talkmagic.co.uk

Last week, my friend asked me to show him a quick trick. I just had a tally-ho deck with me, so I got him to pick a card and put it into the deck. I used a simpler version off the pass ( sorry, but evrytime I put *'s in it, it looked like a very similar word!). After it he said, I think I know how you did that, I listened to his theory which was, from what I could tell, the most complicated and jumbled version off the injog. He doesn't do magic, although his wee sister does but she doesn't know any card slights yet, and he doesn't really read magic books or anything. does anyone know where he could've possibly found out about this, as i've worn out my brain trying to figure it out, although that would'nt be hard! I can't figure out how he could've found out about that. Let me know.

this is one of the things i love about magic.... listening to the most outlandish explanations that people give for your ability to find their cards etc, i know this may sound patronising but its not meant to be all i mean is that when a person comes up with something along the lines of" hmmmm i think i know how you did that..... you took my card when i wasnt looking and passed it to that armadillo who happened to be passing at the right time THEN he/she got in a cab and mailed it first class delivery back to you just so you could tell me that i picked the 3 of clubs" it means that they are TOTALLY baffled by your skills and methods.... take it as a compliment

I'm afraid I have to give you another teaser for my upcoming review of 'absolute magic' (it'll go up tomorrow probably) but reading it has backed up my feeling of disapointment about this kind of thing. I find it as amusing as anyone else when people suggest things like this but I also feel disappointed that they are thinking about any kind of method when they should be reeling from the magical experience they've just had. I accept that this can happen to even the very best of the best, but I feel like just a trickster rather than a magician when it happens to me.

The 'old' explanation used to be, 'It's all done with mirrors!' backed with the occasional, 'He's using a trap door!' which is very strange if you're doing a card trick! We've seen the programmes featuring 'that geezer' where the specs have hysterics at an effect then try to come up with a rational explanation such as, ' Are you a guru? You must be a guru'.

However, this kind of comment really ought to be taken as a compliment despite what Derren Brown says - I'm ploughing through the same book and there's a lot of deep and serious thinking involved there but life will be different for each of us so don't be disappointed if reality is occasionally different.

I've used these comments to advantage on several occasions - if they think you're using mirrors and a trap door then tell them they're quite right and swiftly lead on to Dice Thru' Mirror (refer to http://www.emagictricks.co.uk/product_i ... ts_id=3333 for details) where you clearly show them a trap door and two mirrors.

Perhaps this would be an ideal opportunity to share some typical spec reactions and the sort of (clean!) responses we make - or would like to have made? This might help others when they encounter similar reactions.

How did you do that? = Very well indeed!
How did you do that? = If I told you that I'd have to kill you!
Can you do the one like David Blaine does? = No, we have an agreement - he doesn't do mine and I don't do his.
Can you do the one like David Blaine does? = No but I can do it without freezing my ass off in blocks of ice!
Can you do the one that Tommy Cooper used to do? = No, nobody can do anything like Tommy used to do!
I know how that's done! = OK, here's the cards/ropes/props/whatever, give it a go!
You're cheating! = Yes - I'm supposed to!

OK folks, add away!

Some personal favourites:

That's an easy/simple trick
Yep. Have to down-grade sometimes to let the audience keep up.

You're using fake cards...
True. Got them from a market in Greece - they're cheaper than genuine ones.

Let me see those cards...
No problem. Come and see me after the show - private lessons start at £50.

That wasn't a proper shuffle...
Crikey - I wondered why the cards never get mixed up.

Can you do that David Blaine biting coin thing?
Yes - and I've taken it a step further - has anyone got a manhole cover I can borrow?

Can you levitate?
Don't be silly - I'm a magician, not a helium balloon!

How did you do that?
I don't know - if I ever figure it out, it'll sell for a fortune!

My uncle does magic, too. He can do that trick...
Brilliant... someone else has read my book, then. Thank him for buying it.

That was amazing! Do it again!
I'm a magician, not a video recording. But thanks for the offer.

Where did you learn to do magic?
On the bus on the way here. I'm a fast learner.

I know how you did that...
Well, my advice is don't do it for a living. The pay is lousy and the hecklers are a pain in the neck.

Are you a member of the Magic Circle?
I used to be, but my membership card kept turning into a rabbit - and it was costing me a fortune in carrots.

Why aren't you dressed like a magician? Proper magicians have suits...
Why aren't you dressed like a spectator?

Who is your favourite magician?
That would have to be Fooledyousilli (best Italian accent) - you know, the bloke who invented the Shuffled and restored Flying Aces Transposition - my favourite move.
(you will be surprised how many people nod knowingly)

Can you teach me a trick?
Of course I can. You’ll need a person sized box, a big saw and a woman with life insurance…

I was showing a boy a different version of the ID. this one is like a swengalli but when you do it it goes from cards to blank. When they were blank tthe guy said I KNOW HOW YOU DID THAT. He said that one of the cards had 52 miniture pictures on it. The guy was moved off to the mental hospital 20 minuites later (joke). Just shows you how people go crasy over magic.
ben

your joking
he did not sus it,he got it completely wrong but I did show him other tricks that blew his mind away.
Ben

i think it is always good to have somebody that you can trust that is good at actually working out what you do...

I use a guy at work. He likes his magic and I ask him to really pay attention. Sometimes he works it out, sometimes not...but he always gives his opinion on the trick and the presentation etc Very useful.

Surprisingly, he is TOTALLY fooled by the ID!!!!!!!!!!!

seige wrote:Some personal favourites:

That's an easy/simple trick
Yep. Have to down-grade sometimes to let the audience keep up.

[b]You're using fake cards...

These are excellent Seige!

I'm going to start using some replies like these! I'm still quite new to performing in front of people, and I can think of numerous occasions when these would have really helped!

Cheers!!

seige its printed and going on my wall .

After performing the ID the spectator guessed that I had some how manipulated her to choose the a specific card, this was the effect I was after,

She had various ideas about how how I was doing this, so the next time I played on this fact and when I asked her to look at me a waved my hands in front of her with 4 fingers up, and then made a diamond sign (all very subtly),

she was I know what you are doing you want me to choose the 4 of diamonds, to which I replied "ah yes you think thats what i want you to do", she then of course chose another card, for which I was able to show face down in the deck.

From now on she is always examining what I say trying to work out how it is affecting her, I just hope it does not go to far and she ends up nutty