One of the worst things that can happen to a magician is that they lose the ability to become a spectator. Hopefully, as you progress down your magical path, you will learn more techniques. You'll learn palms and false transfers. You'll learn all sorts of things.

Eventually, when you watch another magician you will find that you know just how he did every move. The pity is that his performance ceases to be magical for you. He can no longer fool you - but you lose the ability to be entertained by magic and wasn't that what got you started anyway?

Here's how to keep the spectator mind and still be a magician. When watching a magician do not allow yourself to entertain the question, "How would I do that?" If you don't let youself think that then you can go back to your spectator days and enjoy the entertainment.

When I watch another magician I WANT him to fool me. I WANT to feel the magic. I WANT him to be good. I've found that I can easily become a spectator again just by not wondering how he did something. It's kind of like seeing one of those 'Magic Eye' pictures. You sit back and relax.

I agree with you ricbrooks. Although I usually know how something is done, I love watching magic...and being a spectator. It takes me back to another day when I first became interested in the art...and of being amazed and entertained, if only for a few minutes. It is sad when one looses that feeling because they have allowed themselves to give up some fun and special moments...if only for a minute. Mark.

I know what you mean rikbrooks. That's happened to me as well. You enjoy watching but the only real reason you might watch is to see if you know as much as you think you know.

I love watching magic and I've been a practicing magi for thirty plus years. The only thing that is hard for me to watch is a trick poorly presented. To me it is like fingernails across a chalkboard. As for how it is done that does not deter me in the least, in fact it only heightens the awareness as not only can I appreciate the magic but the reaction the crowd gives to the performer as well.

Frank Tougas

I never get enough of watching magic. Even when I know the secret. I enjoy the way the magician performs the effect. Learned a lot either how to do it right or how not to do it. And when you see a master perform, even when you know how it is done, you sit there in awe. Couple of weeks ago, our noses only a few inches away, Mark Wilson did a simple color changing knife routine, and with everybody there knowing the effect (heck probably 3/4 of us had the trick in our pocket) we all sat there jaw open, as Mark so easily and masterfully manipulated the knife, changing it's color, vanishing it, re-appearing it. A thing of beauty. I think the key is to try to enjoy a performance, rather than try to critique it. It would be easy for me to sit in Lance Burton's audience and critique his show (oh he was a little slow with that move. Saw a flash on that one. etc.) But then you need to remember Lance is the guy with the million dollar contract, and ur the guy who paid 80 bucks to sit in his audience. Much like sitting in ur arm chair on a Sunday afternoon telling the NFL coach on the TV screen how he ought to be running his team in that game. Time to wake up to the reality of where he is and what he is getting paid and where you are, and if ur so darn good, why aren't you there getting his money? When I decide to enjoy a show, I learn even more than I do when I decide that I'm the expert who is going to critique. Plus, I find that magic and awe still there that I had when I first saw the effect and had no clue of how it was done.

I love watching and performing magic

These days, whenever I see a magician, I find that I don't even focus or care about the tricks he is performing. Instead, I focus on the showmanship that he brings to the table. Even if I know the tricks (heck, chances are I own many of the same effects), I can still appreciate how skillfully they are presented. To me, that is where the magic lies.

Kent

I love to see magicians perform card manipulation, even though I catch most of the steals and all that I love to see how others put it all together, and hear the reactions of the other people. I also enjoy seeing things that I have no clue about.

Well I hope I kind of hope that I never get to that stage. I'm not advanced enough to see through every single trick and am very amazed by many tricks.

I'm with DJC, I'm not advanced enough to catch everything...but even when I know, I can still sit there in awe...and PRETEND I don't!

When I watch magic, I also watch spectators' reaction. Applause is not only one reaction. When the audience is really impressed, you can see it in their faces.

Hideo Kato

Same here .. in most aspects .. however I enjoy watching magic .. soo Much and My all time fave lecturers, that it takes me a long time to get my head wrapped around actually learning the efffect , if I have a truly entertaining magic DVD
Keet

I enjoy watching magic as well, but I agree with Frank. It is hard to watch an effect poorly done. I do love being fooled, but I also love to see an effect I know well executed. I appreciate the magic as well as the skill which it takes to execute it.

I to like to watch the performance of a well executed card effect. If I know a how to do a card effect I'm watching this helps in knowing how the effect should look before I start to perform it.

That has never happend to me. I love to be entertained and I always watch like a child.

Magixx