Purity and Magic

[roby11]

I love how wayne thinks that he doesnt want to use magic that needs you to carry many objects in your pockets. As a performer I like performing impromptu magic just on the spot. Thats how you know you are a really good magician when your pockets are empty and when someone recognizes that you are a magician and theyve seen you perform before they expect you to perform on the spot and you are able to stun them. Sometimes I feel like carrying a deck of cards is too much. Picture a musician walking around with a guitar. People already know hes been practicing and he plays just by looking at him. Now if a guitar is already around and he borrows it for someone I bet he got all the girls to melt. Its the same thing with magic. Magic like Wayne said has to be pure and look pure thats What its all about. I never carry around a deck of cards. I do magic when I see someone with their own deck of cards or I see something natural to do magic with. Creators now a days never keep in mind that magic illusions shouldnt be created where You have to carry something around. It needs to look completely natural. Its like being a mentalist and bringing your own forks out of your pockets to bend. When I performed when I was younger and I would bring out a deck of cards from my pockets people thought I was nuts they were weirded out because I had a deck in my pocket not only that but I was gonna show tricks? It was crazy. People ask me if I practice alot or spend alot of time, even thugh I do I always tell them no. I try to make it look as natural as possible and as If I were someone supernatural.

Anyways I love tricks that can be performed anywhere and dont have to carry anything. Gppd job Wayne and always keep that in mind for us performers when you create something new and original.

 

[Steerpike]

magic illusions shouldnt be created where You have to carry something around.

When did that happen?

Its like being a mentalist and bringing your own forks out of your pockets to bend.

Words fail me.

When I performed when I was younger and I would bring out a deck of cards from my pockets people thought I was nuts they were weirded out because I had a deck in my pocket not only that but I was gonna show tricks? It was crazy.

If I read that right, you're saying that your performance sucked because the deck was your and not borrowed?

What?!

 

[wesley11221]

There's nothing wrong with carrying stuff around. Let's face it, there are some great effects that can only be done with gimmicks that you need to have on you. If you insist on being so dogmatic, then I believe you're limiting yourself. Also I see nothing wrong with having a deck on your person. I've even run into non-magicians who have had a deck on them. Unfortunately, they're not always easy to manipulate because they're either poor quality or very worn out. ( By the way Steerpike, I've debated you before and I hate to admit it, but I like your style of disecting peoples statements and then rebutting or commenting on them).

 

[MitchellStafiej]

First of all. I wouldn't let ANYONE touch my $800 guitar. Being able to perform on the spot or without gimmicks does not make you a better magician than the people who use an Invisible Deck or a Thumb Tip. It doesn't change anything. What makes a difference is how you present your tricks. I've said it before and I will continue to say it. You can bring a flock of doves onto the street for an effect and if you present the effect properly and engage your audience, no one will care that you are using doves.

Mitchell

 

[ThrallMind]

I was thinking the same things, Steerpike...

If someone was weirded out when you wanted to show them a card effect, you need to work on your approach, and possibly your performance personality. I have never, ever, in 12 years of magic, had someone weirded out when I brought out a deck of cards.

Also, if you are saying magic should not have to be carried around with you, you are limiting yourself. A lot. You'll always have to rely on someone else to provide you with things. Imagine if you are given an old, sticky deck to perform with? What will you do? Impromptu magic is cool, but this is a trend that is in a sense irritating me. Don't get me wrong, I love impromptu effects. But, too many people these days are ONLY learning or performing effects which can be done off the cuff. Because, as your reasoning states, anything that requires setup or gimmicks, etc, are noobish and not worth it *rolls eyes*

Magic will ALWAYS be made where you need to carry something. It will be a sad day if magicians only start producing effects which require other peoples stuff. Have spectators examine your deck, your coins, what have you. If they aren't satisfied like this, they wont be satisfied with you using their own things.

-ThrallMind

 

[SHANE BLACK]

I'm a lost of words right now. The idea of going lighter on the load is up to you but when I pull my cards out and people smile and say Oh! you have a deck of cards in your pocket? And I say yeah,..it's what I do, let me show you something crazy you'll love this. And I tell everyone I practice alot they respect me for that. I'm passionate about practice as much as I am performing and it shows. Well thats my view on it.

 

[roby11]

My performances dont suck just because I had a deck with me.

Listen to Waynes Podcast on Control.

What would U rather have?

A version of Control Gimmicked?

Or a impromptu Control?

and sticky cards?

You should be able to perform on any "deck of cards" period.

Picture yourself as a inmate in a jail cell. What would give you more credit and

what would be more astonishing, borrowing your cellmates old cards and

performing some eye popping illusions with some old used cards, or bringing

out a deck of guardians and doing magic with them?

I used to do magic in a bar and would shock the shiz out of people with a

ambitious card routine using borrowed cards that were sticky and smelled like

beer and would pull off smooth pushoff double lifts, when people could barely

even deal the cards. I am not saying its bad to carry around a deck of cards,

but hey I dont carry around the deck of cards all the time.

When I perform with someone elses cards, I always get this reaction "wow, he just did that with MY cards...Thats crazy."

Would you feel more in awe if Copperfield came up to you and did some new miracle with HIS deck of cards or cards that belonged to you and everytime you used that deck you would remember about the time that a magician did something insane with THESE?

I dont feel like I am limiting myself. I use gimmicks when I know im going to perform magic. Its just that there is alot of times when i am with my girlfriend and go somewhere not expecting do magic at all I get called out and thats what makes impromptu magic great. I just think that magic is more pure when you perform magic with whatever is around you and anything in your way and astonish someone with it. I know there are some insane gimmicks out there that make magic seem more unbelievable, but the fact is that the majority of the time Im not going to be carrying it with me

lets take "healed and sealed" for example Its just more amazing to make it seem like your reaching for a random can out of a random trash can instead of healing a can you already had in your hand and thats just how I feel about a deck of cards, but i guess its just because I do alot of street/bar magic. If I have a deck of cards in my pocket and see someone elses deck of cards on a table I prefer to borrow theres and not even mention i already had a deck. From experience Ive just compared reactions and seen what hits harder.

Robert Ybarra

 

[Steerpike]

Would you feel more in awe if Copperfield came up to you and did some new miracle with HIS deck of cards or cards that belonged to you and everytime you used that deck you would remember about the time that a magician did something insane with THESE?

And what about when he did a miracle using my illusion apparatus instead of his ow-... oh, wait.

Regardless, how does any of this address the fact that you said magic should not be created on the condition that you have something with you?

And your example of a mentalist using his own forks. What the hell else am I supposed to do? I don't care how great my performance is, if I mutilate my emplower's silverware for a show, they're not going to book me again. There's a difference between signing cards from somebody else's deck and destroying expensive silverware.

 

[ThrallMind]

Picture yourself as a inmate in a jail cell. What would give you more credit and

what would be more astonishing, borrowing your cellmates old cards and

performing some eye popping illusions with some old used cards, or bringing

out a deck of guardians and doing magic with them?

If I'm in jail, my problems are far worse than trying to gain "cred" by using my cellmates deck.

And you laugh at the sticky card thing...but I've had someone hand me a deck of snoopy cards which was dropped in dirt, bits of what seemed to be ketchup on some cards, and others which appeared to be stuck back together with tape. There are very few effects that require sleights you can do with this kind of deck...

Anyway, if you can't amaze people with your own props, you may want to work on your performance and/or audience management. (Not saying you said this was an issue, just felt like it had to be brought up.) I love to carry a deck of cards around. That way I am always ready to perform.

-ThrallMind