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Page Seventeen
Back in 1972, a new magazine appeared for the magic fraternity. This simple four-page monthly was published in India by Sam Dalal and called, "Swami." This was only a couple years after I first started fire-eating, and I was far from being a Master, still looking for tips on the subject and anything I could find that would help improve my act or verify what I was already doing. The Swami featured a column titled, "Yoga-Maya," which presented tricks of the Fakirs of India, including fire-eating.
I recently uncovered the first 24 issues of this informative little magazine while searching through some of my old files and papers. Looking back, it is now apparent that some of the tips and pointers presented by M.Dalal had a profound effect on my own style of presentation. I would therefore like to share some of this with you, with many thanks to Sam Dalal , Sri K.C. Batra, and M/s. Ramdev & Sons of Calcutta.
The following lines appeared in reference to glass-eating, but can just as easily be applied to fire-eating:
"The first IMPORTANT point is to NOT EMPHASIZE ANY MYSTERY ASPECT OF THIS FEAT … no matter how impressed you may be with your ability to perform it. The reason is this… you never know EXACTLY WHEN you might come across someone in your audience who can also eat (glass), … and it certainly doesn't bode well for a performer if someone from his audience can beat him at his own game. I speak from experience … for I remember the days when I used to make it a sensational feat in itself … and proclaim that I was doing the impossible. That is, until one army show had two "jawans" walking up on stage… and coolly crunching up my glass tumbler… leaving me open mouthed, and very much out of the lime-light. Since then I have decided to underplay it, and let the audience draw it's own conclusions. Remember, the people who KNOW you are not doing anything extraordinary form an infinitesimally small percentage of your audience, and unless you provoke them into challenging you, will not effect your programme one bit. And the others who are yearning to believe in the impossible or the "un-natural" will form their own conclusions! And these form the majority of your audience.
"In short, UNDERPLAY THE MYSTERY ASPECT OF THE FEAT IN YOUR DEMONSTRATION.
"The second point is that, BY ITSELF, THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE EFFECT. However, it is very impressive as PART of a yogic act …"
"Fire-eating" can easily be substituted for "glass-eating" in the above excerpt. Of course, you should never put yourself in a position where someone from the audience could step up and take over your show. This would be especially hazardous with an act like fire-eating. The unwritten rule among performers of all sorts is that NOBODY steps in and handles the performer's props without permission -especially onstage. You need to be not only in control of your fires, but in control of your audience as well. Should an audience member try any of your fire stunts and get hurt, it's going to be YOUR responsibility, and a weight on your shoulders, whether you are insured or not.
But think for a moment: "Underplay the mystery aspect…" Even with zero chances of being shown up by an audience member, some things are simply best left unsaid. Some of the greatest performers the world has ever known were also extremely humble. They simply did their thing and let the audiences form their own conclusions. It is my belief that emphasizing a "mystery aspect" in fire-eating will only cause the audiences to mentally classify your whole routine as trickery or stage magic. Claiming to have an "asbestos gullet", or "asbestos tongue" will only open you up to catcalls and challenges from some of the audience members..
The final sentence, "By itself, this is not a complete effect…", in my view, reminds us that one stunt (the Human Volcano?) does not a fire-eater make. You need a routine, and one that flows naturally from one thing to the next. You should always be capable of doing more than you actually present in any one show. The mere fact that you know you can do more than you've presented will be picked up on by your audience, and they will look forward to seeing you perform again.
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