What is your favorite wrong explanation you've heard?

Antonio Diavolo

Elite Member
Jan 2, 2016
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As a high school student, no matter how a trick is performed, I almost always have a spectator who is skeptical of how it is done. I've found it's usually the kids who think very highly of themselves and will try to explain it. The funny part is, usually they have the most ridiculous explanations for the trick that are much more complicated than the real solution.

There's one guy I know who has done it twice in my years of knowing him. In third grade, I performed that sort of "boomerang" illusion for him with the two curved pieces of paper that seemingly change size. His explanation was that the boomerangs were made of gold. He said that since gold can be flattened out and will increase in size, they were made of gold and all I had to do was put pressure on them. Years later, I performed the invisible deck for him. He was very suspicious of the fact that he had to say the card he was thinking of out loud. So his explanation was that the box contained a microphone and electronics that would recognize the sound of a card and flip that specific card over.

I've also heard people say I used heat reactive cards for color changes and gallium for coin vanishes.

It seems that they're often based on some sort of cool science facts they read about online.

Some may say that this is because I'm not good at performing and people immediately think that it's explainable. Although I don't claim to be a great magician (I'm not), as I mentioned before it's sort of the skeptical nature of teenagers. Plus, I find it to be kind of a good thing that the first thing they jump to is ridiculously complicated.

Online with other magicians it's even crazier. I've seen comments where one person accuses the magician of using demons and then someone corrects him saying that people like David Copperfield have figured out how to access 100% of their brain and can manipulate reality. And then someone corrected him saying that it's called "chi".

Anyway, what's the craziest thing someone has ever said as an explanation for one of your tricks? Was it overly complicated or did they downright think it was real magic like Arthur Conan Doyle did with Houdini? Let me know!
 

Josh Mickelson

Elite Member
Apr 26, 2016
85
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Utah
I get absurd explanations for tricks all the time, but the one single trick that seems to cause the most absurdity is Invisible Deck, as Antonio said. I get a lot of explanations along the same sort as you've had, with some kind of voice recognition and mechanical method of flipping a card over.

I've also heard people say I used heat reactive cards for color changes . . . It seems that they're often based on some sort of cool science facts they read about online.

SO TRUE! I've had people blow, rub, squeeze, shake, or otherwise manipulate my cards in the hopes of seeing how the "chemical change" worked. I haven't heard any accusations about gallium yet though - maybe that means I need to practice my coin magic more :p
 
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010rusty

Elite Member
Nov 12, 2016
1,284
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LA (Lower Alabama)
I did a simple key card effect, where I found the card by just waving my hand over the spread out pack and I was accused of when I turned around I spread through and counted each and every card in under 3 seconds so I knew which card was missing. I came so close to saying "yeah, it's taken years of practice and skill to be able to count each card that fast". I wanted to take advantage of the situation and make it look like I am more skilled than I actually am.
 
Apr 16, 2017
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I did a simple key card effect, where I found the card by just waving my hand over the spread out pack and I was accused of when I turned around I spread through and counted each and every card in under 3 seconds so I knew which card was missing. I came so close to saying "yeah, it's taken years of practice and skill to be able to count each card that fast". I wanted to take advantage of the situation and make it look like I am more skilled than I actually am.

I did a simple key card effect too, "Do as I Do" with one deck. After I performed to my friends and found the chosen card, they grabbed the deck in lighting speed, scanned through the back, and measured the size of the card like an x-ray machine(they suspected the deck is gaffed).

They didn't explain like most of you guys have experienced, but their actions told you what they think.
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah

For this, people have thought that my buddy climbs out the window, runs into the corner, walks out the door (that door is just leaning against the wall, it doesn't go anywhere) and people have thought that it was a camera trick. All of these are pretty far from flung from the explanation.

My favorite was that they thought he had climbed up into the rafters. The image of this guy trying to get in between my basements floor joists is hilarious! I don't think he could touch the ceiling if he jumped :)
 
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Mar 15, 2017
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For this, people have thought that my buddy climbs out the window, runs into the corner, walks out the door (that door is just leaning against the wall, it doesn't go anywhere) and people have thought that it was a camera trick.

Sounds like something I'd do to escape school.:cool:
 
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Oct 12, 2016
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Utah
Huh...I think you're on the wrong thread.
I think he's joking. As in, someone actually correctly called him out on a double lift. I had that happen once too, it was embarrassing. I managed to think clearly enough to use the KM move to ditch the double, but I didn't know how to finish the trick without trying to set the same thing back up, which at that point was very awkward.
 
Mar 15, 2017
239
251
I think he's joking. As in, someone actually correctly called him out on a double lift. I had that happen once too, it was embarrassing. I managed to think clearly enough to use the KM move to ditch the double, but I didn't know how to finish the trick without trying to set the same thing back up, which at that point was very awkward.
Ah okay, thanks
 
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Antonio Diavolo

Elite Member
Jan 2, 2016
1,098
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California
I get absurd explanations for tricks all the time, but the one single trick that seems to cause the most absurdity is Invisible Deck, as Antonio said. I get a lot of explanations along the same sort as you've had, with some kind of voice recognition and mechanical method of flipping a card over.



SO TRUE! I've had people blow, rub, squeeze, shake, or otherwise manipulate my cards in the hopes of seeing how the "chemical change" worked. I haven't heard any accusations about gallium yet though - maybe that means I need to practice my coin magic more :p
Although I don't own the trick yet, my friend still believes that Liquid Metal by Morgan Strebler is done with a Gallium fork
 

Antonio Diavolo

Elite Member
Jan 2, 2016
1,098
883
24
California
I get absurd explanations for tricks all the time, but the one single trick that seems to cause the most absurdity is Invisible Deck, as Antonio said. I get a lot of explanations along the same sort as you've had, with some kind of voice recognition and mechanical method of flipping a card over.



SO TRUE! I've had people blow, rub, squeeze, shake, or otherwise manipulate my cards in the hopes of seeing how the "chemical change" worked. I haven't heard any accusations about gallium yet though - maybe that means I need to practice my coin magic more :p
One more thing, another common explanation I've heard for the Invisible Deck is that I use subliminal suggestion to make them think of a specific card.
 
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