Do Me A Favor
I just flew in from New York, and boy are my arms tired . . . but seriously folks . . .
Yeah . . . seriously folks. You’ve got to STOP with the hackneyed one liners and gags. And what’s with all the magicians out there saying, “Do me a favor . . . pick a card.” How is that a favor? Or how ’bout “Tell you what.” Or the classic, “I’m gonna take this and put it here.” Or even better, is Paul Gertner’s version of that line . . . “I’m gonna take and put this over here.” Take and Put? What the heck does that mean. Seriously folks! It’s time to change.
Oh yeah, and make sure that whenever you loan a pen to someone and you get it back that you follow the Union Rules (another lame joke) and say, “That’s how I got it.” The November 2009 Gems and Rubble article has a nice rant about that line.
Magi: Hold out your hand please
(spectator holds out hand)
Magi: No not that hand, the clean hand
(spectator switches hands)
Magi: Oh . . . that was the clean hand.
Some of you are laughing your butt off right now . . . if you are, smack yourself. It’s not funny! While you’re smacking yourself, notice that at no time do your fingers leave your hand. Seriously Folks. Are people still saying that freakin’ line? They are? Are you sure . . . do you wanna change your mind? No? You wanna keep the mind you have . . . but seriously folks . . . it’s gotta stop!
Root:
Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root: Respect your material . . . and thus your audience. Give yourself and your audience the courtesy of putting in some effort in building your routines. You don’t have to script every last word, and be 100% original on every single movement, act and thought in your show, but for the love of Pete folks, drop the “standard” lines, and be aware of what you are saying. There are two components I’m dealing with here.
- Hackneyed Lines – “Not that hand . . . the clean hand”, “. . . change your mind . . . keep the mind you have . . .”, etc.
- Bumbling Babbling Blather: “I’ll take and put this . . .”, “Do Me a Favor . . .”, etc.
Hackneyed Lines
Let me first say, that I’ve made these mistakes myself, and I’m constantly trying to improve, so don’t be sending me any hate mail telling me that you heard me say “Do me a favor” on one of my DVDs. Now that I’ve absolved myself from any responsibility, allow my rant to continue . . .
The problem with the hackneyed lines isn’t that your audience has heard them before . . . they probably haven’t. The problem is that some of the lines are so old that people have heard them from people who’ve heard from someone who heard it from some other guy who heard it . . . etc., and the meaning has been lost, and thus the delivery suffers. That’s one problem. Another problem is that when you use all the same old lines, you stunt your growth.
Where’s the originality? Where’s the stretching to come up with bigger and better ideas, thoughts, gags, lines, etc.? Aren’t we all wanting to continue to improve ourselves, our show, our magic, etc.? Well let’s start with what we say.
Bumbling Babbling Blather
Ok . . . I get it. You’re a free spirit, and you can’t perform when in bondage and held prisoner to a script . . . I get it. Now grow up and stop being a hippie about your act (unless you’re Doug Henning . . . then Hippie away). I don’t script either, but I do Think. Again, I’m not perfect at this, but I strive to be aware of the problem in my own work. Just see me as your coach. Remember, Tiger Woods’s coach is not a better golfer than Tiger; he just is A golfer who can see what Tiger can’t see . . . Tiger. The eye cannot see itself (Insert “Eye of the Tiger” joke here). Often you need someone else to see it for you. That’s where I’m trying to help. I’ve got people who help me see my problems. I have coaches, and maybe you do too . . . just add me to the list of coaches.
When you use this BBB talk, you are effectively filling time with meaningless rambling which is very annoying to watch. Take some time to practice . . . streamline your words . . . streamline your actions . . . have a meaning for what you are saying and doing. When you just ramble on about doing favors and taking and putting and ” . . . tell you what” – That’s another one I hate – you sound like you’re lost. Watch Tommy Wonder perform. Watch David Regal. Watch Eugene Burger. They may be too scripted for your taste, however, they have meaning, and they don’t look like they just showed up after spending an hour at the magic shop buying the latest packet trick to amuse you with.
Branch:
Let’s build our branches. Your challenge for the next 30 days is to change! It’s a big one. Here’s what you need to do. Next time you perform, record it and/or have a friend there. Have him/her watch for those annoying phrases. Here they are again:
- Tell You What . . .
- I’ll take this . . .
- Let’s put this . . .
- Do me a favor . . .
. . . and those lame jokes. Here they are again:
- Not that hand . . . the clean hand . . .
- That’s how I got it . . .
- . . . My fingers never leave my hand . . .
- . . . keep the mind you have . . .
There are more, but if you could eliminate these from your act, you’ve made progress. Make it a goal to not use a single one of those lines (or any variation). The first step, of course, is realizing you have a problem. That’s actually pretty hard. Most people aren’t self-aware enough to catch themselves. Think about what that means . . . it means that you’re not paying attention to yourself. Why would you not pay attention to yourself.
Even if you don’t agree with me, try this for one month. See if it makes a difference. If not . . . nothing ventured, nothing gained. If so . . . something ventured, something gained.
Now go study the classics, and go discover your true magical self.
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