I have been catching up on the FISM reports today. It's interesting what plays for magicians and is really just for them and not so much for non-magicians. I have heard it said that the best kind of magic can be described in one sentence. "He put my bill in a lemon", "He cut the rope in half and put it back together" or "Use the word etcetera in a sentence".
I think the biggest problem is we take a simple idea and convolute the holy hell out of it. I have a new bit which is a variation on a classic. The effect by itself gets a fine enough reaction. It's simple and to the point. A friend wanted to see something else tacked on to the end because he thought the initial effect was kind of bland.
This my friends is magician logic. Let me tell you something. Sometimes good enough is just that. My friend had a saying on his desk at his music studio. "Remember: Not Too slick". In the pursuit of trying to make something "perfect" (or in this case more "magical") you can actually screw it up. Sure the magicians would eat it up and give you bonus points in a meaningless competition, but will it play in Peoria?
Sometimes going that extra mile is ok and a routine NEEDS it. However you have to make sure it really needs it. If it's simple to follow for the simpletons you might not win any trophies but the real world might just love you for it.
Sometimes too much is too much.
