I am very sad

Antonio Diavolo

Elite Member
Jan 2, 2016
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24
California
Never give up control of YOUR performance. How about saying, "Yes, before the next trick" or "Of course... in a bit." Better to design your performance so that the audience sees the deck is already shuffled, see that it appears to be a normal deck, etc.
That's what I usually do. If they ask to shuffle when they can't I just say "not yet, in a sec" or something
 
Dec 28, 2017
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Never give up control of YOUR performance. How about saying, "Yes, before the next trick" or "Of course... in a bit." Better to design your performance so that the audience sees the deck is already shuffled, see that it appears to be a normal deck, etc.

No... See... MOST HECKLERS are not douchebags per se... they just want the attention... They like the idea that the whole audience watches you 2 face off... So when they get embarrassed publicly like that, then they stay quiet...
If I perform for someone like that... I have several tricks prepared... with variations, different difficulty levels...
Flubbing one trick will BARELY make ANY difference
 

obrienmagic

Elite Member
Nov 4, 2014
1,469
1,422
Orange County, Ca
www.obrienmagic.com
I had a guy the other night look me right in the eye and say, "I F***ing hate magic..." I just looked at him, smiled and said, "Ok sir thanks anyway. Have a good night!" Moral of the story is you win some, you lose some. Just keep your head up high and try again. Use this as a learning experience and grow from it both emotionally and magic wise. Think about why he knew what he did. Was it because he already knew magic, or did you mess up? If it is the latter, then think about how you messed up and ways to improve it. If it was because he knew magic already then not much you can do about it other than stop performing for him.

Hope this helps!
 
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RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
No... See... MOST HECKLERS are not douchebags per se... they just want the attention... They like the idea that the whole audience watches you 2 face off... So when they get embarrassed publicly like that, then they stay quiet...
If I perform for someone like that... I have several tricks prepared... with variations, different difficulty levels...
Flubbing one trick will BARELY make ANY difference

You've been given bad advice from YouTube (presumably from Chris Ramsay). Have you actually tried any of those techniques? What was the result? I've been using my techniques for years and I really don't have problems with hecklers.

To build on what you said, most spectators who ask to shuffle aren't even hecklers. They are playing what they think the magic game is... you try to fool them, they try to foil you or figure it out. Letting them shuffle and making them "feel awkward" could backfire if the audience thinks they were not being out of line.

Saying "not now" lets the rest of the spectators know that you are in control in a nice, non confrontational way. Most of the time the spectator asking to shuffle gets the message. If they persist, the rest of the audience will realize they are being rude. You can respond a second time, "let me finish this and then I'll do something where you can shuffle." I've never thad to do that. Often, if the spectator politely watches the performance, I'll do Chad Long's Shuffling Lesson or a Card Under Glass where they shuffle the deck with that spectator.
 
Jan 26, 2017
2,173
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Virginia
No... See... MOST HECKLERS are not douchebags per se... they just want the attention... They like the idea that the whole audience watches you 2 face off... So when they get embarrassed publicly like that, then they stay quiet...
If I perform for someone like that... I have several tricks prepared... with variations, different difficulty levels...
Flubbing one trick will BARELY make ANY difference
This is pretty bad advice. If you actively attack the spectator

@Alarte don't let it stop you. We ALL have bad performances every now and then. And yes, it sucks, but use it as a learning tool. Practice and perform with a chip on your shoulder, and use it to always try and get better.

To me, it looks like the guy was just being annoying. We all get hecklers every now and then. Don't let it get to you :)
 
May 14, 2017
34
12
41
Greece
Thanks a lot to everyone...you help a lot...thank you from my deep of my heart...no i will not quit...i was in very bad situation when i wrote this article...but now when i read your posts and starting think different and more clear no i will not quit...(as i am writing this answer now i am doing search for some pdf books for card magic :) ). Thank you to everyone..i hope that this community keep doing this great work not only for magicians that have a lot of years in their back but also for new ones that love the art of magic and they want to share their questions and their answers...THANKS YOU!!
These guys have been very supportive, and I've held off on responding to let you get to a better place in your head.

So there's some points I'm going to address that might seem a little harsh. Just hear me out.

Performance is harsh. It's fun, but it's demanding, and it's not for everyone. I'm not telling you to quit - I'm telling you that you need to be ready to be chewed up and spit out occasionally. You have to learn to shake that off, or you won't make it in the performance world. There will be tough performances, and you will make mistakes. It happens to everyone, even the best of us.

Second - not everyone wants to see magic all the time. You didn't say anything specifically, but my guess is that you weren't hired to perform at this place? There's nothing wrong with performing for free if you want to, but you have to learn to recognize when people want to see what you have to offer, and when you're intruding. It sounds like maybe you kind of pushed yourself on these folks without first making sure they were interested, and it bit you on the butt.

Third - and this is the hardest to deal with, in my opinion - maybe your material just wasn't that good? It sounds like you were really focused on method. You mentioned you did "some stuff" with a "svengali deck and DLs". That doesn't sound like an engaging, entertaining performance to me, that sounds like someone who learned some things off YouTube wanting to try to show off and impress people. That only works if the audience doesn't know anything about magic, and this audience did know, so you got called out.

You said you're looking for PDFs on card magic. That means pirated material, most likely, and that's really frowned on in the magic world. Respect the creators and don't steal their work. You can find good resources for not that much money. Royal Road to Card Magic is around $10 USD online. I think I found my first copy for $8 on Amazon. Mark Wilson's book is anywhere from $15-$25 USD online. That's more than enough to teach you fundamental skills and get you going, and you won't be spitting in the face of the people who are trying to provide useful information to you.

Now, with the harsher stuff aside, let's wrap up this post on a happier note.

You've reached an important landmark of learning magic - you bombed. Everyone bombs at least once. What can you learn from the experience?

Also, remember this event. Everyone needs something to keep them humble.

You can learn from this experience and make your magic better.
Hi my friend!! I read your reply and i have to mention some things. Firstly i dont look in internet for copyright materials. If the free stuff that i search are copyrighted ok i have to make another search for them before download. About youtube. All the tricks that i do in my perfomances have been paid from magic stores in Greece. Most of the money that i earn from the perfomances goes there. After buing and read about the trick ,ok i do in the internet a search for this trick to see more things about it. Then i make my own scenarios. No i dont do magic only for fun. In the bar and cafe that i go i do a performance from table to table and then after the mini show i put a hat and i earn money from the audience. Yes in my perfomances sometimes i use the Sveggali deck and many times i combine it with other tricks and stories. Sorry for the word "some stuff" that i use. The problem that night with the Sveggali was that i didnt make a scenario and i go there with classic Sveggali routines. I am not doing magic using a lot of sleight of hand cause i have problems with my hands and i am afraid to use sleight. I study math tricks,selfworking,mental and combine them with tricks that i buy. Yes i am new in magic, of course i am new and i spend hours to learn more cause i love it. Thank you again!!!
 
May 14, 2017
34
12
41
Greece
Hi my friend!! I read your reply and i have to mention some things. Firstly i dont look in internet for copyright materials. If the free stuff that i search are copyrighted ok i have to make another search for them before download. About youtube. All the tricks that i do in my perfomances have been paid from magic stores in Greece. Most of the money that i earn from the perfomances goes there. After buing and read about the trick ,ok i do in the internet a search for this trick to see more things about it. Then i make my own scenarios. No i dont do magic only for fun. In the bar and cafe that i go i do a performance from table to table and then after the mini show i put a hat and i earn money from the audience. Yes in my perfomances sometimes i use the Sveggali deck and many times i combine it with other tricks and stories. Sorry for the word "some stuff" that i use. The problem that night with the Sveggali was that i didnt make a scenario and i go there with classic Sveggali routines. I am not doing magic using a lot of sleight of hand cause i have problems with my hands and i am afraid to use sleight. I study math tricks,selfworking,mental and combine them with tricks that i buy. Yes i am new in magic, of course i am new and i spend hours to learn more cause i love it. Thank you
Of course i will put in my brain your advices and thank you for that
 
May 14, 2017
34
12
41
Greece
Goodmorning! I read your reply and i focus to a lot of things in it. (Sorry for my bad english language i am from Greece.) The biggest problem with me is that i dont use (except some easy moves) sleight of hand on my performances.The reason is that i have some problems with my hands and i am afraid to use sleight. So i try to combine mathematical,selfworking and mental magic in my perfomances. And thats the reason that i use "ready to go" magic decks as the Sveggali Deck that i wrote for it before. Yes that night i did something wrong. Except this guy, i went to the table and i started to do classic routines with the Sveggali and this was the mistake. The man knew the tricks and started to behave as i described. Maybe if i made a story to "dress" the trick things will be different. I studied Theater 2 years and i am in the art of Theater 7 years now. I know how to use my voice, how to stand in front of and audience,how to speak. The reason that i started with Magic is that i see the Art of Magic as a theatrical act. For me is Theater. And this night i didnt use the Theater at all..this was as i think my biggest mistake. I have to learn a lot of things and thats the reason that i am here in this forum. I try to find everyday new ideas, to read, to learn. Now i think that i have to try more. When i wrote this post i was very dissapoint with my self. Thats the reason that i thought to quit. And i have to say that all of you here help. Not only with your advices but specialy when you saw me where i was worng and i am very gratefull about that.
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
The reason that i started with Magic is that i see the Art of Magic as a theatrical act. For me is Theater. And this night i didnt use the Theater at all..this was as i think my biggest mistake.

At its most basic, magic is a secret that the performer wraps in a mystery. Without the mystery, a performance becomes on;uabout the secret.

Larry Haas has a great book called Transformations: Turning Tricks into Magic. I'd recommend it to you. It will give you an understanding of what you need to do to truly perform magic.

I wouldn't worry too much about not using a lot of sleight of hand. The method isn't that important. What's important is how you make the audience feel.

There also are non-sleight of hand effects that use principles that are not well known. For example, I can do thinks using a short card that will puzzle magicians because they will see NOTHING because they are looking for sleight of hand (as Slydini would say, "you looka but you a no see."). Get a copy of Encyclopedia of Card Tricks. It will show you how to use gimmicks in ways that most magicians (let alone most amateurs) don't know.
 

Antonio Diavolo

Elite Member
Jan 2, 2016
1,092
881
24
California
Goodmorning! I read your reply and i focus to a lot of things in it. (Sorry for my bad english language i am from Greece.) The biggest problem with me is that i dont use (except some easy moves) sleight of hand on my performances.The reason is that i have some problems with my hands and i am afraid to use sleight. So i try to combine mathematical,selfworking and mental magic in my perfomances. And thats the reason that i use "ready to go" magic decks as the Sveggali Deck that i wrote for it before. Yes that night i did something wrong. Except this guy, i went to the table and i started to do classic routines with the Sveggali and this was the mistake. The man knew the tricks and started to behave as i described. Maybe if i made a story to "dress" the trick things will be different. I studied Theater 2 years and i am in the art of Theater 7 years now. I know how to use my voice, how to stand in front of and audience,how to speak. The reason that i started with Magic is that i see the Art of Magic as a theatrical act. For me is Theater. And this night i didnt use the Theater at all..this was as i think my biggest mistake. I have to learn a lot of things and thats the reason that i am here in this forum. I try to find everyday new ideas, to read, to learn. Now i think that i have to try more. When i wrote this post i was very dissapoint with my self. Thats the reason that i thought to quit. And i have to say that all of you here help. Not only with your advices but specialy when you saw me where i was worng and i am very gratefull about that.

I made this same mistake when I was younger. I did the Invisible Deck exactly how everyone else did it and someone was able to look it up immediately afterward. So I started making up my own ideas for it. Stuff about time travel, subliminal suggestion, etc. Anything but "pick a card from this invisible deck".
 
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Jan 5, 2018
3
2
Maybe it was and my fault...i went to the table and started to do magic (easy tricks with a sveggali deck and with doublelifting techniques) without to make a plot..and all the time the guy was "the card is there,ok can you open the deck and reveal your cards?" cause he new all the trick (he told me that). Even later when i did a made by me trick with cheektocheek deck i was too nervous and dissapoint that one girl on the table figure out what i did..but later i told to everybody this..."ok there is one guy here that knows the me tricks..why he didnt let the others to feel the magic? I am a performer not real magician doing this art to make fun with the people for their smile.." I have to tell you that this guy said that it was his fault and everybody told me that they like it (i dont know if they said that to make me feel good), and i left the table. It was my worst night yesterday and i think that it was my fault also..

Hi there. I can feel your pain. Anyways, Don't give up on your magic.

First, just try to remember the one who took the initiative, which is you, has succeeded stepping forward into the limelight, to go where other timid souls are too scared to try. For the more timid soul, such as the man who was trying to ruin your show, it is much easier to sit in the background and the crowd, talking big about how the man who took the initiative to be in the limelight should fail. It's easy, because that timid man shoulders no responsibility and is trying to leech off of your effort to step into the limelights, trying to gain some credit for himself.

So don't judge that dude, because he is what he is, but give yourself the glory. This glory is NOT about the dream performance you had imagined giving. This glory is more real than that. It is the ACTUAL fact. It is the real solid fact that you dared stepped out there to risk failing in order to achieve what you dreamt of.

As for the failing, yes it hurts, and wow I feel you. But don't let the bad feelings associated with the act overwhelm the fact that you dared stepped out to be special rather than hide in crowds.



I am learning from your experience (really painful, I wince). I have this thought that I encounter such things, then I'll change the role I am trying to play immediately. So if I came in trying to be "man of magic" and somebody does say such things to disrupt the show, then I think it's time to break out of character in order to win both him and the audience, by friendly way of stating the facts:

1) of course magic is an illusion meant for entertainment. Both the audience and the magician knows it, and I wouldn't dare to insult anyone's intelligence otherwise. I can only entertain if the audience allows themselves to enjoy the illusions/experience!
2) a friendly apology that if he knows all the tricks, you might not be able to entertain him
3) ask him since the crowd is here to see the magic, then why not be considerate and let them enjoy the show?

If he agrees thank him and continue the show. You win!

If he disagrees then tell him it's ok, tell the crowd you're really sorry, but we can't immerse ourselves in magic/illusion when there's disruption. And then you close up shop and apologize for not being able to continue performance.
 
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