What do you do when you need a gimmick for a trick and you showed it to yours friends a couple of days ago and they tell people about it. Then the people they tell want to see it, but you don't have the gimmick with you. What can you say?


For example:
I did the quarter bite for a couple of my friends and then different friends found out i could do that, so they asked me one day, but i didnt have the gimmick and just said i didnt want to.

So i need something to say when i dont have a gimmick with me and they want to see the trick b/c they have never seen it

I'll tell you what I did. I went and got a root canal and had it snap off so that I could get a crown. Then, when I didn't want to do it, I just show the tooth and say that the dentist recommended against it. It's a very expensive solution, but it worked for me.

Let's be serious, exodus.

The same thing happens to me all the time. Try these:

You guys mind if I do it tomorrow? I hurt one of my teeth yesterday.
(Have a convincing back story for how you hurt your teeth: bit a spoon/walked into a post, whatever)

I only do that one every now and again, cause it hurts my teeth.

I can't do that one right now, but why don't I do this. . . (insert something with cards) (Don't you dare say you can't do magic with cards)

Ideally, you should be able to do magic without gaffs. Look into some tricks with regular coins and cards.

I hope that helps.

I'm being completely serious. That's how I managed to get out of the situation.

You're kidding. . .

Oh. . . man. . . sorry. . .

seriously, how can this be a problem? It's obvious that no human can bite
through a coin without some trick to it.

unless you're trying to check your friends into thinking you really have supernatural powers, and somehow they actually do believe you can start worshipping you. Otherwise there is no problem in saying you can't do that today because you're not prepared.

and I don't mean saying that you didn't bring the gimmick coin, is not prepared because you need to do warm up and practice exercises, much like rehearsing for a speech

I disagree. Never say you're not prepared. They should not believe you have to "get prepared" to perform magic. It doesn't matter whether they think it's possible for a human to bite though a quarter. jonathanb510 gave some excellent ideas. Use his or come up with your own. But make it somewhat believeable without saying, "Oh, I didn't bring that effect with me today". That's just like exposure. As much as I hate to refer to David Blaine, in Street Magic when he was doing levitations, someone asked him to do that levitation thing. He just said that he couldn't, acting out of energy, and the spectator filled in the rest by saying, "It takes a lot out of you".

Exactly creecy.

In fact I use that excuse so I don't have to da the Balducci twice.

I do the same thing when people challenge me to levitate stuff, if I have no thread.

I tell them that it is much harder to levitate an object over which I have no control, but I will try anyway. I then get my hands close to the object, shake them violently, and (when you're sure they are focusing on the object instead of you) just blow it off the table. Well, looks like it couldn't handle the energy. Sorry.

I sort of do the same thing with hurt my teeth thing. I have braces, so I just say my teeth hurt because I was at the orthodontist last night. Obviously if you don't have braces you can't use that excuse. But if you do that's a really good one.

I dont think this is a large problem, I will usually just act lethargic and say something along the lines of " Im not the entertainment tonight" people usually understand that you sometimes just cant be bothered to perform for anyone who demands it, it's your right really.

Hmmmm... Some interesting advice given and some very good ideas, though IMHO why not take a 'bite' out of a coin?
1) Borrow a coin from person. Have them mark it if you want.
2) "You know how many germs are on this thing?" as you wipe it on your shirt sleeve.
3) Do a french drop and 'pop it' into your mouth and swallow.
4) Open your mouth and show coin is gone and say, "Sorry, I had a real small lunch and I was still hungry. But dont worry, it will pass."
5) Reproduce the coin from wherever you want and hand it back.

OR

1) If you have a nickle in your pocket and as you get it out (dont let them see it) ask to borrow a dime.
2) Switch (your favorit method) the dime for the nickle and bring it to your mouth.
3) Click the coin on your teeth and then hand them the nickle... hehehehe you bit the coin in half!

I know it sounds corny but at the same time, you do not have to make an excuse because you do not have your gimmick. You have shown them something and perhaps it will come across stronger than the coin bite for them since it is completly different than what they expected and not gimmicked.

And remeber, if you use gimmicked cards, learn some things that dont take a gimmick. I have a special rising card deck that I like, yet I know how to do a rising card without it that is completly on the spot and can use their cards.

I hope that these ideas will help.

I have actually flipped out on people when they ask me to do that effect. I don't have the gimmick, and I don't plan on ever getting it, because I do a bite out razor blade instead.

But when someone asks me, if they are friends, and I'm in the right mood, I will go into a rant about how they can't expect me to do magic whenever they want me too and how musicians aren't asked to perform their art wherever they go. Then after my rant, I act as if I calmed down, and I tell them I can do some other effect instead. It gets a couple of laughs, and most people forget about the effect that they asked me to do.