“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
Hola! Jeff here in Bogota, Colombia!
I have been touring and doing my shows in South America in theaters and on the streets! One of the joys of travel is meeting other interesting magicians and getting them to be guests on our web-TV show.
The recent topic: Street magic around the world
See this new episode, featuring some street magic direct from Bogota.
“Art is magic delivered from the lie of being truth.â€
— Theodor Adorno
What is artistry? What makes an artist?
A few thoughts by Henry Miller:
But there is a class of hardy men, old-fashioned enough to have remained rugged individuals, openly contemptuous of the trend, passionately devoted to their work, impossible to bribe or seduce, working long hours, often without reward or fame, who are motivated by a common impulse – the joy of doing as they please. At some point along the way, they separated from the others.
The men I speak of can be detected at a glance: their countenance registers something far more vital, far more effective, than the lust for power. They do not seek to dominate, but to realize themselves. They operate from a center which is at rest. They evolve, they grow, they give nourishment just by being what they are, To live beyond the pale, to work for the pleasure of working, to grow old gracefully while retaining one’s faculties, one’s enthusiasm, one’s self-respect, one has to establish other values than those endorsed by the mob. It takes an artist to make a breach in the wall.
An artist is primarily one who has faith in himself. He does not respond to the normal stimuli: he is neither a drudge nor a parasite. He lives to express himself and in so doing enriches the world. (H.M.)
What is “artistry?” and what is it that makes the difference between an “entertainer†and an “artist?”
We will explore this next Monday on the show. I have been collecting interviews from illuminated magicians on my travels. You can experience the reflections of master magicians on the upcoming show and listen to their words of wisdom and experience. Join Tobias Beckwith, George Parker, Bryce Kuhlman and the faculty and friends of our Mystery School for an evening of Artistry and Wisdom.
Remember, “Monday is a school night!” – Monday, Feb 13 at 7PM PST.
“Art is magic… But how is it magic? In its metaphysical development? Or does some final transformation culminate in a magic reality? In truth, the latter is impossible without the former. If creation is not magic, the outcome cannot be magic.â€
— Hans Hofmann
Wonderground – February 16
Tim Wise hosts the 8pm comedy magic show.
Christian Diamond will host the 9pm close-up gala show
DJ Shinobi spins the deep chill out grooves
Abbi will host the 10 pm “stage extravaganza!”
 DJ Shinobi (aka Leo Diaz) |
 Tim Wise |
For details, directions and the full line up of amazing talent, go to: www.vegaswonderground.com
This month Scott Steelfyre will help Tim and Christian stream the show live on
www.mcbridemagic.tv. We will go live at 9pm Pacific/Vegas time.
“The art of art, the glory of expression, and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.â€
— WALT WHITMAN, Preface to Leaves of Grass
From Tobias:
Jeff is still in South America as I write this, but will soon be back in the US. For those of you in the Chicago area, be sure to catch him when he is there for a special McBride Magic Experience, hosted by the Aces Magic Club. Our good friend Bill Cook is president there, and we’re looking forward to a fantastic weekend put on by Bill and the great team working with him. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/mcbride-chi. Be sure and sign up early for show, lecture and workshop.
Then, April will be another “convention month,†as he returns to Hank Lee’s Cape Cod Conclave. One of the highlights of that weekend will be the special 4-hour workshop Jeff conducts on the last day. Learn more at
Finally, Jeff will be traveling to Italy for the 11th Saint-Vincent Magic Convention, taking place from April 19 to April 22 2012. He will be joined there by an allstar line-up including 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. The program is packed full: 11 lectures, 5 Gala Shows, 2 International Contests, 5 Workshops, the escape day, street-magic shows, parties and after-nights. Again, Jeff is offering his special Super Session workshop. Learn more here.
For more information contact: news@mastersofmagic.it or +39348001125.
I’ve just checked, and it turns out we do still have one or two slots left for our Extended Master Class in March…but only a couple. This is the first extended class of 2012, and I’m sure it will be filled. If you’re serious about your magic, I urge you to grab one of the remaining spots now at www.magicalwisdom.com.
Until next time, then.
Magically yours,
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
Dear friends,
Our writer this month is our friend and faculty member at the Magic & Mystery School, the corporate alchemist, George Parker. If you’ve been watching Mystery School Mondays, you know we’re in for a treat. Here’s George:
Excellence
By this time, we’re all familiar with the 10,000 hours concept that was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers. Gladwell is great at making interesting ideas and concepts accessible.
But he wasn’t the first one to focus on excellence and expertise. K. Anders Ericsson published his Toward a General Theory of Expertise in 1992 and came to similar conclusions. He looked at experts in different fields like medicine, performance arts, music, sports, etc. and suggested that having a talent is great and a genetic predisposition for something may be very helpful, but a lot of training and aiming to be excellent is key to become an expert.
And way, way before him, Aristotle wrote that “we are what we repeatedly do.â€
I know salespeople who should be excellent communicators/listeners but they spend 80% of their time in a car. They are probably excellent drivers, but I doubt their ability to really connect with their clients.
I think we all struggle with this from time to time. We desire excellence but there are a thousand other things that distract us from practicing it. Sometimes that’s because we don’t love what we’re doing or we lack the will to be excellent. But most of the time there’s another reason: we don’t have the time.
In order to help you create time, I’m including a list of things you may want to stop doing this year.
My guess is that you will create at least 400 free hours this year, but probably more. That’s a great step towards your 10,000 hours!
George Parker
Thanks, George! One of the best ways you can fill in those hours you gain back using George’s methods is certainly to fill them with practice and rehearsal. But another is to use them to come to a Master Class. We have our first extended class of the year running from March 11-17, and it is not too late to make plans to attend. There are a few slots still available, and March is a fantastic time to visit Vegas. It’s already warm, but not the super-hot that comes with summer. We’ll be seeing some great shows, and you’ll get lots of one on one attention from the full faculty. There’s no other experience in magic that comes close – so treat yourself to the one experience guaranteed to help you raise the level of your magic right now! Go to www.magicalwisdom.com and sign up for either the March class, or one of the classes later in the year.
Jeff McBride will be in South America in February, first at the Mundial de Magia, in Bogota, Colombia from February 2-12, and then at CADI – Congreso Argentino de Ilusionismo, in Buenos Aires, Argentina from February 15-19.
Just to follow up a bit of what George was writing about: I’ve traveled on many long trips with Jeff, and I can tell you he puts his airline time to good use. He always has a deck of cards and several tricks he is working on, and it is not unusual at all to see him practicing his sleight of hand skills while waiting to check in or at his seat. And if he isn’t practicing, he’s likely to be reading a book on magic.
So…thanks, George, for the excellent advice for all of us. We hope to see all of you soon – either on Mystery School Mondays (Live at 7pm PST every Monday at www.mcbridemagic.tv, or available in archived form for a full week after each web-cast in the same location), at one of our upcoming “Locked Room†sessions, or live in Las Vegas!
Best wishes for a magical February!
Tobias Beckwith