Darn Hecklers!
- Thread starter Shanku
- Start date
there is a nice little thread on the subject here
http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?t=280
hope that helps
http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?t=280
hope that helps
Hi!
I dont really know if this is the "right" way to deal with Hecklers, but i useally imbarrise them with a joke or i do i trick that I know they cant figure out.
But the joke part often works best if there is a crowd of ppl.
Other than that i dont know.
.....
......
Do some missdirection and kill them on the spot?
I dont really know if this is the "right" way to deal with Hecklers, but i useally imbarrise them with a joke or i do i trick that I know they cant figure out.
But the joke part often works best if there is a crowd of ppl.
Other than that i dont know.
.....
......
Do some missdirection and kill them on the spot?
it is all relative as to how they are heckling you within the situation. more often than not if you're presenting yourself in a strong and confident - not cocky mind you - way, the likleyhood of being heckled isn't very high. That has just been my experience. But the way to have come backs ready just naturally comes from performing often enough. Sometimes just a stock comeback like "hey did you see that? i'm also a ventriliquist, i didn't move my lips and that dummy talks" will work or you'll learn to develop ones that fit your character and effect. Say for example if you're doing chicago opener and when you can't find the second card and the heckling starts, i'd just soooooak it all up because you're already a step ahead of them and about to kick their teeth in. In that situation, i'd just let them heckle all they want and bask in it
A quote for a Heckler that I remember from the dnd forums a while back:
"Let's switch places, you get up here and perform magic, I'll take your seat and act like an asshole"
I think theres actually an entire book you can get with quotes for Hecklers
"Let's switch places, you get up here and perform magic, I'll take your seat and act like an asshole"
I think theres actually an entire book you can get with quotes for Hecklers
Heckling is just a part of the bidness. The best/worst hecklers you'll get sometimes are your friends.. and that's good. You can sling lines at them without them getting hurt or offended. Encourage them to taunt you and then you can get used to it and develop lines. (But only if it's understood in a group of friends. Not in a working or professional setting)
If it's people you don't know, I usually just ignore them. Sometimes you don't have to say ANYTHING. Usually a look of confusion or rolling yer eyes and shaking yer head will get a better reaction than saying anything.
We tend to think that verbal attacks must be met with verbal defense. If someone says something at me (Especially if it makes NO sense or is just stupid) I stop what I am doing, look at them blank faced for a bit (So everyone else looks at them), mock silent over-exaggerated laughter, roll my eyes and keep going. They can't respond to that. Nothing to retalliate.
Otherwise, just remind them you can kill them with your brain.
If it's people you don't know, I usually just ignore them. Sometimes you don't have to say ANYTHING. Usually a look of confusion or rolling yer eyes and shaking yer head will get a better reaction than saying anything.
We tend to think that verbal attacks must be met with verbal defense. If someone says something at me (Especially if it makes NO sense or is just stupid) I stop what I am doing, look at them blank faced for a bit (So everyone else looks at them), mock silent over-exaggerated laughter, roll my eyes and keep going. They can't respond to that. Nothing to retalliate.
Otherwise, just remind them you can kill them with your brain.
What I usually do is just start doing the tricks to him and after each one I know he can't figure out, I go "How's that one done?" Haha. Or I just make him the center of all my jokes or blah blah blah... David Stone talks about it in The Real Secrets of Magic... Also the Brian Tudor Heckler DVD.... But I didn't like that much.
A quote for a Heckler that I remember from the dnd forums a while back:
"Let's switch places, you get up here and perform magic, I'll take your seat and act like an asshole"
I think theres actually an entire book you can get with quotes for Hecklers
While this is hilarious and a beautifully sculpted piece of trashtalk, I definitely would never say this seriously to an audience member during a performance.
In most cases, "Hecklers" don't know they are hecklers. Determine WHY these people are acting they way they are FIRST. Then interpret their actions and try to figure out a peaceful resolution to the situation.
Eugene Burger himself taught this to me personally. For example, the first time, he winks at them. The second time, he makes a subtle comment. The third time, he wraps it up and then takes them off to the side and politely explains the deal.
You never want to give a "heckler" the spotlight. Not only will they steal the show, they'll steal your reputation.
And for the record, the first step to solving the problem is by understanding the problem. Calling them hecklers is only adding to the problem, so call them by their correct name, challenging spectators.
|| sean ||
Friend them, dont fry them
Well most of the people here suggest that you should make fun of the hecklers or hurt them, but i'd say no to that.
Heckler or not, they are your spectators.
Hecklers are like thorns on the rose, they add to the performance.
The best way to deal with the heckler is to befriend him, if he starts to act like an asshole, call him up on stage, just standing in front of an audience will chill half of his suckass attitude, and tell him that he will help you, just let him stay besides you doing nothing.. doesn't really matter or do something that involves them doing a mechanical part..
Remember, you earn a friend and not an enemy...
Well most of the people here suggest that you should make fun of the hecklers or hurt them, but i'd say no to that.
Heckler or not, they are your spectators.
Hecklers are like thorns on the rose, they add to the performance.
The best way to deal with the heckler is to befriend him, if he starts to act like an asshole, call him up on stage, just standing in front of an audience will chill half of his suckass attitude, and tell him that he will help you, just let him stay besides you doing nothing.. doesn't really matter or do something that involves them doing a mechanical part..
Remember, you earn a friend and not an enemy...
I love these types of topics. Not only are they informative but also very interesting to read how people cope with this sort of behaviour. Topics like this need to be more, I think they're great. I love Bizzaro's reply to this situation, the whole rolling the eyes lark and saying nothing is great. If ever it happens to me I will try this out, but touch wood that it won't.
Jordan
Jordan
i often perform my magic for a group of friends, and one of them is really annoying, so i tried a couple of ways to get him to shut up, but actually nothing really worked, but by far the best thing i came across (it was mentioned before though) is i would give him one of my decks, act all suspicious about it, ask him to count wheather all cards are there and if there are any duplicates and really make him go through the deck, then i take out another deck, but ask him to take good care of it and watch it so i don't get near it and do any sneaky stuff with it. so with the other deck in my hands, i just perform one or two regular tricks for everyone else, but i always act just a tiny little bit like i was going to do something with the deck he's holding, wave over it a couple of times or something like that, so that he keeps focusing on his deck. in the end, i would just say thanks and take it back without ever doing something with it.
of course this works even better and is alot more fun when you switch the deck he's holding for a one way forcing deck or a blank one or so in the end, then you can tell him he's not that smart after all.
of course this works even better and is alot more fun when you switch the deck he's holding for a one way forcing deck or a blank one or so in the end, then you can tell him he's not that smart after all.
In the past i've had alot of people saying "I KNOW HOW YOU DID THAT!". In that case i just prove them wrong without even having to mislead them. I've even had spectators get violent (thankfully not towards me but my deck of cards, and I have even gon through a few decks because of that.).
But in escence my favorite way to sort out the tough customers is to switch things up right under their noses, and repeat the same trick(s) they got cocky with. For example; My personal favorite force to use is just your standard rifle force. When they think they caught the card sliding from the top pack to the bottom, i just repeat the illusion using a spread cull force wich is almost completely undetectible if performed correctly. After use of various techniques, they simply give up just out of peer amazement. (Once i had a guy test me for over half an hour because he did not belive me that I could tell him every card he picked without so much as looking at it. Obviously I proved him wrong.)
But in escence my favorite way to sort out the tough customers is to switch things up right under their noses, and repeat the same trick(s) they got cocky with. For example; My personal favorite force to use is just your standard rifle force. When they think they caught the card sliding from the top pack to the bottom, i just repeat the illusion using a spread cull force wich is almost completely undetectible if performed correctly. After use of various techniques, they simply give up just out of peer amazement. (Once i had a guy test me for over half an hour because he did not belive me that I could tell him every card he picked without so much as looking at it. Obviously I proved him wrong.)
Best way to deal with them is to not perform You are not better than them by making smart comments, or trying to make them look foolish, you are just as bad as them. They are trying to make you look bad, so you make them look bad? How does that make sense? If people aren't going to appreciate your magic, don't perform. If it spoils it for others, then they will hate the Heckler for ruining it for them then the Heckler will go cry in a corner and everyone wins. Hell yeah.
You are not better than them by making smart comments, or trying to make them look foolish, you are just as bad as them. They are trying to make you look bad, so you make them look bad? How does that make sense? If people aren't going to appreciate your magic, don't perform. If it spoils it for others, then they will hate the Heckler for ruining it for them then the Heckler will go cry in a corner and everyone wins. Hell yeah.
If I'm entertaining a group and one guy/girl is heckling... I typically wait right before the reveal or climax of the trick and say, "Well, I'll just be on my way.. aparently this isn't interesting for everyone." That typically gets the other audience members who want to see the tricks to shut the heckler up.
This is an interesting topic. I gotta agree with Sean, firstly change the way you refer to "Hecklers" - they're just challenging spectators.
You said "In most cases, "Hecklers" don't know they are hecklers." I'd like to make a small addition to that. In most cases like described below, "Hecklers aren't hecklers".
Who is a heckler? Why are they doing what they are doing? Is it perhaps that you are taking the attention away from him/her; maybe you're not convincing them about something?
I would actually advise against a few things mentioned such as asking your spectator to watch over a deck to which nothing is going to be done. In my opinion that just makes the spectator look and feel plain stupid and low. How does that improve the situation for you? Your goal is to entertain and amaze people by your magic. By making him feel stupid, you have not only failed at your goal but have possibly angered someone and this may have repercussions. You may have succeeded in shutting someone up but from his side of view, you have lost a lot of respect. What would happen if you were performing for someone else and he comes over at that time. He remembers what you did and this time decides to take revenge. You're at a loss!
In the other example of proving someone wrong, I am also against that. By allowing yourself to convince someone that their theory is wrong, you are accepting a challenge. You are allowing yourself to be challenged. What is the reason for them saying that, "you could have done it like ... " Simple - you hinted a method; you didn't project the magic how you wanted to; you may have flashed or bungled a sleight; or you may have lost control of your audience. These people are not hecklers. They are just curious and knowledgeable. Repeating effects is not the best way out - what would happen if you are asked to repeat an effect you just possibly cannot on the grounds that you repeated earlier on?
Performing a move or an effect just as a challenge to them to 'catch you' is well, eh... What do you gain by that? The impression that what you are doing is undetectable? Unless you have a routine which is entertaining and revolves sensibly around such a premise, this is kinda strange as I don't know what it can achieve.
I'm just trying to point out that very rarely do we come across 'real hecklers'. They are there, yes; but most of the cases it's we who are at fault and need to review why what happened, happened.
Cheers!
AJ
You said "In most cases, "Hecklers" don't know they are hecklers." I'd like to make a small addition to that. In most cases like described below, "Hecklers aren't hecklers".
Who is a heckler? Why are they doing what they are doing? Is it perhaps that you are taking the attention away from him/her; maybe you're not convincing them about something?
I would actually advise against a few things mentioned such as asking your spectator to watch over a deck to which nothing is going to be done. In my opinion that just makes the spectator look and feel plain stupid and low. How does that improve the situation for you? Your goal is to entertain and amaze people by your magic. By making him feel stupid, you have not only failed at your goal but have possibly angered someone and this may have repercussions. You may have succeeded in shutting someone up but from his side of view, you have lost a lot of respect. What would happen if you were performing for someone else and he comes over at that time. He remembers what you did and this time decides to take revenge. You're at a loss!
In the other example of proving someone wrong, I am also against that. By allowing yourself to convince someone that their theory is wrong, you are accepting a challenge. You are allowing yourself to be challenged. What is the reason for them saying that, "you could have done it like ... " Simple - you hinted a method; you didn't project the magic how you wanted to; you may have flashed or bungled a sleight; or you may have lost control of your audience. These people are not hecklers. They are just curious and knowledgeable. Repeating effects is not the best way out - what would happen if you are asked to repeat an effect you just possibly cannot on the grounds that you repeated earlier on?
Performing a move or an effect just as a challenge to them to 'catch you' is well, eh... What do you gain by that? The impression that what you are doing is undetectable? Unless you have a routine which is entertaining and revolves sensibly around such a premise, this is kinda strange as I don't know what it can achieve.
I'm just trying to point out that very rarely do we come across 'real hecklers'. They are there, yes; but most of the cases it's we who are at fault and need to review why what happened, happened.
Cheers!
AJ
\I would be tempted to use joel givens' heckler stopper, from session, but i think i would refrain. i used to use it alot, in the past, but i've matured a little (very little). Ask them what the problem is. nine times out of ten, they'll say they don't like magic, or it's boring, or they know what you're doing... In which case, i simply say 'well, y'know, if you think you're wasting your time taking part in this, you can always leave?'
This works 90% of the time. You have asked them in a calm manner what the issue is, then gave them a suggestion on how to deal with it. they don't really have anywhere to go from there! If the spectator is drunk, they will be erratic. it's in these situations that i would use my own heckler stopper- a deck vanish- and ask 'well, now nobody gets to see anything, because you're so cool'. in this case, i don't have to do anything, the other spectator's will do it for me.
In a professional setting such as a restaurant, i would simply take what they had to say, and move to the next table. You cannot argue with the customers in a restaurant!
Chr!s
This works 90% of the time. You have asked them in a calm manner what the issue is, then gave them a suggestion on how to deal with it. they don't really have anywhere to go from there! If the spectator is drunk, they will be erratic. it's in these situations that i would use my own heckler stopper- a deck vanish- and ask 'well, now nobody gets to see anything, because you're so cool'. in this case, i don't have to do anything, the other spectator's will do it for me.
In a professional setting such as a restaurant, i would simply take what they had to say, and move to the next table. You cannot argue with the customers in a restaurant!
Chr!s
