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AlexWong Veteran user 371 Posts |
This happened to me a few time, and I was just wondering how you would react if you met the same situation.
You do a coin production for a friend, now, being your friend, he/she gleefully takes the produced coin away, and checks your both hands, and challenges you to produce another coin. How would you react in this situation? |
MrCyNic Loyal user England 238 Posts |
Ouch - tricky one...
Did you produce the coin as a single effect, or were you about to go into a routine with it? Having an excitable spectator deflect the flow of a routine can be painful if you don't have an "out" prepared. I remember a great discussion about motivation for coin effects a while back, where one of the Deep Thinkers of the coin crew (possibly Curtis or Jonathan) suggested the fantastic idea of a Universal Continuum of Coin Magicians. If I remember this correctly, the magician would explain that for a coin to appear, it must logically disappear from somewhere else (seems reasonable). Therefore, it stands to reason that the place it disappears from must be another coin magician's act. These exchanges between magicians explain not only vanishes and productions, but also how coins can seem to change nationalities ("I've swapped this one with an American / British / Chinese magician"). In the situation you describe, I might suggest using this kind of idea to explain that, if you want to produce another coin, you have to offer something in return (can't get too greedy or you'll leave the other guy with nothing to work with). That way you can then justify either taking the recently produced coin back from the spectator or making a dive for the pockets (your own or the spectator's, if you want to use a borrowed coin for the next trick) to pick up something to trade with the other guy. Using a presentational hook like this, the issue could be deflected, the spectator would have an amusing new idea to contemplate and you'd have re-established navigational control over your routine. I only wish I'd thought of this myself... Cheers, Cy. |
Rob Elliott Elite user Reston VA 487 Posts |
Hi, guys. I'm a new member on this site although I've been trolling here for many moons.
Cy, I love your suggestion, regardless of whose idea it was. By providing a logical and reasonable explanation, founded in reality, it makes the possibility that magic actually exists more credible. I was just going to suggest something simple like having that extra coin stashed somewhere like a holder or in the elbow. |
Larry Davidson Inner circle Boynton Beach, FL 5270 Posts |
The best ad libs are those you've prepared.
Having an exta coin stashed in a holder, or other classic places to hide coins, etc., would do the trick as Rob Elliott suggests. Personally, I wouldn't sucuumb to the request because I don't think it's a good idea to let your audience manage you, but the above would work. Alternatively, tell him you'll produce another coin if he produces his wallet. |
Dan Watkins Inner circle PA 3028 Posts |
This reminds me of something that happened to me last month at a hospitality suite:
I was just jazzing with one coin for a slightly intoxicated spectator. I had a coin in my left hand, and suddenly she grabbed my wrists, and said, "Okay - now make that coin travel from your left hand to your right hand!" So I said to her... "Let me get this straight, while you are holding my wrists you want me to make the coin travel from here " (I pointed my finger and and stole the coin from my left fist), "and travel to this hand." She confirmed: "Yes." So I said, "Okay - you're holding tightly right? Here goes..." I showed that it traveled across. And then I immediately put the coins away - when the spectator does something like that to you, its time to pack up and move on. |
Curtis Kam V.I.P. same as you, plus 3 and enough to make 3498 Posts |
Dan,
Bravo. Magicians 1, Drunks 0 Two good points there: First, when challanged, never stop. Keep on going. Audiences can smell fear. Second, now you have the answer when (as periodically happens here at the Café) someones asks "Why do I need to know more than one way to vanish a coin?" Cy, I think that particular "Deep Thought" was Jonathans. But thanks for including me in the club. While I, too, found the "conservation" theory both amusing and fruitful, (as in "does the uncertainty principle apply?" and "suppose we mess with the other guy and write a message on this coin...") I also believe that this is unlikely to be a successful approach to the situation described. Remember, the spectator has stopped the play, stepped onto the stage, and challanged the actors to complete the scene with him in the way. I don't think we're going to get anywhere by appealing to his imagination. Okay, sometimes they're redeemable. And if you think that, with a little nudge to the imagination, this particular sheep will get back with the flock, all right. But in my experience, once they both 1) challange you, and 2) take your props away, it's time to take another approach. I say, first of all, let them know that this is not the way you thought this magician/spectator relationship was going to work out. Let him know that if the two of you proceed along this path, it will ulitmately be unfulfilling, and you will end up hating eachother. Wait a minute, what was I talking about.... Oh yeah. Drop all this into an attitude, and a line: "with friends like this, who needs enemas?" Or something like that. Next, take a hint from "customer service": Never admit that you can't do what he wants, say you will, but do something else. i.e. "Make another coin appear now!" Nyuck Nyuck. "Geez, everyone wants to direct. You want another coin. There I was, about to make that coin float around the room and turn into a live donkey, but no, you want to see the appearing coin again." Here you go into a sequence designed to get the coin back into your hands: "The second one comes out of the first one. I just break off a little piece from the side...well it worked for Adam and Eve..." or "Here, wave the coin over my hand. A little higher. Count to three. No, like this (take the coin)" and "Better yet, I'll make it appear in your hand. Here, close this hand" (take the coin to free up the hand) You get the idea. Note the "count to three" business is very useful. If you can gradually give him simple things to do, slowly, he'll become invested in the success of the effect. When he's more interested in seeing the effect's resolution than in not being fooled along the way, you've just cured a heckler. Afterward, you may pat yourself on the back for at least having done the production well enough to challange his perception of reality. Clearly, no one gets this riled up over something they understand. But before you get a big head, also realize that you probably did something wrong that invited this response. What did you do wrong? This is discussed all over the forum. Do a search.
Is THAT a PALMS OF STEEL 5 Banner I see? YARRRRGH! Please visit The Magic Bakery
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Rob Johnston Inner circle Utah 2060 Posts |
I have this problem all the time, and so I always have another coin ready to produce...various methods...but the coin holder is an excellent suggestion.
"Genius is another word for magic, and the whole point of magic is that it is inexplicable." - Margot Fonteyn
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MrCyNic Loyal user England 238 Posts |
Good points, Curtis. Thanks!
You're right: I was approaching the problem from the basis that this was a fairly gentle ribbing from a "redeemable" friend, rather than an assault from a full-on heckler. Your ideas on re-establishing the boundaries of the performer / spectator relationship and "reinvesting" the spectator back into the routine by stages sound like game-winners, and I'll definitely be trying to employ them myself. Cheers, Cy. |
doug brewer V.I.P. 1142 Posts |
My favorite line right in the middle of a card routine:
Spectator - "Hey, can I shuffle the cards now?" Me - "Sure, as soon as I'm done with this trick." They laugh their arse off and I continue with the effect. However, I once had a very drunk owner of an establishment say this right after I had two cards selected and returned. I had to quickly palm them off and hold out for about 5 minutes while he attempted to shuffle and shuffle and shuffle . . . I'm adjusting my tie, looking at my watch, trying to act "natural" during all this. Finally I get the very bent cards back and start some fancy cutting sequences, etc. etc. Morale of Story: Sometimes the smart-aleck responses work. Sometimes you gotta play the game and meet the challenge. |
AlexWong Veteran user 371 Posts |
Thanks for the responses! I see some gems in the replies given.
MrCyNic, I usually am going to do some other short effects with the produced coin, like coin through hand or something. I sometimes try to proceed on with the next effect meeting up with "I don't want! I want to see you produce another coin!" ah... geez.... The coin holder is a brillant idea, I did think of it too, kinda hard to work out of the spectator grabs my hands and demand that I produce it. And don't I need a coat to use a coin dropper? Another response could be like Curtis said, in fact, I think its brillant, never say I can't do something when challenged. Put that together with what Dan says about moving on. I could just pretend I need to multiply the coins to produce another one, and make the current one vanish. Then move on to something else. Curtis, I love the "...and turn into a live donkey, but no...". With the right note, and other spectators around, it is a great tension reliever! |
Curtis Kam V.I.P. same as you, plus 3 and enough to make 3498 Posts |
Yeah, but watch out for the "Now do the Donkey Trick! The Donkey Trick!" comeback.
peace.
Is THAT a PALMS OF STEEL 5 Banner I see? YARRRRGH! Please visit The Magic Bakery
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oldmanxxvi New user North Carolina 61 Posts |
These are some great ideas, but it is a shame that we need to be prepared for this sort of thing. Why can't people just enjoy the show? I have found that friends, family, and drunks (especially drunk friends or family) are always the problem. I have never had a problem out of strangers (well, the sober ones anyway).
Josh |
kerpa Special user Michael Miller 594 Posts |
I think asking you to produce is another coin is the same type of request as "show me how that trick works." (for which there is an extensive discussion somewhere here in the Café).
So, I would suggest proposing using one of my favorite replies from that discussion - "thanks for the compliment; here, let me show you another mystery..." kerpa a/k/a Mike Miller Chicago area
Michael Miller
(Michael Merlin: original family --and stage-- name) |
GSmithson Regular user 101 Posts |
Builidng a story though interesting patter can help -- even with unruly teenaged audience members -- as the trick becomes less of a challenge to them and more of an entertaining diversion.
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Martin Reinertz Regular user 125 Posts |
Just a very practical idea:
Can you start out the first production with ANOTHER coin already sleeved? ;-) |
AlexWong Veteran user 371 Posts |
I suppose I could do some sleeving.... if I had sleeves....
Interesting Patter should work. I was thinking recently, perhaps one way could be to position the spectator at a distance so that he will not be able to grab at anything. Meanwhile, to quickly move on with the next step of the routine. Do you think the positioning of the spectator is an important thing? |
owen.daniel Inner circle England 1048 Posts |
Dan,
Like the idea, I often think that it takes a pressurized situation, such as the one you where in, to bring out the imagination. So, maybe you won't be able to deal with their request at the time, but it gives us a chance to see what the spectators want, then you can learn how to do the trick, and use it at times when someone demands to see that specific effect, thus being prepared! Owen |
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