Always On

I first met Jay Sankey in November 2005. My first impression was . . . what a nice guy. I pulled up in front of his house in a cab. He came running out wearing Levi’s, a T-Shirt and socks . . . in Toronto, Canada . . . in November. He immediately grabbed my suitcase and started helping me bring stuff inside.

For the next three days (during the Underground Jam video shoot), I (along with Eric Lelerc and Joe Diamond) got to hang out with Jay in various settings . . . in the hotel/studio, at restaurants, in a cab, at his house, etc. Everywhere we went he was the same. He was crazy, funny, witty, brilliant and magical.

Hold That Thought . . .

I’ve never met Criss Angel, but I know of a few people who have, and many of them have said the same basic thing about him: for better or for worse, everywhere he goes, he’s the “guy from Mindfreak,” Criss Angel the” superstar,” the man women want and men want to be. Everywhere he goes he acts like the whole room is there to see him, which is exactly how he acts on his show. Don’t hear me wrong . . . I’m neither criticizing nor complimenting Angel. I’m merely pointing out an observation that many people have claimed to have made. I can’t speak from experience on this one, but for the point I’m making, hearsay will do just fine.

Now, back to Jay . . .

Eric, Joe and I all made the observation that Jay is “Always On.” Assuming what people have said about Angel is true, he, too is “Always On.”  Whether you like or dislike Jay’s or Angel’s character is irrelevant . . . they are always in character. On other occasions that I’ve hung out with Jay and his family, he was even “on” with his kids. It wasn’t an act; it’s who he is.

If I didn’t know Jay or Angel and I saw either of them perform on stage or at a show, and then I ran into either of them in public, I would see the exact same person in person that I saw on stage. They’re always on. Another way to say that is that they are always representing their character or better said, their business. When they are “on,” they are selling themselves and their business. Whether or not the product that they’re selling (themselves) is good or bad is a whole other discussion, but for this article we are examining the fact that they are selling a product, not the product itself.

I used to, a long time ago, wear a button on my denim jacket that said, “Do you wanna see a card trick?” Sure it’s cheesy and definitely not my style anymore. However, a lot of people asked me to show them a card trick, and it gave me experience, exposure and potential business. However, there was a downside. I wasn’t always “on” when I went out. Sometimes I was tired, cranky, hungry, whatever, and I didn’t feel like doing a card trick. Flash forward a few years . . .

Sometimes late at night I need to run to the grocery store. I’m tired, not dressed and am in need of a haircut . . . so I throw on a pair of sweats, a ratty old t-shirt and a ball cap . . . a ball cap that just so happens to say “Stone Cold Magic” on it. I go in the grocery store, dressed like a bum (or as my kids say, a “hobo”) and that is the image I’m portraying to my public. Someone sees my hat and says, “What’s Stone Cold Magic?” I’m afraid to answer . . . “well, sir, I’m a magician who doesn’t care what he looks like and thus will not be a valuable asset to you at a gig you might hire me for.”

Although I certainly wouldn’t say those words, I would definitely communicate those words by my appearance. So what’s the point? You’re reading this column because you want to learn more about the business side of magic; am I right? Part of business is advertising, marketing, etc. That means, in simple terms, you must be “Always On.”

Care about your appearance, your “aroma,” your grooming, your attitude, your posture. Look confident in public. Be someone whom they – they being people you meet in public – would want to hire . . . be “On!”

Until Next Month . . .

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