People messing up my tricks :'(

towtox

Banned
Sep 4, 2010
162
1
Calgary Ab
ok so when i preform for my dads gf family everyone loves it but my dads gf always grabbs thing my cards and if its gimmiked she grabbes it and ruines it she finds it funny when she ruins it EX: Chicago oPENER She grabes the red card before the force and change i dont know wat to do so i have stopped preforming for her or around her wat should i do
 
Dec 23, 2007
1,579
4
36
Fredonia, NY
next time just slap her real hard. just once... guarantee it will be the last time.


but in all seriousness.. just dont perform around her. If she' is there dont perform, if people ask and she's there explain you wont with her there. Then she's the bad guy ruining everyone else's good time and she will either take the hint or leave. Or you could plant evidence that she's cheating on your dad and get him to dump her... either way
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
2,945
ok so when i preform for my dads gf family everyone loves it but my dads gf always grabbs thing my cards and if its gimmiked she grabbes it and ruines it she finds it funny when she ruins it EX: Chicago oPENER She grabes the red card before the force and change i dont know wat to do so i have stopped preforming for her or around her wat should i do

Okay. First off. Please learn grammar. Unless you're not a native English speaker, then I withdraw my comment.

You've already figured out what to do. Don't perform for or around her. She doesn't want to see magic, she wants to prove that she's smarter and better than you. Performing for her will just be you butting heads with her. "Never argue with idiots, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with their experience."

You can also learn enough audience management to be able to get the rest of the spectators to turn on her and shut her up. This takes time, and generally lots of performing before you'll have that kind of skill.

Alternatively, you could try learning something that is bulletproof and will shut her up. I don't recommend this course, as it's just asking for the confrontation to escalate, and any victory you gain will be transient. She'll just start doing all the stupid stuff again after a while.
 
May 8, 2008
1,081
0
Cumbria, UK
Or you could just talk to her? I mean it's your dad's girlfriend, it's not like it's somebody you just met on the street. Just quietly go up to her sometime and tell her that it's alright to want to know how the magic is done, but could she stop spoiling the performance because it ruins it for everyone else watching. Seems like the easiest and most long term solution to me.
 
May 10, 2010
138
0
I would of course avoid slapping somebody :D I would also avoid talking to her about the issue. I'm not saying its not an option, I just don't find it appropriate. Let me explain.

Personally I feel that as a magician, I want to beat my spectator, not have him (or her!) beat me. What I'm saying is, I want to be able to stun her, to be able to amaze her, and not having her able to reveal and spoil what I'm doing. Talking to her about the issue gives me an impression that I cannot do anything about it, and not being able to solve the problem. Furthermore, it also gives her the same impression as well, hence bringing down what you call your image. I believe you should be good enough to be able to beat her, even if it's just once, and show that you have the upper hand, and not the spectator.

That said, I totally agree with performing a trick that largely involves the spectator's participation. That way, the magic happens in their hands, and there's no way there could be anything against you. If you know Search and Destroy by Aaron Fisher, that'll be your trump card. It works for me, so hopefully it will on you. If you don't, I highly suggest you get it, it's really worth it. If not, I'm sure many other guys here have plenty of suggestions.

Last, but definitely not least, good luck and have fun.
 
Sep 12, 2007
153
1
40
Normandy, FRANCE
It can be difficult to perform for people that are close to you, as they allow themselves to do rude things that a stranger would never do to you. In your case, I'd definitely stop performing for her, or when she's around, cause some people just don't like magic and will ruin your performances if you allow them to. Remember, you're the magician, so you're in control of your performance : when to perform, and when no to. She'll stop messing with you if you don't let her.

As a bonus, she might eventually get your point and leave you alone ? But that's kind of unlikely I'm affraid... :(
 
May 19, 2010
239
24
What I usually do is if someone is always grabbing the deck perform sloppy shuffle triumph with the patter that Chris Kenner uses. Talk about that person who is always grabbing the deck and trying to ruin your tricks. This usually gets a laugh from everyone else and gets the heckler to sit back and just enjoy your magic.
 
May 3, 2008
1,146
4
Hong Kong
Not performing for her is definitely a great option... but I'm not the type who would...
Obviously most magicians here are against it, but I personally get really annoyed when this happens. Yes yes... Be the good person and let it go and handle it... "civilly", but she tried to ruin your trick, she tried to make a fool of you... Why don't you have the right to do it back?
I would personally go with something foolproof. Anything that takes little work and is quick... Anything that takes a specific skill is fine as well.
An example of an easy trick is Angle Zero. Easy as ever, and what is she going to grab? If she grabs it while its in your hand, say she ripped it and then "vanish" the left over corner.
A trick that takes a specific skill is Diplopia by Paul Vigil, which if I recall is almost foolproof as long as you know your stuff. There is hardly anyway she could ruin that.
If you really want to kick it up a notch, Joel Givens has a trick in Session which is aimed at shutting hecklers up. In essence, you trust the person to help you out and you reveal that he/ she is messing everything up even though in reality, they did not. The rest of the audience get mad while he/ she pleads innocence. Lovely trick.
Most magicians don't agree with me... but hey, why not?
 

Mad

Jul 16, 2009
14
0
I think we miss a HUGE factor in this discussion, and it is very important to get it out there.
How you present your magic will probably be the cause if someone tries to ruin it or not. And I also believe it is not as much as ruin as it is "trying to catch you out".
If you present your magic as something impossible, that they wont believe theyr eyes, of course they will try to disprove that, that is how we humans work.

And I dont believe we can blame it for being a "family member" either. Sure they might be a bit ruder than average people on the street, if you will, but the truth is that there exist alot of different personas out there aswell. Some will try to catch you out. Most of them will, actually.

If you present it as sleight of hand, or something more of bizarre, they will probably think it is more of a physical ability that you have rather than "magic".

Great example is that if you go up to a stranger on the street wanting to perform for them, you dont say: Hey let me show you magic.
No.
You probably would go a little more in the line with: Hey can I show you something cool/weird/strange/that I just realized I can do. (all depending on what kind of magic you do)
This relaxes them, and gives it a more natural flow than trying to hit them hard with something super natural.
Dont try to prove magic to them, let it happen inside of theyr head.
By that I mean, dont tell them that you are doing something magical, do whatever you want to do, and let them be astonished and believe there is no other explanation than magic.. (even if that feeling only can exist for a few minutes, youve accomplished something big)
 
Jun 6, 2010
796
0
Nashville, TN
I think we miss a HUGE factor in this discussion, and it is very important to get it out there.
How you present your magic will probably be the cause if someone tries to ruin it or not. And I also believe it is not as much as ruin as it is "trying to catch you out".
If you present your magic as something impossible, that they wont believe theyr eyes, of course they will try to disprove that, that is how we humans work.

And I dont believe we can blame it for being a "family member" either. Sure they might be a bit ruder than average people on the street, if you will, but the truth is that there exist alot of different personas out there aswell. Some will try to catch you out. Most of them will, actually.

If you present it as sleight of hand, or something more of bizarre, they will probably think it is more of a physical ability that you have rather than "magic".

Great example is that if you go up to a stranger on the street wanting to perform for them, you dont say: Hey let me show you magic.
No.
You probably would go a little more in the line with: Hey can I show you something cool/weird/strange/that I just realized I can do. (all depending on what kind of magic you do)
This relaxes them, and gives it a more natural flow than trying to hit them hard with something super natural.
Dont try to prove magic to them, let it happen inside of theyr head.
By that I mean, dont tell them that you are doing something magical, do whatever you want to do, and let them be astonished and believe there is no other explanation than magic.. (even if that feeling only can exist for a few minutes, youve accomplished something big)

It all really depends on personal preference. If you approach a trick as simply "something cool" that you just "figured out" you can do kinda takes away from the amazement that the audience has and you will get those "that's cool" reactions with maybe a little smile or a straight face.
I agree with the others that say the he should just perform when she's not there and if she is there, don't perform. This gets the the audience against hecklers. Or you could take jrobarts approach :)
 
Jan 1, 2009
2,241
3
Back in Time
Most people here are neglecting one key factor in all of this. She is his fathers girlfriend, so she most likely sees everything he does has some sort of trick.

Why not just take the adult path and simply talk to her and find out WHY she acts the way she does. Sense is some what close to you and your dad. She'll hopefully explain why she is doing that. Once you find out why. Just don't perform for her anymore or maybe that talk will get her on your side.
 
Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
Most people here are neglecting one key factor in all of this. She is his fathers girlfriend, so she most likely sees everything he does has some sort of trick.

Why not just take the adult path and simply talk to her and find out WHY she acts the way she does. Sense is some what close to you and your dad. She'll hopefully explain why she is doing that. Once you find out why. Just don't perform for her anymore or maybe that talk will get her on your side.

Well, for one, because about 90% of young people cannot communicate between generations. I'm not saying that your answer is wrong, of course, I think that it's a good idea, but it's usually not as easy as that.
 
Jun 20, 2009
627
3
near paris
ok so when i preform for my dads gf family everyone loves it but my dads gf always grabbs thing my cards and if its gimmiked she grabbes it and ruines it she finds it funny when she ruins it EX: Chicago oPENER She grabes the red card before the force and change i dont know wat to do so i have stopped preforming for her or around her wat should i do
i can relate, when you 're performing for friends or family they sometimes behaves to ruin your act, personnaly i'm more confident with people i don't know, i'm more relax and because they don't know me, they don't try to ruin my tricks
and for your friends or family you are always force to do new tricks
 
Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
i can relate, when you 're performing for friends or family they sometimes behaves to ruin your act, personnaly i'm more confident with people i don't know, i'm more relax and because they don't know me, they don't try to ruin my tricks
and for your friends or family you are always force to do new tricks

Not if you choose when to perform.

Performing for family is an interesting dynamic. It's often said that we do things to family members we would never to strangers - they are the ones we love most and often the ones we hurt most and are rudest to. So they produce a distinct challenge to perform well to.

I think the real key here is to respect your magic. If you train for ten years to be a professional gymnast, make it to tryouts for nationals, and your family come see you - would they try and put you off in the middle of your audition?

Of course not - they know the amount of effort you've put in, and how much respect you have for it - you love it, and it's your life.

Same with magic. Show some respect for your magic, and they will, too.
 
Jan 1, 2009
2,241
3
Back in Time
Well, for one, because about 90% of young people cannot communicate between generations. I'm not saying that your answer is wrong, of course, I think that it's a good idea, but it's usually not as easy as that.

Sometimes the easiest way out isn't always the best way out, and who knows, if he does decide to speak with her (in a less rude way), maybe she will start respecting him more because he didn't try to "trick" her.

I do agree that the other way is usually the easiest way though, just say "No." if they ask to see some magic and rarely perform for them unless you feel your are ready.
 
Jun 20, 2009
627
3
near paris
Not if you choose when to perform.

Performing for family is an interesting dynamic. It's often said that we do things to family members we would never to strangers - they are the ones we love most and often the ones we hurt most and are rudest to. So they produce a distinct challenge to perform well to.

I think the real key here is to respect your magic. If you train for ten years to be a professional gymnast, make it to tryouts for nationals, and your family come see you - would they try and put you off in the middle of your audition?

Of course not - they know the amount of effort you've put in, and how much respect you have for it - you love it, and it's your life.

Same with magic. Show some respect for your magic, and they will, too.
if i'm a professional gymnast, i don't want anybody from my family in the stadium
they can come but i don't want to know it
 
May 8, 2008
1,081
0
Cumbria, UK
if i'm a professional gymnast, i don't want anybody from my family in the stadium
they can come but i don't want to know it

My family would amost certainly throw something at me midway through a triple backflip...

I still advocate that talking to her would be the best solution. Just refusing to perform might work in the short term, but running from a problem never solves it. When I say talk to her, I clearly mean politely, as opposed to aggressively. If this doesn't work, you can always use the other solutions as a backup, but I think that, if approached in the right way, just explaining your side of things and asking her to stop should do the trick, or at the very least give you more insight into her motives.
 
Oct 12, 2009
286
0
Navarre, Florida
At the very beginning say you'll use her for these tricks. Place the deck box in her hand and tell her to put her other hand over it. Say its extremely important that she doesn't let you get to the box. Then just do your routine and end it as normal. When she says 'Wait, why did you have me hold the box?' say 'because its a lot harder for you to ruin the show for everyone when your hands are already full.'.

Then spring the deck of cards in her face. And yell some one-word, nonsensical catch phrase like "HOUSE!". If possible, push her to the ground and throw up in her mouth.
 
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