Mind Freak

[mzteris]

Anybody watching Criss Angel????

Great. Just great.

Now my son wants to grow up to "be him". (sigh - add magician to the list.) My son's been practicing off and on since he was 5 yo (he's now 12.5). Between Criss Angel and David Blaine, I'm wondering what kind of magic he's going to wind up doing! lol (As an added bonus, I get to watch him make a ball appear/disappear during the commercials!)

[LynzM]

1. I missed it tonight; I was painting :(

And I don't really want to stay up until 2 to see it! But it's pretty much the only TV that I will actively pay attention to making sure I see :)

Good luck to your son!

[mzteris]

4. painting -

like walls? or pics?

I don't usually stay up this late, either - but he's been wanting to stay up and watch. Pretty amazing stuff.

[LynzM]

6. Walls.

Actually, more accurately, part of a door, some shelves, and two cabinet doors. I'm painting the bathroom, in 4 different colors. So the walls are done, and now I'm doing all the trim bits, which is actually taking longer. Almost done though, a couple more nights should do it!

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

2. I can't stand him.

He's like a weird goth/guido hybrid.

[mzteris]

3. that's the part that scares me

- with an "impressionable kid" and all. :)

But the magic - man - it IS pretty awesome - you gotta admit!

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

5. Maybe I'm just totally jaded, but I can't get into it.

[derby378]

7. Criss Angel's levitation tricks are simply awesome

Earlier this week, I learned how to perform my first levitation trick. I cannot tell you how it's done, but it's really amazing how simple but effective some of these levitation tricks are. I even learned one of Criss' earlier levitation tricks, but he's saving all the big guns for himself. More to freak our minds with, you know.

[mzteris]

9. David Blaine's

"levitation trick" my son thinks he's figured out.

Now he can't wait to go to the pool so he can figure out how to "walk on water"! lol

Are you a magician, too? Any advice for an aspiring young one?

[derby378]

10. My wife is the magician in our family

I've dabbled in it, too, but not to the extent that she has. Both of us, however, recently revived our interest in magic and started buying new tricks to try out. I have one trick that I've reworked into a loose parody of Diebold's touchscreen voting machines with a little patter and a little pixie dust. Can't wait to try it at Democratic fundraisers.

As for your aspiring young magician, I think I speak for both of us with this advice:

Practice, practice, practice. Some tricks will be easier to master than others, but there is no such thing as a foolproof trick, so stay in control of each trick at all times. Consider using a mirror in your practice sessions, or try filming yourself with a camcorder or something similar. You could also use a trusted friend or family member if you don't mind sharing your secrets with that person; choose wisely.

Learn your strengths and weaknesses. Don't try any dangerous tricks unless you have your parents' permission and they're around in case anything goes wrong. Above all else, ENJOY what you're doing. Magic is all about entertainment, fun, and bringing wonder and happiness to a world that desperately needs it. Now go brighten someone's day!

[mzteris]

16. Thanks for the advice!

He tried the video camera - it's hard to "watch in the mirror" and do the trick at the same time for him (yet) - he caught some "tells" (?) and some other things - so I think he'll be doing that more.

He "practices" a LOT! He's always got spongeballs or cards or coins in his pocket. Funny story - he went to bed last night and had put his spongeballs on the floor next to his bed. When I went in to wake him up this morning, he had them in his hand! So I guess he was practicing in his sleep!

I think it's so cool you and your wife "do magic". My husband's brother did magic semi-professionally some 20 years ago - but we only see him every few years. (It's coincidence more than anything that my son became interested in it also.) He's sent him some of his old props, etc. - and is planning a visit in August. Maybe he can give some pointers in person.

Again, thanks for the advice.

[jobycom]

13. That's the thing, it's all simple, the art is in the presentation.

That's what's so cool about Angel, and Blaine. All of that psycho/spacey stuff is to get you watching their face, and their eyes, and concentrating on their voices, so you don't pay attention to the trick. It alters your mood, prepares your mind to accept something out of the ordinary, by being out of the ordinary, even a little creepy. Angel acts so strange you just expect strange things to happen. It's the same thing Doug Henning used to do with the super-happy-dork look, for a different generation.

[sakabatou]

14. Self or other person?

[derby378]

15. Myself

Both feet off the ground, too. It's a pretty sweet and simple trick.

[u4ic]

8. My nephew thinks he's god

and is in the same boat as your son, wanting to be a magician.

I guess there's worse things he could be doing than learning magic. He's pretty good at a few tricks. :-)

[mzteris]

11. how old's

your nephew (if you don't mind my asking...)?

Magic is pretty cool. He's really been working on it lately - especially his *show* performance skills. His goal is to start "doing kids birthday parties" in the next couple of years. (He says it beats working at McDonald's or cutting grass! hahaha) He does some juggling and balloon animals, too. woo-hoo.

He's done a "few" freebies for friends kids, and will set up a stand at area concerts, etc. So at least he's learning confidence and people skills, eh?

He recently found some hard-core magic camps he wants to attend. There's one on Long Island and one in Toronto. I told him *maybe* next year.

[u4ic]

12. He's 17

He's not nearly advanced as your son sounds, though he's learning.

That's great that your son has all those skills - plus an entrepreneurial spirit. I know a couple of balloon animal makers, and they make good money at events. (one has her own business, and the other works for an entertainment company)

I wish your son all the luck in the world! I'm biased - but send him to Toronto. :D

[mzteris]

17. The one in Toronto

looks great - at least they have the better website to see what's what. He's more interested in that one at this point. However, Tanners (on Long Island) is one of the oldest and best "known" in the business. But the website doesn't "tell" us much of anything.

I'm going to check around with more "old magicians" and see what their recommendations are. There's a magician's convention where were moving in the fall so I'm hoping he can get a lot of information/connections there.