Alright ... the phrase all spectators say after just watching an awesome trick, "How did you do that?!?"

I have the best response to that ... You kinda whisper to them, "Can you keep a secret?" And of course they will say yes, then you say in normal voice, "well ... so can i!" and just kinda joke around with them.

I've used this line for so long and i love it. I love the look on the spec's face when you say the punchline. It just pumps me up.

"It pumped me up so hard that i rammed my head into my dog and we both screamed."

-Robert Hamburger, realultimatepower.com

I'm also pumped up because i got BORN TO PERFORM!

Nice, it is a great punch line that makes people not like you for saying it, but love the trick lol ... but dont over use it. People will start hating you.

It's nothing new. The same thing has been said over and over again on this site. Personally, I would never say something like that. It makes you look stuck-up, and just gives you a bad persona.

I second that, fallingblood. Here's my in-depth analysis on why that is a bad line.

The line reinforces that the secret of the trick is important, whereas the job of the magician is to try and make the audience care as little about the secret as possible, and accept the trick at face value. It is only when the audience looks at a trick in this way that it becomes truly magical. That line brings them down to earth and strengthens the idea that what you did was not magical but mere trickery.

When someone treats a magic trick as a puzzle, they expect an answer (the secret) to be provided for them, and they will end up resenting the magician when one is not given.

The way the line is delivered is often in a mocking "I know the secret and you don't" tone. All this does is distance the magician and spectator and allows them to identify less with you. This opens you up for heckling and insults.

There are a number of other, more mature ways of responding to that question, but the more advanced magician will realise that the best thing is to learn how not to be asked the question in the first place.

ok for one i cant stop laughing at that quote from Robert Hamburger, and second, the quote might not be good, but it works once in a while, and if your friends with the spectator theyre not going to be mad at you for it.

i say either, can you keep and secret, or, i dont know...but if you find out can you please tell me??? or if they ask how did you do that???

just say very well thakn you

Sometimes I say "I dont remember" and calmly walk away. Ha, its usually when I walk up to a random person at a resturaunt and do a card trick. One time when I was at Boston Pizza with a couple friends I was the alst to pay my tab, so when the waiter was getting that all sorted out I did a trick for the people at the table next to me. After words, when "howd you do it?" was said, I used my line and then as I walked away I mumbled (loudly) "where was I sitting again?" and just awlked around the resuraunt until I saw that the waiter was looking for me. I thought it was quite funny.

When ever I'm asked "how did you do that" I tend to use one of my canned responses that vary depending on the situation.
I will use for example:
"You want to know something, I have NO clue how I do that. Serious. I don't. I wish I did, really I do".
"How did I do that? I hope I did it well. Want to see another one?"
"With great care and practice. You guys want to learn a trick? Let me show you this one then I'll tell you the secret". (I then show them a wonderful presentation of a simple public domain trick using a key card and then show them how to it)

Cheers,
Adam

nice...

I got this from some guy on a Sankey DVD...

When they ask, "How did you do that?"

You kind of lean in and lower your voice and say, "The question isn't 'How Did He Do It', You should be asking yourself... Why did he do it?"


It's a nice point, It confuses the spectator a little and puts the question back on them.

If the spectator goes away thinking about your reasons for doing the trick then it will cause them to think about the trick itself, they think about you, and it reinforces the magic in their head.

Nice that makes so much sense if you look at it from the specs point of veiw
usually i just recount the trick if asked how i do it you know somthing like "well i had you select a card then the card was put in the middle of the deck then i snaped my fingers and it was on top" or something to that effect, i havnt really looked at it anylitically but it seems to work most of the time

Ive tried lots of those, but somehow they dont seem to calm down and usually theyll just ask again (sometimes they laugh a little but they ask again invariably) and keep pestering.

the line i came up with, and that has really worked for me is:

If even after the show has ended they keep asking, i take them apart somehow and seem to agree to what their asking, then:

I ask them their full name.

I repeat it

Then i ask them when were they born

I repeat the date (if its too close to the current date then i say ill do it again if they invite me to their party or some other thing, if its a reasonable time in the future, i proceed)

Then i smile and say: "Now i know what would be an incredible birthday present for you"

Usually they laugh at this point....and most often than not, they take it as a joke and dont ask again

In the few instances they keep pestering, i just tell them to ask me again in their birthday and ill teach them then,

the secret is to tell them that i wont teach them if they ask any other day than their birthday. This (at least for me it has) creates the impression im doing something very special for them and they feel as if we were sharing a secret of some sort

Of course by the time their birthday comes they forget all about this (or i never see them again :p)

This has saved me lots of trouble and i use it to get rid of annoying people, only one person has ever remembered (out of the dozens ive used this with) i was genuinelly surprised that she remembered all that time and taugh her the trick,

As a certain level of real interest and commitment was needed to remember, i figured i could rule her out as not being the "spoiler" type so i showed her. On top of that, (as i not only showed her but taught her.) it was presented as a gift (a birthday present more specifically)... or a personal favor if you may, which resulted in her considering it to be something special and her keeping the secret (which she did and has)

That's a wonderful way to handle that situation. Thank you for sharing, nighle.

That actually is really good. Thanks for sharing.