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naturalturn Regular user 154 Posts |
The odd time, I will get caught, as the child saw (or claims they saw... or just logically deduced) the coins were in my hand just before they fell into the bucket when I touched (blew) their nose. Some 7-8 year-old boys would be very vocal about it.
Has this ever happened to you and what can I do to avoid it? Thanks, Ray http://www.raywongmagic.com When Magic Went WONG!
www.facebook.com/RayWongMagic
When Magic Went WONG! |
Danny Hustle Inner circle Boston, MA USA 2393 Posts |
Ray,
(caution the following is my opinion and not based on anything other than my personal experience) In a word yes. Getting caught is what our profession is all about. I am also a street performer as well as a children's entertainer. Because of the sheer volume of shows and the proximity and flexibility of venue if you are NOT getting caught once in a while you probably have a fairly boring show. Without risk there can be no excitement in my opinion. Kids particularly are so wildly unpredictable from venue to venue that we as entertainers should not fear but embrace the moment we get caught. Embrace it, make it funny, let them bask in the glow of their temporary victory. Then fool the pants off them with you next trick but never make it a challenge. When I fry them with the "big" trick I want their reaction to be "Wow that was cool!" and not "How did he do that!" I did a show this past weekend that combined Billy McCombs sponge ball routine with a coconut loaded under a hat. The kid I had on stage with me was the birthday boy and he was 6, precocious, funny, and sharp as a tack. While doing the opening part of the routine he opened his hand early, every time. By the final revelation of three sponges in his hand I knew he was going to let go early. I could have done two things: 1. cut the final revelation and let him go back to his seat. or 2. give him the three balls knowing full well he would open his hand while I was still displaying the fourth ball. I chose option two. The crowd of adults and kids howled with laughter when I said, "Ben you must be one great magician because you made that ball appear before I had a chance to vanish it. I then false transfered the ball and ate it. TA-DA. Then sent Ben back to his seat and used the same sponge balls to misdirect for the coconut to appear under my hat. I didn't care. I am not there to convince them that I have mystical powers I am there to entertain. If they catch on I turn the trick into something else. the kiss of death in my opinion is when you stop dead, look stymied, and don't finish the routine. yesterday on the street while doing the cups and balls one of the spectators that I let inspect one of the cups handed me back a beer cozy instead of my Gazzo cup. I pretended not to notice and did the routine with the drink cozy. by the time it came to reveal the baseballs the audience was in hysterics. Base balls came out of the copper cups but when I lifted up the drink cozy there was nothing. I looked up under the drink cozy, smiled, and pointed the open end to the audience. They could see wedged inside a regulation baseball. When I passed the hat it went into the triple figures. It was my best show of the day. Now if I had said to the guy, "very funny sir, can I now have my very expensive copper cup back." I would have killed the show as dead as a doornail. The thing I try to keep in mind is when this stuff happens they are only playing. they have no idea that they are throwing off our timing and making us think on our feet. So in those situations if we as performers can hold it together and just entertain and forget about what it started out as we will give them something new and hopefully very funny and entertaining. That's my two cents anyway. Best, Dan- "MT is one of the reasons we started this board! I’m so sick of posts being deleted without any reason given, and by unknown people at that." - Steve Brooks Sep 7, 2001 8:38pm ©1999-2014 Daniel Denney all rights reserved. |
Kent Wong Inner circle Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2458 Posts |
For coins from nose what I do is openly throw the last coin into the pail and then get the child to hold the pail in front of him at about chest height. During this process, I am able to show both hands empty (although I don't emphasize this verbally). As I hand the pail to the child with one hand, I secure another load of coins using a Kellar Coin Dumper. I immediately go to the child's nose and drop the coins.
Kent
"Believing is Seeing"
<BR>______________________ <BR> <BR>www.kentwongmagic.com |
Dennis Michael Inner circle Southern, NJ 5821 Posts |
I agree whole heartly with Dan...
Also this is a powerful and true statement.. Quote:
the kiss of death in my opinion is when you stop dead, look stymied, and don't finish the routine. Since I love the miser's dream, and have heard that statement numerous times, try this line... especially if the kid is so vocal everyone heard it. Look directly at him, look at your hand, look at the volunteer's nose, and say "ewwwwoooooo..." Shaking your hand and wiping it on the Volunteer's shirt or your pants. It's a worthy laugh for all. Misdirects the "heat" and make the effect even funnier. :nose:
Dennis Michael
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naturalturn Regular user 154 Posts |
Thanks Dan and everybody, good story and good advice. I'm going to think of some clever lines I can say if they (as one boy did last week) shout "It was in his hand!!! I saw it!!!"
A friend suggested I get him to tilt his head back a wee bit, just before I produce the coins from his nose, so this way he can't see the load. This particular party unfortunately also had about 3-4 other boys who were ill-mannered from the start. When I arrived, I could tell that the parents had totally lost control of them. Luckily, the rest of the show went well.
www.facebook.com/RayWongMagic
When Magic Went WONG! |
Acecardician Inner circle New Orleans 1390 Posts |
I do the last load of coins out of a girls pig tail or pony tail. That way they can't see it. My hand is usually wrapped around the end of their hair and the coins pour out.
I liked Dans post. Tonight I was doing walk around magic. I wear a card print vest. I just finished a great amazing card opener for a lady where she points at a card. The man, very amazed, and looked tipsy, said "let me pick one". He pointed at my vest near my chest, pointed at a card, and did the finger up in the face joke kids do. I laughed acting like it was funny. He pointed at the QC. I called attention to this, and pulled it out of the invisible deck. The small crowd roared at him. He was floored. After that he was my biggest fan.
My Chinese Stick Collection: https://app.photobucket.com/u/ChineseSticks?sort=6
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Deke Rivers Loyal user 216 Posts |
I had a kid this week who anticipated that I was going for his nose and starting dodging his head about. Rather spoiled the bit. He didn't do it to bust me or mess with me, I think it was just a natural reaction when someone's about to touch your nose!
But, I think it goes with the territory. I'm of the opinion that if you don't get caught once in a while you're either a liar or don't work much. It could be legit, it could be a lucky guess, or it could be kids shouting out every irrational and inane method until they hit on the right one! One of the funniest things I've seen was Dave Williamson getting busted by a kid on video (I think it was during a double lift.) He left it in on the marketed tape and it's very funny, and a little reassuring to see that it happens to everyone at one time or another. Don't sweat it. |
chris mcbrien Inner circle Chicago 1235 Posts |
I agree with Dan, I also do a version of the Miser's Dream in my show and have been "caught" a few times....then later the same kids are blown away by the rest of my tricks...even the simpler ones. Someone's going to catch you doing something eventually, and it sounds like concensus is to play off it (and it is the best, funniest thing to do to get a great laugh out of your audience!).
Chris |
Dennis Michael Inner circle Southern, NJ 5821 Posts |
It is the kids job to be a problem solver. Tat is why they are going to school, learn how to solver problem of not being able to read, to solve math problems, and dealing with the social issues of interpersonal relationships.
Some of these kids are down right brillient and can guess logically how tricks are done. As an example. Take a simple coin pass from one hand to the othther except you hold it back. An adult wil flow with the logic, but a child will immediately conclude, if it is not in that hand you never put it in that hand so it is in the origional hand, some will even grab your hand to prove their right. IT IS WHAT THEY DO...PROBLEM SOLVE. An adult will allow their social graces to contol their thoughts and they may think the same but they will not verbalize it or act on it. This is why "sucker" tricks work so well on kids as well as the "Run-Rabbit-Run, the Hippy Hop Rabbits, the turn it around effects, etc. When a magician learns this and uses this to their best benefit, the routine grows and becomes a solid well designed routine, including a series of well placed pros that flow with it and the comedy one-liners. (Sucker tricks is used as an example, routine design of that is for another post) Getting caught is really cool because, that is what they want to do, catch you screwing up. It' REALLY FUNNY to them. So make the best of it plan for it, add it when you can. and you'll have a ball, the show will flow, and who cares if they GUESSED correctly, learn from it and plan to use it again, because it will happen again.
Dennis Michael
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Whiterabbit Loyal user Kevin Mc Lean 278 Posts |
Children are curious and, in an age of exposure,once in a blue moon they say something. Half the time they don't even see it, they just guess. Often they're wrong. Just keep calm. Never argue.
You can often say, "But it was still pretty cool, huh?" and they'll nod their head and agree with you. That rescues the situation to an extent. By the way, you can use the nose thing. I do a flurry and produce a gold foil covered chocolate coin from an ear, armpit and nose, and say "Now it's been in your ear, my armpit and his nose. Would you like to have it?" It's a funny time, regardless of what they say (especially if you're good at picking volunteers). Half the time they say yes anyway.
May your fingers never lose their deftness,
May your tongue always lead them down the garden path... Regards, Whiterabbit |
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