talkmagic.co.uk

Personally I dont find any joy or sense of being smug when I see it being butchered right before my eyes.
I feel that we who fill a large proportion of our lives immersing ourselves in watching, practicing, and showing magic tend to lose the concept that for most people magic is something they have seen on tv and if they have seen it live it is rare.
For most of those people in the audience that day they will go away with a negative experience and until they see a decent act will tar us all with the same brush.
I just wish that anyone who is going to stand in front of the general public and perform would really look at themselves with a highly critical eye and ask themselves "Is this something that would entertain me"?

It is hard to comprehend the man when he must think that the act is entertaining, slick and the illusions solid. I still shake my head dumbfound today

True, fair points. I guess I'm coming from the point of view that we can't change anyone else, only ourselves. I am new to performing magic I admit but what would be an appropriate response? Could you start talking to the audience, thanking your warm up act before perfoming a few of your test pieces? I've seen a guy perform card magic to try to pull women (very creepy) and am preparing myself for blowing him out of the water (a few months down the line).

Anyway, I mean no offence, just trying to fill in the details for my own benefit.

DT

to be honest I'm not sure there is an appropriate response that is within the law.
At the end of the day he has every right to go up there and do whatever he wishes and I'm not sure it would be my place to then go around performing for that same audience after he finished. That kind of action might be seen as attention seeking to the audience and the performer alike.
I think what it does come down to is all apsects of the magic community should hammer the idea home as hard as possible to not go out performing to audiences until you have an act you would like to see yourself. Even then in all walks of life there are people who's enthusiasm and drive far excedes their talent and dignity.
As you said we can only control what we do personally but hopefully we (as a collective community) can dissuade some from going out there too soon and to give thought to what they perform.

I'm still working on the problem on what and how to perform but rely not soley on how good I think I am but on the thoughts of fellow magicians, friends and finally and foremostly the audience out there.

I think you're right about looking to friends, family and the magic community for feedback. Part of my job involves developing feedback cultures within organisations so I know how important it is and also how hard it is to receive sometimes, particularly if you're plough a lot of effort into what you're presenting. I am also aware that delivering feedback appropriately is a skill in itself, requiring a fair degree of reflexive process. From what it sounds like, at the time you may have bellowed your feedback to the unimpressive act with 'full force and furious anger'.
Maybe a polite letter.....

DT

I actually LOVE people that screw up magic, and here's why. They help separate magic into two categories in the "public's mind". One category includes themselves which is people that can "trick" you into seeing something. Now I know you're all thinking that we all fit in that category, and we do, BUT not to the public. See, the second category is magicians that are actually magical. I have had so many spectators say, "oh yeah I've seen magic before, some guy with cards and sleight of hand ... blah blah blah". Then I say, "could he do this?" and follow it with a trick they won't figure out. So see the previous guy set me up to look much better. He was seen as a trickster and I was seen as magical.