City July 11, 2010 10:15 AM

Justin Craddock Works His Magic

Justin Craddock Works His Magic
Has anyone else seen Justin Craddock working his magic in Buffalo? The guy is really good. And get this: He went to City Hall and paid $10 for a busking license. I thought that was pretty cool considering he's the first street performer that I ever came across that actually took the time to be legit. I asked Justin if he ever gets hassled by the 'men in blue' when out interacting with the public. "No," he answered. "The only time I get hassled is at an event like Thursday at the Square - even with a busking license. So I set up in places like Allentown and Elmwood where there might not be the crowds, but there are enough people to make it worth while."

FYI - it's also beneficial to chat with local performers because they can tell you a lot about the city that you might not know. For example, Justin clued me in that the former Brodo on Elmwood (where he happened to be standing in front of adding life to an empty storefront - gee you would think that there might be a few of those down near Thursday at the Square) is soon to be an Asian bistro. Apparently it's going to be a mix of sushi and Thai.

Not being a rabid fan of magicians, I was skeptical about doing anything other than talk to Justin. I find the street performer aspect of what he does fascinating. I love seeing the interaction between a musician or a magician and the unsuspecting passersby - often times even more than the skills that the performer possesses. In this case, Justin did convince me to partake in a card trick and to tell you the truth... I'm STILL trying to figure out what the heck happened. So were the rest of the people that witnessed the trick. OK, so maybe magicians are pretty cool... at least this one was.

City Hall busking license can be obtained at room 313 in City Hall. Photo ID required. The permit is $10.50. I read on an online forum that if a business owner asks you to move, you must. Also, you can't set up within 50 feet of another performer unless that performer is OK with it.
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I've seen this guy before! He's not that good! He even comes across as kind of an ass! There are a couple of other magicians in Buffalo that are way better than this guy! I can't remember their names but I know one performs at Route 5 and another at Crazy Jakes.

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Why so many!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"It's not 'Top of the Muffin TO YOU!!!!!'"

replied to Scarneck
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Well, you know LouisTully, you should learn to use them. Like the way I'm talking right now, I would put an exclamation point at the end of all these sentences! On this one! And on that one!

replied to LouisTully
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Well...you can put an exclamation point on the end of this sentence...I'M LEAVING!

replied to UnionAMG
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Thanks Scarneck!

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I love magicians; they make you feel great about yourself. Nothing like watching one for about 5 minutes and saying to yourself what a pathetic waste of human capacity. Thank god I haven’t wasted my life like this person has. They are feel good artists; I say the more the merrier.

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Justin is a very good performer! Very personable with little kids who see magic in everything!

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I really think you guys should lay off like just cuz you won't amount to anything that doesn't mean you should tear down someone who has a lot more talent than you scrubs like what are you doing with your life... Oh ya nothing!

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