talkmagic.co.uk

Good points from all round there - it's a pity but I guess some folks just can't accept magic/conjuring or whatever we like to call it .

I guess its more than a little worrying if you have emotionally scarred them for life, but surely having someone up and leave scared is the ultimate wow response? Certainly the others (and the unfortunate soul who left) will certainly remember you!

I think of all the "freaked out" reactions I get, I like the screamers best! I get slightly uncomfortable with those that get all misty eyed.

I was working at a swish party on Saturday night as a magician/reader. I was just leaving when this woman ran up to me wanting a palm reading. I told her I was leaving. She tried to convince me to stay, but I was adamant. "Wait," she said, "can you read my aura?" She took hold of my hand. I just stared at her and wouldn't break her gaze. "Oh wow!" she said. "Are you doing that?" "Yes," I replied, although I had (and still have) no idea what I was supposed to be doing. Eventually she took her hand away and said "That was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced!" By now a small crowd had gathered around. The woman backed away from me and was surrounded by her interested friends asking what had happened. I slipped out of the door - a Lone Ranger figure who doesn't wear a mask, or have a gun, or ride a horse.

What had happened while I held that woman's hand? No idea. I would hazard a guess that a combination of drink, expectation, and the natural warmth/tingly sensation of holding someone's hand for a few minutes all produced something wonderful in her mind.

Whoops. I appear to have made another stupidly long post. Sorry.

I like the idea of closing with a spellbreaker after a mentalism act.

By that I mean a good strong effect which takes a lighter tone than the reat of the act and more closely resembles traditional magic. I bought Richard Webster's Great for Two Book Test for just that reason. It's a nice routine with lots of fun business, and the reveal is lighthearted and not spooky in the slightest.

It's a nice way of sending your audience home with the assurance that it's all been about fun and entertainment - no matter how spooky things seemed at times.

Of course, if they run away screaming for an exorcist halfway through the act, that's not a lot of use.

I had a guy fall off his bar stool once, and that was from the ID! i never saw such a reaction!

The most potent reaction I get from my repertoire is from HEIRLOOM...... it's such a wonderful effect and with my tweaking of the patter to make it much more personal to me I always draw them in with what they think is just a little story about how I got into magic (I do hold kind of true to the original script but with my own style) then I call on them to make that free card choice as dictated by the trick - because they weren't expecting it to turn into an effect/trick it always packs a huge punch whenever it's delivered but there was a barmaid in a pub I go to in Cambridge sometimes and we were chatting about magic and card tricks when I told my little "story" about how I got into magic.

When I closed the effect she was visibly shaking as it was a direct hit (those who own know what I mean)...... after that she wouldnt let me show her any tricks and a couple of times asked me not to get into her head again!!! A knowing smile and a wink and I walk off with my drinks

When I first did an ID routine for Mrs.M she wasn't happy at all. I'd expected a sort of 'That's good' type of reaction but she just frowned and said she didn't like it, it's not natural that I could know the card she only just thought of. Far too scary. Subsequently we've seen the same thing in cabaret and she's now very OK with it but the first time was obviously not a happy event.

I think it's a human instict to fear what we don't understand. I've got a magician friend who wont go near a ouija board even though he knows the logical explaination.

Actually my Mrs. did the same thing the first time I used the ID on her... with a twist! After she thought of a card, before I asked her what card it is I said the "...hopefully not the Ace of Spades" line (you know why)... and she FREAKED OUT and was upset because I managed to "get into her head". Of course she was thinking of the Ace of Spades!

...you've got to love it when things work out so well!
(that's more impressive then actually USING the deck!)

i've been thinking recently to add the line to my patter that "what we understand we call science, and what we do not...we call magic..."