Congratulations! I hope you get the gig!!

As far as routines and stuff, just do the best that you can, and I'm sure that practical experience will teach you whatever you need to know.

Good luck!!

OMFG!!! I just typed a HUGE reply and then it got deleted when i tried to send it. Summarized, here's what it said:

Sorry i couldn't respond i was away all weekend. I was not able to go and talk to the manager on Thusday because i had a lot of home work and a bad headache. I did not get to go to the outback over the weekend because i was away (same reason i didn't have time to write a reply.)

I would appreciate more opinions on who'se right: Tomer and Hockey or Paddy and mysteriousone. Tomer thinks i need at least 9 routines and Paddy thinks all i need is 6. I agree with paddy and mysteriousone, but what do you think? I would highly appreciate responses to this.

Also, is on the loose really necesary for resturaunts? I appreciate Tomer but i need a different opinion/advice.

Also, Gary W, There's no way i'm responding to that. Piece of advice: READ THE POSTS BEFORE YOU POST. that subject is getting very annoying.

Thank you to all who have helped, i really appreciate it. I don't know what i would do if it weren't for my fellow penguins. Thanks, keep em comming!

lol man, thanks for counting my posts along with paddy's, but u shouldn't.
i mean, i have never done restaurant magic, and paddy did, so he knows A LOT more then me... if u should take anyones advice, then take paddy's.
also, i just thought u'll be bored by just doing the same 6 routines all the time. if u like 18 tricks, and 6 routines, it's not enough. i mean, with 18 tricks u can make A LOT more routines, like 8-10. u can just change the order of the tricks and switch the routine with a whole new patter.
i said u need at least 9, but i ment that u can do with the 18 tricks that u have... i mean, u just need a veriety of tricks, doesn't mean u can't use a trick in 2 diffrent routines.
about On the Loose with Bill Malone, there's nothing called a MUST HAVE for a restaurant performence. on the other hand, the tricks i saw and the tips that Bill gives on those amazing dvd's just told me: "THIS IS FOR RESTAURANT". i think thats a great source for restaurant magic, i bet paddy has some books/videos/dvd's to recommend as well, coz he've been into the buisness for a while and knows how it works.
i just said things that i think i would of done if i were u, but each person is diffrent, so i can't say who's right and who's wrong.
i hope this helped u instead of confuse u,

Tomer

[quote="a2r5r8"]....I would appreciate more opinions on who'se right: Tomer and Hockey or Paddy and mysteriousone. Tomer thinks i need at least 9 routines and Paddy thinks all i need is 6. I agree with paddy and mysteriousone, but what do you think? I would highly appreciate responses to this.

Also, is on the loose really necesary for resturaunts? I appreciate Tomer but i need a different opinion/advice....quote]

OOPS!! I may have screwed up on my last post. I agree with Tomer, the more effects the better. When I say routines I am reffering to a series of "tricks" tied together is a flowing scheme. i.e. present a bundle of rope, show one rope, take the ends off and show one loop of rope, put ends back on and then cut the rope with fingers, pull off end of rope and go into professors nightmare and finish with professors daydream. Long run-on sentence used to illustrate point. That is one routine with 9 effects in it. Not for restaurant work because it takes 10 to 15 minutes to do. But take 3 of those tricks in a 4 minute routine.

What I say is you need 6 routines of 3 to 4 tricks each. Then as you go around take a trick from routine 1 and one from routine 3 and a couple from routine 6, BANG! you have routine 7! You just ad lib the way thru the restaurant.

"On The Loose" is a great teaching tool, but don't just do the effects from there. Combine those with others that show your own personality. In short NOTHING is required for restaurant work except YOU being a GOOD magician and getting out there and perform!!

Peter

Thanks, those last two posts helped a lot. I think i will do what paddy said and make routine 7 8 and 9 from 1,2,3,4,5, and 6. That's a great idea. Thanks a lot. I appreciate all the replies. If you have any other comments or reccomendations, please post them. Thanks again!

-Ari-

I think paddy and I are on the same page with the routines thing. Just because you use an effect in routine A doesn't mean it can't have a place in routine F or G. Good luck with your work.

I meant routines consisting of 3-4 effects. Sure, I haven't worked yet, but I think this aspect of walkaround magic should be a clear one(routining) before stepping out there to work.

I am currently working two restaurants a week at night. What Paddy says is correct. It is good to get a clear idea of a couple "packaged" routines that you can pull out with confidence anywhere, anytime. It helped for me to sit down and write four of them down, just to get them clear in my mind.

That said, Paddy also is saying "Go out there and really cook!" (Paraphrase) I agree with this totally as well. I find that much of the night I am "going with the flow" - Pulling quarters out of everything, vanishing hankerchiefs, finding dollar bills inside sugar packets, etc. And this allows for a great way to be responsive to the audience and gets them cheering and clapping. Nothing is worse or more off-putting than seeing a magician painfully march through a tailored routine that has no breathing and fun. You'll find that the customers can give you great ideas as to what effects to perform.

hope this helps,

Ken

That is really good info. A question, before you got into restaurant magic, who and where did you perform to get the people skills you needed? (people skills refers to letting the performance breath and "going with the flow")

[quote="hockey
That is really good info. A question, before you got into restaurant magic, who and where did you perform to get the people skills you needed? (people skills refers to letting the performance breath and "going with the flow")[/quote]

That comes with performing. The more you perform the more your timing and interaction with the people becomes comfortable. It is just a matter of growing as a performing magician and will differenciate you from the amateurs.

Peter

Hockey,

In addition to what Paddy has said, It is useful to perform for the most obvious people first - friends, family - people who support your interest and can give comments as to how to improve your performance. Years ago, I would do walk around for free at friends parties in front of strangers. Next, and I don't know how old you are, I performed out in bars as we were drinking, and when I worked as a bartender, when I was working!!

Another way to add "breathing" into a performance is mix up the effects - don't just do cards. Also, do some planting of items (Put a card in someone's pocket, under their chair, etc) which seems "spontanious" to the spec.s and makes everyone expect the unexpected. At a restaurant this is easy enough b/c you are getting there a long time before some of the customers are and can prepare before hand. I once did a "find your card " trick and got it wrong over and over, but the way I was revealing the cards got their attention (hot shot cuts,etc) Finally, I said I couldn't locate their card and started guessing, which got them laughing at me for being such a bafoon. They dropped their desserts when, in the middle of this, the waitress brought their check with their card stapled to the back of it!!!! I then got more laughs when I asked her if she was interested in being hired as a magician.

Believe it or not, whenever I stop to tie my shoes (this actually happened yesterday) my friends stop in anticipation expecting something magical to occur - even when I am not ready. Yesterday, when I stood up from tying my shoes, they were all just standing around waiting. I said "what?" and they said "we thought you were going to do some magic..." I laughed and blew it off. Then I walked a couple steps painfully limping, bent down, unlaced my shoes with difficulty and proceeded to pull an apple out of my shoe. They Roared! (Luckily I had an apple on me at the time that they didn't know about)

Another thing I did and still do, is practice on my story telling - something that grabs their attention when I am performing a trick. I do Oz's "Revolver" and put it to a story about a mexican gunfight I actually saw.

ps. it helps if you are a funny guy, but don't force it.


These items are just scaffolding to further what Paddy said about performing and I hope they are useful to you,

KSalaz

So I guess mouth coils is out of the question

Not really about the mouth coils.

I don't know where I learned this but pull them out like shirt tags or out of a crumpled bill.....it is quite surprising to see them come that way....

I know you were being funny but.......