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by **GoldFish** » Aug 14th, '04, 20:48

Michael Jay wrote:"Don't run if you're not being chased."

Al Baker

by **Michael Jay** » Aug 15th, '04, 00:35

Thank you, sir! It's been driving me nuts since I posted it. On the bright side, I've been going through books that I've not looked through in a while!

Mike.

by **bananafish** » Aug 15th, '04, 20:48

This principle [misdirection] plays such an important role in Magic that one might almost say that Magic is misdirection, and misdirection is Magic. This principle is divided into two parts. Mental misdirection and physical misdirection.

Mental misdirection may be defined as the art of misdirecting the minds of the audience from the real cause of the effects that are produced. Physical misdirection denotes the method of diverting the attention of the spectators away from the point at which a certain sleight or move is made.

Jean Hugard. Secrets of 20th Century Magic. (Preface to “The Magic of Slydini” by Lewis Ganson).

by **bananafish** » Aug 16th, '04, 10:46

It is dangerous to let the public behind the scenes. They are easily disillusioned and then they are angry with you, for it was the illusion they loved

W. Somerset Maugham

by **Alan Jackson** » Aug 16th, '04, 12:58

Another common magic-related quote from Somerset Maugham is:
“He asked me if I liked card tricks. I said ‘no’. He showed me three.”

Actually the correct conversation is:

Then he seized the pack.
“Do you like card tricks?”
“No, I hate card tricks,” I answered.
“Well, I'll just show you this one.”
He showed me three.

From a short story called Mr Knowall.

by **GoldFish** » Aug 19th, '04, 16:58

Doubtless the pleasure is as great
Of being cheated as to cheat

A Seventh Centuary Poet (sorry, I don't know who).

by **GoldFish** » Aug 19th, '04, 16:59

"Mr Devant," said the young man,
"I know three hundred card tricks. How many do you know?"
Devant glanced at the youth quizzically. "I should say," the magician responded drily, "That I know about eight".

An anecdote attributed to the great magician David Devant.

by **bananafish** » Aug 19th, '04, 17:03

Doubtless the pleasure is as great
Of being cheated as to cheat

That would be Samuel Butler (1612-1680).

As an aside, Jonathan Swift has a similar quote, where he says...

the happiness of life consists in being well deceived

by **GoldFish** » Aug 19th, '04, 17:28

Give that man a Scooby snack; thank you.

"I do a trick better if I like the trick, but if they like it, and I don't like it, I will do it for them anyway."

"You have to know all the details. Something is happening all the time. You have to understand every moment. You have to hold people, how to entertain them. You must be aware of the common sense of things, the movements of the body, where to look and how to sit or stand."

both attributed to Slydini

by **Michael Jay** » Aug 21st, '04, 17:22

"It is an achievement in one life to be able to do six tricks perfectly and if you get this far, then you are entitled to play games and fiddle with novel diversions. The odd thing about magicians is that when this sort of thing is said, everybody agrees and at the same time everybody thinks it applies to somebody else. It could be you!"

Corinda

by **bananafish** » Sep 22nd, '04, 16:08

"No, there is no scarcity of materal to work on. Only trouble is, a man just doesn't have time enough to do more than scratch the surface. But he can have a lot of fun doing this scratching"

Stewart Judah, The Magic World of Stewart Judah. 1966

by **bananafish** » Sep 23rd, '04, 12:37

Astonishment is not an emotion that's created. It's an existing state that's revealed.

Paul Harris

by **bananafish** » Sep 24th, '04, 12:50

The magical eccentricities of the four aces furnish some of the very best effects in the gentle art of Hocus Pocus

T. Nelson Downs. The Art of Magic 1909

by **bananafish** » Sep 27th, '04, 08:10

There is a large class of tricks which may be described as consisting of two elements. The discovery of a chosen card by the performer and the revelation of his knowledge in a more or less striking manner.

Professor Hoffmann, Modern Magic, 1876

by **bananafish** » Oct 10th, '04, 16:05

Don't look for new tricks. Look for new people and show them the old tricks...

Charlie Miller

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