After talking with a good friend of mine, and award winning magician, about an idea I had on gimmicks; he decided to write this. He sent it to me to put up on the forum, but it was at a time I left the group. As of recent, had this published in a Canadian Magic Magazine. I have been waiting for the right time to post it, I think this may be it. He gave me permission to reprint it here
To Gimmick or not to Gimmick by Alan Grose:
I’m not much into internet chat sites of any kind because the truth is I don’t know who I’m speaking to on the other end. You may very well be “casting pearls before swine.” Nevertheless this was put to paper because of a conversation I had with a good friend. Yes he’s magician too, but he’s a good friend first. We were talking about the use of gimmicks in magic effects. I have two passions in my life, magic and combat training. Believe it or not, the two are quite intertwined. Sparring is done far better when you’re warmed up. Magic is just the same. You’re better after you’ve performed a few effects. But it goes much further than that....
My friend was debating if he should incorporate a gimmick into an effect he was working on. Before I go on I should add the individual in question has an arsenal of sleights that would make Darwin Ortiz jealous (Yes, he is talking about me). If you don’t know who Darwin Ortiz is, stop reading this and buy Strong Magic. Read it then come back. Done? Good stuff. Let’s carry on. I think his apprehension was due to the fact he’s a bit of a purist.(Not really a purist, I just like to keep it clean when I can) I am too, so I can completely empathize. However I relate the use of a gimmick back to combat skills.
In any kind of combat training, the last thing you get to use is a weapon. Any thoughts on why that is? Well first of all there would be no respect for it, and therefore the risk of misuse is high. In weapons training, misuse would parallel death. As melodramatic as that sounds it is a fact. You develop expertise in empty hand combat long before you ever go near a weapon. That way you already have acquired the discipline to give the weapon the respect it deserves.
Magic is no different. If you were simply handed a weapon (gimmick), you would have no respect for it. The risk of misuse is high, and that would surely mean “death” for the performer. You would lack discipline. You need to develop your expertise in sleight of hand long before you even consider using a gimmick. A great quote that parallels both magic and combat is this, “When you have a weapon, act as if you are unarmed. Conversely when you are unarmed, act as if you have a weapon.”
In magic that’s what you do. You don’t showcase the gimmick do you? How can you act like you’re unarmed if you don’t know what it’s like to BE unarmed? Good sleight of hand can allow you to take your audience “down the garden path” in the false hope that what you did was accomplished by some form of a gimmick. Since there will be none to find, the only conclusion they will come to is what you did has no explanation. Isn’t that what you’re trying to achieve?
Once this has been accomplished you are in the perfect position to ring in a gimmick. Because now whatever you do will be interpreted as a miracle. You’ve just proved you can perform magic without any additional means. You’ve acted like you’re armed when you weren’t. For your next effect you will perform like you’re unarmed. Except you’ll have a weapon. And it doesn’t get any cooler than that.
In the end, I did create a gimmick for the effect I am working on, and it makes the handling SO deceptive. Gimmicks can help your magic when used properly, but gimmicks can limit your magic...loved what Madison said about acceptable gimmicks, couldn't agree more. I think, for the most part, gimmicks should be as hidden as your pass.
