A Tip Of i/m’s Hat

You don’t have to spend over 15 minutes in the blogosphere to realize the most intelligent magic commentary and advice is by Andy over at The Jerx. (That last sentence was very hard to write by an old timer like me. He will always be The Magic Circle Jerk to me. His exploits are legendary and his Most Boring Post On The Magic Cafe, a stroke of genius even he will never exceed. There are still battle scars to this day.)

Andy is much more mainstream now and much tamer. That’s a shame, but it does give us a terrific source of great magic thinking. His writings concentrate on the needs of hobbyist and casual performers. I believe he’s the first to do so. He manages to write at a high level without being a total dick. A rarity in magic.

His latest post as I write this begins:

I want to go back to my concept of a 100 Trick Repertoire, which is something I wrote about in The Amateur at the Kitchen Table. It’s a simple idea. You don’t need that book to understand it. It’s just the idea that the old adage that you should know six tricks that you do very well, is horseshit when it comes to the amateur/social performer. (And probably hasn’t even made sense for the professional performer since, like, the vaudeville days—but magicians are slow to evolve.)

Anyone who still attends the local magic club, undoubtedly has run into some old douchenagle saying I made my living for 40 years performing the same 8 tricks at birthday parties. Hot Damn! So we now understand why 2 generations hate magic. I never understood why being lazy and disinterested in your craft was a badge of honor.

Anyway, read this post and most everything he puts out. Support him if possible. He’s a magic treasure and there are damn few of them




Virtual Magic – A Working Definition

Magical Content – None

Procedurally Mind Numbingly Heavy

Obviously mathematical to arrive at a predetermined outcome

Entertainment Value – None




Do Small Chested Girls Also Like Magic

Just asking for a friend.




Official Position For Earth Day 2021

I know many of you have been waiting for I/m’s thoughts on earth day. Well, the wait is over and we are pleased as punch to be the first to release it.




Today’s Unfortunate Truth

The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.



The Smartest Man In The Room

I listen to a lot of magic podcasts. I walk my dog twice a day and generally listen to one if it is available. One of the most consistently good broadcasts has been The Insider from Vanishing Inc. Unfortunately, they’ve been on quite a losing streak from my perspective and bottomed out this week. At least, I hope it’s the bottom. Generally, I find listening to the podcasts more interesting then picking up dog poop. This week that was not the case.

I find Jamy Ian Swiss to be a total Dick! This is nothing new. He is he always has been. I find him to be an intellectual bully, something common with pseudo intellectuals that seem to take great pleasure in running down those that they consider to have inferior minds. Screw him!

I’m sure Mr. Swiss is tired of bearing the burden of always being the smartest man in the room. Let me take this opportunity to assure him that no matter how small the room or how few people are in it, he has no reason to worry.