theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards
What is a purist?
- Thread starter kcardum
- Start date
Well umm...
Dictionary.com is your friend... there really wasn't a point in putting a whole thread for this lol, anyway, r u gonna ask them to close it now...?
Dictionary.com is your friend... there really wasn't a point in putting a whole thread for this lol, anyway, r u gonna ask them to close it now...?
Oh comon, give him a break.
Its a fairly legit question man...
A purist when talking about magic, would be someone who would stay away from most magic effects where a gimmick item is used.
They would achieve their effects using sleight of hand in most cases.
Hope this helps!
I was going to mention you man!
We were actually having a discussion on this subject last night.
There are many benefits of being a 'Purist' but in ways it can also decrease your opportunities.
There are much less 'Pursits' in magic these days. But without gimmicks we wouldnt be able to achieve so much.
I'm a purist too, at least for card magic.
Basically a card purist is somebody who doesn't use any gimmick cards and duplicates. I think a purist also doesn't setup for an effect, he just culls the cards in front of the spectators on the spot.
A purist doesn't carry a deck of cards on him, he justs starts the room as nobody, borrows the cards, kills everybody with it, and walks away.
Basically a card purist is somebody who doesn't use any gimmick cards and duplicates. I think a purist also doesn't setup for an effect, he just culls the cards in front of the spectators on the spot.
A purist doesn't carry a deck of cards on him, he justs starts the room as nobody, borrows the cards, kills everybody with it, and walks away.
A purist is someone more concerned with his own pleasure than that of his audience.
Brad Henderson
Brad Henderson
Lets not all jump aboard the insult train. I think about the audience much more than I do of myself, but I feel that if I use a gimmick to achieve my reactions, then they are false reactions.
So, you are more concerned with how YOU feel, than your audience.
That's what I said. Where is the insult?
And Corey, the defensiveness must have caused you to overlook that I never said there was anything wrong with that. Me thinks thou protests too much!
Why is it that you read it as an insult? Maybe words are like mirrors...
Anyway, I know of one talented creator that has 100 methods for almost any effect you can name. Most of them are impractical and would be hard to make entertaining, but that's what makes him happy.
What's important, though, is that he KNOWS what makes him happy and he doesn't pretend it is anything more or less than it is.
In other words, he doesn't go out and foist these problem solving experiences on real people. He doesn't go on internet forums and give advice on performing - something he knows nothing about. He doesn't sell overpriced DVD's promoting his self indulgent ideas as the thing that will make you great.
Nope, he is happy doing what he does.
But he is more concerned about his own pleasure than his audiences. (Unless you define his audience as HIM.)
Audiences don't know methods, nor should they care about them. All the audience cares about is the impact of the effect. Now, method affects effect. (Thank you Sam Schwartz.) So, to put a limitation on possible methods without considering their potential impact on effect is to willing privilege something the audience neither knows nor cares about. It is something that ONLY you care about. Heck, it is something only you KNOW about. You have decide to make what you care about more important than what the audience cares about.
So, by definition, a purist is someone who put his own pleasure (and concerns) above that of his audience (- But will probably never have the courage, honesty, or self confidence to admit to it.)
Brad Henderson
That's what I said. Where is the insult?
And Corey, the defensiveness must have caused you to overlook that I never said there was anything wrong with that. Me thinks thou protests too much!
Why is it that you read it as an insult? Maybe words are like mirrors...
Anyway, I know of one talented creator that has 100 methods for almost any effect you can name. Most of them are impractical and would be hard to make entertaining, but that's what makes him happy.
What's important, though, is that he KNOWS what makes him happy and he doesn't pretend it is anything more or less than it is.
In other words, he doesn't go out and foist these problem solving experiences on real people. He doesn't go on internet forums and give advice on performing - something he knows nothing about. He doesn't sell overpriced DVD's promoting his self indulgent ideas as the thing that will make you great.
Nope, he is happy doing what he does.
But he is more concerned about his own pleasure than his audiences. (Unless you define his audience as HIM.)
Audiences don't know methods, nor should they care about them. All the audience cares about is the impact of the effect. Now, method affects effect. (Thank you Sam Schwartz.) So, to put a limitation on possible methods without considering their potential impact on effect is to willing privilege something the audience neither knows nor cares about. It is something that ONLY you care about. Heck, it is something only you KNOW about. You have decide to make what you care about more important than what the audience cares about.
So, by definition, a purist is someone who put his own pleasure (and concerns) above that of his audience (- But will probably never have the courage, honesty, or self confidence to admit to it.)
Brad Henderson
i amnot a purist, i am in fact the polar opposite, i believe in using any means necessary to achieve the desired effect. essentially, a purist is somebody who will shy away from using gaff cards, gimmicked decks, contraptions or gadgets of any kind, in his magic. notable purists would be bill kalush and ed marlo. notable non purists, would be jay sankey, richard sanders, luke dancy, and paul harris.
Chr!s
Chr!s
Ed Marlo used gimmicked cards (e.g double facers and backers, roughing fluid ) AND gadgets (e.g Marlo's Lap Index, Marlo's Shelf ) AND setup decks ( a Marlo version of spectator cutting and turning over the aces, 2 or 3 methods done with a full deck stack )
According my knowledge, Ed Marlo carried "stranger cards" with him, what he means by this is extra cards that he add to a borrowed deck and do his magic. They include normal cards ( duplicates ) and gaffed cards. ( this particular piece of information I got from reading David Solomon's book Solomon's Mind, written by Eugene Burger )
Bill Klush, I didn't study his work, I didn't know he has material published?
Cheers Chr!s ,
~ Feras
Quote: if I use a gimmick to achieve my reactions, then they are false reactions.
I really like that. Mind if I quote that?
So anyway, I believe a purist is the master of impromptu magic. He requires no setup or special equipment. He can walk into a room, read minds, make thoughts appear on his arm, stop his pulse, and walk out completely clean. The purist doesn't even need a deck of cards to do powerful magic. Everything he needs he borrows from his audience, thus adding to the strenngth of the effect. I know this because I am (for the most part) a purist.
(though I still carry distortion and 5 speed with me
)
I really like that. Mind if I quote that?
So anyway, I believe a purist is the master of impromptu magic. He requires no setup or special equipment. He can walk into a room, read minds, make thoughts appear on his arm, stop his pulse, and walk out completely clean. The purist doesn't even need a deck of cards to do powerful magic. Everything he needs he borrows from his audience, thus adding to the strenngth of the effect. I know this because I am (for the most part) a purist.
(though I still carry distortion and 5 speed with me
)
That may sound awesome, but it's completely false in every aspect. Your audience doesn't know whether you used sleight of hand or gimmicks... how are they false reactions? And if you want to delve deep into it, they are reacting to your performance, not the trick. So if you get false reactions, it's your fault, not whether or not you use a gimmick.
I find it ironic that your avatar is a playing card ... And you carry distortion and 5 speed, maybe you're not a purist after all.... ( according to your definition of purist )
A purist in the trade means someone who doesn't use any setup, the cards are shuffled, coins are normal, no gimmicks or dups used.
As for the term "false reactions", no comment.
its the gimmicks reaction? No comment.
No it's not. The gimmick is just a prop. Just like your cards, your coins. If you want to play along those lines, purists, then we can do that. If you use any props at all... paper, pens, cards, coins, napkins... anything, I could easily argue that the reactions were the prop's reactions. Without them, you couldn't do the magic you do. Same with me and the few gimmicks I use. I couldn't achieve most of those effects without a gimmick. So are the reactions you get your props'? No! They are yours! Claim them... they are yours! The gimmick may be a tool to help you get those reactions, but the audience is clapping for you, not your props or your gimmicks (which they don't even know about!).