by Herb Scher​
​​When Jimmy Ichihana was profiled in an article here in 2015 he was just making the move from New York City to Orlando. Jimmy stood out on the scene in New York, with rock solid magic skills and an upbeat and engaging personality. But his path was leading him toward a new community and new opportunities.

In July Jimmy reached a milestone when he made a national TV appearance on Penn & Teller: Fool Us. He performed an impressive version of "Call to Colors," which reflected strong showmanship on top of very smooth handling of a complicated routine. His performance has generated lots of buzz online and elewhere.

In this 70-minute audio interview Jimmy talks in detail about his experiences on the show (including some intriguing and funny anecdotes), but our conversation also looks at the path of a magician who is emerging in a broader spotlight after years of hard work and encompassing passion for his art. I found it to be an fascinating conversation that should be very informative for anyone interested in moving forward in magic. 

[This interview is presented by herbsmagic.com. Please check our online store to purchase out-of-print magic books, cards, tricks, and other items.]

Click Below for Jimmy's Interview:

If you haven't yet seen Jimmy's performance on Fool Us, please make sure to take a look via the link below. 

Upcoming New York City Magic Shows, Events, Get-Togethers & More
As of: August 15, 2017 •

This free guide is presented by Herb's Magic Store at herbsmagic.com

Magic Shows

A Taste of Magic
A Taste of Magic includes dinner plus performances of close-up magic before the meal and between courses. Guests usually see three or four magicians at their table as well as tricks performed for the whole room by the show's host. 
Friday, September 8, at 8 p.m., Ben and Jack's Steakhouse, 255 Fifth Avenue
Saturday, September 16, at 8 p.m., Dock's Oyster Bar, 633 Third Avenue
Friday, September 22, at 8 p.m., Gossip Restaurant, 733 Ninth Avenue
Saturday, September 30, at 8 p.m., Ben and Jack's Steakhouse, 255 Fifth Avenue

For more information: atasteofmagicnyc.com

Chamber Magic, featuring Steve Cohen
Fridays at 7 and 9 p.m.; Saturdays at 2, 7 and 9 p.m.
Cohen's long running show (which has a dress code for audience members) harks to an earlier era of parlor magic. Cohen has drawn together rarely seen effects from a across a span of magic's history for an effective and very entertaining evening of magic. Chamber Magic is now performed at Lotte New York Palace Hotel, 455 Madison Avenue (b/t 50th & 51st Streets). The show will be dark September 15th & 16th, and September 22nd & 23rd.

For more information: www.chambermagic.com, or 866-811-4111.

In & of Itself
Created and Performed by Derek Delgaudio.
Extended through December 30
Delgaudio's innovative show explores new territory in magic.
Daryl Roth Theatre
101 East 15th Street

For more information, click here.

Magic After Hours, with Noah Levine
The show provides an insider's view of Tannen's magic shop, focusing on its history and legacy, as well as a  performance of close-up magic by Noah Levine. Now playing most Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. at Tannen's Magic, 45 West 34th Street, 6th Floor. For tickets and more information: http://www.magicafterhours.com

Magic at Coney
Sundays at noon at the Coney Island Museum, 1208 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn
For more information and tickets: www.coneyisland.com/programs/magic-coney

Monday Night Magic
September 11, at 8 p.m., featuring: Torkova, Rocco, and Peter Samelson (headliner), with Master of Ceremonies, Ben Nemzer. Close-up performances at intermission by Mike Patrick and Eli Bosnick
Monday Night Magic is closed September 18 and 25
October 2, 2017, at 8 p.m., featuring Michael Karas, Ben Nemzer, and Chris Capehart (headliner), with Master of Ceremonies, Todd Robbins. Close-up performances at intermission by Eric Brown and Matias Letelier.
​Players Theatre, 125 MacDougal Street. For information: mondaynightmagic.com/MainMenu.html, 718-575-1349

Parlor of Mystery 
Sunday, September 24, at 7 p.m.
"Magic and Comedy," with performances by Vincent Mendoza and Thaddeus
Sunday, October 29, at 7 p.m.
"They Are Still Among Us: Halloween Special," with performances by Thaddeus, Mike Maione, Joe Silkie, and T. J. Tana
Sunday, November 26, at 7 p.m., with performances by Ben Zabin, Carl Mercurio, and T. J. Tana
South Shore Theatre Experience, 315 West Montauk Highway
Lindenhurst, NY (Long Island)
For more information: parlorofmystery.com, 631-669-0506
Parlor of Mystery shows are held the fourth Sunday of every month.

Sam Eaton's The Quantum Eye: Magic and Mentalism Show
The show plays most Saturdays at 4 p.m. Please check the current schedule via the Quantum Eye web site.
Theatre 80, 80 Saint Mark's Place
For more information: www.thequantumeye.com

The Magician, featuring Dan White
An intimate evening of magic, mystery, and deception.
The show is presented Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
Please check the show's web site for specific availability. 
Nomad Upstairs, The Nomad Hotel, 1170 Broadway (and 28th Street)
For more information: www.nomadupstairs.com

The Woman Illusion
The show is described as a playful, wicked gallery of ways to be a woman. The magic of theatre combined with the sleight-of-hand artistry of award-winning magician Jackson Ridd is used to unravel everyday acts of femininity from the podium to the bedroom.
September 11 through 17, part of the Theatre for the New City's Dream Up Festival
At the Cabaret Space at Theatre for the New City, 155 First Avenue.

For more information:  www.womanillusion.com

Get-Togethers

Cafe Rustico II
Saturdays from approximately noon to 5 p.m.
25 West 35th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
Magicians gather at Rustico on Saturdays, in a longstanding tradition to share information, help each other with tricks, and socialize (the group traces its heritage to the 1940s). The Rustico get-together is attended by magicians of all levels from beginners to working pros. Many future magic greats got their start by learning from fellow magicians at this weekly meet-up. Among the regular attendees are a core group of skilled practitioners, all of whom are willing to pass along knowledge to other magicians. Anyone interested in magic is welcome to attend. [Please note that the group normally does not meet on the weekends of major holidays such as Labor Day, Memorial Day, and July 4th].

The Magic Table
Fridays at 1 p.m.
Times Square Diner & Grill, 807 Eighth Avenue (49th Street)
The Magic Table is another longstanding gathering for magicians. It has always been based in the Times Square area, harking to the time when the neighborhood was home to multiple magic businesses like the Tannen's and Max Holden magic stores. This get-together often stretches out from lunchtime until early evening as magicians schmooze over omelets, sandwiches, and soup. It is frequented by a group of dedicated regulars as well as magicians visiting New York and occasional surprise guests. (See a Today show piece about the group here).

Magnets
Wednesday evenings, 6 p. m.
Gossip Restaurant, 733 Ninth Avenue
Magnets is a newer group that meets for weekly jam sessions and workshops and also occasionally sponsors its own lectures, workshops and shows. The group skews toward magicians in their 20s and 30s, supporting each other with feedback on performances, booking and marketing information, and help achieving long-term goals. Many of the Magnets members perform in the show, A Taste of Magic, which is a spin-off of the group. Anyone interested in magic is welcome to attend the Wednesday night sessions.

Magic Societies, New York City Chapters

New York is home to chapters of two separate international magic societies, The International Brotherhood of Magicians and the Society of American Magicians.

International Brotherhood of Magicians, Ring 26
The Harry Roz-On Ring of the I. B. M. meets the last Friday of each month at the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, 322 West 48th Street. The group presents frequent shows by members and by special guests as well as regular Lab sessions where members teach magic. The I. B. M. is characterized by a strong community of members who share in their love of magic. For information about joining, please write the group's President, Jim Stranges, at: MagicJim1@optonline.net. 

Society of American Magicians, Parent Assembly, #1
The S. A. M. was founded in New York in 1902. After the group expanded nationally, the local chapter became known as Parent Assembly, #1. Parent Assembly meets the first Friday of each month. Meetings are often held at Fantasma Magic but special shows are sometimes held elsewhere. Parent Assembly meetings offer a wide variety of programming ranging from lectures with notable magicians to performances by members, historical talks, and seasonal celebrations. PA1 also presents a monthly workshop which features instruction by noted magician Doug Edwards. For information about joining Parent Assembly, please contact Membership Committee Chairman, Steve Okulewicz, at: magicsteve@aol.com​.

New York City's Magic Shops

Tannen's, 45 West 34th Street, Suite 608
Tannen's is New York's oldest magic shop and is a hub of magic activity in the city. The store's Chief demonstrator Magick Balay and a crew of other skilled staff keep a stream of tricks flowing from behind the counter while often a wide range of magicians, magic lovers, (and parents of budding magicians) hang out at the table in the center of the room. Notable magicians are known to pop by and the store is on the itinerary of many conjurors visiting from out-of-town. Although the decor feels a bit home-grown, the store is very well-stocked with the latest tricks, an extensive selection of books and DVDs as well as supplies and basics like cards, silks, rope, flash paper, etc. There is a treasure of magic books - which may be borrowed free of charge. Just look to the left of the large elephant in the room. www.tannens.com

Fantasma Magic, 421 Seventh Avenue, third floor
Fantasma is characterized by its personable staff as well as by the extensive collection of rare and original Houdini memorabilia on display. These include a selection of professionally displayed posters, handcuffs, photographs, props and other items. The free Houdini Museum is definitely worth visiting for anyone interested in the noted escape artist. Although its stock may not be as deep as Tannen's, the store carries a wide range of interesting items including some unique and collectible tricks, a wide selection of playing cards and an extensive selection of second hand books including some hard-to-find classic volumes. Fantasma is a great choice for anyone getting a start in magic who wants personalized help and attention as they begin their journey. Many of the products Fantasma sells are those manufactured by their parent toy company, including a smorgasbord of magic sets and individual tricks. www.fantasmamagic.com

Abracadabra, 19 West 21st Street, New York City, NY
Abracadabra has a magic section within the larger store that sells costumes and other items.
www.abracadabranyc.com

Halloween Adventure, 808 Broadway
Halloween Adventure also has a magic section in its large store.
www.newyorkcostumes.com

Buy out of print books and more at herbsmagic.com

In their new book "A New Angle," Michael Feldman and Ryan Plunkett introduce a series of new takes on an old tool, The Stripper Deck. The book takes the deck deeply into a realm of previously unexplored ideas. For example it outlines a new principle that allows for a series of surreal effects in which the condition of the deck visually transforms as it is being handled. The book also shows how the deck can add dimension to classic effects like Triumph and the Color Changing Deck, and includes many other intriguing tricks and tips. Michael Feldman, who now lives in San Francisco was a regular performer at Monday Night Magic and at Feinstein's while he was part of the magic scene in New York at different times from 2007 to 2012. One night while we were hanging out at a local magic club meeting, Michael mentioned his in-progress book and pulled out a deck.

A New Angle, is published by Magic, Inc., photographed by James Murphy, designed by Heather Wood, edited by Susan Palmer Marshall and Pedro Nieves-Bosque, with a foreword by Lance Pierce, It features additional contributions by Harapan Ong, Edward Boswell, Nathan Colwell, Frank Fogg, and Brian O'Neill.

I guess why I was so interested in this book is that I remember that you performed some of this material for us quite a while back at one of the Magnets meetings, and I always liked the Stripper Deck anyway, but I thought ‘here’s a different, fresh approach to using it, which isn’t just locating a card.’ I guess I would start from a basic point of view and ask what got you to start looking at the Stripper Deck in a new vein? What was your impression of it before starting to work on this, and what led you to start working on these new approaches?

My approach to the Stripper Deck before this project was the same as most people’s approach to the Stripper Deck, which is that it stayed in the back of my magic drawer for many years as a tool I had no interest in pursuing anymore because it was the kind of thing that you leave aside when you graduate to sleight-of-hand and more interesting and deceptive methods. What changed my mind was meeting Ryan. At the first Pebblepalooza magic convention I met Ryan Plunkett and he fried me with a magic trick. I didn’t know how it was done and I didn’t want to know how it was done, and I thought about it the whole year. I went back the next year to the same convention, saw him at the same place, and he showed me the same trick and he still fooled me, and I asked him to show me how it was done. And the answer was a tapered deck, a Stripper Deck. That year he had come up with some more material and we started talking about what you could do with it and what he was doing with it, and what really convinced me was Ryan’s material that not only used a Stripper Deck but combined it with other principles like stacks or sleight-of-hand or all the various other principles that are available to you in magic. He used that combination to create some really deceptive, really compelling new effects that aren’t possible any other way. 

What was the trick that he showed you, and is it in the book?

Yes, the trick is in the book. It is called Shuffleupagus. The book is mostly Ryan’s material. There are a couple of tricks and ideas from me and then there are one-offs from a variety of other people who have contributed other ideas. But the division of labor on the book was that most of the material is Ryan’s with a couple of things from me, and then I wrote most of the book (and Ryan helped with some of that as well). I got to name a bunch of the tricks because we were batting around ideas and I like coming up with ideas for naming tricks. Eventually, I think by being stubborn, I convinced Ryan to call this trick, Shuffleupagus. I’m pretty sure he hated the name at first, but I wouldn’t stop calling it that and so it ended up being the name in the book, so victory for me. The basic effect is that a deck unshuffles itself, but the thing I love about it is that you show a shuffled deck and by shuffling it more, the cards become more ordered. So, you show a shuffled deck, you give the cards a shuffle and all of a sudden they’re —not quite separated red and black—but close. Then you hand the deck out for other people, to two other people to shuffle it, and you combine their two halves, and when you do, it’s in new deck order. The idea of shuffling things back into order, and having a spectator do it, was a phenomenal plot, to my mind. I loved seeing it. It fooled me, and the rest is history, I guess. 

Let’s go back a second. The Stripper Deck, you said, was in the back of your drawer. I went through a period where I felt ‘oh, the Stripper Deck, that’s for beginners.’ But then I started to feel like it got a bad rap, even before I came across your material. I thought, this is a tool that one way or another can make things more magical. So somehow I think it got a bad rap along the way.

I think that’s right. I think there’s two reasons that it gets a bad rap. One, which is the thing you can’t really do anything about, is that a lot of people know what it is. Non-magicians, laymen know the Stripper Deck. They maybe don’t know it by that name, they don’t know it’s called the Stripper Deck, the Tapered Deck, or the shaved deck or whatever it’s going to be called, but they do know that it exists, that there is a deck of cards that’s thinner on one end and bigger on another end and some people will even check for it when they ask to borrow your deck of cards. It’s a little bit of a bad rap because people know what it is.

But the other reason it gets a bad rap that is totally solvable is that people tend to pick one or the other of sleight-of-hand or gimmicks. Either they do a trick with a gimmick and no sleight-of-hand or they say this is a sleight-of-hand trick and they use sleight-of-hand and no gimmick. But it turns out combining them is much more powerful than either of them because people are looking for a gimmick or sleight-of-hand. Even non-magicians. Even people who aren’t familiar with methodology generally look for one method. They look for either the sleight-of-hand or the gimmick and if you combine both, such that your trick cannot be explained by either, then you have a much stronger trick. I think that the reason the deck gets a bad rap is because people assume if you’re going to use the gimmick, all you can do with that trick is use the gimmick, but if you combine it with other things, you can make it much more powerful, and that’s what the book tries to do. ​