talkmagic.co.uk

I'm relatively new to magic, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to respond when people ask for the secret. I have people beg & beg me to show them how I did a trick.

What do you guys do? Is it just saying "a good magician never reveals his secrets" or do you have a better way to enforce it?

thats no problem I can show you how its done, first you take a live chiken and a big knife..........

yes I can show you how its done, my usual training rates are £150 per hour but for you £5o but you will have to suply your own chicken...

Howdid you do that?
very well I thought

Cheesy but it gets a laugh

Kill them... Kill them all! Sorry... someone is trying to control my mind again. On a serious note just tell them it will spoil the fun and ruin it for other magicians. You can simply smile, say sorry and move on to the next group.

look at them seriously and ask; can you keep a secret? yea? well me too.
or something along the lines of "its really simple, you just look for some blond virgins and slaughter them in the sweet name of Satan."

if all fails, grab a knife, stab them in the stomach and twist

hey,

what you gotta do is just keep doing it until they get it for themselves OR ask them to teach you a trick they know then teach them a trick you know!

Louie

It's very simple, just explain that they are secrets for a reason.

thestreetmagician wrote:hey,

what you gotta do is just keep doing it until they get it for themselves

Everything I know about you makes me want to puke blood.

thestreetmagician wrote:OR ask them to teach you a trick they know then teach them a trick you know!

Thats actually a pretty good idea, as long as it's a trick you want to know. Make sure it's a fair trade.

I usually have a buch of different responses based on who I'm with and what I'm doing. Sometimes I tell them it's real magic, so there are no questions, Sometimes I just say no. Sometimes I explain that even if they knew how it was done they wouldn't be able to do it without lots of practice, and if the the effects complicated enough I sometimes show them how it's done very fast, so they understand, but still can't do it and are usually put off asking again.

I just say sorry, that would take the magic away.

Just say, I can't tell you that.

I tend to think that most of the time, people ask because they are unsure what to say - they don't really want to know, they just don't know what to say, so they ask that.

Just say it takes years of practice and can't be explained in a few words ... or simply say: A true magician never reveals secrets. You don't have to make a big deal out of it.

Tell them that if they get you drunk enough you might just tip the secret.

my second fav response " I'd love too but I don't know myself" "I just do this and it does that."

John Mulholland suggested one of the best responses. He would just say, "I'm sorry, but I promised not to tell." (Henry Hay also suggests this is his classic "Amateur Magician's Handbook."

Unlike some "standard" answers, this cannot be taken as a smart a** put down.

Good thoughts,

Bob

99% of the time when they say " How did you do that" its an instant reaction to something that they do not understand. Personaly, i just wink, say "Ah-ha" and move on.

they dont want to know how it was done, And to make comment on their comment will only prolong the conversation, and their questioning.