Okay, regardless of who I perform for family members or friends, if my younger brother is there (he's only a year younger) he ALWAYS has to be a heckler. No matter what he'll always say oh you have a ball there or oh, i know how he does that. I practice in front of him because no one else can take the time to help me in my angles besides the mirror. But as I mentioned he always has to ruin the trick and I get extremely aggravated. I mean if I am watching another magician and I spot their moves I simply smile to myself and enjoy the show, but no my brother has to always ruin it and truly is starting to bother me. I mean I know this is what hecklers are in essence but any advice on a heckler of a brother? Thanks in advance.
Special Heckler
- Thread starter magiknick113
- Start date
Ok..since he is your brother and you see him as a special kind of heckler....then you give him a special kind of treatment...more...straight forward...
get a trick that is a magician fooler and perform it for him and others and then taunt him when he cant figure it out 
Smack him and tell him to shut up before you put a Texas size boot up his (insert expletive here)!
It's your little brother and he's a heckler. This is the case with all little brothers. Be thankful for it. It's good practice. Be thankful it's him heckling you and not your other people you perform for.
I disagree with most of the advice here (I'm not sure what Luis had in mind, so I don't disagree with that).
Hecklers want attention. Little brothers want attention. Little brothers that are hecklers want attention.
Ask him if he wants to learn magic and perform with you. Have him be the spectator in effects where it looks like the spectator performs the magic. Whatever you do, make him you ally. Talk to him. Explain the problem and work together to find the solution.
All the other advice makes him want to heckle you more. Do things that make him want to heckle you less.
Hecklers want attention. Little brothers want attention. Little brothers that are hecklers want attention.
Ask him if he wants to learn magic and perform with you. Have him be the spectator in effects where it looks like the spectator performs the magic. Whatever you do, make him you ally. Talk to him. Explain the problem and work together to find the solution.
All the other advice makes him want to heckle you more. Do things that make him want to heckle you less.
He wants attention. Give it to him.
Find one of his baby home-made videos where he gets potty-trained, and put it up for everybody around to see. Massive projector, if possible.
It'll shut him up.
Or, I like to take a moment of silence. Direct everybody's attention to him, tell them to stare at him because he wants attention. It works every time.
Find one of his baby home-made videos where he gets potty-trained, and put it up for everybody around to see. Massive projector, if possible.
It'll shut him up.
Or, I like to take a moment of silence. Direct everybody's attention to him, tell them to stare at him because he wants attention. It works every time.
I don't think you should perform in front of your brother just to "test" on him. There are other ways to practise your sleights. Mirror and a video camera are great methods to spot your own mistakes.
I used to have the same problem with my brother, at first i thought it was just because he hated me (not really its just...you know "sibling rivalry )
But then i found out that wasnt the case. You see, I used to "test" my effects on him but the thing is, i used to try them after maybe a day or two or practice. So when I performed for him, it wasnt really a "performance", since the things I tested would be new controls and sleights, I'd just say something like
"Watch the card, its in the middle...Now its on top"
Since the sleight wasnt executed well,it was easy for him to figure out what was going on. Anyway, thats not all, the MAIN reason why he wasn't at all entertained or impressed was because he wasn't participating at all, I was paying more attention to executing the "move" than i was to him, which made him lose interest.
But then the other day I performed a trick for him and some of my cousins, like really "performed" with proper patter and everything,
Later that night after they left, He said "That was a really neat trick! although I did kind of figure out what was going on, You did it very well. Good Job!"
The point is, he (and the others) was so engrossed in what i was saying, he didnt want to interrupt. So try performing with proper patter and stuff, also try effects which make HIM feel like hes doing all the magic, like an 'x' card changing to a selected cards in HIS hands.
Hope this helped
- Jenai
)But then i found out that wasnt the case. You see, I used to "test" my effects on him but the thing is, i used to try them after maybe a day or two or practice. So when I performed for him, it wasnt really a "performance", since the things I tested would be new controls and sleights, I'd just say something like
"Watch the card, its in the middle...Now its on top"
Since the sleight wasnt executed well,it was easy for him to figure out what was going on. Anyway, thats not all, the MAIN reason why he wasn't at all entertained or impressed was because he wasn't participating at all, I was paying more attention to executing the "move" than i was to him, which made him lose interest.
But then the other day I performed a trick for him and some of my cousins, like really "performed" with proper patter and everything,
Later that night after they left, He said "That was a really neat trick! although I did kind of figure out what was going on, You did it very well. Good Job!"
The point is, he (and the others) was so engrossed in what i was saying, he didnt want to interrupt. So try performing with proper patter and stuff, also try effects which make HIM feel like hes doing all the magic, like an 'x' card changing to a selected cards in HIS hands.
Hope this helped
- Jenai
Reality One is absolutely correct in this situation. Your younger brother wants and needs attention. Involve him in the magic or help him begin to learn some effects of his own.
He will see how it takes practice and how to take pride in himself. He will also realize that it probably isn't "fun" to ruin your effects because he'll have first hand knowledge of the time and effort put into being able to perform.
My 5 year old son is beginning to do the same thing. What did I do? I took him to the local magic shop and bought him a magic stiff rope and a finger chopper and showed him how to properly practice and perform them. He loves the idea that now "he" can do magic too when people come to the house.
Its a "win win" situation.
He will see how it takes practice and how to take pride in himself. He will also realize that it probably isn't "fun" to ruin your effects because he'll have first hand knowledge of the time and effort put into being able to perform.
My 5 year old son is beginning to do the same thing. What did I do? I took him to the local magic shop and bought him a magic stiff rope and a finger chopper and showed him how to properly practice and perform them. He loves the idea that now "he" can do magic too when people come to the house.
Its a "win win" situation.
I think it depends of the situation...when I was saying a different kind of situation, since he is your little brother..obviously he doesn´t know he is doing wrong by revealing your tricks...and thus I don´t consider it a heckled...he just want to do what you are doing....so you can teach him something and you two can become partners in magic...
but If someone like you older brothers start doing the same thing, lets say I have 24 and my 22 brother starts heckle me..then I use a different approach since he knows he is doing wrong...and sometimes you use a more aggresive or tough approach with him...of course you talk with him first as my dad says "you give him some chances to stop bothering you...1 is to ask him politely, 2 is to be more straightforward and third...well, you know"
this doesn´t mean I am heckled by my brothers..in fact they sometimes have my back, because I was doing a trick and it was angle sensitive in my back and a dude wanted to step behind me and my brother just stand behind me, before he did it...sweet!!
but If someone like you older brothers start doing the same thing, lets say I have 24 and my 22 brother starts heckle me..then I use a different approach since he knows he is doing wrong...and sometimes you use a more aggresive or tough approach with him...of course you talk with him first as my dad says "you give him some chances to stop bothering you...1 is to ask him politely, 2 is to be more straightforward and third...well, you know"
this doesn´t mean I am heckled by my brothers..in fact they sometimes have my back, because I was doing a trick and it was angle sensitive in my back and a dude wanted to step behind me and my brother just stand behind me, before he did it...sweet!!
Just honestly tell him it pisses you off. My girlfriend does the same thing, she can spot me so well and it gets so annoying. Just tell them it bothers you and for him to stop
This doesn't apply to your brother so much, but certainly to people who have posted about their friends.
Show your respect to magic, and they will respect magic as well.
Who's ever heard of a woman dancing around and hitting a deceased person with a wand at their funeral*?
It's about respect.
*Actually, I have. Yes, this actually happened. She was later caught and interviewed by police. Said the woman, "It felt like the right thing to do at the time."
Show your respect to magic, and they will respect magic as well.
Who's ever heard of a woman dancing around and hitting a deceased person with a wand at their funeral*?
It's about respect.
*Actually, I have. Yes, this actually happened. She was later caught and interviewed by police. Said the woman, "It felt like the right thing to do at the time."
