Well while the material in my act is certainly public domain, I think it's the way I present it that is unique to me as a character. Of course my act, persona, and character are constantly evolving so whose to say that next year at this time I'll be doing the same thing? I probably won't, given grounds that what I am doing now is not exactly what I was doing last year at this time. My act, my material, my inspirations, and my performances are always corner stones to the next construction that I plan to build upon it.
Already do to a point. In so much as I attempt to provide my own presentations to the classic effects such as blockhead. But I doubt it. The way I see it, if I'm performing something as it was published with out changing anything or adding my own creative input at all, then who ever is fortunate enough to find my source, is at just as much advantage as I was when I found it.
I still feel I won't be upset unless they steal my act wholesale including my own unique presentation, patter, or verbage.
I don't see how this is any different than people coming up to me and relating my act to Criss Angel, on grounds that he's one of the only names that they know. Yeah it's a slap in the face, I consider myself to be more humble, but that's neither here or there.
I don't know about you, but I never give out a quote knee jerk like that without building value, asking qualifying questions, and making sure I'm the right guy for the job. By the time I do get to a quote, I just don't experience this quoted situation all that much.
I also don't believe in performing a weaker show just because there MAY be a magician in my audience. I'm sure that's a subject you'll expand upon too.
No Brad, not contradictory. It's the challenge. How can it indeed? I suppose that is the question that separates the men from the boys. If you can answer that then you're closer to being a professional than an amateur, and that's the question EVERY artist should be asking themselves, right after they answer "And Why should the audience care?"
Balls back in your court.
Don't know if the quote feature on blackberry will make this more or less confusing but here it goes.
1) While you (and Louis) may think a novel presentation will set you apart from the crowd - the real world does not work that way.
Had a story related from a major cruise ship booker once. He gets tapes from magicians all the time. Pops them in and the moment he sees a straight jacket escape, bowling ball production or one other trick (can't recall which one he singled out specifically) he pops it out and throws it in the trash.
It doesn't matter if you have the vest 'routine' in the world - to the audience its the same thing. And as most of the routines are little more than bits and pieces culled from other peoples routines who culled them from other peoples routines - it establishes my point. The reason most magi do tricks like the jacket is because they say someone else do it first. They THINK they are changing it enough to be different, but ultimately it is all rooted in the same source and it shows.
You might want to argue that he is missing the point - but he's the guy whose buying. He is the point (or, at least, one of them)..
2) You write: who ever is fortunate enough to find my source, is at just as much advantage as I was when I found it. "
You are getting it wrong. He did not find your source. He found YOU. Then he dug around because he wanted to copy you. The source is irrelvant. The impetus is not the idea, not the source, the impetus was YOU. Hence my belief that he should ask you before going off to copy you.
If he found the source on his own having never seen you, I would agree. But that's not what I'm talking about.
3) The criss angel incident is close, but again, not exact. (Depending on what you meant). If you perform and someone mentions another magician, that is what it is.
But if you perform a trick that they have seen that other magician do - then perhaps you should consider finding another trick ESPECIALLY if it were done on tv.
I remember when dc did a trick on tv that I had in my act for years. The moment it aired I took it out of my act. Why be seen as the guy copying the real magician on tv? Maybe that doesn't bother you, but I don't want people to think of magic as a commodity that can be bought at a store. (In spite of what the truth mauy be).
4) Jroberts (I think) mentions malone et all doing ambitious. Classics are classics. But what real world success has daryl had with the ac? What about malone? Have you ever hired malone to work for real people - do you know what he does in that situation.
I do.
But more to the point - did bill get on tv with the ac?
Nope. He got on tv with sam the bellhop - when he was (effectively) the only person on the planet doing it.
It was unique, it was special, it was bill malone's. (In truth, it was frank everhardt who created it but it was bill who had the vision to see its inherent value. He did it on tv and then everyone started doing it.
Again, I ask, HOW IS THAT GOOD FOR BILL, THE COPYIIST WHO WILL BE COMPARED TO BILL OR TO MAGIC?
4) I was not suggesting the imaginary exchange would proceed exactly along those lines, but the dynamic is the same. When everyone does the same thing, then magic is no longer an artn but a commodity. Commodities get sold for the best price.
18) I would never advocate doing anything less than your best for a real show. (A magic convention is another story. Rarely will you see a real world pro do his actual material in his real way when working a convention.)
But you have made my point - the fact that one may even feel the urge to change something knowing a magi was in attendance demonstrates the problem - too many magicians are on the constant prowl for ideas that don't belong to them. In my mind, it doesn't matter if the idea was original to the performer being watched, or not. The onlooker is not working, not doing research. He is using another performer and his work for his own benefit. SHOULDNT HE AT LEAST ASK?!?
X) Clearly we need to make them care. But is making them care harder or easier when they can cross their arms and proclaim 'oh, I've seen this before'.
Sure a smart performer can sometimes overcome this. (I say sometimes, because some audience members will just tune out at that point and if their aren't engaged, it doesn't matter what you do - its all the same ole crap.)
But the question is -
Why do we insist on condoning and fostering behaviors that make us even need to do this?
Would magic be better or worse if every magician did unique material? NOT ORIGINAL, just unique.
I can grab a dozen books from my shelf and we could find enough tricks that every member of this forum could have 15 minuted of diverse material completely different from anything anyone else was doing.
Why do we defend people who want to take the easy way while making it hard on not only themselves but everyone else.
Postscript; christopher, I think our issue is with the use of the word presentation. Changing a dvd case and watermelon is not changing what many people call 'the presentation' per se
Weber said it well, if you see me work and vary my idea, it is different enough when I no longer recognize my idea in your work.
Can we agree on that?