Just Me - Glenn Bishop - And My Magic

Now It Is Going A Little Slower

2008-07-23T04:27:00.000-07:00

Here I am again talking about my new book Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Triumph's and it may take a little longer than Friday to finish the book. I have three things slowing me down besides my busy lifestyle of doing magic shows for a living.

I live in the mid-west and we have had some rain and lightning storms over the past few days when I have wanted to get onto the computer. So the writing has had some rain delays. Like a baseball game my writing can be rain delayed.

I have to get some more pictures taken for the book I am adding more pictures so that is a delay because the pictures are taken and added when I need them.

But the other thing that is holding things up is that I am re-writing the book as I lay it out with the pictures. With the new chapters that I have been adding - I need to take more pictures as I lay out each chapter in turn. The more I re-write and add the more pictures I need.

With luck Friday I may start talking orders through pay pal and start printing and sending the books out by next Wednesday.

I had a friend e-mail me and tell me that I should just sell the book in chapters. Now that would be an interesting thought. How much would a single chapter of how to cull the aces one at a time on the fly using a block transfer shuffle be worth? Ten dollars? One hundred dollars?

And then charge for each single chapter and do one chapter a month.

I have to get back to writing - thanks for your interest.

Going Great

2008-07-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

The first chapter of the book is done text and pictures. It took me a while but I have been working on it all mourning. This includes laying the work out in book format. Man so far it has been a lot of work. I want the book to be done by Friday.

The book I am talking about is Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Triumph's (Comb Bound Book).

It is going great!

All Is Quiet

2008-07-21T05:48:00.000-07:00

Shhhhhhh. Don't tell anyone but we took some block transfer shuffle pictures last night. We need to take some more pictures of my hands doing the triumph shuffle for the book - Glenn Bishop's block transfer shuffle triumph's. But I think that the book is going to be done on Friday.

After this book is done I plan to write a new book on the shell game and three card monte.

That is after I sell the 50 books - I don't think it will take that long.

Later!

Sorry I do Not Take Orders In Advance

2008-07-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

I am very sorry but I do not take orders in advance. When I did the limited run of my punch deal DVD. I got magicians that wanted to order it in advance to make sure that they get one.

Although I understand wanting something and there is a limited run because I have wanted to buy something in magic - and it was a limited run. However I do not like to sell something before the final product is produced.

When producing a product there can be problems along the way that can slow down the release date of a product. When I was doing the DVD's I wanted to test the product to make sure that all the links were sound. And watch the video to make sure the viewer would be able to "learn" the moves, techniques and routines. Often I had to re-shoot some video because the video could have been closer to the action or the routine I was explaining could have been cleaner.

Books are different and a lot easier to edit.

However taking pictures for the book might take several shoots. And more than a week might be needed to edit the pictures and text before the final edit.

So until I feel the product is ready for sale - I won't be selling it in advance.

Again thanks for the interest.

Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Triumph's (Comb Bound Book)

2008-07-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

I am now happy to announce that the first draft of my book Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Triumph's is now done. Sunday we take pictures and this week I will edit and drop the pictures into the text and do the lay-out. Then a final edit. And then the book will be finished.

Here is a run down of what is going to be in the book and this book is sold to magicians only!

Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Shuffle Triumph's Comb Bound Book!

How To Cull Cards Using The Triumph Shuffle.
This is my never before published method (as far as I know) of how to cull cards one at a time using the Triumph Shuffle.

Triumph - Glenn Bishop Cuts The Aces.
This is my Glenn Bishop Cuts The Aces routine that was on my first DVD, only instead of using my slant on the Steven's cull - I use the Triumph cull to cull the aces one at a time from a shuffled deck - to cut to the aces one at a time as in my first routine on DVD - 1.

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Stack.
This is my original way of stacking four aces for a five handed game of draw poker for a demonstration of card cheating. I published this idea in my blog books and also in a few of the magic message boards. My method of using the triumph shuffle has been copied quite a lot lately in magic. That is why I published it in one of my blog books and put it on my third DVD.

Later on I show how to use this staking method with the triumph cull.

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Cull - Stack Method One.
This is the first method I give about how to cull cards (aces) on the fly and stack them for a five handed game of poker.

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Cull - Stack Method Two.
This is the second method I give about how to cull cards (aces) on the fly and stack them for a five handed game of poker.

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Cull - Stack Method Three.
This is the third method and the one I use most often that I use to cull cards (aces) on the fly and stack them for a five handed game of poker. I use this technique as a demonstration of how card sharps cheat at card games.

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Cull - Stack - From A Slug.
This is how I cull stack from a slug of cards using the triumph cull stack. Four aces are placed into the deck and shifted - together. And I teach how to cull stack the four aces for a five handed game of poker from this slug of aces!

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Cull Stack A Demonstration.
This is how I put all the culling and stacking methods together in a demonstration of how to cull and stack three or four of a kind in a demonstration of cheating at draw poker.

Also a cull stacking on the fly in a game of five card stud while a game might be in play and tips on how to use this as a demonstration of card cheating. Cull stacking on the fly - using cards from the previous deal or using the discards to get a hand to be used in a cheating demo for blackjack (21) or Texas Holdem.

Glenn Bishop's Double Duke Triumph!
This is a routine of how I use the triumph shuffle to cull stack a five handed game of poker. Giving one player four kings and myself the dealer the four aces.

Glenn Bishop's Triple Duke Triumph!
This is a routine of how I use the triumph shuffle to cull stack a five handed game of draw poker giving one player four jacks another player four kings and myself the magician card shark dealer the four aces.

Glenn Bishop’s Slant On The Steven’s Cull!
How I use the Steven’s cull to cull cards and cut the aces. In my original routine Glenn Bishop Cuts The Aces that was on my first DVD!

Glenn Bishop’s Three Ace Cutting Routines!
These three ace cutting routines were in one of my blog books. The routines include my way of doing Marlo’s Miracle Aces, and one of my pet ace cutting routines I call The Challenge Ace Cutting, Plus my way of doing Scarne’s Aces.

The price of each book will be $75.00 each. I will only be selling 50 books and only 50 books at this time and have no plans to sell more. Several of the books are spoken for. Thanks for the interest in this project. And for looking at the video of my triple duke triumph that is playing to a very high download viewing to a world wide audience.

I may open up to doing sales advertising from here in my blog as early as next Friday each order will be done as first come first served!

Thanks for the interest.

The Buzz About A Book!

2008-07-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

I know that there is a buzz about my new book Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Triumph's. The Comb Bound book. Because I am getting e-mail asking when it is going to be done.

I just finished writing up my slant on the Steven's cull and how I used it in my world famous cutting the aces routine. Called Glenn Bishop Cuts The Aces. This was my signiture ace cutting routine that was on my first DVD. A lot of magicians copied the video of this routine that is on my web site.

The next thing to do is to write up my Three ace cutting routines and add the pictures. Then the final edit and the book will be done - the 50 books will be printed next week and the book will be ready to sell.

The cool thing about the triumph shuffle is that when using it to cull, stack, or cull stack from a slug - that it is a false shuffle. There is less of a problem of losing the desired cards - as the cards are culled and stacked in turn - as the go deeper in the deck as the next card is culled and stacked.

Just my opinion.

Onward and upward!

Stunned Silence!

2008-07-18T04:25:00.000-07:00

Guess what I am writing up today? My method for doing the double duke and triple duke triumph routines with the triumph shuffle. This is all going to be in my book Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Shuffle Triumph's.

This is the routine I posted video of on the web that shocked magicians and the magic world into a state of "stunned silence"!

After these chapters are written up I will add to the book my 3 ace cutting routines. Then do a photo shoot and add and edit the pictures. Then a final edit and then the book should be done sometime next week. My goal is to offer it for sale here in my blog next Friday!

Only 50 books will be sold - and some are already spoken for and I will most likely only be selling these books for less than a month.

And so it goes.

Just Knowing The Method

2008-07-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

I was performing the other day in my Restaurant gig. I did a table with a family two grown ups and two kids that were about 12 or 13 years old. A boy and a girl. I opened with my dice chop cup and then went into a pick a card trick. The boy was another watcher of the youtube video's and he said right away that he knew all about card tricks. And the one that I did used a DL.

That is the funny thing about magic in my opinion and people that have an interest in magic. It seems that the learning of magic - for the student - is all about the method.

There is a lot more to magic than just the method - however I am not performing in a restaurant to give magic lessons to kids that watch youtube. So I was nice - and switched methods - fooled them and entertained - and then went into the other parts of the table act and moved on to another table.

I love the kid magic know-it-alls that think that they are in the know - and then I fool them.

Speaking of methods - Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Triumph's Comb Bound Book - the writing part is almost done. I am down to the last five chapters. Then the pictures and the final edit.

Back to writing.

As I was saying

2008-07-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

The writing is going real well. It looks like I am going to be finished with this book before the end of July. Were doing a picture shoot this weekend. If it all goes right I will edit and drop in the pictures next week and then after that are the final edits.

It looks like the book will be done before the end of the month. Since I do not sell stuff from my web sites I will not be posting any information on selling the book at my web site. I only plan on selling 50 books. I am printing 60 but only 50 will be for sale. One may go to the magic castle library. The others to some friends that I know are interested in this kind of shuffle work.

I am also adding to the book my slant on the Steven's cull and my Original routine that was on my first DVD called Glenn Bishop Cuts The Aces. Plus I am adding the three ace cutting routines that was in a free blog book that I wrote called "Glenn Bishop's Three Ace Cutting Routines" (this includes my slant on Scarne's aces). Adding all this plus pictures to this larger book.

Thus making the book Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Triumph's (Comb Bound Book) a complete work on the ideas that I use and have done on riffle shuffle culling and stacking.

When the book is finished I will post about it and the ordering information here in my blog. That way when the book sells out - it is easy to delete the ordering information and end the selling part. There will also be no posting about this book by me in the popular magic message boards like there was when I was selling my limited DVD projects.

I think that because the Punch deal DVD I did was so good is the reason I have had so much e-mail from magicians that want more information about when this book is coming out.

And so it goes!

More About My Block Transfer Triumph Book.

2008-07-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you that writing a book is a lot more work but more fun than writing a blog. I am jazzed about this book I am writing. I just finished the chapter about culling and stacking from a slug by using the triumph block transfer shuffle.

The run down of the book sounds almost the same as the run down that is on the DVD. However in the book there is a lot more. Tips and tricks to culling and stacking on the fly. I get to go into some of the things like the important things of learning all three methods - and how they are helpful to learn - because when you - cull stack on the fly - you have no idea where the aces or needed cards are in the deck.

So there is going to be extra stuff like that in the book as well as how to cull and stack from the discards for a Texas Holdem or a five card stud demonstration. I have a friend that asked me if I will sell the DVD with the book and the answer is NO. I am not set up to produce DVD's at this time.

Back to writing!

And so it goes!

Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Triumph's The Book!

2008-07-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

It is great to be writing again and seeing the work get done. There is nothing like a deadline to get a job going and finish it. I guess I am one of those people that have to have a deadline in order to get things going. I have talked about this book for some time - time to write it.

As an interesting side note. The bandwidth at my web site has "jumped" quite a lot over the past few days. Magicians viewing the video of my "Triple Duke Triumph"!

I have been getting a lot of e-mail from a close friend giving me some great advice on how to put out magic books. He said today that a friend of his said I should print up more than 50 and not have a limit - and just sell them as the orders come in.

Well, back to writing.

And so it goes...

Triumph Shuffle Book News!

2008-07-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Since I put video of my Triple Duke Triumph at my Bish magic web site I have decided to start writing books again. And for now that will be the format that I will be publishing my stuff.

The first project will be almost done in two weeks. And that is a comb bound book called Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Triumph's "The Book".

This will be a comb bound book like my shell game book was only a lot bigger. I will print up 60 copies and sell only 50 comb bound books. The price of each book will most likely be around $75.00 and I will try (but may not) ship it almost anywhere - and if it is shipped in the USA we will most likely pay the postage. Only 50 copies (Many books have already been spoken for) will be sold and they all will be numbered. When they are gone they will be gone as I have no plans on making this a regular thing.

These books are sold to magicians only!

The book will be half done in about two weeks and at that time I may - I may - I may (or may not) accept advance orders. Here is what is going to be in the book...

Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Shuffle Triumph's Comb Bound Book!

How To Cull Cards Using The Triumph Shuffle.
This is my never before published (except on my DVD) method (as far as I know) of how to cull cards one at a time using the Triumph Shuffle.

Triumph - Glenn Bishop Cuts The Aces.
This is my Glenn Bishop Cuts The Aces routine that was on my first DVD, only instead of using my slant on the Steven's cull - I use the Triumph cull to cull the aces one at a time from a shuffled deck - to cut to the aces one at a time as in my first routine on DVD - 1.

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Stack.
This is my original way of stacking four aces for a five handed game of draw poker for a demonstration of card cheating. I published this idea in my blog books and also in a few of the magic message boards. My method of using the triumph shuffle has been copied quite a lot lately in magic. That is why I published it in one of my blog books and put it on my third DVD.

Later on in the book I show how to use this staking method with the triumph cull. Glenn Bishop's

Triumph Cull - Stack Method One.
This is the first method I give about how to cull cards (aces) on the fly and stack them for a five handed game of poker.

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Cull - Stack Method Two.
This is the second method I give about how to cull cards (aces) on the fly and stack them for a five handed game of poker.

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Cull - Stack Method Three.
This is the third method and the one I use most often that I use to cull cards (aces) on the fly and stack them for a five handed game of poker.

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Cull - Stack - From A Slug.
This is how I cull stack from a slug of cards using the triumph cull stack. Four aces are placed into the deck and shifted - together. And I teach how to cull stack the four aces for a five handed game of poker from this slug of aces!

Glenn Bishop's Triumph Cull Stack A Demonstration.
This is how I put all the culling and stacking methods together in a demonstration of how to cull and stack three or four of a kind in a demonstration of cheating at draw poker. Also a demonstration cull stacking on the fly in a game of five card stud while a game is in play. Cull stacking on the fly - using cards from the previous deal or using the discards to get a hand.

Glenn Bishop's Double Duke Triumph!
This is a routine of how I use the triumph shuffle to cull stack a five handed game of poker. Giving one player four kings and myself the dealer the four aces.

Glenn Bishop's Triple Duke Triumph!
This is a routine of how I use the triumph shuffle to cull stack a five handed game of draw poker giving one player four jacks another player four kings and myself the magician card shark dealer the four aces. I would like to add that I think that the

Triumph shuffle invented by Dai Vernon is one of the most practical shuffles and there is a lot that can be done with it besides using it as just a false shuffle. Or using it to do the classic card effect "Triumph". That was published in the classic book "The stars of magic". The triumph shuffle can also be used to cull and stack cards on the fly and much more.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to produce this DVD and start to write this book on my work Block Transfer Shuffle Triumph's. And show the magic world just how useful the Triumph shuffle can be. A practical shuffle that has sadly fallen by the wayside in magic - with many card magicians favoring other riffle shuffle work.

Card Magic And Magicians (My Opinion)

2008-07-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

One of the reason's I used to talk with Jack Gwynne and Jay Marshall a lot about magicians like Paul LePaul and Nate Leipzig was - that they were card magicians. They did other magic to like coins - Leipzig used to do thimbles in his act. But they also did a lot of card magic.

I was into card magic. The best most entertaining card magician that I have seen perform card magic "live" is Harry Lorayne. I have seen him lecture and perform shows. He also has published a lot of books on card magic. All the books have great material in them. I do quite a lot of Harry Lorayne magic in my own act. I did a trick of his with cards called "foursome" just a few days ago and it knocked the audience cold.

I bet that some of you would think that I might have named Dai Vernon or Jack Pyle. I only do about two of Dai Vernon's tricks in my act. What I do with some of the Vernon stuff is take bits and ideas - small things. Like his idea for rub a dub dub. I worked out an audience tested routine with that card change - and card vanish idea. I like a few of the ideas in his cups and balls routine. And I use his idea of the triumph shuffle to cull and stack cards on the fly. And once and a while I do the trick Triumph that was published in the stars of magic.

I used to do the travelers (on and off) but I have found with a lot of Vernon magic that many of the routines are to long and drawn out for table restaurant magic (work). I think that it is more of the kind of magic that would work in a "formal" close up show.

And Jack Pyle was a performing magician that never published his stuff.

But I would also pick Jim Ryan as an outstanding performing magician with some great published card effects.

Just my opinion.

Onward and upward!

Not That I Am Ready To Retire That Is!

2008-07-11T14:49:00.001-07:00

Right now I am in the best shape of my life. And my creativity in magic is at an all time high and it keeps getting better with each passing year.

It is almost like I started with my cull cutting of the aces in my ground breaking routine - Glenn Bishop Cuts the Aces. Then topped that with the Punch Deal DVD. And then topped that with my Block Transfer Triumph's DVD.

Some of the free time that I have I am busy writing all this stuff down in book form. And I often wonder about releasing the best and unpublished stuff after I am not actively going after shows.
I got some moves with the shell game that are unpublished and - may not top my original routine. But these new and unpublished moves will add to what is already a great shell game routine with an outstanding ending.

Not long ago I was reading the book Spotlight On 101 Great Magic Acts by Tony Taylor. This is a book that has listed what a lot of the great magicians were doing in their acts. During the golden age in magic. Magicians like Blackstone, Calvert, Thurston, Cardini were listed and what they did in their acts. And there among all the "greats" during the "golden" age of magic - right along side of them is my Dad "Billy Bishop"!

Another great that was listed in the book that I knew quite well was Jack Gwynne. Who was not only a vaudeville headliner who performed in night clubs and in the circus. And on television but he also invented a lot of magic tricks that have become standard stage magic that is sold in magic shops. And still being sold today!

The really cool thing about Jack Gwynne - and knowing him is that I used to talk a lot about the magicians that he knew. And he knew everyone - almost! Magicians like Cardini, Nate Leipzig, Okito, Fu Manchu (Okito's son) Bert Allerton, Paul LePaul T. N. Downs - a lot of the great magicians my dad knew but a lot more of the older generation (his older generation) that my younger father never had a chance to meet. Because some of them were before his time.

I used to like to talk with Jack Gwynne about Nate Leipzig and Paul LePaul. Two master magicians that are almost forgotten today.

I often think that a magazine format might be the perfect format to publish this kind of magic and story. Then at times I think it might be better in book form. Then I think it might be better in an e-book. And then at times I think - to heck with it - after I retire and when I die, torch it all because it just may not be worth anything to publish it anyway. Seeing that there is little market for this kind of information in our world today (in my opinion).

Later!

Perhaps - Not So Odd Magic Thoughts!

2008-07-11T06:14:00.000-07:00

Jack Pyle used to talk about that. He had good bookings, was older but in good health. He used to talk about when would be a good time to retire from doing magic shows. The funny thing is that I knew a lot of magicians in their older years. And not one of them talked about retirement - except Jack Pyle. They all thought that it was to early to retire.

My dad used to think that he was going to write magic books including the story of his life in magic when he retired. Then like it happens to most people in show business he had health problems - a stroke and he was forced into retirement. I ended up writing a book about him and then he went off into retirement and later passed on.

One of the old time sayings in show business when you are a performer is. That you do not retire from show business - show business will retire you.

Sooner or later - the grind - health problems - old age. As the saying goes it will happen to me sooner or later.

Funny a lot of magicians that do magic as a hobby have talked to me about that they were going to do shows - steady shows after they retire from their day job. I find that it is an odd world that we live in. Magicians that do shows for a living would never retire from doing a lifetime of magic to go into retirement - and get a day job.

I think that in an odd sort of way that is as funny as all get out!

Just my opinion.

Onward and upward.

Odd Magic Thoughts!

2008-07-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

Man I missed it - one of my groundbreaking and innovative DVD's Glenn Bishop Punch Deck Pro DVD - 4 was selling this week on e-bay. And I missed it. I wanted to know how much it finally sold for. Just a side interest not that I was going to sell any DVD's myself on e-bay. I am not interested in selling magic or card cheating magic on places like e-bay or my web site for that matter. I used to run and work in a magic shop for over ten years. That is enough selling magic for me.

At times I wonder about my retirement. If I am going to retire or not. And if I retired what on earth would I do with all the extra time. It wouldn't be hanging out with local magicians, and it wouldn't be going to magic conventions or giving magic lectures.

I have often thought of starting a publishing company and doing a magic magazine and publish all the Bishop family magic secrets that have been handed down to me. Plus the ground breaking new stuff that I have invented over the years that is yet unpublished. But also add all the unpublished stuff that I have learned from my Dad - that he learned from others in magic that he knew and hung around with. Yes - the people that my dad hung around with was the cream of magic and magicians during the golden age of magic.

There is a lot of unpublished story and magic that has yet to see the light of day.

However - I have little interest in this or any other publishing - until after I retire from performing magic as a full time job.

Till then I will just keep adding new ideas to the stuff that I know and cataloging the ideas in my own archives.

Later!

The Most Comprehensive Work On the Punch Deal (My Opinion)

2008-07-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I have noticed that someone put a copy of my Glenn Bishop Punch Deck Pro DVD - 4 on E-bay this week. At this time it is the most comprehensive work on the punch deck and how to use the punch deck there is.

In my opinion it is ahead of anything that has ever been published in print on the punch. Most of that stuff is how to use it in a mental act. Or how to use it to get a hand in a poker game. For a magician the stuff on how to use it in a poker game isn't that good. Most of the stuff has to do with the second deal. And getting the hand when a magician uses it in a demonstration is not a guarantee.

My way of using the punch solves those problems. Not only can a magician get the hand when using it with the cull (Jimmy "Cards" Molinari's Cull) - get the hand whenever they want to they can run it up for a five handed game of poker. Or bring the hand to the bottom of the deck for a bottom deal or a center deal demonstration.

Magicians that are into punch work with a deck of cards and don't use it. Well, that is OK with me - because with what I use it for - it works for me and to me that is "all" that matters.

Just my opinion.

Onward and upward.

The Glass Chop Cup

2008-07-04T07:06:00.001-07:00

Here is my glass chop cup routine idea that I have published in several magic message boards a few years ago. Also I published it in my magic routine blog. And I published it in my blog book number four that use to be a free download that was at my bishmagic web site.

Chop cup glass vanish

Copyright 1990 by Glenn Bishop - Copied from my first lecture notes...

Another chop cup idea that I use (and have used for about 20 years) is cover a glass with paper.

I have a plastic rocks (bar) glass I use for this. I have a strong earth magnet in a ring. I have also loaded a pen with a strong earth magnet. And also a magic wand. I cover the glass with paper and use it as an impromptu chop cup. The I hold the pen with the strong magnet and the power of the magnet goes through the paper and the glass. I hold the pen like I am writing a letter between the fingers so the magnet inside the pen hits the side of the glass, The ball with the magnet clings to the pen against the side of the cup. I do a fake like I am dumping the ball into my left hand and then I with my left hand closed like it has the ball. I set the glass onto the table and remove the pen and the ball falls as I use the pen as a magic wand. I vanish the ball and it ends up under the paper covered glass. I use the wand in the same way and once and a while the ring with the magnet the same way. The climax is two loads and I lap the glass and crush the paper and the glass vanishes...

I also used to carry an earth magnet in my pocket and load it into a dollar bill for an impromptu ball. I just loaded it in as I rolled up the bill. Then I decided to use tape and just had a rolled up bill loaded in my pocket. But then I decided it was to much work and I just used the standard chop cup balls for the effect. The idea came from the Vernon Impromptu cups and balls in the stars of magic...

Afterthoughts on this...

This is a neat routine and I have used lemons as a final load just before the glass vanish. There was a time when I would walk up to a table and do this with an empty glass on the table. Wrapping the glass with paper napkins. The vanish of the glass is like the old salt shaker vanish once done by wrapping the salt shaker with a napkin and then lapping the salt shaker using a coin as misdirection. I used the earth magnet in the ring but I do not like warring rings when I perform so loading a strong earth magnet in a pen or a wand was much better. Plus if you do a French drop with the ball magnet it will attract to the ring if your warring it on a right hand finger. So I feel the pen and the wand is better.

The "Professional" Magician?

2008-07-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

The words professional and magician have taken quite a beating over the years. There are a lot of professional magicians and then there are not. Back in the old days being a professional magician meant that the magician makes his full living off doing shows. They performed in night clubs, vaudeville, schools, privet parties etc.

Today some magicians may argue about just what a professional magician is. Some will say that a professional magician is a magician that makes his full living off magic. That could be doing shows and lecturing to magicians at magic conventions. Plus it might mean that they also put out a line of products and sell them at lectures. And perhaps off a web site.

Or it could also mean that a magician makes part of their living off magic. The interesting thing is that there are magicians that do magic lectures for other magicians. And write books but they don't do shows or do magic for the lay audience.

I have often thought about the levels of magic and the interesting thing is that they sort of intertwine with each other.

1, We have the beginner magician - the person that is just starting out!

2, The intermediate magician - The person that has been in magic for a while and it becomes one of his or her main hobbies.

3, The advanced magician - The person has been in it for a while and they often experiment with magic and come up with their own ideas or their own improvements or perhaps their own slants on how they like to do their magic.

4, The last level is what I like to call the competition level of magic. That is that advanced magicians reach a certain point - and start to compete with other magicians in a way. This may be in publishing their own ideas or perhaps compete in a magic contest to get known in magic, but for another it may be doing shows and competing in the entertainment market.

In my opinion magic is like a sport or an activity and doesn't become a "performance art" unless it is performed as a show in front of an audience.

Those are the levels of magic in my opinion. Most of them have really nothing to do with being called a professional magician or not. Often the word professional is used as part of advertising in and out of the show business world.

Just my opinion.

Onward and upward.

Speaking Of Show Business Legends

2008-06-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

And speaking of show business troupers. I remember some of the really great one's. They were Jay Marshall, my dad Billy Bishop and Don Alan. Part of what made them great is that they were entertaining and they did not need magic props to entertain an audience.

Another dieing art in show business is the show business MC or master of ceremonies. It is the guy that used to go out in between the acts in a show. Tell jokes and build up and introduce the next act. Part of his job was to keep the show moving and fill in time if there was an act that needed clean up. And fill in time if an act had a set up problem.

Dorney Dornfield was one of the great magician MC's and so was "The Senator" Clark Crandall.

Here is one of the things that magicians do not talk about much today. It is that the people that I mentioned have the ability to be funny and entertaining - when your just taking to them. I remember being at an entertainers club when I was a kid. At this club - filled with entertainers.

Wit replaced conversation. What they did was tell and do gags and jokes and most of them went way out of their way just to top each other and get the biggest laugh. Or have the biggest impromptu one liner.

Jay Marshall used to do this at magic conventions. With him doing gags and telling jokes when he used to MC a show was a lot more important than doing magic tricks. Or doing some technical sleight of hand with a small group of friends.

In my opinion these entertainer club get together's were sort of a practice for them. I think that these old school entertainers used to sort of practice the art of being funny to each other, when they used to get together at these clubs and have a good time.

In other words - they were entertaining when they were on a stage - and they were entertaining when they were off the stage. And they were entertaining in-be-tween the different acts when they used to MC a show. And when they did magic they were entertaining in-be-tween the different happenings of magic - when they did magic in their own shows.

And that in my opinion is one of the small things that made them "Legends in Magic" And "Legends In Show Business"!

Just my opinion.

Onward and upward!

Show Business Trouper's

2008-06-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

That is what it gets down to that is missing in a lot of magic today. Professional magicians used to be what is called in show business "a trouper"!

The difference between a trouper and most of the magicians that do magic as a hobby - in my opinion is a like talking light years. Based on a lot of what I have read on the web - it seems to me that a lot of magicians don't know what a professional magician is.

Many may practice magic hard and take their magic seriously. Troupers practice magic and then build up a practice of satisfied clients - magicians that do magic as a profession and spend a lifetime building a show. And they build a good show business reputation having a long list of satisfied clients.

Back in the old days professional magicians "didn't lecture" or even go to magic clubs or magic conventions. They did not have the time. They were to busy selling and trouping their show.

Most of the really great legends of magic were also great entertainers. Most of them could go out on the stage and entertain without magic. Many of the hobby magicians don't understand this. The legends in magic - the real entertainers could go out there and entertain with no magic props. With nothing. They could go out there on a stage and entertain - with nothing but their own likeable personality.

I have known a lot of entertainers in my day. I grew up in show business. Many used to say if you could not go out there and entertain without a magic trick in your hand. If you could not be entertaining without the props - then you were not an entertainer.

Magicians that think that they can buy their act just by going to a magic shop and pick up some stage tricks and the latest DVD have a lot to learn. I can walk out on a stage without anything at all except a microphone and a row of chairs and entertain an audience of over a thousand people for 90 minutes.

I have done it.

To entertain an audience of over a thousand people with nothing but a microphone and a row of chairs using the strength of my own personality.

That is just one of the things that makes me different than a hobby magician. That perhaps might be just a little bit board by magic. And it is one of the things that makes me a "trouper"!

Just my opinion.

Onward and upward!

What makes a magician a trouper?

2008-06-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

It is the same thing that makes any other kind of performer a trouper. They are the kind of performers that have the "experience" where they can do a show in just about any kind of show business situation. Or any kind of performance venue - with or without a stage.

Troupers - Troup a show that is want they do. Some have an agent that finds them work. Other's have to get out there and pound the pavement.

I have been asked what it takes to go from the hobby stage of magic and move onto the professional stage in magic. Well, that is a big deal for some people. But it was never a big deal for me. I started on the professional stage because if I wanted to do magic - in our family we did magic to make money.

I did not start to do magic because I needed attention. I also did not start to do magic to make up for something that I lacked in social skills. Or to meet girls or so people might like me.

I started in magic because I saw my Dad loved doing it and he made money doing it. I thought that was a cool thing being able to make money doing something that you love doing. In order to do that first I had to get a show that would be the kind of show people (clients) would pay money to see. So I did magic shows for free for about two years - learning how to entertain people.

Often the reason that people complain about seeing so much bad magic today is because magicians don't do a show. They do tricks for their own amusement. Tricks that "they" like to do. Magic tricks that please them. If it is a business the thing is in order to be successful in my opinion. Is to have an act that a client would buy. Why would a client buy a magic act? Because they have a need - to "entertain" an audience. It might be a birthday party, a club, a family back yard party, or a block party.

There are several needs. There is an audience that needs entertainment. So I worked out a show that would fill that need. And I worked out a show by doing a show over and over again for different audiences. Putting in magic that they liked and taking out the magic that they did not like. After about two years I had a show that a client would put down money to book.

Over the years that show grew changed - and I have added new ideas and more entertainment.

It really cracks me up that magicians that do magic as a hobby don't understand how much work goes into putting a show together. Some think that all it takes to get a magic act is to go to a magic shop and buy a magic act. They think that they can go into any magic shop and just buy a complete magic act like they can buy a magic set.

Magic in the world of entertainment isn't about the tricks it is about the audience having fun through the presentation - and the audience involvement. Technical ability that many of the hobby magicians prize so highly is only a small part - and then only on rare occasions it is important - with only a few magicians.

Skill is important but it is secondary to the magicians personality and being the kind of person that is likeable. The kind of person an audience would like to know. I have seen quite a few magicians with limited technical ability and they were likeable people that were great talkers end up to be great entertainers.

But there is a lot of work that goes into a magic show that the audience doesn't see and the hobby magicians - a lot of them just don't seem to understand. That make a magic show a strong evening's entertainment - and have that professional touch gained only through "Experience!"

Just my opinion.

Onward and upward.

What Makes A Magic Legend? (My Opinion)

2008-06-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

That is what I have decided to talk about here in my blog. Just what does it take to become a magic legend? In my opinion "all" the legends of magic were performers. They were magicians that did shows for the lay audience. To me none of this performing magic for magicians holds up to a magician that does shows for the lay audience all their life.

My Dad was one of those performers. He did magic shows in night clubs, fairs, festivals, television, circus and just about every kind of performing stage that you can think of. He was successful at all kinds of shows that he did.

In my opinion this kind of a magician is - the performing magician is becoming a lost art. When magician talk about a magician that is not a performer - and has only written a book or a few books on magic - technique or theory. Only lectures at conventions and then they get all excited about this technical guy - that could not entertain a large audience of over 1000 people even if they wanted to. Or they couldn't even entertain 25 eight year old kids at a birthday party.

I often think that magic has gone off track when it is filled with the talk of self important people that think that magic is all about how cleanly they can bring a card to the top of the deck. For me magic has never been like that. My interest in magic was only from the point of view of a business man. Even when I was young and doing birthday parties as a way to generate an income to buy more magic.

And that is what it takes in my opinion to become a legend in magic. That is to do shows and be an entertainer. Rather than a guy that just does it as a hobby. All the legends in magic in my opinion are the entertainers. People like Paul LePaul, John Scarne, Billy Bishop, Jay Marshall, Glenn Haywood, Jack Pyle. These guys took technical magic and not only made it interesting but they made it entertaining for the lay audience.

And they had a lifetime of success doing it.

Having been booked and out there working for just about every kind of audience - on just about every kind of performance stage that I can think of. People in magic have forgotten about that.

The ability to perform magic and be successful over years - doing shows and meeting the performance challenges of the many different venues that show business had to offer a magician when they went out and did a show.

Add to the years - of doing magic and being successful over a lifetime.

That is what makes a magic legend.

Just my opinion.

Onward and upward.

Last Post

2008-06-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks - just to let people that read this blog know that this is the last post in this blog. Also thanks to the people that contacted me - and wanted my new DVD. Glenn Bishop's Block Transfer Triumph's DVD - 5.

I sold out of them - the ten DVD quota in a few hours.

I also sold out of the Glenn Bishop's Punch Deck Pro DVD-4 in about two days.

I am not taking any more DVD orders at this time and have no more plans to sell any more DVD's.

This was a cool post to end this blog on.

Thanks again.

Happy Fathers Day - Again

2008-06-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

To all the magicians out there and other people that make up our modern show business audience we wish you all a happy Fathers day.

Pictured is my dad performing his world famous rope tie escape. This was a comedy escape that he performed on the Ed Sullivan show and the Palace theater back in the 50's. The Palace theater was the top vaudeville theater in the world and only the "top" acts were booked to perform at the Palace. As only the top variety acts were booked to perform on the television show that was later to be called the Ed Sullivan show.

My dad performed on a lot of television in those days and even pioneered his own television program called Billy Bounce for kids. The interesting thing about my dad and his tricks is that this routine - the rope tie as we in our family called it. Well, the rope tie was one of the magic routines that was in his act that was - shall we say - the most borrowed routine (without asking) by amateur magicians than any other magic routine that was in my dads act.

I remember my dad suggesting to me that I should start doing his rope tie routine and then he added - "Why not? - everyone else seems to be doing it! Why not my own son doing my signature routine?"

Magicians that borrow material and Don Alan used to say steal instead of borrow. Magicians that borrow material have no idea what a signature trick is or was in the days of vaudeville. In the old days magicians and jugglers and other acts would have one trick or stunt that made them famous. Houdini did the milk can and later the water torture cell. Jack Gwynne produced a stack of fish bowls.

My dad did this comedy rope escape and he was booked on the strength of this one signature trick that was in a comedy act that lasted only eight minutes. And to get that eight minute comedy act he performed for over 20 years of doing shows.

That was twenty years of hard work of performing - editing - performing - editing - performing and so on to get that eight minutes of solid entertainment that got him to the Palace theater and then so on to the Ed Sullivan show and onward.

Then magicians saw the trick on these performing stages - liked it - worked it out and then shall we say borrowed the idea and then added it to their own programs. Why work 20 years to get eight minutes of good performance material when you can just borrow the material that the professionals do on TV was the attitude of many of the amateur magicians of the day!

Today - it seems the popular thing to do is watch the video on the web - or get that next new great DVD - and then sell it to get the next one.

As I close this post.

Happy Father's day!