“It’s impossible,†said pride.
“It’s risky,†said experience.
“It’s pointless,†said reason.
“Give it a try,†whispered the heart.
Greetings friends,
Hey, it’s Jeff McBride here in Las Vegas, writing you from the House of Mystery. I love quotes that bring me inspiration and motivate me to take on new challenges. When I look back on some of the recent projects that we’ve been creating here at the Magic and Mystery School, I realize how much incredible help I have, and how grateful I am for the team. You can meet many of them on our new web-shows. You can even interact with us online now. You’ll quickly see why I feel so blessed, to have these people in my life. Each month, we take turns writing you, sharing our experiences and our magic. Here’s a bit of what’s going on for me these days.
World Tour News
The League of Extraordinary Magicians
What an amazing day I had yesterday at the photo shoot for the new world tour THE ILLUSIONISTS! This summer I will be touring Mexico, and perhaps South America! Take a look at the current line-up and just imagine me in the show. They’re cutting a new commercial with me in it; I play the part of “The Shaman!â€
You can see the last version of the commercial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-rhvUIY5fY
Masters of Magic in Italy
I’m really excited to return to Italy and join so many friends at the Masters of Magic Convention! It’s really an all-star line-up: Uri Geller, René Lavand, Juan Tamariz, The Great Tomsoni, Franz Harary, Topas, Danny Cole, Dani DaOrtiz, Double Fantasy, Dean Gunnarson, Jabba, Eric Jones, Xavier Mortimer, Fielding West, Asi Wind…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0rPaNfavJo
Locked Room Project
We’ve been trying out a new way of getting the Magic & Mystery School offerings to you. If you’ve not taken a peek into our new project called THE LOCKED ROOM, you will want to see what we’re offering you now! Here’s the place:
http://virtual.magicalwisdom.com/locked_rooms
New Secret Art Journal Essay: “Scriptwriting for Magiciansâ€
We are actors playing the part of a great magician and we need great scripts to keep us focused and theatrically potent.
Read more: http://www.secretartjournal.com/
On the set of the film shoot for The Show Doctor
How Prepared Are You?
The more you perform for people the better your magic will become. I am always ready to perform my show, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Learn some of my tips and tricks to be ready to make magic anytime and anywhere:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM0IPeTrgNE
“Magic is the shadow cast by the fire of the soul.”
– Michael Fraughton
MAYFIRE: Five days of Peace, Love, Magick & Fire
A desert vision quest or an initiation into the magic of alchemy & fire? May 2nd-6th
A Diamond Found at Wonderground!
When you visit the WONDERGROUND, you will meet one of the sparkling characters of Las Vegas: Christian Diamond. He is easy to spot; he is, by far, the best-dressed person in the room… always!  Diamond is known as “the Gem of Sin City,†and has been one of the Wonderground players since the very beginning. He helps many performers in Las Vegas to create their dream shows. I’ve found Mr. Diamond’s advice and expertise to be a great addition to our productions. You can learn more about the mysterious Mr. Diamond here: http://www.christiandiamond.com/
NEWS FLASH!
Take a look at our new video “The McBride Stage Magic Trilogiesâ€
Do you like Stage Magic?
Here is a “must see” episode recently aired on MondayNightMysterySchool, with magician inventor Kevin James.
Remember, Monday is a School Night!
I’ll see you on: McBrideMagic.tv
Magic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Magically yours,
Jeff McBride
Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee,
And I’ll forgive Thy great big one on me.
~Robert Frost, “Cluster of Faith,” 1962
While there are several stories of how April Fool’s Day came into being, I like to think it is a successor to the medieval “Feast of Fools,†which, in its turn was successor to the Romany Saturnalia fests. At the Feast of Fools, the social order was inverted, for a single day. A “Lord of Misrule†or “Pope of Fools†– often a beggar — replaced the reigning bishop for the day, and the traditional rulers of both church and secular society were widely ridiculed. Society was, for a single day, turned topsy-turvy, with those normally at the top of the social network now at the bottom, and those normally at the bottom – beggars, thieves and cripples – suddenly at the top. Originally celebrated around the first of January, the Feast of Fools apparently traded place with “New Years,†with the advent of the Gregorian Calendar, which shifted the “First of the Year†from March 25 to January 1 in the year 1582.
Today, we celebrate April Fools by playing pranks…tricks and practical jokes that serve to puncture our complacency about the “reality†of our world. And so the trickster magician has long adopted April Fool’s Day as his or her own. For the Trickster, every day is a “fool’s†day, meant for doing and playing tricks that will cause the rest of society to think twice about the “reality†they accept so easily….but April Fool’s Day celebrates the acts of the trickster!
I don’t know about anyone else…but I’m not particularly fond of tricksters. They make me uncomfortable. You never know when they’re serious about something, or when you should be expecting the unexpected. I suspect the real Tricksters among us are quite comfortable with that. Causing discomfort is their job. Leaving people off-balance and questioning the status quo is their prime function.
No one I know does this better than our friend Bob Neale. Bob creates and writes up magic pieces that don’t have a nice, neatly tied up ending. He dares to puncture our smug bubbles of comfortable belief, and to question things we think of as unquestionable. He dares to be dark – not in the blood and gore theatrical or the “romantic spooky†ways of so many bizarre magicians – but by being unafraid  to deal with the social and psychological issues that make us all a bit uncomfortable. Issues like making the decision of who gets to live, and who will die. Issues like what happens when we make bad decisions and must live with the consequences. Issues like, what if there is no happy ending at the end of my story?
We like to think of the Trickster as a “merry prankster,†happily oblivious to the reality of what goes on in the world, or the consequences of their indiscretions. I suppose that, on one level, that is the role of a certain kind of fool…the innocent who treads, blissfully unaware, through life. I have to say, I find Bob Neale’s kind of Trickster to be far more potent – and, to tell the truth – fun, than those blissful innocents. Bob’s trickery often does make you laugh – but it never lets you off the hook to forget about the subjects it mocks. Instead of distancing us from our troubles, this kind of tricksterism helps us experience life directly and honestly. He’s really my favorite kind of Fool!
And so, on this April Fool’s Day, I salute Bob Neale…and urge those of you who don’t know his works already to do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of any of Bob’s books. At first, you may find yourself distraught by the magic he presents there. If you do…well, dig a little deeper. Try performing some of the pieces and watch what happens. Pay attention to the intensity of the experience for your audiences and the discussions you find yourself having afterwards. If you have the courage to really engage with Bob’s magic, I think you will find it to be a truly life enriching, deepening experience.
Bob is truly “my kind of Fool,†and I’ll bet he’ll be yours, too.
So: Happy April Fool’s Day, Bob!
And on to business:
April and May will find Jeff McBride on the road…possibly to a venue near you. We are particularly excited that he will be featured at this year’s Saint-Vincent Magic Convention from April 19th to April 22th. In addition to Jeff, this year’s convention will Juan Tamariz, René Lavand, The Great Tomsoni, Xavier Mortimer, Dean Gunnarson, Fielding West, Eric Jones, Danny Cole, Andrew Mayne, Mark Mason, Dani Da Ortiz and more. And, if you’ll be there, you can attend one of the Jeff McBride Super Sessions (find here more information: http://www.mastersofmagic.it/2011/12/jeff-mc-bride-super-session-2011/).
Wishing you all a delightful and trick-filled April!
Tobias Beckwith
PS: You can buy several of Bob Neale’s books at our http://shop.yourmagic.com.
“The goal of the teacher is to create students who will transcend their teacher.â€
— Eugene Burger
Greetings Friends,
All is well in Las Vegas. My intention in these monthly letters is to share with you some of the adventures I have had, and insights I’ve gained during my travels around the world.
Some say life is the people you meet and the books you read. Well, today, you would have to add “and the DVDs you watch†to this list. Everywhere I travel, I meet magicians of all ages, many who started their training in magic with my Stage Magic DVDs. I am honored and flattered that they consider me “their teacher.â€
Recently, we took the time to gather the best collection of my DVDs together. Here is a new look at my own favorites.
McBride’s Stage Magic – A Trilogy of Trilogies
We have just begun to bundle this set together – and so you can be one of the first to see the clip that Jordan Wright just finished in order to promote the new bundle!
The chain of magic holds strong, as the students honor their teachers. Eugene Burger is my magic teacher. Look what he wrote about me!
Some Random Thoughts and Questions about Jeff McBride …by Eugene Burger.
Raves for Squeak Technique
For many years, I have studied the classics of magic. I’ve taken the very best of what I know about the classic Bowl and Ball routine, and put it all in my new project. Word is starting to get out and the reviews are sensational!
http://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=48695
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
— Anonymous
The fact that we had no idea about what we were doing didn’t stop us from doing it! Over a year ago, we started our weekly show on the internet. Now, Mystery School Mondays has grown into a vibrant magic community, where, anytime of the day or night, you can find magicians around the world in our online classroom, sharing magic ideas and watching great magic.
Magic 24-7
Yes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we are streaming magical wisdom direct to you!
You can always watch the streaming videos or catch up with back episodes online.
Wonderground
This March 15th will be a very special show. The entire faculty of the Magic and Mystery School will host this month’s festivities. Show up early to get a good seat, or tune in to mcbridemagic.tv and watch it for free online, starting at 8pm PST.
http://www.vegaswonderground.com
My Wife Abbi, dancing with the New World Rhythmatism Dance Ensemble at WONDERGROUND. She is soooo lovely!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqv3oporuHs
The Magic and Mystery of Fire
I am the Fire and the union of opposites, I am the mystery, I am calling you in your dreams, I am bringing you home to me.
—Spinner & Magnus
Some of you know that Abbi and I fell in love at the fire. Every year, we host a gathering for kindred spirits, who love to play music, make magic and camp in the desert.
MAYFIRE 2012, May 1-6, Valley of Fire State Park (near Las Vegas, Nevada)
Registration is now Open!
http://www.vegasvortex.com/details.php?id=26&page=mayfire12
See you on tour, or in the desert!
Jeff
“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore
Dear Friends:
We are fortunate today to have a few words from our friend and Dean of the Magic & Mystery School, Eugene Burger. Enjoy!
TURNING OUR EXCITEMENT INTO A DEMON
Eugene Burger
During the course of a year I do a great deal of traveling which, happily, I still greatly enjoy. Recently I was in Jacksonville, Florida, where I gave a lecture and conducted a small seminar. Secretly, my reason for the trip was to spend time with my friend Simone Marron who not only set up my appearances in Jacksonville but also arranged for me to give additional talks in Miami for her friend, Maria Ibanez. Maria, in turn, engaged me to perform at their annual SAM Banquet and, to my deep gratitude, also arranged a visit to a place I have always wanted to see: the most mysterious Coral Castle. It did not disappoint.
After my time in Florida, I came home for a few days and then left again — this time for Tulsa, Oklahoma, with my friends magician Robert Charles and Mike Burke, where I gave two talks for my friend, Steve Lancaster who owns Top Hat Magic. During the course of the small seminars I ask the participants to write down questions or topics they would like to discuss. Not surprisingly, questions are often repeated in the different cities because magicians, if they think about it, have some basic questions that need attention. And sometimes the very way in which the question or topic is expressed tells us a great deal about our presuppositions which often diminish our success.
As I read through the topics submitted at the Tulsa seminar, one instantly made me stop. It said simply, “Conquering nerves before a performance.â€
Short and direct. It is an issue that both Jeff and I are asked about repeatedly — in country after country. Put as a question: How shall we conquer our nerves before our performances?
Stated as a question, of course, this is not unique to magicians. It is a question that many, many individuals who must present anything before a group of people would like to have answered. “Nerves†before a performance, as the writer expressed it, are not unique to magicians.
Seeing the universality of this subject for anyone who must speak or sing or dance in front of others, I repeat: How shall we “conquer our nerves before a performance?†Here, in this brief space, I will offer not so much an answer to this question as suggest some questions that may help us deal with this situation.
To answer this question, most crucially, do you see that the very way the question is raised (“How can I conquer my fears before a performance?â€) colors — and perhaps even determines — how we might respond to it? The form of the question itself limits and influences my response.
Allow me to make three brief points here.
First, let’s talk about “nerves†or whatever it is that we want to conquer. It is called by many names. Some have called it “stage fright.†One magician I spoke with referred to his “terror of performing†and another spoke of his “fear of being in front of an audience.†There are many terms that can be used to refer to this “nervousness†before a performance. My point is simply that what I call it will in large measure determine the kind of “battle†I will need to wage. Calling it “my terror of performing,†for example, creates a rather impressive demon against which I must then wage this psychological war.
Personally, I choose to call this state “inner excitement†and I think it is a good thing and not something over which to wage a war. I experience this inner excitement because I want to do a good job. I want to give an excellent performance, and because of this, there is an inner excitement that keeps me alert and awake and ready to go.
If I didn’t have this inner excitement before a show, I think I would be a poorer performer. And I think you would be a poorer performer without it as well. A good part of our inner excitement, then, is related to our desire to be really good magicians.
Second, let’s step back a bit and ask ourselves why our aim is to “conquer†this feeling of inner excitement? In general, we all seem so intent on conquering things — and often they are things over which we have very little control. Think of some of the things we typically speak of “conquering.†We want to conquer space, nature, unbelief, anxiety, depression and, in large measure, each other. The opposite attitude to this desire to conquer things is have a relationship with them based upon respect and perhaps even friendship.
Before a performance, can I make friends with my sense of inner excitement?
Let me summarize the two points I have been making:
First, are my words — the way with which I describe this state — transforming my inner excitement into a demon that terrorizes me? “Inner excitement†seems to me to be manageable state. On the other hand, using words like “fear,†“terror†or “stage fright†seem far less manageable and even threatening. These words can become virtual demons to torment me.
Second, why do I think I need to conquer everything or wage some kind of inner war or battle with my feelings?
I think these are two questions that anyone who gives presentations in front of others would do well to contemplate.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not add a third point. If I am supposed to give any type of presentation — and if I am not prepared — perhaps I should be nervous. And nervous in the worst demonic sense of that word! If I am not adequately prepared and rehearsed, if I did not do my homework, fear and terror might indeed be the most realistic and honest responses I can have.
Thanks, Eugene! I find I always learn something from Eugene’s talks, and that I’m really looking forward to spending a week with him in Las Vegas this month. As luck would have it – it is not too late for you to decide to join us. We still have two slots left before that class is filled, and if you go to www.magicalwisdom.com right now, you could get one of them. It promises to be a great week, with Jeff, Eugene, Bryce Kuhlman, Larry Hass & myself, and visits to Mac King, Paul Vigil and The Wonderground…and that’s just the “highlight reel.â€
A bit further down the road, but also timely, is our course for Career Enhancement, scheduled for September 17-25 — a serious 9 days of work in learning to build a strong business and career in magic. Not for everyone…but if it is for you, we can pretty much guarantee that the week will change your life for the better. Building systems, creating strong, consistent marketing, making sure your act is up to snuff, and much more. Much more than a transmission of information, the class is designed as a complete experience that will change the way you think and behave in order to become the full-time successful professional you want to be. We will only do the class if we have 10 people registered by the end of March, though, and at present, there are only 5. So…If you’re ready to make a serious investment in your future as a professional magician – now is the time to act.
http://www.magicalwisdom.com/events/view/446
That’s it for now. We look forward to seeing you on McBridemagic.tv, in our Locked Room sessions, and “Live in Las Vegas,†soon!
Best to all,
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com