Comedy in Magic

[Dylan P.]

Now there is a slight problem with what your saying. What you are sayind is comedy ruins magic. what you mean to say is TOO much comedy ruins magic. See, go watch Bill Malone. He's a funny guy and it fits into his magic. However, overdoing the comedy and not having enough practice is not good.

However, small comedy is great and takes stress off of you and is esential to a great magician.

Dylan P.

 

[BrianationX]

Who would you rather pick, a funny comedy magician who sucks or a master of sleight of hand with a great presentation that doesn't advertise as 'funny.' When someone is looking for a magician for hire they would choose the funny one. Doesn't matter skill, maybe that's what the OP is talking about? People don't know what the art is because there's so many funny hacks calling themselves magicians so people think that's what is magic. QUOTE]

Finally, this is what the Post was all about but somewere along the line it turned into a
"Mr.BrianationX HAtes Comedy Magicians,Lets give him some examples of great magicians and insult him"

The reason I dont like it is because
I take too much time perfecting my material
And People dont care about it.
If that is the case then magic wont advance and magicians will turn to comedians and trow one or two tricks for show.

People always ask me,"Mr. Do the thing were you .....You are not funny,Blah blah blah.."
The BrianationX doesnt do gags he does Sleight of hand And flourishes
In Short
People would rather see a clown than a real magician
People think clowns are magicians
You wont get a job unless people see that you are a clown yourself.
As Someone said earlier the amazing jonathan is Rich in vegas,Were is he in a litle town.

Jonathan Doesnt do magic anymore,And Not just him but others as well
More of a comedy act with magic in it
I just want to perform my magic and people to
accept it without any MouthGarbage in it.

Comedy= Magic?
it will if people dont stop Filling their acts with MouthGarbage.
Its not cool that magicians with less skill get the job just because their act is filled With Mouthgarbage.
While people that take time to master and practice are left behind.
Maybe thats why there are no more serious magicians out there.

 

[Steerpike]

The reason I dont like it is because
I take too much time perfecting my material

From the sound of things, your moves are all you've got.

Far be it from me to judge, but everything you've said so far leaves me with the impression that as a performer you have the personality of a cardboard box and all your effects amount to little more than masturbation.

People would rather see a clown than a real magician

No, they want to be entertained.

Jeff McBride is a Vegas headliner because he can make a series of color changes or a Snowstorm in China look like the most fabulously magical thing you've ever seen.

You wont get a job unless people see that you are a clown yourself.

Then please explain to me how I got my most recent job.

I just want to perform my magic and people to
accept it without any MouthGarbage in it.

Your resentment of comedy leads me to believe also that you perform like a humorless robot. Again, no personality.

Its not cool that magicians with less skill get the job just because their act is filled With Mouthgarbage.

You're still projecting.

 

[FOO:L]

i vote that we should close this thread. its getting too personal and offensive.

 

[BrianationX]

"No one is faster than me
NO One"

 

[Steerpike]

I stand by my previous statement.

Disdain and apathy do not work if you use them as an argument.

 

[Seventeen]

Whoa!!! Seems to me all the dude is saying is that he got beat out on a gig by a guy that was less talented technically than he was, but was more funny than he. Oh the shame!!! (I don't know about anyone else Bri, but I give you permission to hate him)

His fault was making a blanket statement that all comedic magicians are untalented... thus 7 pages of emotional discussion.

Bri -- I don't think anyone on this forum woke up one day thinking, "Sh@!T!!! I've got no talent, but I make people laugh at the bar. Let me call myself a card magician, practice these tricks for a couple of hours and STEAL $$$ and gigs from REAL Magicians like you! I do it enough and ALL THE GREAT MAGICIANS WILL STARVE AND DIE Bwaaa - ha - ha - ha - ha!!!" "evil magician per Eddie Izzard'

If you listen, most of these Evil Comedic Magicians that are out to get you in this thread, are perfectionists just like you, and desire to be technically great, AND be comedically great. Look at their idols and who they'd like to emulate. And you idolize Tudor, the Beethoven of Cardistry (whoops! he was deaf not mute).

One incomplete rant, but I'll let someone else finish it...

Here's my 2 cents in from the standpoint of someone who lives in Vegas. A stripper knows that they're not gonna lap every patron that comes into the club. She knows her niche. She's a Type M Stripper that caters to Type M clients. If it's a good, legal niche, she'll walk with 300 to 600 dollars that night. Good deal. The BEST strippers, money wise, not only know their niche, but then ask the q: "The guy that tips $20's at the stage is a Type TCTCSA... How can I morph my style to hustle THAT mark?!!?"

Lesson: The more niches you can cater to, the more valuable the Universe thinks you are. That might be a crap thing to say, but it's true. Know why? Cause a Technically excellent magician, that can not only make people laugh, but be Blaine-like mysterious, but moreover have muscles, 7% body fat all year round, can dance, sing AND have Calvin Kline good looks, trumps all of us weiner magicians, especially if he's from Singapore. Ladies won't care at that point is he flashes a slieght!!! He'll get paid just for standing there!!! Guys all go "Whoo! This guy just stopped his heart... Craziness!!! 21..22...23.... .... ....."

Don't become a hater, but become more marketable. Bottom Line: the best magician is the one the customer is willing to hire. And that's different for everyone....

So Here are your choices:

1) Make the decision to market yourself to ONLY to people that fit your niche!!!
2) Maintain your current marketing strategy, and when people reject you, SACK UP! Get yourself a pair, you spineless.... !!!
or 3) Be a great stripper-minded magician! Make the decision to become Remarkable! Learn from this and broaden your performance range and steal the next gig from that humorless, untalented... can't even do a REVOLUTION... and who uses a Magic Coloring Book anymore?!!? C'mon!!! Really!!! I'm gonna post on the T11 forums....

 

[FOO:L]

or 3) Be a great stripper-minded magician!

im still laughing my head off

 

[Twozwozer]

Ok. Everyone listen up! BrianationX obviously knows what hes talking about. So why don't we all do what he reckons, because its going to make us better magicians.

So remember;
No more talking in any of your routines. Thats bad.
No trying to be funny. Thats not what magicians do.

And most importantly..... Don't be entertaining

If you follow these rules, you will be an amazing magician. Have a good day.

Cheers, Tom

 

[ElisG]

Unethical,What are you guys doing?
Are you not saying that Pure magic is crap without MouthGarbage
Is it too hard to master sleights that you need to use some form of cheap entertainment to cover your low skill.

No disrespect to the people that actually have skill

Can't be bothered to read the thread and I'm pretty sure this is one big act, but if it's not...

Why do you automatically assume that magicians who do comedy can't execute difficult sleights, take Chris Kenner for example, he can execute some mighty sleights(maybe not to the ridiculous extreme of Tudor) but he does comedy, and it certainly adds to his performances as opposed to taking away from it.

 

[Mr.MadMan]

"No one is faster than me
NO One"

And that just proves it...Get some help dude. If you cant get a job well bohoo but stop insulting other magicians. What benefit were you trying to get from this?

 

[Morgan B]

BrianationX,

It must be hard to only possess half the skills required to be a good magician - actually, I am willing to bet if we spent some time together I could show you tonnes of weaknesses in your technique as well - regardless, even if you are a "move monkey technician" - you are equal to a guitar player that can't sing. Any guy that makes a living playing will say a guitar player is not worth his own weight if he can't sing. Think of two guys that play guitar....one rocks...but doesn't sing...the other guy is average, but can sing any song out there. Who would you hire? I would hire the guy that sings and plays pretty well - because most people don't know enough about music to know technically average from technically good (although we can all recognize exceptional) Anyhow, I think this is true in magic - most people's measure is...DID he fool me? Yep! Almost anyone can do that though, if they own an Invisible Deck. THEN, they say, "Did I have fun"? If so, I am hiring this guy - because it is entertainment - who wants to be paid to get solely fooled?

What do you want the outcome to be - you are not changing people's mind, and as you are coming from a continual emotional angry place - it is easy to see your insecurities are creating this thread.

SO - outcome? How about realizing that you need to work on being more entertaining - I know guys that JUST entertain - I bet those guys really bother you...they do me too - but realize you are the extreme other end - just moves...no fun, no plot, no entertainment.

So become the best of both worlds bro - ask any guy that has (including myself) and you will see that they are very successful focusing on both.


IF you honestly believe that skill and entertainment are mutually exclusive concepts in magic, great....continue to lose shows to those that know what the audience wants.

Who are you doing magic for Brian? It seems like yourself - as you are so focused on doing technically strong magic - which is good - but being entertaining, building suspense...highs and lows - this is all part of technique too.

It is like a juggler just juggling or a yo yo guy just doing tricks - when you can add a few jokes and audience by-play you really turn into a professional.

Do you realize the moral of the story - if you are so technically gifted...and I would love to meet you and show you that you are not - then work on being entertaining - THEN...you have the full package man.

I agree with Mr. MadMan - what is your desired outcome - so far, nobody has really agreed with you...so you aren't getting anywhere - if you are just looking to vent, I think posting on this forum about how you think comedy is "MouthGarbage" is a dead end, so...what are you looking for brother? Other than being told by multiple magicians that you don't know what you are talking about?

 

[williamlitzler]

And no one beats the Matress King's Prices.

NO ONE!

 

[KatieKenner]

I know a few very TALENTED and SUCCESSFUL comedy magicians.

I am going to keep my reply to a minimum because I am on forums all day everyday and it looks like you are reaching out to gain "internet fame". You may just wanting to be express your opinion, and that is fine. But there is a way to do so without coming off looking...like...uhh..well how you do right now.

I don't think that Mac King, Chris Kenner, David Williamson, Aaron Fisher, The Amazing Jonathan, Penn and Teller or Carl Ballantine ( I could go on for days) would agree with your statement at the top of your first post.

In fact, it kinda made me throw up in my mouth a little.

Sure there are other Magicians that are into being "pure" and "classic" and all at the same time they are entertaining, like Lance Burton.

Its like saying "Music takes away from Dance".

Just something to think about.

Love,
Katie

 

[LingLing]

[sarcasm=high]

Abso-frickin'-lutely. Finally someone who knows what real magic is: Knuckle-busting, coma-inducing, eye-frying hand movements for the pleasure of no one, and I mean NO ONE other than the magician or flourisher. Whenever I do an invisible pass, I don't even show the transposed card. I'm sure the audience knows that I executed a pass, but couldn't catch it, making them both in awe and jealous at the same time. Sometime's I'll go into Tudor's Man from New York routine right after they replace their card, just to screw with them. And, of course, I never, ever talk. Talking is a sign of weakness.

[/sarcasm]

You've got to realize that showmanship is 80% presentation, 20% moves. And at least of portion of that 80% is comedy, unless you're strictly into mentalism or flourishing.

 

[Sir FansAlot]

'Why cant there be more oF these out there?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Smuj3bHbkz8

"Takes too much time and practice
I rather pick up some jokes from Seinfeld"

This Is Magic
Pure...... MouthGarbageLess
It doesn't need any "help" to have an impact on the "audience"
Comedy takes Away from the Magic
Make no mistake about it

To me it looked like good magic. Honest opinion. The flourishes and cuts looked better than most anything I've seen. So maybe there is a dichotomy between bad teachers and bad learners. You don't see that kind of stuff all the time. Maybe we should take a step back and look at it from a point of view that isn't biased and full of resentment.

Who here truly knows how Mr. Tudor performs besides what they've seen on teaching videos? Tudor could even be De'vo for all I'm concerned.

Take care.

 

[BrianationX]

Whenever I do an invisible pass, I don't even show the transposed card. I'm sure the audience knows that I executed a pass, but couldn't catch it, making them both in awe and jealous at the same time. Sometime's I'll go into Tudor's Man from New York routine right after they replace their card, just to screw with them. And, of course, I never, ever talk. Talking is a sign of weakness.
QUOTE]


Almost correct Except I do Brian tudor's The politician
I dont tell them anything i just start the whole Routine
It gets Great Reactions

And that just proves it...Get some help dude. If you cant get a job well bohoo but stop insulting other magicians. What benefit were you trying to get from this?

I dont Remember what I said?
But im pretty sured I never insulted anyone.
What am I trying to get out of what?
I just posted a message and suddently everyone hates Brian
I never said i hate Comedy
Or Comedy magicians
Or "please name a couple of your favorite comedic magicians"
I just said that People arent educated and are confusing clowns for magicians.
If this trend continues there wont be any more sleight of hand artists
Only Clowns And or Magicians that overuse MouthGarbage"

Im not done yet
to be continued

 

[iwannayoyo]

Whenever I do an invisible pass, I don't even show the transposed card. I'm sure the audience knows that I executed a pass, but couldn't catch it, making them both in awe and jealous at the same time. Sometime's I'll go into Tudor's Man from New York routine right after they replace their card, just to screw with them. And, of course, I never, ever talk. Talking is a sign of weakness.
QUOTE]


Almost correct Except I do Brian tudor's The politician
I dont tell them anything i just start the whole Routine
It gets Great Reactions



I dont Remember what I said?
But im pretty sured I never insulted anyone.
What am I trying to get out of what?
I just posted a message and suddently everyone hates Brian
I never said i hate Comedy
Or Comedy magicians
Or "please name a couple of your favorite comedic magicians"
I just said that People arent educated and are confusing clowns for magicians.
If this trend continues there wont be any more sleight of hand artists
Only Clowns And or Magicians that overuse MouthGarbage"

Im not done yet
to be continued

The least talented magicians are the ones that do comedy.
these magicians have figured out that they can use the least amount of

magic skill and incorporate it with their magic. sounds like you said you hate comedy magicians.

 

[Skyching10]

think about it

Comedy magicians are not magicians, they are Comedians that use something people like to see as a way to connect, they aren't bad.

 

[ThrallMind]

Comedy magicians are not magicians, they are Comedians that use something people like to see as a way to connect, they aren't bad.

Define for me what a magician is then. When can one call themselves a magician?

-ThrallMind