what about patter

Feb 1, 2017
229
235
Exactly. Your script is beyond cringeworthy. The goal is to entertain your spectators, not embarrass them using your position as an entertainer. Avoid going for the cheap reaction, go for meaning and true emotion.

Hmm. I just performed it and it slayed. Granted you're from a different time, different friends, and different humor. The cheap reaction is what I was going for. I wanted to play with the idea of fragile masculinity. Not every performance has to be incredibly meaningful. Sometimes it really can be just for fun.

I respect your view on magic. You're one of the most intelligent people I've come across on a public forum; however, your view of how magic SHOULD be displayed is deeply rooted in what I find to be old school. Which is okay. Sometimes flashy, visual magic with no importance or meaning is fine. Why should they care? Because it looks cool. It is eye candy. Because it's funny. We're talking about butt holes and d***ks. We're around friends (This is why I said who you are performing for matters. I know who I am performing for and I know what will get reactions).

A lot of old school magicians think a lot of things that newer magicians do or say doesn't work or is wrong (true in a lot of cases). That your way is the only and best way. You guys remind me of the old guys at the gym who say, "Oh Lebron isn't better than Wilt Chamberlain or Michael Jordan. The game was way more physical back then. He would of gotten eaten alive."

...yeah sure...

lebronflex.jpg
 
Dec 4, 2017
2
2
Totally depends on your style. For example, my style is giving the deck to the spectator so most of the magic happens in their hands. So I'm usually giving directions on what to do maybe even sneaking in corny joke or two. A good way to practice is to get stuffed animals (don't ask why I have so many) and perform a trick to them. I got this tip from David Williamson.
 
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Jul 26, 2016
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The stuffed animal idea just tickled my funny bone!

Somehow I'm not surprised it was something suggested by Williamson.

BTW, I think it's an indication that you're doing something wrong if the stuffed animals heckle you.

Happy New Years everyone!
 
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RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
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Hmm. I just performed it and it slayed. Granted you're from a different time, different friends, and different humor. The cheap reaction is what I was going for. I wanted to play with the idea of fragile masculinity. Not every performance has to be incredibly meaningful. Sometimes it really can be just for fun.

I respect your view on magic. You're one of the most intelligent people I've come across on a public forum; however, your view of how magic SHOULD be displayed is deeply rooted in what I find to be old school. Which is okay. Sometimes flashy, visual magic with no importance or meaning is fine. Why should they care? Because it looks cool. It is eye candy. Because it's funny. We're talking about butt holes and d***ks. We're around friends (This is why I said who you are performing for matters. I know who I am performing for and I know what will get reactions).

A lot of old school magicians think a lot of things that newer magicians do or say doesn't work or is wrong (true in a lot of cases). That your way is the only and best way.

I agree that who you are performing for matters. Your original post said you were performing for a stranger not for friends. My original comment was from the viewpoint of performing for an audience of strangers who have come to see you perform. I'm not offended at the mature theme and language - there are times and places where that is appropriate. Granted, the script doesn't have any appeal to me, but that is a matter of taste. Rather, I'm more offended at magic presentations that seemingly degrade the person assisting you and making them feel uncomfortable. Maybe that is OK among friends, but not a larger audience.

I've performed the sponge ding dong for married friends and the presentation is about paying attention in magic and in life. The line before the final reveal is "do you know the best way to have your husband pay attention?" I've actually performed the Baffling Bra for my in-laws with a tongue-in-cheek presentation about how a dove is supposed to appear and asking my father in law to think of the white color of the dove, then to think of the dove symbolizing pure love and then to think about the love they shared on their wedding night. When the bra appeared between the silks, everyone laughed together. The implied is always stronger than the explained.

My viewpoint is not necessarily old school, unless you go back to David Devant. I think old school is the boxes with the dancing girls (read Dariel Fitzke's works), the corny jokes, the meaningless prattle of explaining what you are doing, the Vaudeville-esque showmanship, etc. My thinking comes a lot from Eugene Burger, Jeff McBride, Robert E. Neale, Larry Haas and others that emphasize the meaning in magic. There is nothing wrong something that is flashy without meaning. There is nothing wrong with something that is whimsical, silly, edgy, heartwarming, unsettling, thought-provoking, etc. A performance should consist of different textures. Look at a good move - there are moments of suspense, moments of emotion, moments of humor, moments of meaning and moments of really cool special effects. A magic show should be like that.
 
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