Hi Folks,
Something I've discovered about myself is that generally speaking I dislike 'traditional' magician patter. I think most scripting of magical effects comes across as someone trying to shoe-horn in a forced emotional resonance, symbolic element, or story. It is also often overlong and wordy, and the claims of magical or psychic powers, or superhuman skill, often seem laughably silly. I (and I'm only speaking for myself) find that such presentations detract from the trick and make the magic less enjoyable. Sometimes such an elaborate presentation can work well, if delivered by a consummate performer with a superb script in the right stage setting and context, but for the vast majority of magicians I've seen it doesn't work (for me) at all. This is doubly true in casual magic situations where someone familiar is showing a trick to friends - traditional patter is even less welcome in that context.
Additionally, I've met plenty of people amongst my family, friends and colleagues who think like me and who tell me honestly that they dislike such patter. They want to be astonished and puzzled by a direct and strong magic trick, not listen to obviously false and boring anecdotes or tedious 'waffle'.
However, many guides to magic, and many magicians, seem to give advice that tricks should be scripted with elaborate words, emotional hooks, narratives, jokes, and various claims to supernatural agency. And also when I try and explain that whilst that may work for many, and that is totally fine, there are people like myself and my friends who dislike that style and prefer something more minimal, some magicians tell me that is because we haven't seen a good performance yet, that if we heard a good enough script we'd prefer it, that patter is essential to magic tricks and tricks presented without such an emotionally heavy script are not really magic, and that me and my friends should neither perform nor watch magic!
My questions based on those points are:
a) Are there any magic resources which discuss scripting from this minimalist, casual style?
b) Does anyone else feel like me, or am I a rare bird?
c) Is it wrong to enjoy magic presented in a more basic and bare fashion?
d) Is it wrong to present magic as a direct demonstration of an astonishing puzzle/trick rather than as part of a story or as the result of some mysterious power?
Thanks
Something I've discovered about myself is that generally speaking I dislike 'traditional' magician patter. I think most scripting of magical effects comes across as someone trying to shoe-horn in a forced emotional resonance, symbolic element, or story. It is also often overlong and wordy, and the claims of magical or psychic powers, or superhuman skill, often seem laughably silly. I (and I'm only speaking for myself) find that such presentations detract from the trick and make the magic less enjoyable. Sometimes such an elaborate presentation can work well, if delivered by a consummate performer with a superb script in the right stage setting and context, but for the vast majority of magicians I've seen it doesn't work (for me) at all. This is doubly true in casual magic situations where someone familiar is showing a trick to friends - traditional patter is even less welcome in that context.
Additionally, I've met plenty of people amongst my family, friends and colleagues who think like me and who tell me honestly that they dislike such patter. They want to be astonished and puzzled by a direct and strong magic trick, not listen to obviously false and boring anecdotes or tedious 'waffle'.
However, many guides to magic, and many magicians, seem to give advice that tricks should be scripted with elaborate words, emotional hooks, narratives, jokes, and various claims to supernatural agency. And also when I try and explain that whilst that may work for many, and that is totally fine, there are people like myself and my friends who dislike that style and prefer something more minimal, some magicians tell me that is because we haven't seen a good performance yet, that if we heard a good enough script we'd prefer it, that patter is essential to magic tricks and tricks presented without such an emotionally heavy script are not really magic, and that me and my friends should neither perform nor watch magic!
My questions based on those points are:
a) Are there any magic resources which discuss scripting from this minimalist, casual style?
b) Does anyone else feel like me, or am I a rare bird?
c) Is it wrong to enjoy magic presented in a more basic and bare fashion?
d) Is it wrong to present magic as a direct demonstration of an astonishing puzzle/trick rather than as part of a story or as the result of some mysterious power?
Thanks