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Gary Veteran user Market Harborough, UK 367 Posts |
I’ll cut to the chase. Shattering Illusions, by Jamy Ian Swiss is not a ‘savory dip’ of a book full of warm, fuzzy, magic reflections and bland psychological insights into our craft. Instead, it is a blistering volume of essays that challenges the reader to rise above mediocrity. It promotes structured learning methods in magic, touches on some history, ethics, media, performance and so forth, and to some extent, focuses on what could be termed as the sociology and anthropology of magic.
This is a book not to lightly skim through (although it is highly readable), but a book to ingest in measured, regular doses. For some readers, it will be seen as a wake-up call; for others it will viewed as a full-frontal attack on elements of our craft and dismissed out of hand. That’s a real shame, as those readers will have missed the point entirely. Swiss is a good writer. He has much to say and he is certainly opinionated, which in a world of bland, dumbed-down writing, is very refreshing indeed. The reader will not agree with everything Swiss has to say, but then again, I’m sure he would not expect that to be the case. What Swiss does manage to do is to get the reader to ‘think’ and he boldly challenges perceptions and attitudes. Although his style can be confrontational at times and he does not mince his words, the book has a strong smack of honesty about it and for my money, he is right on the mark. Above all else, Swiss is clearly passionate about magic and that comes across very strongly indeed. For me, this book is all about setting standards and raising the bar. It’s a call for a professional and ethical revival within magic and to some extent a plea for the studied reading and learning of magic as an art. Compulsory reading for the serious, or would-be serious practitioner. Add it to your Christmas reading list. You will not be disappointed.
"I can see clearly now, the brain has gone"
- Anon |
KC Special user Utah 571 Posts |
I must second the notion. This is a great book, and I've only gotten halfway through the book.
I want to rush through it as fast as I can, but I realize that it must be taken in small doses or else it will just overwhelm me and be a waste of time. |
Ian Richards Loyal user 226 Posts |
This is possibly the most thought provoking book that I have read on any subject. I will jump on the bandwagon and urge everyone to read it thoroughly.
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Gianni Special user WILMINGTON, DE 993 Posts |
I did enjoy the book very much. But be prepared: in my view Jamy Ian Swiss has a palpable disdain for the vast majority of people who enjoy magic as a hobby.
Gianni |
Larry Davidson Inner circle Boynton Beach, FL 5270 Posts |
Read it realizing that you shouldn't agree with everything he says. If you do, you're not thinking.
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JimMaloney Inner circle 1184 Posts |
Quote:
On 2002-12-11 19:09, Gianni wrote: Not really -- he has no problem with those who do magic as a hobby. He does have a problem with those who do magic poorly, whether they are a hobbiest or a professional. -Jim
Books and Magazines for sale -- more than 200 items (Last updated January 17th, 2014. Link goes to public Google Doc.)
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Ruben Padilla Loyal user Narrative Strategist 206 Posts |
The first essay, "Why Magic Sucks" is as honest and as insighstful an essay as I've ever read. If you don't agree with the man, you must at least respect the thought and care he's put into defending his position. And frankly, any piece of writing that makes you think, regardless of whether or not you agree with it, is good work.
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Mark Ennis Inner circle Raleigh, NC 1031 Posts |
"in my view Jamy Ian Swiss has a palpable disdain for the vast majority of people who enjoy magic as a hobby"
That was always my view of Jamy as well. I haven't picked up his book yet but it is on my list. I certainly don't have to agree with him to enjoy the book.
ME
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Larry Davidson Inner circle Boynton Beach, FL 5270 Posts |
Ruben, I agree with you. I disagree with some of what he says, but appreciate the effort he put into analyzing and articulating his ideas, and the way it makes me think more about my own.
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Chris A. Inner circle AKA Chris A. 1123 Posts |
[quote]On 2002-12-11 20:50, JimMaloney wrote:
Quote: From reading a few of his essays, that is the impression I"ve gotten too.
He's down on "bad magic" but is quite ok with hobbyists who make an effort to perform well. I don't agree with everything he says either, but he gets me thinking and I thank him for that.
AKA Chris A.
Keepin' the Funk Alive |
Gianni Special user WILMINGTON, DE 993 Posts |
[quote]On 2002-12-11 20:50, JimMaloney wrote:
Quote:
Jim - I think you are absolutely right. I agree with you. But my point is that it is clear to me that Swiss believes that the vast majority of people doing magic do it poorly or make poor decisions in what type of magic they perform, even if done well. If you culled out from magic all the people that Swiss disdains, there might be only 20% remaining. Now many questions remain: is Swiss correct - do the vast majority of people performing magic do it poorly? Is there far too much junk magic? What are the consequences of magic being an entertainment form so readily accessible to oafish boors? (Are we included in that classification?) Is Swiss overly snobby about his views? As I said, I really enjoyed the book. No question that it makes you think. Question is, how do you feel about what he's making you think about? Gianni |
Steven Steele Chief of Staff 1868 Posts |
I loved the book, but I'm not sure where all the bad magicians are hiding. There are certainly magicians better than me. There are others that are worse. Some of each are making more and less money. When I look at Rock and Roll Music...there are certainly worse acts in that venue making more money than most magicians I've seen.
Don't get me wrong...there are some bad ones out there...but 80%? This book now belongs alongside Strong Magic and The Art of Magic (by Al the Only--anybody remember this classic?)
Coram Deo
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Larry Davidson Inner circle Boynton Beach, FL 5270 Posts |
Whether a particular magician is a good or poor performer is obviously subjective. In my view, maybe 80% aren't poor performers, but the percentage isn't that much lower given the quality of magic I've seen at IBM and SAM meetings (which I stopped attending a long time ago for that reason), and at conventions (not referring to most of the professionals). I'm not trying to create any enemies, I'm just sharing my opinion. The problem with magic is that it's easy to do poorly, and lots of magicians take that easy route because they figure they're doing something that other people can't do & that "passable" is good enough. If you respect and enjoy magic, why settle for being anything less than you're capable of being? Okay, I'm off my soapbox now.
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Alan Munro Inner circle Kentwood, Michigan, USA 5952 Posts |
Quote:
On 2002-12-11 19:09, Gianni wrote: The disdain is understandable. I think that the vast majority of magic hobbiests don't respect the art of magic. They may say that they do, but it's just lip service. Besides, most of the duffers just warm a seat at magic club meetings and/or are addicted to buying props. |
Vilago Loyal user 230 Posts |
Go to http://www.jamyianswiss.com and you can read many essays of Jamy's, including one or two that are in the book ("Why Magic Sucks" used to be there, not sure if it still is)...
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stevenamills Veteran user 397 Posts |
Quote:
The disdain is understandable. I think that the vast majority of magic hobbiests don't respect the art of magic. They may say that they do, but it's just lip service. Besides, most of the duffers just warm a seat at magic club meetings and/or are addicted to buying props. With all due respect Alan - I take serious exception to a couple of things here. Firstly I should say, I am a seat warming duffer and enjoy studying, practicing and some performing. I don't think the disdain is understandable. Jamy wants to sell us his books, lectures and Super Sessions and yet seems to exhibit a palpable dislike for the hobbyist. That's fine - sell your stuff to the pros. There are plenty of others willing to, at least, pretend to like us. I've seen a lot of magic at everything from national conventions to the Magic Cast performed over the past 40 years or so and seen PLENTY of crap performed by name pros before paying duffers who were too nice to say what they really think - either out of respect or intimidation. Mr. Swiss does return that courtesy. One other side point - every since the famous Helm's book (which, in my opinion, is very good) it has become popular for reviewers and pros to "highly recommend" every book having to do with presentation etc., when, in fact, most of them are nothing more than repetitive magazine articles padded to book length. I'll never know if this is true of this book, as I won't buy it, but I'll bet it is. I'll keep my money. Later..... Steve |
Gary Veteran user Market Harborough, UK 367 Posts |
In fairness to the author, I think some of Steve's comments are a little out of context, but it is entirely his opinion to which he is perfectly entitled.
There is no unecessary 'padding' in this book. It is lean, logically sequenced, flows very well and all essays are completely updated with additional thoughts and comments. Most are as relevant as when they were originally written and remember, not everyone reads Genii. Presentaion is simply one of many topics covered and it is afforded no special significance. It can be uncomfortable reading at times, but it sure is stimulating, action-provoking and very, very timely.
"I can see clearly now, the brain has gone"
- Anon |
rklew64 Inner circle 1265 Posts |
I have to agree with Swiss's assertions. This forum alone proves that hack magicians do exist - all they want are the short cuts without doing the work or research themselves.
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