The Three Most Inspiring Live Lectures of 2020
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I have zero desire to perform magic on stage. But if I were ever to do so, this is the person I would look to for inspiration. I really admire her ability to embody her character so completely. It’s nice to see a character on stage that isn’t either the suave, dashing gentleman, or the intense, weirdo. And because she’s chosen a persona that is so specific and well-defined, she is able to breath new life into classic effects just by making them conform to her character. You can’t do that if you have a bland character.
You can certainly make a living doing magic by doing standard tricks in a standard manner. But I think if you really want to do something transcendent, then you either have to have material or a persona that an audience will see as unique. Then you can mold your personality around the material, or the material around your personality and you will have a show that is distinguished from what everyone else is doing. But if you’re just doing the same things a lot of other people are doing, in the same style, then it’s like trying to make an impression of Play-Doh with Silly Putty. (That metaphor may have worked better in my head. I just mean you can’t expect to create something precisely-defined by utilizing two amorphous, formless things.)
What I enjoyed most about watching Carisa perform was that she seemed so comfortable in her own skin, and in the skin of Lucy Darling, the character she performs as. I love a confident performer (and magic is not filled with a lot of them). She is so at home in that persona that she is able to ad-lib (or seemingly ad-lib) with ease, which is a lot of fun to watch. And it also makes her character feel three-dimensional, like a genuine person—even though the character is highly theatrical in most other ways.
One of the more frequent questions I get over email is how to incorporate some of my performance ideas into a professional show. But I don’t think that’s really a worthwhile pursuit. A lot of my “style” is about stripping away the elements that make something a “performance.” I don’t think that makes much sense to do on stage. Instead, I think people would be better off following the path Carisa Hendrix has chosen and lean into the performative aspects of a professional show with a stronger character (or if character isn’t your thing, then a stronger story-line). Of course that’s a much more difficult path than just saying, “Screw it. I’ll just put a bill in a lemon and recite some jokes I heard other performers say.”
So, yeah, while I don’t have any plans to perform on stage, or professionally in any capacity, I thought Carisa made it look fun. Whereas with most shows I see, it looks like a fucking nightmare.
Blake Vogt Masterclass
Blake Vogt is one of the premiere gimmick inventors/makers in the art today. I was not expecting to get much from his Masterclass as I’ve avoided making gimmicks for, literally, decades now. It’s not that I’m against putting in the work. It’s just that I never felt particularly well suited for that type of work. It’s the type of thing where half a millimeter can be the difference between a good looking gimmick and having to start over altogether. I don’t like anything that delicate.
But Blake made it seem very doable and his enthusiasm for the process won me over. The second card I tried to split after watching him, I split perfectly. It was very satisfying. I’ve since picked up the basic gaff making supplies he recommends in the Masterclass and I plan on putting them to work in the new year.
Mario the Maker Penguin Live
What the previous lectures have in common is that in each case I didn’t expect them to speak to me in the way that it did. Mario the Maker’s Penguin lecture was a surprise in a similar way. Mario’s lecture covers the material he uses in his act which is primarily geared towards children. His target audience and his esthetic aren’t anywhere near mine, but I found his philosophy on making magic to be inspiring and his enthusiasm infectious.
Like all great children’s performers, Mario has the type of manic energy that you normally associate with our finest crack addicts. But he has harnessed that energy and directed it into an affinity for tech/electronic-based DIY magic making. It was fascinating to see the things he has built for his show. Things that are somehow simultaneously wildly complicated and stupidly simple.
And I was really inspired by his passion for this type of magic. I want to start building electronics and learning Arduino (whatever the hell that is) and seeing if there are ways to incorporate that into a more laidback style of magic. Even if not, I think it will be fun to learn. I’ll be ordering his book on Amazon, which will hopefully set me off on the right path. And I plan on buying some of those “build your own” electronics kits that are made for eight-year olds and/or dumb people like me. I’m excited for it.