In your opinion, what makes a good magician?

[The VIP Gentleman]

I read something earlier today that made me think: What makes a good magician?

So, in your opinion, what makes a good magician? And what makes a bad magician. It can be small things that they do, or it can be really big, I just want to hear your opinion on the matter. It doesn't even have to be on stage, just their personality in general.

Personally, some qualities I think makes a good magician are:
-They need to be entertaining. After all, we aren't here to fool people, we are here to entertain them. I usually like doing small gags that generally would seem like "great" magic tricks, but puts a smile on the audience's lips.
-Doing the impossible. Gags and laughs are good, but I think what truly makes a magician great, is the ability to do what seems impossible. Getting the reaction "I know he did something, I just don't know what" is fine, but truly, "What the actual **** happened here?" is what I really live to be able to hear one day.
-Being likable. People aren't hiring your tricks, they are hiring YOU, so a magician has to be the kind of person you would happily invite back.

Those were mine. I am looking forward to hearing your opinions.

 

[Al e Cat Dabra]

Being able to read minds and predict the future.

And so, you must be a good magician @Arckangel, because you read mine perfectly - and we've never even met. And you predicted the future, as well, because the things you said are exactly what I would have said - except you said it better.

 

[RealityOne]

To be able to recreate the feeling you get when you see an amazing movie. You laughed, you worried, your heart beat with excitement, you teared up and swallowed hard, your emotions went on a roller coaster and you left believing that just maybe there is something that you can take from in the illusion of the film and use to inspire your life.

 

[cgstorz]

^What the 'squire said plus a strong character. Lay people don't obsess over the details of a routine like we do. If you ask them to describe a cups and balls routine you'll usually get something like, "He made balls disappear and reappear.....then there was fruit!!!!" What they will remember, in detail, is character. For example, I discovered from working at an international airport that virtually everyone from Spain knew who Juan Tamariz was. If they didn't recognize the name all I had to do was Tamariz's "Chan cha cha chan cha cha chan chan chan" bit and they instantly know who I was talking about and they would get excited and talk about his purple top hat and how funny he was, etc. The point here is, they remembered his character.

 

[Al e Cat Dabra]

Just to clarify, my previous comment above, I was addressing @The VIP Gentleman (although I wrote "@Arckangel"). Not sure how I got confused - although it happens all the time, LOL.

I also agree with the points well-expressed by @RealityOne and @cgstorz. @RealityOne's comment really struck a chord because I have often asked myself what I could do to make my presentations have the same entertainment value as a great movie. What are the elements of a truly captivating movie and how can they be applied to magic? People know that the movie is a fictitious work and that the characters are just actors, yet their emotions and level of interest are often engaged on a profound level. I think this has been discussed on here before in relation to magic and/or mentalism as the "suspension of disbelief."

 

[The VIP Gentleman]

@Al e Cat Dabra
You didn't get confused. I made you confused. I used my psychic powers to change your perception of reality, so while "The VIP Gentleman" was right in front of your eyes, you only saw "Arckangel". I did this to show you how our eyes truly deceive us. That the only thing we can trust is our own conciousness. That our idea of "reality" is fickle, and can so easily be blurred into oblivion. That everything could just be a dream, and we'd never suspect anything...

Not really, I just changed my username. I chose Arckangel in a whim, because I forgot for a moment that I have used "The VIP Gentleman" as my artist name for years. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

For me, a magician, like any artist, is able to give the observer space to explore thoughts and emotions.

A good magician can explore a variety of thoughts and emotions with his audiences.

 

[Lord Magic]

See, good and bad is a very relative topic. I see so much hate here for Criss Angel (light hate, not the hardcore one) but I never classified him as a 'bad' magician. On the other hand, some people think I am not a good magician...I don't know how one can even think like that...

Jokes apart...well, as I said, it's relative. HOWEVER I understand there are a certain few criteria for every individual which make a magician good or bad in their eyes. Mine are:-
1>Good magicians haven't used an Enlargement potion on their ego.
2>They have passion for magic and are completely past the stage of using tricks to get numbers.
3>They understand that they are supposed to perform magic tricks...not only tricks. They are not the riddlers, they are the magicians.
4>They make the audience feel,"Hey! That guy/girl is one of us! Just like me!"
5>They show the audience the magic in the ordinary.
6> They aren't control freaks and know how to handle pressure.

Bad magicians? Well, tbh, there are really no rules as such in magic. People break them in the good way all the time and are successful! So I feel the only thing that would make a magician bad is if he/she does not know his/her own character and does things out of his persona...stuff that doesn't suit him and looks alien on him.

Also...bad magicians have no hair and no nose and slit-like nostrils and a huge obsession with a spectacled teenage boy.

Just sayin'.