Bad Magic Advice

[Josh Burch]

A few things make me mad in magic. Well lots of things, but bad magic advice hits me hard. Some of this can be pretty funny, but other stuff can be pretty bad or just plain stupid. Here's an example of something from real life.

A while back someone online was "helping" a new magician to learn the muscle pass. The new magician was complaining about how their hand hurt when they performed the move. Good advice would be to take a break or try doing the muscle pass with something that is softer on your hand, like a poker chip. The advice that was given was, "Keep pushing yourself, and make sure to get yourself a coin with really sharp edges".

What is this?!?! Sure, some guys like sharp coins and some like dull coins, that's fine. But in a scenario where the magician is causing himself pain, the advice was to up the ante and compound his problems. Awful!

What's the worst advice you have ever received? Or better yet, what's some of the worst advice you could imagine giving?

 

[DominusDolorum]

Someone being told to take alcohol or some sort of drug to steady nerves before a performance. Great way to start falling into some bad habits. This, coming from someone who used to perform socially after a few drinks. After a couple of times of asking "what can I be doing better?" it dawned on me that performing sober would be a more authentic experience, for me and my spectators.

I'm not hating anybody who likes to do magic after a few drinks by the way. Just be careful, and try and not associate the success of a good performance with that drink you had (Michael Ammar's advice).

 

[RealityOne]

A while back someone online was "helping" a new magician to learn the muscle pass.

That says it all. Encouraging a new magician to learn the muscle pass is like telling them to start with By Forces Unseen.

Or better yet, what's some of the worst advice you could imagine giving?

"Try performing magic for kids... its easy."
"Don't worry about technique, if your misdirection is good enough nobody will notice."
"Learn magic off of Youtube."
"You don't need any presentation, just tell them what you are doing with the cards."
"The more tricks you know the methods to, the better magician you are."
"Watch Chris Ramsay videos to help you improve your presentation."
"Don't worry about practicing, just go out and perform it."
"Remember, magic is a puzzle, you want your audience to be frustrated because they can't figure it out."
"Mentalism is easier than magic."
"A color change is one of the best magic tricks."
"You need to know the pass to be a good magician."
"Audiences love it when you expose how you do tricks."
"Spend your time trying to invent new magic rather than learning the fundamentals."
"Don't bother reading, just watch performers on Youtube and copy their routines."
"You need to get [insert latest trick]."
"Don't bother learning the classics."
"Magic is a good way to pick up women."
"The more difficult the sleight, the better the magic."

 

[Lord_Magic]

Encouraging a new magician to learn the muscle pass is like telling them to start with By Forces Unseen.

Uh-oh...I learnt the muscle pass in my ''formative years''...

better

" Wanna learn a killer trick?

Step 1:- Take some potassium cyanide..."

(PS:- Legit every Agatha Christie book has a mention of this chemical...killers, become more creative! )

 

[Lord_Magic]

What's the worst advice you have ever received

I usually select the advice givers real carefully...lol...but yeah, if one looks online (or sometimes, even irl) bad advice is unavoidable.

So how do I decide whom to listen to?

There's a book by Joshua Jay which says,

"Listen to everyone. But trust only yourself."

I sort of live by that rule, seeing my only source of magic ''advice'' as such (excluding books) are all online. Yet, I have a feeling, beginner magicians are (usually) not ''beginner humans'' right?
So they should actually know better than to listen to someone telling them to use sharp coins when their hands are hurting badly.

Cardists say keep practising...
While practising a particular move, my pinky began to receive electric shocks. Every time I did that move. I looked it up online and realised I'm prolly exerting too much pressure on a nerve. So what did I do?

Did I take a pair of earphones and blast motivational music by Eminem to help me practice?

No!

I gave my body rest, obviously. I'd much rather have my hands than the Erdnase Go-Round, thank you very much.

So, although it is bad on the part of magicians to give such stupid advice, how many such advisors will one stop? Maybe those advisors aren't even magicians themselves!

It really does come down to the beginner's common sense. Not always, but often.