A Proper Introduction: Post the Re-introduction

One: I really need to update this blog. I mean - woah! I started this thing in 2007. 2007! This is a blogger.com template from seven years ago. Not that I know how to use anything other than a template... but I'll work on that.

Two: I don't know why I titled last week's post as "A Reintroduction." I mean, I had a new topic and am now committing to weekly updates. Commitment, eh? It's difficult to get me committed... People have tried before. That's how I got my straight jacket. (And I am hereby officially allowed to have at two cheesy jokes per post). And yet, there's very little about who I am and what I do.

So three: Here's a slightly more proper introduction. An introduction post- the reintroduction that.. erm... ok. I will stop now. So the goal of this post is to answer that one question angsty teenagers and twenty-something-year-olds have been struggling with since time immemorial.

Who am I?

Except, you know, not really in that metaphorical/philosophical/abstract way. The answer's going to be relatively simple.

I am Felice.

Tada!

Question is answered!

...

Ok. Fine... A little bit more information, without being too narcissistic (key word being "too." I'm writing a blog. There's gotta be a degree of narcissism in believing that someone out there in the deep empty void is actually interested in reading what I write. I am, of course, also a magician. Which means I tell people to "see what I can do!" whenever I try and perform something. I justify all this by claiming that my audiences are getting something out of it as well (entertainment or maybe the experience of astonishment). 

I am 26 years old. I am just about to graduate with my MA in social sciences. I spent the last year stalking - I mean, researching - various Chicago street performers. I spent a lot of time just observing their shows, interviewing them, and generally, just chilling with them. "Chilling" in this case is quite literal. I mean, a lot of my observations took place in the middle of the winter where the term "polar vortex" found its way into colloquial English.

I do anthropology, I do magic, and I write. In the middle of doing anthropology, I ended up learning a lot about street performers and my own magic. After my research for my MA thesis was officially done, I ended up hitting the streets and working on my own street show - where I learned a lot about myself (there I go with the narc..iss.. ism.. again. Spelling is hard), about magic, and about city spaces in general.

In this blog, I aim to share a little bit of what I learned.

I will:

1. Once granted permission, write up some profiles of various street performers.

2. Write a little bit about random experiences/anecdotes that have been drawn from my performances on the street and otherwise.

3. Philosophize (every so often).

4. Talk about the more nitty-gritty details of performance and performing magic.

5. Make corny jokes.

6. Try and add pictures in every so often. Cuz, you know, visuals are cool.

7. Respond to all of y'allz comments.

8. Post at least once a week. And since this isn't really a post about stuff, I'll try and post something else this week as well. Something pretty exciting happened last week while I was busking. I want to share that with you guys later this week.

But for now, I guess all I'm really saying is Hi! Nice to meet you (again maybe).

A Reintroduction: What is magic for?

It was in Memphis.

At an iHop or an Olive Garden or maybe just a local mid-sized restaurant with dim lighting and square tables pushed and woven together with a plastic tablecloth. I'm not entirely sure. Those aren't the details that stick - especially not when more than three years have already come and gone.

But I had gone to a local meeting of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. I was the only female magician there. There were others, of course, and I asked about them, but they weren't there in Memphis when I was. I never met them.

It didn't matter too much. I rarely ever had the chance to hang out with other magicians before. It was thrilling to get the chance to speak with older magicians - people with way more experience than I, who had great insights on my performances when I asked for advice, and who knew so much about magic in general.

That particular evening, after the meeting was done and we were all relaxing over dinner, some of the younger magicians (those who were closer to my age) were showing each other tricks. An informal magic jamming session, as they call it. It was at this moment that one of the other magicians, a young man who was only slightly older than me, asked me to perform a trick.

I nodded slowly and agreed. Even though I had practiced and performed magic for as long as I can remember, I had only just started to find other magicians, only just started hanging around them. Remembering my background as a street performer, he made a comment that has stuck with me to this day.

"You seem to do magic that's designed for laypeople to watch."

Not in quite those words. I can't remember the exact words, but the meaning they conveyed was clear.
My response at the time was silence. I just nodded. My tongue was tied, as usual.
In my head, though, I knew what I wanted to say.

"What other kind of magic is there?"
What is magic for?

And why am I thinking about this question again now?

I have started street performing again, after a two year hiatus. It's too bad that fall is almost upon us, but I'll do my best to keep it up, somehow, someway. Out on the streets of Chicago, I have found help and guidance from two amazing street magicians. Other street performers have helped me out as well. They may not know magic, but they're some of the best performers I know. They know how to stop a crowd, they know how to keep them, and they know how to convince their audiences that something valuable is happening.

They've made me think a lot about magic and magicians and why we do what we do.

(I've also just finished reading Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy. Quentin, its protagonist, also asks the same question at some point. What is the purpose of magic? Their magic is, of course, entirely different from the kind of magic I'm writing about here).

Magicians are awesome people. I have a lot of respect for the magicians that I meet in magic clubs and elsewhere, and I'm giddy with excitement every time I meet one of them.

At the same time, I get nervous when I am performing for them. Sure, as a female magician, I sometimes do feel like I have to prove myself. And that's on me, something that I have to work through in my head, especially since so many of the other performers are so supportive.

But the root of this problem is in the purpose of magic itself. Performing for magicians is different from performing for laypeople. In the second case, the goal is to amaze, to entertain. In the first, the aim is (I think) entirely different - to show off a set of skills. It becomes less of a magic show and more of a juggling act. I'm not sure.

So why do we do magic?

For community? To show off our skills? To juggle cards and coins? To entertain? To astonish? All of those reasons are valid. There isn't one reason that is superior than any others. I'm just curious. What's your reason for taking up this art form?

That question, along with recent interactions with other magicians and street performers, have drawn me back into writing this blog. My goal, now, is to update this blog weekly. I'll make a post every Monday evening. If all goes well, maybe I'll go for a bi-weekly blog... but I'm going to stick with baby steps.

Let's try a weekly blog first. And if you guys are out there, and if you guys happen to read this, please feel free to comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

And I'm baaaaack!

...Not that anyone is listening.

But I am back! Really. In the physical sense as well as in the virtual sense. After a two year hiatus (teaching English in China), I am back in the United States. I DID perform magic over there... once at the beginning of each semester for each of my classes, once at the end, and once as the intermission of a school-wide English speech contest for non-English majors.

All that was good fun.

I even got to try out that use-a-clothes-hanger-as-a-microphone-holder trick that I picked up from somewhere. I can't remember where I got that idea from, but it worked wonders, and everyone just got a big laugh out of it. So thanks.

(To the nameless person. I speak to voices in my own head sometimes, so it's not weird at all to speak to nameless people).

Anyway - back in the USA. And after what was essentially a two-year hiatus, I brought my show back onto the streets of Philadelphia. I performed today for two hours at Rittenhouse Square (and I really really REALLY need to find someone who can take pictures for me, otherwise I'll just bore you guys my random ramblings and musings).

When I was hunting for a spot to perform in, I ran into another magician. !!!! I was very excited (just in case you can't tell from my exclamation marks). I watched him for a little bit, but I didn't stay for too long. One: I had my own hat on (which I promptly took off as soon as I noticed that he was trying to build a crowd); and two: I had my table, my straight jacket, and all my gear with me. I really didn't want to distract him, and I really didn't want to distract his audience. Not that I would. I think he knew exactly what he was doing.

So I watched (very briefly) and wandered off on my own way through the park. I finally settled at a spot at a different entrance from the main one, where I spotted the first guy (who later introduced himself to me as Sonny Holliday).

And there I dove back into my busking act. It was slow going at first. It took a while before anyone decided to stop... and when they did stop, they only had time for a short effect or so. A couple people did stick around for a little bit longer, but I never gathered a large enough crowd to start my actual fifteen minute act. And since the groups were so small, I never felt comfortable using my hat lines - which was a shame, because the people who did stop were great audience members. They had fun, they laughed, and we had an all around good time. Still, hat line or no - because we had such a great time, I got a few tips from them.

After an hour, I left the area to add money to the meter (for parking... though my dad told me later that parking might have been free on Sundays. Oops). I put all my stuff away. And I wandered back to the front entrance.

At that point it was 4:00pm, and he was packing up. I introduced myself, and he passed me his card as he packed up the last of his stuff. There was a lady with him who asked me for my email address. She wanted to know when I would be performing again. And then they were off.

I watched for a little bit, excited - curiosity not at all satiated.

Then resolved to stay out for one more hour. This time, I set up in the spot that Sonny Holliday had just - and like magic, people came up to me and asked to see me perform. Before, I was saying "hello" and introducing myself to everyone I saw, even though they were trying their best to ignore me. Now, people walked right up.

It was an amazing spot.

And on I went with the show.
I got through it ok. Did only one show... but, looking back, I think I'm way out of practice. My lines aren't as smooth as they used to be - and there were some points in the show when I was sure what I should say. My audience wasn't as responsive. Not as much laughing or joking around as before... not as much applause, and - even though I DID get my hat line in this time - not as much tips.

Also, even though I only technically did just one big show, my voice was squeaking by the end of that show. I need to learn how to project my voice so that people can hear me better.

...So. Yes. At the end of the day, I pretty much broke even. I made up in tips what I ended up paying for in parking and tolls for driving into Philadelphia.

Still.
It's great to be back.

New Blog....

I'm going to China next week to teach English abroad.

I will, of course, be performing whenever I can there... But, as this blog is primarily for magic - feel free to keep up with my exploits abroad here:

To Record in Astonishment...

Yes. The title of that blog is about astonishment. In that particular instance, it means the astonishment a person gets when they experience life in a different culture.

We here aren't unfamiliar with that emotion. Astonishment is, after all, what our art is about...

1st Annual Shelby Forest Spring Fest

WOAH!

Two day festival that my friend Tim told me about.

I went on Friday - only the locals were there. Lots of fun. Great atmosphere. Nice sunny day. On the first day, not a lot of hats.

Day two:

Still only locals I think. BUT lots of locals. And they came and went, so there was good turnaround. Beautiful day. Lots of kids. Lots of adults. Lots of crowds. Tim and I took turns performing and resting... so I think I did about 8 or 9 shows that day.

Had my biggest earnings so far, and I had a lot of fun.

It's also the most that I've ever performed nonstop. I was exhausted at the end of the day, so I'm grateful to my friend and housemate, Emmanuel, for taking care of dinner for me and two other friends when I got back.

I got my biggest crowds yet at this festival. I need to do more festivals, eh? It was warmer and there were more people out this day than there were at Trolley Tours last month. And that meant that my crowds were bigger.

I had more performance - and thus more hats - this time than I did at Trolley Tours. Each hat though was smaller. I don't know why that was the case... but I had a lot of fun, and I have a better view of what it's like to work all day out in the sun now that it's warmer and there are more crowds.

--

Here's the Snapshot:

Friday 4/1

3:30pm: I show up early. The festival's not as big as I thought it would be. It's their first year - the "First Annual" Spring Fest. I wait in the car a little nervously. Tim isn't here yet, and I don't know if they're expecting me. Then I suck it up, take a deep breath, and hop out of the car with all my gear. I bring it. There is a stage for a band. I get nervous that they'll be really loud, so I try and pick a spot farther away from them. It's a little out of the way... but the place is small enough that I think people will stop by as long as they hear and see me. Ben, the festival organizer, tell me that the music will be soft - acoustic, mainly - and he asks me to move closer to the center. It's a better spot. I'm glad he did. And he was right. The music wasn't too loud.

4:00pm: Kids run up to me. They want to see a show. I do a couple of close-up card tricks to warm up. I tell them to come back later, and I'll do something bigger for them. Wait though, I said. Wait for a crowd.

4:15pm: Tim shows up. He sets up his table, and we chat a little bit. It's a nice day. We'll take turns performing. He focuses on practicing a little bit more. I do some more effects for the kids. Then an adult shows up. These people are with the festival. Whatever. I'll do the show for them.

I perform. I don't give them my hat line. They're kids, you see, and I didn't want to pressure the one adult. She wasn't here after all to watch. She was here to work. The kids like it though, and they keep on asking me to show them something more. I direct them to Tim, and Tim takes off with magic of his own.

5:00pm: I'm performing for a lot of kids. A lot of them are kids of the vendors and performers at the festival. They run around trying to sell brownies and cookies and things. There's a guy with a Revolutionary era rifle. It works. He's dressed up in a period outfit, and we talk a little bit. He wants to borrow my straitjacket for his son to wear five days of the week. Har har.

This is me performing the last third of my show. I've been strapped into my straitjacket. My mouth is in a funny shape... and I'm probably giving my main hat line right now.

It's a good time to let people know that I do this for a living - mainly because I'm already locked in tight. Not a lot of people want to walk away from a person in a straitjacket, surprisingly. Especially not if they know that I'm going to try and get out of it afterwards.

So there I am.

Yes. Many thanks to one of my housemates, Danielle, for taking that picture.

6:00pm: "Blah blah blah blah magic! Like Harry Potter! Who likes Harry Potter?" I ask.

"I'm not allowed to read Harry Potter," says the little boy.

"Oh," I say. I understand. I try not to push it... because he is a little boy, but then another boy - his name is Harrison - asks.

"Why?"

"Because," says the first boy, "I'm a Christian. And Harry Potter is about wizards and witches. I can't read that."

Harrison insists that the Harry Potter books are great. I move the show along. I remember that I'm far down south. People here are much more conservative than I am used to... and I remember this the rest of the day. I remember it when I'm joking, and I'm hoping that nobody gets insulted by any of my jokes.

That's why I choke a little every time I do my pickpocketing trick, and I ask about the weird little packet with the white balloon in it. You know, that one? The packet that's in a lot of guy's wallets? I mention it, and I hope no one is insulted. Some people laugh nervously. Other people smile uncomfortably. Maybe I shouldn't use that joke here again.

7:00pm: It's still light out. I've performed several shows. One of my bigger ones was for members of one of the bands that were performing. They enjoyed it, but even with the hat line they didn't want to give anything. It's tough, but the people are friendly. No one wants to pay for the show. It's mainly kids running around playing and talking to me. They're nice, so I have a lot of fun. I teach a shy little girl how to pull her thumb off. She makes her parents laugh.

7:30pm: It's not quite 9:00pm yet. No crowds, really. No one's showing up today. Tim's packing up and leaving. I decide to go too, and I realize I haven't eaten anything since about 12:30pm. I'm starving. I head home, eat dinner, and relax.

My total earnings for the day? $8.

I stay up late thinking about my show. I need to slow it down - slow down my patter, slow down my routine, slow down my presentation. I need to make everything clearer. I think.

--

Saturday 4/2

9:30am: I get there late. I grabbed a yogurt parfait and oatmeal from McDonald's. I figured I could have the yogurt for breakfast and the oatmeal for lunch. I wasn't thinking very clearly, huh? Anyway. I'm there. Some of the vendors from Friday weren't there... and a couple ones came. They have a basketball hoop now and a tomahawk throwing range. It's cool. I set up next to a vendor who's selling books. I set up, and right away a girl comes up to me and tells me that she loves magic. Then she and her father set up their book-selling stand.

10:00am: Tim gets there after I do. He sets up in what I thought was a much nicer spot. Why didn't I think of that? I don't know. I was determined, I guess, to go back to where I was yesterday... and I forget that the vendor that was there yesterday wasn't there today. It's ok. He sets up, and we decide to take turns again. Because of his location, people go to his spot first when they come in. That is, they go to his spot after they've gotten their funnel cakes and corn dogs from the big food stand.

10:30am: My first performance. I have some trouble starting out. I'm nervous about the crowd-building part. I start off with some card tricks to build a crown. Really quickly - really quickly - people come up to watch. Once these close-up effects get a decently sized crowd, I go into my show. My show lasts twenty minutes. My crowd grows. I get a couple dollars from those who watched from the beginning... Some people come in late. They see my straitjacket escape, and they come in close. I tell them to come back again to see the show from the beginning. Now that they've seen the last act, they do. They come again later, and I have a good turnaround rate.

1:00pm: I break for lunch. I grab my oatmeal, eat, and think. Good morning. Not great, but good. I know how to gather a crowd now for each show. I just need to make an announcement, and people come. A guy with a dog takes my card, and tells me to go to a Starbucks that evening - he works there, he says, and I should stop by for some coffee when I'm done. I wonder if this is going to happen every time I go out and perform.

2:00pm: I find the perfect guy to do my pickpocketing routine with. He's funny, and the crowd laughs and grows because of him. A deck of cards is in his back pocket. I stare at it. Everyone stares. I comment:

"Yeah, that's right. Stare at his backside."

Everyone laughs.

Then he flexes his gluts. I blink. Everyone laughs more. He's a good sport.

I reach into his pocket, pull out the chosen card. Everyone is surprised. He smiles.

"You're enjoying this a little too much," I tell him.

Then a little girl jumps forward and grabs the box out of his pocket. My jaw drops.

"What? Do you know him?" I ask the little girl, and everyone laughs again.

She does. My opening is funny. People laugh, so more people come.

When I'm doing my straitjacket finale, and I'm trying to get a little girl to help me push my arm over my head, he comes back and offers to help me. He's awfully eager, I tell him. More laughter.

At the end of that show, after my hat is filled - and that was one of my better hats - he's gone. I don't get the chance to thank him fully for being a great sport.

Yeah. I had a nice little crowd around me. I had a bunch of really good-sized crowds like this one on the second day. That's another picture with me in the straitjacket. I need to thank the festival organizers for taking and putting up this picture on Facebook.

3:00pm: I run into a fairly tough crowd. This isn't my fault, and it isn't the audience's fault. My starting audience has at least two or three people who are deaf. I don't realize this until after I have selected one of them as a volunteer. When I do, I do my best to look at him and speak slowly so that he would understand. The show moves along, but I feel bad for making it difficult for these guys to participate. They are a good audience though, and I think they enjoyed the show.

4:00pm: I text my friends. Are they coming? I asked. They said they would. This would be one of the last chances - probably the last chance - that they would have to see me perform. I start to worry that they won't come. I push on. The show must go on.

5:00pm: I'm performing for another good-sized crowd. I am doing my straitjacket finale again. I'm giving my hat line... and all of a sudden my words stumble. I spot Emmanuel's face in the crowd. He is one of my house mates. I didn't think that he would make it, but he is there. I shake my head, pull my words together, and go on. I'm happy, and he saw that. I end the show on a high note.

Then two more people showed up. My other house mate, Danielle, and another friend and former colleague of mine, Loide. I am ecstatic to see them. We talk, then Tim gives a show. My friends go and watch Tim's show while I get ready for my next. I relax. Watch. And then talk some more. I look around. There. New people new crowd. New show.

5:30pm: My last show ends with my voice cracking. A band starts playing during my finale, and I have to shout out my hat line. Jokes get lost, and my voice gets weirdly high-pitched. The show goes along all right, but I end the day with a smaller hat than the other shows. That's ok. I've had a great day, and my friends were there to watch. I got some good feedback: Most of it has to do with learning to project my voice better.

I will do that. I need to learn how to project my voice, or I need to get a wireless mic. One is free, and one costs money. So I think I'll learn to project my voice.

6:00pm: I go home. Emmanuel cooks a Ghanaian dish, and the four of us feast. For the first time in a long time, I pass out before midnight.

And for the first time ever, I broke a hundred that day. I've never worked that hard, physically before. I am exhausted, but I am proud and happy.

--

Sunday 4/3

I go to Overton Park to perform.

Lots of people. There are other performers, but they aren't buskers. There are drummers, hula hoopers, and acrobats. I watch and set up on the sidewalk. I should have set up on the grass... but I don't know if it would have helped much. Most people were lying down enjoying the sun - not even gathering around the acrobats or the drummers, really, though they watched from afar.

I relax and hang out with people there. No show, really. That's ok.

==================

And that is the end of this three-day snapshot. As always, suggestions, comments, and criticisms are appreciated. Until next time.

Ah, University Students...

I just got back from another run on the University of Memphis campus.

I took the latest version of my show - the one that I honed during the last trolley tours - and brought it to the campus. Before we begin, let's just say that I have no idea what happened. The full hats that I got the first two days that I was there vanished. The kids with the giant wads of cash were replaced by... well, frankly - students. That said- I had a good time.

I started off in front of the University Center. This time, I managed to hit them at the beginning of the lunch rush: It was 11:00am, and I was right on time. I set up shop. A couple people came up to me... and I did some close-up.

Some of them asked if they had to pay - I said no, they didn't have to. I was hoping to get a solid beginning group from which I could build a crowd. I think I performed for three or four groups of two or less. Is that even a group? Anyway, the fact was that it still wasn't warm enough.

No one was comfortable enough to stay outside.

So, once again, I risked venturing into the campus center.

In I went... I set up shop at the spot that I did before - right by the entrance where I would get the most foot traffic. And WHAM! Like magic, the crowd appeared, and I performed. I did three shows there.. and each time, the audience was responsive. The show was good. My hat lines were the same ones that I used at the trolley tour.

The difference? As soon as the show ended - even despite my efforts to continue and keep something going on until the last dollar was dropped in the hat - some of my audience ran off as soon as they realized I was done. There were a couple people who took the time to come up and shake my hand. I appreciated the fact that those guys thanked me.

I was disappointed in the size of my hats... but I was enjoying myself, as usual.

At the same time that I was performing, there were two groups of students campaigning for student body office. A candidate for student body President asked me to set up in front of their table and perform for them: They wanted me to help them draw a crowd to help their campaign.

I did.

And it worked for as long as I was there. Not long afterwards, the Director of the University Center came up to me and told me that I couldn't perform inside the building without reserving a spot. I could, however, perform outside. I nodded, packed up, and left.

What good came of that?

The student body presidential candidate took my card and said that he'll try and get me there to perform on his campaign's behalf. In addition to that, I passed out a lot of business cards.

I don't think I'll be going back to University of Memphis anymore, unless I'm asked. When it's warmer and none of the other spots are as good, I'll go and perform outside on the campus maybe. It might not be worth it... The crowds are HUGE and very responsive, but the fact the audience is composed of students... is a big downside.

We'll see, eh?

I'm going to keep this up and head out again tomorrow. Not sure where yet- stay tuned for more updates.

Trolley Tour - February

Wow.

WOW! I mean - wow.

I am stunned, high on adrenaline, and ecstatic. I mean, I'm utterly tired, but tonight was my best busking experience yet. Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, let's start from the beginning...

I planned to meet up with Tim at 5:30pm at the intersection of S. Main and G.E. Patterson. He's the guy Don put me in touch with... and I'm really glad he was there. He helped me find a good spot to perform at: About a block from that intersection, there's some extra sidewalk space at the trolley stop. This spot was great because it's on the sidewalk, there's room for an audience to stand, and anyone waiting for the trolley is pretty much forced to watch the show.

So we had that going for us.

We also had a lot going against us. Mother Nature, for one, absolutely did not want me to perform. After a week of sunny days - of temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees - today was suddenly below 49 degrees. It was 49 degrees noon, so I'm guessing it was even colder at night. That meant that the summer/spring trolley tour crowds really didn't want to show up today.

Yeah. Foot traffic was horrible.

Again.

I should start expecting that of Memphis, huh?

The event began officially at 6:00pm. Tim and I stood out in the cold for an hour or so... talking and trying to grab and hold any group of people we could find. I was just about to give up.

This was starting to feel like every other time that I've tried to go out and busk.

But I stayed strong. And, at 7:00pm, it paid off.

7:00pm. Four ladies were trying to catch the trolley.

They waited. No trolley was there.

Hey! Let's watch some magic! Why not? We have to stand here anyway.

So.. they watched some magic.

Then they watched some more.

Then the trolley came!

Uh oh.

"It's all right," they said. "We'll catch the next one."

And they watched some more! The Four Ladies of South Main Street... they will forever be called. Because, just when they said that, another group of people had showed up. Four more spectators - all of them friends whom I had invited to come and watch me perform - were actually there. They added to the crowd....

AND WHAM! Two more stopped. A couple more...

And I had the crowd I needed for my straight jacket finale.

There were far fewer people watching my show than there were at University of Memphis. But this time, my show was more polished... more put together... and the crowd, overall, seemed to enjoy it more. I ended the show with a decent hat.

Nice. Good and fun. I chatted with my friends for a little bit.

I have to say - I am extremely extremely LUCKY to have these guys there. They showed up to watch at 7:00pm. They stayed and watch all my other shows until I stopped at 9:00pm.

Yes. That's right. I had more shows after that one. I had brief breaks between each show... but I began as soon as I saw people walking down the street. And each time, because my friends were there, the crowds came easily.

Four shows.

Four shows.

Four consistently decent shows.

Better hats than I've ever had.

Great audiences. Great laughter. And jokes that worked.

Best busking night ever.

And that was with foot traffic that was even worse off than what I had to deal with at Beale St last week.

--

What did I do differently this time?

For one, I had friends there. It was SO MUCH EASIER building a crowd with people already there watching. I wonder if I could have done the same thing without those guys. Maybe. Yeah. The first show I managed to build the crowd on my own... but I think it would have much much much harder if I had to do that every time.

Second - and this is important, I think - I got some help from Don with my hat lines. I made sure to give a clear hat line before the finale of my show... and I made sure to end the show with one final hat line.

Third - the show itself. I've changed it every single time that I went out and performed. Don advised me to cut down my show a little bit... so I cut it down to three effects.

1. Clutch: Pickpocket Demonstration

2. A coins-across type effect from my hand to a cup

3. Straight Jacket escape

In addition to cutting out an effect, I changed my presentation a little bit. I added more jokes... and, thanks to my friend Larry Clarke who gave me some presentation advice on my pickpocket routine, I managed to put together a wonderful comedic routine. A lot of pictures were taken on that end. A lot of jokes were made too.

My coins-across routine pretty much stayed the same. I wonder if I can change that up a bit too... make it funnier. During one of my four shows... I tried counting the three coins in different languages - I was inspired by Gazzo's cups and balls and wondered if it would work out here. It did, but I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with it. I want to figure some kind of running joke that I can put in. Hm.

Straight jacket escape. WOAH! Biggest change here.

Quick background - before today, I did my escape dramatically. On the streets, I did to gasps and a stop watch. Indoors on a stage, I did it to dramatic classical music. Then last Sunday, I joined a couple of magicians from Memphis' International Brotherhood of Magicians in performing at a magic show at an assisted living complex. I did my straight jacket escape there... but, before the dramatic bit, I added a new bit.

Before the escape, I told a little story about stereotypical Asian parents and their response to a daughter wanting to grow up to be a magician. That little comedic story got polished up for the streets... and I ended up using that for the beginning of a new comedic straight jacket escape routine.

Then, to add to that, I got the audience involved with some clapping and a little dance on my part. I mean - I was in a straight jacket, so I figured I'd demonstrate moving around as much as I could. Jumping around to clapping and whatnot. It was all in good fun.

And finally, instead of escaping completely by myself, I get the help of an audience member - preferably a little kid - with a part of it.

And yeah. It worked well. It worked really well. I'm always afraid when I invite my friends to these things... and I was particularly worried today. It's one thing if I fail miserably and none of my friends experience it. It's another thing if they're out there watching me fail at gathering and crowd.

But.. today... wow. They were there, and it worked.

What did I take out of all this?

At the end of each day, I need to take a good look at my show. I need to figure out what worked and what didn't work. Then I need to change something - anything at all - to make it better. At least, until my show starts working well consistently... that seems to be a good idea. I don't think I could have gotten to this point now if it weren't for that.

The big question, though, is if I would be able to repeat my successes today.

I mean - there were less people here tonight than there were at Beale Street last week, but I had a better time. There were WAY less people than there are at University of Memphis any time of the week, but I had better hats. So yeah. Maybe I should take this new show of mine and try it again at the other places.

I am excited for Trolley Tour again.

It was freezing today, and I did ok.

When it's warmer, there will be more pedestrians walking around, and there will be many more people wanting to stay and watch a show.

In the meantime- I'm going to visit my parents next week. If the weather is nice up north, I'll try and busk more... but, from what I hear, it's pretty bad. We'll see. If not, I won't be back in Memphis until the end of March. That means I'll miss March's trolley tour. But I will be here for April's... and, maybe I'll be able to take my polished show somewhere else before then.

Thanks for reading.

Comments, suggestions, and ideas are always appreciated.