talkmagic.co.uk

greedoniz wrote:I've lost the will to live....I really have

Other than that, thank you to everyone for your comments! I have really listened and taken them to heart.

Roblaughter, My apologies for sounding arrogant. I try very hard not to be.

Sounds like I am going to delete this video too? If it makes some of you say such hurtful things, then I will stop the Youtube videos.

Dont throw your toys out the pram. Offer your videos up but dont go around saying that they are the best ever in the world. Apart from the lectures do you perform to real lay people?

greedoniz wrote:
I've lost the will to live....I really have






Other than that, thank you to everyone for your comments! I have really listened and taken them to heart.

That was really commenting on the circular nature of the whole thread and how advice in the past has seemed to just have been ignored not meant as a personal attack of any kind, more of just an exclaimation of my own frustration.

For some people, life is a write-only medium.

Please take on board the advice that has been given by the people here, and most importantly, get out and perform - perform to drunken people, angry people, intelligent people, cynical people, disillusioned people; get heckled, get your hands burnt by a dozen sets of eyes at once, get caught out, have someone ask you if you have 2 cards there. It will be painful, but it will also be invaluable. Also, you want to make a name for yourself, which is most certainly laudable, but on the other name, try not to be too.... *ahem* 'kras'.

I think this trick has great potential, but your performances needs to be slightly improved.

.:Ham:.

I have finally forced myself to watch young Michael perform on this youtube thing. When I see evidence of his existence on here I will comment on the matter. I don't want to talk about him behind his back.
Not cricket you know.

Young Michael was banned from TM last month, sorry, but there are literally hundreds of his posts and threads still on view here!

Ah. I didn't know that. I shall therefore talk about him behind his back anyway since it may be an object lesson for us all.

I didn't think his palming was that bad and if he was amongst laymen he may well have gotten away with it. It would have depended on the laymen and their attention span. The move of getting the card into his pocket without actually reaching in was pretty good and I am surprised that nobody commented on it. Alas it has been done before. I don't know if Michael reinvented it or just plain stole it. I think the former is more likely than the latter since it is not a very well known technique. It was first published by Ross Bertram whose wife I once met in a flea market I kid you not.

I think the duct tape was overkill and not practical for impromptu purposes. Who carries duct tape around with them all the time? I also think I agree that showing the pocket empty brings too much attention to it although I could be wrong here.

My worst complaint with Michael and the reason I am posting my comments here is his constant riffling of the cards. I have seen other people do this and it is a dreadful habit which deserves fingers being amputated or alternatively being forced to watch members of your local magic club perform for long periods.

Constant riffling denotes amateurishness and nervousness. If Michael ever gets to hear what I am saying about it I hope he eschews it immediately.

As for his constant enquiring "OK?" every few seconds that is something else that he needs to cut down on. If it makes him feel any better I have seen noted professionals make this mistake too. It needs to be cut out.

I have mixed feelings about the flourishes. They are indeed very good but they are perhaps coming at the wrong time. You are focusing attention on your skill just before you are going to palm a card and this may not be a wise thing to do unless you are a very skilled performer.

On the other hand Michael is only 13 years old. Think about that for a moment. How good were YOU when you were 13? He is creative, enthusiastic and he obviously loves magic. I predict a bright future as he matures and I think that one day he will become a noted name in magic and will cringe when he sees how precocious he was when young.

Thanks Mark, Michael can still visit and view so no doubt he'll be reading your words very soon.

Mandrake wrote:Young Michael was banned from TM last month, sorry, but there are literally hundreds of his posts and threads still on view here!

Good God, it's like he'll never leave us . . .

monker59 wrote:

Mandrake wrote:Young Michael was banned from TM last month, sorry, but there are literally hundreds of his posts and threads still on view here!

Good God, it's like he'll never leave us . . .

We know you don't like him but do you really have to keep on telling us all the time. To be honest I don't see the need for the comment you left above, it just seems abit pointless seeing Micheal isn't on the forums at the moment anyway.

Out of interest, has Michael been permanently banned from this forum, or has he been banned for a certain period of time? When I saw that he wasn't on this forum any more, I assumed that he'd just left. Didn't realize he'd been banned.....