talkmagic.co.uk

I shouted at the Tv at the hating magicians comment by the panel. It is not really fair to put that on an entire art.
I for example dont get dance as an artform but can appreciate that others would enjoy it. A judge is meant to be impartial?

By the way there was a short clip of a magician and it did seemed he was trying to do a card trick with a svengali deck in front of a theatre audience!! What was he thinking? Not really the best material for an audience of a few hundred and without a close up camera and a large screen?!

I couldn't stop laughing when Amanda shouted "no don't put him in there!"
and when they showed the clips of all the magicians going wrong but maybe their nerves got the better of them. They should have known it would be professional suicide to go on a show like that and mess up in front of all those people.
I wouldn't mind seeing that horror magician again he was perhaps the only good one there so far....

I was out last night and Paul Merton's China recorded. Trust me to miss the magicians!

The act with the face pulling and over the top dancing on Sunday night was terrible. Even I could have done better though the dress may not fit me as well.

Your right Dat I also thought that them saying they hated magicians was deeper than a few bad tricks, which If true means magicians didn't have much of a chance from the begining but I think the people performing the poor tricks on there just confirmed why they hate magicians rather than made them sit up and go wow, magicians arn't that bad afterall.

If some of those performances are to be taken as representative of "magic" then I hate magic too. They're the guys giving us all a bad reputation. How anyone could go to a new talent competition and, apparently, pull a rabbit out of a hat is beyond me. Original? Exciting? Most people have seen hundreds of magicians dressed in bright colours doing these same types of "trick" presented in a very cheesey manner. "Lay" people aren't stupid, and they're not going to gasp and gape at the sight of a top hat.

Now, to pick up on another post, if Teller walked on, said nothing, and started performing "Shadows"...

But they wouldn't see that as "magic". The word has, unfortunately, become synonymous with tat. And it ain't hard to see why...

I remember pointed out how bad magicians cause a lot damage to the profession. I also remember that some (who almost certainly were not working professionals) disagreeed and though it was OK to perform second rate tricks, using trick cards. They argued that we all know that there are bad singers, yet no sensible person then think that all all other singers are bad. Well, in card magic it works different. One bad card magician, brand all card magic as c*** (not the best).

Unfortunately I might have been proved right. Simon's wish that there would be no more magicians and no more card magic shows that the damage have already been done.

All it would take though is for a good magician to pull off a first rate trick and he may be swayed back.
i think the problems is that singing, playing an instrument, dancing, comedy etc. are all far more common and so it is harder to slag of those particular arts.
When I've approached groups at a function I've had many times people saying they hate magic. Usually once they have been shown a quick visual opener you have changed their minds.
I think most people are put off by the old fashioned idea of what magic was and many of the acts shown on this programme went to reinforce this idea

The problem with all the magicians that I've seen (I missed most of last night) is that there really is no flare or originality. With a show like that, you've got to get in quick and hit hard otherwise the judges minds are made up before you've even started.

I've seen so many people say 'you didn't let me get to my best bit'. But as with any audience, if you don't grab their attention or interest from the off, then it's going to be much harder to get it later on.

Funny hats and wacky waistcoats

and I don't think that guy with the long hair pulling cards out of the air deserved to be called "the worst magician ever" by Simon

I must agree . One bad magician will undo the work of two good ones. Derren, Kriss and Blaine have all raised the profile of magic. We wont get in to debates about he is a gimmick lover the truth is that all 3 above have brought it back to TV and got it in peoples minds.

Now the problem is with magic if the layperson see one very bad magician and not talking the odd flash of a D/L here and there. I mean the worlds worst card control. Patter etc the spec will then think not only all magicians are like this but all tricks are this way. Sankey makes the point that never say pick a card. Well I see the point uncle “deal one hundred piles of cards down in rows”. Charlie does this and how many times have you been performing some lovely effects I mean really beauitfull peaces of card magic visiualy stunning and all that when the spec says “my grandad use to do card tricks” that is a pretty big hurdle to over come. Magic my friends isn’t the bastion of truth and enlightenment we all think it is. To the specs when you offer a card they will think “boring” I will ask anyone to argue the fact with me. The first thing you do when you do something with cards is something STRONG BOLD VISUAL. Not pick a card “oh here it is” what are you trying to prove? Some one can put a card in a deck and you can find big deal. That is boring that’s why people think magic is boring not enough of us are taking up the baton and performing or using strong effects and showmanship for if we don’t engage our audience what is the point we are only playing for ourselves.

Due to the fact of poor tricks being shown poor presentations and the ilk this is why magic is perceived as being boring, or at worse a kids thing. Pick a card, lose a card . Find a card is elementary and people have seen it 1000 times or more. And because of this we have an uphill struggle on our hands. Raise the bar we must be responsible for our art. Of course not everyone will be interested and you cant please all the people all the time. When I hear dancers saying dance is the most important art going I think how pretentious can one be? And of course there is bad dancers but dancers you know its dancing with magic the audience are programmed to think he wants to make me look like an idiot.

It is cause and effect we magicians we do a poor effect we cause poor reactions etc. we do a good effect then build and build we can build an art we can be proud of. We can help the public perception of magic. Remember a lot of people also had magic set so its treated as a kids throw away thing. Like that plastic nail through the finger. How the hell will that help us? And sadly we cant do anything about them. But we can show the best of what magic has to offer not the tawdry drivel of uncle Charlie but the great stuff like Harris, Vernon and Roth. The foundations are poor lets dig them up and build something better people. Its in our hands it will either make us look like gods or a novelty act its up to you.


And what is with Amanda Holden she been stung by a bee. God dam it there was nothing wrong with the way she looked before. My reasons above are probably why some people hate magic.

One of my thoughts in summing up the magicians section was about the illusionist duo that performed the large illusion.

Despite him pulling the funny faces and the poor presentation, he did get through which none of the others managed. However, and a big however is that he admitted that he is a motor mechanic who has only been performing for three months. With this in miind perhaps you have to give him his fair dues, particularly when pitched against others who perhaps should have know a little better?

Perhaps the question to ask is when it comes to magic, is it the illusion that is more important than the magician? It appears to be the case from what some of us watched.

loved those cocktail shakers today! might try that meself

Oh well more rubbish from the magicians and that flash dude basically just gave away the method for the shapeshifter, how poorly was that executed, and if he's the savour of the universe theres no bloody hope for the rest of us.

The only bits I saw was a magician try to perform a chop cup routine on stage in front of 2000 people!?! A clip of shahid malik (in a montage of 'bad' magicians), and a guy with balloons on his head (who got through without actually doing any magic).
Personally I dont think it is the right environment for a magician to shine anyway, unless you are already professional and have a big stage show and all its trappings ready to go.