talkmagic.co.uk

(should that be learnt or learned??? anyway...)

What a total nightmare I had performing New Years Eve. I must have found just about the worst bunch of spectators I've ever performed for.

Things started off ok, performed a couple of warmup tricks at the bar as I usually do and then looked around for anyone who was looking interested. There was a couple sitting nearby, the guy seemed quite interested so I went over to them. I made a silly fundimental error with my first trick, when you ask a spec to cut a random number of cards and then plant a card on top of their packet, always make sure they take a decent number of cards. I usually check for this but for some reason didn't this time and she cut only 3 cards. Even so, the extra card would usually go unnoticed, nope not by this girl. One of my strongest starting tricks went belly up, oh well it happens just get on with it.

Second trick was performed brilliantly (great recovery I thought, pleased with myself) but still the girl is unimpressed "ah it's all just a trick" she says and then the interested boyfriend decides to follow her lead and turns into an *rse. My boyfriend was stood behind me saying "come on Becky, leave it there". Nope I thought I'm going to win them over. My next trick was another disaster, I always keep a gaffed pen in my right pocket and a real on in the left. For some reason, needing a gaffed pen I stupidly pulled out the real one, realising what I'd done, I quickly put it back in my pocket and got the gaff. Too late, girl from hell had spotted it. My last two tricks were performed brilliantly but fell on stoney, cynical faces. I went away deflated to the bar to get a vodka and coke.

Later on I found another group and thought I'd try again. I performed a nice lovey dovey trick on a couple, he was a bit of an idiot and took the * slightly. The trick went brilliantly he was knocked back and obvioulsy impressed, I won the table over. They started asking to see more but I declined, quit on a high I decided. He even came up to me afterwards and said how good the trick was and he was impressed that even though he was acting an idiot, I still performed the trick perfectly.

Not feeling too happy the next day I started to think about what went wrong. I've decided that there are times when you should just cut your losses and quit. There's no point performing for spectators that have no interest. Up until now, I've always had brillianty positive reactions so to perform for someone like that really knocked me back. But I'm going to come up against these people again and again so getting used to them and knowing how to deal with them really isn't such a bad thing. I probabaly learnt more from that one night, than I have from all my other performances put together.

Whenever I have bad nights (and I do...sometimes ) I always hate myself for around 24 hours. Then I get out my cards and run through my routines, looking for any ways to improve them - even if only very slightly. Then I try to figure out or read up on a new "trick" and add it into a routine so that I've something new and exciting to look forward to. Then I give myself a kick up the backside and promise myself to absolutely freak out the next specs I perform for.

I sometimes get a perverse pleasure in performing in front of arsey specs. I think to myself "Yes mate, you're being all clever now. In 10 minutes time you're going to be questioning your entire belief system". Then I really ham up my mind-reader/psychic role and go full on to freak them out. It usually works. Not always of course, but even on the most cynical bum you can often see just the faintest glimmer of uncertainty, and that's enough for me to. A small victory, a small chink in their cynical armour.

Don't let it get you down old girl. Those kind of nights are what makes you the brilliant performer that you soon will be.

learnt...

anyway, yeah i agree...you always learn more from a bad 'un than a good 'un (bit like relationships i suppose)

if I'm doing my card stuff, i always start off with a couple of quick fire self workers...it takes the pressure off me, and lets you concentrate on rapport, story-lines and so on...

it includes rather than shows if that makes sense?! probably not...first day back at work and im rather bleary eyed

anyway, dont let it get to you, it happens to everyone..and certainly don't "hate" yourself for 24hrs...unless you use the anger constructively (its seems you do!)...

thats the only advice i can offer, self-workers while you relax (and the specs too) then up the ante every effect thereafter...

Yeah, sorry - hate myself was perhaps a bit strong! Despise or perhaps loathe would be better!

No seriously - feel a peed off with myself would be more appropriate. But that's just me. I soon get over it though!

As sure as day follows night some people are just ....... (fill in your own coloquial insult)
It is best to just move on and find an appreciative audience. There will be great nights, average nights and bad nights but try to remember the feeling you get from a good night and remind yourself it is the reason we all do this strange activity.
Just last week I was called over to a table in a pub where this lad was with his girlfriend and he wanted to see some magic. I was halfway through the biddle trick (putting piles of cards on his hand) and he just dropped them on the floor, turned his back on me and continued his conversation with his girlfriend leaving me stood there quite confused. Some people are just.........

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Just spent my lunch time shopping and going through each of my routines and looking for any weaknesses. I've now replaced two tricks with new ones and also started working on a PK routine which could be good to use if a group contains a cynic. I'd like to hear their explaination why that compass needle is swinging around all over the place.

I'm feeling very positive about myself again now. Thanks everyone!

It's like they say in stand-up comedy: you have to learn to die first

I had a moment like that a little while ago, i had to do 5 hours at a hotel restaurant and at first everyone was loving it but about 2 hours in i went down to the restaurant from the bar and asked a table if they would like to see some magic they told me to get lost and the next three or four tables in a row said the same i was angry and thought it was something to do with me i took it personally when i shouldnt have, but i found out afterwards that the waiter were not serving the food on time they were serving there food like half an hour late. I went home and thought about it and decided from then on i wouldnt let my business get to me on a personal level and i havent so far yet from that point , Unfortunately there are people out there who are jealous of what you are so decide to attack you but then there are some people that are genuinly not interested but every experiance is a new lesson learned. The suggestion from me would be never give up and always take a positive out of a negative which you did by reliasing a lesson the hard way but at least it is a lesson you will not have to learn again.

I was at ap arty a couple months ago and took my performace gear with me now all these people where firends with a pretty well know magician but they asked me to perform and I did and i totaly rocked.

A couple of weeks latter i done a gig gig and one guy he knew everything i mean everying from shell coins to TT He saw my whole routine well half of it and then i was just thought to my self meh i am getting no where is it me or him i decided it was him, So i set light to a peace of flash paper and left went round to some other peps and rocked. Get out while you are a little ahead i always say.

In this situation there is nothing you can do, but to just walk away. there is no point performing for somone that is just trying to trip you up. don't worry about it, just move on and perform to someone that will enjoy the magic. At the end of the day you are there to keep people entertained.

totally agree with Markdini and Tony on this one. I'd just leave it, swallow your pride and get out. The longer you stay, the more damage it's going to do to your confidance.

Ive always said if people don't appreciate the magic for what it is then they don't deserve to see it at all. Round of applause for your persistence with the uncoorperative(sp?) spectators, i would have just told them where to go

Lady of Mystery wrote:(should that be learnt or learned??? anyway...)

What a total nightmare I had performing New Years Eve. I must have found just about the worst bunch of spectators I've ever performed for.

Things started off ok, performed a couple of warmup tricks at the bar as I usually do and then looked around for anyone who was looking interested. There was a couple sitting nearby, the guy seemed quite interested so I went over to them. I made a silly fundimental error with my first trick, when you ask a spec to cut a random number of cards and then plant a card on top of their packet, always make sure they take a decent number of cards. I usually check for this but for some reason didn't this time and she cut only 3 cards. Even so, the extra card would usually go unnoticed, nope not by this girl. One of my strongest starting tricks went belly up, oh well it happens just get on with it.

Second trick was performed brilliantly (great recovery I thought, pleased with myself) but still the girl is unimpressed "ah it's all just a trick" she says and then the interested boyfriend decides to follow her lead and turns into an *rse. My boyfriend was stood behind me saying "come on Becky, leave it there". Nope I thought I'm going to win them over. My next trick was another disaster, I always keep a gaffed pen in my right pocket and a real on in the left. For some reason, needing a gaffed pen I stupidly pulled out the real one, realising what I'd done, I quickly put it back in my pocket and got the gaff. Too late, girl from hell had spotted it. My last two tricks were performed brilliantly but fell on stoney, cynical faces. I went away deflated to the bar to get a vodka and coke.

Later on I found another group and thought I'd try again. I performed a nice lovey dovey trick on a couple, he was a bit of an idiot and took the * slightly. The trick went brilliantly he was knocked back and obvioulsy impressed, I won the table over. They started asking to see more but I declined, quit on a high I decided. He even came up to me afterwards and said how good the trick was and he was impressed that even though he was acting an idiot, I still performed the trick perfectly.

Not feeling too happy the next day I started to think about what went wrong. I've decided that there are times when you should just cut your losses and quit. There's no point performing for spectators that have no interest. Up until now, I've always had brillianty positive reactions so to perform for someone like that really knocked me back. But I'm going to come up against these people again and again so getting used to them and knowing how to deal with them really isn't such a bad thing. I probabaly learnt more from that one night, than I have from all my other performances put together.

These things happens! It is very difficult to recover from this. The girl was obviously treated by you and percieved you as a rival. Her whole mannerism suggest she just wanted to "get" you.

It is ALWAYS very problematic to perform for a couple. When I perform for couple I am extra careful that the guy (in your case it would be the woman) somehow fell he will benefit from the situation. I might even open by asking the woman, if she realised that her boyfriend have certain magical powers! I might explain that magicians always have to develop a noise for indetifying such a spectator. I will then do something that at least pretent to make "my rival" a star. Alternatively, I might show an effect that shows something about them as a couple! Doc Easons effect where the two different signed cards endup visually merging into a single DF card that is signed on each side.

OK, to be honnest once I messed up real bad time in an effect that was relatively new to me. One of the spectators suddently noticed (correctly) that I was holding an extra card. I simply messed up some of the moves while I had been talking. I excecuted my out by asking what on earth is that the card doing there... Unfortunately this did not get the laughter I had hoped for. I kind of moved on finishing with a simple fast closer that required zero skill. I just had to get away.

I find that my ability to palm cards or do other slights drop dramatically in such situations. In such situations it is important to have a few fast and selfworking effects (or effects you can do in your sleep) that are virtually impossile to work out.

Thanks for this thread.
I too had a bad spat in a kids set I was doing last week. It was to an 11 plus audience and so I decided to put in a small card trick section.
ootw was so good (my ending)I decided to take out my saver trick (the one you get out ONLY if your last trick flops so you finish on a high) It was twisted sisters. Simple trick but it left me with no get out. So did my very very last trick and it went so wrong. I was doing two half hour stints and it was the last trick of that part of the show (and I pre-anounced it as such). . So it was even worse. Ended the first part a total looser.
Nice to know it happens to everyone.
Will never make this mistake again..........(yeah right)

When I had my last disasterous evening, which was largely to do with speks' attitudes and my beginneriness, I learnt loads from it. Not only did I realise the importance of knowing an alternatate route of a trick goes pear shaped, but I learnt the importance of giving yourself an extra edge in tricks, just in case. In my simple trick repertoire, I glimpse and/or key even if I don't have to, just in case.

I had my first spek challenge after doing a mind reader on new years eve. Someone grabbed the pack, whipped out a card and challenged me to read their mind. So I did, but not quite the way I did the last one. He was floored.

I learnt a simple one from a comment after a mind reader which I'll share. Never force an ace on a spec for mind reading; some of them think it's high, some of them think it's low.

If that's too much information, I'll remove it.