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I think this is a great point and speaks to us using tricks for performance or flat out lying to tug at the audience's heart strings. There is an obvious line about comedy that says (paraphrasing): If you have to explain the joke, it's probably not funny. We could change that to "If you have...

Which may be true, but satire is not limited to the United States' borders. One would think there'd be as much desire from their respective countrymen to skewer them as we do Blaine or Angel, no? Could it be that the public doesn't care about them enough to bother? Or are they simply enjoyed...

Unfortunately this reaches way out of the magic world, but point taken.

Are you saying that maybe to the public, obviously designed and built illusions are less effective than a performance built around what is organically tied to the venue? I would agree. I have shied away from "boxy" magic for this reason; I worry that the fact that the prop is built solely...

I am more familiar with Derren's work than Cyril's, so I'll speak what my thoughts are on him. Derren seems to have chosen his character, dress, and material based on what he'd most like to see in a performer. I believe it was in Pure Effect when he mentioned his realization that his...

MUM is well put together considering it is included in your SAM membership. This is probably most worth it if you have motivation for joining the SAM, like an assembly nearby. Good luck! Pj

Clearly Brad's points aren't hitting home for some people, and while the reasons may be varied, I fear they may boil down to: 1) The model of repertoire selection Brad is speaking against is one of the ways you seek out material. Or 2) You've never been on the other end of this...

If I'm reading you correctly, you're saying that magicians shouldn't perform the same effect over and over without mixing up the effects presented. Yes? I agree with you, friend. I've seen my share of fellow magicians who have so many card revelations and so little time that they stuff them...

I understand what this person is trying to say, but I'd still argue against it. Go to a couple conventions with competitions and see how different the 10th performer's split fan production you see feels from the 1st. Or the dove production. Or the ace assembly. What Brad was saying is that...

It sounds to me like you might think of magic as a nerdy thing to do and are projecting that onto the people at your school, worrying that they'll share in that. Magic is what you make of it. There is nothing inherently bad about competently performed magic. By the same token, I don't see...

Anything by Vernon is generally considered required reading for the close-up student. I'd pass on everything else and start in on his material, then turn to his students to understand it from a different perspective. I'm on this path now, and I have been rewarded over and over by Vernon since...

I'm really sorry to hear this. I have had nothing but great experiences with both Eddie and Diamond's Magic in general, but I can understand your frustration. I love supporting brick and mortar shops as much as possible, so it pains me to hear of a local one losing a customer over such a...

Diamond's Magic in Peabody, MA. Awesome owner, awesome shop. www.diamondsmagic.com Pj

http://themagicwarehouse.com/cgi-bin/findit.pl?x_item=BK8121&x_return=/cgi-bin/newsearch.pl&keyword=slydini

First of all, I'm glad you're enjoying this book! There is so much magic and so much between the lines in that book that you'll be going back to it often for years. I know I still do. I should mention, it can be found for much less than $80.00, but I'll leave the "where" up to those who want...

I picked up an older version of this from Justin at a lecture a while back and I do have a lot of fun with it. A few of us hung out for a while after the lecture and I got to see Justin with some real folks in a bar in town and that was a treat. He has a great way with people and, as was...

1) What was it that made you wanna become a magican in the first place? My uncle is a lifelong magician/enthusiast and used to show me stuff he was toying with in the mid 80's when I was a kid. He gave me a set from Tannen's in '87 when I started asking too many questions for his patience...

This genre has been dubbed "Torture Porn" and it has been in favor with the younger crowds for the last few years. This analogy was well made and this point might suggest why the screaming, freaking out reactions are all that seem to matter so much to some. For me, it took a while to realize...

The Magic Warehouse is a working shop with a huge selection, as is Denny Lee's shop. Both have been good to me in the past. Pj

Wow, there's not many real horror stories here. I had a show at the end of last year for a roomful of fighter pilots and military officers. I expected an awesome crowd and ran into a nightmare. I'd mentioned this in another thread but only briefly. I was there just as dinner was served...