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R.E. Byrnes Inner circle 1206 Posts |
"I agree with Mr. Haydn completely. If you tell them you learned from books and all, it doesn't seem like magic anymore."
What if your 'character' is a rational, bookish one? |
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Pop Haydn Inner circle Los Angeles 3691 Posts |
If your character is a rational, bookish one, what would be the answer to "How did you learn to put a coin in the bottle?"
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
"It just doesn't seem possible, does it? Glad you enjoyed it!"
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
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Mike.Hankins Veteran user 320 Posts |
Quote:
On Jun 28, 2014, Pop Haydn wrote: The same way they get a pirate ship inside one...
Mike.Hankins
Instagram: MHMagic77 Twitter: @HankinsMagic FaceBook: Yup! |
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Shy Regular user 133 Posts |
I can't agree more with Pop Haydn.
You should never mention books or videos. |
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Ben Seatreader Regular user The College of Winterhold 103 Posts |
"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." - Ben Kenobi. Then you crack out l**ps and blow their minds.
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twillsinc New user Sheffield, UK 19 Posts |
I've used "I used to have 3 children" before... was in a suitable environment for it though usually I just say "5 years of being a lonely guy... that likes free beer from betting on cards with people in a bar... pick a card"
Twillsinc |
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DallasFrank Regular user Hey Rocky watch me pull a Rabbit outta my hat...oops wrong hat! 104 Posts |
When I was a young boy I asked J.B.Bobo how he did the color changing knives and his reply was "Magic" I always reply to the How did you do that question with "Magic". I also Like Slydini's reply" I don't know myself." Both replies leave the spectators wondering and magic is about creating a sense of wonderment.
How did you learn to put the coin in the bottle?" Magic !" or "I don't know myself" Frank |
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SatanicBurrito New user 56 Posts |
I take this type of question as a compliment. It's much different that "what's the secret to the trick." My answer is "pale, friendless, virgin evenings. A lot of them."
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R.E. Byrnes Inner circle 1206 Posts |
"If your character is a rational, bookish one, what would be the answer to "How did you learn to put a coin in the bottle?"
You studied for many years under someone who can cause molecules to melt and perfectly reconstitute. . .or any of thousands of other comparable claims. Never mention books or videos? While it's perhaps hard to make videos conducive to something sufficiently mysterious and interesting, books are used all the time as props, and someone like Christian Chelman uses them to such great effect that it seems a bit silly to "never mention" them. Magic has produced books with locks on the, to underscore the element of secrecy. It's not difficult to imagine someone taking that and grafting on a compelling apprenticeship, heavy in books, in which he learned magic. Merely because books are an actual source of learning magic doesn't imply that, perhaps with embellishment, they can't contribute to a "character's" theatrical value as much as any pet phrase or affectation more directly connected with "wonder." Additionally, it seems entirely plausible that a performer might be better suited to a character more grounded in realism; one who doesn't claim wands have special properties and who is candid about relying on books and hard work. Penn & Teller don't conceal their own industriousness or that of their staff, and they not only concede that there's a rational solution to everything, they feature that, debunking the facile "wonder" lots of mediocre performers traffic in. |
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Mike.Hankins Veteran user 320 Posts |
I have another comment/question...
What happens when you are performing for a family, and one of the parents makes a comment that "...their kid has ALWAYS wanted to learn magic." He even watches videos on YouTube on how to do them." Or, "My kid LOVES magic. Can you give any advice or recommendations for a good book or something" Do we still continue to tell them that what you are learning CANNOT be learned in any normal book, and that you HAVE to be born with the "ability"? Blah blah? Or do we help those who seek to learn just as WE did? In a situation like that, I would MUCH rather help guide the child in the right direction to learn magic the correct way.
Mike.Hankins
Instagram: MHMagic77 Twitter: @HankinsMagic FaceBook: Yup! |
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Shy Regular user 133 Posts |
I don't think one should try to make them think the magic is real, but you shouldn't mention that you learned it from books or videos, they will think "oh, you just have to buy a book and that's it", and they will lose all interest on you, an answer like "my grandfather teached me" would be better, because you learned it from someone, you can't buy a grandpa that knows magic, in other words, it's not something that you can get easily.
I know some people here likes to be the "supernatural guy" or whatever. However, there are some consequences (spelling ?) about it, like not being able to answer the question Mike mentioned without feeling bad about it. |
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bdekolta Inner circle Texas 1636 Posts |
Well what I do can not be learned in a normal book. Same with Pop. It just isn't there. The basic technique may be but you will not be able to perform what he performs by reading that book.
To the person asking about YouTube videos. You can tell them that learning from the videos on YouTube will hamper their development rather that help it. And you will be correct. To make the point just ask the if they would send someone to YouTube to learn how to repair cars. Of course they wouldn't. If you knew specifically what you were trying to repair you may be able to locate the answer. But for advanced sleight-of-hand the answers simply are not there. Quote:
there's a rational solution to everything Actually there isn't. And that is what makes what we do as entertaining as it is. If you haven't reached the point that your performances aren't explained by "a rational solution" then you aren't really giving your audiences the best you can. In my opinion! |
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R.E. Byrnes Inner circle 1206 Posts |
There are books about performance just as there are books that expose secrets. Secrets are the dominant part of spectators' curiosity, whereas the more ineffable aspects of performance are at the root of spectators' enjoyment (or lack of enjoyment if the performer is bad), , even if most spectators don't overtly recognize that, and they tend to over-value the importance of 'knowing secrets.' Still, there are secrets, the rational solutions that explain part of what magic is all about. While the secrets/methods tend to be far less important than what a performer uniquely adds, it concludes far too much to claim that only those unique performance aspects matter. A performer's knowledge of a secret or method isn't a sufficient condition for a great performance; but it is a necessary condition. And there is in fact a rational solution - I.e., a 'secret' - to every magic trick. Denying that with a smug "[a]ctually there isn't" needlessly denies that there are secrets/rational solutions to all tricks Acknowledging that small, obvious fact doesn't diminish what, I agree, is the overwhelming importance of whatever a performer contributes beyond a mere trick and secret. Denying that anything else matters, though, like peddling the fatuous idea that "there's no such thing as bad tricks, only bad performers," is an inane, unnecessary point often made in the course of emphasizing how important a performer's unique, creative contributions are. To anyone not deeply invested in magicians' dogma, these misty, nonsensicle claims do nothing to actually describe or celebrate that it is the performer, not the secret, that is generally what determines how successful a magic performance is.
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Pop Haydn Inner circle Los Angeles 3691 Posts |
They don't care how you got to be so charming. They want to know how you got the coin in the bottle, and whether or not that is as remarkable as it seems.
"How did you learn to do that?" "I bought it at a magic shop." "Oh! Okay. Good. You'll have to show me another one sometime..." |
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prg Regular user 168 Posts |
Maybe I should just ignore the question, and instead tell the spectator how I got to be so charming.
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Mike.Hankins Veteran user 320 Posts |
We live in a time where ANYTHING is but a Google search away. To try to pull off that a performer has "real magical powers" is just absurd. But I get it...
You go to a play or movie, you become immersed within the story. You start to BELIEVE that the characters are who they say they are, while as soon as the curtains go up, you snap back to reality and remember that they were merely actors playing a part. They used special effects to make it seem as the building exploded with just a mere thought... We act to. We act as if we are magicians. That's the whole point and I get it. Telling someone where you learned an effect is equivalent to breaking character. I get that too. But we live in a generation where almost ANYTHING can be learned within a matter of minutes from our cellphones. If we REALLY think that people aren't going to figure out that you were playing a character the whole time, then maybe you should...Google it.
Mike.Hankins
Instagram: MHMagic77 Twitter: @HankinsMagic FaceBook: Yup! |
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Pop Haydn Inner circle Los Angeles 3691 Posts |
It's more than that. It is about "how special" the event just witnessed was--it's importance and value is really set by the magician. That is why the spectator wants to know, "how did you learn this." He wants you to tell him how special and rare it is...
"You could learn to do this" means "not so special." |
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Maximilien New user Paris (France) 41 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 8, 2014, Pop Haydn wrote: When I am listening to Glenn Gould playing the piano, I know exactly where he got that skill (I even read a book about it...). It still feels very rare and special to me. Books/Teachers/Mentors etc... mean "I learnt" but it does not mean "You could learn to do this too". I understand, however, that it might difficult to convey those nuances in a very short discussion with a Spectator. |
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 8, 2014, Pop Haydn wrote: A DVD? $35. Pop's advice? Priceless. That's one of the most useful posts I've ever read here. Every sentence.
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
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