Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Munsey.
Jim, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was 5 years old, I saw a magician perform at my school. I was immediately hooked. Whenever a birthday or Christmas season rolled around during my childhood, I would ask for a magic kit or magic books. By the time I was in high school, I started to perform for hire. It took off from there, and I haven’t stopped.
Purely by coincidence, I actually had the pleasure of performing on the same stage where I saw my first magician as a kindergartener. I have performed for a few famous Bostonians on multiple occasions, and my show now includes three routines that were first performed on television by David Copperfield. Now I not only perform, but I am also an active editor for publications in the magic community.
The short version of the story is as follows: Like many children, I was interested in magic. The difference between me and most of them is that I simply never outgrew it.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s a lot of work to set up my show. Unlike guys who perform out of a briefcase using a deck of cards, some coins, and some sponge balls, I have to make 3 – 4 trips back and forth to my car to bring some heavy equipment into the venue. In fact, my show takes a full hour to set up. It takes 45 minutes to break it down. My show is a stand-up show suitable for parlors or a stage.
Sometimes I am envious of the performers who can simply arrive, perform and leave. Still, I know that the kind of magic I do is the kind of magic I currently enjoy the most, so I’ll stick with the heavy, manual labor because once the show starts, I am in my element doing exactly what I love to do. I know that the passion comes across to my audience.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
After virtually every show, I am given a few very common (and heartwarming) compliments. The most common praise is that the adults enjoy my show as much as the children. It is truly a show that is entertaining and mystifying for all ages. After many years of practice, I have finally found the perfect blend of magic and comedy that amazes adults without going “over the heads” of the children.
Similarly, the comedy keeps everybody laughing as I see all ages chuckling without anybody rolling their eyes. I never speak down to my audience, and that includes ages ranging from 5 to 95. (By the way, I mean that literally. I recently performed for a woman’s 95th birthday party because her daughter had seen me perform at a child’s birthday party!)
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My parents were (and still are) very supportive of my magic. When I was too young to drive myself to my shows, they would sacrifice their time to drop me off at a gig and pick me up three hours later.
My Dad has also built a couple of incredible pieces of equipment that I use in my show. These items were custom made, so I’m the only magician in the world who owns them. I can’t fathom a guess as to how many times my Mom and Dad watched the same trick over and over when I was a child learning the craft.
David Copperfield was (and still is) my inspiration from a very early age. I recorded his annual televised magic shows in the 80’s and 90’s on VHS tapes and watched them over and over until the tapes wore out. I had the distinct pleasure of getting a call from David about three years ago. We chatted for 10-15 minutes about what I can do to try to get to that next “level” in magic.
He was really trying to be helpful with his advice and encouraged me just to keep doing as many shows as I can do while always listening to my audience and letting them guide me. I’m not even sure if he said it, but something I got from that conversation was that there is no guarantee that I can make it be a Vegas headliner in magic. Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time to get that break. What IS guaranteed is that if you stop trying to achieve a dream, then it certainly will never come true.
The last thing David said to me before we hung up is this: I know it’s hard out there when you are on the road between gigs. You’re trying to make, and lots of guys are trying to make it. I want you to promise me something. If ever you get down on yourself, I want you to remind yourself that I’m rooting for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: MunseysMagic.com
- Phone: (617) 759-1517
- Email: Munsey.Jim@gmail.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/MunseysMagic
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
