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Mikael Eriksson Inner circle None of your business 1064 Posts |
I think it would be interesting to know what are the worst/best things that happened during your performances?
I´ll share some of mine. Worst thing: A boy got a tooth punched out during the "magical coloringbook" effect. I said:"And now I want you to take some color from your clothes and throw on my book!" Then this poor boy got hit accidentally by another boy. Hard to choose from the best, but one of them: I said:"And now I want the assistance of a girl!" Several girls raised their hands. Then I said to make them giggle:"A cute girl!" Then one of the girls actually lowered her hand and looked disappointed! I thought:"Oh no, what have I done?" I understood she didn´t think she was cute. I immediately pointed at her, and said:"You! Come up here!" She said:"Me?" She got to be the assistant, and it made her so happy, and me too. Mikael |
Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
Good thinking, Mikael.
Not only did you defuse an uncomfortable situation but you made someone feel good about themselves. No small accomplishment! The best thing I ever learned was that volunteers can come up with much funnier stuff on their own than I can write. I use the droopy wand as a throwaway in part of another routine in my adult shows; I always pick a woman for this because I have a pretty good read on the audience by the time I call for a volunteer and it works out better that way. Anyway, one time I handed the wand to the female volunteer and learned to SHUT UP. I just stood back and let her run with it; she was much funnier than anything I could have scripted. Only caveat is that you have to be able to read the audience well and step in to take back the wand before the audience gets tired of it. I now included this bit -- if not doing anything myself can be called a "bit" -- in every show. cheers, Peter Marucci showtimecol@aol.com |
Michael Peterson Inner circle is where I'm trapped, because of my 4071 Posts |
When I first got started in magic, I was working as a counselor with at risk youth. We went to a 3 day retreat & I was told I had to perform in a talent show.
Despite being so new to magic, I did quite well in front of about 200 people. When I got done, I went outside to relax & noticed my zipper was down Luckily no one had noticed. My best experience was recently, I have a couple who I did some tricks for & they are convinced it's "real" magic & that I have "powers", it doesn't get any better than that. |
Peter Loughran V.I.P. Ontario, Canada 2683 Posts |
The worst for me was when I was perfroming the flaming head chest when I was 14yrs old, about 13 years ago....I set the stage on fire at a public school...the funny thing is that the curtains were supposed to be flame retardent. NOT! However it was priceless to see the kid with the chest on his head freakin out while flames surrounded him after the urn containing the burnning lighter fluid was knocked over on the stage!
Brand New: - SNAKE BITE ILLUSION
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Michael Peterson Inner circle is where I'm trapped, because of my 4071 Posts |
I don't feel so bad now |
Burt Yaroch Inner circle Dallas,TX 1097 Posts |
One of Reed's posts reminded me of this.
This past Xmas all were gathered around the tree and I did Mr Clean Coins Across. Beautiful effect. Everyone had their jaws hanging. Everyone except my brothers 19 month old son (who was sitting on the floor to my right). He got up and walked over to me, seeming to be curious as to what all the fuss was about. He took one of the halfs from my hand, looked at it. Stuck it between his first and second fingers, more sticking out the back than the front (see where this is going?), walked over to his dad, held his little mitt up to dad's face, and began to rapidly turn his hand over and back. Needless to say I was totally busted, by a toddler no less. It was more funny than embarrassing and when he saw that he got a better reaction than I did he, of course, did it the rest of the week. So the ONE effect I had put months of intensive practice into was now completely shot. He busted me on the D'Lites too (nobody else saw just him). So I took him in the other room and showed him how to snort them up his nose (still on my thumb) which everyone loved. Upstaged again by a potty-trainer. So it is a best/worst all wrapped into one. At least my nephew is into magic now. He promised not to reveal the secrets, at least until he can talk.
Yakworld.
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magicmondo New user Dallas, TX (English by birth) 28 Posts |
Aged 16 I was performing a show for the kids where my dad worked. I had watched the magicians that they hired with awe in previous years at the show myself. My dad persuaded his company to hire me (for free) and I did the show.
It was pretty abysmal, i basically did a few tricks and the audience watched. The highlight of my show was the finger chopper. I liked this trick and the concept of "age appropriate" had not yet entered my young head. So I picked an 8 year old girl and had her join me on the small stage. I demonstrated the finger chopper and her face dropped in horror. I then asked that she placed her own finger in the hole. The rest of this happened in slow motion! I grabbed her hand, trying to force her finger in, she resisting. But I was not going to let an 8 years old (half my age for goodness sake) ruin a great trick. Eventually her finger was in and as I was about to plunge, her mother came screaming up into the stage and whipped her away. Recovery? Well I don’t think recovery was possible. But I did learn a little lesson. Now I only chop 8 year old fingers off when their mothers aren’t looking. Kidding…. The best. A few weeks back I was doing a scout group performance. They had supplied a mike and a stand which was temperamental to say the least. Every time I walked to the mike, the stand drooped. It almost looked like magic. I suggested to the audience that I needed “a couple more hands” meaning that I needed to hold the mike stand as well as do the magic. 35 boys simultaneously ran onto the stage thinking that I had called for a volunteer. The parents were howling with laughter, and so was I.
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David Fogel New user Minneapolis, Minnesota 87 Posts |
Back in my late teens, I was asked to perform as the final act in a talent show. The show was televised (on cable). I performed my first trick, the invisible deck, but I had placed the cards into the case the wrong way. Incredibly, the spectator named the very card that was on the face of the deck when I pulled the cards out! Then I went to perform my next trick and realized that my stand had been emptied out. There I was with nothing to do -- with cameras rolling!!
I wish I could tell you that I had some clever dodge, and that it all turned out all right. But I can't, and it didn't. I didn't even ask them for payment after the show! But 2 weeks later, they actually sent me the money. Ugh!! Somehow, this made it even worse!
davidfogel@attbi.com
"I'm not a praying man, but if you're up there, Please save me Superman!" Homer J. Simpson |
Dr. JK Inner circle Sandusky, OH 1191 Posts |
I think this topic is also about your "best" performance, so I'll share that with you since I don't really have a "worst" performance (not yet, anyway).
I was playing around with my brothers (a year or so ago) trying to practice some of my magic on them. We just got a pair of handcuffs recently, and there were only 2 keys....well, 3 if you count the one I had before we ever got the handcuffs. I slipped this extra key into my TT while they searched my pockets and mouth, then went into a closed closet, and emerged a few seconds later, free of the handcuffs. This BLEW THEM AWAY, and to this day they still talk about it! That had to be one of the greatest moments in my magic history! For all of you who were brave enough to post about your mistakes, I admire you! I'm glad that nothing that drastic has ever happened to me....hopefully we can learn from each other's mistakes. |
Dr. JK Inner circle Sandusky, OH 1191 Posts |
I think this topic is also about your "best" performance, so I'll share that with you since I don't really have a "worst" performance (not yet, anyway).
I was playing around with my brothers (a year or so ago) trying to practice some of my magic on them. We just got a pair of handcuffs recently, and there were only 2 keys....well, 3 if you count the one I had before we ever got the handcuffs. I slipped this extra key into my TT while they searched my pockets and mouth, then went into a closed closet, and emerged a few seconds later, free of the handcuffs. This BLEW THEM AWAY, and to this day they still talk about it! That had to be one of the greatest moments in my magic history! For all of you who were brave enough to post about your mistakes, I admire you! I'm glad that nothing that drastic has ever happened to me....hopefully we can learn from each other's mistakes. |
Matt Graves Special user Huntsville, Alabama (USA) 504 Posts |
The worst thing that ever happened to me in a performance was when I was doing a funny little trick where I push a coin in my nose, out my mouth, in my ear, out my eye, and so on . . . for some reason when I tried to do it for the girl I had a huge crush on in 7th grade, I just froze in the middle of it with my hand over my nose . . . she just sarcastically said, "Oh WOW." and turned away . . .
The best was that same year - I was in the Beta Club, and we were on our way to the convention, and we stopped to eat at Wendy's, and I had come prepared with a deck of cards and a pocketful of change . . . I only did a few tricks, but by the time we got back on the bus, everyone stood up and was clapping and cheering for me - even the bus driver! Gee, I must have been good back then! |
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