Magic Beginnings of Boston Based Magician. Part Four.
Boston’s Adult Birthday Magician Joe Ferranti 339-927-4710
Back into Magic:
Ten years have passed. I’ve been busy with other things and had no time for “magic.”
Around 1985, I had a renewed interest in sleight-of-hand magic. Consequently, I picked up where I had left off and continued my study. This became a private, quiet pleasure for me. I truly enjoyed practicing, and hours could pass without it feeling like a chore. However, it’s essential to note that if you do not enjoy the “work” required to attain the skills necessary for sleight of hand, you’ve chosen the wrong hobby. As Dai Vernon said,” If it was easy, everyone would do it.”
Learning Magic…in Boston, The I.B.M.
I was a member of the I.B.M. for a brief period until life took me in an entirely different direction. However, being shy is a detriment to benefitting in a “club” environment. Despite this, it did bring exposure to professional magicians. For instance, Steve Dacrai, a local kid about my age, lectured at an I.B.M. meeting at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory on Lincoln St. in Boston. Surprisingly, Steve went on to tremendous success. Regrettably, we lost Steve way too soon.
The other highlight of my time in the I.B.M. was seeing Dai Vernon on his final lecture tour. He was a living legend, and rightfully so.
Learning Without a Mentor
As I mentioned previously, I never had a mentor, and that came at a severe price. Although I enjoyed my books, it was impossible to learn everything from the written word. However, with the advent of videotape players becoming common in nearly every household, things started to change. In fact, there were two competing formats, but this is all history… suffice to say, the VHS format won the battle.
It wasn’t long for Tannen’s Magic to introduce their “Stars of Magic” Video Tapes. These featured well-known magicians teaching their material and some of the more difficult to learn sleight of hand. For the first time, the student could have a “mentor” with a video player and a TV.
When I combined my book library with some visual aids, (video tapes) my skills grew rapidly.
Boston Magician Joe Ferranti’s “The Birthday Card Trick”
Who is your audience?
Performing was a whole unique challenge. Magic is a performance art. Ultimately; it needs an audience. This is the biggest problem for most amateur magicians. Our first audience are made of family and friends. Honestly, we’re not the best magicians and they’re not the best audience.
Our family and friends know us well. As friends, they feel entitled to interrupt a performance with questions, or grab our props for inspection. It’s a wonder that anyone gets past this hurdle to becoming a professional performer.
(It’s a two-way street, we also bear responsibility. Do we present our magic in a “challenging manner”? We can learn a lot when we finally perform for an audience of strangers)
The Internet and Magic
I cannot remember the year, but I was searching for a “slot box” on the internet. (A slot box is a magic prop for holding coins.)
I found a supplier who apparently had what I was looking for. The company was Diamonds Magic, and I called to get information.
“Diamonds, magic…” were the first words I heard. As I learned I was talking to Eddie Gardner, and yes, he had what I was looking for. Inquisitively, he asked me where I lived. When I told him, “Wilmington,” Eddie suggested I stop by his shop in Peabody to see the prop. To my surprise, there was a real magic shop in Peabody. You see, the only shop I was aware of was Hank Lee’s Magic Factory, which was a well-stocked and long-established Magic Shop in Boston. Despite my interest, my only hesitation with dropping into Hank’s was the Boston drive and, more so, the Boston parking.
So, I got directions and headed to Diamonds Magic.
In my next and final “Magical Beginnings” I cover the transition to performing as a semiprofessional.
Joe Feranti
339-927-4710
Boston Magician
One More Thing…I forgot to mention that Both Hank Lee’s Magic Factory and Diamonds Magic are now closed. Alas, there are no brick-and-mortar shops in the immediate Boston area. However, there is a shop in Ludlow that I haven’t visited because of the distance. Nevertheless, here’s a link to RP Magic Shop.
