I was just curious why so many people are ok with Penn & Teller revealing magic ticks but they hate when the Masked Magician does it. Penn & Teller have revealed many methods over the years and people seem fine with it. The most recent I've seen them reveal was the optical illusion that some tables are much thicker than they appear.

Why do they get away with it?

This is REALLY OLD news. I suggest you read a bit more about P&T before dredging up this subject yet again.

Penn and Teller get away with it because they present their exposure as magic. Really, after they expose the magic trick, and then perform a magic trick on top of that, the idea that that is really how it's done simply doesn't stand. Basically, it turns out to be one of those sucker effects. People also don't remember the supposed secret because it no longer is a secret.

Also, much of what they expose is simply stuff that they've made up in the first place.

The thick base explanation they used was also a fake explanation. The trick simply doesn't work the way they said it does.

People aren't stupid. They see the weird base and wonder "why" P&T give them just enough to satisfy their curiosity, leading them the proverbial "garden path" only to "turn the hose on them" and fool them anyway.

What impresses me so much is that even though Penn and Teller supposedly "expose" magic methods, it's a complete red-herring to the true method and either way it's VERY entertaining.

The Masked Magician's presentation is flat and his explanations are lame and in some cases ludicrous. (Even one of his television assistants confided in me and told me his close-up skills are horrible).



“Ars Celare Verum”
The Magic & Illusion of Georges-Robert
http://www.mysteryandillusion.com

I believe it.

Actually it was only a fake explanation for their specific trick. But that method is used in many other illusions. And even though that's not really what they were doing it still brings that method to the publics attention.

I still fail to see why Penn & Teller get away with it simply because they incorporate it into their act.

The reason they get away with it because by "exposing" an effect, they are essentially throwing people off the scent. It's a sucker effect. By the time the whole effect is over, no one thinks that their explanation was real.

I think its because they present it in a "Hey, magic doesn't exist so don't be fooled by con-men" kind of way.

The masked magician is just an arse

I see them as exposists I don't care for them at all..You can rationalize all you want to but they are what they are..

This might explain things a bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KSLRjDR4aQ

FYI: If you don't follow the story, Lucy is "Lucifer"

Penn confirms his association with Lucifer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdTrXQg4uLg

"P&T invent secrets to reveal, because the real secrets of magic are so boring and dumb, that you have to invent interesting secrets in order for it to be entertaining." (Jamy Ian Swiss http://mnw.squarespace.com/magicnewsfee ... swiss.html) part 2.

Also their exposure comes in the form of a "sucker reveal," in which they can reveal the actual secret to an effect yet still have people not believe it in the end after the entire effect is over. People assume the secret was just fabricated anyway then.

Have you seen their cups and balls routine?

It took me about five times before I caught on to pretty much everything what they were doing. They do so much misdirection and they do everything so fast that you don't know whats happening. And seriously, they are the only magicians that I know of who do a cups and balls duet. So a lot of what they do cannot be duplicated by a regular magician. The result:

It's a comical routine that doesn't actually provide the answers of how the trick is done. But even the false reveal leaves the audience happily confused and mystified, as well astonished at the skill of the two performers.

It is only "exposure" to a magician who knows what to look for.

I actually like Penn and Teller a lot. Well................ actually I like Teller a lot.

Penn rubs me wrong sometimes, but I suppose thats just part of his character. So from that stand point he's doing his job I guess.

I love to watch Teller, and he's a good magician to boot!

I'm not at all worried that they, "Expose magic" because as has been pointed out, they just use the explanations to confuse people even more. It's the old "Razzle Dazzle Em"


Ted