The man sitting across from me at the table showed no emotion. His face and clothes were non-descript, and he spoke in a flat, monotone voice.

He asked me to hold out my hand. I did.

He placed a half-dollar in my hand. It was a real half dollar coin as far as I could tell. It felt cold and solid.

He asked me to close my hand and wait.

In a few seconds, the coin became warm, and it seemed to melt into a warm liquid and when I opened my hand in surprise, the coin was totally gone--nothing in my hand but my own sweat!

If you take away the secret to this, there is nothing left.

He could have at least told me some kind of story or joke, or put on a tux or something...

The higher the level of the mystery, the more direct and accessible the effect, the more arcane and hidden the secret, the less need there is of "presentation."

When magic is presented in discrete and powerful single "effects" as Blaine does, there is little need for presentation. In fact, smoothness in presentation and the addition of humor, wit, and story would only detract from the power, believability and authenticity of the performance.

Holding the attention of a single group of spectators for more than one short experiment without presentation is difficult.

For Blaine to do a whole one hour show of such feats in front of the same group would require him to adjust his presentational options.

Those options are dependent on the nature of the trick or series of tricks that the performer wants to present--the choices should be made by considering the needs of the individual effects, and the needs of the group of effects as a whole.

The choices arise from the needs of the trick or tricks themselves.

When people "use" magic to make any kind of other point--sell a product, preach the gospel, teach kids about drugs, or dress up a theatrical presentation (special effect, transitional device), then all the rules change.

The rules of magic become subservient to the rules of advertising, theater, sales, etc.

Magic is then only a presentational device, and not an end in itself.

It is no longer art, but craft.

There is nothing wrong with this, it is just not pure magic, it is not the art of magic.

There is nothing wrong with writing advertising jingles, but let's not confuse that with art--"real" music.

There is nothing wrong with using magic as a device, but let's not confuse that with art--"real" magic.

I think a better artistic model would be that when you take away the magic (the secret), and then take away everything that is absolutely essential to presenting that magic effectively--NOTHING SHOULD BE LEFT.

Stung by a bee!
I realize it's philosophical, no I don't think you are dense; if I thought you were I wouldn't respond to you.
I responded to the question as part of the exercise.
By wind I meant, remove any important element from any part of your show and who knows what you'll end up with?
Also, it was very nice to have Mr. Biss' comments, I wish more would follow his example.

To admire the brilliance of a diamond, we need light.

I agree.

Yellowjacket

Whit wrote:

"I think a better artistic model would be that when you take away the magic (the secret), and then take away everything that is absolutely essential to presenting that magic effectively--NOTHING SHOULD BE LEFT."

I will be quoting that. Brilliant.

YellowJacket

Thankyou, YellowJacket. I think it is important.

Theater and meaning are too often "added" to magic, instead of being discovered within the magic itself.

Like Michaelangelo "discovered" his sculptures in the stone, magicians should find the meaning and theatricality of their magic inside the trick itself.

Find out what the trick wants to say. What is the meaning and significance of the effect in itself? What does the process of presenting the argument reveal about ourselves or our spectators? What sort of story are we creating about this trick for our spectator to tell?

Blaine quotes someone in his book, but I can not recall who, but he says somthing like. A trick must be able to be explained in just one sentence.

Tommy,
That concept originated, I believe, from Dai Vernon.

Yellowjacket