I love this post and it’s something we need to discuss in the magic community.
I like your analogy to musicians, and it reminds me of Nick Diffatte’s call to magicians to “find your Elvis.” Elvis Presley set the standard for success in popular music during the 1960s, ‘60s and ‘70s. He still is revered, as evidence by the recent hit movie about his life. Elvis didn’t write his own songs. But when you hear an Elvis song, you know it’s him. It’s unmistakable.
Even if magicians don’t create their own effects, and have bought the rights to perform the material, they still can put their own marks on it. There are lots of classics in Magic and they work as well today as a Chuck Berry song.
You are right about cover bands. There are many good ones. Some are just as enjoyable as musicians who write their own material.
Nevertheless, songwriters, singers and magic creators have a special place in the world. Their creativity drives art. Yet some artists do other’s material better than the ones who made it. Or at least it’s different enough to make it original. I would contend that Jimi Hendrix sang some of Bob Dylan’s songs better than Dylan. You can order tricks performed by David Blaine but that doesn’t make you David Blaine. Still others might perform it better but never get the chance to show it on television or gain a wider audience.
I think magicians, like cover bands, should occasionally give a shoutout to the original (“Here’s one from Joshua Jay!”).
We should encourage magicians to make the effects their own. But we should give them the space to develop. When a guitar player is learning a riff, she most likely learns it just like she heard it. Then as she develops, she learns to improvise and make that riff her own.
We should allow magicians the opportunities to find their Elvis.
I'm a musician, and my band has never played many covers. We've also never made much of a splash. (Trust me, you haven't heard of me.) Maybe we would be more well known if we played more covers. I know for a fact I would have earned more money playing covers.
But for me, I play music because I write songs.
No one else is going to play the songs I write, so I might as well.
Is there a difference between a magician and a musician when it comes to this? Are there people who have an urgent, primal desire to come up with new magical effects?
Honestly, I would have quit playing music a long time ago if all I was allowed to play were songs written by other people.
Very interesting and enjoyable read. I’m a massive magic fan and have been performing magic for family, friends and others in informal situations for a long time. That said this is still a hobby and with a full time job and busy family life the hardest part for me is finding the time to write new patter or different presentation. As a result I do find myself being a little lazy and often using or just tweaking the original presentation. Otherwise if I waited until I had a new script or hook these effects would stay in the drawer. It’s a difficult balancing act for me.
It's like opera, painting, any number of dynamic art form, a WHOLE bank of traditions that supposedly go back to the days of " The Ottoman Empire ", " Rajahs of Calamarain ", Thebes, Luxor, Atlantis, the Great Khan, King Arthur, a gajillion similar lines ( which NEVER WERE but have attracted crowds ).
I love this post and it’s something we need to discuss in the magic community.
I like your analogy to musicians, and it reminds me of Nick Diffatte’s call to magicians to “find your Elvis.” Elvis Presley set the standard for success in popular music during the 1960s, ‘60s and ‘70s. He still is revered, as evidence by the recent hit movie about his life. Elvis didn’t write his own songs. But when you hear an Elvis song, you know it’s him. It’s unmistakable.
Even if magicians don’t create their own effects, and have bought the rights to perform the material, they still can put their own marks on it. There are lots of classics in Magic and they work as well today as a Chuck Berry song.
You are right about cover bands. There are many good ones. Some are just as enjoyable as musicians who write their own material.
Nevertheless, songwriters, singers and magic creators have a special place in the world. Their creativity drives art. Yet some artists do other’s material better than the ones who made it. Or at least it’s different enough to make it original. I would contend that Jimi Hendrix sang some of Bob Dylan’s songs better than Dylan. You can order tricks performed by David Blaine but that doesn’t make you David Blaine. Still others might perform it better but never get the chance to show it on television or gain a wider audience.
I think magicians, like cover bands, should occasionally give a shoutout to the original (“Here’s one from Joshua Jay!”).
We should encourage magicians to make the effects their own. But we should give them the space to develop. When a guitar player is learning a riff, she most likely learns it just like she heard it. Then as she develops, she learns to improvise and make that riff her own.
We should allow magicians the opportunities to find their Elvis.
Great post on a worthy topic.
I'm a musician, and my band has never played many covers. We've also never made much of a splash. (Trust me, you haven't heard of me.) Maybe we would be more well known if we played more covers. I know for a fact I would have earned more money playing covers.
But for me, I play music because I write songs.
No one else is going to play the songs I write, so I might as well.
Is there a difference between a magician and a musician when it comes to this? Are there people who have an urgent, primal desire to come up with new magical effects?
Honestly, I would have quit playing music a long time ago if all I was allowed to play were songs written by other people.
Very interesting and enjoyable read. I’m a massive magic fan and have been performing magic for family, friends and others in informal situations for a long time. That said this is still a hobby and with a full time job and busy family life the hardest part for me is finding the time to write new patter or different presentation. As a result I do find myself being a little lazy and often using or just tweaking the original presentation. Otherwise if I waited until I had a new script or hook these effects would stay in the drawer. It’s a difficult balancing act for me.
It's like opera, painting, any number of dynamic art form, a WHOLE bank of traditions that supposedly go back to the days of " The Ottoman Empire ", " Rajahs of Calamarain ", Thebes, Luxor, Atlantis, the Great Khan, King Arthur, a gajillion similar lines ( which NEVER WERE but have attracted crowds ).
Thanks David! There’s nothing new under the sun! Excellent article!