this guy was rude

kenjac · **Posted:** Thu Aug 25, 2005 7:13 am

magicdude84 wrote:

I think the guy was testing how good you are. The problem with most magicians (no offense) is that we have to be in control over everything to get the trick to work, and so very often do we give the spectator any kind of part in whats really going on. For those of you who read "Card Ideas" you know that about half of those effects Simon's back was turned while the spectator cut to a card and shuffled the deck. For those of you who havent been studing your magic history (shame on you), in the vaudville days of card magic, the spectator would return the card to the deck, and the spectator would shuffle, then the magician would find it. It's almost silly to suggest that if you put the card back into the deck, and if you shuffle it, that its magic when you find it. I dont think this guy was being a jerk, I think we wanted to be completly fooled. I try to be as fair as possible when I perform as well, most of the time cards are not selected they are either named, or I riffle very slowly with my head turned away while they call "stop", its very fair and with the right effects, no one grabs the deck. Or maybe the guy just picked up on the fact that you where nervous and decided to give you a hard time. In which case, try not to be nervous or it'll keep happening.

You don't think that he was being a jerk but he think that he was giving him a hard time? Your contradicting yourself a little there.

If the guy forcefully pulled the deck out of his hands and told him that he "blew it", becasue he wasn't getting "completely fooled" then he was being a bit of an childish a**.

magicdude84 · **Joined:** 21 Apr 2005 **Posts:** 929

kenjac wrote:

You don't think that he was being a jerk but he think that he was giving him a hard time? Your contradicting yourself a little there.

If the guy forcefully pulled the deck out of his hands and told him that he "blew it", becasue he wasn't getting "completely fooled" then he was being a bit of an childish a**.

Giving someone a hard time is jerkish, but If he is only giving someone a hard time because they believe they're not satisfied with the performance is somewhat understandable, in this case I do agree was a bit childish. I dont blame hecklers if they have a reason to heckle. This guy obviously overreacted but that does happen in the real world, and you need to be prepared for every possiblity. I remember Mike Close writing in Workers 3 about having lines for every situation, Do you have a line for when someone starts looking up your sleeve or when they start smelling the props. It's definetly something we plan on happening but after it happens, you know you need to be more prepared in the future.

kenjac · **Posted:** Fri Aug 26, 2005 6:42 am

I see your point. We can't blame hecklers if we're inviting them to heckle in the first place.

AlanMunro · **Joined:** 12 May 2005 **Posts:** 431

Get a copy of "Outs, Precautions and Challenges" by Charles T. Hopkins. This book has enabled me to perform under the toughest of conditions. Penguin should be able to special order a copy. It's really inexpensive and a valuable resource, but few dealers carry it. Dealers in my area have stocked it as a regular item, for years, because so many magicians swear by it.

It also helps if you have a good foundation of forces, peeks, shuffles, and other techniques, under your belt. When you have a number of outs for every situation, no one can mess you up.

Globean72 · **Joined:** 01 May 2005 **Posts:** 630

It's been seven years since I posted this, and I haven't looked at any of my old posts since; and I have to say, this is such a nostalgic and incredible experience. It's a second chance to go back and relearn lessons I was not fundamentally equipped in magic to learn back then. I'm picking up a copy of that book "Outs, Precautions and Challenges" and I want to thank you for the advice, to everyone. Looking back at things, it's amazing how much I've grown in magic since.

JohnnyButterfield · **Joined:** 06 Sep 2010 **Posts:** 43

Globean72 wrote:

the employees say to him, hey this kid does magic!!!

I think that this is the problem right here... this is a terrible position to perform from.

Asserting that someone 'does magic' sets the spectator up to judge whether you can do magic or not. It challenges them to find the method rather than to enjoy a performance art.

Might as well give the guy a score card.

malfy · **Posted:** Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:20 pm

Globean72 wrote:

... and he was like ok kid show me what you got, this guy was like 40 and i was a kid, so i already knew something bad was going to happen so i figured i would do a pick a card trick or something...

Which part of this is the specific criteria for "things going bad?" I don't see any reason why anything should 'go bad' other than YOUR mindframe. You are the one who decided before you even began the trick that 'things would go bad.' The mindframe from which you operate in any given situation in life decides what you will get out of that situation.

In my opinion you weren't heckled, but in fact got exactly what you chose. Next time you are performing for a 40 year old man, I suggest you keep in mind that YOU are magic while he is not. You can in fact perform miracles that will inspire awe in the hearts and minds of your spectators despite their age and skepticism. Even the worst 'hecklers' can be shot down by awesome magic tricks when you have a strong frame of mind and are completely unwavering in your resolve.

this guy was rude

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