Wondering how it feels to be the spectator

[The VIP Gentleman]

I can't be the only one who sometimes wonders how it must feel to be the spectator.
Let me explain.

I have never really been into magic. I faintly remember some magicians as a kid, but none of them really stands out in my memory, except David Copperfield. When I was 13 and on vacation in America, my parents took me to a David Copperfield show (I thing it vas Las Vegas, or maybe LA, I don't remember). I just remember thinking "this can't be possible. Magic must be real", but magic was still something that just was just lost in my mind, not ever thinking about it. So I don't really remember what it feels like to actually be completely dumbfounded by magic.

And I have been thinking lately: If I saw someone visibly bend silverware in front of me, what would I feel? If I felt someone tap me on the shoulder, and later be told that they didn't (PK touches), what would I think? If I saw any of the magic (or mentalism, in my case) that I have come to enjoy performing, what would go through my mind? Honestly, I have no idea.

I still see magic which I have no idea how is performed, but it's not the same. Now it's just a race of "now, how can I learn that?". For me, the magic just doesn't exist anymore, they are all just tricks and sleights used to fulfill a purpose.

Does anyone else just sometimes wonder how it would feel to actually experience the magic?

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

There are things I purposely remain ignorant to, just so I can retain some of that wonder. But I understand how difficult that really is. It's hard to turn off "magician brain" and just watch a performance without trying to break it down. Particularly since so many performances are so bad that there's little else to do but figure out the method to pass the time until the performer is done.

I actually wrote a routine around this premise recently. It starts out with, "I'm going to tell you a secret. You see these magicians and mind readers up on stage, and we do incredible, impossible seeming things. But there's something we can't do - we can't be where you are, seeing the show for the first time. We're kind of spoiled by our knowledge, and by the time something is on stage like this, we've probably done it hundreds of times to get it right. The secret is this: We're jealous of you. So I came up with this, admittedly slightly selfish, piece, so that I may share some of the reflected amazement at doing something for the first time."

The reveal on that piece is first done so just the volunteer can see it, and then the rest of the crowd.

 

[Lord Magic]

Not really...I do hate it when seeing a magic performance and wanting to enjoy it, I end up mentally disrobing it.
However, I do this trick *pun intended*--
Before I see an effect I just wanna enjoy, I relax and tell myself "You know nothing of magic. Don't second-guess stuff"
This means if magicians says it's in his right hand, for me, it IS in the right hand, even if I clearly see a false transfer. And it works...and I'm satisfactorily dumbfounded.

If you ever feel that again and my mentioned ''meditation'' technique fails for you, just type into YT "Visual Insta magic" and you'll get to see all sorts of stuff pretty much impossible, because, well, they ARE impossible, if you know what I mean.

I can't be the only one who sometimes wonders how it must feel to be the spectator.
Let me explain.

I have never really been into magic. I faintly remember some magicians as a kid, but none of them really stands out in my memory, except David Copperfield. When I was 13 and on vacation in America, my parents took me to a David Copperfield show (I thing it vas Las Vegas, or maybe LA, I don't remember). I just remember thinking "this can't be possible. Magic must be real", but magic was still something that just was just lost in my mind, not ever thinking about it. So I don't really remember what it feels like to actually be completely dumbfounded by magic.

And I have been thinking lately: If I saw someone visibly bend silverware in front of me, what would I feel? If I felt someone tap me on the shoulder, and later be told that they didn't (PK touches), what would I think? If I saw any of the magic (or mentalism, in my case) that I have come to enjoy performing, what would go through my mind? Honestly, I have no idea.

I still see magic which I have no idea how is performed, but it's not the same. Now it's just a race of "now, how can I learn that?". For me, the magic just doesn't exist anymore, they are all just tricks and sleights used to fulfill a purpose.

Does anyone else just sometimes wonder how it would feel to actually experience the magic?