One time I did the appearing 8 foot wand aNd some1 said that there was an inter-dimensional portal in the bottom of the bag and onlya teeny tiny bit of wand is in this dimension, I grab that end and pull out the other 7 and 3/4 feet of wand out of the other dimension and into this one, I gav her the bag and she got pissed and was all like "This is a different bag, you switched it,NYah" (I added the NYAH). ANd I was all Like:




STOP SPAMMING WITH MASSIVE SPACES PLEASE!!!!^^^^

My friend did the Rising Card and this girl claims that the card box contains an elevator!

I did Two card monte on a friend, and said I would explain it to him. I told him he never saw the Queens, and that he was seeing things. He said "Oh" and took it quite seriously. My other friend, who knows magic also and knows the trick was like
I also did a modified Version of Paul Harris's Invisible Palm and told everyone that I had invisible thread in my blood that could carry cards. One girl went, "No! You just threw the card 20 feet away(sometimes I do it that far, Just for kicks), and it somehow landed perfectly on top!"
My friend once again

Ok, well I was doing the trick where you make the card disapear in your hand, and well I waved my hands over eachother then did it, and I told the people that what I do is this: I put the card, quickly may I add, in my other handing, making impossible for them to see, and of course most people buy it, and some even say, "Of course, how could I be so stupid." Or "Let me try, if you can do, I can do it" and of course, they can't and always say something like, "Well you're a magician, you have no social life, so all you do is practice" Of course I always come back with a witty response to someone like that, But anyway, after I tell them that, I say watch this one... That's the beginners way to do it... so I do it again, and then crush the block hand, and then open it for everyone to see, then they all look at my other hand and lo and behold there's the card.
But I always get a chuckle when people try to do the trick themselves

well i did the hummer card and this kid went around telling ppl that i use magnetic hand cream and everyone bought it. and i was like o god here it goes again so i had to wash my hands before i did the trick next time and finally everyone didnt belive him

No one should have believed him. That is the dumbest thing to say. Magnetic hand cream... get a life.

Sorry, but honestly.

ya i no i was amazed everyone beleived him

EDIT (Khuldrin's post may not make as much sense as it once did because I've changed my post): From a magician's standpoint, far-fetched explanations are rather funny. However, from a spectator's point of view they are merely a way of allowing the spectator to "build the logic boxes back up again" after you have just destroyed thier views on what is possible and what isn't. However, if a spectator gives a perfectly reasonable explanation, like the Professor's Nightmare ropes being stretchy, you've got a different situation on your hands.

It's always much better to disprove all theories of how a trick is done before you do the magic. It's like with jokes: you set the joke up and deliver the punchline last. Consider:

"Why did the man cross the road? To get to the second hand shop! ... Oh, and he only had one hand to begin with."

The joke is destroyed by disclosing valuable information after the punchline. It's the equivilent of:

"I put your card in the middle of the deck and it jumps to the top. And all the cards are different."

Obviously it's more powerful an effect to show the cards as being different before you do the magic.

Usually you should be able to second guess what explanations people might come up with, like Professor's Nightmare using stretchy ropes. In that case you should go all out to prove that the ropes aren't stretchy before you "stretch" them. Then let's say that after a performance someone says that you switched the ropes. Take that comment on board and next time you do the trick, casually mention that you're not switching the ropes and let the audience see that you're not.

There are special cases in which I tell the audience the secret I want them to believe before I do the trick. With Killer B I'll say that I can force the spectator to pick a certain card using psychological techniques. I handle the cards obscurely, reposition them, stick one or two out, hide others and use strange language like, "Now, you have a completely three choice of cards". This secret is much more impressive than the real one and everyone walks away happy.

Lawboy, I agree with what you said about listening to the proposed theory of "I know how you did that!" but only if it isnt going to interupt the show.
If it is convenient to listen, you may be getting some pointers on if something truly needs more practice or routining (as in your Prof Nightmare example) one does not need bring up the proposed idea to new participants of the effect, unless it works in your favor for their entertainment pleasures.
I do not feel one needs to disprove anything, especially if it is so far fetched of an idea as the "magnetic handcream". I mean if they want to believe that, offer some swampland in the desert, the brooklyn bridge, the goldengate bridge for sale real cheap. Perhaps tell them that the word gulliable is not in any dictionary (and if they come back to you to prove you wrong on that, have them read the definition!) Why waste the time or energy to satisfy one know-it-all when the others were amazed, amused, and mystified? By attempting to disprove anothers theory, one just sets themselves up for a debate and possible argument.
Now, if I am in the middle of a performance and someone says "I know how you did that!" I will smile, wink (they are now an allie), and say "SHHHH... don't tell me, I am still trying to figure it out myself."

Although probably the best "I know how you did that!" said to me while doing some close up had to be, and I quote "You're using sleight of hand!" There was no come back that allowed itself other than scratching my head and continuing on.

SPEC: "I saw that!"

MAGI: "That's what i wanted you to see..." (In a very dramatic fashion.)

i did the hummer card and they said i had an Anti-gravity belt.....

I did the stealth pen in one of my classes, my friend has the trick (and he sucks at performing it too) and he brought it to school. I "borrowed" his pen and done the trick and some girl accused me of folding a duplicate dollar and palming it really fast in my hand, (we're talking about a signed dollar here with the signature in plain sight when I stab it) I played along with it and pretended to put the duplicate in a binder. She searched that binder for the longest time and then she said that she had no idea where I put the dollar but it was in there somewhere.

i was doing die-cipher for my family and they were pretty amazed. then i gave it to my sister and as soon as she touched it shes like "oh i know how he does it, its because its a weighted die" i laughed because of course a brass die is heavy..and that was the worst explantion i heard for how i can guess their number. also with the stealth pen i often get accused of a fast bill switch.

lastly my brother always heckles me so i did recap(off of on the spot) and when i vanished the pen (behind my ear) he wanted to search the entire room for the pen and i laughed cause it was behind my ear..

After a Bio test in school, most of the class was done with their tests, cept some kids.So i took my pen apart and took out the spring, then i did "The Raven" on it. Most of the kids were shocked, but one kid said that i just pushed it off the desk. So i chuckled and said o yah? I opened up my pen again and the spring was magically re-placed. (more like i have two springs, but no1 needs to no that)

i did the raven on a nickle on my bus and they said that i had a magnet implanted in my wrist by surgery and the coin went through a slit im my wrist wich closed up when i was done. The one day i did spun and they said that the magnets were making the coin float and bend