Just Some Thoughts

I wrote this to my friend Tom Frank awhile ago. I am narcissistic (JK) and like what I wrote, so I am posting it here too.
I am not so naive as to believe I am in any way ready to give my friend Tom advice, but sometimes ideas and help comes from the darndest places. Tom has always struck me as a humble enough man to be open to those under his tutelage, besides, often we learn from our students.
I love Tom Frank and all he has done for me and for my magic. Anything I can do to return the favor, he knows...

From reading and journeying on the Magical mystery tour... I've found that the difference between an audience and a crowd is this: An audience is a listening thing, individual people listening and watching you perform. They don't bond with one another, they are separate from the other members of the "audience." While a crowd is an audience that becomes a crowd. There is a mentally shift akin to a mob. They have invested in one another. What happens to one in the audience has now happened to everyone when they become a crowd. They have bonded into a mob mentality, for good or ill, or "have now BECOME a crowd. They now laugh together and root for each other as one single unit.
Just my thoughts.
I am listening to Michael Ammars "Making Magic Memorable" cd. Watching you perform is akin to watching T.V. or a movie. It only employs the two senses, Hearing and sight. When you bring them into the show a whole raft of other senses are involved making the magic more memorable.One of the things he mentions. is the difference we as magicians need to give our audiences is the ability to touch the item. Touch is extremely valuable. This also helps bring the "audience" into that bonding of a crowd I mention earlier. Bringing someone up to "help" you or to be a "volunteer" allows that person to "represent" everybody else. People think, "that could have been me" and they relate as such. Then when they are a bonded crowd, when one tips, they feel it is appropriate for themselves as well, almost a guilt not to tip.
This is at least in theory from some Gazzo or other book I read.
Love you man! Good luck in the trenches!