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Steer, so often you make statements that contradict everything that has ever happened in history. You make statements assuming your unique experiences and wishes somehow correspond to what is normal in the world of magic. You are often, and I'm sorry if this comes off harsh, wrong. This is...

I was always told I would never be anything but poor if I chose to be a magician. I make my sole living as a magician. I live comfortably. Support all of my bad habits and get paid to do what I love. Is it without risk? No. I could have failed. I covered my bases. Earned a master's...

To assume that chatter on a message board is an accurate reflection of a discussion that has been ongoing for years is a huge mistake. You used the phrase, "my experience." That's the problem. You are placing yourself into a position of authority when you have no experience. Take your time...

Thereby proving that the definition of exposure IS subjective. Here's a place to start: Base your definition on the history of exposure and not make up a claim that it has always been rooted in vendettas. When your definition becomes congruent with history, then you have a good starting point. B

May I respectfully suggest you spend a little more time exploring our art, learning it's history, and honing your own craft prior to making dogmatic statements backed with facts. Brad Henderson

There are a lot of magicians in the Buffalo area - some very famous. It was the home of Eddie Fechter and his influence still reigns. I am almost positive they have a local magic club. That would be a good place to start. I have attended a couple of conventions there, but I can't remember who...

And this "consensus" comes from whom? For every Lassen fan you will find an equally die hard Schoolcraft afficianado. The "battle" is often more about personalities than actual work. They both have added brilliant touches to the art of coin gaffery; and differences in product generally are...

If all they care about is the 'how' you are merely doing tricks. If you are performing magic, the "why" will not be asked, it will be felt. Brad

But were they expressions of art? Or were they a job? Remember, early church and court musicians such as Bach were essentially contract employees. There is no evidence that they thought of what they did as art. They wrote music because they were paid to. Beethoven was considered to be the first...

First, there is a sponsorship fee on top of the cash prize. So we are probably looking at an investment between 200-300K total. Second, what makes you so sure that this show will be succesful enough, and drive enough people to the site to recoup that kind of cash? Is this based on any previous...

In the 1800's there were two primary schools of thought regarding music. Brahms advocated "Absolute Music." This was music for it's own sake. No meaning, no story, just the sheer beauty of sound. Wagner and Strauss advocated programmatic music. This was music orchestrated - no pun intended -...

What if the question were about music, film, drama, or the visual arts? Should magic's scope be any different from theirs? Thoughts? Brad Henderson

Sorry, you cannot expect your readership to take your entire posting history into account when they read one of your posts. All we have is your words to go on, and you managed to post something that MANY people have believed - and one that honestly I find no reason why you shouldn't. Contrary to...

No where did I say this. I can judge you based only on the words you have written here. May I suggest, respectfully, that you contain the debate to the issues at hand without choosing to take them personally. We are talking about a company and it's practices and how that has influenced our...

There are always exceptions. And we need to ask ourselves, is the chance of finding a positive exception worth the risk that we may not. I helped with the Ammar Easy to Master series. While I was working with Michael, I was convinced that what we were doing was good for magic. We were exposing...

Hey. Yes, this is a very do-able topic. First, they call it show BUSINESS. While I love the show, I have reluctantly come to understand that if I want to eat, I have to attend to the business. Here are things I wish I did better: Taxes/bookkeeping - if you are self employed you need...

In my mind, the issue of exposure is one of intent. So many of these posts place the onus on the seeker. But really, the responsibility lay with the person putting the information out there. I think we need to consider their intent - or try to infer it from their actions. When I look at...

May I respectfully suggest that you not believe everything you hear. Valentino's had NO desire to bring new blood into magic. His rationalization ran along the lines that if he exposed how tricks were traditionally done, it would force magicians to come up with new methods. Of course, even this...

Camel Cigarettes launched a campaign MANY years ago called "It's fun to be fooled, but it's more fun to know." In their packs of cigarettes they included small cards which explained leading stage illusions of the day. They harbored no ill will towards magicians. In fact, had it not been for the...