Posted on Jul 18, 2011

S.Q.E.A.M.S.

A student once approached the Master inquiring, “They say you are a genius. Is that true?” “You might say so,” the Master replied. “And what makes you a genius,” inquired the student. “The ability to recognize” replied the Master. “Recognize what?” asked the student. “To recognize the butterfly in a caterpillar; the eagle in an egg; the saint in a selfish human being,” replied the Master.

Lance Burton, Jeff McBride and Criss Angel
Jeff, Criss Angel and Lance Burton at a recent video session.

Dear Friends:

S.Q.E.A.M.S.!

One of the great joys of teaching magic is learning from my students! This week’s tip comes in from my friend Carl “Energizer” Olson. He shares a useful educational tool with you to keep your energy level up.

“In my talks I use the acronym S.Q.E.A.M.S. My point is that all great speeches, presentations or lessons use this in order to have maximum impact. This acronym stands for the following:

  1. Stories
  2. Quotations
  3. Examples
  4. Analogies
  5. Metaphors
  6. Statistics

When we communicate using SQUEAMS, we reach all the different intelligences and learning styles. I get inspiration from quotations, and here’s one that I would like to share with you that really helps me to address some of the current problems I am confronted with:

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish”
— John Quincy Adams”

Learn more about Carl here:
http://www.energizerolson.com/

BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS

The bad news is you waited too long and all of our summer Master Classes are sold out. The good news is that there are a few spaces left for our MAGIC AND MEANING CONFERENCE and our Fall classes. The complete schedule of upcoming events is online at http://www.magicalwisdom.com

MYSTERY SCHOOL MONDAY- Believe it, or not!

Broadcasting live on McBrideMagic.tv

It astonishes me how many new friends we are meeting all over the world through our FREE web TV show. Believe it or not, we have over 20 episodes waiting for you, filled with magical wisdom. I love working with all of our faculty and friends on this show.Thanks to DJ Leo Diaz, Tim Wise, Tobias Beckwith, George Parker, Bryce Kuhlman, Eugene Burger, Larry Hass, Georges Robert, and all of our special guests.

McBride’s Mystery School Monday
MONDAY AT 7 PM PACIFIC TIME (or watch archived episodes 24/7)

LIVE magic, reviews, celebrity interviews & news reports from around the world with
Jeff McBride and the Mystery School faculty www.mcbridemagic.tv

Mac King at Wonderground

WONDERGROUND RISES FROM THE UNDERGROUND!

On the 3rd Thursday of each month, the Las Vegas art and magic community comes together for a super celebration. Every show is standing room only, so arrive extra early if you want a seat. We have a new show, with a new line-up every month. Take a look at what we’ve got in store for you this month (Thursday, July 21):

http://www.vegaswonderground.com

BRAVO!

My new teaching DVD project was a big hit at the recent International Brotherhood of Magicians convention in Texas. It will be available in August but you can take a sneak peek at the video trailer now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSguwTECM94

See you in Las Vegas or on the road!

Jeff McBride

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Posted on Jun 27, 2011

Good News and Great Reviews

Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!
— Anne Frank

[A Quick note from Bryce:  Don’t miss Jeff’s new essay, Audiences: Remembering and Forgetting, in the Secret Art Journal]
Greetings Magical Friends,
My show props are back from Russia and I am re-packing them for the upcoming summer tour. If you want to know what Russian magic looks like, take a look at the Russia video here: http://tinyurl.com/mc-russia
During my travels I collected a few “golden nuggets” of wisdom for you:
From Australia! Our friend and student Adam Mada talks about making a living in the performing arts: http://tinyurl.com/amada1
A thought-provoking essay: Changing the Face of Magic, recommended by Brian Brushwood: http://davidrowyn.posterous.com/youtube-is
Featured Star Student of the Month: Eduardo Galeano
It is a great pleasure to see one of our students realize his dream! Take a look at Eduardo’s email and the link attached!
From Eduardo:

“Hi Jeff! I just wanted to say again thank you, thanks for all your support. I wanted to learn card manipulation, and it was because of your DVD´s The Art of Card Manipulation. It would not have been possible for me to perform at the French Cabaret without your DVDs and your lessons at the Mystery School. Thanks.”

Take a look at Eduardo’s act here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM3FNtefMr8
Jeff McBride by Lydia Burris
Artwork by Lydia Burris
We have some great reviews and letters this month:
It was quite a surprise to see my Butterfly Blizzard get such a good write-up!
Here is a photo of world-famous quick-change artist Arturo Brachetti performing Butterfly Blizzard accompanied by a full symphony orchestra:
Arturo Brachetti butterfly blizzard
Here is what Jonathan Pendragon said about Butterfly Blizzard:

“Hi Jeff,

I just wanted to tell you how much I loved doing the butterflies.   I used a double load and filled the air on a large stage in an arena.  The air time was amazing, much better than any snowstorm load I have ever used.  I just stood there and thought, “that is so cool.” It is a rare experience to be captured in the magic of your own making. Butterfly Blizzard does exactly this.  As the butterflies flutter around me, with astounding air time, the anthropomorphic illusion becomes so real that I feel transformed as well.  It never fails to amaze the audience and take my breath away in the bargain.

Ave Magnus,
Jonathan Pendragon.”

Touring:
Upcoming McBride on Tour: New York City, Dallas Texas and Canada!
News about my shows at the Vancouver Music Festival: http://tinyurl.com/vancomus
Magic in Las Vegas:
Here is a link to a new review of our show at the Wonderground, from the UNVL Rebel Yell. They call us “Las Vegas’ most wonderous show.”
In addition to our monthy WONDERGROUND event, we have been streaming LIVE every Monday from our Mystery School TV studio here in Vegas. As of last week’s show, we have recorded over 22 hours of original magic content, and it is all FREE to you, my friends! Just log on to www.mcbridemagic.tv at any time.
See you all Monday night at 7pm Vegas time (PST) for the next Mystery School Monday! I’ll be coming to you this week live from Dallas, where I will have just landed in preparation for the national I.B.M. convention.
Your friend in the art of magic,
Jeff
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Posted on Jun 6, 2011

Selecting Magic to Perform

Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.
— The Buddha

Dear friends:
As I write today, Jeff McBride is mid-tour on a trip that took him to Kalamazoo, MI, Edmonton, Alberta, and Indianapolis. Next, he will fly to Perm, Russia, for what I believe is the first-ever magic convention there.

Jeff McBride in Perm, Russia

For this tour, Jeff tells me he is traveling with just two bags (checked luggage), performing four shows while on the road – 3 different versions of the show, and playing theaters ranging from under 100 seats to over 2,500, and lecturing three times. If you’ve ever tried packing a magic show that is going to run longer than 30 minutes (and you’re not a mentalist), you’ll know that just the ability to pack for a trip like this is real magic. This is something Jeff covers in his lectures, both on the road and at the Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas, and may be one of the most valuable lessons any professional performer can learn.
Today we are blessed to have as our guest writer (well, he’s not really a guest…he is Dean of the Magic & Mystery School), the one and only Eugene Burger. Eugene is not only, for my money, the world’s best close-up entertainer in magic – he is also among the top lecturers and teachers. Our definition of true wisdom at the Magic & Mystery School is, “open your mind and listen to what Eugene has to say.” And so…open your mind, and read what he has written!

SELECTING MAGIC TO PERFORM

Eugene BurgerJUNE, 2011
Eugene Burger
A few years ago, purely as a personal experiment, I asked myself the following question: In order for a particular piece of magic to make it into my performing repertoire are there any criteria that must be met? What features must this particular piece of magic have – or not have – for it to be something that I would like to perform?
As I thought about it, several criteria did appear. I have noted eight criteria that must be met before I begin performing something professionally. Two years ago I shared these criteria with the teens at the Lance Burton Teen Weekend of the World Magic Seminar. And now I shall share them with you.
The first criteria that must be met before I add a piece of magic to my repertoire is that the magic effect must call to me. It must be a piece of magic that connects with me on some level so that I want to perform it. When I am performing material that gives me joy to perform, the audience “catches” my enthusiasm – just as they might catch chicken pox or any childhood disease. Enthusiasm communicates from the performer to the audience. The great 20th century master of this was certainly Doug Henning. I think that whether a piece of magic calls to me is the most important of the criteria because, if it does not call to me, there is no reason to add it to my repertoire.
The second criteria asks whether this piece of magic fits in my pockets. When I perform at a corporate party, I do not carry my little box; instead, I work completely out of my pockets. So, if this piece of magic I am considering, does not fit in my pockets, it does not make it into my repertoire.
The third criteria asks whether the effect under consideration requires any reset. The truth is that I have enough magic in my present repertoire that requires reset and I really do not need any more.
Fourth, to perform this effect do a need a table. Again, I have enough material that does require a table and I would rather not be burdened with more.
The fifth criterion asks if the plot of the effect is simple. There is so much magic that isn’t simple to follow and, as Vernon always said, magic is not confusion. I personally want simple, easy to follow and memorable plots.
Sixth, is the action of this effect up by my face? If I have any hope of appearing on television this is where the action is best. I am selling myself not my belt! I want myself – that is, my face — in the action. It’s simply better theater.
Seventh, if I add this piece of magic to my repertoire will I need to check luggage on flights? I am now in the enviable situation where I can go to Europe for a month, often with material to sell, without needing to check luggage. Frankly, I would rather not trust my magic props (or clothes for that matter!) with the airlines. And there is nothing better than getting off an airplane and, without stopping and waiting for luggage, to go directly to a taxi.
Eighth and finally, how many people can be in the audience for this effect? The fact is that I want a balance in my repertoire. I want material that is intimate and best performable for two or three people; but I also want material that I can perform for a thousand people. Before any effect enters my repertoire, I asks myself how many people can be in the audience.
These, then, are the criteria that I use when selecting material for my own repertoire. I am offering them for your reflection. I am certainly not suggesting that these criteria are perfect for you. No, on the contrary, they are but signposts on a path – the path to better magic.
Have you ever asked yourself how you go about adding material to your repertoire? If you do ask this question – if you ask it honestly – you might be surprised at the answer.
Thank you, Eugene!
Before we leave you today, an update on upcoming classes seems to be in order. Both the July and August classes are nearly full, with only one or two more spots available. Sign up and get your deposits in quickly if you want to attend either one of these – they are our last Extended Classes until next year, and there’s no better way I know of to immediately raise the level of your magic. The remaining classes of the year – Sisters of Mystery, Focus on Street Magic, Master Class for Mentalism and Magic & Meaning are all currently about half filled, and we expect them to completely fill at least a month or so before they are scheduled…so again…get your registrations in early.
Oh…and I should also mention that at the end of the month, you can catch Jeff performing and teaching both at Fantasma’s “Magic on Manhattan,” honoring John Calvert, and at the I.B.M. “Legends of Magic” annual convention in Dallas. They are both star-studded and promise to be fantastic events. If you’re attending either, be sure and say hello to Jeff!
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith

 

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Posted on May 23, 2011

Good News, Bad News

“The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with the qualifications for adaptation, the ability to accept the inevitable and conform to the unavoidable, to harmonize with existing or changing conditions.”

Jeff McBride: Master of the Elements
[Artwork by Matthew Wright, from a photo by Richard Faverty. Visit Matthew’s web site at www.chamberofsecrets.eu]

Greetings friends,

IS THIS THE END OF MAGIC AS WE KNOW IT?

I have good news and bad news. The bad news is from a recent Forbes article that says that variety entertainers, including magicians, are on the endangered list of viable careers.

THE GOOD NEWS

The good news is that the very best performers will still survive and thrive in these uncertain and challenging times. Whether you perform magic or not, here are some things you can do to ensure your survival. The best way to predict your future is to create it.
  • Study: Up your game! Take new courses and improve your skill set to get the edge on your competition. Is there room for improving your work? I bet there is….
  • Express gratitude: Be thankful for the good things you have, no matter how small.
  • Make time for play: This is one of the secrets to keeping eternally young.
  • Create: Use the time you have to generate new work and new ideas… here are a few of mine!
I’m so excited! Jordan and I have just finished my newest creation, EXPERT CARD FLOURISHES. Be one of the first to see it here: http://virtual.magicalwisdom.com/lessons/view/28

BRAVO!

Here is a photo from Jordan Wright, of the next video project, due out in June. Can you guess what routine this is?
Jeff McBride working on a new video

THE MCBRIDE MAGIC CARPET WORLD TOUR

From Kalamazoo, to Canada. From Indianapolis to Russia… with love!
This week sees me heading out on the next leg of my world tour; for full details of how you can see my show or attend one of my seminars yourself, click here:

QUICK TRAVEL TIP

Always bring a few sets of earplugs and a sleep mask along on the flight. Train yourself to fall asleep when the earplugs go in and the mask goes on. Staying rested and hydrated is essential to healthy travel… and earplugs are the best way I’ve found to make a crying baby disappear, legally! And if you’re traveling, come visit Las Vegas and check out our classes this summer and fall.

MYSTERY SCHOOL MONDAY… Every Monday at 7pm PST.

Can you believe we have over seventeen episodes waiting for you? Each episode is packed with magical wisdom, astonishing video clips, sagely advice, interviews with celebrities, and great product reviews. To see the back episodes, just click the “videos” button below the screen at
Here is a photo from our friend Sue West of us in our library shooting a recent episode.
Filming Mystery School Mondays
I find myself working harder these days and am grateful to Tobias, Bryce, Eugene, Larry and Abbi and the rest of the Magic and Mystery School team for all their help and support. And thank YOU, our friends and readers. It is a pleasure to share my thoughts and magic with you.
Your friend,
Jeff
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