Why haven't we yet?

So a popular soap box for magicians to stand on deals with people doing un-original work or taking their bits.

Why hasn't someone taken this painted it red and ran like hell with it yet?!

Think about it... What if someone would adopt a weird al type character of magicians whose act is parody of other popular magicians acts or known stunts/styles? It could have potential if done correctly
 

formula

Elite Member
Jan 8, 2010
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People are doing it. I know there's Criss Blaingel or something who is quite successful in the states. As with anything, it's just whether they meet the right people that can springboard them in to the public eye.
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
Rob Anderson got very well known doing his Angel act :) It would be interesting to see a Weird Al of magic though, not really my thing but it may have potential like you said.
 
Sep 2, 2007
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London
I think the reason we haven't got a really famous magic parody act is because we've got very few really famous magicians. Most of the jokes would be very "in", and therefore wouldn't have mass appeal. The five or six really recognisable magicians don't comprise enough of a repertoire for a full-time parody act.
 
Dec 18, 2007
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Northampton, MA - USA
There's been several such acts including full mime parody (Vitto Scotty . . . watch the old Gilligan's Island series, Vitto was the mad scientist with the monkey who wanted to steal Gilligan's brain, he was in several WWII films as well).

Several Tribute type spoofs have been done such as the famed Sigmund & Freud bit done by two Castle Jrs. back in the 80's and John Carney's classic impersonation of Dai Vernon (priceless!). . . that reminds me, I think it was Dean Hankey and a chum of his that spoofed Teller's SHADOW routine (yea, the one that's causing all the hype of late). Instead of a Rose it was the body parts of an assistant that would fall off as the shadow was sliced up. At the end of the bit Penn bursts through the white backdrop with a chain saw scream'n "No One's Going To Take My Act!" it brought the house down.

When it comes to "bad" performers there are many little puns set into various acts that are 100% "inside" gags that the public and for that matter, many a magician outside the pro circles, wouldn't get. You have to remember, magic is a politically driven beast so stepping on toes can be dangerous if not fatal to one's career.
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
I went to a youth competition where Bill Abbott MCed. As per competition rules he wasn't allowed to do any magic so he performed trick after trick, gag after gag. It was very funny, the only problem is that many of the jokes were things that would be funnier to magicians than lay people. At one point he performed smash and stab without anything under the cups. He also performed a vanishing ketchup bottle never actually vanishing the bottle. I thought it was great for magicians but I'm pretty sure that many of his jokes would have fallen flat to a lay audience.
 
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