The Magicanada Project

Michael Kras · Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 2:31 am Post subject: What We Really Need

I've been talking to a few people and a big issue has been brought to my attention.

We aren't buying the stuff that will be fully beneficial to us. Most of us here are, after all, students. We should be, for the most part, studying the classics and studying theory, not picking up all sorts of junk from places like Theory11. Learning how to become proper performers and learning the material that will inspire our magic styles the most is so important. I know I'll be buying a lot more of the classics and a lot less of the hyped-up crap.

Some things that have been recommended to me:

Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz
Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber
The Magic Way by Juan Tamariz
The Vernon Chronicles by Stephen Minch

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Michael Kras
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Liam · Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 424

i agree that it is very important to learn from the classic books and teachers.
But i not everything that comes out these days is crap.
Like gazzos book on kroud keeping is a little packet of genius.

And you dont really know what will be "fully beneficial" to us intill we own it.

Michael Kras · Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 3:28 am Post subject:

You're right, I don't... but a lot of the books mentioned above are going to benefit most any magician.

I also know that not everything out there is crap... but a sad lot of today's stuff is, and a lot of it is virtually useless unless we understand the basics. It's alarming to see how many magicians actually don't... learning the psychological nuances and performance abilities that are essential to producing the best possible performance.

Then again, I only own a few books on this sort of topic myself, so I can't totally truthfully say the above. I say it based on what I have read.
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Michael Kras
Forum Administrator

Michael Kras · Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 4:32 am Post subject:

I suppose I came on to this topic rather strongly. While it is recommended that we students study some of these classics, it isn't necessary to swear by them and only them. Every magician makes his way to excellence in a different way. I've got my own plans, and I'm sure many of you have some too... we should go about our plans however we wish to, and as long as they are logically constructed, we will all become excellent magicians over time.

One of my favourite projects in magic is this very forum... it's a great way for all of us to help each other learn, share, grow, and get advice from the members who know their stuff. It's certainly taught me a lot.
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Michael Kras
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LIVR · Joined: 29 Aug 2008 Posts: 52 Location: Ontario

Michael Kras · Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 1:07 am Post subject:

In all fairness, I didn't just refer to them as classics, I also referred to them as theory resources. Books like Strong Magic and Maximum Entertainment aren't so much classics as they are essentials in the magician's library.

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Michael Kras
Forum Administrator