He is wrong headed and lost many friends. in college in the early 70's I used classics and they were very strong. today the internet has all secrets. google coin in bottle. google cigarette though coin, google anything. we need to put all of penn and tellers secrets on the internet, in detail, step by step, level the playing field. why can they expose ?

Let me clarify before a storm erupts. of course you expose when you are trying to sell magic. that can be for money. or expose for a laugh. so there it is. and the public will not remember this masked guy or what penn and teller have exposed. at that moment, when performing, you do a signed card to a wallet and maybe to a sealed envelope if so inclined and you have created wonder. I do not perform much did have occasion last week to stroll at a nice private event and did KAP's wallet. people like it. my palm and handling are strong. then a double crimp thing with the signed card. wow, magic. at a given moment, make a coin disappear properly. you have done a little magic. the fake transfer is the best thing I do. you lift 3 cups and there is fruit, wow, how did that happen. I thoroughly enjoyed the little wonder I gave that party last week. wonderful. magic is safe. people are easy to fool. and I do support teller and his creative work on the rose, as he is a connoisseur, and I would not take from him or anyone really. thankfully I have my own stuff.

The masked magician hurt more than just the magicians.

The people who we perform to come to see an illusion, they want to see magic. People ask us to do tricks, cause they want to be fooled. They want to believe in magic. When the impossible is performed, it creates a tension in the person being tricked, and it's a good feeling, a feeling of adrenalin and amazement. Sure, immediately, they want to know how we did it, because they want some of that power. But after that, they appreciate that they don't know the secret. After awhile, they remember that they had a good time, and they remember that you showed them something miraculous.

I know someone who has watched just a couple of episodes of the Masked Magician. She said that after she saw the secrets, it "killed" the whole trick. When the secret was revealed, she groaned and literally said "oh, that's stupid".

Of course, there are many different types of spectators. I haven't performed to many people, but I do have friends and family who each have a different perspective of magic. The masked magician 'outed' magic to the whole public. I wish the secrets would only be revealed to those people who are serious about putting the amount of time to perform them. People who like seeing magic, don't want to know the secret! They want to be fooled and entertained. They want to believe in magic.

When was the Zig Zag ever a good trick? As a seven year old in the early seventies it didn't fool me.

I remember watching these specials on tv back then. As to if they hurt any magicians or not, that is not for me to say or judge, so I won't. I do remember reding a statement made by a magician years ago, and I am paraphrazing here, as it went something like this... "Anyone can become a magician, that is not the hard part. But only a person whom loves their craft, respects their audience, and gives back more then they ever received can become a great entertainer, now that is where the reak magic is at!".

I can remember seeing the cup and balls trick performed, it was done by a well respected name in magic so I will not say whom I seen do this, but I will tell you it was quite boring to me to watch. But then, I saw Penn and Teller perform the cup and balls, not only did they perform it, they showed how it was done, they used clear cups and tin-foil balls, and all I can say is that they WERE MARVELOUS, EXTREMELY CAPTIVATING, ABSOLUTELY SUPERB and EXTREMELY ENTERTAINING and they REVEALED the secret. The point is, while I seen this trick done by one respected magician and whom did not reveal how it was done, it was extremely dull and boring. But I also seen the exact same trick performed by Penn and Teller, two more respected magicins, while they did reveal it, it NEVER EVER distracted from the pure showmanship, enjoyment, amazement, wander, and fun of the trick, they had it all and gave all and the fans received and enjoyed it all. Even if Penn and Teller had not revealed the secret, it still would have been just as awesome and fun, no matter what, but they did.

So for magicians whom say they got hurt because of Valentino revealing these secrets, and please take this with all due respect as I mean no disrespect by it... MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, it is NOT because of Valentino and others like him who have revealed these tricks that you have suffered, but it might be just because you are a very poor showman and your act and/or reputation with others is that you are extremely dull and boring and you need to change completely. As I said before, I don't mean it with any disrespect at all, and I do fully respect you, I am just saying!? Another quote I read from a very famous magician (I believe it was Harry Houdini), and I am paraphrazing again here, goes something like this.... "Don't over estinate your abilities and skills to entertain an audience and never insult their intellegence but play to their hopes and fears and desires.". I just fealt that both of these quotes were and are still very powerfull and very thought provoking, and my own enjoyment of watching a true performer comes from thier own showmanship and not in their secrets.

One serious problem and contradiction with masked magician: His claim was that the motive was to encourage new thinking and the development of new ideas. But why would anyone want to spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars developing new ideas, only to have them exposed by the masked magician. It is not just classics that have been exposed but also new and creative ideas have been exposed by the masked magician as well. Though that could have been a different magician in the role. If nothing else he discourages the development of new magic.

....and somehow, and despite YouTube, magic survives.

Ask Charlie Justice how he feels about Val exposing "Prohibition". Ask him if he feels it has cost him.

Doug

Really? He DID expose that? I have yet to see one of those shows, so I wouldn't know, but that is BEYOND lousy.

The special tool used in that effect is used for probably several hundred effects. Like many of you, I came up with my own many years ago. Exposure of Charlie's trick can be pretty far-reaching because of that.

While I realize that memories are short, audiences aren't as dumb as we may like to think they are. Clearly, they aren't as dumb as we want to give them credit for. An item like the one used in "Prohibition" is the kind of thing that people may remember and watch for. Like the TT. People can see that both of those, like all utility devices, have multiple uses.

Exposing a utility device can't possibly fit into the concept of getting rid of old stuff to create new stuff. Loads of new effects can be created every day using such items. Not that anyone ever bought the premise of "encouraging new thinking." But, just in case someone did, this particular exposure should put that to rest.

Isn't that Becker guy behind the exposure shows? Jeez, I wish he would find his way back home under that rock.

-MJ

Yeah, MJ. And what burns me to the bone is the exposure of Coin Thru Glass Table. Another use for that utility. I'm not as mad at Val as I am Bruce Nash. He is the evil behind this.

Doug

If your act lives or dies by the exposure of a secret, well, that is a pretty thin straw to hang your act on in this day and age. Am I any less amazed watching a good cups and balls because I know how it is done? Am I any less amazed by an amazing closeup act just because I know most of the secrets? Of course not. Makes me enjoy it even more because I recognize the skill involved and I can get lost in the presentation. I've never been much of a fan of big stage illusions, so I'm sure that is part of my lack of concern.

I see your point, Hudson, and you're right...pretty thin straw. I'm not a pro. I rarely perform any more. So when I do, and YouTube/Google rears its ugly head, my act takes a nosedive. I really don't have an "act", per se. And I don't appreciate the few things I do well, exposed! I guess I'm overly sensitive. I'll admit that. I'm Old School. I earned my wings. I was a pro/semi pro for almost 2 years.

So, I no longer do Prohibition. I no longer use The Dye Tube. Forget the Zombie. I don't buy the latest Magic trick. I haven't bought anything new since Don's Magic Shop so many years ago. I don't need to. What I have will last me my lifetime. It's a shame those classics have to be retired for a while. People do forget.

Doug

You guys don't get it do you?? Well it sounds like HudsonView does, but the rest of you don't. You keep looking at everything from the MAGICIAN's POINT OF VIEW and not THE FAN/AUDIENCE and THAT IS WHY your shows are dclining in numbers NOT because your secrets were revealed.

In all honesty, if Harry Houdini was still alive today and in good health, I believe he could expose every effect and illusion he would do and STILL PACK the major arenas COMPLETELY 100$ FULL for EVERY APPEARANCE, NOT because of his past successes or he because he revealed the secrets, but because HE WAS A TRUE SHOWMAN! And in today's modern age, I HONESTLY beleive Houdini would do just that, JUST TO PROVE he IS/WAS the greatest SHOWMAN OF ALL TIME. Houdini knew how to ENTERTAIN and that is something ALL MOST ALL MAGICIANS have forgot about. For you all it is all about keeping the secret for a TRUE SHOWMAN it is all about the audience and pleasing them.

Yeah. I'd go along with that. Welcome to the Café, DC!

Doug

Not only is Val a ****** monkey, his narrator is an ass as well. He always sounds so smug and smarmy, acting like we are nothing but fakes and frauds out there to take advantage of people.
I mean, even not knowing how an illusion was done, and puzzling as to how we do it, magic entertain. We know that and our audiences know that.
And no person walks away from a show thinking we have powers. They know deep down it was a trick, and they were surprised, awe struck and most important entertained.
I can not say enough about what a hose he is.

Mitch Pileggi. Known from The X Files. Bruce hired him too. Could-a been anyone...

Doug

X Files Stars Mitch Pileggi and William B. Davis chat with Paul Draper about "The Masked Magician", "Skepticism", "Moon Landing Denial", "The Magic Castle" and more in front of an audience of 5,000 fans at Salt Lake Comic Con FanX. Watch him squirm.

https://youtu.be/4yekwfE-SHU

Maybe it's just me, but I have always thought the masked magician (not worth capitalizing) looks like, and has the demeanor of, a complete idiot. No one knows who he is. No one cares what he looks like. Wears an absolutely stupid looking mask -- and I mean stupid. It's comical, even clownish. The manner in which he performs is just awful, downright embarrassing. No personality, no drama, no theater, no comedy, no human interaction, no tension -- just a clinical exposure of someone else's magic with a silly monotonous voiceover. He offers nothing original other than the format itself. Anyone who watches him may be fascinated with the methods and the deception, but rest assured that no one gives a rat's a-- about him personally because there is nothing to like about him. He doesn't connect on an emotional level and he's a snitch. What's there to like about that?

Does he upset me? No. I am indifferent about this guy. Let him do what he wants. I am just saddened that his "business model" is to spoil the fun for those who enjoy and are fascinated by magic, and to do so while babbling out some platitude BS regarding "encouraging" magicians to come up with something new. That is complete rubbish. Magicians have been deploying old principles decked out in new dress for centuries.

I have some news for this masked simpleton. The real magic is the performer and that is something he cannot ever tip or give away due to his obvious deficiencies as a performer. All he can do is to disclose the props and the secrets that others use. But those props and secrets don't really matter. Tell someone how the linking rings are done and have them watch a master of the effect and they will be blown away by the magic of something memorable. But this simpleton doesn't get that. He doesn't understand what every accomplished magician knows -- that it's the performer who makes the magic, not the secrets or props he or she uses. Show a layman how card men palm a card and they will never catch a master of the sleight who knows misdirection. By the time they start looking for the sleight, it will have already been done. As for the masked clown, nothing is memorable about what he does. Zero. He is as entertaining as watching open heart surgery.