If you are to compare the magic show to the music concert, there are many times when the fans at a concert will start singing some of the hits they are waiting in line to hear. They are in an excited mood and certainly not trying to upstage the performer but rather "be part of the experience".

Then, during the concert, they often sing along. Some may even dare to play "air guitar".

With a magic show, it is indeed concerned poor form to whip out your cards and do a trick for the audience who have come to see the "star" and not you.

However, in the example cited earlier at the 'Mac King Show', a fellow audience member had enjoyed Mac's show, saw the other guy with cards and asked for more tricks.

Many times Sue-Anne and I have had young magicians (and old ones too) come up after the show, in front of other patrons getting things signed, and show us a trick. It doesn't really bother us too much (unless they infringe on the other paying customers time or space) and it sort of adds to the fun atmosphere.

One young guy came up and proudly did the 'Crazy Man's Handcuffs' for us. An unusual version which had the bonus effect of revealing the secret as it was performed. Sue-Anne offered to show him a trick and took the bands from him. She did the same trick, properly. He had no idea how she did it. She then sat with him for 5 minutes and taught him how to do the trick properly. The kid went away, humbled (as opposed to being waaay too self confident) with a new respect for the art.

Personally, I'd rather they come and show US their tricks instead of the public... *g*

The other interesting point is that often magic shows have close up workers entertaining the audience before the show. Music concerts very rarely have strolling musicians working the crowd... *s*

Finally, what about the situation where you are doing strolling, maybe in a restaurant, and someone wants to show YOU a trick. Do you refuse, saying "it's not the polite thing".. they may be an amateur magician, or just a guy who knows one trick.


I can understand how it makes Infantino grimace when he hears the cards riffled before a magic show... it's like a Pavlovian Dog reaction... but it may be part of the show, who knows?

In that example the fellow audience member should never have seen a guy with cards out in the venue, unless they were employed to be there with cards.



I don't see any problem with this scenario. That is like an artist showing another artist their work.



Having been in this sttuation, I gladly hand the cards over. I LOVE magic and there is nothing better than being on the receiving end, even if it is the 21 card trick

If someone was to perform magic at one of my shows (if I ever had one) I wouldn't care, as long as they were competent and showed respect to the audience, all is well.

You said it yourself. They're showing YOU a trick, not other audience members. Even if others are watching, you're the one they're performing for specifically. Plus, if they do something, they do it with the performer's (yours) permission. Finally, you retain control of the situation.

It's the difference between someone at a table showing you a trick, and the situation described earlier where someone arrived at the venue an hour before the magician, without the venue's permission, and was working the tables for tips.

I don't think the issue of tips was in the original post...

You're right, there was no mention of tips in the original post. It was this one which I was referring to.

It was my comment that mentioned the tips, however that was not intended to be the focal point of my post. The real problem lay in the fact that this other clod's intrusion precluded me from working for all those tables by reason of aesthetics. Whether or not I was the one receiving the tips was a non-issue. I do my job well and I am paid well for it. Whether or not I get tipped is not the deciding factor in whether or not I consider the night a success.

Here is the point, so read closely...

This other guy was a hack magician who blatantly hustled tips, including wearing a number of gawdy buttons and signs advertising that fact. By trade, he was more of a balloon folder who felt no shame in separating parents from their cash by all but "selling" his creations to the kids.

So how did he manage to set up camp in this place? He told the management on duty that he was there in my stead.

Typically, I believe less is more. There is definitely a point that can be reached when you can give the audience too much magic. If they are asking for more, then it's a discretionary call, but in many cases people are satisfied with a lesser amount because they also wish to converse with their friends, eat, etc.

By this other guy having already worked those tables, for me to also attempt to show them magic would push the boundaries of social grace. Who wants to constantly have entertainers pounce on their table throughout the night? Enough is enough.

Now concerning his hustling of tips... the real damage was in the fact that these same customers that he violated may think about that in their next decision of where to go eat. Even if they did choose to come to this particular establishment again, I would not want them avoiding my approach to their table thinking it would cost them. While I do accept tips, it always comes from them and their enjoyment of what I do, and not because I've hustled them.

I stand by my position of disliking magicians who take it upon themselves to perform at another's venue. Have you ever noticed that it's never the professionals who do this? They don't have to... and they know when to get off the stage. It's always the non-working wannabes who feel no shame in trying to elevate themselves by riding the coattails of another magician who is either good enough, or lucky enough to have the gig. I won't use the word amateur here, because some of the most professional magicians I know are amateurs.

If another magician decides to show a trick to the venue's true performer, then that's fine, as long as there is a consensual attitude about it. Magicians typically love to shoptalk, myself included. But, to become a leech upon that performer's audience is in poor taste and deservedly merits getting kicked down the stairs.

I would assume, that if this other balloon folding guy had lied to the management about him being there in your stead, they would have thrown him out once you arrived and sorted things out wouldn't they?

Sounds like the scene from 'THE BLUES BROTHERS' where Jake and Elwood claim to be The Good Ol' Boys.

There can be some nasty consequences for that sort of behaviour! *g*