Magic in Danger .... !!!

Jul 13, 2009
424
0
Edmonton, Canada
So yeah , apparently i inspired some kid to learn card tricks at school . He went on youtube and saw the tutorial for "2 card monte" and "the devils elevator" and the next day he performed them for some people. I was there, saw the performance and that was HORRIBLE. His card handling is not that good and the 2 card monte was just very obvious, his audiences saw every single move.

I perform at school and the 2 card monte gets me the most reaction but i'm afraid that kid is gonna spoil it for everyone. I'm also afraid that he may go to Youtube and learn some classic like the "Biddle Trick" and give it away too.

So what should i do .... ?
 
Feb 27, 2008
2,342
1
33
Grand prairie TX
So yeah , apparently i inspired some kid to learn card tricks at school . He went on youtube and saw the tutorial for "2 card monte" and "the devils elevator" and the next day he performed them for some people. I was there, saw the performance and that was HORRIBLE. His card handling is not that good and the 2 card monte was just very obvious, his audiences saw every single move.

I perform at school and the 2 card monte gets me the most reaction but i'm afraid that kid is gonna spoil it for everyone. I'm also afraid that he may go to Youtube and learn some classic like the "Biddle Trick" and give it away too.

So what should i do .... ?

Have you considered actually helping him learn the proper way to do things?
 
Jul 26, 2008
28
0
Teach him as you yourself were taught. Try not to come off as scolding, or ridiculing the person, but tell him that what he did was not as it should be. Tell him about the art of magic, and how it's not all about doing tricks to try and impress people or show off. Tell him about how great it feels to perform an effect you've been practicing for a month for a person for the first time, and tell him about how great it feels to get a good reaction to a great performance. That's the most sensible thing that came to mind, and that's how I would handle the situation.
 
Feb 27, 2008
2,342
1
33
Grand prairie TX
Dont forget to tell him that performing the way he does only makes him look foolish in front of other people. That'll actually make him want to perform well so as to avoid embarassment.
 
Jul 13, 2009
424
0
Edmonton, Canada
Teach him as you yourself were taught. Try not to come off as scolding, or ridiculing the person, but tell him that what he did was not as it should be. Tell him about the art of magic, and how it's not all about doing tricks to try and impress people or show off. Tell him about how great it feels to perform an effect you've been practicing for a month for a person for the first time, and tell him about how great it feels to get a good reaction to a great performance. That's the most sensible thing that came to mind, and that's how I would handle the situation.

I'll most definitely try that
 
Nov 24, 2007
130
0
32
Hermosillo Sonora
Dont forget to tell him that performing the way he does only makes him look foolish in front of other people. That'll actually make him want to perform well so as to avoid embarassment.


NOT! that way youre just telling him that what other people think of him matters. tell him to practice. and dont be so girly. magic is not getting to an end because a little dude perdormed a trick wrong xD
 
Sep 1, 2007
3,786
15
NOT! that way youre just telling him that what other people think of him matters.

Because believing in yourself is where rainbows and puppies come from! Jesus... No wonder so many of you little ****s can't take criticism.
 
Mar 29, 2008
882
3
Haha, it sounds to me like this kid has had his well tapped by another kid...NO, my fountain of knowledge! YOUTUBE!

First, if the "biddle trick" is your holy grail...you are lost. You need to start learning more about magic - start looking for magic from books and videos that not everyone owns. You will find some great suggestions on this forum.

I agree with what someone said above - take him under your wing. Grow together. Chances are though - this dude will see the light and surpass you...or give up sucking and stop magic.

Let's hope you realize the same.
 
Jul 13, 2009
424
0
Edmonton, Canada
Haha, it sounds to me like this kid has had his well tapped by another kid...NO, my fountain of knowledge! YOUTUBE!

First, if the "biddle trick" is your holy grail...you are lost. You need to start learning more about magic - start looking for magic from books and videos that not everyone owns. You will find some great suggestions on this forum.

I agree with what someone said above - take him under your wing. Grow together. Chances are though - this dude will see the light and surpass you...or give up sucking and stop magic.

Let's hope you realize the same.


Who told you my "fountain of knowledge" was Youtube .... And you saying learn more about magic ... ? How can you tell people what to do or tell him where he learns his magic from when you don't even know that person ???

And do you really wanna give away tricks like "2 card monte" or the "Biddle Trick" ??? If you are that type of person then you are no good in magic
 
Dec 18, 2009
399
1
Haha, it sounds to me like this kid has had his well tapped by another kid...NO, my fountain of knowledge! YOUTUBE!

First, if the "biddle trick" is your holy grail...you are lost. You need to start learning more about magic - start looking for magic from books and videos that not everyone owns. You will find some great suggestions on this forum.

I agree with what someone said above - take him under your wing. Grow together. Chances are though - this dude will see the light and surpass you...or give up sucking and stop magic.

Let's hope you realize the same.

Whats wrong with the biddle trick? I get great reactions and requests to perform it. Just because it's old and well known doesn't make it bad.
 
Mar 29, 2008
882
3
I AM GLAD YOU ASKED!

First Slicke - I know what I need to know by your reaction to someone else taking an interest in magic, and you freaking out that "your material" is being done poorly...when really, your reaction should be, "cool, I inspired someone to try and do magic" and asking him if he wants to learn. You see, after a few years in magic (for me a decade) there are enough tricks that 10 or more magicians could be in the same place, all do devastatingly good material, and all different! If your "best effect" is one that I googled the words biddle trick and a tutorial was the top of the list on how it was done...and that you don't know that 2CM is actually called "Be honest what is it" by Eddie Fechter...and that the phrase "2CM" came into existance because of Blaine's performance...and that I wouldn't want one of my top effects to be something people have seen on TV....and just about every kid...including your new buddy...can easily find it on the web...and this causes you to have a panic attack enough to make a thread....and you can't find better material to replace it...I consider effects like "2CM" and "Biddle Trick" to be the effects I have moved on from, as the "Biddle trick" is a PHASE of an effect, making a card vanish, and is used in effects by Jay Sankey in JOKING AROUND and to steal cards away in Sanders - ID trick. Shake your head - if those effects make or break your "rep" as a magician...then my previous statement was BANG ON.


Next - amodernmagician. Nothing is wrong with the biddle trick...actually, I lied. You see - the biddle trick is better used as a small part of an effect. It would be like doing a DL, then showing the top card is different...that sleight is FAR more powerful than just that moment, and can be used in an effect that means more. I have mentioned a few effects above. I am sure you are getting requests to do it...but is that a reflection of the strength of your material, or the lack of material. My point about the effect is this...it seems like everyone is doing it right now - so if you want to be known, do something different. Even if you are the only guy in your town doing it, this "biddle trick" that is named after the actual sleight - is not really more than the demonstration of how the sleight works. I am not saying it is bad - just that their is far stronger applications of this principle not on Youtube.

I once had a new magician come up to me and show me some good effects, I said, "those are nice" - he said, "nice, are you kidding me, this stuff kills" - I asked how long he was in magic for, and he replied a few years. I said, a few years later, you will look at this stuff and wonder why you even did it. He told me a few years later, how pissed he was that I said that - but that he doesn't do any of those effects any more - as he has progressed to stronger material.

The biddle effect is about as meaningful a piece of magic as the 21 card trick - it is a puzzle - a card leaves a small group and ends up in the deck...wonderful - WHY? If you see Sankey's joking around, or an effect where it is just used as a steal to ditch the card and vanish it from a pile, and appear elsewhere - you will see the difference.

Hope this answers your question.
 
Oct 16, 2007
46
0
Centreville Va
Morgician: Ive seen another trick that i am workin on by sankey called "body guards" with the same concept so i see where you are coming from. It is a piece to a trick instead of a trick in itself.

Slicke: i dont understand why your coming off so hard at one of the best posters on this forum. he has experiance to top most of the 14,898 members on this site sincce most of these memebers are inconsiderate a**holes that cant take a lick of criticism. really listen and learn form older magicians that is what we are supposed to do. Respect those that want to give us information and that want t help us younger magicians. i would hate for another great mind to leave this site because of an arrogant jerk. he wasnt telling you what to do but just giving a suggestion because he cant force you to want to be a real magician. 2CM and Biddle trick are TRICKS and thats it Morgician is trying to help us become Magicians that do MAGIC and not just Parlor tricks. Just listen adn take in the help.

Thank You Morgician
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mar 29, 2008
882
3
Wow, thanks Illusions9. I think we are lucky to have the minds we have contributing and guiding magicians. I think we all hope that over time that we can increase the population of those that are great with magic. I have seen many up and coming guys, like RDChopper, that have grabbed the ball and ran with it. It is guys like you, and those that are here to grow that will become leaders in this forum.

Magic, at one point, was about a brotherhood. Where magicians would meet and share in small groups...well, now our group is much larger, but we still struggle to communicate in this brotherhood. Once people realize that what some of our top guys say may come off harsh, but it is meant from a good spot to help them, they will grow.

I heard stories of Vernon and other greats being really hard on young magicians, but challenge seperates good from great - and believe me...I have been challenged. I remember NOT being able to do the Gravity Half Pass and Fisher basically telling me to stop practicing for awhile because I was getting worse at it, haha, it stung at the time...but he was right. I took some time away, revisted it with focus and now I can do it very well under fire.

It is a tiresome process to say things overly nice - to be spit on either way - I think the process of feedback demands the kind of approach you see so many take. It is not easy telling someone, "that isn't good enough" and hoping that understand why. Seeing that you are not giving opinion, and when you do you state it is an opinion, and hoping someone doesn't get angry.

It is almost at the point where we are all so defensive in our efforts to help - but we put our sheilds up before we are attacked. It would almost make a good essay...if I felt so inclined.

Thanks again.
 
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