Hi,

I want to post what tricks people remember when they are talking to you.

I know it is very annoying to perform a magic trick, and then they say, "I once saw this guy do this trick with a card where it ended up on the ceiling."

but I am going through and adding such pieces to my repertoire.

I've often heard this type of comment about:

Ring Flight
Card to Ceiling
Making sunglasses float
Card to sealed envelope
Nail bend
Making a duck appear (repeatedly)
Cut and restored tie
torn and restored newspaper

I've heard card on ceiling quite often and ring flight occasionally.

Bill change (TT)
Silk to Egg
Walk-Around Silk to Egg
Any Rope Routine
D'Lites
Dye Tube Tricks

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

You can't forget
Impromtu T&R card
Money magic

Most of the comments I have heard about magicians doing ring flight have been negative. I have heard of so many magicians whose apparatus broke in mid-flight and they either lost or damaged the ring, that I am embarrassed for our profession.

The card on the ceiling is, indeed memorable, but don't do it in someone's home, unless you are prepared for the consequences.

Sometimes people remember magicians because of the bad they have done, and not the good.

Tom, find what fits you and not what fits someone else. Then you will be the guy that they talk about.

Most definitely Card through Window. First of all they think "David Blaine", and its really a brilliant visual effect. Just my thoughts. - Bill

If you do the presentation that Bob Hummer used -- which was the original one, by the way, it will amaze them far more than what David Blaine did.

Card Through Window
Levitation

I get both of those repeadedly.

Extreme Burn is the one that gets that reaction for me. Its the trick I'm asked often to repeat.

But what trick do people ask you to do that they saw someone else do?

Levitation seems to be the one I get asked about most often, mostly due to the Angel Levitations on the boob tube I am guessing.

Wow
This just happened in December. I was doing strolling at a Christmas party at a well-to-do home and the client asked me if I knew how to do what she saw at her friends home. A guy make their card stick to the ceiling and it was still there.
I thought we were just chatting and when I said I know how he did it, she thought I meant that I was GOING TO DO IT> I felt bad that I had to quickly tell her it was not possible tonight and I did mention it may leave some damage on her ceiling. I tought that would make sense to her but she said "Oh that would look great in your billards room I do not mind..."

At that momement I had wished I had learned that one. I know two methods, neither I was prepared to do nor in practice to do.

I have had this question over the years from kids as well. They break into " A magician came to my schoo,made a bunny appear and made my friend float... can you do that?"
While I CAN those questions usually come up when I can't do it."

I hate that type of question since sometimes what I am doing is not as dramatic as say a levitation.

I am really not sure what they say about ME to other people since I am not in the room when they would say such things.

Usually I hear "I saw this Magician do" from kid but sometimes the adults get in on the what I used to think was the verbal abuse wagon. I took what they were saying as a personal barb against me. It took me a while to realize that these people saw something that they thought was pretty cool and of course over time made it an even bigger trick than when they originally saw it. What I say now to these guys is, "that is a great trick and it sounds like you saw a pretty good magician, I hope after my performance you'll remember me too." That usually tones them down and they get interested in what I'm about to do.
Good Luck,

I was one of a few magicians doing "walk around magic" at a charitable event and I asked a woman to lend me her ring.

"Oh sure here. The magician before you just made it appear on his key chain."

"Really?" I said. "Well, the heck with that trick then!" And I threw the "ring" against the wall - or so it appeared -as I did Joe Monte's effect.

And then, before the woman could scream for the cops I reached into my pocket and brought out her ring which I returned to her with a smile - and got a smile back from her.

Guy I used to work with, name of Bob Jones, always got the best of me whenever I did an effect he without fail would relate the same old tired anecdote, in glowing terms, about some guy he once knew who walked in his house with an empty paper sack, and pulled some groceries out of it.

No matter what I did, in his mind, I could never top that trick.

I think to best way is to perform only 1 magic trick with some visual effect.

A good one will be to take out bills from your fire wallet and then go to your extreme burn routine.

This works pretty well for me... I hope it does for you guys too.

People remember the strangest things. A lot of times it's not your most powerful piece that they remember, but one in which you gave away a souvenir. Even though I've long since retired it from my act, I still have people tell me that they kept a Paper Hat Tear I made for them many years ago. Likewise with bending their signed, borrowed coin...

Why do you do anything that is NOT powerful? Even the paper hat tear can be made to be a powerful trick if you think about how to routine it well.