In an earlier thread I talked about one of my pet hates in magic.

Do any of you guys have a pet hate?

Craig

I hate both your pets.

Russell

I hate when the spectator asks to shuffle the deck after I've already shuffled it in front of them.

I also hate when a spectator pulls a card out of the deck at random, looks at me and says "What's my card magic man?".

For me it's:

1) 'Woofle' dust. This just does not belong in any routine/ act that is *not* performed for children.

2) Performers who anthropomorphize playing cards ("The King and the Queen are star-crossed lovers" etc). Again, does not belong in any routine/ act that is *not* performed for children.

Usual caveats apply. (My 2c, your milage may vary, etc.)

I hate clinches. If magic is to be respected as an art form then it needs to keep being creative. Hack jokes and using presentations developed for another time and a different performer are not how an art form stays relevant.

I guess that kind of depends who you're in a clinch with?

I hate it when you go over to a table in a restaurant and introduce yourself and one of the guys on the table looks up and says "there's some children over there!"

Also I hate it when I turn up at a Kids Show and one of the kids sees me and goes running in shouting "THE CLOWN'S HERE".

Craig

Russell, I laughed out loud! My pet hate is when my son has no idea what I did, but says,"you palmed it", and walks away.

I hate when you take out a pack of cards and someone says: Oh I know that trick...

Ahh, the old 'Take the cards out of their box trick'... Wasn't that in Books of Wonder Vol. 2?

I hate it when a magician brings cards to a magic lecture and shuffles, cuts and flourishes them during the lecture.

I hate when a magician doesn't look well-groomed/well-dressed during a performance.

I hate when a magician does not read their audience and is loud and obnoxious, and thinks "life of the party" is the only mode to be in.

Craig, good to see you here, and in the middle of lively conversation, to boot. I am, of course, filled with hate. (but not as much as Kainoa) One favorite just happened the other night:

Me: "When I spread through the deck, one, and only one card is reversed. And the card you chose was?"

Them: "You want me to tell you?"

ARGH. Here's another:

Me: "The card you're thinking of was a red card, wasn't it?"
Her: "Yes"
Me: "Was it a heart?"
Her: "Yes"
Me: "In fact, a high-valued heart?"
Her: "Yes"
Me: "You're thinking of the Jack of Hearts?"
Her: "yes..........That's it--that's the trick?"
Me: "Well, you thought of a card, and I named it."
Her: "Yeah, but you had to ask all those questions!"

The moral? Be a Coinman.

Glad to have you aboard, mate.

Curtis

Haha!

THAT is why I hate pic-a-card tricks. For most presentations there is no drama, the audience knows you are going to find the card, the method of revelation may be novel but you get that "Oh, all you did was find my card" response.

Where the well intentioned drunk magic fan follows you around at a strolling gig, and tells everyone:

"Show them the trick where the cards turn into a mirror at the end"
"This bit is great, I love it when the lemon appears under the cup.."
and so on.

Not really a hate, more an exercise in diplomacy and jazzing.

Charlie

And now check out these perfectly normal "sponge balls". (Very spongy indeed.)
And now check out this ordinary red "silk". (What?)
And now check this out, did you see that. (Did you see that?)

Getting to a kids gig and the birthday spots me and shouts "Mom, the clowns here".

I'm not a bloody clown, I'm a magician. Do you see face paint and a wig? NO!!!

I hate when someone asks "did you learn that on the internet?". Also don't like when someone tells you to do a trick over for someone after they go into details of the effect.

People who have bought a few tricks or read a book or two, practiced about a half hour, and then bill themselves as "professional magicians" and start charging for shows and publishing their "original material".

I hate when my performances are interupted by ringing phones.

I hate it when people don't laugh at my jokes during performance.