talkmagic.co.uk

themagicwand wrote:Actually it is my experience that women find being asked if you may kiss them an incredible turn on.

I don't get enough offers so can't comment on that

If you pick and choose your tables carefully you can usually be pretty certain of a decent reaction.

In my experience there are certain different goups in the pub.

Lads out on the beer- aviod, they are a nightmare. All I ever get from them is comments like 'go on, make your top vanish, love', 'bet you can't shrink your skirt'. Guys wont get the same comments but they're probabaly just as disruptive.

Girls on a night out- usually very good audience as they're just out having fun. A good laugh to perform for.

A loved up couple- these can usually be a good audience, esp if you've got some sort of lovey dovey tricks. Heart sponges, tricks revealing the ace of hearts etc.

Older group of men- sometimes quite hit and miss, some like to heckle but others do want to see you perform.

Older group of women- the best audience in my opinion. Usually quite tipsey. You can get away with all sorts in your performance. A good audience for working on your less than perfect tricks.

older mixed group- a good solid audience, the women tend to moderate any of the men who want to heckle.

The resident drunked wierdo- avoid at all costs!!!!

Excellent points lady of mystery. Also avoid pretty boys in the 25 to 35 age group waaay to much testostorone (or how ever you spell it) and wanting to catch you out.

Women between 30 and 1000 are usualy good and love magic. Of course this sint set in stone some people dont like magic no matter what. And there is nothing you can do like some people dont like rugby (the sport not the place).

Then again Lady of Mystery do you find being a lass disarms peoples more, you know the old thing about a man goes over to woman he must want to pick them up etc etc.

I agree that young lads are normally the worst audience for magic. However I will sometimes force myself to go over to a group, smile broadly and unashamedly announce that I'd like to show them some magic. It keeps me on my toes, and in those few minutes before you win them over you will have increased your skill and you abilities two-fold. Really, if you want to learn how to perform close-up, do it in front of half a dozen boozed up guys. You'll learn quick.

Having said that, I normally avoid them like the plague. Ladies are far nicer.

themagicwand wrote:

Actually it is my experience that women find being asked if you may kiss them an incredible turn on.

I also find that walking up to a table, saying you're all the entertainment they could afford, and then launching into your routine a little rude. Surely asking if they'd like to see some magic is simple good manners. Like asking a girl if you can kiss her, it actually makes them like you rather than thinking you're Mr. Light Entertainment (or Mr. Lover Man depending on whether you're kissing or conjuring).

Point taken! If done without sensitivity walking up to a table, saying you're all the entertainment they could afford, and then launching into a routine would endeed show lack of manners. It is all about reading body language and if I see that the group is in the middle of a discussion I would NEVER intrude. Approaching the table showing sensitivity and good manners is paramount.

However: Asking if they want to see magic is just NOT the right approach. Besides inviting for rejection it is addressing the spectators on a rational level rather than on an emotional level. Magic without the emotional level is just a sequence of puzzles. Ideally this is not where we want the spectators, though I think its fine that the spectators partly have a rational analytic attitude to what happens since this in fact helps making the magic even more magical.

Markdini wrote:Then again Lady of Mystery do you find being a lass disarms peoples more, you know the old thing about a man goes over to woman he must want to pick them up etc etc.

To be honest I don't really think it makes that much difference. I guess the other women might feel slightly more comfortable being aproached by me rather than a guy. But I think it comes more down to how you approach than if you're male or female.

Lady of Mystery wrote:

Markdini wrote:Then again Lady of Mystery do you find being a lass disarms peoples more, you know the old thing about a man goes over to woman he must want to pick them up etc etc.

To be honest I don't really think it makes that much difference. I guess the other women might feel slightly more comfortable being aproached by me rather than a guy. But I think it comes more down to how you approach than if you're male or female.

damn.. i was hoping it was the fact that my magic sucked that made the ladies run away and not the fact that i look like something that a dog ate and then regurgitated

Soren Riis wrote:
However: Asking if they want to see magic is just NOT the right approach. Besides inviting for rejection it is addressing the spectators on a rational level rather than on an emotional level. Magic without the emotional level is just a sequence of puzzles. Ideally this is not where we want the spectators, though I think its fine that the spectators partly have a rational analytic attitude to what happens since this in fact helps making the magic even more magical.

I do agree with you to a point, but I find that asking if they want to see some "magic" in many ways disarms them. They actually expect me to start making sponge balls disappear and pulling coins out from behind their ears. However what actually happens is that I do touch them on an emotional level, some have even been moved to tears (in a good way ). By introducing what I'm about to do as "magic" I do put them off-guard and make them ripe for the plucking (as it were).

If I was to say "I'm about to conduct a psychic experiment with you, and in a few minutes time you will be questioning your whole belief system," I think the turn-down rate would be somewhat higher!

I simply don't like the idea of starting a performance without giving the spec's at least an idea of what to expect. Plus if you launch into your routine and a spec says "I'm sorry, please stop that and go away", the embaressment factor would be very high! At least a short introduction gives everyone a chance to save face if the response is a negative one. How very British of me!

I'd love to hear how other table-hoppers and close-up artists operate?

if im in a small pub and end up doing a few things, i've just found keeping an eye out for people watching from nearby tables...

if they have an interest i do occasionally just lean across and say don't be shy please join us...

that way it's open ended and friendly...

but bear in mind i dont do pubs and stuff that often to "recommend" anything, this is just my experience...

as for approaching people, i think mark lewis offered some good advice on the subject somewhere else...

I'm very similar to Abraxus, just keep an eye out for people who are watching and when I finish the routine I'm dong I go over to them. I'd much rather perform for someone who's interested rather than someone who's not really bothered either way.

Lady of Mystery wrote:In my experience there are certain different goups in the pub.

Lads out on the beer- aviod, they are a nightmare. All I ever get from them is comments like 'go on, make your top vanish, love', 'bet you can't shrink your skirt'. Guys wont get the same comments but they're probabaly just as disruptive.

Girls on a night out- usually very good audience as they're just out having fun. A good laugh to perform for.

I think its the exact opposite way around for me

I can't do magic for a large group of girls on a night out. They won't stand for it, I often find them very cynical, especially in the pub - i presume this is because they think it's some kind of chat up line. I don't know.

Lads on the other hand, I can handle. As long as you come in as an equal there is no problem and I'm often encouraged to show them more magic and alll their friends etc.

I think this is to do with this particular age group though. It is also very much to do with whether you are male or female. Boys and girls on a 'night out' in a pub seem to take any approach of any kind as a bit of a chat up line (or at least that runs through their mind for a moment). That is what people expect on a night out (particularly this age group).

It is no surprise that you and I seem to connect more with audiences of our own sex, than with the opposite. We are clued up in the workings of that social group so adjust to it more easily.

Of course I only perform as an amateur, I expect that if people were aware that a professional was at work then they would have a different reaction. However, I feel that much of what I have said sitll stands.

Me and my brother was discussing magic and peoples perceptions of if that sponge ball really apear from no where. And we come to a conclusion.......


After many hours of debate. We decided that no matter what gender some one is its all to do with IQ. This wont really win me any friends I think. But I read some where that you can do perfect bang on slight of hand for a kid and that kid will always say its in your other hand Mr Magic. Happend when I was doing my ring on string rotuine what i have done for hundreds of people and never been caught on.
Children dont have the same perception as adults they dont actually belive that false transfer the coin isnt in the hand its ment to go in. I am not saying kids are stupid far from I am saying They percive things diffirently.
Also people with a very high IQ will dismiss magic instantly "non of your presdigation here please" I dont know why this is maybe they have better things to think of. I mean like Stephen Hawking IQ by the way.
Us mortals with an avrage to above avarage IQ tend to be the best audiance for magic we know there is tricky involved but its the how. The wonderment factor.
And lastly the low IQ have the same problem with perception as the children , I am not saying these people are thick just they think in a diffirent way.

My brother was lucky enough to go to quite a good boarding school (the one from the first season of rock school) anyhow, he learnt to do the thing when the cig moves across the table. The really high IQ people dismissed its trickery. The avarage Joes was coming up with all type of fantastical ideas from static to a small ant under the fag. And the below avarage types knew the methood.

I dont know if anyone agrees with me here but in my personal expirance i have found performing for avarage people you get the best reactions.