How do you answer when someone asks you, "That David Blaine guy, he does REAL magic tricks."

Do you respond with "AHHH, he's a hack. He was just in the right place at the right time. Anyone can do what he does."

Or do you respond with "He's a flash in the pan. He hasn't paid his dues."

How DO you respond when someone praises the work of another performer, even if you believe down deep in your heart that you could do a better job?

This is one of those fundamental problems that have afflicted magic for a long time, at least since the advent of television. I remember back in the early 1970's when Doug Henning was just beginning to make a name for himself. Wannabee pro's were saying almost exactly those things about him. They always made some reference to "That hippy."

And now that he is a legend, and he has passed on to whatever may exist on the other side, the same people basically worship him. What hypocrisy!

During Houdini's day, there were a whole bunch of magicians who did much better technical work who made fun of him behind his back -- and even to his face. But people who have never seen him know about him.

So, let's look at what a layman generally means when he or she asks a question about a famous performer on television. If people like your work, they will want to establish some kind of connection with you, no matter how tenuous. Back when I earned my living playing the banjo, people used to ask if I knew "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." Sometimes they would ask for "Bonnie and Clyde" -- meaning FMB instead of the song by the same name. They were trying to establish a connection with the banjo. They were even more happy when I could play it for them.

So, right now, people know Houdini, Copperfield, Blaine, and some know Criss Angel. How should you respond if they ask you a question about them?

I can't tell you how to respond. I'll tell you what I do, and it works for me.

A few days ago, I was entertaining some people in a hospital waiting room. I started into the Anderson newspaper tear, and when I got to the part where I was about to restore it, one of the older teenagers said, "That David Blaine, he does REAL magic tricks!"

I replied, "He certainly does." And I restored the paper -- three feet from him.

He was shocked! He was amazed! He picked up his cell phone and called someone. As I took my leave, I heard, "You ain't gonna believe what I just saw! This dude tore up a newspaper...."

If I had stopped and said, "Blaine was just there at the right time," or any other derogatory thing, he would have thought that I was an awfully small person. And he would have been right.

Ponder this. Has the success of ANY magician (other than the masked magician ) hurt your business or helped it? Has it made the public more receptive to your performance or less receptive?