Tag: brian gillis

Pop Haydn Performing the Shell Game
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Elvis and the Performance of Magic — Just One More!

Pop HaydnWe receive hundreds of emails daily asking InsideMagic.com to watch videos, print articles, pay bills, accept service of process, cease and desist, confess to crimes (both felony and misdemeanor), find true love by clicking a link, buy tickets to area shows, and stay out of certain neighborhoods.  Thanks to our sophisticated AI technology, we are able filter our the bills and some of injunction related correspondence.

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But let us return to the email and questions we receive of a magical nature.

Dear Editor:

What did you think of the new Elvis movie?

J. Lammost, Mitchell, South Dakota

Dear J:

This not really a magic-related question but we can answer.  We thought it was spectacular and will likely see it again.  When it comes to showmanship, we can think of no one better than the King.  There were some magical take aways.  Elvis would end his show with an encore but make it appear that it was unexpected.  He would converse with his band and orchestra to do something special for the crowd.  We know from our study of Elvis history that he did this in every show.  He would make the encore appear to be a special, unprepared presentation offered because of the unique situation he was in.  He would mention that they would put something together just because the crowd was demanding it.

Las Vegas entertainers par excellence, Wayne Newton and Sammy Davis, Jr. did the same presentation.  They would ask their band leader if they could do something special for the crowd, allegedly arrange the special presentation on the fly.  The audience each night felt special.

In magic, unfortunately, performers in our art are rarely urged by audiences to perform just one more trick.  We’re not sure why this is.  Are we not cueing our audience to ask for the additional performance, do our audiences not know that they can make such a demand?  Are our acts so lackluster that no audience would request more?

The last reason is not likely true in the case of working professionals.  Their acts are tight and so well coordinated that they are deserving of an encore.  We watched a couple true pros perform at the Magic Castle before Covid and the audience would not let them leave the stage.  There were requests that they perform just one more.

In one case, InsideMagic.com’s Favorite, Whit Haydn, acted surprised and paused to consider what he had left to perform.  The impression was that he had not prepared any additional trick.  And suddenly he thought of something that he could perform for the audience and just this audience.  It was one of the best (and logical) performances of Ring Flight we have ever seen.  If you have performed Ring Flight, you know it is something you need to prepare before you walk out on stage.  It couldn’t have been truly impromptu but it was performed for the audience because they had asked and Pop – as he is now called – felt obligated to perform just one more.

We were in the front row and could not stop smiling.  He performed it so well and made it look so spontaneous and unplanned.  Once the audience began filing for the doors, they could not help but talk about the last trick.  They accepted that he wasn’t prepared to do anything additional and so that ruled out any advance set-up.  They were fooled and felt special that they had asked for “just one last trick” and their request was granted by the very accommodating performer.

It was magic.

We’re not sure what subtle clues Whit / Pop offered to encourage the audience to demand an additional trick but they did.  Perhaps there was no NLP or hints given and the audience did not want to leave at the end of his show without more.

It does seem, though, that when we have been asked to perform one more effect – even at The Castle – it comes from connecting with the audience through deference, kindness and the establishment of a bond.  We are all in this together – performer and audience.  We are all enjoying the magic and the interaction between us.  As new friends, the audience can ask for one more trick because that is what friends do when they are entertained.

The late and very missed, Brian Gillis was another genius at having his audience demand something special in his apparently impromptu encore.  For the magicians who had seen his performance on many occasions, we knew that the encore was planned well in advance but that didn’t take away our excitement to watch the master perform “just one more.”

We thought maybe this was manipulation for self-gratification on the part of the performer but are now convinced it is not.  It is truly responding to audience demand from an audience who feels comfortable enough to ask for more from someone who has entertained them so well.

This post strays far from the question but we think that’s okay.  Anytime you can connect Pop Haydn, Brian Gillis and Elvis, you have accomplished something mighty.

Thank you for the question!

The Editor.

Latest Magic News

Sad News: Brian Gillis Passes

The Great Brian GillisWe are devastated to hear of the passing of Master Magician Brian Gillis.

Mr. Gillis was always so kind and supportive of the Magic Arts and Inside Magic.  He was the consummate performer and could hold a room better than anyone we ever saw.  He was famous for his performances on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show and among magicians for his high-energy work at The Magic Castle.  His two-person telepathy act with his partner Sisuepahn was not only baffling but so entertaining, we wanted it to continue all night.

One of our greatest honors was being asked by Mr. Gillis if he could squeeze in to perform ahead of our spot in the cellar of The Magic Castle.  We could not stop smiling and nodding as we took a position to the side of the room and watched how magic should be done.  He was simply amazing.

Our prayers are with Mr. Gillis and Sisuepahn and all who have lost so much in his passing.

The Magic Castle’s Founder, Milt Larsen, has written a special tribute to Mr. Gillis here.

Magic Castle News

Brian Gillis, Magic Castle and Honor

The Magic CastleThe obscure philosopher and scion of the Hardy magic family, Thomas “Big Tom” Hardy, wrote, “we take our honor where we find it.”

We never understood what he meant by that and think it may have been used in the closing argument in one of the many trespassing prosecutions he faced over his life.  But, it resonated with us Friday as we ventured back into the Magic Castle after too long a time away.

Hollywood was inflamed with Oscar preparations.  The streets were crowded with famous, nearly famous and gawkers walking at a virtually identical pace with the vehicular traffic coursing along Sunset and Hollywood boulevards.   No one was moving quickly but all seemed to be enjoying their journeys.

We have been away from the Castle for about three weeks for unimportant reasons – none of which have to do with anything you may have read on certain Chinese-language blogs published out of Hong Kong.  Plus, if you look carefully at the video those blogs tout, you can see we were at least an unwilling participant in what may or may not have been an unfortunate turn of events, at worst, or a miscommunication with fellow travelers stuck in a chilly airport terminal facing a lengthy flight delay.  We should note that the goat was not ours but was part of the Chinese New Year’s celebration and was certainly well-behaved until the 11:02 mark of the video when all heck broke loose.

Regardless, that is, as the investigating officer said ironically, behind us.

We went back to the Castle Friday night.  Did we say that already?

It was so nice to see old friends and even meet some new people with whom we hope to establish friendships.  Dinner was wonderful as always and the entertainment offerings were befitting a star-studded awards weekend.  Bruce Gold was in the Palace of Mystery, Derek Hughes was in the Parlor of Prestidigitation and Pop Haydn was working the Close-Up Gallery like the boss he is.

In between shows, we ventured downstairs to the amateur rooms and performed a couple of sets.  We had two new effects on which we have been working.  You may be different but we find that no matter how much we rehearse – and we do rehearse a lot – we really have no feel for the pacing of the effect until we actually perform for real people.  By our third set, we had some comfort with the tricks, their presentation and the swelling seemed to abate.

We were getting ready to perform another set – undeterred by the fact that we did not have an audience, not a soul – when who should enter the room but Brian Gillis.  We find it hard to shake the star-struck wonder when we meet celebrities or heroes.  For instance, we are still unable to speak in coherent sentences when we talk with Pop Haydn or Mark Wilson.

Mr. Gillis asked if we were going to do a set and we may have nodded and giggled and twirled our hair (which at our advanced age is not only embarrassing but also tough to do).  He noted that there was not an audience for whom to perform.  We likely nodded again.  At some point, we volunteered to get him an audience.  He said he did not want to impose.  He offered to wait until after we performed.  We declined his generous offer and set about inviting folks downstairs to watch Mr. Gillis.

Within minutes the room was packed.  We do not credit our audience-wrangling skills – the crowd came because we told everyone we met that Brian Gillis would be performing shortly.

Mr. Gillis was on and on fire.  He had people cussing with disbelief at his ability to make the impossible happen so naturally, so easily.  His signed bill to a volunteer-selected sugar packet evoked screams from the packed room.  It was an honor to be in the same room with such an amazing performer.

We were then ready to start our set but saw Handsome Jack enter the room.  He asked if we were going to perform and we again deferred to the better magician and said we would love to watch – which, ironically, was precisely what we intended to say in the Hong Kong airport video.  Mr. Lovick performed a bit of the routine he will do this week in the Close-Up Gallery at the Castle.  It was fantastic.  The audience loved it and we were genuinely fooled by his work.  He, like Mr. Gillis, works so smoothly and so naturally.

Again, it was an honor to be able to tell our grandchildren – one day – that we performed after such amazing magicians.  We finally did our last set of the night and the crowds were pretty well dissipated.  That was okay by us.  We weren’t anxious to provide such a stark contrast between our plebeian skills and those of the two previous masters.  We felt no shame in our lesser abilities but basked in the honor they unknowingly bestowed on a true fan of great magic.

We caught Pop Haydn’s final show of the night and were again in awe of how well magic can be presented.  He is the complete package.  A master of difficult sleights, audiences and entertaining performance.  There is much to be learned and we feel blessed that we are always ready to learn.  We may be star-struck but at least we are always open to the lessons.

Magic Castle News

The Magic Castle Looks Back on Johnny Carson’s Magic

The Magic CastleThe Magic Castle had a great presentation last night tracing the late Johnny Carson’s life-long appreciation of magic.

Dick Carson is an Emmy Award winning television director and the younger brother of the performer known as The Great Carsoni and proved be a great historian on the topic.

Dean Dill, Brian Gillis and the incomparable Mark Wilson came on after Dick Carson’s segment to share their experiences as performers on the iconic late night mainstay.  Mr. Gillis and Mr. Dill were also called  to provide the star personal tutorials in his Malibu home.

It was a great night to again enjoy the very unique talent Mr. Carson shared with the nation for so many decades.

Although Mr. Carson was very modest about his magic abilities, his talents were anything but modest.  He performed difficult sleights with polish and skill.  So many great magicians got their big break on Mr. Carson’s show and his support of the local (Los Angeles) magic community in general (and The Magic Castle specifically) was constant through the years.

One of the commentators observed he has never been replaced.  We agree.