Hello Folks,

I'm looking for some help with this.

People ask... "That was a trick right?" for reassurance.

What might be a polite and appropriate response that does not insult the asker or worsen the situation?

Open to constructive suggestions

-Jonathan

"Yes."


Jack Shalom

"Did you like it? Thank you." implies agreement without saying so.

"Maybe."

Tell them "If you believe, no explanation is necessary. If you don't, none will ever suffice," -A quote from Joseph Dunninger.

Several responses come to mind, some covered very well by prior posts.

Try these:

"Honest to gootness, I only cheet a leedle!" - Max Malini

It's an old oriental method - called "Chi-Ting."

If I do it real slow, it's called "Tai Cheat!"

A blunt response (and very New York/New Jersey) "Ya think?!"

Chiding response, "Look, if I could do this for real, I'd be home doing it and making a bundle!"

"Suuuuuure it is! Ab-so-lutely! NOooooo question about it! - Real magic, for sure!" done with a wink and a nod.

"Is WHAT a trick?"

"Nope! That was a miracle. You want a trick, check out the ladies of questionable repute down on (fill in name of street where they hang out)." Grin and wink on this one.

Freudian response - "And what do YOU think, my boy/girl?"

Hope these help!

Le Darrow, C.Ht.
http://www.leedarrow.com

Hi Jon,

Interesting question that, to me, depends on the following.... What state of mind do you want to leave them in?

Do you want to provide reasssurance, or leave them uncertain or puzzled?


"Absolutely right." - strong, paternal reassurance.

"Some people think that..." - deliberate uncertainty.

"I'm not really sure myself..." - shared uncertainty.

My preference is to make sure they know it is straight forward trickery, and once I have that basis it helps define my communication.

Kevin

Okay, this is not exactly polite, but it is reassuring. I once got tht reaction from some trick using rubber bands, or somesuch. I replies, "Why no, it's real, for I Am The Evil God of Office Supplies! MWhahahahaha."

Not for all crowds, but they laughed.

A less off-putting response might be "It's either a great trick, or kind of a lame miracle, which would you prefer?"

Curtis, Great line about the trick/miracle preference! LOVE it!

Some other responses might be - "Well, in some cultures it would be considered a trick, in others a miracle, in others, a completely pointless finger exercise and in others it's completely missed. I guess it depends on how cultured you are!"

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.
http://www.leedarrow.com

You need to figure out who you are as a performer and what impact you're trying to create. Then you'll know how to answer the question. I(and maybe most magicians) would answer some form of "yes". Uri Geller would say, "No". David Blane would just stare at them until they gave up and walked away. All are valid choices, depending upon who you are and what impact you are trying to create.

"That was a trick right?"

I don't know! I haven't found out yet!!

If you know how its done will you let me know?

Like Wayan, I often shrug my shoulders and say, "I have NO idea how this stuff happens. That was weird. Pretty strange stuff, huh?"

On this subject I avoid the word "Trick" or "Fool you" which both implies that we are making a Sucker out of you. No one wants to be "fooled" so it is important to imply that the magic is somehow happening to both of us. What goes with the "I have no idea" is the look of surprise by us as well. It separates the "us/them" relationship and allows spectators to keep their guard down. If you decide to take on the "I am the one with the power" approach, be prepared for the spectator to begin the analysis of what you did and try to figure it out.

Sorry Wayman (I did not mean to say Wayan).

"Was that a trick?"

"Your mind might tell you so. If you think its merely a trick just remember, you saw it happen."

Kind of an odd approach, but if you emphasize "you saw it happen" then hopefully they will say to their friends..."he did the most amazing thing and I SAW IT HAPPEN!"

Enticing someone to believe in the mystery instead of concealing the method, like a bully, hopefully gives them the feeling that you're trying to share with them not hurt their feelings.

Reminds me of the time I was demonstrating a trick I was going to teach to a group of unruly cub scouts. They were calling out "I saw that" and "You didn't put it there" etc. Since I was about to teach them the trick anyway, my presentation was filled with "It's a TRICK!" over and over again. Everytime someone called out "You didn't really do that!" I retorted "Of course not. IT's a TRICK!!"

My reply to "It's a trick" is "oh I hope so" and for some reason it gets a laugh every time.

I guess you had to be there...

Neale,

You have reminded me of one of the early comic interviews with an astronaut. In the interview he was asked about his space equipment.

Specifically, the question was "Is that a crash helmet?"

And his response was “Oh I hope not."

Does it pay to see how others see it?