And they say there are no secrets left. As a special holiday gift, I’ve been saving up this recording. In it, I’ll tell you all about the secret, reclusive card expert who made me what I am today. I think you’ll enjoy this one.
Make sure to post a comment and let me know what you think.
BTW – Avatar in 3d should make us all realize we’re going to have to work a lot harder next year!
Happy Holidays,
Aaron
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I wished i met with Card Man one day..
In a McDonalds (:
I like to meet you again to her the end off the story bybybybybyby
greetings Son of Kaps
Arron. See what I mean how you not only teach, you make listening so interesting ? The history,all the names you know and how truly honest you are about yourself, us and magic. You sugar coat nothing. Another important factor you instill in me is having friends in Magic,way more than I do now. Thats from a “X” Johnson product employee in the Caveney days. You guys have become so big, left us little guys behind. I had to take a decade off recover from a head on crash which I did ,now teach how, in hospital shows I do. I lost the constant in touch with magicians during that time. I’m coming back and will work harder next year like you tell us too. Yet you and Mike Caveney sure are nice to me and remember where you came from.
Thanks for being way more than a instructor but an electronic friend in Magic,which I consider and use you for. Your double clicking friend, John
Hi Arron,
Thanks for the wonderful mentor story. Everyday I realize how lucky I was to be born in New York, BC (before the Castle) when it was the Mecca of Magic and every Saturday, week after week, year after year, you were able to interact with Vernon, Scarne, Carlyle, and the other giants of the day. Even if you were only in the early teens as I was, they would open up to you — as long as it was obvious you were a compulsive practicer.
The greats always hone their effects to the bare, mind-shattering minimum. Straight for the throat, killer punch. Today, too many see an effect “learn” it (they think…) and then set about ‘improving’ it by adding complications without considering the hours of thought and work that went into reducing movement and action to produced the perfect distilled essence of the effect so that it will have the maximum impact on lay folk – the correct audience. And they ruin it and expose it and cannot see what they have done. Being able to master technique (though important) has nothing to do with mastering performance and blowing minds. There are many technically excellent musicians who are not worth listening to, as there is no soul in their music; describing one such, my old master said that as a musician he made an excellent mathematician. Perfectly put. The same goes for magic – no soul: no magic, just a puzzle or challenge, the last thing you want. Vernon was right – if you don’t enjoy practise for its own sake, find another hobby. When finally your sleights are conditioned reflex requiring no thought, only now can you begin to learn performing magic since you at last are able to concentrate on performance and how that is best achieved. It takes time…..
Great stuff Aaron. Keep it up and rub it in: getting a sleight off is only the start; don’t “improve” an effect till you understand why it is performed the way it is.
Aaron,
Thank you very much for sharing this.
Please climb a mountain and scream about the real nature of sleight of hand ……
and more about our good friend Peter.
Best Wishes,
Vick
>BTW – Avatar in 3d should make us all realize we’re going to have to work a >lot harder next year!
No, I dissagree. In my opinion, the more perfect the FX in cinema gets, the bigger the urge for authenticity get’s (oh perhaps I should blog about this).
Live entertainment will benefit from it and magic especially as people know that we can’t use CGI for our wonders.
Best
Tom
Aaron
Ok, now that you have us hooked! When can we here the rest of the story?
I enjoyed the pod cast!
Clay