The Aftermath of Depression, Artistic Kick-Assery, & A Little Angry Orchard

So yeah... I was depressed for the last few months.

A lot of people say recognizing the fact that you are in a state of depression helps overcome said depression. I think they are full of it. I think realizing that I was acting based upon a depressive state made things worse because I beat myself up more because I knew I was ignoring things or not getting things done because of my depression. It was both depressing and aggravating!

But I said I was depressed.

"You're suddenly not depressed now?"

Yeah. That's about right.

"Isn't that considered a little Bi-Polar?"

SCREW YOU DISEMBODIED VOICE! Sorry... what I meant to say is that it's not being bi-polar, it's just knowing the exact causation of my depression. I'm addicted to my work. Specifically: Magic. Specifically: the act of Performing Magic in front of an audience. When I'm not doing a lot of that, which brings along with it not making very much money (which is a whole different level of my psyche being injured), I get depressed. I think most professional performers face this little emo-swing (At least, I hope so) so I try not to complain too much about it. But it is an inevitable part of the life I've decided to lead.

The upside of this is when you come out of this state, it's like waking up from a really good sleep. You're refreshed, energized, and ready to face the next few months.

This awakening occurred because of my shows at Lyric Hall in New Haven. I came to several realizations thanks to these shows. 1- Snow sucks when it causes me to cancel shows and lose money. I luckily only had to cancel one show because of bad weather, and many people came back for the final day of shows. But aside from that, there were really no downsides to doing this set of shows.

(This is the Stage I was on. It's the theatre's stock photo as, me being an idiot, didn't take a photo of my show on the stage)

The common responses I got from audience members (including several magicians) aside from the usual positives was that the show was fun and original.  The word Fun is commonly heard with magic shows. I think Magic is generally supposed to be fun. Although Magic can really be scary, dramatic, thoughtful, and emotionally impacting- Fun is generally the experience of the ride Magic takes you on in most cases.

The word that stroked my ego a bit was the word Original being used by magicians and non-magicians alike. I think it's not hard to be original with Magic (Although, the number of magicians who can't see past the direction and "included patter" with a trick is staggering). It's hard to be original AND good with Magic. I think I achieved that with this show. My goal is to make Celtic Magic original and great. And I think it's on its way. There were several pieces that really clicked for me, and I was able to overcome a couple of theatrical issues that popped up last minute and ended up being happy accidents. The next incarnation of my show will be even better because of the lessons I've taken in.

The other awesome thing that Celtic Magic did was allow me to work with my wife for the first time, in such an intense way, involving my show.  Doing 8 (Okay...7) full evening shows in 4 days is taxing on anyone, especially someone trying to get inside my head artistically speaking. My wife Rachel did that amazingly. And my Head Swag Wench Kim ran lights and my brother Sean ran sound and they did great, too. And working with a small group towards my vision is really how I prefer to do things. I love working with a team and, when the show grows and the team has to grow, I'm going to love that, too.

So now- I'm pumped. And as I sit here typing this up, drinking an Angry Orchard at 2am, with a David Copperfield special open in another browser window, I can't stop thinking about my next creative endeavors. My shows at Wicked Faire with Wyck in Somerset, NJ, the Renaissance Banquet in Stratford, CT, The Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire in Ansonia, CT, and all of the new performance opportunities 2013 will bring.

Alright 2013- LETS DO THIS!!!
Oh... and between shows, this happened:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4852067173263&set=vb.1044531787&type=2&theater

(It's a FB video so hopefully, you'll be able to see it... and then hopefully for your sake- Unsee it)

What Vegas Does To My Brain

Before this past week, my wife and I had never stepped foot into the lights and luxury of Las Vegas, and frankly... I am so unbelievably glad to have done so. It really is the magic capital of the world for good reason. We saw 6 full magic shows while we were there. I haven't been exposed to that many different sources of live magic since I was a camper at Tannen's Magic Camp.

But it wasn't just the shows (which I'll get to), but the entire atmosphere. We stayed at the Stratosphere and getting a view of this city 109 stories up is just damned breath-taking.

It really is a testament to Thomas Edison (and I think Nikola Tesla... but that's another story).

The shows were kick ass (which I'll get to), but it's not even the paid shows that amazed me. The Bellagio water show and the Mirage Fire Show were these free and amazing brief pieces of awesomeness, as was the show at Margaritaville (thanks to my friend Scott Hitchcock for showing it to me). I loved the idea of it. "You've made it to Las Vegas. Here's something you don't have to pay a penny for, and it's frickin' amazing." It's ingenious marketing... and really art as well.

So finally onto the shows. We started off by seeing Rick Thomas's show at the Saharah. Big pretty tigers, good illusions, cool personality. Not a bad start to the week.

We went onto seeing Mac King's show at Harrah's. Hilarious and amazing. By Vegas standards... not at all flashy or huge... and it made it all the more fantabulous. Rachel and I agree (along with a lot of insiders in Vegas) that it was the best show we saw.

The next night held Lance Burton's show. Considering it was going to be leaving the Monte Carlo in September, I was absolutely in awe and really overcome by the experience. The epitome of the Vegas show- it was slick, fun, huge, and completely encompassing of his personality.

We then took in Open Sesame, a show that is meant to be experienced by an audience no larger than 40. It's taking a chance by being very against what Vegas appears to be. But the truth is that Vegas is about interaction and being swept up in the environment... and Open Sesame does this very well. Big props to Losander, Luna Shemada, Christian Diamond, and Master Diaz for some great work.

The Rio was our next stop, and after the most disappointing poker room I've been in and the most amazing Seafood Buffet I've EVER experienced, we saw Penn & Teller's show. I saw them live years ago at Foxwoods Casino in CT and their act has only gotten better. There are pieces of their show that truly baffle me. You learn a lot of magic the longer you're part of that universe, even if it is magic you don't perform. Penn & Teller's show is one of the few will multiple effects in it that actually fool me. That and I am in love with their point of view on life (at least, their presentation of their point of view).

Our final show of the week was Nathan Burton's show at the Flamingo. It was funny, very fast, and our overall opinion was that it was a very cute show. Honestly nothing mind-blowing like with the other shows, but still not a disappointment by far.

So our week in Vegas was centered around having a great time, and Magic was obviously a centerpiece of that for me (and my awesometastic wife, Rachel). I'm truly inspired by everything I've seen. Not to make my act bigger or flashier... but to embrace everything that makes my show different from all the rest. There's a lot of guys out there making a really well-off living by being different from everyone else. And in Las Vegas... the only way to make money in magic is to be unique.

I think I have something different from the other magicians out there. A style and a theme no one else is using and a desire to create something big. Do I want to perform in Vegas? Meh. There's so many pretty fish in that pond and the ocean is so huge. But I'll definitely be back.

What's next for me? The Lakewood Lion Renaissance Faire in NJ, Joker's Wild Club in New Haven, CT, and the Bristol Chrysanthemum Festival in Bristol, CT. And then off to Salem, MA for all of October. The craziness is just beginning. www.greenwolfmagic.com/tour

College Renaissance Faires, Karaoke, and Beating My Head Against the Wall

So I know I've been particularly vacant from my blog the last month or so... and my excuse isn't that I'm overly busy or have a lot on my plate and can't write a blog. I just got lazy. Unfortunately, it is an epidemic in the magic community (and really the entertainment world at large).

There's a lot of magicians who use the following line (and myself included) when seeing a bad magician. "Why is THIS guy getting gigs and I'm NOT?" And from what I've determined, there's 4 main reasons.

1- He/She's actually a good magician and you're just jealous /don't realize you suck (which could be my problem... I may never know).
2- He/She's charging way less than you... which is EXTREMELY likely in so many cases.
3- He/She's got connections you simply don't have. Family friends, people he/she met while working the Fryer at Burger King, etc.
4- He/She's putting way more work into promoting themselves then their actual act. Ahh... now there's something to talk about.

I'm not talking the shameless self-promotion like I do without thinking (GreenWolfMagic.com) but the actual leg work of promoting a show. Making calls, sending out press kits, taking out ads, etc. etc. etc. Which notably, is an art form in itself. But it lies more in the power of numbers than most other things.

And unfortunately sometimes (or more than some times) I'm just too damn lazy to get out of bed and do the work. It's a horrendous downfall that costs me my dream... at least I think it does. Reason number 1 still constantly sticks in my brain, but I'm hoping it's just natural self-doubt.

I performed at the Kutztown University Renaissance Faire in April and it reminded me why I love working colleges. Enthusiasm and passion are two things that accompany so many performance-based students (Not yet completely jaded by the vicious bastard that the world of acting can be). And if not, they're at least a frickin' riot to hang with afterwards. (Thanks to all the awesome folks at Kutztown University!)



Also, the long drive (3 1/2 hours each way) got me hooked on audiobooks... specifically The Dresden Files. I bring it up because I would LOVE to see an act created in the world of The Dresden Files (Properly approved by Jim Butcher, the author, of course). It certainly wouldn't be easy, and I don't think it suits my own personality but the books are giving me so much inspiration in terms of creating a world of fantasy. If you haven't read the series about this modern day Wizard... you really need to do so.



So, as some of you may know, I host karaoke a number of times a week. It's the closest to a "real job" I'll ever have. As a host, you're forced to try a lot of new songs (to keep people from killing you for singing the same stuff all the time), come up with funny (i.e. stupid) things to say on the spot, and really push your own comfort zone. I think singing in front of a crowd really strips people down to their core. And as a host, you have to be willing to fail. There will be times you try a new song and it sucks. you just have to suck it up and make it right or stop singing that song. It really translates into magic for me.

In magic, you have to be able to tell when something you do sucks. It's something a lot of magicians aren't even remotely good at. They don't listen to their audiences at all. They think that "polite applause" counts as "Uproarious CHEERS!" when the truth is they just do it out of a reflex to be nice. After doing enough shows, I'd like to think you learn the difference. But I'm an optimist.

This weekend, I'm heading off to the Midsummer Renaissance Faire in Lehighton, PA for the next two weeks. www.MidsummerProductions.com for all the info.

Lectures, Car Crashes, and Free Knock-Off Ipods

"It's easy to maintain your integrity when no one is offering to buy it out."

-Marc Maron

So the last couple of weeks have been full of all kinds of Magicfulness (In one way or another). Last Friday, I had the pleasure of lecturing at the Tricky Business Magic Shop in Hicksville, NY. It was a really great group of magicians that seemed to not be annoyed by what I had to say. I've only done a handful of lectures in the past, and hopefully this will be the beginning of many more to come.

Things got even more interesting post-lecture. I went to a local diner with John Reid (the owner of Tricky Business), one of his employees Brian and his lady Amanda. On our way out, we noticed this rather odd prize-vending machine game. I decided I had to give this odd looking creature a try and I ended up winning an Ipod Shuffle. (Okay, it was a Chinese Ripoff of a Shuffle, but a victory is a victory dammit. And it seems to work alright... don't take this moment from me!)

Anywho, on the way back from Hicksville, I noticed John's car on the side of the road next to a heinous crash where the demolished car was sitting without a front end in the farthest left lane. I stopped and realized John was just lending a hand so I also attempted to help. The crash occurred on a major highway just around a bend so needless to say, the demolished car almost got hit 5 more times in the 10 minutes we were there waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

Is it impossible for people to slow down when they see a bunch of cars with their hazard lights on? Are people so mentally vacant while driving that they see people waving them to slow down on a highway that they figure "If I go REALLY fast, maybe I'll be invisible" (Although the thought does border on theoretical physics, I doubt the drivers are that deep).

I know it's always going to be a problem, but moronic drivers have been affecting the lives of those around me quite regularly lately. Between my roommate getting hit by a car as he crossed a LIT CROSSWALK, Losander (a phenomenal magician and creator) gets t-boned by a driver who goes right through a red light, my friend's son gets into a vicious accident... sweet fluffy monkeys people! Open yer friggin' eyes when you're driving! Sorry about the outburst. As someone always on the road, it's a personal buggery of mine.

In more pleasant news, with rehearsals for the Renaissance Banquet at the end of February in Stratford, CT (You need to login to Facebook to see the link) in full swing, I'm really getting into the spirit of collaborative play. I have peculiarly high standards when it comes to a performance I'm involved in, which sometimes makes me come across as nit-picky and controlling, but everyone else involved is aware of this and know when to listen to my thoughts and know when to tell me to stuff it. It's going to be a great show.

We are also inching close to Wicked Winter Renaissance Faire in NJ the 3rd weekend of February, I'm both excited and nervous. It's always a wondrous time and I have no doubt of that, but I'm going to be doing an effect I haven't done since last August. It's a rather involved escape which actually has some dangerous elements to it, and this time, I'm going to be using bondage experts to tie me up (It IS that kind of Faire). It's a little nerve-wracking to say the least. I'm spending the remaining weeks retraining my body to deal with the extra stress of holding my breath for longer than my big-ness wishes. I'm not quite back to where I was in August, but hopefully the next 3 weeks will fix that.

As some folks can tell, I'm trying to define where this blog is going to go. Part philosophy, part updates, part stories, part ramblings... are people liking what I'm putting up here? Is there something you want to see me write about? Let me know in the comments, folks.

And a quick shout out to Scooter, Losander, and Galen for a speedy and full recovery!

-Much love,
Daniel GreenWolf
www.GreenWolfMagic.com
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