Let’s start at the beginning…….

I guess you could say I was a late bloomer. My lifelong interest in magic is not exactly that, “lifelong “. It started when I was 18 years old, on a trip to College Station, Texas with my best friend and his family.  His family also had a friend with us from Australia who made a silk napkin disappear 12 inches from my face, and from that moment on I was hooked.  My life has never been the same since that day.

For the next 37 years, I would dive in and out of the world of magic. Sometimes taking very long stints in  studying and reading and new effects. Other times, I would go for months or years without giving it much thought at all. Then, in 2015, Magic returned, but this time, it decided to move in.

Throughout my life I had always wanted to perform, but, like most of us, never felt confident enough or skilled enough to actually go out and do it.  I was able to pull together a few shows that were tied to being an MC at a graduation dinner or family gathering at church.  But these few times we’re pretty much all I was able to do, and most of the time I felt like I was wasting time.  It was frustrating and it was depressing and it was self-fulfilling. “The less effort I put into it, the less success I had.  The less success I had, the less effort I put it to it. Lather, rinse, repeat”.  I still had the deep love for the entertainment craft, but like so many of us, I just didn’t know where to go or how to get past my procrastination.

Then came 2015.

I can’t explain it, but that year my mind begin to focus more and more on doing something in public, something on the street.  I had no experience doing that, but that didn’t matter inside somehow. The “itch” to go out and perform was there, and I was obsessing. It was exciting to have all of this renewed energy, and terrifying at the same time. I was afraid that this surge if interest would flitter away (just as every surge prior had done), procrastination would take over, and my confidence would again settle-in to limit me.

But in 2015, I put my foot down.

I decided that this surge of energy was going to be the one that actually produced fruit.  Only one problem remained: how the heck do I get started?

I became a sponge!  I consulted more people that I can count and took everyone’s advice.  I read books.  I watched videos.  I scoured the Internet for articles and read everything that I could about how to start a magic show. I wanted MY magic to have a show: short, yet entertaining. That was my focus.   But that focus did not help me as nearly as much as I hoped it would.   I had no specific direction in mind and was stalled.

I knew that a magic show could not be about me.  I knew I had to develop a CHARACTER to center the show around, and that the character himself would dictate what direction to go.

I had to think about what characteristics this person would have: was he funny? Was he a serious performer? what about his clothing? Tuxedo? Torn jeans and ruddy tennis shoes? I had to flesh him out so that I could identify who he was.  I struggled for weeks trying to figure out this guy!  I searched for him in every magazine and on every website, but I just couldn’t find him.  After what seemed an eternity, I accidentally stumbled across a book which gave me the “YOUR CHARACTER LIVES HERE”  billboard, and changed my entire life.

The book was titled “the medicine show manual” and was written by a man who had spent decades crafting a magic show in the genre of the old West snake-oil, pitchman.  We all know the type from western movies and TV shows. The Snake Oil salesman, driving a tall wagon, stopping in town, folding out a large stage from the side of the wagon, and proceeding to pitch his wares to the unsuspecting and ignorant townsfolk. That was the character I found in the book, and that was the character I found inside me!

May I introduce ………

Prof. Thaddeus Longbottom!

This character was perfect for me.  It was serious, yet somewhat comedic.  It was dramatic, yet lighthearted.  Everyone could relate it it.  It provided the perfect costume, props, line of effects.  Everything wrapped up and hidden within the guise of promoting and selling a product.

And not just ANY product!  This character showed me that even the sale product could lend itself to becoming part of the show.  It would not be just some “item for sale”,  it would become an extension of the character.  All of these thing, these thoughts and ideas, came rushing into my mind the same time.  For the next several weeks, it was all I could do to sort them out on paper and try to organize everything.  Everything needed a different category, so that each could be developed.  It was a very daunting, yet exciting, task.

First, I came up with a name of the product that the pitchman would sell.  I wanted the name to sound serious, but for the crowd to immediately recognize the embedded humor and ridiculous nature of the product.  I wanted the show to be loaded with double entendres.

Ultimately, every joke (as well as the tone of the audience) would be on the salesman character himself, regardless how hard he would try to convince the crowd of his product’s value.  The salesman character had to be serious in his delivery of his pitch.  He had to believe that what he was trying to say was actually the truth.  That he was the greatest salesman ever. That people had no choice but to believe him.

On the other hand, the crowd would instantly recognize the salesman as a fraud.  That anything he said was utter nonsense, and he would become the unknowing brunt of the joke.  A sympathetic comedic character.

The one amazing thing would be this:  as the salesman demonstrated his product to the crowd, the product would ACTUALLY PERFORM just as he described…… for all 1001 uses …….

…… as if by MAGIC!!!!

As I begin to flesh-out the character, all other aspects of the show began to emerge and take shape. Because it was an old west style performance, the costume needed to be of that era. The effects needed to be rustic in appearance and in keeping with that style of show.  So I started making a list of effects.  At the same time, I started the costume.  I knew that I didn’t have a wagon, so I started building props that would be used by the character. These props were ornate, mechanical, and steampunk in nature.  There were banners that would spring open, with printed phrases from the sales pitch meant to reinforce the validity of the product, but unwittingly illustrating its idiotic nature for the savvy crowd’s entertainment.

I needed amplification: battery powered, of course.  With microphone.  And don’t forget a musical soundtrack for use before, during, and after the show.  Can anyone say thumb drive?

While I was doing all these things, my mind was also looking ahead toward booking.  I knew that once the medicine show was ready to be performed, there would need to be an instantaneous way for people to book. So, I created a website and an email address.  I didn’t want paper business cards.  Would my character use paper cards?  Absolutely not!  He would be more creative than that.  So my character made me contact a company in Florida that made wooden tokens.  They created 1000 or so tokens with my logo, website, and email information laser engraved on each one.  My character knew how unusual they were, making them indesposable.  This would draw attention to the show in ways that those regular business cards might not.  The Professor is much smarter than I.

Once I had everything planned and written, built and sewn, organized and assembled, I began the long, arduous process of rehearsing.  I knew the style of script delivery that the character would bring had to sound dramatic, yet methodical, almost mechanical and robotic, as if it had been memorized and delivered hundreds of times before.  The worst car dealership commercial on steroids!!

I began memorizing the script word-for-word, so that it would sound authentic.  I made an audio recording of it and would listen for hours as I drove in my car for work.  The drawback of this script was that it gave very little flexibility to me as a performer.  I had to stick to the script in order to make the show work, and there was virtually no room for impromptu, seat-of-your-pants performing.  All of the mechanical banner activations, effects, musical cues, and even character movement around the props were carefully scripted, memorized, and rehearsed.  Penn & Teller would be proud!

FINALLY!!!!!

Fast forward to 2020.

It’s been a very hectic 56 months.  From absolute ground zero, I’ve built and developed what I think is a fantastic show concept.  It’s finally time to start reaching out to book the show.

Character development: DONE

Scripting: DONE

Costumes: DONE

Effects: DONE

Props: DONE

Amplification: DONE

Sound track: DONE

Website: DONE

56 months of work: DONE

March comes and brings COVID -19.  The pandemic begins and the entire show comes to a screeching halt.  Completely defeated, completely deflated, completely demoralized.  Everything that I’ve worked so hard for over the last 5 years gets locked away in storage.

Professor Longbottom and I go home.

….. and wait.

Fall of 2022

I’m re-emerging and have stepped back from what I created.  I want to look at all of it with fresh eyes.  Life for me is way different than it was just a couple of years ago.  My wife and I have custody of 3 toddler grandchildren (1 boy age 3 and his twin 2 year old sisters), and I can tell you that, at 55, my life is no longer my own.  Both of us have had to make deep changes to our free time activities, so any outside-of-home callings will have to be paused.  The Medicine Show, as designed, must wait a bit longer.  But Professor Longbottom is still with me.

He wants to review everything.  See if there isn’t a way to reset with a MUCH smaller street show.  Perhaps a 5 to 10 minute sidewalk show occasionally.  He and I are looking into it and exploring what options are available.

For now, we are writing more, and enjoying how much magic has blessed our lives.  For now, we’re gonna share more of that love with others.  See if we can’t help pass along some wisdom to some younger magicians.

Magic blessed me at 18.

Magic is blessing me at 55.

Magic will continue to bless me, as long as the Professor stays beside me.

After all, we’ve got a new family to share these blessings with. So when the opportunity presents itself, I know that Prof. Thaddeus Longboottom won’t let me down.

Cheers, Jimmy!!