talkmagic.co.uk

What puts me off:

- Rubbish mentalism. I've read a lot more books on the subject lately and I'm now more certain than ever that there are magicians out there who trade on the idea that spectators have absolutely no sense of foul play (or rather, absolutely no sense). For example - book tests where the page number is picked by any other method other than just thinking of it/riffling to it. Anything else just shines a nice big spotlight on the method as far as I'm concerned. As soon as a pack of cards/dice/whatever becomes involved for the page number, count me out.
- Massive long stories. Some people can do it, like Eugene Burger, but it just puts me out of the moment a bit to hear a monologue with a card trick on the side. Case in point: Bill Malone's "Sam The Bellhop".
- Any trick that begins with "Hi, I'm Criss Angel."

Anything labeled as a magician fooler.

I can't really think of anything that would put me off a trick. I usually have a look at it and decide if it's something that I can use. If it is then it's probabaly going to be worth learning well if it's not then I wont buy it.

Packet tricks. They tend to leave me pretty cold.

If its angly or a long set up required.

I tend to avoid anything that requires me to be gaffed up to the eyeballs.

Lenoir wrote:"Deal the cards into four rows..."

Lol

Agreed,

Things that put me off:

Huge stories that seem to be more about the magician/mentalist than the audience

A complex set up.

A hard-to-make gaff

Tricky moves included because the writer can do them and can't see why you shouldn't.

Demitri wrote:Anything labeled as a magician fooler.

Yes! You should read "Designing Miracles" by Darwin Ortiz - a kindred spirit on this point. He explanis exactly why a "magician fooler" is probably a "layman non-fooler".

Anything like:

Magician Fooler - Lies

Hi I'm Brad Christian/Justin Miller - Self Explanitory

Revolutionary new system- Its gonna be in the Holy 3 or Tarbell

Cheap to make - True but only if you live in the same small village off the M5 that the magician who created the effect happened to find the completely nessesary component

Chris Tennant

I can think of 3 things that have put me off, when I have bought a book or a DVD (most of the time for a lot of money).

1. Use your favorite method to do this or that, and no further explanation.

2. Scan *** and print out on thick paper and use as a gimmick. Duh!

3. In a very detailed explanation, (I have at least 3 times come across): You do the zippedydah move (different moves on the different DVDs). It can be found on this other DVD or in this other book, which means if I want to learn the trick in question, it was not enough to buy a triple DVD for £75, I also have to buy a DVD with that exact move for £25.

gunnarkr wrote:3. In a very detailed explanation, (I have at least 3 times come across): You do the zippedydah move (different moves on the different DVDs). It can be found on this other DVD or in this other book, which means if I want to learn the trick in question, it was not enough to buy a triple DVD for £75, I also have to buy a DVD with that exact move for £25.

That annoys me too, although I do understand the ethics behind it - there's a bit in the Devil's Picturebook that uses Lennart Green's Windmill move, which then meant I had to go and find Green's stuff. Derren sort of covered it but I wanted more detail. But of course, watching Lennart Green is no hardship.

I get really annoyed by things which are 'fully examinable'.

As long as the person examining them wears some nice thick mittens and holds it as far away from his face as he can......

Or more often, when you have to switch it. Which means that a normal coin (etc) is completely examinable...wow!

TheStoner wrote:Self-working ACAAN. Spec holds and shuffles the deck - names any card - chooses a number between 1 and 52, counts to that number, turns it over and it's their card. All done in their hands. You just have to judge in advance what card they will chose (Ace of Spades - dur, Queen of Hearts - dur), give them an appropriate one-way force deck and hope for the best! This idea is copyright SUMP (Stoner Useless Magic Productions). Maybe Ellusionist would like to market it on a £20 DVD?

I wouldn't put it past them. And at $7.50 for a one-way force deck they can sell $320 worth of them to every one who buys the DVD (is the average E customer smart enough to realize that they could make their own by purchasing 52 regular decks? I'll let you decide that one). Also, think of the extra money they will make because that $7.50 is for a standard Bicycle one-way force deck, and the E-kiddies will just have to have Shadow Masters, Split Spades, Ghost or one of the other elite decks that prove that they are really great magicians.

Anything that is not impromptu. I don't mind set-ups if you can get into them in front of the spectator.