Hey guys. Yesterday I attended Justin Miller's lecture in Watertown Massachusetts, and I can honestly say that it was the best 3 hours of my life. 2 Years ago, when my entire repertoire was comprised of Ellusionist-produced effects, I said to my dad, "What do you think about going to see Justin Miller lecture for my 16th birthday?" This was when I was 14. Over those two years I became more mature in magic and learned that sites other than Ellusionist existed and that there was much more magic out there. Over time, my interest in seeing Justin Miller decreased greatly. After re-watching his videos, I found his style, performance, and effects to be pretty mediocre and bland. I didn't think he was a "bad" magician, but I didn't see anything too special about him.
Then, a few weeks ago, my cyber buddy Alex Bonner told me that he was going to be attending Justin's lecture in New York on the 28th of February. He told I should go. I didn't particularly care to go, but I thought I'd check it out as I've never been to a magic lecture before. I went to Justin's site and found out that he was lecturing at IBM ring 122 (Magic Art Studio) in Watertown, which is about 20 minutes away from my house. So, I decided to go. It was one of the best decisions I've made in magic. I got there around 8:00 PM. The lecture was supposed to start at around 8:30. So I hung around the shop for a little while, while the IBM members were having their meeting. Then I saw Justin walk in. He too hung around the shop for a few minutes and shortly after entering, introduced himself to me in a very courteous manner. This shocked me greatly. I assumed that the sole reason he was there was to make so money and advertise himself. Boy was I wrong. We chatted for a few minutes. He asked me questions like "How long have you been in magic?" and "What kind of magic do you do?" and he really seemed interested and attentive to what I had to say. Soon, it was time for Justin to set up for the lecture so he said "Hey, you should so me your stuff after the lecture, I'd love to see it" which again shocked me. I thought he was simply making conversation to pass the time, but that last line really made me realize what a great guy Justin was. Then the lecture started. After our short conversation I had learned what a kind person he was, but still had my doubts about his presentation. Well, my opinion changed completely after the first 25 seconds of the lecture.
His presentations were very well thought out, interesting, and very believable. I also found out how funny he was. I was laughing and smiling constantly throughout the duration of the lecture at his witty lines. What was great was that unlike some magicians that I've seen, none of his humor felt forced or scripted. In fact, I have no idea if he came up with his lines on the spot or if he worked them out beforehand. Either way though, he kept me very entertained for the entire show. The material was also excellent. Every single one of his routines were incredibly powerful and practical. The first effect he did I think was titled Traveling Light which was a very nice routine with an interesting storyline. If I remember correctly, I believe each of the 4 aces individually and VERY visually appeared between the Jokers. Then I think 4 selections were taken out and switched places with the Aces. I can gaurantee I forgot some part of the effect so I apologize. But trust me when I say it was a great routine. I think the next effect he did was a 3 card revelation which was very nice. Basically 3 selections were lost in the deck, and one at a time were revealed in various manners. I'm pretty sure then next routine he did was Time and Space which is a FANTASITC version of the classic mystery card plot. He sells it on his website and I highly recommend it. Then he did I think my favorite effect that evening, X Marks the Spot, also sold on his website. It completely fooled me. It combines the Cheek to Cheek deck with a fantastic plot. Check out the trailer on his site. I'm fairly certain that X Marks the Spot was the last of the card work. He proceeded to do a handful of great coin routines including Silver Dream and an excellent and surprising coins through table effect. After a short break, Justin did some AMAZING thread magic with both Loops and The Cloak. He did a very nice version of Banachek's PK Touches routine that I volunteered for
. He did a very, very fair rising card front glass effect utilizing The Cloak. He did a bunch of other thread effects, but I forget exactly what they were. Basically, the material Justin lectured was all top notch.
After the lecture I purchased the bundle he was offering which was the The Cloak DVD (including thread), the Time and Space DVD (including 6 gaffs), the X Marks the Spot DVD (including gaffs), the lecture notes on DVD, and a CD with his previous lecture notes titled "Huh?", "Locked In A Room Without Cards", and "Strolling Hands" which totals over 100 pages, I think closer to 150. All of that was only 100$. I think he said separately it was like $160 or so. So after that, he asked me if I was staying around for a bit. We talked a little more and he graciously signed my deck of cards. I also took a picture with him which I will attach once the guy that took the picture emails it. Then he asked me to show him something. I was incredibly nervous and my hands were visible shaking. I tried to get out of it saying "I don't have any original material" and he said "We all have to start somewhere." eventually he was able to coax me into showing him Lee Asher's Silver Surfer which I've been working hard at for a few months. He said smiled and complimented me and thanked me for coming. Justin Miller really the most courteous person I've ever met and a fantastic magician to boot. Sorry for this long post, but I just had to share this with you guys. Last night furthered my magic more than any of the books, DVDs, lecture notes, and eBooks I own ever could. Thanks for reading.
EDIT: I added a scan of the card box Justin signed. ITts on the second page.
Then, a few weeks ago, my cyber buddy Alex Bonner told me that he was going to be attending Justin's lecture in New York on the 28th of February. He told I should go. I didn't particularly care to go, but I thought I'd check it out as I've never been to a magic lecture before. I went to Justin's site and found out that he was lecturing at IBM ring 122 (Magic Art Studio) in Watertown, which is about 20 minutes away from my house. So, I decided to go. It was one of the best decisions I've made in magic. I got there around 8:00 PM. The lecture was supposed to start at around 8:30. So I hung around the shop for a little while, while the IBM members were having their meeting. Then I saw Justin walk in. He too hung around the shop for a few minutes and shortly after entering, introduced himself to me in a very courteous manner. This shocked me greatly. I assumed that the sole reason he was there was to make so money and advertise himself. Boy was I wrong. We chatted for a few minutes. He asked me questions like "How long have you been in magic?" and "What kind of magic do you do?" and he really seemed interested and attentive to what I had to say. Soon, it was time for Justin to set up for the lecture so he said "Hey, you should so me your stuff after the lecture, I'd love to see it" which again shocked me. I thought he was simply making conversation to pass the time, but that last line really made me realize what a great guy Justin was. Then the lecture started. After our short conversation I had learned what a kind person he was, but still had my doubts about his presentation. Well, my opinion changed completely after the first 25 seconds of the lecture.
His presentations were very well thought out, interesting, and very believable. I also found out how funny he was. I was laughing and smiling constantly throughout the duration of the lecture at his witty lines. What was great was that unlike some magicians that I've seen, none of his humor felt forced or scripted. In fact, I have no idea if he came up with his lines on the spot or if he worked them out beforehand. Either way though, he kept me very entertained for the entire show. The material was also excellent. Every single one of his routines were incredibly powerful and practical. The first effect he did I think was titled Traveling Light which was a very nice routine with an interesting storyline. If I remember correctly, I believe each of the 4 aces individually and VERY visually appeared between the Jokers. Then I think 4 selections were taken out and switched places with the Aces. I can gaurantee I forgot some part of the effect so I apologize. But trust me when I say it was a great routine. I think the next effect he did was a 3 card revelation which was very nice. Basically 3 selections were lost in the deck, and one at a time were revealed in various manners. I'm pretty sure then next routine he did was Time and Space which is a FANTASITC version of the classic mystery card plot. He sells it on his website and I highly recommend it. Then he did I think my favorite effect that evening, X Marks the Spot, also sold on his website. It completely fooled me. It combines the Cheek to Cheek deck with a fantastic plot. Check out the trailer on his site. I'm fairly certain that X Marks the Spot was the last of the card work. He proceeded to do a handful of great coin routines including Silver Dream and an excellent and surprising coins through table effect. After a short break, Justin did some AMAZING thread magic with both Loops and The Cloak. He did a very nice version of Banachek's PK Touches routine that I volunteered for
. He did a very, very fair rising card front glass effect utilizing The Cloak. He did a bunch of other thread effects, but I forget exactly what they were. Basically, the material Justin lectured was all top notch.After the lecture I purchased the bundle he was offering which was the The Cloak DVD (including thread), the Time and Space DVD (including 6 gaffs), the X Marks the Spot DVD (including gaffs), the lecture notes on DVD, and a CD with his previous lecture notes titled "Huh?", "Locked In A Room Without Cards", and "Strolling Hands" which totals over 100 pages, I think closer to 150. All of that was only 100$. I think he said separately it was like $160 or so. So after that, he asked me if I was staying around for a bit. We talked a little more and he graciously signed my deck of cards. I also took a picture with him which I will attach once the guy that took the picture emails it. Then he asked me to show him something. I was incredibly nervous and my hands were visible shaking. I tried to get out of it saying "I don't have any original material" and he said "We all have to start somewhere." eventually he was able to coax me into showing him Lee Asher's Silver Surfer which I've been working hard at for a few months. He said smiled and complimented me and thanked me for coming. Justin Miller really the most courteous person I've ever met and a fantastic magician to boot. Sorry for this long post, but I just had to share this with you guys. Last night furthered my magic more than any of the books, DVDs, lecture notes, and eBooks I own ever could. Thanks for reading.
EDIT: I added a scan of the card box Justin signed. ITts on the second page.
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