Kind of negative, but here it is.

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ejay1118
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Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby ejay1118 » September 23rd, 2020, 3:06 pm

I love Genii. I love reading it every month. But something has begun to form in my head, and I have to share it.

It's not Genii's fault, it's mine.

I've read Genii, off and on, since the 70's. Back then, I would thrill at the stories of magicians, how they got where they were, and dream about when it was my turn.

Now? It's 2020, and I've begun to come to grips with the fact that it's NEVER going to be "my turn."

It's not the world's fault. It's mine. I never took the initiative to focus my magic, or to market myself to the world, and here I am; a 65 year old man, with a lot of magic books, doing magic on the street because it gives me some fulfillment.

It's not TOO late, the plan is to retire in two years and move into birthday parties and the like. But there's never going to be a cover story with my face on it, there's never going to be contests or nite-club contracts, I'm not going to do any cruise shows or multi-million dollar illusion shows at big casinos.

So, when I read about someone starting out at 14 and winning a competition a year later, getting contracts and doing lecture tours of magic clubs, I am saddened at my own lack of initiative and focus.

Sorry if I brought anyone down, but I wanted to get that off my chest.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Richard Kaufman » September 23rd, 2020, 3:38 pm

There's certainly no reason to be hesitant to face that you won't realize all of your dreams.
I certainly have not realized all of mine, though I have a lot to be thankful for.
There are so many amazing people and magicians I wanted to meet that I never will because of procrastination or misguided priorities. Sometimes it gets you down.
But, if you are not homeless and hungry, and you don't have a terminal illness, then there are always things to be thankful for.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Joe Mckay
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Joe Mckay » September 24th, 2020, 12:15 am

The biggest secret in magic is not to be found in any book, trick or DVD.

It is simply this.

Magic is the greatest hobby in the world.

Every second you have sent studying and enjoying the world of magic - is a pleasure that those unfortunate people who never picked up a copy of Tarbell will never get to experience.

Life is not about recognition, praise or awards.

It is about happiness.

There is no road to happiness - happiness is the road.

I have nothing but sorrow for those unfortunate souls who will never get to experience what we take for granted. That evening when you first understood that the Gilbreath principle was a thing of terrifying beauty (thanks, Max!). Or the time spent playing with a strange new principle discovered by Lubor Fiedler, or appreciating the vitality and freshness that Paul Harris brought into the world of magic.

The tapestry of magic is made up of thousands of such strands.

And it is a tapestry that we get to enjoy. And that 99.99% of the public never will.

Think of how many times you looked forward to receiving something fun in the mail. Whether that be a book, magazine, trick or DVD.

A lot of people go through life, and the only thing they ever have to look forward to receiving in the mail is bills and more bills.

Don't look at the magician on the cover of the magazine. Focus on the person who is lucky enough to be holding a copy of that magazine.

The fact that you are in a position to moan about your misfortune, blinds you to the real fortune that lies before you.

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time" - Bertrand Russell

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Paco Nagata
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Paco Nagata » September 24th, 2020, 9:11 am

That was a touching and wonderful post, Joe.
And the Russell's quote is great!

When I took up card magic being a child I used to ask myself if I would become a professional one day or perform on TV like my idol Tamariz.
Well, more than 30 years after that I'm still a family amateur. My fault? Not really.
Please, don''t blame yourself for that. You just may have not been in the right place at the right moment in a certain circunstance. Or you just couldn't get as much chance as others.
In my personal case, besides having a very big family, not one were never a professional magician and my father didn't care about it, so it was very difficult for me to get a good jump in the world of magic. Nevetheless I loved it and couldn't forget about it. I have been very happy about that precisely thanks to my relatives and friends as they used to call me "The Magician" or "The Little Tamariz." It was always more than a prize for me!

As Richard said, everybody has some dreams that don't come true. The thing is to be happy with what we have, instead of lamenting about what we don't have.

I'm happy for being able to devote part of my time to card magic, and now I'm specially happy for being able to be here in Genii Forum writting to many great magicians!

I appreciate extremely this opportunity in my amateur card magic life!
"The Passion of an Amateur Card Magician"
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PickaCard
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby PickaCard » September 24th, 2020, 9:45 am

I have been a long time Genii reader and amateur. As time has passed I have shown less and less interest in the Genii features on the latest big names, in a different but not so different reason than you explained. It would be nice to see more columns in Genii which talks to and explores the concerns of magic as a hobby as opposed to the numerous columns that speak to the aspiring professional. I still love Genii and the hard work put into this quality publication. It is the one thing I look forward to receiving in my mailbox every month.

Roger M.
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Roger M. » September 24th, 2020, 10:07 am

I'm not a performer at all, but I do enjoy spending months (if not years) researching magic related topics, and then showing them to my daughter, or the folks at work.
Design, research, creation, history ... all aspects of magic that don't require professional performance, but can bring a lifetime of "joy of learning" to the amateur magician.

I'm sympathetic to anybody who feels that they're somehow missing the boat, but in this case it might be more a case of overthink rather than a missed opportunity.
Take joy in the knowledge you already possess as it relates to magic ... and enjoy your ongoing journey in the craft (regardless of how that journey may manifest itself).

Leo Garet
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Leo Garet » September 24th, 2020, 11:03 am

With all due respect to Genii, it’s hardly failure if you’ve never been on the cover. If it is, we’re all (almost) failures.

For my sins I have been on the cover of Abra–-–way back when Stonehenge was a new build. And I managed a One-Man Parade in “Linking Ring” even earlier. I had a routine published in Abra, which Paul Daniels used on one of his TV shows. Wayne Dobson used a few patter bits and monologues in his stage shows before his illness took over. Now he has got something to grumble about.

Heady days. I’m still waiting for the accolades, kudos and autograph hunters to arrive.

I once strummed guitar in what nowadays they call a band. I’m still waiting for “Rolling Stone” to request an interview. Ditto various guitar magazines.

None of this is for want of trying, but it never happened, and frankly, who cares?

The nearest thing I’ve got to a wish list is that I wish I could go back in time and see my parents when they were, so to speak, at the the peak of their powers. But that’s not going to happen. I cherish the memories and trundle on in my own sweet way.

To sort of echo Mister Kaufman, if you got your health, you’re not doing so bad. Apart from a bad back, I’ve got mine. And so far our good friend coronavirus hasn’t knocked on the door.

I don’t think you meant to sound as negative as you did, but whether you did or not, methinks there’s enough good cheer here in the various posts to be thinking about.

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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Philippe Noël » September 24th, 2020, 5:42 pm

Hi ejay1118,
As you know, in life things don't always turn out the way we'd like them to, but luckily no one needs to be on the cover of Genii to be happy. :-)
Just enjoy life and magic and stop making yourself miserable thinking you should be famous in order to be happy because that is not true.

jason156
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby jason156 » September 24th, 2020, 7:23 pm

Don't assume that just because someone is on the cover of a magazine that they are happy, many of them are not.

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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Jonathan Townsend » September 24th, 2020, 10:57 pm

Every show for an audience brings a spin of the wheel of fame/fortune.

Fame, and the flying fickle finger of fate, are what others choose to make of you.

Dave Le Fevre
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Dave Le Fevre » September 25th, 2020, 4:31 am

Joe Mckay wrote:Magic is the greatest hobby in the world.
I have to agree. Most people go through a variety of hobbies, some of which they drop. But once you can do magic, why on earth would you ever drop such a hobby?

Joe Mckay wrote:Life is not about recognition, praise or awards.

It is about happiness.
That's true for hobbyists. Though probably not for professionals - they need publicity.

Joe Mckay wrote:There is no road to happiness - happiness is the road
For a magic hobbyist, that sums it up perfectly.

Diego
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Diego » September 25th, 2020, 7:25 pm

"I never won an Oscar, but I've loaned money to those who have."

Andy Devine

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Paco Nagata
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Paco Nagata » September 26th, 2020, 9:04 am

Joe Mckay wrote:"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time" - Bertrand Russell

I would like to follow this quote with this one:

"If you're not having fun, you're doing something wrong."

Groucho Marx
"The Passion of an Amateur Card Magician"
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erdnasephile
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby erdnasephile » September 26th, 2020, 10:30 am

ejay1118:

Thank you for sharing. I suspect that probably more than a few readers can empathize with what you are saying. The wistful view of a path not taken can often be a source of profound regret as we transition between stages of life.

My hope is that going forward all those happy smiles and squeals of birthday laughter will help you come to realize that ultimately, the person who truly decides whether you are a success in magic is you.

I wish you peace and contentment as you explore what lies ahead.

Edward Pungot
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Edward Pungot » September 27th, 2020, 8:57 pm

Death is the great equalizer.
If it's any consolation, we all make it into the obituaries. Mortality is the deadline to procrastination.

Imagine the state of magic 1000 years from now. If you can manage the quantum leap and report back to us, you'll have a cover story worthy of our attention.

Joe Lyons
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Joe Lyons » September 27th, 2020, 10:26 pm

Ejay, you'll find many people on this page who didn't come into their own until they were older than you. It's not too late to achieve anything you like - but like many on this post I agree that the journey is the thing. Carpe Diem!

ejay1118
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby ejay1118 » October 3rd, 2020, 12:03 am

Thanks, everybody. Especially erdnasephile! I know I should be happy with what I have. And for the most part, I certainly am. I just wish, sometimes, I'd been more focused in my formative years.

And, Edward? I see those people with long lines of followers at their funerals. Those are rich people, to have so many people to want to pay their respects. To be honest, they'll fit my entire funeral entourage into a chartreuse micro-bus! (Points for who gets the reference!)

Rob2100
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby Rob2100 » October 14th, 2020, 6:46 pm

But I bet you've given some people some good entertainment over the years Ejay. That is worth something.

ejay1118
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby ejay1118 » June 17th, 2021, 10:46 pm

Thanks, Rob. I hope so.

MagicbyAlfred
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Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.

Postby MagicbyAlfred » June 18th, 2021, 11:22 am

ejay1118 wrote:To be honest, they'll fit my entire funeral entourage into a chartreuse micro-bus! (Points for who gets the reference!)


I'd take a crack at trying to figure it out, but frankly, I've been too absorbed in obsessively watching the movie "Convoy" over and over again.


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