It sounds like your friend is a heckler. If you know someone is a heckler, don't perform for them. They won't enjoy it and neither will you. Think about it: If someone is enjoying a trick, they won't heckle. But if they aren't enjoying it, they might.
Problem with a friend when performing
- Thread starter Rasengan
- Start date
It sounds like your friend is a heckler. If you know someone is a heckler, don't perform for them. They won't enjoy it and neither will you. Think about it: If someone is enjoying a trick, they won't heckle. But if they aren't enjoying it, they might.
It happens to the best of us. Performance nerves. Try not to take yourself too seriously when performing. Relax and speak like you would to friends, that should help not only to keep yourself calm, but set a good atmosphere for your spectators
Try to read the persons behavior, and see if you can over-come it;
For example I was trying to do a trick to someone I know who is highly intelligent, followed everything I did, and as people have put it here a heckler. I decided I wouldn't give up on him, and I decided to prove myself to him. So, although I only did two trick on him, I always put myself one step ahead....by that I mean that in tricks he could freely select a card, I would use a force, so that if he'd demand to shuffle I could allow him to, and when he did demand to do so in one of the tricks, I just changed my plans and performed Stigmata on him.
If the person persists to torpedo the trick, and doesn't want to take the enjoyment in magic, then move on. It is their loss. Just be cool.
For example I was trying to do a trick to someone I know who is highly intelligent, followed everything I did, and as people have put it here a heckler. I decided I wouldn't give up on him, and I decided to prove myself to him. So, although I only did two trick on him, I always put myself one step ahead....by that I mean that in tricks he could freely select a card, I would use a force, so that if he'd demand to shuffle I could allow him to, and when he did demand to do so in one of the tricks, I just changed my plans and performed Stigmata on him.
If the person persists to torpedo the trick, and doesn't want to take the enjoyment in magic, then move on. It is their loss. Just be cool.
Hey man, that's totally normal... Honestly, stuff like just taking deep breaths, consciously trying to relax muscles, staying warm (hands around a hot cup of coffee or something), relax and remember to just talk to them as though you were anywhere else, as friends, will help lesson the nerves and shakes. Besides, if they're asking, at least they want you to do something - so more often than not you can be confident they'll be fairly good spectators.
Ultimately though, the best cure is just performance practice - it really does get easier the more you do it, there'll be some shaky times if you get caught but that's all part of the learning experience. It does get better, so keep it up
Good luck with your performing
I concur, I perform my new tricks first of all to friends (well, and my mother), and they are always supportive, and even if I mess up they give me constructive feedback ("I saw you doing this and that, try to hide that more").
If a specific friend tried to ruin your tricks intentionally, just give him the "talk" about what a spectator should do (play along and enjoy the magic)... If it's the same thing with all your friends, find better friends, or at least some that are more mature.
yea, m friends help me out if i flash. they ell me where i flashed and all that.
when using a riffle force for ither my friend or a complete stranger i tell them to stop me somewhere in the middle so i wont know what card it is...i remind them of this throughout the trick
The answer isn't fooling them worse...
Here is the deal - does anyone really like to be fooled? Short answer - NOPE!
Did you like when someone made fun of you, made you feel dumb, pointed out something you missed that was really a simple mistake, pick on you for messing up you're...I mean your words? Probably not - unless humiliation is a turn on for you.
More direct - have you ever been in a situation where someone or a group, knows something you don't...they are all on the inside, and you are not? Awkward right?
This is the sub-text to magic - people know you don't have real magic powers - what they also know that creates this, is you know a secret they don't. "If you are so magical, why can't I take the top card" - have you heard this? How about something along those lines?
Here is the solution - make magic fun. Every time I hear things like..."My girlfriend hates magic"...I think...yeah, when YOU do it OR "My friends always try to ruin my tricks"...yep...when YOU do it. It isn't your friends, or the strength of your effects that is the problem - I would bet you are making your magic a painful experiencen for them.
If you are doing magic right - not just with your hands - but with your presentation and personality - the magic should be a vehicle for those things. If you set the mood right, your spectators should WANT to experience what you are doing, they should want to "suspend their disbelief" because they can't wait for the surprise. Your friends challenge you because they feel it is YOU versus THEM, because they know you have a secret they don't and they hate feeling dumb. I think it was Jami Ian Swiss that made reference to magic being a "bitter pill" we force them to swallow when we fool people with no message...other than...I GOT YA...and I would add the word BIOTCH to that.
So - if you want your friends to stop ruining your magic...well, stop ruining it for them. Give your magic meaning - give your effects reason and make it fun...a good test - is it fun even without the deck in your hand?
Some books to read to help you - Strong Magic by Ortiz, as well as his book Designing Miracles. Transformations by Lawerence Hass - really anything that focuses on showmanship, as I am sure you have enough of those. There are many older classic books to add to this list, but perhaps those above are a good start and easy to get your hands on.
In short, make the audience love the magic so much that they feel bad when they ruin it...because it doesn't ruin it for you...it ruins it for them. It is a gift you are giving them, so don't be so selfish about giving the gift. It is not about you - good magic is about those you force to sit through and watch.
Feel free to PM me if you want any advice - cheers
Here is the deal - does anyone really like to be fooled? Short answer - NOPE!
Did you like when someone made fun of you, made you feel dumb, pointed out something you missed that was really a simple mistake, pick on you for messing up you're...I mean your words? Probably not - unless humiliation is a turn on for you.
More direct - have you ever been in a situation where someone or a group, knows something you don't...they are all on the inside, and you are not? Awkward right?
This is the sub-text to magic - people know you don't have real magic powers - what they also know that creates this, is you know a secret they don't. "If you are so magical, why can't I take the top card" - have you heard this? How about something along those lines?
Here is the solution - make magic fun. Every time I hear things like..."My girlfriend hates magic"...I think...yeah, when YOU do it OR "My friends always try to ruin my tricks"...yep...when YOU do it. It isn't your friends, or the strength of your effects that is the problem - I would bet you are making your magic a painful experiencen for them.
If you are doing magic right - not just with your hands - but with your presentation and personality - the magic should be a vehicle for those things. If you set the mood right, your spectators should WANT to experience what you are doing, they should want to "suspend their disbelief" because they can't wait for the surprise. Your friends challenge you because they feel it is YOU versus THEM, because they know you have a secret they don't and they hate feeling dumb. I think it was Jami Ian Swiss that made reference to magic being a "bitter pill" we force them to swallow when we fool people with no message...other than...I GOT YA...and I would add the word BIOTCH to that.
So - if you want your friends to stop ruining your magic...well, stop ruining it for them. Give your magic meaning - give your effects reason and make it fun...a good test - is it fun even without the deck in your hand?
Some books to read to help you - Strong Magic by Ortiz, as well as his book Designing Miracles. Transformations by Lawerence Hass - really anything that focuses on showmanship, as I am sure you have enough of those. There are many older classic books to add to this list, but perhaps those above are a good start and easy to get your hands on.
In short, make the audience love the magic so much that they feel bad when they ruin it...because it doesn't ruin it for you...it ruins it for them. It is a gift you are giving them, so don't be so selfish about giving the gift. It is not about you - good magic is about those you force to sit through and watch.
Feel free to PM me if you want any advice - cheers
Sounds like your friends just wants to mess with you. My sister always tried the same thing, fortunitly I mainly do impromptu tricks. The main solution is, don't perform for that friend until he understands the ground rules. Also, about friends that will figure out tricks, some are just clever. I have one that is so damned rational that a perfect performance of many good tricks (invisible palm, chicago opener, etc) will not fool him at all.
Learn a really quick, impromptu, practically self working card trick that plays big with he right performance. If it doesn't use difficult sleights you'll be more likely to nail it and once you get past it your audience will not only be amazed, you will probably relax some (try Invisible Reverse by CK)
Learn a 4 card packet trick to follow it up, you can find tons of suggestions on this if you just ask.
I think over half the tricks I committed to memory for impromptu performances are sleightless(or very close to it). I can cull set-up (usually to 'check to see if i'm missing any' or 'make sure they're all facing the same way to start with')
Good luck, and to the original post-I have friends who have knowledge of magic...some who know basics...I dont perform to one of them as much when others are around b/c he heckles. just my 2 cents.
-Rik