10 Tips for Staying Safe While Performing

“WHY are you eating THAT?” I shrieked in horror.

My girlfriend smiled as she shoved more raw ground beef into her mouth.

“You’re…you’re going to get worms!” I shouted desperately as she continued to happily munch on the meat.

That scene horrified me then and it horrifies me now to just think about it.

The scene I described happened back in 1995…ish. Tough to remember the exact date.

Watching the girl I was dating eat raw meat was something I’ll never forget.

I was convinced at the time that she did it just to get a visceral reaction out of me.

In later days, she did it a few more times but then eventually stopped.

When she stopped, I asked her why. I was hoping she’d say it was because she realized the risk she was taking by eating raw ground beef.

“No,” she responded. “I’m just tired of you making fun of me.”

That was Exhibit 372 indicating we weren’t going to last long as a couple.

I’m sorry, but if you don’t know the dangers of eating raw meat or poultry as an adult, I really question your intelligence.

But that’s not the only dangerous thing I question people about.

In magic, performers will sometimes put themselves in harm’s way “for their art.”

I think that’s stupid.

I agree with Penn Jillette when he said, “Magic should never put you in harm. Magic should only be an illusion.” Or something like that.

Before I continue, let me explain. Since it’s October as I write this, I thought it might be fun to do some Halloween-inspired topics for the newsletter.

For many performers, Halloween is the time they dust off their ‘danger’ type tricks.

I’ll cover danger tricks that involve audience volunteers another time. Today I want to keep the focus on effects that are dangerous to the performer.

Since you’re reading this, you’ve likely seen videos on YouTube or at least heard the stories of magicians hurting themselves with various smash-and-stab-type effects.

My closest encounter with this type of effect gone wrong was when I had dinner with Bobby Motta one night.

(I don’t think he will mind me telling this story because he talks about his mistake during his shows to build up drama.)

Bobby showed me the palm of his hand. It had a large scar on it.

It was where he smashed the wrong cup one night and stabbed himself in the hand.

I looked him right in the eye and told him he was stupid for continuing to do the routine using that method.

If you must do danger-type routines, be sure your methods are bulletproof.

But putting yourself in harm’s way goes beyond just danger magic.

Think of flash paper.

Despite it being relatively safe, I know a performer who lit a sheet with a lighter because he thought it would make for a great photo.

He puts the paper in his mouth…gets his lighter ready…and waits for the photographer (mutual friend) to give him the thumbs up.

Well, the photo only showed a flash of fire. You couldn’t see my friend’s face at all.

But we all laughed at him because after the flash paper was ablaze, all you heard was this ear-piercing shriek of pain.

Yup, my friend the idiot.

But I had my own brush with pain and danger (of a sort) at a gig.

I was doing a cut and restored rope routine. And since it was for a big show, I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly.

So I got a new, very sharp pair of scissors for the trick.

When it came time for that routine, I carelessly snipped off a portion of skin on one of my knuckles.

Blood, stitches, and a lot of embarrassment later, I decided to retire that particular routine.

With thoughts of bloody rope and flash paper in mind, I’ll now list my Ten Commandments of Magic Safety:

1. When performing danger magic, choose safe methods.

2. At no time should you put flash paper directly on your skin or any part of your body when lighting it.

3. Keep flash paper and all flames away from your skin and hair. (I don’t care how cool it looks. It ain’t worth the risk.)

4. Use extreme caution when using sharp objects in your show.

5. Know without a shadow of a doubt where those items are when packing or unpacking your show. The last thing you want to do is absentmindedly shove your hand into your case while setting up and cut yourself.

6. Rehearse extensively when using sharp objects and BE IN THE MOMENT. It’s easy to go on ‘automatic pilot’ and not pay attention to what you are doing.

7. If any magic ‘danger’ prop or other item shows excessive signs of wear, replace it. The last you need is for the item in question to fail, putting yourself (or a volunteer) in harm’s way

8. Keep your volunteers far away from any sharp objects or dangerous props while onstage with you.

9. Make sure your liability insurance is current.

10. Review your policy so you understand what kind of routines are not covered.

I could obviously add plenty more commandments, but they would not fit into my ‘ten’ list.

What kind of danger tricks do YOU do, if any?

And if you do, what kind of precautions do you take?

Until next week,

---Cris

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