Teenage Boys, The Hardest Audience?

May 31, 2008
1,914
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I posted this on the Ellusionist forums a while ago and got a lot of responses. Members here have been complaining about the lack of good threads, so I'll post the same thing here.

Well it's been said many times that children are the absolute hardest to impress. Don't get me wrong, children are no cake walk but I beLIEve that teenage boys are the hardest to perform for.

Being a teenage boy I know that we half to be the toughest, and the best. That's why almost everyone I perform for tries to ruin my effect. This rarely happens now that I've practiced audience control, (I once performed Indecent for 20 people) but they still try.

Some Examples:

I once had a guy knock the bottle out of my hand while I was performing Bullet.

During an ACR I had a guy grab the cards out of my hands to look through them.

While shuffling the cards during a card effect (I think it was the Biddle Trick, but I don't remember) a spectator (teen boy) knocked the cards out of my hands.

Those were only a few.

Some might say that the reason for this is because I'm presenting my magic as a challenge.

Let me put down this argument before it starts. Yesterday I asked a guy on my baseball team if he wanted to see a trick (not in those words.) The first thing he said was, "Alright, I'll figure out how you do it." Nuff said.
 
Jun 10, 2008
1,277
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You little stalker!
It's the "I'm king of the world" thing that we all go through. Teenage years is when our egos are at its highest. So yes, teenage boys will be hard to perform for.

However, i have performed for many people at my high school. Most of the time they are all boys. But none of them have really done anything to ruin my tricks. This is simply because i have a little reputation as being a good magician, so people usually don't bother to challenge me. Normally when i perform for people, it's usually one of my friends who introduces me to a group of his friends and says "Hey, this kid's gonna show you some magic" and once some guy said "Aw man, magic tricks? Come on!" But my friends simply said "No man, this kid's legit. Just watch." Needless to say i amazed them.

I've even perform for a group of seniors once (i'm a freshman) and they all participated very well.
 
This is simply because i have a little reputation as being a good magician, so people usually don't bother to challenge me.

I've noticed that reputation does have an impact on your audience. That's why I like to start off with a hard hitting, yet easy-to-do trick, to get the audience thinking, "this guy is for real," and then continue with more, and then they are less likely to heckle.
 
Dec 1, 2008
354
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Ottawa, Ontario
Maybe I've just been lucky but I perform at school often and have never had a problem with anyone (actually once but was a girl). When a problem person starts pointing things out or being disrespectful the rest of the spectator's will usually shut them up (which I'm thankful for). Really the rest of the crowd is the best way to deal with hecklers of any age, I've found anyway.
 
U need to learn to manage the group.
you have to show them that you are in charge, that you arnt some pushover.
yea we are magicians, but we dont havta be weak.
WE shouldnt be worried about a bunch of punk teenage "boys" ruining our magic. WE need to be the "MEN" (and "WOMEN") and be in control. It doesnt get much easier.
If they start to act up, we can leave. we dont need them. there are Billions of People in this world we can perform to. And Billions who are more mature then they are.
So why give up self respect or dignity to punks. if they wanna try to screw up the trick, then they can loose the trick.
we control the situation.
not them.
make sure they know that.
 
U need to learn to manage the group.
you have to show them that you are in charge, that you arnt some pushover.
yea we are magicians, but we dont havta be weak.
WE shouldnt be worried about a bunch of punk teenage "boys" ruining our magic. WE need to be the "MEN" (and "WOMEN") and be in control. It doesnt get much easier.
If they start to act up, we can leave. we dont need them. there are Billions of People in this world we can perform to. And Billions who are more mature then they are.
So why give up self respect or dignity to punks. if they wanna try to screw up the trick, then they can loose the trick.
we control the situation.
not them.
make sure they know that.

"I happen to have 5 snipers trained on your head right now. You're either going to be an idiot and try to screw up the trick, which will cause immediate action on my part. Or, you can keep your mouth shut and keep your head. Savy?"

Take control! lol.
 
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Being a teenage boy I know that we half to be the toughest, and the best.

Amen. I am a freshman too and when I first started performing, people did try to do that, but what I would do, was I would mold my trick around their insults and attempts to try and mess me up to produce an even more insane result than if they hadn't tried to mess me up!

Only, the best, most invisible sleights are for me; anything else will get me found out. Fortunately, I am always on top of my game.:p

(oh btw, here's an example of when I produced a better result)
I was going to do a vanishing card trick (of my own invention) and I was performing to my best friend. Well, she had a buddy there who wanted to look, "cool" and once she picked the card, he snatched them back and shuffled them EXTREMELY throughly (for about 2 minutes :eek: ) . Then he said, "If you're so good, why do you need the deck back so quick? Now find it!" he said.
I then proceeded to slam the cards against a nearby trophy case, where the card appeared on the other side of the glass and is still there to this day.
That one booty-hole pretty much made my reputation what it is today.
So I would like to say to that booty if he's listening: Thank you booty! :D
 
Jul 2, 2008
125
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I'm in grade ten; trust me, once you hit high school this will stop. Most guys dont want to ruin it, they want to go OMFG DID YOU SEE THAT?! with all of their friends and talk about it in math class. I know what you mean, they're very skeptical in younger years. Just make sure you get one EXTREMELY strong effect/routine that you can never be caught on, and perform it. Do a card force to impossible location and they'll stop bugging you forever. (ps. make it a good force!)
 
Mar 2, 2008
412
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The rep factor does make a differnce.

After practice somone wanted me to do magic, so i did some coin effect and then they wanted me to do cards ( Had no cards at the time) luckly some upper classmen had a deck and they amazed and not mean at all!

They still say hi to me to this day.
 
I posted this on the Ellusionist forums a while ago and got a lot of responses. Members here have been complaining about the lack of good threads, so I'll post the same thing here.

Well it's been said many times that children are the absolute hardest to impress. Don't get me wrong, children are no cake walk but I beLIEve that teenage boys are the hardest to perform for.

Being a teenage boy I know that we half to be the toughest, and the best. That's why almost everyone I perform for tries to ruin my effect. This rarely happens now that I've practiced audience control, (I once performed Indecent for 20 people) but they still try.

Some Examples:

I once had a guy knock the bottle out of my hand while I was performing Bullet.

During an ACR I had a guy grab the cards out of my hands to look through them.

While shuffling the cards during a card effect (I think it was the Biddle Trick, but I don't remember) a spectator (teen boy) knocked the cards out of my hands.

Those were only a few.

Some might say that the reason for this is because I'm presenting my magic as a challenge.

Let me put down this argument before it starts. Yesterday I asked a guy on my baseball team if he wanted to see a trick (not in those words.) The first thing he said was, "Alright, I'll figure out how you do it." Nuff said.
don't trip...even david blaine goes through this as well....hell, people always try to figure out stuff when i do my effects...there will always be this or these certain people that will never give you credit for anything...thats the reason for effects such as silver dream...fraud....pressure....etc...to make even the toughest of none beleivers beleive....

i was watching david blaine one night in vegas pull off an ACR effect...this guy took his top card....right out of his hand.....totally messed the whole thing up...those are not the people you want to be perfroming for....

i have this ACR effect called PRESENT'S PAST....i specifically for tough crowds.....i start with one card...i end with one card....i let the spectator sign that one card....i use a sneaky method that allows them to hold one card again but i show more.....when it hit their hand in the same motion it changes...i will fill you in more on this effect if you pm me...

but the point is...if you are doing effects for tough crowds....perform magician foolers....do so...i really wouldn't perfrom for people like that if i had the choice....but somtimes we have to do what we have to do...

man i hope this helps....if you need anything else just pm me or post it...

p.s. i had to let you know..i'm a college student.....i perform for student, guest, nerdy " i know it all" porfessors.....however i also perform for the kids at my borthers high school......i can feel your pain.....what you should do is practice and choose ur aduience wisely....
 
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Jan 18, 2009
146
1
I almost always start off with Blueprint by Chris Kenner. In my experiences this blows everybody away because of a few factors, makes you look like an amateur, they think they succeded in messing you up, and has such a good kicker ending that it will usually shut them up for the rest of the time.

I would reccomend this to anyone as an opener as to really setup a good mood for any teenagers. I'm 18 but I have built a good rep around school and when they asked to be impressed I try my hardest not to dissapoint.

What type of audience control do you use so that they don't take crap out of your hands? I keep my distance or do gator boots :D.
 
I almost always start off with Blueprint by Chris Kenner. In my experiences this blows everybody away because of a few factors, makes you look like an amateur, they think they succeded in messing you up, and has such a good kicker ending that it will usually shut them up for the rest of the time.

I would reccomend this to anyone as an opener as to really setup a good mood for any teenagers. I'm 18 but I have built a good rep around school and when they asked to be impressed I try my hardest not to dissapoint.

What type of audience control do you use so that they don't take crap out of your hands? I keep my distance or do gator boots :D.
u r right keep the distance...but when you do body magic such as i do....they have to be upclose.....

ur audience control matters and mature people.....

it makes no difference for those who just gotta make a point that magic is fake....you are no special than them...

to cut that out...i never say that i'm a magician...or a do magic tricks...i always say that i'm going to try to do this or i'm going to try to make this happen...it doesn't work everytime...i try to make myself a novice at all times...until i have them sucked it....

ur audience control depends on how great ur angles are and how much you show them....when performing my LIVING PROOF....i am able to pull off the complete vanish and show both hands....however the item is always right under their nose and they never see it...

so by showing them stuff and letting them do tasks is a way to stop them from grabbing, and being so curious.....i let them half way perform and when the effect is done...you have them looking stupid...thats always classical....

TNR is one that they never suspsect....fraud leaves them speechless....i pulled off frozen....and these kids swore that i was Satan himself.....i got a couple of levitations i do....u should hear the stories they say about me...some guy asked me who was my tai chi master...of course i gave him this whole song and dance about how they teach us stuff in martial arts class...
 
What you are lacking is a skill in audience control. I wouldn't let a spectator walk over me like that in my act.

Just like a double lift, it's a skill that you'll aquire with experience.

It's not that any one audience is particularly harder than another to perform for, it's just a certain list of do's and don'ts you learn to apply to a situation once you've realized you've gone into it.
 
Jul 14, 2008
936
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This is a great discussion post you got there. I agreed with you that some teenage boys are very hard to tough to perform out there. Considering that I am only a high school experience, most people know me a good reputation and most of the times, they don't try to heckle me which is good. I agreed with some of the members that reputation affects you and defines for who you are. As long as you respect people, they will respect you and your magic as well.
 
Nov 10, 2008
149
0
Upstate NY
It's all about audience management,if you can't control the audience, you are pretty much... That guy with tricks!

I'm actually personal friends with Mark Mason... who is amazing in person, not so much on the Videos, but here is the quote...

"If the Audience likes you... any trick will amaze... if the audience hates you no trick will change their mind about you."

It's all about your performance, if your not a good performer no matter what trick you do, they will still not like you.

This also has to do with hecklers as well... if the heckler doesn't like you, their gonna heckle you... no doubt about it!
 
Well, I'm in 8th grade and I think that when you do perform for some people, they want to spoil the trick to kind of gain some attention if they do. It's a make or break for them, they can spoil the trick if the magician performs kind of rusty OR they can be totally embarrased if the magician prevails over the stubborn kid.
 
Jan 1, 2008
70
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i think its mainly the teenage boys who are around all of their friends and want to impress them, True story: I was performing for a group of people at my school and I decided to close with my ACR, there was one kid in the back who was burning me like no other, so i decided to do my finale (hand to mouth) for him, when he looked up and saw the card in my mouth he got really angry and kicked me in the "family jewels" and ran away...WTF
 
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