Craig Zablo

Judy Colbert and Mental Floss present 17 Secrets of Magicians.  Here are three of my favorites…

2. THEY SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON BOOKS.
“Most magicians are serious scholars,” says Las Vegas magician Xavier Mortimer. “I don’t know any professional magicians who don’t have their own extensive libraries about our craft.” (One notable example, Harry Houdini, assembled close to 4000 books on magic and spiritualism, now held at the Library of Congress.)

The costs of those books can add up, though: “Most books are small print runs, for a small audience, which can lead to high prices,” Mortimor says. As an example, Denny Haney, who owns the Denny and Lee Magic Shop in Baltimore, Maryland, says that one book he sells—Soirees Fantastique by the French illusionist Christian Fechner—goes for $3000.

6. CONNECTING WITH THE AUDIENCE CAN BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE TRICKS.
Doc Eason, a legendary magician who performs at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, and at the Stonebridge Inn in Snowmass, Colorado, is known for his incredible memory; he does one trick where he memorizes the names of 20 people in the audience as well as a card held by each person. Despite the impressive feat, Eason says, “The trick is not the thing … what is the thing is connecting with the audience. Without connection, you just become a clever person who learned to do a few cool things.” Establishing that connection is a matter of eye contact and remembering the names of the people in the audience, Eason says—which requires plenty of practice in front of friends, family, and then strangers before taking to the stage.

10. THEY’VE HEARD ALL YOUR JOKES BEFORE.
Rich Bloch, a magician, inventor of magic effects, and owner of Dickens Parlour Theater in Millville, Delaware, says that when you think you’re being clever by asking the magician, “Can you make my husband disappear?” or “Can you saw my wife in half?” or “Can you change this dollar into a $1000?”—you aren’t. Also, the magician has probably heard the joke “How’s tricks?” before, even if they laugh with wide-eyed amazement like you’re the first person to ever crack it.

Source: Mark Evanier.