Have Some Steampunk With Your Coke

This is a surprising and fun video for Coke-A-Cola. Perhaps this will help more people to 'get' steampunk. Though I still find a lot of people who have never heard of it. Hmmm, what's it like living under a rock, lol.

Steampunk for the Newbie

If you're interested in learning about Steampunk and are not sure where to start, I'm going to give you a few places to look. First, up are some books. These books initially guided my way into steampunk and also helped to inspire me in some cases. Though I don't buy into everything written, they serve as a solid guide to the world of steampunk.

The Steampunk Bible & The Steampunk User's Manual by Jeff Vandermeer. These books contain all the basics to point you in the right direction. They're filled with incredible photos as well of everything from costumes, gadgets, to ray guns and music and performance. Good stuff.

Steampunk-An Illustrated History of Fantastical Fiction, Fanciful Film and Other Victorian Visions by Brian Robb. This book will also give you a solid foundation into steampunk. The author spends a fair amount of time discussing the origins of steampunk in literature. Tons of information in this book and a great deal to inspire you.

Steampunk-The Art of Victorian Futurism by Jay Strongman. This book has a little bit of information on steampunk, however that is not the focus of the book. The true purpose is to showcase examples of steampunk creations by various artists. THIS is a must have if you want to build props. It will help you to see what others have done and also show you by example that steampunk is far more than gears. If you're not a good do it yourself-er, this book may also scare you away, lol.

Steampunk really has it's roots in literature. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells being the fathers of the genre. But there are many others that can be included in the mix, like Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe and even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. And then there are the modern day Steampunk authors like Michael Moorcock, K.W. Jeter, James Blaylock, Stephen Hunt and many others. There is a great list of modern Steampunk authors and their books here.

There are of course a myriad of Steampunk Movies starting with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Disney) The Time Machine, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Time After Time, Journey To The Center of the Earth(1959), Five Weeks In A Balloon, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Prestige, Johah Hex, Hugo and many others. Check out this list for more.

And if you're really anxious to get your feet wet, why not attend a Steampunk Convention? Here is a partial list of events going on in the near future.

Of course, if you are interested in Steampunk Magic, stay here or go to SteampunkIllusionist.com

I hope that helps.

Kurios Steampunk ala Cirque Du Soliel

The folks at Cirque Du Soliel have created a new show, this one right out of the world of Steampunk. Again, this shows the popularity of Steampunk and the many different directions one can take the genre.

I don't know much about the show and actually, I don't want to. I've seen a couple Cirque shows and I'm always blown away by their imaginative productions. BUT, given that I am also working a theatrical show in that genre, I don't want to be influenced by anything they are doing.

Now, for those who wish to enjoy their show, the website and tour information can be found
here http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/kurios/tickets.aspx

Ripper Street is Returning for a Third Season

Ok, this is not magic and not exactly steampunk, but it IS VERY VICTORIAN, so in my book it fits. Ripper Street is produced by the BBC and it's my favorite show on TV......well, actually I've never watched it on TV, I saw it on Netflix.

Anyway, I've only seen Season 1 of the Show. I had heard that after Season 2, the BBC announced in Dec 2013 that the show was cancelled. And then amazingly, Ripper Street came out to be the #1 Favorite Drama in some Poll taken in the UK. So the next thing you know, Ripper Street Season 3 was announced! I'm getting that news a little late, but still, better late than never.

If you have never seen Ripper Street, you simply must check it out. It is set in 1890s England, in the Whitechapel area where the Jack the Ripper Murders were supposed to have taken place. The story takes place AFTER the Ripper Murders, but there is still plenty of crime and drama that takes place on these streets. The show also has a touch of Victorian CSI to it which is highly interesting.

The writing and acting on this show is fantastic. The costumes are incredible and the Victorian dialogue that is often used is frankly, educational!!!! And the characters, wow, they are so gritty and human and damaged and full of depth. One of my favorites is Long Susan, played by MyAnna Buring, who is a dead ringer for Kelly Rippa.

It's great stuff. Season 1 is available on Netflix. Season 1&2 are available on iTunes, but you'll have to pay for them there. Go to the official site and you can buy season 1 on DVD or BlueRay!

If you are venturing down the road to presenting a Steampunk character of any kind, whether for fun or for performance, this show Ripper Street, can be of great help in pointing the way towards costuming and even character traits. If you haven't seen it, please give it a chance, it's a fine show!

OH, I'm just watching the first episode of Season 2 and the Elephant Man/John Merrick and his Doctor, Dr. Treeves make a brief cameo! Come on, that is cool!

UPDATE: Well this is interesting. I just found out the character of Detective Reid is based on the real Detective Edmund Reid. And the real Reid had a passion for sleight of hand, not in the criminal sense but in the MAGIC sense! So there is a connection to conjuring afterall!

Steampunk movie wins Best Animated Short at Oscars

Mr. Hublot, is an eleven minute animated short that won an Oscar last night during the Academy Awards. It's quirky and unusual but has a heart warming story hidden within.

I had previously posted a link to the video, but it has since been removed by the Mr.Hublot producers. So unfortunately, I'm not sure how you can view this movie at this point in time. Sorry.

Steampunk Illusionist Dot Com Is LIVE

After months of design work and integrating a special system into the site, it's finally completed. Though, is anything ever truly done? I know the header is going to be replaced in a few days once I get the new header design back from the graphics firm. And there are some cosmetic changes I'll be making to the body of the site here and there. So, I suppose it's never done, but at least it's up and has officially replaced the old site which was more of a place holder than anything.

We have been scheduling shows for the Steampunk Illusionist for a while. From the start the shows were going to be a three part project. Step 1 was to design a simple show I could take out on my own. Step 2 was to design a two person show complete with at least one big illusion. Step 3 is a much grander project, which is a show which is part play, part magic show. Step 3 has not been accomplished as of yet, we are still writing that show. But the Steampunk Illusionist will still be out there doing shows, making appearances and traveling back and forth in time (part of the show concept).

The site is www.SteampunkIllusionist.com

Steampunk Illusionist Gets New Costumes

I'm not sure what my favorite part of this entire process is, but I'm really enjoying the costume creation. The photo here is actually not one of ours, but it's a fair representation of what we are going for, minus a few of the extra accessories. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the accessories, but we've got to stay practical too because girls need to get in and out of boxes, float in the air and do all the stuff associated with a magic show and then some. Basically, the girls need to be comfortable but have a killer look.

In our show last Saturday, Denise rocked a killer outfit. Do I have photos? NO! And I can't begin to tell you just how frustrated I am about that. Even the video didn't turn out. :(  But trust me, her costume was incredible. My costume was good, but she had the stand out look from my perspective. I'm still trying to get a hat that fits, lol!

Back to Denise, she had on a red corset, long billowy black skirt, black wig, miniature black top hat, white blouse, awesome period looking boots and lace gloves. I had on my long frock coat, a black vest, top hat w/goggles, black pants and spats. It was a good look, the spats really brought it up a notch and together we looked like we just stepped out of a time machine, which was the general idea.

There are more costumes coming in each week. New hats, new accessories, new vintage style shirts and pants. I want to be sure the show is visually interesting on multiple levels and fashion is the one area where most magicians drop the ball. Generally, most magicians are wearing fashion that is out of date. Here is the ironic part, SO ARE WE, but for us, that is the point! It's a themed show, so the costuming plays as big a part as character, props etc. But for other magicians who are wearing styles from the 1990s, they just look out of touch.

I am so happy to have some sort of gadgetry for the show also. And MORE gadgetry is on the way! I've got some work to do on revamping one of our illusions. I'm going to take before and after photos so you can see how we changed it. Until next time...

The Steampunk Illusionist is Taking Shape!

Carnegie: Steampunk Illusionist

This venture into magic + Victorian Futurism has certainly been fun and challenging. But the effort is beginning to pay off. I've been covertly sneaking magic routines for the Steampunk magic show into my regular performances in an effort to get the pieces audience tested. So far, the items that I've been able to work out have gone over incredibly well.

My creative team and I have been brainstorming ideas for this venture and we've actually come up with some crazy ideas that might just turn out to be super cool. The only one I'm willing to reveal is that Carnegie the Steampunk Wizard will be making appearances on The Magic Detective Youtube Show and will be demonstrating Victorian Era magic effects.

When will the Steampunk Illusionist Show debut? It will be a couple months yet until everything is ready. Right now, we're trying to find a new flock of girls to be in the show. They have the unusual position of not only acting as magician's assistants but also minor characters in the show. I think that is one thing that will set this whole venture apart from a typical magic show.

If you like, please go visit www.steampunkillusionist.com. It's still basically a work in progress. I've not made the official announcement about the site yet. There is quite a bit more content to add. But I hope you like what you see.

My First Steampunked Prop

I guess you could say I started out easy. I took a Ring Grinder made by Wolf's Magic and repainted it and altered the front slightly to give more of a steampunk genre look. I had actually purchased a gauge to mount on the top of it but it was too heavy and bulky. So instead I hand made the gauge that is now mounted where the old black knob used to be.

I have to give the majority of the credit to the folks at Wolfs Magic though because the prop already had somewhat of a steampunk look to start with. I sure admire their workmanship because I had to take the entire thing apart to do the work I wanted to do. What a well thought out and designed prop. My contribution was altering the original paint job, so that included painted the top, sides and front metal pieces bronze, changing the front faceplate color from yellow to brown, and removing the knob on the front and putting in the gauge. I also repainted the red knob on the side brown.

I'm posting this for people to see, NOT so that they can copy what I just did. :)

By the way, if you're interested in what the effect is, in my version it is a teleportation device and any small object placed inside the box can be teleported to a different location, and for the sake of magical performance, it's an 'impossible location'. The original prop was made for borrowing rings, however I use something different in my presentation that allows for a slight twist on the end of the trick.