I think in a previous lifetime I was probably a court jester as I have always loved seeing people smile, applaud and throw things at me.
AmazingBoz

For me, it's very strange. No one else other than I was into magic; not my frends, family, simply no one. It's that very sudden moment, when I felt I must do magic. It was strange. Up to this day I still can't explain it.

I've always been somewhat interested in magic, but when my brother hosted a "murder mystery", my character (luckily) happened to be a magician. For my costume, I went to the recently opened magic shop to buy a magic wand & perhaps a couple of tricks; and.....well, I was hooked.

My first tricks purchased were a mini-deck version of 8 Card Brainwave, the Jiffy Coin Trick & a rope trick.

When I was 7 years old, I saw David Copperfield do an international TV performance and I got hooked. I told myself I was going be a magician one of these days....That was when I started with libary books; and today I am a manipulator and a card man.

I was seven, and while exploring a secret passage in the house (yes, a real one), I found a very old box of family books (we used to store things in there). In it was a magic book well over a hundred years old. That book got me hooked, and is still in my collection as my oldest (and dearest) piece, at the ripe old age of 144.

-bigwolf {*}

When I was growing up, my father was performing as a clown on his own weekly television program. He incorporated lots of elements into his show and act, and among those elements was magic. I became hooked fairly young with both magic and performing, but he wouldn't let me touch his expensive props until I was older. So I (like others) really began actually doing magic tricks with the Marshall Brodien TV Magic Kit.

The kit I owned is long gone... but in this day and age, I still use some of the props my father did in the 60's and 70's. I just wish I still had his guillotine.

Leo Martin

I blame technology trade shows.

Going to any number of shows in the heyday of the Internet bubble, you'd see companies try to outdo each other in getting people to their booths; I'd run into people like Bill Goldman, Michael Ammar and Joel Bauer.

Then, there were the reporters who were covering the show who also dabbled in magic; guys like Daniel Dern come to mind right away.

I was entranced by the ability to do things that had no right being done in the natural course of events.
Rings would magically link...cards would fly to the bottom of the deck only to rise back to the top with a flick of the wrist...wow, I was hooked.

So, I went to Magic Masters, and was blown away by Svengali decks and TTs and rising cards. Oh, I had to have them all (didn't they see *me* coming!).

And then, one day at a show, I talked with Joel for a minute. I asked him which decks he used. Hoo boy, WRONG question to ask. He stared at me like I had offended him, and replied, "I don't. I go into any city, buy a deck of cards and I'm ready to go."

Well, I was offended...but the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was probably right...I shouldn't NEED trick decks to do magic. And that's when I started looking at how the others do it. I bought some tapes from that fellow Ammar, thinking I could learn a few things. And that led to a book by a fellow I seemed to remember from TV named Max Maven; the book was "Focus."

And the more I learned, the more I realized there was to learn...and that I couldn't learn it all, but I could sure as heck have fun on the journey. And the joy of reading through an effect...from a Vernon, or a Hamman, or a Marlo, or those who astound today...still imbues me with that sense of fun.

There's also the sense of wonder...except now, I'm the one sharing it with others. And that's a wonderful feeling as well.

So, while I blame the trade shows, I thank Bill, Michael, and yes...Joel.

I saw a show on TV that exposed the two card monte effect, and in two days learnt it really well and showed one of my school friends. Well one lunch hour we are walking around and my mate says, "What shall we do?", so I said, "let's do some street magic" and we went and did Two Card Monte for the Head Girl and some really major school people who loved it. The next day I began ordering books on magic.

My very first experience in seeing magic was on the Ed Sullivan Show...I was pretty young around 9 or 10. I don't recall the magician's name, but he performed the Zombie. I was spellbound! I continued to think about that performance until, at age 12, I was looking for something to watch on TV...it was a Saturday morning.

As I was turning the channel selector, I heard the word "magic"...I stopped turning. I watched in amazement at the magic being done before my eyes...it was Mark Wilson's Magic Land of Allakazam!

That was in 1961...magic has been an important part of my life since then. I've loved every minute of it...and continue to do so! It's been a wild ride!

May all the magic of the Universe come to each of you.

With Magic & Fantasy,
Dan "Doc Dazzal" Bartlett

I think it was a natural progression for me from juggling. The shop I bought all my juggling gear also sold magic equipment. After a year of "just looking" I bought one book and was hooked.

Seeing Doug Henning when I was a kid started me. Then Eugene Burger got me restarted a few years back. I keep going for the occasional priceless reaction. When I did Card Warp for my step-son, his reaction was "Oh ****!", for example. He was 14 at the time and was so struck by the magic he forgot that his mom and I were standing there. The better reaction though was when he realized what he'd said.

Mark

As a little kid I wanted to be a street performer like Shields & Yarnell (mimes). When I turned 18 I decided it was time to do something about that, but I couldn't figure out what a mime does. The only thing I'd heard of was a guy in my city pretending to be in a box. Not for me! I decided I would become a juggler. I wanted desperately to perform something. When I went to Toad Hall Toy Store to buy some juggling stuff the magician (Guy Bedard) showed me magic and I freaked! That was what I had to do! Invisible Deck and Color Monte, and Finger On the Card were the things he showed me.

My grandfather who was a magician was my influence.

What got me started was my friend's dad. He taught me a few of the tricks that he used and ever since I've loved magic with all my heart.

I was in grade 1. My older sister borrowed a magic book from the library. She and a friend put on a little show for my parents and I was begrudgingly included. I watched their performance with the typical attitude of a younger sibling; with a great deal of skepticism.

The two of them caused a marble to roll across our kitchen table without touching either the table or the marble. I accused my sister of her method to which she quoted the magician’s code. My only recourse was to borrow that magic book myself and prove myself intelligent!

Luckily, someone else signed the book out first. My attention was focused on three other books of magic tricks … and thus it began.

I always loved to see magic shows then I used bits along with my Photography to get expressions from people. Then Shari Lewis died... I was heart broken for all the little kids that loved her and Lamb Chops shows. I wanted to learn some magic and vent work...then came balloons the rest is history!
I am very active in my local clubs and happy to have found this great resource.

When I was 4 or 5, I had a problem common to 4 or 5 year olds -- I didn't wash my ears very well. My father, a magic dabbler himself, decided to teach me a lesson. He said something along the lines of "Your ears are so dirty you could grow potatoes in them," and then he proceeded to pull a potato out of my ear. I was immediately hooked on magic. I still forget to wash my ears, though.

I went to a magic shop somewhere in L.A. and ever since then, I started doing magic all the time.

I honestly woke up one day and decided that I should know some card tricks. So I went to the library and got Magic for Dummies. That was it -- I was hooked.

As a little kid I would walk around with an old deck (probably like 25 cards LOL) and ask people to pick a card. Then I would go around and collect them. They would pretend to be amazed, of course. After this humble begining, I stayed away from magic for almost thirty years. Then...

I picked up a few magic books at the bookstore to entertain my neices and nephews. Upon leaving the bookstore I discovered my car had disappeared (really!). The police found it a month later, but it was my first lesson in how expensive a hobby magic can be!