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

Joe Ferranti Boston Magician

My Boston Office?

When clients are looking for a magician, most often they go to Google and enter a search for what they are looking for. As a magician, there are two basic ways to attract clients. 

If you want to pay for an ad, it will get you instant results of top page exposure.

Most of us choose to use SEO to rank high on the results page. As a general rule, anything short of the first page is useless. It takes some knowledge and patience, but most of us can find a spot legitimately.

 Boston Magician Joe Ferranti struggles for Google results!

I work in the Boston area for most of my jobs, but actually where I work matters little. What does matter is what potential clients search for. One of the most coveted search rankings is Boston Magician. Go ahead, check it out. You can see its importance by the number of paid ads in this category.

I have worked carefully with SEO to break this barrier...with no success. The result is I get less recognition. Less recognition equals less work, less work equals less $$$, and that's just the way it is.

Boston Area Magician Discovers Secret!

I finally realized why I was missing the Google Three Pack...I don't know how it evaded me for so long. 

The top results for Boston Magician all "lived" in Boston. I live right outside the city, but useless for SERP. Having a Boston address was the missing piece of the puzzle.

Now, I won't mention any names, but on further investigation, I discovered a couple of magicians had more than one address. I've got a little secret for you. Some magicians make some serious money, but just a handful make enough to own two houses or a residence and an office in Boston. 

Google Frowns on Fake addresses...

Google has pretty clear-cut rules on Black Hat and White Hat practices using their service. Using a false address is clearly forbidden by Google and the penalty is pretty severe. I don't imagine Google has the time or inclination to investigate on its own. Surely there are far more serious infractions on their rules that attract their attention.

Best Wishes,

Magician serving Boston area...but don't live there...so I'll see you on page 2 of Google...what's that? You never go past the first page? Hmm, what does it cost to fabricate an address?  ;)

Joe Ferranti