Monsters

There are a few monsters in terms of magic styles. The first one I discovered is The One Trick Monster. The One Trick Monster does only one trick. And the whole show is just build up to do that one trick. Most street shows work like that. Gazzo is a good example. It is all about the Cups and Balls. All the other tricks are just fluff and filler. The audience will go home and all they remember is the last trick and the funny guy. The One Trick Monster, doesn't do just one trick, but it sure seems like it. The filler material is usually as well thought out, but in the end almost all seem to neither notice nor appreciate.

Another one is The Clear as Day Monster. It is a very special type of performer, the one who does quite a few tricks during the show but he makes sure all of the tricks are remembered. Alexander deCova comes to mind as well as Jeff McBride. All the tricks are well thought out and all of the show is not merely a bunch of tricks strung together but are placed within an overarching storyline. Usually in the end there is a recap. Maybe a trick that repeats all of the tricks quickly, or maybe a speech will end the performance of The Clear as Day Monster.

Then there is The Blur Monster. Usually a fast working performer. Chad Long is a nice example of that. The audience will see basically a bunch of tricks all building on top of each other and will not remember any of them. All they do remember is that they had a good time. I personally favor that approach, as I don't want my audience to remember what they have seen. That way they wanna see it again and they cannot figure out how I have done it, as they don't even remember what was going on. It doesn't mean the the magic is confusing, it means that the sheer amount of tricks in very little time will be too much to remember. Here is one cool thing about it: It allows you to get away with bold methods. The audience simply has no time to think about it, as the next effect is already taking place.

Each Monster has advantages and disadvantages. The One Trick Monster only gets praise for the one trick and the rest is forgotten. The Clear as Day Monster gets the fame but has very little venues to work at, and The Blur Monster can get away with bold methods, but the audience only remembers the performer and none of the tricks.

What other monsters are out there?

Oh, there are a few:

The Won't Do Any Magic 'cause Can't Shut Up Monster
The Treat Me Like A God Monster
The Humiliation Is The Only Kind Of Humor Monster

But I like none of them, and like real monsters, those need to be feared.