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You're going to have a coronary when I tell you this, but I have a show called Psycho-Skepticism. I do a mentalism act where I go in telling everyone that what I'm about to do is ********. I won't tell them how I do it, but this is a blend of education and entertainment for the skeptical...

How am I an idealist when I'm telling people to stop trying to change people who don't want to change? As opposed to everyone who disagrees with you? Where do you think those exposure videos on YouTube come from? Those kids had to buy the effect first. Arrogant? Sure. But it's not the...

It doesn't matter why it was created. Once it is created, it is available to everyone who knows of its existence. You can go on and on about your idealism, but it doesn't matter, because the rest of the world could care less. The magician's oath as we know it was originally written in a time...

With that in mind, I'm going to petition my congressman to have all books dealing with magic removed from retail outlets and libraries. Did you know that most libraries actually have stuff like Mark Wilson's Course in Magic and Modern Coin Magic? Jesus baby-eating Christ, how can we allow that...

No, no, no, those are just excuses. Focus on the external for now, not the internal. To fix up what's inside of you, you first have to get the outside polished. Give me an example of a magician that you admire and we'll work from there.

I posted a two-part thread over at Ellusionist earlier this week called Who Are You? that believe it or not actually does deal with stuff like this. At the root of things, people are shy because they're not the person they want to be. They don't trust in themselves, they don't possess...

Yeah, pick on Criss for performing an effect that pretty much requires an assistant. Do you actually listen to yourself talk? Stooging is not a dirty word. Get over yourselves for just 30 seconds and realize the simple truth that it's a practice as old as magic itself. And the dellusions...

Oh please. You don't even know what a heckler is so don't feed me a line like that. More proof that magicians in general are thin-skinned and defensive. Callahan's reaction on Phenomenon was embarassing, but I'm glad none of you people were put in the same place because you'd be even worse...

For that alone I'll buy you a beer. I won't debate that. I watch very little TV anymore because it's so banal. I only ever watch the occasional Daily Show, Colbert Report, Metalocalypse (currently the best show on TV), and a couple of shows on CourtTV (although the writers feeding lines to...

If they start to think I possess powers that can give them answers to important spiritual and metaphysical questions, then I have to tell the truth, because they can't get those answers from a performance artist. That's where I draw the line. Some people want to believe in something...

Somebody around here has to be. They call it devil's advocate for a reason. Don't feed me that tired old cliche. Everybody who can rub two braincells together knows what a bogus strawman that is. His show has been a huge disappointment, but his early work was spectacular. I'm just...

Actually, I reference my earlier statement on my Power of Dreams show. I never say one way or the other whether or not I have powers, and I don't need to. I create an ambience lit by candles with my voice softened and ideal for an intimate setting. The magic is done by my spectators. With...

He does use camera tricks, but he's also an accomplished stage illusionist. There's no denying that. Even Morgan Strebler said he issued his challenge to Criss to get him to own up to his own potential. The use of stooges is as old as magic itself. They've been used by Slydini, Copperfield...

There is such a thing as hypnosis. Just not the Hollywood version you think it is. I never outright claim to have supernatural powers, but my exact words vary depending on the performance. When performing on the streets, I paint myself as a charming huckster well-versed in gambling cheats...

I count you among the minority that have something to say. Mostly because you're a realist. I stand by my stance that magicians in general are petty crybabies and elitists with ego problems in some form or another. They rallying hatred for Criss Angel is just another example. Even when he...

Why would anyone want to be a magicians' magician? Magicians are petty, paranoid, haughty, holier-than-thou backstabbers guarding their secrets with more fervor than an undercover CIA agent. They participate in rivalries over the smallest transgressions, real or imagined. They get swept up in...

Assume that I don't. From what I've seen of his performances, Ray's strength as a performer is that he's just plain likeable. It really doesn't matter what kind of magic he's doing, because people are just watching him.

Considering there's no bandwagon to jump...

Whenever a new product comes out, magicians demonstrate their own forgetfulness. They forget that they're much harder to impress than the average Joe. Personally, I don't think I'll be picking up the Stained Skin line. It looks cool and all, but I personally would rather get a real tattoo and...

It's not that I don't seek out magicians I can actually relate to. It's just that I'm a bitter alcoholic Slovak (as if there's any other kind of Slovak?) with elitist notions, a strong dislike for artistic politics, and a rampaging ego wanted in 3 states for assault. Joking aside, I do not...