I'm Back!!

After a few months of no internet , I'm back online and I'll have some new posts soon. Thanks for your patience :-)

Thank You!!

'I thought you were really good last night thanks for putting on a wee performance '

'WOW!
Leigh, you were absolutely brilliant!
The children said you were 'awesome' and that they 'really enjoyed it', and that you were 'really good with us' and 'really funny'.
Their favourite tricks were the bunny hat trick, the rope trick and the one where you turned shredded paper into a pair of pants!! They said they also really enjoyed learning all the magic tricks, especially the cup and ball and card tricks, and making balloon swords / animals.
Thank you Leigh - a fantastic experience for all of us!
We hope you enjoyed it too.x'

'I have passed all your details to my friends and they will pass the word .. Thanks so, so much you were great.. '

'Thanks very much Leigh for coming to Connors birthday party the kids had a great day'

'Thank you Leigh, the kids really loved you today'

'Thanks again the guests had a great time :-)'

'Thanks very much Leigh for donating your time to amuse the kids (and adults) at Westend Fun Day today. We really appreciated it and the kids loved it!'

'Your magic is amazing if anyone is looking for a gr8 magician this is your man. I was completely amazed and what a lovely guy x'


This is some of the feedback I have received over just the last few weeks! I appreciate all feedback and I am truly touched when I am paid a compliment or when I'm told I made a difference at someone's party/event. But aside from everything else, I was paid my biggest compliment a couple of weeks ago. I had been performing at a stage show for a group of lively, local children and it was a good wee show.

Now, I've been called 'Scotland's Magic Sensation' by The Sun, and I've been told that I have literally made people's days, both kids and adults, and I have made some apparently 'miserable' people smile wide, (is this sounding a little self-indulgent?... Oh well) but on that day I finished my show, packed up and stopped to talk to some of the parents before I left, and I turned round to see that four or five of the children were standing where I had just performed, playing at 'Magic Leigh'! I loved it. They could have just pretended to be magicians, but they were specifically being 'Magic Leigh' and 'Leigh The Magician'.

I may never have my own action figure, but that'll do for me. :-)      

Charity...

I love meeting new people, and I love knowing that I can help out. It is for these reasons that I am always happy to help out at charity events, and local fundraisers. This weekend saw me in Dunoon performing at 'Bowling For A Cure'; a 24 hour bowl-a-thon which raised an amazing amount of money from the local community for Cancer Research UK.

Although I was not performing for anywhere near the full 24 hours, I did do a massive amount of magic, largely due to the fact that the children in attendance would not leave me alone... It was all really great fun though, and the adults seemed to enjoy the magic I had prepared for them too. I even got a lift home in a police car... as a favour, not a punishment!

So, if you are having a charity event or something similar, get in touch. If not with me, then get in touch with any entertainers in your local area. It is a great, extra addition for your event and attending audience but it is also a great way for the performer, whether he or she is a magician, comedian, singer, juggler or whatever, to get their name out and let the people see what they can do. I can't promise I will always be available to attend your event, but I can promise I will do my best to be there... Just ask! And when event's are as much fun as this weekends was, just try and stop me from being there! ;-)

Killjoys...

Yesterday I spent four hours performing strolling magic at a mini festival in the town of Dreghorn, near Irvine. This was my second year performing at this event and both times, it has been a great day, full of fun, sunshine, music and magic for all ages. However, it brought about an interesting discussion point which I thought I would address here.

At this event, at weddings, Hen Parties, staff night's out... basically any event where alcohol is served, there are a number, albeit a very small number, of people who do their best to ruin any chance of magical enjoyment for anyone else around them. Now, I genuinely don't mind if I hear someone say 'He already knows which card you've picked' or some other comment like that. Really; I'm used to it and it's pretty much harmless... I'm experienced enough to work with that. However, when someone is intentionally trying to make my job harder than it is, and even worse ruining the magic for the other spectators then I have to take issue. I know that in groups, and not just groups of younger adults, there is often someone (often a female... but not always) who will make a huge issue of saying that magic isn't real, etc. And there are people (generally males... but not always) who want to make themselves the centre of attention by 'upstaging' the performer. And then, there are those who, for whatever reason, just do not like magic.
And that's fine.
If I approach someone and offer to share a piece of magic with them and they say no, then I will literally tell them that that is no problem, tell them to enjoy their day and I will move on. The first two groups though, caused me to give the subject a bit of thought. I think, particularly when fuelled by alcohol and therefore having lower inhibitions, that if a 25 year old male (for example) is standing in a group and the performer approaches, he instinctively see's it as a challenge, especially if there are females in the group. So, instead of just enjoying the free show, or even staying quiet until the magician leaves, he feels that he can make himself look good by making the magician look bad. This is usually done by sabotaging the trick, or by just disguising abusive language in the form of humour. It can be frustrating, and I know that many performers will quietly finish the trick they are doing and then leave this group. It is what I used to do, but now I have found that if I persevere and show consistently great effects, then this Alpha-male is eventually hushed by his friends, or is forced to concede that 'Actually that was a good trick,' and I leave with a handshake. When it comes to the fifty year old woman (for example), it is as simple as repeating the famous phrase 'For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, none will suffice.' And by repeating this, literally or in your own words, making sure that the whole group hears it, you have pretty much done enough for her to, at least remain quiet and let her friends enjoy the show.

That was just something that was in my head today, and I hope it makes sense. Thanks for reading.

Videos...

Don't forget to keep up to date with my fledgling YouTube channel... Just type my name into the search bar - Leigh Milne :)

Burt Wonderstone Review...

It's not long until the (UK) DVD release of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, so I thought I would do a quick review. If you don't know what I am talking about, here is the trailer...

I loved this movie! I am a huge fan of Steve Carrell and I like Steve Buscemi and Jim Carrey too. And of course, it is about magic! Along with some really great magic there are enough ridiculous feats too (pretty much anything Jim Carrey's character, a Criss Angel type called Steve Gray 'Brain Rapist' does, including spending a night on a red hot bed of coals), to keep the laughter coming.

Opening in 1982, we meet Carrell's character on his 10th birthday being bullied, and then discovering his birthday present from his absent Mom... a magic set. Fast forward twenty years and the ten year old Albert Wendelstien is now the fully grown and hugely successful Burt Wonderstone! I won't go through the whole plot, but it is quite standard fare for most of the movie. But it is genuinely funny, has a great soundtrack and clearly has a reasonable budget. There are also great turns by the late James Gadolfini and the always amazing Alan Arkin.
If you get the chance, give it ninety minutes of your life... It's good fun, and who knows; maybe it will inspire a few future magicians out there!

New Video...

Here is an effect I have never performed before... Enjoy!

Videos...

As well as this new blog, I have also started up a YouTube channel. It is less than professional, but I hope you check it out anyway. :)  My user name is enlimhgiel and here is the latest video...

DYNAMO...

 

One of the biggest names in magic right now is undoubtedly Dynamo! With his third TV series currently being aired, people are definitely opening up more and more to the idea of magic as more than just children's entertainment, and that alone affords him a degree of respect.
 I am asked a lot if I know how Dynamo does this trick or that trick, and to be honest I'd say it is a 90/10 split. I know how he does many of his effects, and the ones I don't know are ones to which I can say I know how I would do them... but that's not to say it's how he does them. The bigger issue however, especially amongst magicians, is that there are effects Dynamo will perform on TV that he cannot perform live, in an unprepared setting. No one could. That's why some magicians openly say that they are not fans.
 Personally, I agree that it can be frustrating to be asked to repeat a piece of magic I know to be un-doable, but I also know that it is Dynamo's job to entertain, and he does that very well. It doesn't necessarily matter what methods are used; it is still amazing, puzzling and fun! And the simple fact is that if you were to meet him on the street, he could easily show you some incredible magic using nothing more than cards, coins or even just his own body. But that is not enough these days to have your own TV show. He is legitimately a very good magician and he knows his stuff... Just don't ask him to walk on water.

2012...

Here is a very, very brief look at a few of the things I did last year...

PAUL DANIELS...

2012 was the year in which I started performing magic as a profession, and I got the chance to get really involved, really quickly. I was asked to attend countless weddings, birthday parties and other various events. But the highlight was definitely spending the day at the home of Britain's most famous magician, Paul Daniels.
 For almost eight hours I enjoyed the stories of his showbiz past and soaked in a whole lot of advice about magic; performing, selling and believing!
 If you ever get the chance to spend a day with one of your hero's, whatever field you are in, take it!
Here is one of Paul's best known, and best loved routines...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpxuvS-VSlg

HELLO...

And welcome to Leigh Milne's Magic Blog. Thanks for stopping by.
I will be sharing pictures, videos, thoughts and of course magic on this page, so take a look around and at any time you can ask me a question, leave me a comment, or drop me a private message. And don't forget to let me know if you have a blog/page that you'd like me to check out. :)
www.facebook.com/leighmilnemagic