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Jaxon
Inner circle
Kalamazoo, Mi.
2459 Posts
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Posted: Feb 5, 2006 3:52pm
Let me share an example of the point I hope to make here. This example doesn't have much to do with magic but it illustrates the point pretty well.
I have a few other hobbies besides magic and one of them is playing pool (billiards). Brian is another regular at the place I play pool at quite often. I ran into Brian at a gas station not long ago and said hi to him. This happened to be on the day that we usually play pool so I asked him if he was going to be there that night. He looked at me kind of strangely and said, "Oh, I'm not Brian. I'm his brother Jon." I was amazed because they looked exactly alike. I found out they aren't twins because Jon is one year older but they look so much alike you'd think they where identical twins.
That night I went to play pool and Brian showed up and told me that his brother told him about me thinking he was Brian. That gave us an idea. We called Jon and asked him to come and play a joke on our friends. Brian went outside. They switched shirts and Jon cam back in as if he was Brian. About 15 minutes went by then someone said Hi to Jon.
Here's where the point I want to make about magic comes in. Jon instantly thought he was caught. In other words he thought the person that said Hi to him knew he wasn't Brian so he called him back in. The truth of the matter is no one knew it wasn't Brian yet. They didn't realize a switch had taken place until they saw the two of them together. If he would have held out for a few more minutes who knows what would have happened.
This happens a lot in magic. Sometimes you'll think someone discovered your secret but they really didn't. This lesson really hit me when I did a watch steal. I saw the lady look down at her wrist and by the look on her face I thought she knew that I took her watch. In reality she was looking at her hand where the coin trick was supposed to be taking place. So I felt like I was caught and gave her the watch. She had no idea I took it.
Be careful not to jump the gun. Our minds can play tricks on us too. Sometimes people get a look on their face and we interpret it as if they saw what we didn't want them to see. This isn't always the case though. They might be responding to something else entirely.
I'm sure many of you experienced this kind of thing when you first started using a thumb tip. You feel like they can see it but after a while you realize that they rarely do. So if you ever get this feeling I suggest you just keep going. If you feel like they saw the thumb tip then just keep performing until you know for sure. Don't anticipate that they will or your actions will probably display what you fear.
I hope I was able to explain this thought well enough. You'd be surprised how often you feel something went wrong but you're the only one who knew that.
Ron Jaxon
"The map is not the Territory"
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Josh the Superfluous
Inner circle
The man of
1722 Posts
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Posted: Feb 5, 2006 4:57pm
So true. When I started doing effects like fork bending or the end of cups and balls, I almost felt guilty. I thought "Am I really getting away with this? Doesn't anyone see what I'm doing?". Apparently they didn't.
I've also noticed, if one person in a group actually figures out an aspect of a trick and blurts it out, by staying calm and focused, the comment will go by unnoticed by others. I have a great example but I can't figure out the public wording. Basically a kid yelled out "You did it this way!" and he was right. I calmly turned to him smiled and said "Yes you're right." Then addressing the rest of the audience " In front of you all I magically did so and so." As if what he'd said had no baring on the miracle that just took place. The kid stayed quiet and no one caught on that I had been discovered.
What do you want in a site? "Honesty, integrity and decency." -Mike Doogan
"I hate it, I hate my ironic lovechild. I didn't even have anything to do with it" Josh #2
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Paolo Venturini
Veteran user
Lucca (I.) - New York City
384 Posts
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Posted: Feb 5, 2006 7:19pm
Another interesting post Ron, like every other post you did.
That's a nice concept you show as, and I can tell that I'm feeling that almost all the night; sometime I perform for really "tough" people, that kind of people that "I-know-everything-you-cant-catch-me", and I don't feel confortable, even if I could do my effects "when I sleep". I'm pretty sure of myself (as a man and as a magi) but when I perform for these people it hurt me the "glances of knowledge" they direct me, letting me feel guilty "to show them the secret so easy", but I didn't! And I can confirm that after the show with their commentaries... (Fiuu!)
www.jokermagicweb.com
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stormchaser
Regular user
Calgary, AB
200 Posts
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Posted: Feb 5, 2006 10:47pm
That happens to me all the time. I keep thinking people figured out how it works, but they haven't. Like I did Out of This World for my mom, and she looked at me and said "And this fooled winston Churchill"? And I was about to say something like "yeah, I need more practice" when she said "No wonder! That's incredible! Who needs horror movies, I'm already scared by this!"(we were about to watch The Ring) Go figure.
For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, none will suffice.
A magician is an actor playing the part of a magician.
Don't run when no-one's chasing you.
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jgravelle
Loyal user
Milwaukee (Head shown not actual size)
270 Posts
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Posted: Feb 5, 2006 11:24pm
I was producing Walking Liberty Halves out of an empty Okito at our company Xmas party (from CP) but being winter, my palms were a little dry and the third and fourth coins kind of produced themselves by accident. I managed to catch them one by one before they rolled off the table.
Looking up at my main spectator, expecting a wry grin and an accompanying "A HA!"... instead she looked at me positively perplexed and asked "Where the h*** are all those coins coming from?!"
The rest of the routine went pretty well flawlessly. What's "routine" to us is new to them, so perhaps there's a lot more room for error than we sometimes allow ourselves...
Regards,
-jjg
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Loual4
Special user
Montreal, Canada
534 Posts
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Posted: Feb 6, 2006 10:09am
About 25 years ago, when I first started doing magic for B-Days (I was about 15...), I remember doing a sponge ball routine, and having a bit of a problem with one of the boys always saying "I know how he did that!!!". At one point, he jumped up and yelled "He kept it in his other hand!!"... Miserably, I looked at him and said "Ok, you caught me..." and I opened my hand and showed the ball that I had palmed... And that is when I saw his jaw drop to the floor...
I learned a valuable lesson right there and then. Just because someone says he knows how you do it doesn't mean he actually does... And just because someone says he knows how you did it does not necessarely mean he actually did see anything!
Have a nice day!
Louis Jutras
The Montreal Magician Le magicien de montreal
My magic review page
fete d'enfant
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rikbrooks
Inner circle
Olive Branch, Mississippi
1297 Posts
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Posted: Feb 6, 2006 1:37pm
I'll never forget the first time I did a snap change. I was nervous but had practiced the move for a couple of weeks. Still, that nervousness caused me to blow the trick. Sure enough, there I was with that first card hanging down there below the new one. I smoothly just squared the cards.
Oddly, my spectator never noticed even though the card was right there!
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Jaxon
Inner circle
Kalamazoo, Mi.
2459 Posts
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Posted: Feb 6, 2006 8:37pm
I bet none of you can top this one. I topited a jumbo coin. I didn't know it but I had a hole in my topit. The coin went in and hit the floor. Now here's the kicker. Because I'm deaf I was the only one who didn't know about it making a loud noise.
Funny how I didn't "hear" anyone call me on it. 
Ron Jaxon
"The map is not the Territory"
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