asking, "what is that thing". The thunder tube has always been known to me- well since seventh grade at least, so I needed to explain it....at a Steampunk festival in my Dr. Vir Lateus Dentum character. I needed a story so I made one up that was topical and appropriate for the time.
"This is m Thunder Tube! One day there was a passing thunder storm and I decided I wanted to capture that sound, I jumped into my airship and flew it up to that dark and stormy cloud. I grabbed a handful of thunder clouds and stuffed them into this tube, then attached this spring to the bottom. Now when I need my thunder I can just shake it and the clouds rumble just like in the sky!"
Wow....that was a great improv story! And I used it over and over again at that point in the show even when the audience didn't ask what it was. And that is how a show and a script for a show grows and is refined through practical performance......more next time
Be well
Keep 'em clean
(PS you can purchase a thunder tube from American Science and Surplus for $12.95, www.sciplus.com)

It was COLD out there......

This past weekend Phineas and I performed at the Staten Island Autism Speaks Walk.
We volunteered at this walk last year and although smaller than the Manhattan event it was still exciting and very well attended. This year we woke up to temperatures in the 40's with high winds. s you'd realize, not the greatest weather for an outdoor event.
So we beefed up our costumes for warmth, thermals and a sport jacket for me. I actually had this jacket for my costume for just such an event.
As we arrived, we watched the staff and other volunteers were setting up and actually holding the ropes of the tents down and trying to prevent all the flyers and other giveaways from blowing off to Oz. The families started to arrive and although their kids were bundled up in layers to stay warm they were still there to walk and participate.
My usual routine is to walk around and work with the crowd and my prop of choice at the autism walks is my bubble wand. No luck with this thing in the wind, the bubbles came out and disappeared, so after about 15min I had to abandon it and just go back to working with the crowd.
The rule about clowning with a crowd in this type of event is to use anything around and everything we see, this includes the weather. So we clowned and joked with the attendees about the weather and  having this walk outside in the wind. We shared the situation with them and were able to make fun of ourselves and the common challenge we were all facing.  Applying our clown characters to this situation resulted in comedy for all. One of our teachers in clown, the Great Joel Jeske taught that formula, situation + character = comedy. It doesn't take props as much as applying your character's way of dealing with situations you're put in.
Oh, and I did get to meet the AdvantageCare Mascot! what a good dog......

Hey check out that plaid!!! Really warm also
Be Well
Keep 'em clean