talkmagic.co.uk

I totally agree.

I think to define oneself as a magician is perhaps to unfortunatley take away the much respected hard work behind the scenes and skills when as you say people ask if you do kids parties... its a shame yes but i see magicians becoming more respected and popular again in the 21st century and not just some geeky hobby

"Laurence Morland, Mildly Amusing Performer"

My current business cards just say "Mind Reader", and I feel entirely comfortable handing them to people despite the fact that lately I've mainly been doing visual magic.

Actually I think "Sleight of Hand Magician" sounds a million times better than "Magician". I don't think I could ever feel comfortable being referred to as a "Magician" as it has some cheesy connotations. "Sleight of Hand Magician" sounds quite classy. And it makes it clear that you're not there to desperately try to prove to people that magic is real, as you've admitted that it isn't real.

Jing wrote:I'm a magician, because I do magic!

I never use the word sleight of hand, because that's the method. If people have a method (even if they don't know the specifics) then it's not magic.
You certainly wouldn't say, 'Hi I'm an IT technician." Would you?

Consider which is best...
That guy is good with cards, or that guy just did something impossible - he did magic!

Telling people that it's sleight of hand doesn't prevent them from EXPERIENCING the performance as magic.

The old name of 'Conjurer' might be due for a comeback - not so much baggage associated with that term although it does immediately create a picture in my mind of a guy poking a magic wand into a top hat trying to find a white rabbit.....

Mandrake wrote:The old name of 'Conjurer' might be due for a comeback - not so much baggage associated with that term although it does immediately create a picture in my mind of a guy poking a magic wand into a top hat trying to find a white rabbit.....

Agreed. It's a lovely word.

And it's almost too ridiculous to come across as cheesy or pretentious or anything like that.

Does anyone know of any close up performers who refer to themselves as illusionists? I don't as far as I recall. Though I don't know a huge amount of magicians. I think the word sounds really pretentious but I can't say that there aren't any performers who can use the word and make it work for them. I'm just interested to know.

Laurence Morland, Conjurer

Acolophon wrote:There is another thread in this forum about how to approach people. This is a perfect example of what not to do. This man, I won't call him a gentleman, never mind a "magician", approaches a young woman, supposedly a stranger to him, and asks her to take part in some kind of 'experiment'. He talks about her 'feelings'. The impression given is that she should separate photographs of people she feels good about froom the ones she doesn't like for some reason and, having done this, he blandly shows that she has separated living people from dead people.
Was anyone surprised that there was no response. The poor woman was in shock!

I think Paul Curry would agree there was nothing wrong with the handling of his trick but the presentation was dreadful. The trick itself is one of the best il magic but this presentation was disgusting.

Come to think of it, I've never liked "Living and Dead Tests" anyway!

Absolutely.

I'm sure there's a good reason why DB chose to use an undertaker. L&DTs are creepy. They could make someone feel really uncomfortable. An undertaker is likely to be someone who can deal with it without just feeling genuinely disturbed or uncomfortable.

Of course, that won't be the only reason he chose an undertaker. Spooky, setting etc.

That DB show was The Seance so living or dead was probably more appropriate than at 'normal' events.

===============================================================================================
Online thesaurus offered these synonyms:

Take your pick!

Mandrake wrote:That DB show was The Seance so living or dead was probably more appropriate than at 'normal' events.

===============================================================================================
Online thesaurus offered these synonyms:

magician: Part of Speech: noun

Definition: person who performs supernatural

Synonyms: charmer, conjurer, diabolist, diviner, enchanter, enchantress, exorciser, exorcist, feats or tricks archimage, fortune-teller, genie, genius, illusionist, marvel, medicine person, medium, miracle worker, necromancer, prophet, satanist, seer, shaman, siren, soothsayer, sorcerer, spellbinder, thaumaturge, theurgist, trickster, virtuoso, voodoo, warlock, witch, witch doctor, wizard

Take your pick!

Charmer! Perfect.

Or:

DIABOLICAL CHARMER

I suppose my wanting to be called a 'Genius' would be expecting a bit much? Thought so

Mandrake - half bloke, half duck.

Mandrake wrote:That DB show was The Seance so living or dead was probably more appropriate than at 'normal' events.

The show I saw him perform it on, OOTW presented as a L&DT with the undertaker, was one of the "Tricks of the Mind Control" shows, or whatever it was called, the show where there's just two of the three serieses on DVD. At the end he looks at the undertaker and says:

"That was... that was... out of this world!"

Actually I once performed OOFW (cards version) in Wetherspoons for a lady friend who certainly does not know the trick, and at end she looked at me and said: "Wow, that was out of this world!"

Mr Grumpy wrote: At the end he looks at the undertaker and says:

"That was... that was... out of this world!"

I was sure that was Seance... I have the DVD in my attic lair, must go view it sometime.....

Seance was with a bunch of students, if I recall. And we all know that students do not hang out with undertakers. Like chalk and cheese! (Or oil and water?)

This was the show that had Stephen Fry as a guest (though it may not have been the same series).

OK, ta!

(Mandrake now nips into his secret tardis, goes back in time to change the format and content of all the DB shows, thus making his memoriies of who did what, where and when, correct..... harr, harrr :twisted:

)

Um.

*scratches head*

I don't quite know how to put this, but it turns out...

Hmm.

Yes, I've just re-watched the DVDs, and you were right all along.

I could've sworn...

I think I'm losing my mind!

talkmagic.co.uk

the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician

Re: the term magician