AGT......Lessions???

[fredreisz]

I admit to being a bit perplexed by what has emerged on AGT.I was at a neighborhood party tonight and constantly asked, since I am known as a "magician." "Well, Fred. what do you think?" Let me say up front that I admire the showbiz "sense" of the surviving magicians. We all know the fate of our "big" illusionists on this show. We know that there is "behind the scenes" manipulations by the producers. There is money and help changing hands. However this season we have magicians all over the top 12! What!

Essentially, the survivors are close-up magicians. Even the semi-mentalists seem to me to be using standard close-up magic creatively in this venue. The "HUndred Monkey Principle," which I know is much older, arrived just in time!

I do admire the creativity in presentation by these performers. They have the judges wrapped around their fingers. This is good show biz!

The judges are in awe of, giving standing ovations, etc. to essentially $25 - $60 DVD magic well presented, by-in-large. We know these are nowhere near the top close-up entertainers in magic. Perhaps one or two might be featured at the Castle......perhaps.

I am no master magician. I am at an intermediate level with decent close-up and stage skills. There is nothing they are doing that I could not do...hats off to them they are on national TV, at Radio City, and are poised to have careers.

Is this sour grapes? Perhaps. However, more deeply. This is good for magic and close-up magic. It is a 90 second requirement so a certain style of close-up works best there. They have figured how and the producers have let them get off the stage , break the fourth wall, go up close. But all the wow and wonder and "best magician I have ever seen" comments over essentially a simple (not complex) ambitious card routine...perplexes me because I have seen, experienced, and know stuff and our magic masters who so far surpass this stuff.

It is no camera tricks, direct, in-your face magic with more presentational interest than the one-time David Blaine. But does it tell us that given these judges, they have not seen great magic performers (hard to believe). The positive message is that people can be wowed by magic competently presented....more than I thought or they know. Hope it raises interest and increases gigs for the rest of us.

Still I do not see a million dollar act.....and if that would happen..surely Copperfield, McBride, and a hundred other amazing acts we know have warrant to weep.

Peace...Fred (Reisz)

[Jonathan Townsend]

... They have the judges wrapped around their fingers. This is good show biz!... They have figured how and the producers have let them get off the stage , break the fourth wall, go up close. But all the wow and wonder and "best magician I have ever seen" comments over essentially a simple (not complex)...

Best fit magic for the venue/constraints. How long did it take for magic contestants to evolve such routines? Admirable IMHO.

[Anthony Vinson]

Million dollar acts? Nah, not nearly. But the acts have been entertaining as evinced by the reactions from the judges and audiences. It is interesting that we do not see more polished acts featured as contestants, but obviously that's by design. I am grateful that the judges and producers are at least friendly to and respectful of magic, and that the acts who have progressed so far have at least been consistently entertaining, and in some cases quite creative in order to account for the limitations of the venue and medium. Two of the four remaining performers put me off with their personalities and deliveries, but so what? I do believe that David and Leeman have the makings of a fine act; give them a few years' time to polish and refine their delivery and they could easily be in the "million dollar act" category.

[erdnasephile]

It's hard to comment on questions like this without sounding like a hater, so I'll state up front: good for those left for winning the game thus far. I hope one of them wins!

Fred:

The laments you express sound very much like those I've heard from very accomplished musicians when they contemplate the success of guys like Kenny G.

Are the people on AGT the best magicians I've ever seen?

IMHO, No. Guys like Derren Brown, Bill Malone, Juan Tamariz, and Max Maven are superior (and they prove it day in and day out for paying audiences in the real world). However, that really doesn't matter since the competitors don't have to be the best magicians in the world. All the contestants have to do is convince the judges/audience that they are the best magician THEY have ever seen.

The lesson I take from AGT is this: for most non-magicians, any of us is potentially the best magician they've ever seen. What happens in those fleeting moments has the potential to help or harm magic far more than the results of some made-for-TV competition. It's an awesome responsibility!

Therefore, whether it's Tenyo or Tenkai--I want every single thing I put out there for public consumption to be the best possible performance I can muster, and I'm committed to put the work in to make it so.