Posted by Ian on 2009-11-21
in Magicians
This week at The Magic Circle I’m giving a talk on my favourite magic books. It is, I suppose, a sort of magical equivalent to Desert Island Discs (although it could be argued that the choice of tricks might be a more appropriate analogy). My selection was actually easier than I thought, despite having a myriad of books: or so I thought. It’s only when some incident or event or thought throws up yet another book, that I start to question my judgement.
One such book (or more strictly duo) is by John Booth and is called Forging Ahead in Magic and Marvels of Mystery. These were written back in 1939 and 1941 respectively but still have plenty of relevance today. The former book is all about getting work, publicising yourself and generally how to make yourself a better performer. The latter depicts John Booth’s own act in forensic detail.
John Booth was a nightclub entertainer when nightclubs were the main source of work for magicians. Of all the eras to have performed in, this would probably have been my favourite. You would have been performing to sophisticated audiences in sophisticated settings where everybody dressed elegantly. It would appear that they appreciated the suave entertainer, where laughs were undoubtedly important but where well-performed magic was equally respected.
Reading the John Booth books at an impressionable age in my magic education, I projected my own image onto him. It was absurd in so many ways – not least because I was far from sophisticated. John Booth in all the publicity shots was immaculately dressed in black tie and with the trademark Hollywood moustache and matinee idol looks that made him a natural shoe in to the environment where he found his work. I suspect I wouldn’t even have been let in through the tradesman’s entrance.
Of course the art of good ‘how to do it’ writing is to half-persuade you that you could be as successful as the writer in his endeavours. And John Booth certainly did that to me in spades. I practised quite a few of his tricks, I followed some of his publicity tips – all to no avail. The material didn’t really suit me; and, to be honest, I didn’t have anything interesting enough to say about myself or my life to justify any newspaper articles.
But that didn’t stop me dreaming – and dreaming is sometimes good when you are pursuing a showbusiness career.
I’m writing all this because John Booth died this week, aged 97. Thank you John for those dreams.
One such book (or more strictly duo) is by John Booth and is called Forging Ahead in Magic and Marvels of Mystery. These were written back in 1939 and 1941 respectively but still have plenty of relevance today. The former book is all about getting work, publicising yourself and generally how to make yourself a better performer. The latter depicts John Booth’s own act in forensic detail.
John Booth was a nightclub entertainer when nightclubs were the main source of work for magicians. Of all the eras to have performed in, this would probably have been my favourite. You would have been performing to sophisticated audiences in sophisticated settings where everybody dressed elegantly. It would appear that they appreciated the suave entertainer, where laughs were undoubtedly important but where well-performed magic was equally respected.
Reading the John Booth books at an impressionable age in my magic education, I projected my own image onto him. It was absurd in so many ways – not least because I was far from sophisticated. John Booth in all the publicity shots was immaculately dressed in black tie and with the trademark Hollywood moustache and matinee idol looks that made him a natural shoe in to the environment where he found his work. I suspect I wouldn’t even have been let in through the tradesman’s entrance.
Of course the art of good ‘how to do it’ writing is to half-persuade you that you could be as successful as the writer in his endeavours. And John Booth certainly did that to me in spades. I practised quite a few of his tricks, I followed some of his publicity tips – all to no avail. The material didn’t really suit me; and, to be honest, I didn’t have anything interesting enough to say about myself or my life to justify any newspaper articles.
But that didn’t stop me dreaming – and dreaming is sometimes good when you are pursuing a showbusiness career.
I’m writing all this because John Booth died this week, aged 97. Thank you John for those dreams.
