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Review King Eternal Order 14446 Posts |
I hate when I hear that. Who first came up with saying that? Is it designed to get the person to agree that nothing tricky could have been done, so that they are shocked when the magic happens?
I know that some professionals use it and I just don't think it has the impact they think it does.
"Of all words of tongue and pen,
the saddest are, "It might have been" ..........John Greenleaf Whittier |
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Big Daddy Cool Inner circle 1604 Posts |
It is a stupid thing to say...
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Steve_Mollett Inner circle Eh, so I've made 3006 Posts |
Never heard it.
Author of: GARROTE ESCAPES
The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth. - Albert Camus |
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erlandish Inner circle Vancouver, Canada 1254 Posts |
It's a fairly blunt way of getting agreement...
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Jerrine Special user Busking is work. 629 Posts |
My father taught me the Fair Enough bit long ago.
Used in sales quite frequently. Definitely used to get a nod. Tommy Wonder did it. I've done it both in sales and Magic. What am I talking about. Magic is sales. |
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marty.sasaki Inner circle 1117 Posts |
I don't know about what the general public thinks, but whenever I hear a magician say, "is that fair", or "I couldn't be fairer" I have to suppress a chuckle. No one says that unless they have just done something sneaky, or about to do something sneaky. I try to avoid even bringing up the fairness of anything that I do with the thinking that if I have to point out that something is fair, then I've already done something wrong.
Marty Sasaki
Arlington, Massachusetts, USA Standard disclaimer: I'm just a hobbyist who enjoys occasionally mystifying friends and family, so my opinions should be viewed with this in mind. |
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oddsmaker New user 65 Posts |
I hear fair enough quite regularly but I can say that it bothers me to hear it.
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Ronin Loyal user Martinez,CA 216 Posts |
I agree that usually it just sounds foolish.
However, I have very deliberately used the phrase, "was that fair?" or one of its variants in two particular instances: 1. When performing close-up for people who have been drinking, or for young children--i.e., for people with shortened attention spans who may later accuse me of not having shuffled the deck or shown the envelope empty when, in fact, I did. Said with a slight emphasis, "Does that seem fair?" can act as a cue to a spectator, "Hey! Pay attention!" without being too pushy. 2. In my presentation of Alexander DeCova's "Purse Swindle" I ask the spectators, "Did that seem fair?" when, in fact, everything did look fair. I use the question ironically, immediately answering it myself by saying, "Of course it wasn't fair!" and leading in to the second phase. I must confess, though, I have been considering dropping that line from this routine. So, as with any question of scripting, I think a phrase can be used well or badly (even a bad, inelegant, grammatically improper phrase can be used well, if used deliberately for comic effect). Does this seem fair? (Or does it sound to you folks like I'm kidding myself and just sound stupid? Go ahead--let me know. I can take it.)
David Hirata
www.thingsimpossible.com "Life is a combination of magic and pasta." --Federico Fellini |
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erlandish Inner circle Vancouver, Canada 1254 Posts |
Here's a question on the topic...
Assuming that you think it is important to elicit agreement or achieve some sort of supposed concensus with the spectator about the state of affairs, before proceeding to the next stage of the trick, what would be a more entertaining way to do it besides asking "Was that fair?" |
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Patrick Differ Inner circle 1540 Posts |
"Did that seem fair?" I use this all the time. But only when I am doing something blatantly unfair. I use it as a rhetorical question, a question that could only possibly have one answer, that being, "Hell no! That was totally unfair!"
"Was that fair?" "@#$%^ no!" "Ahh, c'mon! Whaddya mean, no? That was perfectly fair!" The reason I script like this is because it suits my style of performance. I am a fast-talking, shuck-jiving, in-your-face BS'er. I know your beef. And I agree. Unless the goal is parody, it's far too easy to mistake this line as entertainment. Asking if something is fair is a challenge. Fair enough?
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to show when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. |
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Vick Inner circle It's taken me 10+ years to make 1120 Posts |
Like I tell my 6 year young son ......
....... The only thing fair in life is a baseball hit into play
Unique, Thought Provoking & Amazing Magical Entertainment Experiences
Illusions By Vick Blog of a real world working magician Magic would be great, if not for magicians |
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
Don't like it either: it only shows insecurity. "Don't run when nobody's chasing you"
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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JRob Veteran user Central South Carolina 395 Posts |
Dad burn it! Lawrence beat me to it. Let's face it, once you ask that question, the spectator will ask (at least mentally if not audibly) "why wouldn't it be fair, unless, of course...?"
"Jim Roberts, AKA: Professor Jay Rob "<br>
The Professor's Facebook Page |
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JackScratch Inner circle 2151 Posts |
I always avoid challenging my audience. It should be a trip taken together. Create an adversarial relationship with your audience and you will find it difficult to draw them in to your world.
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
Like every principle not asking "is it fair" has it's limit. Without taking back what I expressed, I'd like to advocate for subtlety in our art.
Daryl properly uses the expression "is it fair?" in the following way. He would do very deliberately and overtly something perfectly genuine asking "Is it fair ?" and when the spectator would confirm, Daryl would further reconfirm with emphasis "Yes... I know...!". The whole point here is that Daryl doesn't use the term "Is it fair? for satisfying a form of insecurity he would have after performing a magical move, but for entertaining purposes and to bring the audience guard down. He is using the "don't run when nobody is chasing you" at the third level. Like John Ramsay used to do, he creates a suspicion with the question, but only when there is nothing to suspect or when the dispelling of the suspicion creates sufficient a misdirection to do something THEN. The danger in using this approach too lightly and verbatim is that less experienced magicians may tend to rationalize what they are already doing. Using Daryl's words simply as a quote rather than as a subtle example could result from a need for justification instead of a ground for a reconsideration of what we do and add depth to our magic and its entertainment value.
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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edh Inner circle 4698 Posts |
Michael Ammar uses this phrase quite a bit.
Here is another question along the lines of "is it fair" question. How about when at the end the effect some magicians go over what has just taken place. In other words something like this "...you have cut the deck. You have shuffled the cards and...". Isn't this a subtle form of the "is this fair" question?
Magic is a vanishing art.
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MikeyM71 Regular user Chesapeake, OH 153 Posts |
I don't care for this phrase either. To me, it would just raise suspicion.
<BR>Mikey M.
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
But raising suspicion can, within limits, be a very strong misdirection and be quite entertaining. Did you ever do a Spider Grip Vanish with a coin?
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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Close.Up.Dave Inner circle Behind you! 2956 Posts |
I think it's only useful when using a trick that deliberately wants an audience to try to catch you. Or, it can be used when everyone knows the result before it happens and you want to make it more challenging. I have a hard enough time making my audiences believe I do magic, they won't stop asking me how it's done!
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obsidian52 Veteran user United States 372 Posts |
Hate that phrase "Is thid/it fair" It is entirely like saying I have in my hand an "ordinary deck" to imply there is such a thing as an unordinary deck...SHEESH
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