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I noticed that there wasn't a topic about hecklers so i decided to start one. In my performances I have developed many ways of dealing with hecklers . I will share them with you here. Also , please feel free to write about your own ways of breaking them. My best method is not to fight them but to get them onto the stage and announce to the audience something along the lines of: "My friend here says he knows how it was done. He is now going to show you." This is guaranteed to keep most of them quiet for the rest of the evening.
IMPORTANT! Don't make this a personal conflict between you and him.
More about this later!
Ronny

Actually this topic has been discussed many times, unfortunately the Search Function isn't much help but via the Google/Talkmagic search, one thread is at ftopic13876.php. It starts off on the wrong foot but soon gets on course!

I just go on the charm offensive and accept that some people really dislike either magic/being tricked/being fooled etc

More fun to perform to people that want to see something fun rather than haters

BUT I remember a Ricky Gervais line for a heckler that nearly had me in tears, can't remember it word for word of even which DVD its on but the basis being, someone is heckling...

Gervais - whats that mate, can't hear you?
*heckle* *heckle*
Gervais - can't really do one on one, its a big place
*heckle* heckle*
Gervais - can't really have a one on one conversation with you mate....because you're a C**T

Doesn't really read as being that funny but his timing was spot on!

Well, I certainly wouldn't call anybody that, and I'm not a big fan of heckler 'put-downs' although a light jab, might shut them up.
Usually, the heckler thinks they are funny, and everyone else doesn't so I can get away with, 'I'll do the jokes if you don't mind' which brings the audience back to my side, and lets the heckler know I'm in charge.

However maybe someone can give me a bit of advice from what happened last night. This was the first table that I went to, and some idiot was calling out, 'that's not on top, that's two cards, that's up your sleeve (it wasn't) that's...' well whatever just trying to ruin the show. I remembered something that I was told at the Manchester meet, so I looked at the rest of the audience, and I said, 'Look guys, I being paid to be nice to all of you, so I can't tell him to shut up, but you guys can.' so they all did, and then I finished the trick I was doing and left. All the surrounding tables got the best magic I could do, with repeated applause cues. Afterwards, in the strolling magic section, a couple from the first table came and apologised (for the heckler!) and asked to see some magic, so I showed them a few different things.

I think my main tip is to not attack the heckler, until you have the audience on your side. If you attack him before, the audience will side with the heckler, but if you wait until he's annoying them too, then they are on your side.

It was a bit of a shock though really, because it was the first table, and the heckler was actually quite malicious, in wanting to ruin the show. Most hecklers just want to have a little joke, and a bit of attention, so that can be annoying when they interrupt but fine to deal with... but I hadn't really come across someone being so ... I guess malicious is the best word. Any thoughts or advice.

Alfred Borden wrote:I just go on the charm offensive and accept that some people really dislike either magic/being tricked/being fooled etc

No, I would normally never call someone a c**t, (bar drunk/football field/golf course (at self) or when I see Kalou coming off the bench )

Like I said, I enjoy going on the charm offensive, if you bite you've lost. No real need to ask people to tell him to shut either imo. Just carry on, perform, ignore, get everyone else on side

Remember, anyone that feels the need to heckle no doubt has issues, anger issues or frustration. There is something missing in their life if they feel the need to belittle anyone to make themselves feel better.

Does anyone really need to make them feel stupid? They are making themselves look stupid anyway

Alfred Borden wrote:No, I would normally never call someone a c**t,

I would.

But then if you've ever seen me out doing magic you'll know there's a high chance the person I'm performing to will be a c##t.
Plus I've got Rob stood over my shoulder with a video camera so the threat of physical violence is significantly lowered by this.

Actually, on a serious note I wouldn't verbally call anyone I'm performing to a c##t; But i've got a couple of card tricks that might express what I'm feeling.

If you are being heckled while you are doing close up magic it can actually be beneficial. It keeps you on your toes and sharpens your skills. And if you have a bit of cunning about you then you can turn the heckler into your biggest booster. I have done this many times.
Quite frankly I think 50% of heckling is caused by the attitude of the magician. He comes on too strong with a "fool em" attitude and that provokes a challenge. A lot of the heckling is provoked by the magician himself and he is merely reaping what he has sown.

Last night I had a heckler, well you could barely even call him a heckler, he just shouted that my assistant was in on it. Being that my assistant was santa who was also employed by the venue it was a fair call. I could not have been happier

I'd fluffed my trick and it gave me a moment to drop my hands to my side and get santa over to the mic to let everybody know he's not in on it while I secretly got myself where I needed to be to finish the effect.

Thank goodness for a heckler giving me a moment of distraction

This story is completely true and happened around 6 years ago. I was in a pub called The Brean Down. My wife, our two kids and myself were on holiday down Brean (by Western-Super-Mare). In the pub my Dad and I were playing pool when a guy approached the pool table, a little drunk, and stated that he wanted to play the winner. I'm cr*p at pool and my Dad hammered me as per usual. This guy was shooting himself up as some sort of Pool champ and was bragging on about tournament wins etc, etc. Anyway, I noticed his wife and two daughters sitting and chatting to my wife and our kids. I went over and sat down and was told about their eldest daughter who hand learning difficulties. I got a deck of cards out and started showing her some visual magic, nothing mathematical or too complicated. Her eyes lit up and she was engrossed. Her father started coming over and telling me that it will upset her because she wouldn't understand. Her mother said to carry on as it was easy to understand and very colourful and that she was really enjoying it. Cutting a long story short a few more people come over and we're having a good time. My Dad beat this guy at pool, which upset him even more. He passed comment that the magic was 'fu*king awful mate'. He pretty much commanded his wife to get up and leave. When she refused, because she was enjoying it as well, he told her again, much more sternly this time. The look of terror on her face was unmistakable. They got their coats together quickly and left. We saw them walk across the car park and then he hit his wife. Part of the pub emptied and let's just say he got his just desserts. It really affected me. I didn't want to perform anymore and it hit my nerves badly as well. I continued to practice magic but didn't perform publicly, only to friends and relatives.

A couple of years ago I started to do a little table magic with my cards whilst our band was taking a break at gigs around the social clubs. My love for performing started to return very slowly but I still got incredibly nervous. The gig that really brought home to me just how powerful magic can be to other people was Halloween 2012. We were doing a gig at a caravan site. We were sharing the bill with a female vocalist who we got talking to while announcements and awards and things were being handed out. Again, I get my cards out and start doing Bill Malone's Cards From The Mouth every now and then. People started noticing and looking over and laughing. When you get laymens attention you begin to act up to it. One particular family caught my eye in the corner. Mum, Dad, Two daughters and a baby. They were in hysterics. I plucked up the courage and went over and sat with them for around 30 minutes and did some close up card effects with the cards from the mouth being produced every so often. To say they loved it was an understatement. The father stood up and insisted that he bought me a drink. I had a pint of cider, chatted for a little while, thanked them all for their time and their interest in my magic routines. I then gave the two girls the two decks of cards which i'd taken out with me that night as something to remember the evening by.

We finished the gig and at the end of the night the mother came over and asked if she could have a quick chat. No problem I said. This is pretty much what she said to me. "Me and my husband just wanted to say a huge thank you for the magic you did for us tonight. It's the first time the girls have smiled since their father died two weeks ago". To say I was shocked was an understatement, but what she said next really shook me me to my core. I told her I thought they were their daughters. "Oh, no" she said, "they are our nieces. My husbands brother hung himself and they found him in their home. Their mother had left them a few months earlier and he never got over it. It's the first time they have been happy and smiled."

Even typing it now brings a lump to my throat. The heckler knocked my confidence and nerves so badly that I almost gave up performing magic entirely. But I saw an entirely different side of what magic can bring to people. I really hope those girls are doing well and they still have those packs of 'bikes' to remember me by. I still haven't performed for a paying audience for a while now but I'm beginning to get back into the motions and am working on a mentalist show. Hopefully it will be ready in the new year and i'll go from there, but card magic is my first love.

Sorry for harping on. Just wanted to type this up and put it out there for you all to read and have an opinion on. Thanks in advance.

That is a great story, particularly the second one. Thanks for sharing it.

I began working semi-professionally at nineteen. One of my first shows was for a birthday party for a seven year old. I went down well enough considering how raw I was. Back then, early eighties, magic was unheard of for parties in Ireland. I thought I might grow a nice sideline to take me through college. Then I heard that the reason I was hired was that the mother was dying of cancer, and this would be the last birthday she would be present for, and she wanted to make it special. I know now I was part of making it special, but at the time I found the whole situation upsetting, and did not perform again until I was 27. I went full-time pro within a few months of starting to perform again. Now I have more perspective, but it is nice to touch lives in a positive way on occasion.

That was a beautiful story by Happy Madison. Thank you for sharing it. I should probably rephrase that. It was actually an ugly story but you made it beautiful.

Tony B,

A great story. I know exactly how you felt at the time and feel now as far as perspective goes. It's unthinkable how people, such as the lady in your story, can seemingly carry on with life knowing that a 'death sentence' (sorry if that sounds morbid) is hanging over them. Wanting to be around for one more birthday party, knowing it will be the last one they ever see. Extremely brave woman. Thanks for sharing your story.

Wow, Happy Madison, pretty much the two polar extremes in those two stories!

10DD wrote:Wow, Happy Madison, pretty much the two polar extremes in those two stories!

Yes, definitely. Seperated by quite a long time as well. The first one was a REAL shock, and I do mean that. I know you read and hear about domestic violence all the time in the media, but when you actually see it it's utterly horrible and terrifying. You sort of look and think "did I just see that???? Did that just happen???". It really did destroy my confidence in performing as I blamed myself for a long time for how that A*sehole reacted to his wife/partner.

Over time, whilst still practicing I kind of let myself be drawn into situations where I could perform an effect or two in front of a few people who I knew or vaguely knew and it began to help me more and more.

Since writing my post above I have been asked to perform a 30 minute show of magic / mentalism for my close friends fathers 80th birthday party. I've agreed to do it which I'm proud of but nervous about. I can't wait to do it but thinking about it makes me shudder a bit. I'll be fine once I get the first couple of effects out of the way.

Thanks for sharing the stories though and I am very glad you are able to move on from that. The second story was indeed rather touching. It sounds as if you're not too dissimilar to me regarding confidence but seems as if you're on the right track.

Good luck for the upcoming show, feel free to message me if you want to talk about it more, the more prepared you are the better!