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What do you guys think of Criss Angel. Some of his stuff is too good to be true. Do you think that using stooges has it's place in magic on television. Or do you think that it is just plain cheating. My personal opionion is there is so much great magic out their why does someone have to resort to using plants and stooges.

Criss Angel, like any illusionist works hard at what he does, as witnessed in his shows, CDs and materials. For non-magician/illusionists, a memorable effect delivered with theatrical impact is what they want to see. These are the ultimate consumers, in our $$$ driven world of our professional and semi-professional craft in a world where we have to compete with electronic entertainment and instant gratification. As a result, I feel that some of the Art of our craft has been traded for dramatics to the extreme. People are just programmed that way today.

This was brought home to me personally, when I performed some coin routines (that I had practiced for some months) and then did a pen thru bill (practically self-working with theatrical patter) only to find the pen routine is all the teenagers in the audience could talk about. Art vs. drama!

Using accomplices is O.K. as long as it is not overdone, and that it aids in the desired effect. Confederates have been used throughout the history of magic and mentalism, as long as they are not used in a situation where skill and practice could be of more benefit to the performer and ultimately the effect itself.

When we perform, we seek to make the performance an extension of ourselves in its execution. When people watch us perform, they seek to make sense out of something that looks ordinary but in their mind has the potential of being exraordinary! So they watch to see what happens next.

For the love of all that is good and decent in this world, do we REALLY need another Criss Angel uses stooges thread?

Demitri wrote:For the love of all that is good and decent in this world, do we REALLY need another Criss Angel uses stooges thread?

No!