2011-01 Dennis' Deliberations

I know that you folks had some cold weather in Orlando. We had the same here, plus a couple of moderate snowfalls. Things warmed up for New Years Day.
I wish everyone a great 2011. I sure I hope that I have a better year that 2010. Probably all of us do!

Holiday Story: It could happen anywhere, Harrisonburg, Virginia, Orlando, Florida, and Calgary, Canada. The gig was a birthday party for a family with the boy turning six. It was held in a downtown restaurant in a larger town a bit away. I'm not fond of working downtown among the crowded buildings. I had to leave way early to 'dry run' the show earlier in the day just to check out the downtown parking, and I discovered it was abysmal: no place to park next to the restaurant, where I could unload my stuff, and then leave my car in that spot. So I had to rely on the good graces of my wife to drive with me to the venue, wait and pick me up again afterwards and on a bitterly cold winter evening.

I set up my show and began to entertain the crowd. The kids were on the floor in front of me, with adults in the back at tables. One quarter of the way into my 45 minute set, the father suddenly comes up to me, and holding four fingers high in the air, asks, "Excuse me, can I make an announcement?" Like I'm going to say no?? "Sure," I said. The father then told everyone to go up and get their first course food, from a buffet that was immediately behind me.

I had to stop for twenty minutes until all 50-or-so guests had filled up their plates with food. Once back at their tables, I resumed my program. It was the first time since I started doing paid gigs (like, four decades) that anything like this has happened.

But ya gotta "go with the flow" as they say, and along with that, there was a buddy of the father who was determined to film my entire gig with a large camera on a tripod, using blindingly bright floodlights. I politely but aggressively wrestled him down verbally, to a draw: I finally told him he could video the highlights, when I had kids up to help. And that I'd inform him when to turn on his camera. None of my explanation as to why the entire show couldn't be caught on video made any sense to this guy. And just as I started the show, up popped two more video cameras in the audience. Telling them that they couldn't capture all of the show as well, was awkward, to say the least, since the first dude was busy capturing my first (opening) "highlight" of a flash production of two doves. Almost no one ever edits their videos.

Then I was coerced into staying after my show, to have supper, and that took another half-hour of waiting. If you try to politely refuse these nice people, by making up some excuse as to why you have to leave right after your show, they take it as a severe insult. I phoned my wife to explain why I was so late, and said she could leave Denny’s when I phoned her again. The food finally arrived, and it consisted of a lot of strange dishes loaded with curry and spices. – Good by it really wasn't my thing! I ended up filling up mostly on salad.

Still, the fifty-dollar tip was nice, and in the final analysis, it was all financially worth the hassle ($550), lousy parking and all. (That works out to $10 a head which is reasonable for a live show. My fee was in the ballpark. The travel was a bit much, however.)

How would YOU have handled the situation? Make a federal case out of being video'd, and telling the host you couldn't stop the show once it had been started? Refused the meal, telling the parents of the birthday child you have a delicate stomach or some such, or an "emergency" appointment to run off to? ... Personally, I think handled the evening perfectly, and I got lots of compliments on the show afterwards. BUT--- as they say... different strokes for different folks. I can imagine some entertainers telling me, no uncertain terms, how I botched the evening by acting very unprofessionally. -- OR MAYBE NOT.

BUT- BUT- BUT! Then comes the “fallout” from another competitive magician, in that town, who had also been contacted about the gig:

He E-mails me after he found my name and the details on the show from another magician, who I know and related the story to ---

Hey Pal,
Let me guess... The show was in a downtown Restaurant, He called late Saturday morning for Sunday evening, you had about 20 kids, and a good number of adults, the Birthday Child of the family was say... about 5 yrs old, but the other children were up to 12 years....
Am I close??


If so... Yes we too, talked!
I counted it as a small "Christmas Party" Show.
First, it was not a house party, but held in a Restaurant.
Secondly, because there were also 60 adults going to attend. That is definitely not a Birthday Party show.
Thirdly, they were serving a full meal, not just lunch.


Now, where some tell-tale give aways as to the direction that client is going...You can tell this when you are talking with him...
The guy is trying to make a "Big Impression" to his staff, or friends, to look like the Big Shot... the Big spender!!
The guy was, CHEAP... get as much as I can for as little as possible and make a Big Impression.


His budget was only $500, which would be pretty good if it was as he was saying, just a Birthday party. But any dummy can tell, it is not that! That is NO BIRTHDAY PARTY!


I had quoted him for a small Christmas Party, then when he says that he has to talk with his wife about the fee, when he's putting on a party of this magnitude, you know very well ... that you will not hear back from him. He's not the Big Shot that he is trying to look like, when he has to go to his wife to make a decision on the extra $150. I quoted him $650 for the show that he was describing, which was NOT a Birthday Party. It was a Banquet Show!


After that I heard what you did... making the extra trip with a dry run ...parking hassles ...get your driver to drop you off and wait ... break the show in half for 20 minutes ... etc., etc. and you tell me it was well worth the hassle for $500 and you are excited about a $50. tip??? That doesn't even cover your GAS man!! You got cheated!! That's my thoughts!


I don't know what your other shows are like, but if you are pleased with this, then so be it!

I got the job, he didn’t. Times are tough.

I hope 2011 shines brighter for you.

Dennis Phillips