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What are we doing wrong?
I recently attended a magic club banquet banquet. The sad fact was you had to sit at the kiddie table if you were under 60. (Actually, I guess you have to be over 50 to recall the kiddie table!)
At the risk of sounding like some old fart longing for the good old days - I really hate to see the demise of magic as a hobby and a classic art slip into oblivion. I’m told that the Internet has taken the place of personal interaction and that’s sad - especially since we supposedly practice and study an art which is rooted in entertainment.
Why has magic lost its relevance and appeal? When is the last time you saw magic on TV? Chris Angel has as much to do with magic as the Roadrunner.
As far as I can recall, Jason Randall, with his periodic appearances on Letterman, is the only regular magician we see on TV.
Personally, I don’t count Derren Brown - quite an entertainer, but not a magician. Why have Henning, Copperfield, Burton et. al. vanished?
Mike Close put it best on one of his L&L DVDs - people don’t want us to do what we want to do.
I know it is popular to say that people have a low opinion of magic because of the inappropriate actions of some magician. I’ve really begin to question that. Hell, I don’t even think Uncle Harry is doing the 21 card trick! Just think, when was the last time you actually saw a working magician in your every day life - or even a simple trick being performed by anyone? I’ll bet you can’t remember.
Is it 9-1-1? Is it political correctness? Have we just lost our ability to have fun? I wish I knew.
I wish I knew.
Take care………
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I have just started taking an interest in magic, I don’t think I ever took an interest in it in my childhood. I’m not sure why there isn’t as much interest in it as a hobby, people seem to enjoy it when I do the simple tricks I’ve learned:)
I think hobby magicians just need to share it with people in their every day lives.
Maybe its me or my flatscreen monitor but a good chunk of your text, viat your e-mail link, is cut off.
My resolution specs don’t cause this problem elsewhere online.
Maybe ask if anyone else is having this problem?
Maybe I’m just screwed and won’t bother opening the messages as I can’t read them without guessing at the last few letters on the right.
Anyhoo……
I think the reasons for the decline is that very few people practice magic. Oh, a lot show a trick, but to do magic is to create wonderment and inspire a sense of disbelief or awe. You can’t do that without timing and presentation. I have dabbled in and out of magic for years. I’m back in now because you can get $200-$300 for doing a birthday party. What I have since discovered is the impact you leave on people. Some of the stuff is cute, some of it is jaw-dropping. The biggest compliments are, “How did you do that?” “Will you teach me that?” “Hey if I buy spongeballs, will you show me how to do them?” I have three people I work with that are really interested in magic now. It’s fun to walk up to the soda machine and produce coins from thin air.
The problem is we have to compete with Mindfreak. People think Criss Angel has powers they’ll never have. WRONG. It takes work, research and PRACTICE. People don’t want to do that. I start most people with a few self-working tricks for them to develop confidence before transitioning to medium stuff like sleight of hand.
Anyway, let me cut to the point. We should take what we do serious and share little bits here and there. We are ambassadors and imitation is the greatest form of flattery. If you think magic is dying go share it with shut-ins, childern, hospitals, the elderly. Make someone smile with your gifts and you’ve done magic.
The website belongs to the local Magic Shop/Club.
Before online video sharing, the only way to show people magic was face to face. You had to learn to perform and entertain otherwise people wouldn’t wait around to see what you could do!
In many ways, magic for video is too easy and safe.
I don’t think this is necessarily wrong, just the way magic is changing.
Dan,
I agree - it’s not necessarily wrong.
Are we raising a generation of magicians that doesn’t realize there are no “do-overs” in the real world - whatever that is.
i/m