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I want to open up with a quick explanation......this is for those "if I had a dollar for everytime I heard that....." type of spec comments. You know the ones where you have to grin, bear it, and work through it, but you hear them a million times.....

After a vanish......"I saw him put it up his sleeves"
Funny to hear, especially when it was never even close to the sleeves

In my restaurant work...."Can you make the food bill disappear?"
This one gets old in a hurry, but a part of the gig I suppose

At the start of a card/coin effect, when you say, "please sign your name/initials on it..." and they respond with, "oh, I have already seen thisone before!!!!" As if to say......only one trick in the wide-world-of-magic begins this way


Please add in for fun of reading

moodini wrote:
At the start of a card/coin effect, when you say, "please sign your name/initials on it..." and they respond with, "oh, I have already seen thisone before!!!!" As if to say......only one trick in the wide-world-of-magic begins this way


Please add in for fun of reading

This is one of the ones that quite annoys me just because it shows how *cough* smart *cough* the person is.

Also, you have to love all of the variations of this one...

When you ask them to cut the deck they say they have seen the trick before.


As soon as you start a card trick:
The magician takes out a pack of cards right after asking someone if they want to see a trick.
Spectator- "OH! I know a card trick, wanna see it!?"

Just one that I could think of at the top of my head.

~David

I've not performed Third Degree Burn yet but I love that reaction Kobra got:

"What, did you compass yourself last night or something?!"

...not really that silly, but it amuses me when they go "whoa, how did you do that?" - pause - look at them - smile - "...oh right, yeah, magic..."

...as if when you've put in all that effort to blow their socks off, you're going to go "actually, it was a simple DL, followed by the KM-move, then a classic pass, all with a certain amount of inbuilt misdirection."

and then of course, explanations for the gimmicking of objects you switched out years ago, such as 3 Ring Circus - "do you hand them out for inspection separately because they're magnetic?" (followed by an endearing attempt to clink two rings together, hoping that if they do it in the same way I did the method will "just happen" for them )

"Yes.....I would love to see some magic, I watch Mind freak/David Blaine all the time, are you going to levitate?"

Me: Sign you name on the face of the card for me
Spec: "I bet it is just dry erase marker....it probably just wipes off!"

Me: Sign the face of your card for me please
Spec: Won't that wreck the card?
Me: (In my mind) Gee I didn't think about that???????? On second thought, don't sign it!


David R said....

As soon as you start a card trick:
The magician takes out a pack of cards right after asking someone if they want to see a trick.
Spectator- "OH! I know a card trick, wanna see it!?"

Yes......that is a good one!

Yes moodini i get that all the time

me: can you sign the card for me
spec: what you want me to actually sign it
me: yes please
spec: what with a pen
me: yes unless you have another method of signing it with your fingers
specs: what actually really sign it or pretend
me: (thinking) yes just bloody sign the poxy thing its not hard you get the pen and write your name on it, (what i really say) yes please ive got plenty more cards.

Thats a classic isnt it

Or you get the same if you ask the spectator to rip the card e.g torn and restored.

As if your gonna say no just pretend to rip it the trick will still work honest.

Or how did you do that can you show me again. Or just show me how to do it i could really impress my work mates with this (sigh)

I used to have the same problems about asking specs to sign the card. What I realized that really works for me are some variations to asking them on signing the card. ie:

me: This is your card. I know this because you have your name on it.
spec: (the card is not signed yet) What? Are you gonna make my signature appear or something?
me: That's right. Would that be impressive?....Here's a sharpie.

I've also tried to tailor it to the spec. If they're a lawyer, I'd say it's a contract. If they're a doctor, it's a release form. One that really works is asking the spec to write their deepest darkest secrets which they would refuse to do. Then, they'd rather write their name on it.

If I'm getting heat from a spec, I've been known to walk away.

Once I performed for a group and one of them was an amateur magician. I asked him, "Can you watch me closely and tell me how my performance is after the routine?" He was really cool about it. I acknowledged him and I wasn't so nervous afterwards.

The most interesting quote I got from a spec was...
"You're wife's lucky. You're really good with your hands." This from a really drunk Japanese woman.

jericbilo wrote:The most interesting quote I got from a spec was...
"You're wife's lucky. You're really good with your hands." This from a really drunk Japanese woman.

That's a good one!

Heres some good ones

me: Take any card
spec: Shall I look at it?
me: Pointless doing the trick if you don't

when you pull out a deck of cards
spec: are they those short and long cards?
me: (in my mind) yeah because every card trick uses them!

after you do a bill switch
spec: If I give you lots of £5 can you turn them into £10 for me or
spec: If you can do that why are you working?
me: (in my mind) it's a F*****G trick!

Spec: Tell me how it's done
me: (in my mind) yeah like I'm going to tell you how this trick is done, when i've spent lots of money on it and spent the last few months learning it!
me: (what I say) No idea how it's done

as for comments the classic one is...........
You should be on TV

After that Blaine spoof, I think we should have a TM competition - the first person to get the response, "if I wake up tomorrow and find something in my ass, I'll sue you" wins

Farlsborough wrote:After that Blaine spoof, I think we should have a TM competition - the first person to get the response, "if I wake up tomorrow and find something in my ass, I'll sue you" wins

You know how many card to asses that would take during the performance to get people to think you can do it while they are asleep?

Well I do! .

Oh, if only if only I had a nickel for everytime I had that said to me .

Oh how I love this thread .

Keep these coming please,
~David

Tony Hyams.....

Yes, you got the spirit going.....those are some other good ones. I just love the "should I look at it" comment and the "can you change it into a 10 for me.....why are you working?"

These are great!!!!

How about....

When doing a set for a couple in a restaurant, and the husband/boyfriend starts to get jealous because his wife/girlfreind is not paying attention to him.......so he starts to heckle, and the lady says, "any chance you can get him to disappear?"

Usually quiets the guy right down doesn't it!

"How did you do that?" has to be the most common one, to which I now reply ion a conciliatory tone, "If I told you, you'd only know." I much prefer it when they just stare at you because they have no words.

(after a great mind-reading type effect...)

Me: And not only did the prediction match, but it was sealed in the envelope all the time, which YOU were holding.

Spectator: No way... that's amazing

Me (in thought): Not really, if you know the correct sleights and method

Me (to spectator): Yes, it is amazing—but remember, it was YOU who did the magic, I merely prepared and ran through the method

Me (to self): If you believe that, then you're more stupid than you look

spec :-if he could really use magic to see into the future he would go win the lottery.
me:- even millionaires need a hobby