Vegas is a small community and we all mostly know each other. If someone needs to know something we can get hold of each other pretty easy. Obviously in the rest of the world not stuck in the middle of a desert, it's different. One thing we talk a lot about when we gather is on the subject of creating and crediting. Obviously independent thought happens all the time. Collective conscious and all that jazz.
However, I just would like to say to everyone who thinks that creating something in a vacuum without seeing someone else's idea gives you the right to publish or sell it...
IT F$%#ING DOESN'T!!
I don't care if a biblically accurate angel came to you on a DMT bender one night and graced your mind with this golden idea, if you didn't create it first, IT'S NOT YOURS!
"What about things like UBER and Lyft?" That's a service, not an art.
"Well Coke and RC cola..." That's a product, not an art.
"What about..." I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR BULLSHIT WHATABOUT-ISMS THAT YOU TELL YOURSELF THAT CONVINCE YOU IT'S OK!
If you don't get permission from the originator, you are stealing. Plain and simple. All you have to do is reach out and ask for their blessing. Usually they will just ask for credit. Sometimes they will say no and if they say NO, stay... the fugg... away from it. Sometimes you can partner up with them to improve and collaborate on it. Hey great!
To all of you armchair dickbags on internet forums, the moment I hear any of you say "Well no one owns ideas and blah blah blah" all I ever think is "Spoken like someone who has never created anything good in their life". Take your cover band ass to the back of the line.
If someone says to you, "Oh that's like so-and so's thing..." and you don't reach out to the originator, then you KNOW you are in the wrong and just don't wanna be told so. That's your inner Jimminy Cricket telling you you're a POS you're ignoring. Just listen to it and...
Having something be a "hit" in today's world is a double edged sword. You get a bump of clout, but you also get a slew of idiots coming up behind you to steal and expose your creations on the internet.
Knock-offs have been running rampant through our industry for some time obviously but it always baffles me when I see anyone defending it. I'll see other magicians in the comments taking the side of the thieves and ex-posers. This even happens in private magic forums! Some tourists defend shitty behavior and I am here to say something to ANY of you I see doing that, no matter where it is...
D-E-D
When I see someone defending the theft of another's creation without their consent or permission all I think to myself is, "Spoken like someone who has never created a thing in their life". I am sure our paths will never cross but you better HOPE I don't recognize you if we ever do. You are not a magician, you are a slug doing card tricks and the way you interact with others online tells me plenty about you and your mindset and I'm pretty sure we won't get along.
So take your idiotic "hot takes" and edgy comments and let them wash over you in your mediocrity. You will never be viewed as a professional until you wise up (and that might be fine with you) but don't go around bitching about people who want to take the art seriously when they chide and ignore your dumb ass after you make asinine comments about how theft and exposure is ok.
When the topic of exposure in magic comes up you get some really interesting "counter-arguments" from, not only the people doing it, but also.... apologizers? It's wild. They almost all say, "Why was it ok for this person(s) to do it" or, "What about magic shops, libraries, etc?".
It is a tough argument. Why is THIS ok:
But when certain other individuals on social media do it, it's not ok? Why is it ok for Mac King to teach magic on a national TV show or what about the masked magician guy?
These are all fair points. Here are a few counter-arguments:
1. They have a better gaming chair - In the case of P&T, it was done VERY well. It was done as entertainment. It was also something they created so they have the right to "expose" it. They are making fun of magic as a whole, not exposing any one particular effect. There is NOTHING in the current magic world that remotely looks like that. Sure, there are elements at play that one could say "That's close enough to other things" but here is the other part to it.
It's being done as a parody and when you "hide it in comedy" people dismiss it. You can show how something works, but then negate that with a different method. People are simple creatures and yes, while the phrase "if someone thinks they know 10% of how something works, then they think they know 100% of it" is viable, in a case like this, they will never see anything like this done by other magicians in this exact way.
Now, I would be remiss in not talking about the time P&T exposed how a thumbtip worked on national TV but that brings me to my next point...
2. Choice - This is the big one and I think the one that lays these lame what-about-isms to rest once and for all.
In ALL examples made of why one is ok but another is not, there is always a choice being made. You are warned up front about what is going to happen or are given enough time or warning that you are about to learn something you might not want to know. "Secrets Revealed" showed you how everything looked first and then TOLD you they were about to show you. You could leave the room, change the channel, mute the TV, put a change bag over your head, or otherwise avert thine gaze.
If you want to learn a magic trick from a store, you have to first make the choice to WALK in that store and engage with that person and then DECIDE to give them your money. Library? Sure, you have to walk in and go to 798.3 and crack open a book and actively look up that info.
Social media exposure is the equivalent of someone running up to you on the street and showing you how a Tenyo trick works and then running away. You have no time to react, you were not searching that out, you were a hostage in that situation. Sure the person is actively searching out videos to distract themselves from their dreary day, but in the world of randomly curated videos and auto-play, that info gets fed at a lightning pace and the "secret" is usually shown in the first few seconds so by the time you realize what the video is, it's too late.
One last thought: This goes back to the P&T video. A lot of times the things people get mad about is the exposure of products others are actively using. It's not THEIR creation to expose. (weird how the people showing how things work, don't expose their OWN creations isn't it?) Imagine that instead of showing how something like vanishing flowers worked, you just created your own version that worked similarly, but wasn't that EXACT prop.
People only know what they see and if the argument is "It's just entertainment man!" then change the prop to resemble something else. You can still "entertain" with something you made instead of something other people are using. Could it be, putting in that extra inch of effort is just too much? Could it be they are just lazy? Maybe for all their talk of "evolving the art" and people need to "get over it" they are just doing it for a paycheck and don't actually give a damn about art at all?
The world may never know...
(PS: I know I have not been very active on here over the years but I'm still around. My life is mainly filled with creating and building escape rooms now, but I still have some thoughts in the pipeline I hope to get to soon. Thanks for sticking around.)
I want to start this post by saying I am not against people trying to improve a magic effect for their own amusement/benefit/style/etc. However, I am against trying to convince people it has shortcomings that it doesn't have like it's fact just to sell it as a product.
Why do I bring this up you ask? This recent release caught my eye. Now there have been various "improvements" to invisible deck over the years. David Regal had a blank deck version, the Other Brothers have a borrowed deck variation, and there have been many presentation ideas explored with it (including the awesome Steve Bedwell version).
I bought my first ID when I was 8. That was (hand over mouth and garbled talk) years ago. It's the only gimmicked deck I use on the regular. The claims in the aforementioned video are borderline offensive. If you are having THAT much trouble separating the cards, that's a YOU problem, not the deck. Also, not ONCE in all my years of doing ID has anyone ever asked to see the backs of the cards. I am not saying it has NEVER happened, but the strength of ID is that it just seems like a normal deck of cards and the effect feels like skill and not a gimmicked deck. If you handle it like one however, it might be why people get curious.
Again, you want to make an "improvement" for yourself, cool. Just don't try and convince everyone else the original is bad as a selling tactic when there are so many people who know better.
What hurts magic more? Bad magic or people encouraging bad magic?
How many times have you seen a photo of a girl online in some very pre-planned pose (and likely filtered/photoshopped) that is meant to look off the cuff but probably asked the person taking the photo to re-do it 5 times to get it just right? Plenty I am sure. Now look below the photo. What do you see? The same one word praise "Beautiful", "Gorgeous", "Sexy", etc.
Now I am not here to debate about girls putting images online for whatever reason. It's more the knee-jerk praise that feels a little insincere. It's like... filler text because that person wants to be seen saying something but can't be bothered to write anything of substance... or... do they really mean it because they are easily impressed by a shiny object?
That is the crux of my discussion here today. Are encouraging comments on bad magic videos placed there because they want to be seen doing so or are they themselves bad magicians and think it's good?
First, we should probably define what "bad" magic is. Is it like porn and "we'll know it when we see it"? One bad trick can be gold in another's hands. I propose it's when the method is obvious and doesn't actually fool 80% of non-magicians. So perhaps bad magic is just poor performance? (or as per usual, no performance at all)
Social media is chocked full of quick videos of people doing magic quickly and poorly. Chances are they don't know it's bad and they are pretty proud of it. Now perhaps I am just being harsh and overly-critical as usual, but I see so many people who "know better" saying things like "so great" on these videos when it's... not.
I understand being encouraging. I'm all for it. However, you can be encouraging without it being a lie. Personally, if I see something that has merit but isn't executed great, I will message the person and offer constructive criticism without tearing it down. Some people just don't know certain things because they haven't reached a certain level of knowledge and I get that.
On the other side, I see people do questionable things and get praise for it and it makes me wonder if that person commenting is just trying to be seen in the community or if they too just have really bad judgement. There is no way to know, unless you are friends with them. Then you can message them and be like "WTF are you doing?" It could also just be habit. Much like people mindlessly clicking "like" on a post without actually reading it. Pavlov would love the internet.
Let's go back to my photos example. Are they commenting on the image just because they are female? Are they offering false praise because of their (perceived) gender? If you tell someone who is not good they are, they will stop striving to be better and perhaps that is my biggest problem with any performer in this scenario. Heaps of hollow compliments make them think they are doing a good job and don't try to improve because they are clearly not harsh enough on themselves or they might not have posted that video in the first place.
Yes I know "bad" and "good" are subjective as $^%&. It's hard to write about this without sounding like a judgey dick and I know it. "Yer just over-thinking it" I am sure some of you might be saying. You also might be right but at the same time, I might not be. Hell I have been guilty of it too when it comes to magic. However, when I say "that's real nice", I mean it but perhaps that is the problem. Too many people do mean it and their vocabulary and mental capacity is just that limited.
I guess my point is, be mindful of what you say to someone online and perhaps try to contribute to the conversation with more than one word that you might not actually mean.
Before people were "literate" and could read and write it was all oral (giggity). Knowledge was passed down from parent to child, elder to contemporary, master to novice. Someone who had been there and done that. As times changed, knowledge became easier to come by. You no longer had to prove yourself to receive these trade secrets.Technology has helped people find jobs and hobbies they never would have found in the aforementioned archaic system.
As we have progressed through the ages, trade has also been a way to garner favor. Scratch my back and I will teach you something. Sometimes it's tit for tat with a skill but more often than not, in today's society, it's monetary in nature. In the last few decades, this is how a lot of magic knowledge has been spread across the globe. From books and videos to magic shops both online and brick and mortar. You can learn how to do some cool stuff to pick up gals, amuse friends and sometimes even jump start a career for some of your hard earned cash. Seems fair right?
Why did I regale you all of this? Well it's because today I saw a video that made me want to punch babies (more than usual).
Yah good luck with that kid...
It seems the new stock and trade for learning something is now fake internet points. The worst part is, it's not even THEIR secrets to give away. It's other people's knowledge they are offering to divulge. Information they are selling and the perpetrator has likely not even paid for themselves. They didn't earn this knowledge through hard work or trade and yet are willing to offer it up freely for a fleeting moment of "fame" and a few button presses.
We are living in a world of amateurs teaching amateurs and I'm not sure how I feel about.
Ok I really want to talk about this because I have seen it happening more and more in magic videos, demos, etc. How many times have you seen a magic demo and they shoot the effect from THIS angle:
Nice kitchen counter top...
I see magicians hold props so they can watch themselves do it while they are showing other people, but this is a little much. Are you showing us what the magician sees because if so, that's not a great selling point. How many times have you ever told someone to look over your shoulder to show them a trick? I'd wager little to never.
If that is the best angle, maybe it's not worth selling huh?
I was discussing special FX in movies with someone last night. I was discussing how a lot of "movie magic" has been drained from film because no one asks "How did they do that"? anymore. Even if it was a brillian practical effect, it is layered with so much bewlchit, that it LOOKS like CGI even if it's not. We have reached a point that everyone assumes it's just green screen even if it's not.
What does this have to do with magic you ask? A lot actually. There are people out there who like to think that we are "competing" with movies and TV shows but the truth is when you see something amazing live you KNOW there is no green screen. Magic has always been fascinating for most and always will be. Movies are a different medium and people know that. The effects in a movie are a different (but adjacent) art from what we do.
Even technology can't trump magic, merely enhance it. The people who sit around worrying about their empty safe need to get out more and perform for real people instead of sitting on forums giving their armchair opinions based off the three tricks they do for their family once a year.
TL;DR - Movies have reached a saturation point, magic is fine.
I don't mean the type of crediting where you tell who invented the double lift or other move in a lecture or instructional treatise. I mean the kind of crediting where you acknowledge the people who have helped you, especially in a public space. TV shows, stage shows, etc.
For TV, a name in the end credits is almost mandatory obviously. Web video it's a little different. If it's a YT video or the like, it's easy to thank someone in the descriptions. If it's a long series of things, a blanket statement somewhere publicly goes a long way.
You'd think this would be a "well duh" thing, but there are a lot of damaged assholes in the world (and especially the entertainment business) who want everyone to think they did everything themselves. Everyone who has any modicum of success has a team behind them. Big or small there is still more than one person who gets that person into the limelight. Some of those people thank that team any chance they get, and others... well....
You know who you are...
I am now speaking to the young up and coming guys: As someone who has been on some of those teams for various performers, let me tell you that monetary compensation is not a thank you. For some people it might be because it's just a job to them, but some of us are trying to make cool magic and art. To pretend we don't exist is a good way to get a bad name in the industry and word spreads fast if you are a little diva and take credit for other people's work.
So make sure you acknowledge those who lift you up because if not, eventually, they will drop your ass.
TL;DR - There are some really big pieces of shit in magic.
We live in a weird climate currently. People are getting more "sensitive" each year and it's getting harder for an adult entertainer to do their job. I understand you need to change with the times but the problem I have is when this sensitivity bleeds over from places it has no business even being part of the discussion.
If you are a gospel/birthday party/family entertainer that ONLY does that style of magic then you need to stay the fuck out of the business of others who work comedy clubs/adult parties/nightclubs/bars/strip clubs/etc. Don't go around saying "I think this trick or style of joke is crass and over the line and blah blah blah". Many of these things you dislike are for an ADULT audience. Such as comedy clubs where the people who go expect a little different level of humor than your shitty hippity hop rabbits routine.
Those guys whose material you bash don't walk around telling you how to not get caught touching kids with your "wand" so don't go around being all high and mighty about what you don't like. The magic world doesn't revolve around you. If it comes up in conversation, then you can talk about and say you don't like it. Until then, keep your yap shut and stop filling the internet up with your "the entertainment world revolves around me" bullshit.
Yesterday I did something I try not to engage in often but since it pertained to the last post I decided to dip my toe in and...
On one of the FB magic groups This got posted. For those of you too lazy to watch it, it shows one of the previously mentioned individuals coaching his audience to over-react. To say it was met with dismay would be like saying Marlow and Vernon didn't "get along". What really rips my sponge balls is the fact that there are magicians DEFENDING THIS! The problem is every single metaphor and example they give doesn't align because THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN MAGIC. Any example you throw at me I will gladly find fault with and explain why it doesn't work as a comparison. The reason there is no precedent for this is because, as I have stated before, the internet is a new frontier. No one knows exactly what will work until it does and then once that ground has been raped for money and fame people move on to find the next thing that will get them noticed. It's because of this I have come to the conclusion that internet magic is it's own animal separate from stage, close-up and even TV. What's worse is when seasoned pros say things like this, "He's doing well for himself AND he is getting people interested in Magic." Yah great. he is getting more kids who think it's ok to do this shit interested in magic who won't work or contribute to the art. Greeeeeat. Just what our world needs, more crappy magicians. Yaaaaaaay. "Oh but they're young. leave em alone." you say? In any other job is this an excuse? Oh he keeps fucking up your fast food order? It's ok he's young. She got your Starbucks coffee incorrect? She's just young. Please. When that happens, you people go apeshit and rip those "kids" a new asshole. You don't get to pick and choose your excuses (even tho' we all do). I had a conversation with a magician friend who has done a lot of TV and he takes issue with all of this because if it becomes the norm, then TV producers will expect these reactions and when it's explained all of it's fake they will respond with "Well why don't we just do that then?". If this becomes a thing it could affect all of us in front of AND behind the camera who actually work for a living. But hey, in this world what could possibly go wrong?
First listen to this Bad Religion song to get you in the right mindset...
I don't know how many of you keep up with what is current in the magic world. Not necessarily tricks, but who is up and coming and what they are doing. If not you are likely blissful in your ignorance. If you are like me and pay WAY too much attention to our little community then you too might be perturbed by the growing trends you see.
A few days ago I posted this on my twitter:
No one wants to create magic anymore, they just want to make fame.
The reason for that post is that I see far too many magicians who are making magic videos with no substance or effort in an attempt to sell a product or gain "followers". It's usually the younger guys too because the older crowd is too busy working and was brought up believing magic is an art and a job you work at. The issue is becoming these kids want to be famous for nothing like many other "celebrities" the general populace glorify. It bothers me because I don't want to see my magic watered down and exploited for purely personal gain.
I am sure if you ask anyone I am speaking of they will justify it to others (and themselves) that they are still "entertaining" people and isn't that the goal? I know people who agree with this and their methods. At the end of the day it's a taste preference but what they are doing leaves a bad taste in my mouth and here is why: it seemingly spits in the face of those who work hard to develop a skill and treat magic as an "art".
Let me show you an example:
"But that's just one guy" I hear you cry. Ok then how about this one?
Ooooor this one?
(It's like they are making these videos in a factory or something? They
are all the same!)
For those of you in the know, you might already be furious watching this. 90% of the reactions in these video are clearly fake and stooged. Does the average Duck Dynasty watching Facebook user know this? Hell no. However we have inside knowledge and, as many of you know, we judge others HARSHLY for stuff like this. There are those of us who spend months, maybe even YEARS, to perfect something so it can be done in similar ways under live fire and get genuine reactions. This kind of stuff tells others it's ok to ignore all of that and just "fake it til' you make it".
Where did this kind of silliness start you ask? Hard to tell but let's point the finger at David Blaine for now shall we? Let me preface this with the fact that, yes ol' DC used camera trickery and set up stuff BUT he did it on such a grand scale no one thought they could just run out and do it without a ton of money and production. Then along came Blaine in a T-shirt and faked a levitation and thus set a precedent. Flash forward and you got guys like Criss Fishing Rod who use After Effects and green screen to create "magic".
I am sure these guys' hearts are in the right place however their brains are clearly focused on fame. I understand people have different goals in life but I sure as shit am allowed not to like their methods for achieving them. The lay public doesn't know the difference either and by the time a booking agent finds out they can't deliver what they show, it's too late.
I know it's not smart to point fingers and yell about
things you don't care for because then people will look at it and some
will get the wrong idea but in this case examples need to be seen to be understood. So if you are watching these videos and thinking, "That's a great idea! I'm going to start doing that!", then I hope you die in a fire think twice about it. When you crash and burn and have to get a real job, you will get no sympathy from the rest of the magic community. However, if you could give a fuck less about the magic community, then you are probably halfway there as it is.
Hey magicians, please stop using the phrase, "Just keep repeating over and over in your head (insert card or whatever here)" It's a shitty and lazy way to reveal something, it has no magic moment, no panache, and I have seen it have less impact than an entire season of Criss Angel specials.
I don't know who started this idea, but it needs to STOP! I have seen spectators just stare blankly at a magician who revealed a card this way.
"I'm sorry did you say something? I stopped paying attention 10 minutes ago."
The worst part is, it shows a lack of creativity or originality on your part. If you think it's cute or magical you are wrong. I have seen far too many shitty performers use this as their quick go-to thing. I have never seen ANYONE freak out about it. They usually just sit there confused as if nothing happened. (I am sure someone out there has a story about someone losing their shit and running into traffic over it but I bet you those are some rare ol' times)
So if you engage in this kind of fuckery, stop it and flex your brain a bit to try something else.
Why is it kids don't go to magic meetings or conventions as much as they used to? It's a mix of things. One of those reasons is they don't need those meet-ups to have meet-ups. With skype and facetime and other video medium they can share their creations immediately with each other. They don't have to wait a whole year to see and share what they have been working on. (Whether that's for the better or worse is a whole other post)
The other reason kids avoid these places are the grumpy old fucks who just want to dole out "advice" in the form of close minded rhetoric. Advice when delivered objectively is great. When it's delivered as law and nothing but this or that is right and you are wrong is not advice.
"Well how do they know that's gonna happen at a magic convention or meeting?", you ask? Simple. It's because they get this treatment online in the magic groups and forums. It happened to me. It happens to others.
A younger magician put out a utility device recently. It's not a bad piece of kit. Yes it bears some resemblance to some other gimmicks on the market but his is indeed different enough to justify it's existence. The problem comes in when the "experts" think something is similar to something else (even when it's not) and start saying shit like this:
"Be careful with that 100% claim.....any slight similarity puts it down to at least 90%." "Has anybody NOT figured this out immediately?"
At this point they are just poking at the kid with sticks for no reason. "But the lay people will want to examine the cards!" (Ah the mating call of the common amateur in the magic market place. The creator then explained he goes over how to have the cards handed out and examined and then got the following response...)
"Just
because they don't ask doesn't mean anything other than you are too
detached. You are cheating them out of a magical moment by leaving them
with an unsolved puzzle. No more free lessons from me...get out your
checkbook."
Another "expert" decided to chime in with this:
"It is the magician that gets the (stronger) reaction, not the cards. I
would love to meet you and prove my point. I can follow you with
the two card Monte and get a stronger reaction than any of your four
routines."
Dick move old man. The younger follows up with this: "That's a bit harsh. You're basing your opinion on my skill as a perform
off of a trailer. You've never seen me perform at a gig. To assume that
you could easily get a stronger reaction is ignorant."
To which he gets THIS reply:
"Sorry. I wasn't talking about you as a performer but about the trick cards. (Nice backpedal there but you totally did.) Makes me wonder why you still (7 years doing the trick) feel a need for trick gadgets?"(Wait didn't you just challenge this kid to a duel with 2 card monte which is a gimmick?)
As the final insult, after constantly comparing his gimmick to another one that is NOTHING like his, the younger magi put his foot down. The "wiser" guy replied with this: "Yep, I was expecting a personal attack...it always happens with those who have no other retort."(It wasn't a personal attack by the way. Just being told he was wrong was enough to feel it was)
Why am I sharing the details of this you ask? It's because I don't want ANY of you to becomes these kind of people. I can already see the guys who are going to be these other people when they are in their 60s and 70s. They are pumped up full of ego and bitterness. They have "retired" for whatever reason and now ride a computer chair doling out advice (yes I recognize the irony of me typing that so shut up) in a world they haven't lived in for some time.
This kind of stuff makes me mad and no one can/will speak up because you will get the same treatment. In the end, the worst offender of the two messaged the kid, called him a fool, and then blocked him. Sure would make me want to go to a place full of guys like that eh?
This is all I hear when I read stuff like this online
I have noticed the currently younger generation has something the older generation didn't. No it's not faster downloading porn. It's arrogance and ignorance.
I'm not saying it didn't exist in magic in the old days but it seems to be running more and more rampant. A lot of people know everything about nothing.
There is an article I read called "The Death of Expertise". I don't entirely disagree with it. There are far too many people who are experts on subjects they barely understand. It's like watching a leper give skin care tips.
Like the leper said to the prostitute...
What's worse is the rampant passing of information by the uninformed. We have amateurs teaching amateurs. People who don't know things teaching people who want to know things. It's breeding a new crop of, and I use the term lightly, magicians who can't perform. They can only create "new" magic that looks good on camera. They then go out and teach their wondrous miracle to people who don't know better and thus infecting the entire hive with misinformation. It's a never ending cycle.
Artists rendering of an upcoming magic convention in 2017
If you find yourself reading this and getting angry, you might be one of the ones who needs to take a step back and realize you could learn a thing or two. Put down your camera and cards and go learn how to actually perform in front of real people before you tell someone else how to do it poorly.
"It's better to know 4 things really well than 100 things badly"- Tom Mullica
These companies are allowing half wits with half baked ideas to get an ego about being inventors and then they start touting themselves as such and then pump out MORE magic bile into the world.
Let me get something straight here. Just because you come up with some piddly ass magic trick it does NOT make you a "creator". It makes you someone with an idea.
Also being a "creator" doesn't make you a magician. If you can't perform your own creations you are just someone who makes stuff.
In my opinion, a creator does their due diligence. They research, they perfect, they make something the best it can be. What companies like Murphys are perpetrating is if you come up with some terrible idea they can help make it "marketable" thus making them more of the creators and the person who comes to them a kind of figurehead. "We did all the work to make this not suck but because we can't just cut this idiot out of the loop we have to put his name on it".
I don't care if you don't agree with me or think I am way off base. I am just sick of our profession being choked with mediocre magic and fevered egos who think they are somebody because a bunch of pre-pubescent humans think they are hot shit.
Obviously this doesn't go for EVERYONE. Some people are prolific creators. (Not necessarily GOOD ones) However in magic everyone wants to be on par with the people who have achieved legit "fame" for making something and magic companies keep enabling this to happen.
The urge to create is deep in our core and I understand that, but too many are creating for the wrong reason: money. If you create for yourself and your audience, the money will come but if you forgo those first steps you are going about it the wrong way.
There's enough terrible magic out there. We don't need sponsored posts on message boards encouraging more greed and terrible tricks.
In Vegas we have had conversations about if bad performers know they are bad or if there has been this many terrible magicians in the past?
I think the answer to those questions are NO and YES! Together these two answers form a perfect union of lackluster magic.
With Your Powers combined... I SUCK!
I understand having enthusiasm for the craft. I totally get it. However, what I don't understand is not being able to look at a video that is so clearly stiff, so badly performed, so badly... BAD that you don't think to yourself, "Maybe I should wait until this doesn't look like ass."
The problemof course is the fact they don't know. (or if they do they don't care). The other issue lies in the fact that you can put something on the internet for the whole world to see before your those synapses fire that tell you something is a bad idea and then you just go with it. The fact is that technology is so accessible to everyone that we get to SEE more bad magic whereas these guys (and gals. They can suck too) would just sit at home in the mirror or go to their local magic club and be bad. They were just a danger to themselves locally. Now they can be aggravating globally.
Wanting to get feedback to improve is fine. Do that. For the love of Dr. Blight, don't post every little 45 second brain poop you think is "good". Remove yourself from the equation and ask, "Is this the best I can do?" and if the answer is "maybe" you might want to hold off hitting that upload button.
Hi Blogger land. Remember me? I've been gone for a while. It's nothing you did. I just haven't been that angry about anything for a while.
Well that changes today... but first...
If you don't read The Jerx you should. He just posted a great article (That was picked up on Boingboing which is how I saw it) about when spectators of magic become suspicious. He says, and I quote, "Suspicion is brought on by an unnecessary expenditure of energy on the part of the magician." (There now you don't have to read it but you really should anyway you lazy bastards)
Vernon was known for eliminating unnecessary moves from his, and others, magic. So much magic has weird ass extraneous gestures it makes you wonder if some guys who made up these tricks had palsy.
King of shaking the Aces
While you think about that, and how much of an asshole I am, can I just say how disappointed I am in magic "creators" lately?
I have been in Europe the last 3 weeks consulting for a TV show. We have gone through a lot of magic that we either bought or ask permission to use. The problem? Half of it is only good for straight to camera. They are so damned impractical to do for real people it's unreal. I knew it was bad but I had NO idea it had gotten to this level of absurdity.
My warning to all of you reading this, if it's hyper visual on a magic demo, there is a 90% chance that you will never be able to do it for anyone, not even your dog. Hell maybe not even yourself in the mirror.. standing 10 feet back... in a dark room.
Also, how many tricks out there now are just flaps, elastic thread, and magnets? Here is a hint... ALL OF THEM!! I have had to improve or fix so many of these, for the sake of argument let's call them ideas, it's infuriating. Half the time they don't work or they break after a few uses or a mix of the two.
I hope all of you who are making money off this terrible magic, individuals and companies alike, get what's coming to you...
The older I get and the more young magicians I meet, the more I want to slap them around a bit and tell them to look into magicians and magic from more than 5 years ago. I understand many people are victims of the times in which they live but to assume that some of the current "magicians" out there know what the fuck they are talking about is just silly.
I even know that the serious students will look further back and they are the ones who will succeed but someone needs to tell these kids to look back past the internet.
I want to preface what I am about to say about the Wizard Wars TV show. Just because I am close to the source doesn't mean I don't see/know it's flaws. It's not a perfect animal but very few things ever really are. That said...
You know how I can tell magicians don't hate Wizard Wars? They all aren't up in arms about it. They aren't singing it's praises from the rooftops either but the complaining has been at a minimum and that in itself is an achievement because let's face it... you magicians LOVE to bitch.
The small rumblings I have seen are very hypocritical however. Let's look at some of the statements I have seen online.
"I don't care for magic being in a competition format" All I have to say to these people is I bet dollars to dog nuts that you have sat thru your fair share of magic competitions at a magic convention. Most of the magic on that show is far better than people who work for years on a competition act. (no not all of it but you get my point)
"I don't like the concept" The concept they are referring to is taking objects and, in a short amount of time, making magic with them that might not be aspolished as other time tested stuff. The problem is these are the same people who laud the magician who can perform magic impromptu. Picking up objects they have never handled and, using the skills they have honed for years, doing magic with those items. There are whole competitions at magic gatherings doing just this and THAT seems fine.
"I miss the days of Copperfield/Henning/Carson/etc" Holy shit this one irritates me. This is why magic is so far behind most other performing mediums. We can't let go of the past and accept the evolution of a medium. I mean, I don't like the way most magicians dress like they just put on whatever was clean that morning but it is modern dress. (Who cares if they want to look like everyone else and not stand out.) I might not like it but I can accept it. At least this show is taking magic back onto the stage and in front of a live audience.
So while you are entitled to your opinion, in the future please spare me your duplicitous bullshit.
