talkmagic.co.uk

I met another magician the other day and we got chatting. It turned out that 99% of his tricks were things like pulling string from the eyeball, cards out of the stomach (with extra blood) and sawing through his neck.

What's with the trend for all the gorey stuff? I was quite impressed when I first saw Blaine do a couple of these type effects but now they just seem everywhere. People just seem to be trying to get more and more gore and blood into their tricks without any real inovation.

what does everyone else think, is there too much of this sort of thing about?

there's a whole genre of magic into it.... gothicesque extremist etc..... some of the effects are cool in moderation but they are starting to get overused..... perhaps because they hold the gross out factor as well as the wow factor!

I personally love this type of magic.. simply because of the reactions.. I wouldnt have 99% of my effects in this category.. but I think some of its interesting..

Im interested in things like did-jointed ( I love this ) and staked, which I dont have.. saw by Sean Fields is quality..

I think about things like chewing razorblade and glas through the eye and I proabably will head this way when C.U.P.S kicks in ( im on tablets right now!! ) but at the moment I just admire this area.

Personally, I would only use maybe on effect per performance as a shocker type effect.. all the fake blood and gor included

but I couldnt limit myself to any one area of magic.. My main area is close up but I want to master all areas of all categories..

I suppose it is all a matter of taste really. I do a few things in this vein and get good reactions/bad reactions (same thing) with gory stuff really.

I think magic is like many other artforms that go through phases and have different genres. Like with movies there is trends which involve influxes of gross out comedies, horror, monster movies etc. and once the public get thier fill the next thing comes around (usually triggered by one really good genre movie).

I think magic is like this too. The general public see things like David Blaine removing someones teeth and they ask to see something similar.

Also one could also say is there too much card magic?

I say as long as the performance of any trick gets a reaction then that is what it is all about. The only reaction you dont want is too scare or gross people out without the entertainment factor therefore any magician should be very careful when performing these kinds of acts and to whom they are performing.
With the right audience you will amaze and gross out in a fun way. With the wrong one you will just offend and disgust...magician out to do the latter will find themselves with few bookings and a bad reputation

Dirty Davey wrote:...more and more gore and blood into their tricks...

greedoniz wrote:I do a few things in this vein

Classic !

I didnt spot that lol!!!

It is said that "Art" reflects the tone and emotions of society and when things become more and more morose within society so it will be through the artists be it thespian, painter, or poet that we will see an outward manifestation of such. Especially when we consider the fact that the artist tends to be the more sensitive and romantic type character within the general scope of humanity e.g. they will be the most prone to act out either in a course of rebellion or in hopes of numbing themselves to it. A small element within artisian society will likewise embrace "ugliness" as it were, for the sake of learning from it and helping others to likewise learn and potentially overcome their fear of it.

Thirty some odd years ago the trend was to perform without clothing, it was a statement towards and about society and the supposed morality that had been invented and imposed upon us by a segment of the populace that feared pleasure and even appreciation not only of other people's nudity but their own. What we see today is the same thing but coming from a bit more morbid sense of foundation; our fear of death and our disgust when it comes to general cruelty and inhumanity. Yet, when we look at the motion picture industry, comic books, video games, etc. all of these aspects of "Art" promote and exploit said element of fear.

In the 1970s when South American Illusion Master Richiardi brought his gruesome Buzz Saw to Madison Square Garden it became one of the most controversial demonstrations ever witnessed in a "magic show" -- the man seemingly murdered his daughter on stage, leaving her entrails strewn about for all to see, blood sprayed perfectly about the set. A simple classic of magic that planted the seeds of inspiration into the minds of several young aspirants of the day, myself included.

The brutality and gore found in today's magic world is only more prevailent, not 'new'. In fact, it is more akin to being a reprise of how magic was originally presented a few short centuries ago, or have we forgotten about that young lady that got chopped to pieces in climax to the famed Rope Trick of India?

In the 80s we had young lady's getting Impaled on the tip of a single sword as well as cremated in ways that went far beyond the Abbott classic. There were even those (yours truely) that would cut open their wrists to reveal a chosen playing card (very bloody) or blow their brains out as part of a regular night club performance at the world famous Whiskey in Beverly Hills (as part of a most interesting routine employing QUEEN's "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the underscore).

Yes, we are seeing a revival of some of the older and more gruesome as well as grotesque stuff including young flies bursting out from a person's mouth or an ingested magot working its way out via the eyeball, etc. We even have various forms of resurrection -- flies being brought back as well as perfectly dead and crunchy beetles. What we have to keep in mind is the fact that we are seeing the younger artists express sentiment about our culture as it affects them and how they see it. We are likewise looking at the swing of the great pendulum; manifestation of cyclic law as it lends reprise to that which once was vs. the cleanliness and polite ideas Mr. Disney would prefer to co-sign... (bear in mind that 25 years ago just doing Mouth Coils was considered "tasteless" by the more dogmatic of our kind.)

BTW... if you want gross and disgusting I believe Mark Kornhauser is still doing his tribute to the great le petomaine... his act involved controlled release of air via the anal orafice. It is said that he could "sing" the national anthem in this manner and blow out a candle at 20 paces but most critics agreed that the act stank...

I enjoy watching the bizarre but it's not my cup of tea when it comes to performing it.

remember le petomaine? the french guy that had perfect control of his ahem "backdoor"? he even performed for royalty...

i wonder if he ever did balloon animals too, but inflated them via his...

on the subject of gore...i do on occasion slash my arm open and as the blood drips down you can see a word or symbol appear...but i personally like to keep it to one or two darker effects rather than a whole presentation...

I don't do any gorey effect, for the simple reason that it doesn't suit my style. But some people can pull them off very well. It's when you see people performing 3 or 4 gross tricks in a routine with the attitude of 'hey this'll gross you out' that I don't like.

I like the ideas for novelty value but there just seems to be way too much of this around at the moment.

Dirty Davey wrote:I don't do any gorey effect, for the simple reason that it doesn't suit my style. But some people can pull them off very well. It's when you see people performing 3 or 4 gross tricks in a routine with the attitude of 'hey this'll gross you out' that I don't like.

I like the ideas for novelty value but there just seems to be way too much of this around at the moment.

Thank our good friends that produce the show JACKASS when it comes to a lot of this stuff... there's also those "reality" shows that have folks eating worms, magots, brains, etc. that (for reasons that go far beyond my understanding) get high ratings.

There's always been a hint of blood & guts in magic -- ALWAYS! But I do agree that some of what people do today under the umbrella idea that it's "Magic" and "Entertaining" is neither and never will be... have 1,000 flies "magically appear" and fly out of one's mouth simply proves where the performer's taste is -- in his mouth -- this is a repulsive stunt that has many potential dangers few ever seem willing to think through.

Craig Browning wrote:Thank our good friends that produce the show JACKASS when it comes to a lot of this stuff

A news item recently blamed an insane desire to copy Jackass the Movie when a guy was admitted to hospital with serious injuries after trying to launch a firework from his, er, rectal passage. Apparently the internal injuries were horrific. OK, people should have more sense than to attempt such stuff but some folks only have to be shown something to want to copy it .

some poeple simply have no brains............ I'm in agreement with the majority in this... one or 2 well chosen effects delivered at an appropriate time in an appropriate manner can enhance a performance but I am sick and tired of the "Jackasses" so to speak that seem to think blood and guts is the only way to enhance magics reputation from being "twee" to WTF!!

There is no need for a full routine of gore.... people get intrigued but they don't want to see too much of it!! Is it the Jim Rose circus or something that's all about gore?? Whoever it is then ok, I concede that that arena is the most appropriate for gore etc as the clientelle coming to watch it are there for a shock and gore fest.....

But as for - dare I say - 'standard' magic, the stuff we all love and do... at what point is it appropriate to bring something gory into our routines? Well this would be a matter of personal opinion but lets say a working magi in Blackpool, stag party capital of UK, who is performing to a stag party or other adult audience could then use the aforementioned well chosen and appropriately timed gore effects. This is because it is a totally adult audience who are out for shocks thrills and whatever!!

The same magi though would not necessarily find his gore appreciated as much by the Hen party that comes along next..... whilst some of the women may appreciate a lot more will be repulsed. Therefore it ESSENTIAL that if you are going to use a gory effect you choose it well and only deliver it to an audience that is going to fully appreciate it as what it is!

NEVER NEVER NEVER should a family audience be shown these kinds of effects!

Jackass, Dirty Sanchez and the similar ilk have struck a chord with the very same kind of person who thinks it's funny to down a litre of vodka in 5 minutes and pass out - consequently they also like gore and overdo that because they have no idea what it means to do something in moderation!

Yes there is a place...... but only in the right place, the right time and to the right crowd!!

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Amazing Jonathan performs this kind of "Geek Magic", and I think he is awesome. However there are people who simply can't pull it off right.