I'm Releasing My Show As a Special - But Should I Be?
- Jack Rhodes
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
So, you're reading my blog so clearly you're a fan of my stuff. Either that or someone's sent you a link to this for a laugh and you're wondering why you're reading spam from a bloody magician.
Well I've got some great news if you are a fan of my stuff. In fact it's big big news.
You know how I took my debut live show on the road earlier this year? Well I only went and got it filmed didn't I.
And I've only gone and edited it into a special haven't I.
And I've only gone and made a trailer haven't I.
And I've only gone and sent you lovely people a sneak peak before anyone else sees it haven't I.
Here's the thing though - magicians don't tend to publish their full shows online. I'll tell you the reasons why and then I'll tell you why I'm ignoring them...
Number one - once it's online, it's considered 'burnt material'.
Magic shows are inherently difficult to put together and take a lot of rehearsal, tinkering and practise. That's without even mentioning the comedy side of it, where jokes need months of refinement and rewriting before they find their final form. When comedians publish their stuff online they consider that material to be 'burnt' - i.e. it's now online for everyone to see so can't be done live anymore as the punchline is no longer a surprise. I don't think that logic applies 100% to magicians but it's definitely something to consider.
The truth is, I can't wait to work on new material. If publishing my current show online for the world to see means I have to build a new show sharpish then so be it. What better motivation to work on new stuff than the fear of an audience shouting 'SEEN IT!'...?
Number two - copycats be copycatting.
The magic world is rife with trick thiefs and joke burglars. I guarantee the moment I put my special online, you'll start to see some magicians saying the same jokes I say in the special. Nothing I can do about this, but still. Annoying.
If anything, by putting the special out there, I'm making a public record of when my bits were published. That way if any lazy, copycat, scumbag magicians (read: most magicians) pinch my bits (oy oy), then I can point them to my special and kindly ask them to give up their passion.
Number three - live shows just never have the same feel when viewed on a screen.
When you go see a show live, there's something visceral in the room. An atmosphere. An audience with a collective enjoyment. A shared sense of living in the moment that can elevate a show past anything you watch on a screen. You're not getting any of that 'live-feel' on a 32-inch Toshiba telly in your Mum's spare room are you?
Having said that, there are things in this show that were always designed with the special in mind. I'm holding back a little here as I don't want to ruin any of the surprises for when it's released but let's just say I've tried to make the special work just as well on video as it does live. In fact, there are some bits I think work better when viewed in the context of a special...
I even explained this in a little video I made teasing the show on socials last week:
So, long story short, I am very excited to get this special out there.
It will be releasing on YouTube sometime in the summer (not sure when exactly...) so anyone anywhere can watch it for free.
If you want to throw some money my way as a way of saying thank you for releasing an awesome special for free (how nice of you, thanks very much), I'm planning on doing an early release on my website where you get the full uncompressed 4k version alongside some deleted scenes. More on that closer to the time though.
Genuinely this has been my pet-project since it's inception two years ago and I'm super excited to get the show out there for the wider world to see.
In the meantime, I'm still on with setting the new studio up in my new place and I guess I've got a new show to write. So I best head off really. I'm a busy boy don't you know.
In a bit.
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