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hy

Just another question i had in mind.

You are at a party, a dinner, or somewere else and you don't have any of your magic items (not even a deck of cards) with you. Somebody walks up and says the magic words 'Hey man, do a magic trick?!'

What do you do?
Wich trick? or no trick at all?

Personally
I woul'd do the final version of stigmata, were they name a number between one and ten, and it apears on my arm. You don't need anyting to do it.
If they wanted more after that i would untie my shoelace and perform the simple 'eye of the tiger' effect.
That's all i got


Greetings from Belgium

Depends on the circumstances, what YOU are known for doing, and whether or not you feel like playing the role of a trained monkey who will perform on a whim.

Nine times out of ten, the reason our "friends" invite us to a party or dinner, is for FREE Entertainment... they are using you! The reason being is quite simple; they know that you have an ego and thus, a "need" to show off and thus, with just a bit of encouragement, you'll do a free show right there. Especially if you fit into the classic mold of the "magician" and have your pockets filled with odds & ends; at least one or two decks of cards, TT, Sponge, Coins, Dice, ITR... the list is quite amazing and of course, includes no fewer than one special wallet and one special business card holder... after all, we must live up to the Boy Scout motto and BE PREPARED!

Yes, I'm being a bit crass but we all know people that fit this particular mold and have probably done it more than a few times ourselves.

So when it comes to your question you have to weigh out a few important issues;

1.) What kind of material or image do you want to be known for doing?
2.) What are the circumstances/environment in the situation?
3.) Are you a trained monkey?

With the first, we need to look at the sort of things we normally perform; if you are known and pride yourself for your coin work, then you want to do something simple with coins. Needless to say, if you are known for card magic you would go that course, HOWEVER!!! This too offers room for possible division; "Are you just a cardician or are you building the image of being a Card Shark and Gambling 'expert'?" Once you know this then plan accordingly.

When it comes to the Environment, just going out to a mixer or being at the pub can be two entirely different things.

I've attended socials that were quite formal (black tie & all) while I've also been to those with a more kicked-back Hawaiian or Southern California Beach Party kind of setting. Conversely, you have the pub or dinning settings which can be anything from a Sports Bar to what we call the "White Table Cloth" quiet dinning environs.

I don't think you would get a positive reaction doing the Goshman Magic Ding Dong routine when working the latter even though it would probably do quite well at the Sports Bar and more typical pub... so long as it's NOT a "family" type establishment (you also need to be cautious with "blue" magic like this, when working certain other facilities; I know of a lad that got rather bruised up doing this very routine in a Biker's bar).

The "Trained Monkey" syndrome is a tricky scenario in that we do need to have those situations in which we "do our thing" but at the same time, we need to not seem "hungry" to show-off and when we do, we need to remember that "less is more!"

I have shrugged off such requests with the following lines...

Maybe a bit later

Not right now, I'm trying to relax and enjoy myself

I too drunk at the moment

Ok, but only if you are willing to give me a free (insert, whatever their job is) next week when I drop by

In that I'm best known these days for being a kind of curator of things bizarre and paranormal, anything I demonstrate under such settings tends to be done as a kind of improvisational experiment and deliberately so.

Why?

I'm not a "magician" e.g. it would make far more sense if I'm not prepared and need to borrow items and present everything in a seemingly unplanned, unrehearsed manner (though the opposite is quite true). Under such auspices I can quickly generate that investment of belief and plausibility... not just the anticipation that something "might" happen but the vested desire by the gathered, for it to happen. In the case of someone doing mentalism, this isn't just priceless, it's a good 90% of what makes the effect.

Now most everything I do under this setting is exceptionally simple... even when I did traditional magic, the bits I'd do were simple... exceptionally simple! The classic two in the hand & one in my pocket routine, for an example... then again, I'm guilty for doing Zombie Baked Potato as well

I hope this mini-lecture helps get those creative juices flowing for you

Depending on if I can be bothered being a performing monkey, as Mr. Browning puts it, I'd just do a coin trick or something or just say "Sorry, I don't have my cards on me"

Hypnotise them and then make them the 'chimp'! That or something in my business cards.

Ask them if they have anything that I can borrow to perform with.

I don't ever really do anything, I made a rule ages ago not to ever do magic after I've been drinking and I try to stick to that. Sometimes I might pop a stack of business cards and a swami in myu pocket but that's as far as I ever go.

I just don't do anything.

just talk to them, and be interested in them and nice/polite/charming/endearing...they'll certainly remember you for that...

then say "next time, i promise to show you something that will have you laying awake at night..."

yes, that does sound deliberately dirty...

I don't tell people what I do for a living so I am rarely asked to perform. If I am in a social setting only my close friends will ever find out anything about me. If someone asks me what I do for a living, I reply: This and that. Problem solved.
But if it is known that I perform, I might do something like asking them to concentrate on their star sign, then tell them what it is.
Occasionally I know that I will be called upon, so I bring along an ID and a TT. I remember being on a hike in Nepal, and doing the ID in a tea lodge. Afterwards one of the locals siddled up to me and whispered that he knew how I did the trick, but he wouldn't tell anyone.
"You hypnotised us all," he said, with complete confidence!

Read their palm. Then wait for the queue to form...

themagicwand wrote:Read their palm. Then wait for the queue to form...

Seconded.

Famuus wrote:You are at a party, a dinner, or somewere else and you don't have any of your magic items (not even a deck of cards) with you.

I tend to always prepare an "impromptu" miracle. So, when I say I haven't got anything, I've usually got a couple of pre-folded billets and a bent 2p, for example.

If I REALLY have nothing, I'll do a magician's choice - get E'Voque from Docc Hilford, it's ace.

Craig Browning wrote:Ok, but only if you are willing to give me a free (insert, whatever their job is) next week when I drop by

I love this!

Does this happen a lot to you guys? All my friends know I'm a magician but I think I've been asked, like, three times in a social setting to do something. I think it's a massive imposition, personally, and it's like somebody earlier said about being the performing monkey.

I think if you dont like the idea of performing for people at a moments notice, then quite frankly you have taken up the wrong hobby...


Mark