talkmagic.co.uk

What does everyone here think about Ellusionist (http://www.ellusionist.com)... And those sorts of sites?

Personally, being that I'm quite experienced in magic, I have a small bitter dislike to them.

I think they simplify, commercialize and dumb down magic to the nth degree. Although I think at times they may have good intentions in trying to create visually engaging magic that looks stunning to real people... I think they slightly deteriorate from the real beauty of it and add a sort of cheesy stigma to it.

I much prefer sophisticated, intellectually engaging magic that plays to people's intelligence but is also still very stunning and baffling. Like Derren Brown's stuff.

This is just my personal opinion, I know a lot of people use and by their stuff, just a topic point really. What does everyone else think about them?

they don't credit
they repackage old as something new
awful teachers at times
they even explain the pass as a route to perform another sleight during a routine...
idiots...

on another note, i must say that you may want to re-think your site name "sullymagic" , as that is exactly what ellusionist's site does...

They've got some good stuff, and any magic that's visually interesting is usually OK with me, but the whole site just stinks of Criss Angel and that horrible kind of "urban street magician" vibe he gives off. On the other hand, if sites like this eventually push people to really get into magic, I should think most will eventually leave this stuff behind.

YET ANOTHER ELLUSIONIST DEBATE!!!

Use the search!! This has been done, redone, done some more then again and again!!

To me Brad Christian of Ellusionist can do no wrong. I am in constant awe of how much money he is now making and what an improvement this must be on his days as a starving magician.

I am also in constant amusement over the fact that when he was 18 years old he would have been utterly horrified at the idea of wholesale proliferation of magic on the internet. He was brought up to believe that magic should be a secret and only after an exhaustive questionnaire about your interest in magic and submitting your blood type and DNA should you be then allowed to perform the ball vase.

However he seems to have changed his tune nowadays. All power to him. I have often wondered whether he got his first insight into this by seeing me scam the punters into buying svengali decks. I have always been a great believer in the old saying "Art for Art's sake, money for Christ's sake!"

I do hope that I inspired Brad a little with this attitude and I hope you will all continue to be daft enough to give him all your money. He deserves it and I feel quite proud of him.

"Art for Art's sake, money for Christ's sake!"

Or 'Money for Christians Sake'

Very apt observation I must say.

Actually the last time I saw Brad in person was at a Macdonald's restaurant on Yonge St in Toronto. He espoused his spiritual beliefs to me at the time. It wasn't actually Christianity he followed. It was another less recognised belief system. I considered it very odd at the time.

I don't know if he kept it up. It was decades ago that I saw him.

No. I am not going to tell you what this belief system was. Maybe it made him tons of money and perhaps I should keep it a secret from you all.

mark lewis wrote:No. I am not going to tell you what this belief system was. Maybe it made him tons of money and perhaps I should keep it a secret from you all.

You mean he's actually one of the top guys of Scientology?

Who needs to create magic when you have a cult?

No. It wasn't Scientology. Oddly enough though the Macdonalds in question was right next to the scientology headquarters.

No. I am still not going to tell you what it was. Brad should be allowed his little secrets.

I believe that some of the illusionist stuff is awful but i do take a lot from the daniel garcia and wayne houchin stuff that was produced by ellusionist and there are some great stuff especially on ultragaff.

Jordan C wrote:This has been done, redone, done some more then again and again!!

'zackly - let's not do it again, find the existing threads and add to them please.