Magical Beginnings of a Boston Magician part 5

 

Society of American Magicians

Continuing from my last entry, I was at Diamond’s Magic getting to know the owner, Eddie Gardner. It pleasantly surprised me to learn that Eddie discounted all books at 20%. I believe it was the same with VHS Videos. (It was a long time ago.) Well, at this point in my life, I had some expendable income, so my library quickly filled in.

On one visit to the shop, Eddie was telling me about a lecturer coming to SAM 104. (SAM stands for The Society of American Magicians.)

I hesitated, as I am a bit of a loner. Never joining clubs as a young boy. I think Eddie took my hesitation as a sign that I didn’t want to pay the fee for the lecture. So, he invited me to be his guest… no charge. That was nice, but money was not the issue, just my insecurity, so I took a leap of faith and joined the club. It was a great experience. I learned a lot from the lectures and had a place to perform without judgment.

Learning the Craft of Performing Magic

The members of the club were welcoming and encouraged me to perform. I made a few friends who remain friends to this day. I still was not performing for “real people.” which refers to laypeople. However, a few of us who wanted a little more than a monthly meeting began getting together once a week. It was an additional safe space to perform. 

I learned several members performed professionally or semi-professionally, something I never considered, as I always thought I was not good enough to do so.

With all the information I had with my library and videotapes, I learned Strolling/Walk Around Magic. Even when I thought I was ready, I did not want to take anyone’s money until I was confident in my ability to entertain with magic.

A friend of mine knew a woman who was putting on a graduation party for her son and recommended me as entertainment. So, I had a job, well not an actual job, as I would not take any money. I insisted on working for free.

My first performance at the Graduation party went very well. It was obvious the graduates enjoyed the magic by their excited reactions. The success of that performance gave me the confidence to proceed performing as a semiprofessional magician.

My Website www.ferrantimagic.com

I now felt ready to go to work, and at just the right time, another friend offered to set up a website for me, at no charge. This was a game changer. I had met Walter Osterman through the SAM. We shared an interest in magic and enjoyed each other’s company at the local club and attended a few local conventions. I didn’t realize it, but Walter ran his own business, Social Mavens a marketing and communications agency.

Walter did it all. He came to my house, took pictures and some promo video. He put together a professional website and ran it for me for ten years, simply out of kindness.

If not for Walter’s efforts, I would not be doing what I enjoy in my retirement years. All I can say is THANK YOU. (In capital letters.) 

Performing as a semi-professional Magician in Massachusetts

Over the last eleven years, I have had a great journey. I still perform much of the same material I used in my first performance. The material evolves with repeated performances. You get some of the best lines by listening to your audience. The more opportunities you have to perform improves every aspect of the material. I am still learning and working at being a better entertainer each time I perform.

Referring to being a semi professional is intentional to not ruffle the feathers of the “professionals”. I deliver professional caliber magic, but I don’t pay all my bills, health insurance, etc. from my magic income. (I pay taxes on it.)

As for the full-time professionals, I have the ultimate respect. A serious professional needs to work constantly, and earn enough to pay for their own health care, not to mention, setting up their own investments for their retirement. This requires serious self discipline, and few “pros” really commit strictly to this regiment.

Advice on becoming a Professional Magician

 If you decide to take this path, I would recommend you seek the wisdom of Paul Gertner.

If you ask nicely, I know Paul will share the “secrets of success”. I’m talking about the business side requirements. Paul is one of the most successful trade show magicians of my time.

What he cannot share is his hard earned talent. His list of accomplishments is very long. You may have heard of him from his appearances on Penn and Teller Fool Us. Magicians know Paul for his Steel and Silver routine. Which is a cups and balls routine with steel ball bearings. The steel balls make the trick “impossible” to understand for magicians and laypeople. He has contributed magic to David Copperfield. Also contributing material to the fraternity. He put out a VHS/DVD series named after his book Steel and Silver. One of his most popular card tricks in his book and videos series, “Unshuffled” has found its way into the repertoire of many working magicians.

If you are in the Boston area, you can catch Paul at his show, Miracles and Other Deceptions.

If you live in the Boston area and want a Parlor Show or Strolling Magician, please contact me. 339-927-4710 The Very Best in Close-Up Magic! (except for Paul Gertner and a couple others, call me and I’ll let you know who they are.)

Thanks for making it through 5 blogs of Magical Beginnings.

Magical Beginnings of a Boston Magician Part 4

March 13th 2022  Skyplex Venue Everett Ma.

Back into Magic:

Ten years have passed. I’ve been busy with other things and had no time for “magic.”

Around 1985, I had a renewed interest in sleight-of-hand magic. So I picked up where I had left off and continued my study. It was a private, quiet pleasure. I enjoyed practicing. Hours could pass, but it was not a chore. If you do not enjoy the “work” required to attain the skills necessary for sleight of hand, you’ve chosen the wrong hobby. Dai Vernon said,” If it was easy,everyone would be doing it.” 

As I mentioned previously, I never had a mentor, and that came at a severe price. Although I enjoyed my books, it was impossible to learn everything from the written word. However, videotape players were common in nearly every household. In fact, there were two competing formats, but this is all history. The VHS format won the battle.

It wasn’t long before Tannen’s Magic to introduce their “Stars of Magic” Video Tapes. These featured well-known magicians teaching their material and some of the more difficult to learn sleight of hand. For the first time, the student could have a “mentor” with a video player and a TV.

When I combined my book library with some visual aids (video tapes) my skills grew rapidly.

Who is your audience?:

Performing was a unique challenge. Magic is a performance art. Ultimately, it needs an audience. This is the biggest problem for most amateur magicians. Mostly, we rely on family and friends. Honestly, we’re not the best magicians and they’re not the best audience.

Our family and friends know us well. This familiarity can make them a challenging audience. Our familiarity allows them to interrupt a performance with questions or grab our props for inspection. It’s a wonder that anyone gets past this hurdle to becoming a professional performer.

( It’s a two-way street, we also bear responsibility. Do we present our magic in a “challenging manner”? We can learn a lot when we finally perform for an audience of strangers)

The Internet arrives:

I can not remember the year, but I was searching for a “slot box” on the internet. (A slot box is a magic prop for holding coins.)

I found a supplier who apparently had what I was looking for. The company was Diamonds Magic, and I called to get information.

“Diamonds magic…” were the first words I heard. I learned I was talking to Eddie Gardner, and yes, he had what I was looking for. He asked me where I lived. I told him, “Wilmington”. At that point, Eddie suggested I stop by his shop in Peabody to see the prop. That was a big surprise… there was a real magic shop in Peabody? The only shop I was aware of was Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. Which was a well stocked and long established magic shop in Boston. My only hesitation with dropping into Hank’s was the Boston drive and, more so, the Boston parking.

So,I got directions and headed to Diamonds Magic.

In my next and final “Magical Beginnings” I cover the transition to performing as a semi-professional.

Joe Feranti

The Magic of Joe Ferranti

Ferrantimagic.com

339-927-4710

Boston Magician

 

Magical Beginnings of a Boston Magician Part 3

Magical Beginings Part Three-The Magic of Joe Ferranti

In the mid 70’s I began my study of magic as a young adult. I was interested mostly in Card Magic and Coin Magic..

I enjoyed my magic books, although it was sometimes difficult if not impossible to interpret a sleight from the written word. As for mentors, I never had one. I made the best of what resources I had, and learned a lot from what I could extract from my books. Some sleights or tricks, would be impossible for me to process, leaving my development handicapped in some areas.

My main interest was card magic, it always fascinated me. From the stage magicians who would pluck cards out of the air, almost endlessly, to the Close-Up Magicians who would find a previously signed card, inside an envelope, inside a zippered compartment of a wallet.

Perhaps the most famous of card manipulators in the 20th century was Cardini. (Richard Valentine Pitchford) I believe what made him the greatest card manipulator in history, was his stage character. I do not dismiss his technical skills which were second to none.

Cardini

As I recall, he was a British gentleman, returning home from an evening out, and appeared innocently, a little “tipsy”. I urge you to see him in video.

My interest  with cards was definitely in the card trick category. I was looking for something a little more “magical”than the twenty one card trick, or the obvious “Key Card” discovery, where you would simply look through the deck and pull out the selection and ask, “Is this your card?”

I previously mentioned Walter Gibson’s book. Soon after I discovered Close Up Card Magic by Harry Lorayne. A much treasured book of many magicians.I also discovered the work of Paul Harris, a young magician who had a unique perspective on magic.  His writing was fresh and amusing. No one had ever displayed a sense of humor in their writing of card tricks.

Paul also  found new uses for playing cards. Tearing holes in cards and linking and unlinking them like the famous Chinese Linking Rings. Or a regular deck of playing cards, turning into a solid block of cards.

I also started collecting the Tarbell Course in Magic. At that time, it was a collection of books which had been assembled from the original mail order, Tarbell Course in Magic. It is still considered essential reading to this day.

To be complete, I also studied the work of Martin A. Nash and Coin Work in Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic. 

Things sometimes change quickly, and in 1978 I stopped all my involvement in magic for about ten years. Next time, my return to magic, and eventually the joy of performing as a semi-professional.

The Magic of Joe Ferranti
Boston Massachusetts Close-Up Magician

 

Magic Beginnings of a Boston Magician Part 2

 Magic Beginnings part 2

The Magic of Joe Ferranti 339-927-4710

In 1973, NBC aired a new show called The Magician, starring Bill Bixby. The show only ran one season. I enjoyed the short cameos of professional magicians. One show had a very short clip of Dai Vernon performing his Cups and Balls routine. It began with a sequence of the vanish of three balls. I had a basic knowledge of sleight of hand and easily understood the vanish of the first two balls. What fooled me badly was the vanish of the third ball. This is what I saw. Dai placed the third ball in his hand. He merely closed his hand, and when he opened it, the ball was gone. Wow!, With my understanding of magic methods, this was not possible. Now I would attempt to find out how this was done.

I have lived the major part of my life without the internet, and such was the case back in the 1970s. By this time, I had discovered the Joke/Magic Shops in Boston. My wife at that time worked in Boston and would stop at Little Jack Horner's Joke and Magic Shop on Tremont Street and would pick me up books and various pocket tricks.

In 1975 Boston got its first Magic Shop. Hank Lee's Magic Shop. Just magic, no jokes, no backroom of "magazines", no smoke products or marijuana paraphernalia. Just magic, from pocket tricks to large illusions. Professional magic by professional magicians. A very special time, Magic Lectures, I.B.M. meetings.

Now I knew where to get the secrets I wanted. I tracked down a booklet on Dai Vernon's Cups and Balls routine for $5. (A bargain for the best Cups and Balls routine.) I learned it and performed it at every opportunity I could find, which was few. (More on this next time.)

Massachusetts Magician Joe Ferranti

The Very Best in Close-Up Magic

Walk Around and The Intimate Parlor Show

Magical Beginnings of a Boston Magician

 Early Introductions to Magic

                     Ed Sullivan

                          Mark Wilson

I first saw magic as a child on the Ed Sullivan Show and Mark Wilson’s, The Magic Land of Allakazam. To say I was fascinated was an understatement. At that time, when you saw a magician perform on TV, it happened once and there was no possibility to see it again and again, as the curious can do now. (The super curious can now examine a performance frame by frame!)

Living in a small town in Massachusetts, I visited the library to read every book available about magic and magicians. The reading was exciting to a young child, but the secrets I was hoping to find were not at The Public Library. 

So, my life moved forward with interests in drawing, painting and studies in music. Magic took a back seat. In fact, it was out of my life, and I had no expectation of its return.

Life goes on and we get married, have kids, work, get divorced etc. During this period something changed dramatically in the World of Magic with the arrival of Doug Henning and his Broadway debut in “The Magic Show”.

Later Influences in Magic

                    Doug Henning

As a young man, Doug had brought magic to a new generation as the Beatles had done with music. Gone were the stereotypes of how a magician would perform or dress. It brought a renewed interest to me. 

I was always on the lookout at bookstores for books on Magic, but the pickings were slim. Magic books could be found in the hobby section, but there were never many, and what was there was not very good. I had not yet discovered The Magic Shops in Boston.

My first discovery of a "Real" magic book, published for lay people was “The Complete Illustrated Book of Card Magic” by Walter Gibson. This brought me hours of delight, reading and practicing card magic. I also discovered some of the secrets I was searching for as a young child.

To be continued,

Joe Ferranti

Boston Massachusetts Close-Up Magician

A Different "Shut Down" 2022

                                                 The Magic of Joe Ferranti                                                    Top Rated Magician in Massachusetts

     

 January 2021, things were looking positive. Two vaccines had emergency use authorization and a third would be available in February. The only problem was getting an appointment for a shot. Surely we were on our way to ending the pandemic in our country and would move on to help others less fortunate.

On the business side, there was no demand for my Magicians services in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, where I receive 90% of my gigs. As many know, some magicians/entertainers had added virtual services for their clients. It seems to have worked well for some, I chose not to add virtual services for many reasons. Mainly, my knowledge of the technical aspects of providing a virtual show would likely fail to offer a satisfying experience for my clients.

Encouragement came in the spring, as I was contacted to perform for the graduating class at Billerica High School. The event would take place outside, the students and I would be masked. Not my preferred way to work/communicate. However, it worked well and to the complete satisfaction of my clients. (reviews available for ferrantimagic.com on Google.)

When June arrived, I was contacted by the graduating class of Newburyport High School. A client I had worked for previously. At this point, I was vaccinated and so were the students. This was my return to performing in the manner I was comfortable with. The style of magic I perform is called, "Close-Up Magic." further explanation is not necessary.

And so it continued with many more performances, as people had regained a comfort level to gather in intimate settings. All was going great, with an expectation of a busy holiday season, and it was a busy season for holiday parties, Christmas parties, and a few birthday parties. Until...Omicron.

The cancellations began, some due to actual cases of covid, and more due to uncertainty.

As of now, I am not technically closed down, but I have no idea when I will receive my next inquiry. So, realistically, I am "closed down."

And on it goes... as of today, fully vaccinated in the U.S. is at 62.2% or 74% for one vaccination.

Joe Ferranti

Boston Massachusetts Close-Up Magician

339-927-4710  The Magic of Joe Ferranti

YouTube The Magic of Joe Ferranti Boston Magician

Massachusetts Magician, Joe Ferranti presents magic at a family gathering.

Although I perform primarily for adults, in the real world, children are often present.

They are happily included in the fun.

 Here's a family gathering in the summer, with an audience of all ages.

Boston's Favorite Magician

www.ferrantimagic.com

The Magic of Joe Ferranti

339-927-4710