Unlike most viewers who watch magic shows on television, Gary McKibben more often than not knows how the magician performs the tricks.

"I probably know what [a magician] is doing two-thirds of the time," said McKibben, who has been practicing magic for 30 years. "If it's new stuff I haven't seen, I'm like, 'Wow, that's really something!'"

And even though he knows how it's done, he still enjoys watching.

"It doesn't take the fun out of it for me," he said.
McKibben's wife, Jean, has a different take.

"Jean doesn't want to know. She says, 'I wish you wouldn't tell me how you do it,'" McKibben said with a laugh.

Magic began as a hobby with McKibben.

"You could say it's still a hobby, because I have to keep a regular job," he explained. "But it's brought in extra income over the years, and it's a big part of my life."

McKibben's interest in magic was triggered by a book he read while he was off work with a minor injury.

"I ordered a catalog from Hank Lee's Magic Co. to learn more about it," he said. "Before long, I was ordering something new every week. I was hooked."

McKibben studied a lot of tricks: cards, coins, shell games, mind reading, to learn what best suited him. He practiced in front of a mirror, and still does.

"I'm ambidextrous, which helps," he said. "It took me a few years to find my niche."

When McKibben mastered a trick, he would try it on the guys at work. They got a kick out of it, and before long he was being asked to perform at children's birthday parties.

"I learned to juggle and twist balloons," he said. "It's all part of the show."

McKibben, 61, and his wife lived in Seattle for about 30 years before moving to Overland Park two years ago. Their daughter, Jessica McCall, and two grandsons live in Olathe. A son, Kyle, and his family live in Los Angeles.

"Seattle's Pike Place Market was a great place for a magician to develop his skills," he recalled. "Mimes, jugglers, magicians, and other street performers would gather there every weekend. The crowds were enthusiastic. We'd do our routines and pass the hat. Before long, people were asking for my business card."

McKibben was booked frequently for private parties, especially during the holidays, at conventions and retirement homes, and for occasional stage shows. He also performed for day cruises around the Seattle harbor and did shows for Seattle companies such as Microsoft.

His specialties are sleight-of-hand with cards, coins, shell games, and mind-reading tricks. He also plays the guitar, which he may include along with some comedy in his shows.

"Most magicians are frustrated comedians," he said. "I like to interact with the crowd. If I'm playing the guitar, I pass out tambourines so they can join in."

Sleight-of-hand is his favorite—but whether he uses it depends on the audience.

"There are people who don't care for sleight-of-hand because it makes them feel foolish," McKibben said. "Some magicians purposely try to make people feel stupid. I never do that. I want them to enjoy what I do."

Women like mind-reading tricks, he noted, and he likes doing those because he doesn't need props, just a deck of cards.
"If they ask if I'm psychic, I tell them no, it's just a trick," he added.

Since he has been in the Kansas City area, McKibben has performed at the River Market, at the Kansas City Chalk Walk at Crown Center, and at private parties and a retirement home. He's been to the summer sidewalk festival in Lawrence a couple of times. But he says that he really hasn't gotten well established in this area because "My job interferes with my hobby!"

"Like most hobbies, magic is a world unto itself," McKibben said. "Go to a convention of magicians and you meet so many interesting people. Everyone is congenial; even the headliners offer to help you."

No interview with a magician would be complete without a personal demonstration, and McKibben didn't disappoint.

After he baffled me with the shell game, cards, and mind-reading tricks, he did a vanishing quarter trick. Somehow the quarter appeared under his wristwatch. It disappeared again, and this time it turned up under my wristwatch. Well, it is magic!

For more information about McKibben and his magic, visit http://blackbeltmagician.com.

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