Here is a truth a lot of magicians need to know: If your looks don't support your character, you should change at least one. In most cases it means you gotta change your character.
I really don't wanna rip on thy highly skilled Eduardo Galeano, but his nerdy appearance simply doesn't fit the romanticized style he is going for:
For a few moments he seems to lose the "dorky" expression he seems to keeps having the whole time. That's when I buy it. But most often, I feel that he is a boy pressed into a suit. Also his energy level as he performs seems way too low. Especially near the end.
I know that this is a matter of taste and all. And probably a lot of you will disagree with me. This could be due to my own failure of not knowing style when I see it, but most likely it is your fault, because you are a magician. And magicians have a high fail rate when it comes to looks and such.
Think about it. You probably know at least one magician who acts like a female heart throb and a well behaved squire, when their looks simply do not meet that goal.
I know what I'm talking about. I'm a fat guy, doing corny jokes. Doing a romantic manipulation routine to Morris Albert's Feelings with Fantasio candles would make for a great basis for a comedy routine, but not for serious drama.
Yet I see lot's of performer attempting such a thing. If you look ugly, don't hide... finde the correct character that suits your looks. Juan Tamariz comes to mind. Or Dani Daortiz with his thin hair and the belly. But neither one tries to be a lady kind of guy when it comes to character. Both are highly skilled, knowledgeable and I admire both of them very much. They found their niche. Now find yours.
May just be my eyes, but it seems the only real in-congruency is his posture. It's like his shoulders are way back, his belly sticks out forward, and his coat/vest/shirt are cut loose in the stomach, with that smile...it all just gives off a weird vibe.
ReplyDeleteSomething tells me if his posture was a different, and the cut of his wardrobe it would all seem a bit more normal.
TOM JONES ALERT AT 1:15.
ReplyDeleteAgree on the posture bit from Darkstar.
ReplyDeleteHave to disagree with pretty much everything you said Roland though.
So maybe he looks a bit Dorky, at least he's not committing the cardinal sin of appearing to be better than his audience.
I'm not a fan of card manipulation but that routine changed my mind a lot. skillful arty and never boring.
What a great performer.
No, Roland's totally right. He looks dorky, and it does NOT fly with the air he's going. It just ends up looking embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteRoland hit the nail on the head when he said that he looks like a boy pressed into a suit.
Precisely.
It's not his fault that he's young, but it is something he just needs to accept. He simply does not command the presence that he's clearly going for.
Which is too bad, cause he's a great technician.