Interview with Jeremy Hanrahan

Dominic Reyes caught up with magician and magic creator Jeremy Hanrahan (inventor of the international hit 'ENTITY' ) to find out more about him and what he has planned for the year ahead.


Dominic: Please tell our readers about yourself.

Jeremy: I Live in Hamilton Ontario Canada and am married and have a gorgeous 3-year-old daughter. I run Undergroundgaffs, which deals mostly in off brand specialty card gaffs. I perform on average theee times a week and love to hang out at Morrissey Magic in Toronto. I am laid back and like jamming with other magicians to see what ideas come from these sessions. I have made a lot of friends from around the world as a direct result of magic and would not change my life for the world!!!

Dominic: What do you like about developing your own magic tricks?

Jeremy: I would have to say being able to perform effects that others can’t is a good feeling. I love fooling magicians more then spectators, and enjoy being fooled by magicians myself more so. Also seeing other magicians perform my magic tricks is real humbling, makes me smile whenever I see a haunted deck in sealed bag being performed lol.


Dominic: You have a growing range of effects out, which is your favorite?

Jeremy: It’s hard to say, as the three magic tricks I have out now are so different from each other. I like the visual aspect of my Coin through bottle called Untouchable which is no longer available.

Dominic: Will you re-release it?

Jeremy: Possibly later this year as a download. It has the most visual penetration of the bottle I have seen and it is real easy to perform.

Entity is my baby though, I love the trick because it enables the magician to do the things we are suppose to do, moving a card just by a magical gesture or cutting a deck in sealed bag while not using Invisible thread is truly a joy to watch. And the reactions from spectators are over the top. Tapout is a crazy visual sandwich effect that has three phases, each phase more impossible then the last with a nice little kicker at the end.


Dominic: How do you come up with your effects?

Jeremy: I picture the type of effect I want and then work backwards. Once I get the general feel I work out a routine so that all actions seem natural and fluid. Once that is finished I test it out on magicians and spectators tweaking it and improving on the method if need be.

Dominic: Do you then use a 'test group'?

Jeremy: Yes. Once all these are taken care of I teach the effect to workers and they take it to the people so to speak. I collect feed back from them if any and improve or update the handling even more. I then look to see if there are any effects that are similar. The reason why I do this last and not first is because I do not want to be influenced by other peoples work. Ideas and methods will always be rehashed and improved on, but it’s the routines you can come up with using different methods and tactics that can make a mediocre effect and turn it into a giant!!! I don’t have dreams of magic tricks and they do not come to me in visions lol, I create to add signature pieces to my act and create to really make people think what they are seeing is real magic. I always say to myself after a creation, “Does this look like real magic”? If the answer is no then it gets dropped on the floor with the hundreds of ideas that feel before.


Dominic: Who are your favorite magicians?

Jeremy: Performing magicians I would have to say Greg Frewin. His dove act is aces and his stage presence is strong and masterful!! The first magician that has influenced my magic the most is by far Michael Ammar. I like his style and the way he talks to spectators. He always has insightful information in his training videos, and has a way about him that makes learning effects easy and enjoyable. Others include Paul Harris (no brainer), Marlo and Bro John. More recent influences come from Steve Haynes, Jason Messina and Luis Castro. These guys always have the time to talk magic and help me get my ideas from my head to the performance. I have also started to dabble in card flourishing and have had the chance to befriend Huron Low from Virtuoso who has given me some much needed advice and teaching that I can not believe I flourish the way I do in such a short period of time. Thank god for good teachers lol.


Dominic: What do you have planned for this year?

Jeremy: Shock and Awe. The most visual and devastating magic trick of mine to date that will be released thus far is planned to release late May. I don’t want to let too much out of the bag but you have seen it, maybe Dominic, you can tell your readers about it lol. I just don’t want people to think I am biased and that I am exaggerating lol.

Dominic: Yes readers, more information about this will be released next week.

Jeremy: I will say this though; everyone will want to perform this. Its so visual it’s crazy!!!


Dominic: If you could only perform three magic tricks, what would they be?

Jeremy: Hard question, I would have to say Invisible Palm Aces, Your signed card and Bizarre Twist. All three are visual stunners and get the reactions I look for in all my magic. Not to mention that all the effect seem impossible with only one explanation, Magic!!!


Dominic: On an average, how long do you practice?

Before my daughter was born on average I practiced for 5-6 hours a day. If I wasn’t practicing a new trick I was playing with a deck of cards, or reading a book or watching a DVD. When my daughter was born I cut back a bit to 4 hours and slowly realized that there is more to life than magic. As with everything in life it should be done in moderation.

Dominic: So has your passion for practice decreased?

Jeremy: well, yes and no. Why waste time getting a move down 125% when 100% will do the job. My point is that you don’t need to learn or know how everything is done. Just pace yourself or you will burn out like I almost did. My wife saved me from this when one night I was working on the Spring Board Double by Lee Asher (which I still have to master lol) and my lovely wife walked over to me with our beautiful daughter in her arms, removed the deck of cards from my hands, placed our new born daughter in my arms and kissed me. Enough said? There is more to life than magic friends. Don’t be a spectator in life, be an actor friends.

 

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Magicians needed for Hospitals

The Hospitality Organization is a voluntary organization aiming to connect volunteer performers, such as comedians, magicians and musicians, with local hospitals where they can perform for the patients. The organization focuses on bringing entertainment to the children's wards, but will later expand into adult and senior groups as we feel all ages can benefit from entertainment during recovery and/or treatment.

The organization is currently in its early stages and is therefore is looking for volunteers to handle tasks such as scheduling, interfacing with the hospital staff to organize dates for performances, as well as approaching entertainers to get them to volunteer. For the same reason the organization currently only operates within Surrey and neighboring counties, but with hopes to expand as volunteers from other areas become available.

If you wish to volunteer, perform or help further the organization's goals in any way please send an e-mail to volunteer@hospitalityorganization.com with your:
Name, E-Mail, Phone Number and Location.

Click here to visit their website

 

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Masked Magician gets it very very wrong

One of our regular customers sent us this very funny clip of the Masked Magician messing up his magic trick on TV. We can just imagine how he must have felt, when he turns over the wrong card, then puts it back and turns it over again, as if that will somehow fix the mess up..

 

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Learning Magic Tricks - Where to start

So, you want to be a magician. Maybe you want to entertain friends and family, perform children’s shows, or maybe you have aspirations to perform professionally.

Where do you begin?

Well, just by having a keen interest in magic is just the beginning of the journey. What with there being so many different areas and styles of magic, and so many different ways of learning, at first, it all seems like a minefield.

The first thing to do is decide upon the area you wish to focus on. Once you have done this you can crack on with the fun part –selecting the magic tricks you wish to learn, practicing them and then performing them.

Here are some great starting points to get you well on your way, whichever area you wish to focus on.

Card Magic.

Every magician knows a good handful of card tricks, some even know hundreds. Personally, I love `good` card magic. But the question is – what is `good` card magic, and what is not? Again, this is subjective – I believe any card effect is `good`, but only if it is `performed` well, so it is important that you start from the right point, and learn from a good, reliable source. Any of the following suggestions will get you well on your way to performing some excellent card magic, whether it be quick close up effects, or full-length routines. Also, they will teach you the essential `sleights` and moves required, which once learnt will always be a useful and essential part of your arsenal.

If I were asked by a beginner to recommend a starting place, it would be the following.

Amazing secrets of card magic by Michael Ammar. Michael Ammar is a name well known amongst professional magicians, and for good reason. He is rated as simply one of the best teachers of magic to date, and on this DVD he performs, and then teaches, some excellent material, that is not only easy, but will get you used to handling and perfoming with cards in no time at all.

If you are looking for a more in depth approach, then Michael Ammars Easy to master card Miracles DVD set, volumes 1 – 9 contain, quite simply, some of the greatest card routines ever, fully performed and explained in Michael Ammars excellent style. These are classics for good reason, and you couldn’t learn them from a better teacher.

Coin Magic.

The beauty of coin magic is that it can performed at a moments notice with the coins in your pocket, or the spectators own money, and, you can practice just about anywhere!

If your looking to get into coin magic as quickly as possible, and want to learn all the essential moves and some top quality routines, you cant go far wrong with any of the following –

The complete introduction to Coin magic by Michael Ammar is again, expert tuition, expert performances and excellent value. By studying this DVD you will be taught the fundamental essentials of coin magic, along with routines using these techniques.

Alternatively, for the more serious student, wishing to learn the essentials through a progressive and detailed journey from beginner to expert, then David Roth’s expert coin magic made easy Volumes 1 – 3 will take you step by step. Volume one teaches you the basics of coin magic. Volume two takes you from beginner to Intermediate, and finally Volume three will take you from Intermediate to Advanced. A thorough course. David Roth is renowned as the worlds greatest coin magician, so, rest assured, you couldn’t be in better hands.

General magic.

What is general magic? By this we mean mind reading, magic with cards, coins, sponge, string, finger rings, rubber bands, balloons and more. Focussing on general magic will show your audience that you have diversity. Also, it means that you could apply the tricks you have learnt to either adults or children. The beauty with this magic is that it appeals to all.

The Exciting world of magic by Michael Ammar is the perfect place to begin. Covering a large range of effects using all kinds of different objects, and covering a whole range of styles, you could very easily take a handful of these effects and put together an entire act. But it doesn’t stop there. Michael has also gone to the lengths to offer advice on magic clubs, magazines, attending conventions, practice tips, psychology, and the golden rules of magic. An excellent package.

Fooler Doolers by Daryl volumes 1, 2 and 3 are the next level. Daryl (the magicians magician) performs and explains some of the most entertaining magic out there. Every routine is commercial, and again, a full professional routine could be made from just some of the effects included here. The hardest part will be choosing just which ones you wish to use. This set comes highly recommended.

These are just my personal recommendations, but all of these have stood the test of time. Any of these will get you well on your way into magic. Don’t be mistaken though. These are not just for beginners. I personally know many professionals who regularly revisit these classics, and who regularly perform routines straight out of these products for paying customers.

So….what are you waiting for?

Paul Knight

 

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