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tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
There is a lot stuff on the internet that purports to expose the secrets of magic but actually gives false explanations. I just came across one site in particular that blatantly exposes in this way all sorts of stuff i.e. Lenart Greens snap is done by sticking double sided tape to your sleeve! Although this explanation is rubbish it none the less gives the layman the idea that he knows how this or that is done.
These rats who expose magic like this obviously do not even want to teach magic to the layman their intention is simply to ruin tricks by telling lies. I think Lennart would be able sue them for the lies they tell which is damaging to his reputation but I am not a lawyer. However I do wish someone would do something about these idiots. I don’t know how to say it but it’s like someone saying Elvis can not sing, the secret is that he has someone who can sing hidden behind the curtain and he just mouths the words. Sorry if I have not explained what I mean very well but I find it all quite annoying and I am just having a rant about it. By the way: What do you say to a spector who says I know how that that is done and comes out with some silly explanation that he has read on the net. I mean a layman who honestly thinks he knows how it is done but in fact is wrong.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
I had such an audience member. She was sure I was palming cards and amazed I could keep them flat. I tested her understanding by using Marlo's Tabled Palm to do some tricks. Her eyes went wide and she was clueless.
As to the legal stuff... maybe Curtis or someone else here with a legal background could offer some insight. My favorite is the fog of nanobots explanation.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
In order for Lennart to sue, he would have to establish damages. This would be very difficult. He would have to prove that he had actually lost business or sales due to what was posted on the internet.
Regarding how to handle spectators like that -- I usually tell them "That's an interesting explanation. You are giving me credit for a great deal more skill than I actually posess. Then I fool them with something like OOTW." Posted: Jun 28, 2006 11:35pm ------------------------------------------------ I should add this. Sometimes, if I am really sure of my crowd, I explain the whole trick in detail ... in German. If they understand German, I explain it in Russian.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
RandyStewart Inner circle Texas (USA) 1989 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-06-28 07:35, tommy wrote: While this poses a possible legal battle for the creators, if the audience member has been misinformed by such a site, they certainly won't have anything on you when you perform the real effect using the creator's true methods. You win. You could only hope such a spec would voice their "understanding" of the effect so you might dispel of such with a few adjustments within the routine. We had a topic months ago to sites with the Blaine wannabes. The discussions in there would make you vomit something fierce. The suggested methods were utterly ridiculous but participants were quite serious. Even Blaine's demo of The Balducci Levitation was attributed to all sorts of Middle Eastern, Hinduistic, or Black Magic practices which some of them claimed were using to duplicate his leviation on TV. Ugh it went on for pages and pages but was a hysterical read. We've also had fun here with topics on "The most ridiculous explanations" for magic you've done. Those were good! Think you can change their minds? Good luck trying. |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
I mentioned on another thread about "engineer thinking." Here's an example. I was performing Paul Harris' Vanishing Deck to Card Case at one of the venues I used to work in. One of the people I performed for was an engineer from Mexico. After I did the routine, which uses a very simple gaff, he took a paper napkin and a pencil and drew the most complex array of interconnected holdouts you have ever seen in your life. The idea was that this holdout would come down my right sleeve, pick up the deck beneath my hand, pull it up my sleeve, take it across my back, transfer it to a second holdout which would send it down my left sleeve into the waiting card case.
I loved it!
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
A muggle given a plausible explanation of how a magic effect was created and given that plausible explanation by a magician will in all probability believe he now knows how the magic was done. That will destroy the mystery of the effect that might have puzzled the muggle since he saw the effect. Otherwise; “I see, that is how it was done!” The muggle says to himself and it will matter not if what he has been told is correct. Because to his mind he now knows the secret. Even if a magic effect was only performed once a thousand years ago and not performed since the mystery and secret should never be explained to the muggles whether the secret is the true secret or just a plausible explanation as that in effect destroys mystery if it is accepted by the muggle. No magician should ever attempt to explain a mystery of magic to the muggles even if it is a mystery to the magician himself. The muggles can guess all they like but magicians should never rat and always keep their mouths shut.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
bishthemagish Inner circle 6013 Posts |
This is a funny topic.
Back quite a few years ago Dunninger was contacted by some people that asked him to do several articles on exposure. The people that were publishing the magic exposure had the secrets and plans to the milk can, and most of the best magic that was being done at the time. Dunninger called up Houdini and Houdini said (as the story goes) I don't know what you can do about this but keep my stuff out of this. Dunninger took over and rewrote the text of the articles and added lot of stuff to the drawings. The levitation had more gears and wires than ever before. He changed everything and it was published. Magic secrets were safe. After they were published Richard Himber and a few other magicians wrote to the paper and said Dunninger is defrauding the public by giving them false explanations as to how magic worked. Like they would like the real secrets published. You just can't please some people. Dunninger said he made the magic look difficult and hard to do. If people think that magic is hard to do and it is - it is worth more money as a performing art. It is only when they think that it is easy - cheap - takes no talent that magic is not worth much. The articles were written up and published in a book by Dunninger later on after the newspaper published them and it is in many public libraries. Later!
Glenn Bishop Cardician
Producer of the DVD Punch Deal Pro Publisher of Glenn Bishop's Ace Cutting And Block Transfer Triumphs |
kregg Inner circle 1950 Posts |
Some magician's have made a career out of fooling other magicians. Other magicians have spent a lifetime fooling themselves. This is not directed toward anybody, I've done both on occasion.
POOF!
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Moyle with Parkinsons Loyal user Australia 281 Posts |
I don't have an answer for you about a legal battles but when a spectator give me a stupid explanation I tend to politely put them in their place. Last night I was doing the homing card routine out of Card College 2. It was the last phase where the whole deck flies to my pocket except their card and I had the hand with the single card just hanging by my left side why I was revealing the deck in my pocket. Later a specactor said, "I know how you did that. You had your hand behind your back and you were handing yourself the cards." I replied, "My good man, you are not even close, I used magic so why don't you sit down and watch my next trick before you further embarass youself." Then he said, "Well I saw you put a red card on top of the deck and our card was black." I quickly turned over the top card showing a black card and he quickly held his tongue.
I try not to offend people when they do this but I certainly make sure that they keep their mouth shut for the rest of the show. After I do something like what is described above even if they do notice something they tend not to say anything in case I can prove them wrong. Moyle
"Signatures cause far too much trouble!" an original quote by Moyle With Parkinsons.
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tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
“BEYOND doubt, the attractiveness of magic is largely due to its secrets.” N.M.
And so you will largely attract no spectators in the first place if they believe they know the secrets. They will believe the plausible secrets told to them by what appears to them to be a “magician” on an internet site. Therein lies the problem! However "The most ridiculous explanations" given to them by their fellow muggles will do no arm at all. The muggles always have and always will have a guess at the secret but that is a horse of different colour. Such a horse is taken by the muggles as the colour of opinion whereas the former as the colour of fact.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Let me give you an example of how easily misled people can be. Shortly after the first Masked Magician special, I was doing a show for a major trucking company -- one of those that is called a "common carrier." The audience consisted of executives and former drivers. The drivers were now in managerial positions. If you know truck drivers, you know that they don't mince words.
So, while I was setting up, one of the early arrivals sat next to the riser where I was to perform and said to me, "I'm gonna sit here and watch real close. I know how all this stuff works. I saw that guy with the ski mask last week. I saw how he did that levitation thing." I looked at him and grinned. I chuckled and said, "Do you think he gave the REAL explanations for any of those things? Do you honestly think that any magician would use a fork lift to do a levitation? You know how noisy those things are. I thought it was pretty cheesy, myself." That was all it took. He decided that he had been led astray, and he enjoyed the show at least as much as the rest of the guys, possibly because I had taken the time to speak to him. As a matter of fact, I used some of the same devices and methods the Hooded Hoodlum used on his show.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Phil C Special user Ontario, Canada 903 Posts |
I have seen people making videos that 'teach' people how to do magic tricks.
And some explanations are totally inaccurate! |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-07-02 11:21, Bill Palmer wrote: I had a similar experience with cigarette through quarter. A regular customer at one of my regular gigs loved seeing that trick and always brought new people to see it. After the exposure show, I knew I would have a bit of a problem with him, if he saw the show... which he did. Instead of using the Johnson Products method, I used the Belanger method that next night and when this guy decided to check the dark side of the moon, he just looked at me and said, "You da man!" ~michael
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Richard Bellars New user Tunbridge Wells 24 Posts |
Hi guys, this is my first post. In regards to people guessing methods and generally interupting the flow of a show due to accidental method tourettes, I just give them a smile beckon them over and perform either something outrageously fair like OOTW, or triolgy. Or else I perform a friendly sucker trick like 'that's my card' from the easy to master card series. This generally lets them know that I am in charge, without embarrassing them (which I think is absolutely NOT what you should do to anyone).
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