Hi,
I have to have a talk, and I want other magicians to reply. This is serious. It's about secrets. Why in the world do secrets get exposed? Why?

If you ever do the Balducci Levitation, maybe even a 7 year old boy will know it. I'm 12, though. If you make something levitate with the help of threads, or wires, people will know it's threads, unless you wave your hand over or under the object. The secrets get exposed. WHY?

I think it's done because when a person buys a trick, he reveals it, or does some dumb thing with it, so it's revealed. If these secrets were not revealed by dumb people, no one would know them. I think it's because of the dumb magic shops, or dumb people who sell magic to ordinary people. The owners don't know that the people who will buy will reveal secrets. They do it for money. If I was the owner, I would ask them to swear not to reveal the secret. You know, take an oath, or something. Maybe in the next 5-10 years, people will know a lot of secrets! Like now, 80% of the world knows the secret of the Balducci levitation, especially because the dumb Fox T.V made that dumb movie called Street Magicians Secrets Finally Revealed. I am sure Fox did this for fame and money. And whoever the masked magician was, he was not a true magician. He revealed secrets, and I am sure did it for money. I think there should be a limit! We cannot let people go out and tell secrets. I can't stand it.

I wanted the Chinese linking rings so bad, and still do. I asked my friend, "Do you know how it's done?" He told me the secret. He's 11, and I'm 12. I could not believe he knew the secret of such a classic trick. Classic, good, and last, but not least, EXPENSIVE. Then these days, people also build websites based on Free Magic. That means you can learn free tricks. I think it is a good idea to help magicians, or beginners, but most of them learn it, and reveal it, or just learn it to get to know the secret. I have my own site http://www.magicaleye3003.cjb.net and it is based on Free Magic. Now, I will delete it, and make it only a forum like thing, like the Magic Café. It will be completed in December 2003, (If I'm alive.)

An example is http://www.trickmagic.com It teaches you how to do Cards From Mouth! It's done by Jeff McBride, and it teaches you! It is helpful, but not for SOME people. Some people, who are NOT even magicians, or don't even do magic, or don't know any tricks, know the secret of the DeKolta Chair! It's such an EXPENSIVE ILLUSION, and is performed by many magicians like David Copperfield. Oh, and talking about David Copperfield, he isn't a good magician. He stinks! Jeff McBride is my favourite, and WAY BETTER!). Let's not talk about this now. That's all I have to say!
Thanks.

Magical_kid,

Ethics in magic (and mentalism) is extrememly important, and I am encouraged to learn that you are thinking about it so much. There is more to it, though, than revealing secrets. There are many areas to think about: helping other magicians and mentalists who want to learn; entertaining without fostering superstition; issues of remuneration for use of others' ideas; originality; aiding (or at least not disparaging) another performer when he/she has the spotlight; and many, many other issues, some of which are probably more important than exposure.

Keep thinking about these important issues. Since you are twelve years old, I can also assure you that it is more likely than not that you will still be alive next year to see your forum in December 2003!

Well said, magical_kid. When I perform, I have very rarely found it to be a problem that people know my secrets because of the internet or TV. Usually the only people exposing secrets are bad magicians who need to practice more (myself included on a couple embarassing occasions). I suggest you make that be your primary concern because that is within your control. You can't control what other people read and watch on their own time.

Maybe I'm just crazy but I haven't found exposure to be a problem for me. There are SO MANY effects in the world that the small amount they have exposed are almost nothing. Sure, I'm really mad that I can't perform the Balducci for anyone except a 7 year old. There are many magicians out there that do routines in which they teach the audince a sleight and show them every part of it and fool them with a trick the next second using the exact same sleight. If we can keep this attitude than you can overcome exposure. It is not detremental (sp?), it's not the best thing to happen to magic, but it will most likely continue and we will continue to amaze audiences.

You're so very right that it's only for money. That's the worst part about these entire shows. If they were produced for the reason to show you how to do the tricks yourself, I wouldn't even have that much of a problem with them. But they only teach you how to be a heckler.

YOu have to keep in mind that magic does not equal secrets. Magic = performance. Any layman can understand a secret, but you unique performance can completely fool them.

The secrets are revealed because of the "money" or "attention." But that leaves us no choice, we will have to perform a better show to get others to watch us. If you have a great act, people will watch you whether they know the secret or not.

Abracadabra,
Dynamike

The original masked magi said he wanted magicians to think of new illusions and quit dwelling on the old ones. The fact is I too used to be pro exposure. After doing magic for so many years I soon began to realize that Magic evolves by itself and should be left to evolve by itself. You can not rush the process. As we figure out new things and technology becomes advanced we will think of new Ideas. the dumb masked looser was trying to rush things. And by the way, if he thinks there is nothing new out there... he must have been under a rock for the past 20 years!!!!

Mmm...birthday cake !!

Sometimes magic is exposed because there are some human beings on this earth who take immense pleasure in ruining good experiences for others. But it is mostly the money and attention. Could someone please post a link to an anti-exposure website? Magical_kid would probably like to read a little more about what he can do to prevent exposure.

Well, here's how I look at it. I mostly do cards and close-up tricks. If there was a tv special on card tricks exposure, I wouldnt really care. Why? Because lets say they expose the double lift(which they surely will), do you really think that EACH time you have a card in your hand, the audience will doubt if its one card or two? Of course NOT! If you do the ambitious card trick, maybe they will know, but hey, just use another techique to put it on top! Plus you can use the double lift in so many other situations that the audience will NEVER think of a double lift. There are thousands and thousands of sleights out there, there is NO ONE on earth who will EVER know even one quarter of them! And its the same for stage illusions!

He sure is worked up for a 12 year old,isn't he!
Just a little word of advice magical_kid, don't be like some older posters here who just love to bash and trash other Magicians because "that's just the way they feel about them"!

Plus, if it wasn't for David Copperfield, some (even most,I dare say) of us won't be into magic today!

That said, I agree with some of your points! Until we give our art the thought and respect it deserves, we can all seem to get unravelled by a guy in a mask and a few props, which is not the case....

Think about it this way magical_kid, we know everything they know but they don't know everything we know..... You get what I'm sayin'?

But to tell you the truth, I kinda like his little rant after rereading it!

magical_kid,
Please explain to me why you think Copperfield "Stinks". In my oppion Copperfield is high on the list of my faviort magicians. And and if Copperfield stinks why dose he have a show and you don't?!

I have seen alot of people who enjoy slandering famous magicians for the sole reason that they are famous and that the person doing the slandering is not! In my oppion it is unethical to slander your fellow magicain. And further more it makes you look ingnorant when you slander someone who has done so many things in our art(Project Magic, ect...).
-KJ

He's dopne a lot but in now way am I here because of him. ItT's wrong to say another magician is not as good/"sucks" for any reason (that excludes exposing secrets for money or fame and ruining other magician's old acts that they have practiced for years and are now useless).