www.magicincorporated.com

For My Teacher, Slydini ...The Master of Misdirection

I have created this blog to supplement my website: www.magicincorporated.com
You'll find my e-books there.

One of my dreams was to have an online magic studio of my own one day, dedicated to Slydini's  Close Up Magic. 

This blog is my way of introducing myself and begin my search for Close Up Magicians that want to preserve the Magic of Slydini. 

Misconceptions

I have heard it said, many times, that one must ‘become Slydini’ to do his magic. This misconception comes from those who completely imitated him when they performed one of his routines. This imitation included the performer suddenly speaking with an ‘Italian accent’ when he began his performance. And so, in this respect, I can understand where this misconception comes from. I am Italian / American. My first language was Neapolitan, and so for me, there was a natural comfort with the ‘body language’, facial expressions, gestures, and attitudes of Slydini, because I, like Slydini, was raised ‘in the Italian way’. Slydini’s misdirection is based upon the things people have in common, the natural mechanics of the body, inclinations of the mind, universal forms of non verbal expression. The principle objective of the serious student is to learn the basic fundamentals of Slydini’s System of Misdirection, both physical and psychological, and then incorporate those fundamentals into his own unique personality. I’ve heard it said that Slydini challenged his audience and this ‘style’ is no longer acceptable. Slydini controlled the presentation in every aspect. Each word was carefully chosen. Slydini asked questions. Questions force the impromptu assistant to listen, consider, and then respond. Therefore, by asking a question instead of making a statement, Slydini was controlling the thought process of his impromptu assistant. When he did make statements to his impromptu assistant or to the audience at large, those statements were typically provocative or accusatory. Observations about the impromptu assistant were addressed to the audience at large. This was intentional, purposeful, and powerful. It is Mental Misdirection. He controlled every aspect of spectator perception, what they saw, what thought they saw, what they were caused to think; by his provocative statements and actions. However, and this is paramount, those statements were never derogatory or offensive.

D's Bio

When I was a kid my Uncle Willie was always showing me these little tricks of his. He’d rub a quarter on his elbow and it would disappear. He’d pull a piece of thread from his shirt and the thread would keep coming, yards of it. My father would take me into little novelty shops they used to have in Times Square in the ‘50’s and buy me a trick once in a while; Cups and Balls, the Dime and Penny, things like that. My mother watched me do the same tricks over and over again for years.

Years later, after a hitch in the service, I went to college and started tending bar at night. I did magic tricks to entertain the customers. It was classic Bar Magic. After Junior College I decide to go out west and I enrolled at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. I ended up selling magic tricks at a small shop ‘The Magic Mansion’ in Circus Circus Casino.

One day an older gentlemen walked in and asked me about a book: Slydini Encores. I took it out of the case and handed it to him. At that point I had no idea of who Slydini was. I asked the man about him. “Oh … he’s a pistol!” Those were his exact words. He didn’t buy the book and I really didn’t look at it either.

I decided to go back to New York. One day I was in Tannen’s, when it was still on Broadway. A man, standing behind the counter on the right as you walked in, asked me if I’d like to see a trick. He show me a very nice version of Slydini’s Coin’s through the Table although I did not know that at the time. When I asked him about it, he told me it was created by Slydini. That was the second time I’d heard the name. I bought the book

The Magic of Slydini by Ganson and started studying. I focused on the coins, the Paper Balls in the Box, and the Newspaper Tear.

At that time Bill Bixby was having a great success with his television show The Magician. Slydini appeared on television special hosted by Mr. Bixby. This was the first time I’d ever seen Slydini perform. He did the Paper Balls in the Box and the Production Silks. I was amazed. His magic was so different from anything I ever seen. He was graceful, elegant, calm, precise.

I practiced his magic ,on my own for one year. (I was working in midtown Manhattan at time and as it happened my office on 44th and 6th was not too far from his studio on 341 West 45th.) I called Directory Assistance and asked for his phone number. The only name I knew to ask for was ‘Slydini’. I was really surprised when the operator gave it to me. I called him, told him a little bit about myself and asked if was taking any new students. He invited me over the following week for my first lesson.

He lived in a studio apartment on the west side of Manhattan. You would sit at his close up table, directly across from him. The wall behind him was covered with plaques and pictures of famous magicians. He asked me to do a trick for him so I showed him his ,One Coin Routine’ as best I could. Little did I know this routine embodied the way he did Close Up Magic. He let me go on for a while and then he told me to stop. “OK, lets begin.” That’s exactly what he said to me.

At first I paid for lessons but after a few years he stopped charging me. I am also Italian. We had many things in common. It was like having a Magic Grandfather. I cleaned his studio, painted it, took him on trips out of town. He cooked, told me stories about his life and we studied together for years. I learned all of his major Close Up and his Stage Act. About ten years ago I started to write my own books on Slydini’s Magic, the books that are available here. Currently I am in the process of translating those books in Italian.

I also write short stores about an Italian American Detective, Dominic Di Carini, living in 1930’s San Francisco. Please see: www.dicarini.com .

In a few years I plan to retire to Italy. Slydini was very kind and generous to me, as he was to many Magicians. This site is the best way I can think of to do my part to see that he is remembered and more importantly discovered by those Magicians who have never had the privilege of seeing him perform.

Here is what he would tell me, in every lesson. “You must believe in what you are doing. If you believe it, they will believe it.

Buona Fortuna!

D

Additional Opportunities To Learn

The great Close Up Magician Don Alan once said; “Young people don’t care who came before them. They want the trick and they want it now. They think they are entitled to it.”

 Slydini said: “You have to pay to appreciate.”

 I have had portions of my writing taken and used without my knowledge or permission. I’ve had people who bought one of my books assume that automatically entitled them to what amounts to private lessons by asking me to review video clips and offer observations via email. I have had people simply tell me to teach them as if it were my obligation to do so. Perhaps the internet leads to this type of thinking. So much information, although not all of it accurate, is available at the push of a button. Perhaps; but there was no internet when Don Alan and Slydini’s made their observations.

If you are interested in having me review your practice performance video’s, offer observations and answer specific questions, I offer this as a fee based service. For additional information about this please contact me at:

d.angeloferri@gmail.com

I mention this now because I want you to consider carefully before you purchase one of my   e-books. I don’t want you to be mislead or disappointed. My e-books represent years of study. I have tried my very best to teach as I was taught. You are buying the time I have invested in the creation of those books.

Slydini’s Magic is not something that can be done in a few hours. If you are looking for quick, simple tricks (which can be great) my e-books are not for you.

Slydini was extremely kind and generous to me. He held nothing back. I’m not going to just ‘give’ my teachers Magic away. Yes, I know he wanted it to continue but to continue in the hands of dedicated practioners. Everything I have, I worked for. I value my teachers’ magic and I am not going to just give it away as if it were nothing special.

All sales are final. There are no refunds. Reproduction and or distribution of my e-books, in part or whole is strictly prohibited. I will pursue violators of my copyrights. If you have any problem accessing your e-book please contact me at

 d.angeloferri@gmail.com

If my attitude runs counter to yours, it is better you know that and we part ‘friends’ now.

Sincerely

D

D’s E - Books

My books are written from the perspective of the student. I understand the struggle because I lived it. I would also recommend you consider the Magic of Slydini and The Magical World of Slydini written by Karl Fulves and published by Tannens.

I can not recommend The Magic of Slydini by Ganson or Slydini Encores. Those two books, in my opinion, will ultimately discourage the student, for as well intentioned as they were, it is extremely to difficult to recreate the necessary movements especially when you consider the lack of photographic examples for the student to study and reflect upon.

Slydini’s system of movement is base upon a 72 beats per minute tempo. The Magic of Slydini by Ganson and Slydini Encores lack enough visual examples for the student to consider. You are taken ‘from here to there’ but the ‘middle’ of the journey is not available to you. Thanks to digital photography; I have been able to include hundreds of photographs on a beat by beat basis in my books and this is essential in helping the student learn how to move.

Your movements must be robotic when you begin, beat by beat, and then slowly, as you understand the proper mechanics, you can begin you ‘cover them’ with your unique style. Think of two houses, on the outside they appear to be different but if you were to strip away the ‘siding’ you’d see that the frames were exactly the same.

In every case I have tired to teach you as I was taught. I want my teachers’ Magic to endure in the best possible way. My e-books are my promise to him.

Your Learning Path

What are your objectives? Are you interested in Stage Magic, Close Up Magic, both? If for example; your only interest is the Slydini’s Linking Rings then the information in that e-book will enable you to perform that routine (assuming you practice) and there is no point in your purchasing any other e-books from me.

If your interest is in the Paper Balls in the Box, then as with the Linking Ring Routine, there is no point in acquiring any of my other e-books.

If your goal is to perform Slydini’s Close Up Magic as he did then I recommend: The Master of Misdirection. The fundamentals are covered and the goal is to enable you to perform all of Slydini’s Close Up Routines, as you learn how to apply those fundamentals.

Further, within that e-book, The Master of Misdirection I suggest you begin with The Coins Through The Table because that routine embodies the way Slydini performs Close Up Magic, more over, given that all you need to perform the routine is seven coins, a table and chair, you will have the opportunity to perform for people.

It is one thing to perform before a mirror in your bedroom or play to a camera. It is quite another thing to perform for people. Yes; you must begin with technique, and yes you should check your mechanics with a mirror or a camera if possible but at some point, if you are truly going to become a Close Up Magician you must perform for people. Moreover you must manage the interaction; between yourself, your impromptu assistant, and your audience at large.

When you perform things will go wrong at times. These mistakes are valuable lessons you can benefit from, learn from, in real time, if you are performing for people. As part of my training, I’d do a routine Slydini and I were working on. I had to tell him what happened, what I felt, what people said, what they saw, what I thought they saw, their reactions. This is a vital part of your training. You begin with ‘bite size’ pieces of a routine, and gradually as you gain experience and confidence, build it into the complete presentation. This is a marathon not a sprit. If speed is your objective there are many quick, simple, easy to acquire magic tricks available to you. This Magic is not for you. If you are fascinated about the relationship between the Close Up Magician and his Impromptu Assistant, if you are interested in learning a unique system of accomplishing Classic Close Up Magic, in the ‘Slydini Manner’ then you should consider my e-books

Begin by asking yourself what your ultimate goal is prior to making a purchase. Please note all sales are final and there are no refunds for any reason. I want to make friends not enemies so consider carefully before committing to a purchase.