Kevvy said it better than me, Clinton. So, I'll leave it at that.

Anyway, you made a mess of what I meant about context (or I did). Plus, I was honestly speaking about other performers I know well enough, ok?

I did not speak about myself because I probably am JUST a "average good" performer and, because, I don't claim I use tricks, rather I claim the opposite! Nothing I could explain in short (nor I would) and, probably nothing you could / would understand anyway...

There are lots of great suggestions here. I think the next time it happens, I'll be much better prepared to deal with it. I suppose that some people just NEED to feel like they're superior to the person performing. But now I have a better idea of how to deal with them.

Or I could just whack them with a baseball bat, but somehow I don't think that would endear me to the audience

JohnLamberti I could be wrong but from what I have read I think,im MY opinion, that the error is from your part....I hope I'm wrong

Actually, Lord Of The Horses, your point about singers is a valid one.

If you were to heckle a band at a nightclub, the bouncer would ask you to either cease with the rude behavior or leave. If you are lucky, he would ask you politely.

A lot of people view mentalists and magicians as a challenge. I found this to be disappointing when I started because I never looked at it that way. Even as a kid, I would always look at magicians with awe and respect. (I didn't know waht a mentalist was back then. lol)

I inform people that I don't have any special powers and that they should simply enjoy the show. It is only entertainment.

Sometimes I use a line I learned while doing the comedy clubs... turn to the heckler and say, "I bet you're the type that goes to the ballet and tries to trip the dancers."

Greg

Clinton Wayne you are the antichrist of mentalism

Bill,
To me, mentalism is the *simulation* of paranormal phenomena, whether it is packaged up as "psychic powers" or "NLP and body language" or whatever.

Gary Kurtz, Bob Cassidy, Craig Karges, Marc Salem etc do not perform as magicians.
Neither do I in a standup situation.

To me "questioning a procedure" is different from being a nuisance.
I don't have the slightest problem with people questioning a procedure, I do with nuisances and bad behaviour, people who cause problems for me and also for other people who are enjoying the show.

The thing is, if you are working for substantial money gigs, you cannot afford to look bad. And you look bad in situations like that. Each performance needs to generate leads. I agree with Cassidy when he wrote that he doesn't tolerate bad behaviour from an audience member.

My advice to leave was based on a closeup show which I think the first post was referring to, but in standup I wouldn't be able to do that because of different dynamics, so I would deal with it differently.

Although your approach of speaking to the guy privately is commendable, I wouldn't do that myself because in my view it would bring me down to his level i.e. a hobbyist (and that's being generous!).

It comes down to what gigs you perform and the persona you portray, I guess.

My 2 cents.
Cheers.
Tom

First of all I want to say that so far I have been vey impressed with the discusions on what I have picked to be my new life and career, everyone to this point has shown me patience, kinness and wisdom that only comes from years of performing and I thank you all as admitteldly I am new to this but not to magic as art. I think that lots of people read things but I have been on stages a lot morre than most people do in a life. I know it's OK to disagree and this is what a website like this is for but today my heart is heavy.

Spaghetti I don't know you so don't know if this is your attempts at humor. Firstly I am a religious man and secondly I am passionate about our art. I am extra sensitiive today for my own personal and financial reasons, I have taken yoiur post as a personal attack on me and at a time when I really don't need to feel unsupported. I would like to think that my ideas and opiions are as valid as yours or other people in this group. I have paid my dues and I didn't even know waht a swami was before reading the post, now I know what a nail writer is but I didn't say I would be giving it away, I was just using an example of my own show from the past to help a friend deal with lack of experience in the field of hecklers. I apologize if you were writing humor but what you wrote made me feel terrible on both religioius and personal levels.

Kevv by keeping it fun and light yourself that s what you are telling the heckler. lead by example and you will be surprised, that was my point.

I did not mean to step on any toes and hope that and hope I am not alone here by feling attacked by this post. I am not going to let it wreck my day and look forward to sharing all kinds of information with the rest of you guys !

Crowd control, crowd control, crowd control.

My popular thing to do is whenever anyone questions a method, no matter if they are right or wrong, is to give a guilty smirk. Are they right? Are they wrong? Maybe. Maybe not. Soon the people who watch me will figure out that I give that response REGARDLESS of validity

The point is, just go. Do your thing. NEVER expose, though. NOT even if they guess. THIS will make you more enemies in magic/mentalism than you can imagine. Let them wonder if they're right or wrong. Work on your poker faces so when someone says something you can just disarm them by your indifference.

Finally, don't get worked up over Spaghetti, or anyone else here. Just relax and flow.

Sorry I omitted this

However I think very different from you and I'm sure that this isn't a problem for you or for me....

I have never done a personal attack to anyone on this forum ( Or at least I don't remenber it )...

First of all spaghetti thank you for your sincere apology. When you say we think very different, I feel lke you don't know me and when I have felt that way abuot someone in the past I am always surprised when I get to know them how much we do have in comon and have acutaully become incredible friends for years !

I am not upset at all anymore you are probably a great guy and I like how you spell your name, it's different. I guess some of my thinking is diferent too ! I get the feeling everyone in the Café club is a little different and that's why we all come here. Probably there is more in common than we could dream. My favorite color is green ? Like cats more than dogs? Just guessing. How long have you been doing magic ? and also I would love tohear some of your thinking and magic mental routines, even though some things are in common the tricks you do may be in fact very different and I am interested in your presentations and patter!

No hard feelings and I look forward to talking shop with you soon. Thanks for the sorries!

Hehehe....

However if we want look for similarities I think that the good point in your approch is that you want stay at same same level of the spectator...letting them see that you not feel superior that you want only have fun with them getting them at easy...

Well that's kind of rapport with audience I think is gold BUT I think that there is no motivation to reveal secrets and to put down your beliavibility in order to to that....

I'm only a beginner with very few experiences......

I have sent you a private message regarding hehehe and some other frases used, I am sure we can resolve our differences, with som respect and no sarcasm.

Clinton

Out of curiosity, where are you from? Is English your native language?
I don't mean any disrespect at all, I sense from your posts that you misinterpret some of what is being said (er, typed).
I think I have to side with the others and agree that you should never reveal how an effect is done. People don't go to a show to learn secrets, they go to be entertained.

I understood that. Setting a fun and light vibe is what you should be doing from the beginning of a perfomance anyway. But by exposing secrets, you are not "leading by example". On the contrary, the heckler is leading YOU. You have officially surrendered to the the heckler.

Being passive like that isn't always effective. It usually tells the heckler that you accept the rude behavior. In some cases, this will give the heckler enough incentive to step it up a notch and grab for your props.

I don't know where you draw the line, but I will not tolerate anyone trying to make a mockery of my performance.

Your responses to SpAgHeTtI is a perfect example of how I repond to hecklers. I'm not saying that SpAgHeTtI heckled you, but his comments obviously struck you in an area that you feel passionate about.

I am not being sarcastic. In fact, I commend you for standing your ground.

I have used two options in this type of situation, one occasion I simply stopped and said "Have a great night, sorry for those who wanted to watch." on another occasion I asked the man to stand up and then sat in his seat handing him a deck of cards I said "Please show us your fine work." Another occasion I said "Now I wouldn't come into McDonalds and interupt your burger making so why don't you just let me show these people some of my work."

DT13

ThomasBerger wrote:

I do understand what you're saying. A professional paid performer is not in the same situation as johnlamberti. You can't just take audience members aside. Well, you can, but it's not really practical with someone you don't know.

I perform with other magicians for free, and I've been lucky so far. The worst I've had to deal with was someone in a nursing home who was grouchy. I've internalized the advice Bill Palmer gives here in case I ever need to deal with a heckler. The idea is to turn the crowd against them. That's something that's probably easier to do at a show people have paid to see.

The last time I handed the deck to a smart alec who heckled me and 'told him to do better' he ended up dazzling me with moves that would make Pete Duffie sit up. It was the most demoralising thing I'd ever experienced.

Thanks for your support Kevvy there are no hard feelings between spaghetti and me, just a laugh or two and different ideas, its refreshing now that I look at it differentely. There are clearyly so many great ways to deal with hecklers as all have shared, each person has to fin thier best way to do it that fits thier personality I don't think theres a right or wrong one just do what your heart says and like Nike just do it, over and over until it is great. Sounds like someone gave you a gift with that performance Don....did yoiu let him take the bow ? that's the spirit !LOL LOL

In many years I have used an aggresive approach twice while doing palm readings. Once a woman was enjoying herself ridiculing palm readings (the only time that has happened) and in front of her friends sarcastically asked me, "Will I die young"? I looked at her and said, "Obviously not".

Another time an exceptional jerk (male) demanded, "Read my future and I want specifics". I told him at the age of 33 he would become impotent for life. He went white, his friends got really quiet and I walked away.

Those are the only two times since 1965 that approach was called for, though you would have had to have been there to understand. There is another, very effective approach.

Look at the person and say, "You know, you could do what I am doing and do it very well...have your friends ask you to do something later". The compliment, followed by future pacing, has shut them up every time as they begin to wonder what they will do when their friends ask later that night.