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We actually welcome dissent. Provided it's fair-minded and backed up with more than just rants and raves. The rules we have there are all in place because of the actions of others. If we have a rule against something, it's because some douche in the past did that and caused more trouble than...

Because most of it never gets performed for anything that isn't a webcam.

It's a matter of personal preference, but I don't really like ACRs that go beyond 3 or 4 phases. I'm a screenwriter, so I tend to think in terms of 3's. As for mixing comedy and mystery, what we do is mystery entertainment when you get right down it. Being funny with it is actually much...

Okay, that I can get behind. Creating the appearance that something is happening. Yeah, that's a good thing. Though I would argue that most magic lacks that as well, but that's another conversation entirely. I guess I'm a bit jaded toward the word "Visual." It's been reduced to nothing more...

Oh spare me. Is this the first time anyone's every actually criticized you? Jesus, when are you kids going to grow a pair and realize that not all ideas are created equal? Stop whining like a brat with a skinned knee and learn to accept the fact that you're going to make a bad suggestion now...

Yawn! Just because you can doesn't mean you should. You can start your education in mentalism with Psychological Subtleties. Doesn't mean you should. The quotation marks make me think you're a bit sheepish about that idea. No. It really doesn't. That's mental magic with some...

Then perhaps I need some more context because that paragraph alone sounds like a weird thing to come out of Derren. I've never seen him try to spice up a mind reading show with more bells and whistles than it needs. A commercial touch here and there never hurts, but I doubt that Derren is...

Yes, some of them merely suck. Card College, while without a doubt the most comprehensive series on card magic, is a bit of an intimidating investment. Royal Road and Mark Wilson's cost less and still give you a stable foundation.

Get yourself a copy of Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic. Yes, it's more than just cards, but you'll be hard pressed to find a better value. It's also better to have a wide foundation in fundamentals and general skills before picking a specialization.

Rule number 1: Do not tell me what you're going to do and then do it. I do not need a blow-by-blow. My eyes work just fine. Rule number 2: Don't explain everything to me. It works better if you leave some space for my imagination to fill in the gaps. The problem I see here is that you have...

Mentalists also like to miss a couple times to add verisimilitude to the performance. Something a lot of wannabes here could stand to learn.

Are you trying to do mentalism or mental magic?

First of all, who is this quote from? Second... What? That is some serious bull**** right there. Classification is very important in artistic endeavors. From what I can discern, this portion is the crux of the argument: This is nonsense. Magic does not have a monopoly on visually...

No, they really don't. People who submit to trends or the daily grind and compromise whatever sense of integrity they have, no matter how laughable, typically end up with little more than a half-way decent dayjob. Which is the same a typical artist can get if they just do a little networking...

So nobody ever became successful with genuine talent and integrity? And since when was selling out a free pass to the keys to the kingdom? Whether or not you have integrity is not going to affect your prospects of success most of the time. Even among the sellout crowd, the field is littered...

What impresses a film buff may not necessarily impress a casual movie watcher. I like David Lynch movies, but I understand that people who are not movie buffs like me probably wouldn't like them as much as I do, if at all. I've gotten better performances out of nothing more than a pendulum and...

I'm not sure how exactly that logic flows. The Cherry Poppin' Daddies put out an album that was all swing jazz revival. Brian Setzer built an entire career on swing/rockabilly revival very successfully. I don't think either one would be labeled as pop. Everyone just calls Brian Setzer...

It's not a lie of you believe it. Herrmann the Great was a little more than 60 years ago. Try about a hundred. But that is irrelevant. There were a lot of magicians, mentalists and escapologists during the Golden Age of magic. Notice that there are only a handful we still recognize...

What Hallmark greeting card did you steal that from? Oh, this should be good. Cite your sources. All of them. I want to see if you actually got this info from somewhere or if you're just making it up. Guess which one I'm leaning on.

Oh sweet, Satan, where to start? Correction: that is what you want. You re regurgitating a stereotype you heard somewhere and never actually devoted any critical thought to. There is a distinctive difference between wit and MTV editing. You obviously do not know what that difference is...