Mr Juneau What
The philosophy of my magic shows
and
My Art and Airbrush demonstrations.
When I was seven years old, I attended a small boarding school near Henley on Thames in England. The Headmaster Mr. Adolphus, and his wife Mrs. Bailey were cruel to us young boys. These were difficult times. The war had just ended. I was a very frightened child. Yet one evening, a magician came to the school and put on a show for us. He had a suitcase with everything for his show inside it. He had a little ventriloquists dummy which sat on his arm and taught us songs. We all sang the songs together. This was for me a shining moment which has stayed with me all my life. This magician brought rays of bright sunshine, love and happiness into the lives of all of us who saw him. In the midst of my young hell, I caught a glimpse of heaven. Suddenly my world didn't seem so bleak, the sky didn't seem so gray, I could laugh and I could sing. Boy, how loud we sang back then! And how clearly I remember it!
During the latter stages of the second world war in 1943 - 44, all the children living in and around London were "evacuated" - sent out of the city to the countryside to get away from the bombing. Since my Dad's store was in Grays, about 40 miles East of London where we lived, I was sent to a private school called Alleyn Court, which which was moved to Buckfastleigh in Devon. About six hours by train from London. The school occupied a huge country estate called Bigadon House, with a big mansion house, rolling grass hills, trout streams, springs of clear water coming out of the ground, rocks which sparked when you hit them together. I was eight years old. Since all the teachers on the staff were away serving in the military, the only people who taught us were retired people from the town. They had no experience looking after us boys. One of these men was a retired magician. Not only did he teach us how to do the tricks, but he also taught us how to put on a magic show, how to tell stories, how to not be afraid of the audience, and how to enjoy making people laugh. I was entranced! Soon after this the school returned to its original location in Westcliff on Sea. It is still there. I assume the boys are still wearing their pink caps with "AC" on them.
I am still doing magic!
I do magic shows simply because I absolutely love to connect with children. I enjoy the way children respond when they see something funny. Something that cannot be easily explained. Magic gets attention. The connection that children have with magic has to do with wanting to possess (or be seen as possessing) mysterious powers that get attention.
I am not really a magician. I just use the magic tricks to make a connection. I want children to learn to do the tricks, so I explain how the tricks are done. The boxes at the bottom of this page will eventually link to instructions showing how to do all the tricks you have seen. I prefer to use ordinary objects for my tricks - pencil, paper, coins, scissors, tape. I am not interested in creating an illusion with complex equipment. I want you to be able to do these tricks at home for your friends. So you can get the same kind of attention I get.
WHERE IS THE MAGIC? You'll learn that the magic is not in the trick, it is not in the skill I have. The trick has to be presented with the specific goal of manipulating the audience into saying what you want them to say. The true magic, you see, is in your response - it is in your smile, your astonishment, your laughter. It is as though the job of the magician is to bring out something in the audience that is already there. There's something that warms my heart, and makes a tear come to my eyes when I feel really connected to the audience. Adults come up to me after my shows and say things to me like "You talk their language." "You really understand children." That's what I enjoy most about doing magic. Your responses.
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