Tom Hudson’s Blog

Well things are starting to draw to a close and its sad to see this happen but I guess all good things have to come to an end.

We are now running just one show a night instead of two but we still giving the same great show we have been giving all season. Looking back on the past 6 months I see a change in myself which I hope is all for the good. The things that stick out to me most out of the things I have learnt is not the tricks but a great friend of mine (Glen Bonnar) told me this at the start of the season and I can see now that it is the things I have learnt which money cant buy witch really stick out in my mind and there things which have changed me and formed me. As each day goes by and we draw close and closer to the end, it makes me remember just how much I have done in this space of time not only to have a great time but also learn as much as possible.

The past few weeks my head has been spinning trying to think of what my plans are after this and it is very difficult as I have never been in this position before where it is down to me what I do next but I have spoken to a few people and there advise is not to try and plan things because you cant plan the future but instead just live everyday  as it comes and see what comes my way.

I look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Tom.

Hey guys!

Hope all is well down at th shop.

Sorry I haven posted in a while, we are coming to the end of the season now and there has been a lot of things going off.

I would just like to thank the all the guys who signed the birthday card for me, I really liked it! I would have to say the “peas come back” comment was the best out of them all, haha!

I do have my date for coming home but I am not going to say, I will just turn up at the shop one saturday 🙂

As I said above, we are now coming to the end of the season and it is sad to see the season die with the number of holiday makes dropping by a huge amount and also seeing bars and things closing really shows we are at the end of the season. Yes there is a drop in the amount of people coming to the shows but we still putting on the same great show and the buzz is still there!

Matt Wright who was one of the comedy magicians here and also did the pre show bar set has now left and he was a great lad and he has shown me so much about performing and he has passed the pre show bar set onto me now and it is a great pleasure to be the person in charge of getting the guests ready and warmed up for the show. So Matt, it your reading this, thanks a million for the great help and support you have given me and lets not forget all the rest of the guys at the HOI for showing all these great things and also teaching me things money can´t buy!

I wouldn´t be here though if it wasnt for all you guys down at the shop for helping me and supporting me in the decisions and options I had to get me hear and also learning magic in general.

I know I have said it before to a few guys down at the shop but I am telling you now, walking into that shop about five years was the best thing I ever did and if I hadnt had done it, I wouldnt be here now!

Like I said in a previous post, this is just the start and I hope in years to come I will still be able to go to that shop on Saturdays and order them chips and make them teas because I owe you guys big time and when I say that, I am talking to everyone. Roger, no matter where I am in the word, I am still your apprentice 🙂

I look forward to see you all in October!

Thanks Guys, speak soon!

Tom.

PS: Tea one sugar 😉

The shows are now amazing and I feel we have cracked it!

The new set up we have is that we do the first show and then in-between the first and second show we gather everyone (people from the first show and also people waiting for the second show) out side on the tersest and I perform the straight jacket escape on a post outside and it really builds the crowd to get everyone up and ready for a good show.

From there we then have to bars with close up magic going on (me on one bar and Matt on the other). After we have both done about a 15 minuet bar set, me and Matt swap bars and then we do the same bar set again but with a different crowd.

I absolutely love doing the bar sets, they are great and I have learnt so much about working a big crowd when performing close up and the key is just pumping them full of energy and getting them clapping, cheering and whooping. Me and Matt have little competitions to see who can get the loudest reaction (its great because you can hear the reactions in the other room, so you know what your working against).

If I come off the bar sweating cobs, shaking with Adrenalin and everyone cheering, I know I have done the job right.

At the start of the season, I never enjoyed doing the bar sets but over time I have improved and with the straight jacket escape getting them warmed as it is, it makes the bar sets amazing!

After both bars have been worked by me and Matt, we take them into the theater, do table hopping magic and then after that, we start the big stage show!

I am just so happy the show is how it is but it’s a shame that we couldn’t have given the people who came to the show at the start of the season the show we have now.

Thanks guys and hope all is well at the shop.

Tom.

It is now coming towards the end of the season and two of the magicians have now left, leaving us with five magicians.

The shows are now tighter and we are needing to watch each others backs a lot more when running the show because there is only five men. We are handling it fine so I think all will be well.

Speak soon guys.

Tom.

I just want to thank all the guys down at the shop for helping me and supporting me with my magic and also helping me decide to take this job! This is just the start and I have loads more to learn but you have all shown me things that have really helped me make a few decisions to get things stared and learn new things.

I look forward to seeing you all soon and making them teas and ordering them chips!

Thanks so much guys!

Tom.

Wow, cant believe I am now four months in the the season, it only seemed like yesterday I got here!!

Every night the shows get better and every night I try to think of something new to add or even if it is just putting a new line in my close up set, it means I have added something new to the show.

I feel we are at the peak of the shows now where we have now formed a really GREAT which consists of every style of magic. Yes there is still room to improve, there always is but at this moment in time, the shows are the best they have ever been.

I am trying to put most of my attention on my close up now because over the past few weeks it has been on the illusions I have been performing but I really want to start experimenting with my close up magic and start trying some ballsy  stuff and throwing myself in the deep end with somethings to see how I can think on my feet.

Speak soon guys.

Tom.

Hope you had a good day 🙂

Forget about the past, you can’t change it.
Forget about the future, you can’t predict it.
Forget about the present, I didn’t get you one. 😉

What did you get up too, just got pissed I guess lol!

Happy Birthday Lew!

Love Tom!

PS: I will get you something when I get back 🙂

Some time ago I heard a saying “your only as good as your audience” and at the time I disagreed with the comment because at the end of the day, if your magic is not entertaining, no one is going to like it. After been here I am amazed to see the difference in the audience’s we have in from night to night and I do now partly agree with the comment.

We do a bar set at the start of each show to get everyone warmed up and that sets the tone for the rest of the show (so it´s a big job to do and we have to make sure its done right) BUT even after then we still get an audience witch just seems a bit dead and you go out there and do a routine witch you KNOW kills but it just seems to get a weak response.

I personally love these nights because it give me a challenge and I have learnt a lot from them but its just strange how audience’s differ from night to night and it has shown me that the saying “your only as good as your audience” is partly true.

What do you guys think?

Tom.

Our last team outting was kayaking and again it was a really great day. We had a good laugh and it was great to just be out there travling down this wide river surounded by mountins and great views!

The lenth we went was a little to far (8 miles) but all in all it was another great day to remember.

After we finished the kayaking we went to a nice spanish resterant were we had a menu of the day and I have got it say it was top noch!

Not sure what the next event will be but I am looking forward to it 🙂

Tom.

Hey Guys.

Just to let you know, I am no longer going to be performing the first kiss routine. I practiced it and got it down but I didn’t really feel like I was still ready but Matt said that the only way I was going to get better at it was to just go out there and do it. So I did it on my bar set (my first time performing it) and it did not go well, I was shakey and I forgot a few things and the patter I had for the routine fell out of sink. Matt told me not to worry as now I have got the first performance out of the, it can only get better.

I went ahead and tried it a few more time on the bar but it just didn´t feel right for me and I have never performed a routine before and been that scared to do (apart from when I first started magic) but I think it was maybe because I knew it wasn’t for me anyway.

It would have been a really great piece to perform in the show but I guess at the end of the day if it doesn’t feel right, it doesn´t´feel right. I guess some times if a routine isn´t for me that best thing to do is leave it. It was good to give it a shot though and in the future I could still use some of the things which I learnt in the routine.

Tom.