Hey guys in T11 land,
Let me tell you a little story that will (hopefully) help you realize something about magic, IF you don't already know it.
Tonight I was at a bar that I always go to. I performed there earlier, but I decided that tonight is THE NIGHT, where I'm going to perform as much as I can, and with as much energy as I can. It went ridiculously "good". There were cards, coins, sponge balls, rubber bands, ropes, rings etc... And also there were screams, running out of the bar, jumping up and down, laughing, REACTING. I swear I could sell tons of DVD's if I put all of that and sell it as 'performance only' DVD. Reactions were even more mad than the ones on Wayne Houchin's and Daniel Garcia's DVD's. People were buying me drinks all night, met a lot of new people. It was the "best" performance ever.
If so, than why the quotes on "good" and "best"? What was wrong if reactions were mad?
Well, exactly that... People were coming and congratulate me on "how fast and skillful I was", they were congratulate me on how "I'm so good, they couldn't figure anything out". Do you start to see where I'm going with this?
It's not that I FAILED magic, it's that I failed MAGIC. The ONLY reason I got those reactions is because I'm that good with my sleights. Which, once again is not MAGIC.
If people tell you that you are so good that they didn't figure anything out, you failed MAGIC.
If people tell you how skillful and fast you are, you failed MAGIC.
If you get a question "How did that second red sponge ball appear in my hand, is it you or is it the ball?", you failed MAGIC.
After that I realized that I have some serious cutting down on sleights and effects to do. Even the most famous effects and sleights need to be thrown out of my repertoire. Yes, even double under cut and clipshift. You may argue with me on this one, but if you "fiddle" with the cards half a second longer than you usually do, or start ANY cuts or shuffles, you lost the MAGIC. If cards need to be cut to emphasize that their card is lost, let them do it.
Maybe I'm just a little paranoid, but I want my magic to be as clean as it can be. The strongest magical effects that I perform involves a key card principle and pre setup of the deck (ie. Out of this World). And guess what, they get the strongest reactions, which is not running out of the bar, but their jaws in their lap, and their mind wide open.
Just think about it, why is mentalism so strong (given the same level of presentation as with magic), because it is almost sleightless. No one is going to tell you how fast you are after you read their mind, but if they were holding two kings, and now they are holding two aces, they are going to tell you that you are fast.
So I would like you to think about it for a moment, go through your effects and sleights, and think about what you need to throw out that makes people think that you have skill and fast hands. Example, if you put their card in the middle of the deck, and it is not instantly on top, WITHOUT any cover and ANY hand motions, it is not MAGIC.
I will leave you with one taught in mind: if you cannot do the effect in slow motion, don't do it. Just think about it...
Ok, I know I fill get flamed for this, but before I do, really take a moment and think about what I said, and than reply.
Best of all,
Toby
Let me tell you a little story that will (hopefully) help you realize something about magic, IF you don't already know it.
Tonight I was at a bar that I always go to. I performed there earlier, but I decided that tonight is THE NIGHT, where I'm going to perform as much as I can, and with as much energy as I can. It went ridiculously "good". There were cards, coins, sponge balls, rubber bands, ropes, rings etc... And also there were screams, running out of the bar, jumping up and down, laughing, REACTING. I swear I could sell tons of DVD's if I put all of that and sell it as 'performance only' DVD. Reactions were even more mad than the ones on Wayne Houchin's and Daniel Garcia's DVD's. People were buying me drinks all night, met a lot of new people. It was the "best" performance ever.
If so, than why the quotes on "good" and "best"? What was wrong if reactions were mad?
Well, exactly that... People were coming and congratulate me on "how fast and skillful I was", they were congratulate me on how "I'm so good, they couldn't figure anything out". Do you start to see where I'm going with this?
It's not that I FAILED magic, it's that I failed MAGIC. The ONLY reason I got those reactions is because I'm that good with my sleights. Which, once again is not MAGIC.
If people tell you that you are so good that they didn't figure anything out, you failed MAGIC.
If people tell you how skillful and fast you are, you failed MAGIC.
If you get a question "How did that second red sponge ball appear in my hand, is it you or is it the ball?", you failed MAGIC.
After that I realized that I have some serious cutting down on sleights and effects to do. Even the most famous effects and sleights need to be thrown out of my repertoire. Yes, even double under cut and clipshift. You may argue with me on this one, but if you "fiddle" with the cards half a second longer than you usually do, or start ANY cuts or shuffles, you lost the MAGIC. If cards need to be cut to emphasize that their card is lost, let them do it.
Maybe I'm just a little paranoid, but I want my magic to be as clean as it can be. The strongest magical effects that I perform involves a key card principle and pre setup of the deck (ie. Out of this World). And guess what, they get the strongest reactions, which is not running out of the bar, but their jaws in their lap, and their mind wide open.
Just think about it, why is mentalism so strong (given the same level of presentation as with magic), because it is almost sleightless. No one is going to tell you how fast you are after you read their mind, but if they were holding two kings, and now they are holding two aces, they are going to tell you that you are fast.
So I would like you to think about it for a moment, go through your effects and sleights, and think about what you need to throw out that makes people think that you have skill and fast hands. Example, if you put their card in the middle of the deck, and it is not instantly on top, WITHOUT any cover and ANY hand motions, it is not MAGIC.
I will leave you with one taught in mind: if you cannot do the effect in slow motion, don't do it. Just think about it...
Ok, I know I fill get flamed for this, but before I do, really take a moment and think about what I said, and than reply.
Best of all,
Toby