Which came first, the music or the magic?

I love this question.  If you've ever seen my manipulation act, it's a very music driven manipulation act where I manipulate CDs and iPods.  I make them multiply, vanish, appear, and explode.  I'll drop the link at the end of the article in case you want to watch it.  That act started as magic, then I found music that fit the magic moments.  Magic, then music.

In 2007, I went to the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas, and I asked this exact question to Jeff McBride.  I asked him "Jeff, when it comes to making original magic routines, do you start with music, or do you start with a magic effect."  Jeff replied with three words that changed my life:  "It all depends."  My initial thought was "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!?!?"  How can it depend?  Depend on what??  I was more confused than when I had asked the question.  So, I let it sink in, and didn't think about it for a long while.  

Let's fast forward to March of 2011.  My girlfriend at the time had told me that we needed a break.  I was, needless to say, down in the dumps.  A friend of mine at school, Steve Tuplin, says to me "hey, have you ever heard the Joshua Radin version of Sesame Street?  I listen to it any time I'm having a bad day, and it makes me feel better."  After a brief YouTube search, I found the Scrubs episode where it was featured.  Instantly, I knew that I needed to create a magic trick around it.  That was the "AHA!" moment.  For years now, I have created magic effects, and then scoured through my music libraries (yes, plural) looking for music that would work perfectly.  For the first time, however, I had found a song that spoke to me.  It said "you need to use me, and I will be wonderful."  

Fast forward again to September 7, 2011.  For the first time, I performed what I lovingly call "The Balloon" at Magic Chicago.  (For those of you in the know, it's Tony Clark's Gypsy Balloon, but now I'm just getting technical...)  I wrote an original script, and I had recorded my own version of Sesame Street in the style of Joshua Radin.  In the end, three audience members were in tears.  I had created something beautiful that brought members of the audience to tears.  Music, then magic.

Looking back, I have learned to understand what Jeff had simply put to me.  It truly does depend.  In 2007, I wasn't prepared to know what he was saying, but four years later, I can look back and realize two things. I realized that Jeff was, and still is a genius, and I was naive.   With time comes knowledge, and although the knowledge was imparted onto me in 2007, I wasn't prepared for it then.   

Go with what your gut tells you about your magic.  If you find that a linking rings routine done to a Yiddish techno beat strikes your fancy, do it.  If you find that Oops I did it again works with your five-card-repeat, use it.  An original twist on a classic plot makes the magic your own.  Do what feels right.

Oh yeah, Here's the link to my act.  Enjoy!

Bill Koch's Award Winning CD Manipulation Act

Milwaukee Film Festival

What a weekend... I was privileged to be invited up to Milwaukee to take part in a weekend of screenings of Make Believe for the Milwaukee Film Festival.  MB is up for another audience award, so if you go to see it, make sure to vote for it :-).

The people that worked the Milwaukee Festival are incredible.  Every person treated Derek, Krystyn, and I like we were Kings (or Queen).  We were chauffeured to the theaters, and were put up in a gorgeous hotel.  The first night, we were in a suburb of Milwaukee, at the Marcus North Shore Cinema.  It was a fantastic turnout of about 350 people.  Sunday, the movie was screened in the Milwaukee Oriental Theater.  Talk about gorgeous!  The room had 1,100 seats, and an organ.  The art was incredible, the screen was huge, the sound system was fantastic... All in all, I liked the Oriental Theater.

I was caught in a candid moment during my "6 months later" bit.  One of the festival workers noticed that I was standing in a perfect spot, and snapped a great picture.

I can't thank the festival workers enough for their hard work, and I can't thank the people of Milwaukee who came out to support Make Believe.  It means the world to all of us involved that you came out to see it, and we hope sincerely that you loved it as much as we do.

Until next time-
-Bill



ps - This is for you Kelly:  If at first you don't succeed, Skydiving is not for you...

Square One

Hello, my name is Bill Cook, and I am a Magician.  That is one of the hardest sentences for me to write because up until today, that's not who I was.  If you're reading this, it's most likely because of my post on Facebook or Twitter.  If we're friends on there, then we probably know one another.  If so, you know that I don't spell my last name Cook.  This is going to be an ongoing change that won't happen immediately, but I hope the change will go without severe turbulence.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let's move on to new things.  This coming weekend, I'll be in Milwaukee Wisconsin for the Milwaukee Film Festival for another pair of screenings of Make Believe.  It's going to be a reunion again for me because Derek McKee and Krystyn Lambert will be there as well.  I'm excited to hang out with them again, and I know shenanigans will once again ensue.

I'll have more to say later, but until then, keep smiling!