Who am I?
Isn't that one of those deep philosophical questions? It is also one of the first questions you must ask in this craft of ours. I mean, if you don't know who you are as a person, how are you even going to come close to knowing who you are as a performer? I have read things like that for years, and I tell you what.... last year I figured out exactly who I am.
Or so I think.
I see videos of me performing now, and of me 10 years ago at 17 years old. And the change is beyond remarkabe. I know who I am. And knowing that will allow me to introduce myself to you all.
Hello members of the Blacks Magic Group forums. I'm Smooth.
I was born October 15th, 1980 in the Dominican Republic to a very poor family. Wow, how typical huh? But what do you expect from a third world country? lol. Spanish was the only language that I knew for years, and for some reason it didn't stop me from falling in love with Michael Jackson at a young age.
My family moved to New York City on the day of my 3rd birthday, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember asking my mother when we landed in JFK International Airport where was Michael. Because I wanted to meet him. I had the entertainer in me from that young.
I grew up in the so-called bad part of town. Just a little bit north of Harlem, in a neighborhood called Washington Heights. I was pretty much a shy kid, but I would be able to play all alone for hours on end. Around 6 or 7 I started joining every school play possible. And then something crazy happened. I saw Eddie Murphy spit his comedy. That is when I knew I wanted to become an entertainer. Didn't matter what it was, I just craved the attention, the stage, and the knowledge of making people happy. Is that insane or what?
At the age of nine I started magic, but more importantly I started entertaining. You have to understand that I didn't know where the magic store was. Plus my parents couldn't afford to get me books. I had to literally steal magic books from the library. But the passion was there. I couldn't do alot of those tricks because they usually involved props that I couldn't get a hold of. So what I developed instead of technical skill, I developed how to make things entertaining.
When Simon Lovell came to one of my shows he said, "I've never seen anyone hold a crowd like you. It's like you are selling a thirsty man some water." That skill came from not performing magic.
When I was 15 I got my first step into the world of magic. I got the Encyclopedia of Card Tricks and memorized the impromptu section. It was my bible. The drug dealers in my neighborhood took a liking to me and got me to Times Square so I can hustle the tourist. It was the streets that raised me from that point on.
Yeah I did some illegal things, but I was young and dumb. I learned alot of lessons on those streets. Like, 30 people all trying to rush to the train and none of them care if you have a good trick or not. How can you grab that entire crowds attention?
See, at that time I thought to myself, "Smooth, you need to learn how to entertain WITHOUT the magic. Because once they give a sh^t about you, you can sell them anything you want. You can sell them the idea that you can read minds, that you are homeless, and that they need to tip you." That is how I earned the title of John B. Smooth: the Jedi Shogun. Everyone from teachers to family members called me Smooth.
But I was young and dumb.
I didn't have the common sense to take myself to the next level. Finally at the age of 18 I found my first magic store. I got introduced to a world that I never thought possible. For about 3 years all I needed was a deck of cards, and I would "make up" or "jazz" tricks. But I didn't do anything besides that. It was 1998 when I found a magic store, and now I added all kinds of stuff to my arsenal. Rope tricks, Mentalism, ITR, thumb tips, balls.... wow, what a beautiful thing.
But it was like New York wasn't ready to see a thugish magician from Washington Heights. Nevertheless was the magic community opening their arms to me. I immediatly realized something that has carried me since then.
I
HATE
MAGICIANS!
Most of them could go to hell.
Then, David Blaine comes out.
Now here I am, my personal life goes haywire. I have a baby girl to take care of, and I am busy as hell going to all these exclusive hip-hop parties. Performing for rappers, producers and celeb's.... but I was so stupid I didn't take advantage. I would smoke weed and get drunk and have sex with random girls..... I was just a little kid introduced to the world of entertainment, without having the maturity and discipline to control myself. Finally I graduate high school and have to think about what I want to do with myself. My fiance at the time convinced me that I had no chance on becoming a full time magician, so I started working for Bank of America.
I worked out of three locations, one of them being the World Trade Center branch of the corporate offices.
At the start of 2001 I started to think that losing my dream of taking the magic world by storm shouldn't go to the side. So I assembled a team of people that were going to help me. And it as great. 3 of the key players worked with me at the Center. Only 2 worked in the same company. But all 3 of them died during the attacks. I had the day off.
Soon after the attacks I joined the Marine Corps, mostly for my family, but more for myself to escape my city. I went to Iraq 3 times on combat tours. And I have made it back. I have been stationed in Japan, where I have learned how to speak Japanese fluently (making it the fifth language I can read and write with).
Now that I am out of the Marine Corps, and have grown up a bit, I had questioned myself if being a full time con artist is correct. And I think so.
I have a passion for this craft that is inhuman. I am very positive and rarely have negative things to say about life. I support every magician out there, and you will never hear me judge another practioner of this art in a bad way, because that is just wrong. (Unless they have it coming.) I support everyone, but at the same time I give constructive criticism that they can use to better themselves or to take it into consideration.
The only thing that I don't like are those that feel it neccessary to judge and throw opinions and hate upon things that they don't know about.
I have been judged on me changing my name to Smoothini the Ghetto Houdini, I have been judged about mixing hip-hop with magic, and I have been judged for everything under the sun. I have been judged for taking Houdini's name. When Houdini took Robert Houdin's name. Look at the logic in that. But when the day is done it will take alot more to destroy me in this industry than some words. Mostly because I know who I am.
I am the Jedi Shogun that had the first successful weekly magic show in San Diego in over 30 years. I am the village idiot that has kept that show completly packed for 8 weeks. I am the Mage that, against all odds, convinced a neighborhood that they did want to see magic. And most importantly I am the magician that doesn't need magic to make people question whether or not they are awake or dreaming.
I am a bit cocky.
I am very naive.
I am not afraid of asking questions and failing.
I am grateful to everyone who supports me, supports magic, and does good in the world.
I am still a Marine at heart.
I am Peter Pan.
I am currently 27 years young.
I am that feeling a six year old gets when they open their hands and where they thought they saw one sponge ball, but now there is two.
I am going to be able to support myself and my family with magic, no matter what obstacles come my way.
I am an international pimp and hustler.
I am Smoothini the Ghetto Houdini.
Smoothini: The Ghetto Houdini
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