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Magic.Maddy Inner circle 1861 Posts |
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On Sep 26, 2014, Rod Irroc wrote: Thank you Rod Thank you for your support! |
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Rolyan Special user I'm fencing in my land; so far there are 590 Posts |
Hi Magic Maddy - your reviews have no value for me as I don't know you BUT they will work for some, so do them if you wish.
P.S. I really don't like your stage clothes, as seen on the banquet, but it may just be me. I'm sure you'll justify it by saying its an age thing. However, I was taught to always dress at least one standard above the clientele and you weren't. Also, never appear off stage in the clothes you wore onstage, but you looked to be performing in the gear you arrived in. Please accept or ignore my review of your dress sense as you see fit. |
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Atlas Inner circle 3103 1277 Posts |
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On Sep 25, 2014, Magic.Maddy wrote: I spotted this thread and thought that I'd take a moment to address Madison - and, incidentally, anyone else out there that has been subjected to criticism. The first and most important point is that it doesn't matter at all who believes in you or who does not. So long as YOU believe in yourself and take steps in the direction that you want to go, you'll be successful. The second point is in regards to the nature of criticism. You'll always get it - some who offer it mean well, and others have no interest in your continued growth and success and simply offer it out of a sense of insecurity, jealousy or spite. While that is the case, it is important not to be casually dismissive of what is said and simply lump it into the latter category. No matter who offers it or how it is offered, it is important to sift through what is said to determine whether anything was said that can help you. Too often, people dismiss what is said because of HOW it was said. The wise man has two ears and one mouth and uses them in that proportion. And finally, when opinions are proffered whose sole aim is to aggravate you, it is important to remember that you must give someone permission to prey on your mind and to upset your mental state. Without your permission, they are not empowered to have any negative role in your life. Remember: Believe in yourself Sift through criticism to find any grain of value Shrug off conflict I watched Luke Jermay lecture in Newcastle a few months ago and he said some profound things. He pointed out that everyone in the room knew who Cliff Richard was, and that whether you loved or hated him was irrelevant to Cliff. Cliff had enough people who appreciated what he did for him to have made a success of himself. You'll never appeal to everyone, but you'll get enough people on side that you can have the career that you want for yourself. Best, Atlas |
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Martin Pulman Inner circle London 3399 Posts |
I've heard that Cliff Richard comment of Luke Jermay's a couple of times now, and I don't understand the logic. Success should not be measured by name recognition amongst the public. Paris Hilton is recognised by hundreds of millions of people world wide and has been very successful at promoting herself, but she has contributed the sum total of zero to humanity.
Cliff Richard was simply a young boy with a pretty face and a nice voice who didn't write any of his own material and was deliberately created and marketed to be an English version of Elvis. In other words, a completely manufactured entity. "His" songs are, by any objective measure, mediocre and are generally, and rightly, ignored when the history of popular music is discussed. Any artist should aim to create something of worth. They should aim to be "good" rather than "successful". If you are lucky, the latter will follow the former. I would hope mentalists would have higher aspirations than to be the mentalist equivalent of Cliff Richard. What a paltry ambition. |
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Atlas Inner circle 3103 1277 Posts |
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On Sep 27, 2014, Martin Pulman wrote: I completely agree Martin - I think the point Luke was making was that everyone will have critics, yet that doesn't have to be an impediment to their success. And yes, success is completely different to good. What I hoped came across in my post was that while you shouldn't be dismissive of every criticism (because the things that are hard to hear also help you to improve), you also ought not to be put off what is your passion because not everyone gets or agrees with what you are trying to convey. Best, Atlas |
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Martin Pulman Inner circle London 3399 Posts |
I certainly agree with that, Atlas. Never let anyone try to derail your passion. But hopefully our passion will be to be a Dylan, a Lennon, a Sinatra, a Miles Davis, rather than a Cliff Richard.
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puggo Inner circle 2022 Posts |
My thoughts on reviews by MC members:
-To tout for free products to review, makes it harder to have credibility, although a few reviews will soon inform the reader e.g. Jeff Stone's reviews - I don't always agree with them but I never doubt their sincerity or value (as Russ Andrews noted, one man's gold is another man's s@!!) -A points or marks out of ten review system can be OK, but the devil is in the detail (for example, 9/10 for a close up product but it has angle and reset issues doesn't make sense to me). -If I 'know' the reviewer through having seen their work or other reviews, will either increase my belief of doubt in what they are saying. I have seen some very well established pro's come on board to really praise a product, only to then see the product for sale by them on magic weekly/ebay etc. a few weeks later. -There is a difference between an initial review, e.g. out the box, played with and perhaps one performance; or a detailed review after the product has been worked several times. The reviewer should state this. -Age, performing experience, number of posts on the MC do not mean that the reviewer will or will not have a valuable insight to share. Sometimes a newbie or an old pro will make a comment which really resonates with a prospective buyer. People who respond/post with an element of respect (even if making a very critical point), will always earn my respect.. Happy thoughts to all! Charlie |
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RedDevil Inner circle Deep South 1315 Posts |
Some good "grains" in this thread:
--If you get critiqued on Café, keep the emotion low by trying to understand what is true about the feedback rather than focusing on the tone of the post itself. --My advice is to treat perceived "ugliness" with silence rather than getting defensive. I learned this in developing relationships with radio and print media over the last ten years. Never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel. That doesn't mean not responding to issues of principle. But I always "thank" the media or people who express concerns through the media for giving me an "opportunity" to clarify. If I sound defensive, it will attract more ugliness like a huge magnet. This takes a lot of strength. --"Quality" should be the goal in producing a product. I am currently working on a book at the moment. I may only sell 5 of them, but my goal is that those 5 people are happy. If I sell 100 of them and then people find out it is crap, I may have "successfully" marketed something, but I have not achieved "quality." If we are a business for profit, sales may be the highest goal (but lack of quality will still get you in the long run). If we are aiming for excellence in the art, sales won't matter. --It is a valid discussion to discuss how "Quality" can be measured. But you will always run into subjectiveness because human beings perceive the world differently. --Deciding who has the right to "judge" quality is subjective also. I work with educators for a living. Sometimes I run into veteran teachers who say about a new teacher, "She just needs to keep her mouth shut and listen and watch. We are the veterans here." What those vets don't realize is that sometimes, that "rookie" teacher sees things with fresh eyes and is teaching circles around the vets. The rookie doesn't know that she is supposed to fit in a box and does some pretty cool work. But sometimes they are exactly correct: the rookie needs to listen and learn. It is a balance between experience, which has to be earned and accumulated over time, and talent, which has no age barriers. Both in combination lead to mastery. --We need to encourage people who are stretching themselves and going out there to earn their stripes. If someone is truly trying to pay his dues, then that is something I would think we would want to feed. --Finally, reviews can and will be abused and rigged (but only as long as humans are doing them). But that doesn't mean all of them are. It will come to the trust you have for the reviewer over time, and I am like you guys. I don't have any shortcuts or formulas for determining when I will get burned or not. I have certain movie reviewers I trust more because I get burned less by watching their movies. It is a marketing conundrum though. It is pretty common and effective marketing strategy to give things away (samples) so that people can get a taste of what they are buying. Movies give you previews. Ice cream stores let you taste first. People are conservative creatures, and they want reassurance. Market researchers do advance testing to make sure they have a quality product before risking their name on a bad product on a broad scale. How this gets applied fairly in the mentalist niche is something bigger than me. But these are just my thoughts. If we limit feedback to only after someone has purchased something, we may miss out on some quality work because nobody knows it is out there, and people aren't willing to throw down money on just anything. Personally, when I work on something (and knowing I don't have anyone in person here at home to bounce ideas with), I send out work to some people I have interchanged with over time and ask, "Hey, what do you think? Would people use this? Is this quality? Is this crap?" When doing this, my motivation is pretty pure: If it is crap, they just saved my rear end from embarrassment if they tell me so. Silence is golden in those cases. But if the majority tell me that "you've got something here," I have a little more evidence toward a case for quality. Maybe our preference for reviews would be to state clearly: "I did not pay for this effect," so that at least people know this in their minds when deciding how much weight to put on the review. Would this solve part of the problem if we all agreed to include the "pay/no pay" disclaimer? Open to any thoughts, as I am on my discovery trail like everyone else.
www.reddevilmentalism.com
F-F-U-L-Ri-F-F-Li-R-U-F-F |
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Magic.Maddy Inner circle 1861 Posts |
Some absolutely GREAT points made here! I appreciate them all!
The comment about the dress is very true. Tht said, I did not perform in what I came in. I pretty much always wear a Tshirt and shorts so that was an update for sure haha. But great point and one I will think about. Again, great points here! I will take them all into consideration. |
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Rolyan Special user I'm fencing in my land; so far there are 590 Posts |
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On Sep 27, 2014, Magic.Maddy wrote: Good man! The advice about dress sense has served me well for decades. I never get taken for one of the guests but I'm never embarrassed by overdressing. One standard higher is easy to remember and do. Some people ask what should you do when they are all wearing full dinner suits etc. In that case you were the same but better quality. Remember that if you look as if you are performing in the clothes you arrive in, then you are! Facts mean nothing, it's all about the audiences perception. While we're on about stage wear, check out dress shoes. Once you are suited up, they make a HUGE difference. Some people will advise you that they are old fashioned and unnecessary. So check out top performers on stage and television and see what you think. Dress sense is much understudied; I believe if more performers focused on that and stagecraft, instead of the latest miracle, they would see great returns. I think the above dress comments even applies to conventions; I'm fed up of seeing lecturers arrive who look as if they can't be bothered. As ever, listen to all advice, learn, inwardly digest, then make your own mind up and be true to yourself. |
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ArtIn Inner circle 1693 Posts |
Yes unfortunatley it smells like begging for products.
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Magic.Maddy Inner circle 1861 Posts |
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On Sep 28, 2014, ArtIn wrote: I guess that playful remark in the original post has now been taken out of context. Guess I shouldn't have put that! But if everyone only wants reviews from bought products, then I can review products I've bought. New and old. |
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Joe Roberts Special user 860 Posts |
I've had my issues with Maddy and have talked generous amounts of S*** about him in the past.
That being said, if I took the opinions of most of the "pros" on this board, I would buy every piece of garbage that comes out because they're constantly here patting each other on the back so that the next time they release something they'll get the same treatment. Also, from what I've seen of the "pros" performances here, they're embarrassingly bad. If I had one critique for Maddy's performance it's not that he's not up to the standards of most pros on this board, it's that he's too much like them. But that's all besides the point. Anyone can come here and review products, whether they perform professionally or casually, 5 shows a day or 5 tricks a year. If you're going to take the word of a "professional performer" just because they're a "pro" then you're a sucker. Just as you are if you dismiss someone's opinion because they spend their days as a writer or a lawyer or a bricklayer, or because they're a teenager. The way reviews work is you evaluate them in total to get a feel for a product on a mass scale (like Rotten Tomatoes) OR you find reviewers who you trust and find you have similar taste to based on their previous reviews. |
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Martin Pulman Inner circle London 3399 Posts |
In other news.
Maddy, Yes. I think it would be quite a good idea to review some things you have actually paid for. At least some of the time. Just a suggestion. |
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