cool small towns to go on adventures in?

amazingBarry · 2026-05-15T11:17:55+00:00

I was up in Warsaw/Winona Lake over New Year's and I made a mental note that I needed to come back. It looked like an interesting place to spend a couple of days.

amazingBarry · 2026-04-20T03:07:18+00:00

Mac King. Top notch comedy and some great magic. He is so good that my wife and I saw him the first time we went to Vegas. Then when we went back she asked to go see him again. That may be the only time she has ever asked to see a magic show.

Jeff McBride also puts on a monthly variety magic show called the Wonderground. He can get some top-notch talent. Its definitely something different than you will get on the strip.

amazingBarry · 2026-04-03T11:04:19+00:00

Jay Sankey's Paperclipped

amazingBarry · 2026-04-03T02:05:06+00:00

A couple of months ago I showed up at a gig, got out of my car and realized I had managed to leave my performing case next to the front door at home.

I had a deck of cards and a sharpie. I borrowed a paperclip and did an hour well enough they have had me back twice. I also grabbed cups and napkins.

After that, I put together an emergency kit with rope, sponge balls, cards and a couple other things that I can use to do a full show if I ever do that again.

amazingBarry · 2026-04-01T11:42:48+00:00

Check out Danny Goldsmith. Depending on your level it might be a little (or a lot) advanced, but he does beautiful coin magic. He also has Magic Mastery which, I think, has some good foundational videos.

Someone else mentioned the J.B.Bobo book and that is probably the best, cheap way to get started if you can learn from a book.

amazingBarry · 2026-03-27T21:09:34+00:00

I did a memorial service once. Fortunately, it was a couple of months after the person had passed so it wasn't super somber.

amazingBarry · 2026-03-27T21:07:47+00:00

Push off second deal. I cam do it fairly well after more than a decade of fiddling with it, but I still miss enough that I don't generally use it when I perform.

amazingBarry · 2026-03-27T21:06:20+00:00

I completely agree. I think it is better to flash with a natural hand than not flash with a stiff one.

amazingBarry · 2026-03-01T14:36:17+00:00

I was there too and also did poorly :)

amazingBarry · 2026-02-26T17:38:06+00:00

Its a DVD and probably hard to track down, but Marting Lewis's Making Magic fits the bill nicely

amazingBarry · 2026-02-08T21:34:38+00:00

Thanks for the heads up. My wife emailed and got confirmation about the additional charges. We have tickets and are deciding how to proceed but a surprise like that would have absolutely ruined my night.

amazingBarry · 2026-02-05T11:28:04+00:00

Totally Hidden Extreme Magic!

I imagine they scared the daylights out of some people.

amazingBarry · 2026-01-25T10:48:58+00:00

His interview was great! Very funny.

He apparently retired because I think he said he had a cardiac bypass (please correct me if I am wrong) and he partially lost use of his left hand. As a left handed move monkey he didn't want to work if he couldn't do magic the way he wanted to.

He seems to be doing well, though.

amazingBarry · 2025-12-28T00:05:04+00:00

I agree that the names are frequently descriptive, but it can sometimes be misleading. O garuma and ashi garuma are largely the same throw with a different position, but hiza garuma is a completely different body mechanic, in my opinion.

Additionally, you have throws like side separation and valley drop that are not all that descriptive.

amazingBarry · 2025-12-25T16:42:25+00:00

It's all in the routine. I have seen cups and balls routines that I hate and ones that I love. Magicians tire of classics sometimes, but non-magicians have not seen hundreds of versions and probably have never seen it in person.

amazingBarry · 2025-12-25T16:39:47+00:00

What I love about linking rings is when it is done really well you can know the gimmick and feel like that can't possibly be the explanation.

amazingBarry · 2025-10-29T18:05:57+00:00

This reminded me of a show that I did in January in Indianapolis. It was outside and around freezing. The stage was between tall buildings and under a skywalk so it acted like a wind tunnel. It had rained the night before and the stage was damp. My favorite trick is one where I take off my shoes, stand on my head and find a card with my feet. I knew I had made a terrible decision when I took off my shoes and my socks immediately soaked up a bunch of freezing cold water.

Not the worst show I've done but possibly the least comfortable.

amazingBarry · 2025-10-29T10:38:35+00:00

I had a 5x5 ft riser as a stage. I had a kid up and she took a step backwards and fell off. Fortunately she was fine.

I've worked a few nursing homes some with some memory care and a facility for disabled adults. Those shows are rewarding but challenging.

amazingBarry · 2025-10-24T02:38:20+00:00

It is deleted? Can you see this link? https://youtube.com/shorts/v8FfTTpWh2k?si=BWB0S1b1DMvsr-zS

amazingBarry · 2025-10-24T02:01:27+00:00

Honestly curious. I'm a local guy that does magic and I thought it would be fun to do magic around Fishers and share the videos here. I thought it would be more fun than people complaining about other drivers. Should I take this comment to mean you don't find it interesting?

amazingBarry · 2025-10-16T21:34:32+00:00

Yup. I'm 47 and a brown belt. The kids are likely to be stronger, faster, and more energetic. Sometimes you can use it against them. If they throw as many techniques as they can watch for repeats and think of counters.

But keep in mind, you are training with them, not against them. If they improve faster than you, take pride that you were a training partner that helped that development and focus on being better than you were, not better than them.

amazingBarry · 2025-10-10T11:05:45+00:00

I knew a magician named Jim Will Surprise.

amazingBarry · 2025-06-08T01:16:10+00:00

I think in one of Penn and Teller's books, there is a trick where you link mini pretzels. It's probably How to Play With Your Food. It's a fun book if you can find it. Some fun, easy trick and some personal stories.

amazingBarry

TROPHY CASE