I think that's great (the one about the birthdays)!

~Z

I just do what cyril does.

"you like it?"

lol i should say that whenever my brother asks me that (it gets on my nerves)

I always say: "If I tell you they will kill me."

Can you keep a secret?

Yes, yes!

Well too bad!

i picked this up from criss angel.

first off, dont just do a trick, seem like your really doing this, present your tricks as a supernatural happening. when they ask how you do something, just stare at them with a small smerk, maybe even tell them that "its magic" you dont want the idea that you just did a trick or illusion, you never say let me do a trick. begining, middle, and end of a trick, you want you audience to believe that what you did is completly real. and for the non believers, they can try to explain your trick till they are blue in the face, but there is never 100% evidence.

when someone says, "How did you do that?", I say "MAGIC!!!!!!" it works for me.

If you have card stunts by Gregory Wilson his whole routine is based on"mis-direction" although he doesn't use it. In his jack and ace transpo he says "Ireach for a drink and thats the misdirection" (not that it is but your spectator doesn't know it.) You can also put comedy into it as he did by saying"I reach for the cocktail waitress, get slapped, and that is the misdirection"

When a spectator asks how did you do that, it is kind of a compliment that shows their amazement and curiousity. But if they ask I just say "a good magician never reveals the secret".

If someone asks me how I did a certain trick, I just say "practice"

through years of tedious practice and self denial......

This is a question I get asked the most I reckon and I've a couple of answers I use as stock.

"Practice" is my favoured answer, usually followed by the question "where do learn it all" answered by the truth.

"You know I can't tell you that" is often used as well, I feel it's polite enough while still maintaining the control of the situation.

"I've honestly forgotten" is the one I'll use if I wish to be a little more dismisive. If someone pesters and I can tell they're being irritating over appreciative (as someone pointed out quite nicely a few posts ago, lots of times this is a question asked in a kind of not-sure-what-to-say-to-the-magician-but-want-to-say-he-was-really-good way) then I just think about it for a few seconds and say with a sigh, "I've honestly forgotten, sorry". If they ask again I just keep it up til they get bored.

32

Just say, " I watched the Illusionist..."

whew.

"Spam
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***EDIT***

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