Comedy in Magic

[BrianationX]

The least talented magicians are the ones that do comedy.
these magicians have figured out that they can use the least amount of

magic skill and incorporate it with their magic.

Does Michael Jordan have to tell jokes while shooting baskets,does tiger woods have to put together a one hour show hitting golf balls on a spectators mouth while cracking jokes from a stupid joke book to entertain the audience.

All I want is to perform the skill Ive spend as much as time working on as Coby Brian spend on Basket ball

without having to justified it with mindless unrelated MOUTHGARBAGE.

But still I bet some peoplewould rather see a guy performing the old toy raccoon routine or a classic comedic sponge and balls rather than

some guy like me performing all sorts of

sleights that took me months of practice rather than a day and it would fly

right under their noses.Comedic magicians are in fact the most common out

there,Why? because it is the easiest form of magic,it takes no skill only to

memorize a script and buy some props and gags.Comedic magicians are

something you can associate with a clown,In fact im going to refer to them

as clowns for now on.

These clowns ruin the way a magician is thought of,

Mr. can you please perform the eggs from mouth,or raccoon puppet,or magical

snow.The answers is of course no, I tell them I suffle a deck of cards and

while doing so i can locate every single card in the deck and they say, so you

cant make a bunny appear? I do my ShowOff or Hynotic routine and they dont

understand what happened,but its ok because they don't know any better. If

people would make a better attempt at understanding then magicians wouldn't

resort to mouth garbage to get reactions.


See also flourishes,laymen don't understand them,
but the more they see them the better the understanding,and also appreciate them.


Magic is not about telling jokes and making people laugh,is performing.

And like I said before the most powerfull reaction to a

performance is when thery are silence and awestruck motionless
not when they are laughing and cheering

make no mistake about it.

No disrespect for all those Comedic Magicians Out There.

 

[Toad]

alright. i kinda agree. too much comedy ruins magic. but a few jokes cant hurt. are you brian tudor btw?

 

[Twozwozer]

Would you call David Williamson and Tommy Cooper a clown?
Have you seen them do their magic. Its unbelievable.

Cheers, Tom

 

[Eddie]

Magic is to entertain, Comedy is to entertain, why not put these together for an awesome combo?

 

[BrianationX]

Would you call David Williamson and Tommy Cooper a clown?
Have you seen them do their magic. Its unbelievable.

Cheers, Tom

I would Call them comedians
The Magic is not that impressive
or hard to execute
The acts of Williamson are centered more around comedy
entertaining
Yes,Amazing No

I'm A Disciple Of Brian Tudor
My name is Brian though

 

[Twozwozer]

I would Call them comedians
The Magic is not that impressive
or hard to execute

Does it really matter how hard a trick is? A hard trick pulled of perfectly doesn't make a great magician. Just because you can do magic, doesn't make you a great performer. David Blaine did some really easy stuff on his specials, and look where he is now...
Simple hits hard.

Also, David has been on World's Greatest Magic, surely that says something about him?

Cheers, Tom

 

[BrianationX]

Does it really matter how hard a trick is? A hard trick pulled of perfectly doesn't make a great magician. Just because you can do magic, doesn't make you a great performer. David Blaine did some really easy stuff on his specials, and look where he is now...
Simple hits hard.


Cheers, Tom

Yeah like you said
A simple trick can get really great reactions
But do you have to use mouthGarbage to justify the trick itself?
Blaine Doesn't thats why the tricks hit hard.

 

[Peter Harrison]

What a ridiculous thread. I don't know why you bothered saying "no disrespect" at the end of the post. One gets the feeling you aren't much of a funny guy...

Some magicians are "spooky" when they perform (black magic etc) and others are like gamblers. It's just a persona. Now, you are completely correct in saying that some magicians use comedy in such a way that it is an excuse to do crap magic. Some are like that and they may as well be doing stand-up by itself. However, that just makes them BAD comedy magicians. A GOOD comedic magician can USE comedy in the way he would use misdirection of audience control. Actually, the best misdirection you can ever achieve is when making someone laugh. If you really feel the way you do, then you haven't seen some genuinely funny and intelligent magicians who use their comedy as a tool.

Dave Williamson is a terrific magician. His material is respected by magicians of all ages and has been used countless times on television either on his own appearances or on other people's shows (David Blaine for example did DW's torn and restored transpo). His lectures are second to none and his material is quite simply genius. But because he is GOOD at what he does unlike everyone you seem to have seen, the performance is killer. For example, 51 cards to pocket. It's a comedy routine where he basically makes a mistake at the start so the spectator ends up being asked to remember 51 cards rather than just 1. She even signs the one as the one she isn't to remember. The jokes in this routine are amazing but any serious magician respects the routine whether they like comedy or not because:

a) All 51 cards jump into the performer's pocket rather than the selected card
b) Dave pulls the signature off the card!
c) The spectators kill themselves laughing and applauding the magic moments

That's what matters... the performance to the spectator. If a guy is just going to tell jokes and occasionally say "Pick a card" then I see where you are coming from. However, it is entirely possible to do some of the world's best magic and be incredibly funny. Dave was actually a deadly serious restaurant magician but decided one day that while his spectators where enjoying his magic, he wasn't. So... he started to make what he does fun. And he gets away with a lot! I've seen him take a baby from a mother's arms in the name of his style of comedy. He's funnier than most stand-up comedians I've seen besides Bill Hicks yet has the skills to be respected as one of the world's greatest magicians. Actually, here is is on World's Greatest Magic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCzTYrnOg-8

The actual magic in that routine is very basic but look what he does to the audience who usually just sit there and applaud. Now, if he can use his comedic timing to make such basic material into what is worthy of a performance on World's Greatest Magic then imagine what he can do with his best material when he goes to things like FISM. He owns, that's what he does and everyone enjoys every second of it, right up to the ending where his own effects hit so hard we all realize he would still be famous even without comedy.

Just because something isn't your style, doesn't mean it's automatically garbage.

 

[Twozwozer]

Yeah like you said
A simple trick can get really great reactions
But do you have to use mouthGarbage to justify the trick itself?
Blaine Doesn't thats why the tricks hit hard.

Patter can make the trick. Eg. Control. Without the patter, you would get a far less of a reaction that you would with patter.

How many effect do you perform without patter? The patter makes the effect that more entertaining. And the job of the magician is to entertain.

And to Peter; Right On! And also I had just watched that video before, I thought it was legend.

Cheers, Tom

 

[BrianationX]

Mr.Harrison Thanks for posting The Raccoon Routine and Calling my Thread ridiculous.


"I bet some people would rather see a guy performing the old toy raccoon routine rather than some guy like me performing all sorts of sleights that took me months of practice rather than a day and it would fly right under their noses."

I respect Your Opinion and all but if you take all that pointless racoon stuff you only get a simple pick a card any card sort of trick.The work is mostly done by itself.I'm not saying hes a bad performer I actually kinda laughed not a LOL sort of thing but there you go.

 

[BrianationX]

How many effect do you perform without patter?

Actually most of them
I would Rather Let my magic speak for itself
I dont think magic should be justified by Jokes
If you do that sort of thing
cool,
But I don't Think its good for people that actually take months to perfect a sleight or / effect.
Otherwise i would pick up a joke book
memorize some jokes get some cheap laughs and while doing so a crappy trick

 

[samgold89]

Honestly, I thought this might be a joke when I got about half-way through. Ya' know, a way to spark an argument and get people worked up. Sadly, I think you're serious.

No one, no spectator that is, gives a darn what complicated sleight you're doing. If you want them there, burning your hands, you might want something cleaner. That's if you're going for the the "Look what I just pulled right under your nose." Your spectator knows something happened that he couldn't see, at best, will be impressed at your sleight, and at worst will end up flustered he couldn't 'figure it out'. If, on the other hand, you mix in some comedy...well then, your audience will have a good time no matter what; assuming they're not bitter, narrow-minded magicians professing that all magic is, is the sleights that are used.

Magicians are entertainers. We (should) aim to please the crowd. If that means infusing a little comedy for misdirection, or just pure entertainment, then that's what one should adopt. If you can dress in all black, eye shadow, etc, and your audience enjoys the mystery or the uniqueness or whatever, then you should do that. There is no "right" or "wrong" magic.

The worst type of magic would have to be magic that people don't enjoy.

SG

p.s. I'm not saying people wouldn't enjoy burning hands on flawlessly executed sleights. Anything that entertains is great, it's just parochial to think that one is good and the other is evil.

 

[tboi3]

you, good sir, are an idiot


what you tend to forget is this:
this sh!t isn't about you.

you don't do magic for you,
you do it for the spectators,
if you didn't you'd sit around in your room all day
perfecting each sleight to its fullest potential,
and you'd get absolutely nothing out of it.
you dumbass
a crappy trick?
so do a good trick
i guarentee you,i can have an audience laughing unti the climax,
and then have a draw dropped by the end

its called being genuinely funny
you should try it

i'll admit, theres a certain beauty to a
clear effect
done well
in complete silence

but that doesn't suit everybody
hell, it suits you, then go for it
but don't type up a thread trying to belittle comedy magic

i do a little comedy magic
and i spend months perfecting things

telling a joke makes me a bad magician?
no


now go sit on a tack
(no offence, btw)

 

[Twozwozer]

Honestly, I thought this might be a joke when I got about half-way through. Ya' know, a way to spark an argument and get people worked up. Sadly, I think you're serious.

No one, no spectator that is, gives a darn what complicated sleight you're doing. If you want them there, burning your hands, you might want something cleaner. That's if you're going for the the "Look what I just pulled right under your nose." Your spectator knows something happened that he couldn't see, at best, will be impressed at your sleight, and at worst will end up flustered he couldn't 'figure it out'. If, on the other hand, you mix in some comedy...well then, your audience will have a good time no matter what; assuming they're not bitter, narrow-minded magicians professing that all magic is, is the sleights that are used.

Magicians are entertainers. We (should) aim to please the crowd. If that means infusing a little comedy for misdirection, or just pure entertainment, then that's what one should adopt. If you can dress in all black, eye shadow, etc, and your audience enjoys the mystery or the uniqueness or whatever, then you should do that. There is no "right" or "wrong" magic.

The worst type of magic would have to be magic that people don't enjoy.

SG

p.s. I'm not saying people wouldn't enjoy burning hands on flawlessly executed sleights. Anything that entertains is great, it's just parochial to think that one is good and the other is evil.

Yeah, about sleights. Lay people couldnt give a crap really about how long it took you to do that or how you did it. I was talking to a mate about Change the other night, and how I told him a simple shapeshifter did it for me. Its all the same to laymen.

(Back to Brian)
And also DW's routine that Peter posted. He took a simple effect. Added his style to it and made it awesome.

And that point about no talking, remember their those different people in the world. Visual, Listeners and Kinetics. With DW routine he incorporates all of those people so they can enjoy the show. When you don't speak, you only really connecting with Visual people. I honestly can stand to watch an entire performance without speaking. Although, having said that, there are some awesome stage pieces I have seen with speaking. But close up without speaking. hmmm. Doesn't really work for me.

(I thought I'd put this out there, I am in no way dissing your style of magic. I am only stating my opinion. Obviously, I am in no way trying not be mates and be a complete dick. Its just that when anyone has an opinion there will be someone who will disagrees. Hope that made sense. Cheers)

Cheers. Tom

 

[samgold89]

Yeah, about sleights. Lay people couldnt give a crap really about how long it took you to do that or how you did it. I was talking to a mate about Change the other night, and how I told him a simple shapeshifter did it for me. Its all the same to laymen.

"No one, no spectator that is, gives a darn what complicated sleight you're doing."

Did you read my post?

 

[DLeerium]

I find this thread pretty offensive.

Ill keep it short and blunt.

1) Comedy in magic does not make the magician bad. Enough examples has already been listed above.

2) Dealing with people is a far more important skill than your dexterity as an entertainer. IMO

3) Comedy is a style of magic, similar to how David Blaine has his 'mysterious' style or how Brian Tudor has his..style.

4) YOU have NO RIGHT to judge someones performance style. Everyone is different, if someone likes comedy in their act so be it.

+ Patter is a very..if not the most important part of magic.

-DL

Want to argue further? Send me a private PM

 

[BrianationX]

david Blaine

David Blaine
his presentations are so AMAZING
Theres no MouthGarbage
The Magic Is enough
If You feel that you need to trow some lame jokes to get some cheap laughs by all means go for it
Not everyones as good with cards so they have to add something to make their routines..um....Better?

Some Magicians can say so much by saying so little.
WATCH..LOOK...WATCH -
This puts all their attention on the Execution of the mechanics and not some
99 cent joke
Its brilliant when you do a trick thats right to the point.
Why would you waste 4 minutes if you can do the trick without MouthGarbage

What we really want in magic is people to watch the Magic.
Magic IS an art Form! Not a Joke.

Brian Tudor is A genius
Performing magic without MouthGarbage is really hard
Why don't you try and learn how to do something thats so amazing that you wont have to rely on comedy to sell the effect.
Am I alone on this?
I thought serious magicians would feel the same way.
I'm not saying Comedy is bad I'm just saying it takes away from the magic.
And the effort put into it.

ps.I feel No disrespect from you guys either

 

[Grimm13]

I agree with you somewhat. I completely and full on agree that you practice stuff that takes skill and flourishing, and then they buy a comedic cheap trick such as the racoon to amuse people and people are more amazed. People want entertainment though, they see that your holding a deck and lets say a "clown" has a suitcase full of gags or whatever you want to call them, ill gaurantee they'll go to him. They think you'll do some cheap pick a card trick why would they go for that. You have to be able to get their attention on you. Perform for one guy, he's amazed people around see that and want to see what you do.

 

[ThrallMind]

Two words: Bill Malone.

-ThrallMind

 

[Twozwozer]

Two words: Bill Malone.

-ThrallMind

Ah yes, another awesome comedy magician. Check out some of his videos.

"No one, no spectator that is, gives a darn what complicated sleight you're doing."

Did you read my post?

And yep. I read your post, I was just reinforcing the point and adding my opinion.

Cheers, Tom