" I woudlnt be a magician if I told you"


well, I would, but a bad one lol

thats clever I usually just say, NO! and if that doesn't work I curse em out, and if that doesn't work I kill em, and throw em in the furnace.
and if that doesn't work, I just say "could you stop asking, I'll never tell you"


I'm also going to try that secret thing thats pretty good.

I recently had a great idea for responding to "How did you do that?"

Get some blank bicycle cards...10 or 15 will do. On the back of each one write the name and pertinent information for various magic books and resources, one on each card. Eg. Royal Road to Card Magic, Mark Wilson's Compete Course, Magic for Dummies, etc, etc. Include the title, author(s), publisher, ISBN #, even the call number if it's available in the local library.

The next time someone asks "How did you do that?", take out this pack of cards, shuffle it, and ask them to pick one. Tell them to turn the card over and read it. When they do, say "Thats how I do my magic. Go check it out if you're interested!"

This gets the point across that some research, reading, learning, and PRACTICE are required to do what you're doing, and lets them know that they can learn too! (Learning...heh! must be the teacher in me coming out again!)

There you go. Whaddaya think?


Sean

well sean, if they were a heckler, they'd buy the book to insult/heckle other magicians. I doubt someone would take it for themselves, or for their own good.

nevermind, i take the last part back.... about taking it for their own good.

Sigh! See, I have this inherent belief in the hidden goodness of people! LOL


Sean

sean, is that a good thing

I would hope so

Excellent idea! It'd be interesting to know how many people follow up on the info you give them.

See, here's what you do... Get some friends who are roughly big in size, and when the spectator asks, you just say,
"I don't know, talk to the people who taught me" pointing to the big guys,
and add in, "Oh by the way I had to fight them to get it out of them, and I admit it wasn't easy"

Thats not bad, but here's the problem. They might keep that card, take it to the library, check out the books, and then come back to you and spoil secrets in front of everyone... It could happen. But i like the idea of blank cards. But perhaps say something else on the front.

There's an even bigger problem. You tell them magic is just a bunch of clever tricks that anyone with enough time on their hands can can do. Anyone who thinks this is a good idea, is, no offence, never going to get anywhere as a magician.

I'm sorry but it's true. If you don't realise people don't ask how did you do that because they want to know, but out of surprise and other things. On or two might want to know but if you hand out a playng card with a title of a book and you say "i read it in there" You spoil it everyone who suspended their belief to believe what you did was real magic.

Not many people believe magic is real. We must make them suspend their belief to believe it is real. By handing out a playing card and saying you read it form there, if they did suspend their belief for you they will be p****d at you for turning around and saying "ha ha you fools, it wasn't magic, just a clever trick. Anyone can learn it, in fact here you go get this book and you to can be a magician." That's not what magic is. If you think otherwise you have no place for magic and you give magicians a bad name.

Sorry for coming across very strongly but this is a serious thing. I do not want people running around giving magic a bad name! I might eventually perform for these people and they will say "yeah, you read it in a book, a magician told me" To which i would of course reply "If he told you that he isn't a magician, he's a trickster."

Sean, i know you gave me your opinion on this on another forum but i thought i'd write this for people on this forum too.

If you want some advice on the subject of "How did you do that?" Go here... http://www.penguinmagic.com/discuss/vie ... sc&start=0 Scroll down to my post. If you havn't already read this i strongly suggest you do. It will help you with you magic and i include a way to reveal a thought of card to get across what i mean.

I do not teach you any funny or clever replies, and that's the point. You should make them not ask the question in the first place! If you do what i describe in the link above, i guarantee you no on will ask "how did you do that?" If they do they obviously havn't been paying attention. I explain this using a thought of card but it needs to apply every other effect you do too.

For those who use the reply "Very well thank you." or "Very well don't you think?", and also for thoses who don't use this, because of reasons they know and don't wish to go into, i offer a suggestion.

When a magician says "Very well thank you" or "very well don't you think?" It's very smug, and kind of like "i'm very clever arn't i! . Trust me, your audiance don't like this.

If you do an effect where it is apparant the magic happened in the spectator's hand, when, and if they say "how did you do that?" simply say "i didn't, you did. And from what i thought you did it very well./ don't you think?" It's make you look less like a smart a*s, and gets the laugh you're looking for. Saying "very well thank you." won't get you a laugh. They may laugh at you but not with you...

I'd just like to add that I obviously wouldn't do this for everyone who says "How did you do that?"

If they are truly interested in magic and performing, I might. If they are acting like an [edited], I would of course treat them accordingly.


Sean

SPEC: "How did you do that?"

MAGI: "If i tell you i'd have to vanish you."