simple question

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Doug Conn
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simple question

Postby Doug Conn » August 1st, 2001, 11:57 pm

Why do you like magic?
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Tomas Blomberg
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Re: simple question

Postby Tomas Blomberg » August 3rd, 2001, 3:36 am

Simple question, but as hard for me to answer as the question why I like the taste of strawberries. I mean, they are just so yummy. Hmmm...ok that's my answer. Magic is yummy.

/Tomas

Brian Marks
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Re: simple question

Postby Brian Marks » August 3rd, 2001, 7:04 pm

I like magic as it is a way of expressing myself AND magic is yummy.

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Eric DeCamps
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Re: simple question

Postby Eric DeCamps » August 3rd, 2001, 8:09 pm

Doug:

That's a simple question that requires a complex answer.

No wait I got it... magic is sooooo yummy!

Eric DeCamps

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Doug Conn
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Re: simple question

Postby Doug Conn » August 3rd, 2001, 9:42 pm

It was a trick question
;)

(though I agree 'yummy' is a good answer.)

my answer is 'I don't know'

Doug Conn

Ignorance is bliss
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Re: simple question

Postby Guest » August 5th, 2001, 7:37 am

i like magic because it is performed by Warpo.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: simple question

Postby Richard Kaufman » August 5th, 2001, 11:00 am

I'd like to see some serious answers to Doug's question. I don't mind having some fun, but this "yummy" business is silly and pointless.
To get things back on track, here's my answer: I like close-up magic because of the pleasure I get from performing in very close quarters to another person. Their reaction is thrilling.

[ August 05, 2001: Message edited by: Richard Kaufman ]
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Tomas Blomberg
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Re: simple question

Postby Tomas Blomberg » August 6th, 2001, 10:39 am

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
I like close-up magic because of the pleasure I get from performing in very close quarters to another person. Their reaction is thrilling.

I read the previous posts again and saw one about self-expression, one pointing out the complexity of such a simple question and the poster himself confessing his lack of answer. I don't see any reason to shrug them off as silly and pointless. The complexity _is_ a point.

The question was much _much_ more generally stated than some perceived. Not "why do you like performing..." and especially not any focus on a specific field of magic. The question was simply about magic. I really like magic, no doubt about it and I stand by my original answer that it's because of its yummyness since I really can't express it any clearer currently. I can't say, "Because I enjoy the reactions I get" (even though I do) since I'd still like magic even if I never performed.

So, do you like magic? If "yes", why?

/Tomas

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Matthew Field
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Re: simple question

Postby Matthew Field » August 6th, 2001, 11:05 am

Great mother of Merlin. Is this what we've come to, and so soon?

Magic allows me to inspire a sense of wonder in others (thank you, Paul Harris) and to appreciate the creative thinking of others who have done their best to think up methods to achieve this goal.

Matt Field

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Steve Bryant
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Re: simple question

Postby Steve Bryant » August 6th, 2001, 11:59 am

Any field of endeavor is interesting because of its complexity. I used to lie awake at night (as a child) listening to all-night radio talk shows on fishing lures. I had and have no interest in fishing, but was amazed that it was a subject whose minutae could be discussed all night every night. Although I was jazzed by 7 at the secret (Mysto) world of magic, it wasn't until I was 16, when the Lorayne and Steranko books hit, that I began to learn just how broad a topic card magic was and magic in general. Performing is great fun, but I suspect that most of us spend far less time performing than we do in the general study and learning process (or, in my case, the shopping and daydreaming process). And there is so much to learn, and for no other reason than that it is cool (or yummy if you will) to learn it. That it is "secret knowledge" relative to most other fields of study no doubt adds to the allure.

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Re: simple question

Postby Guest » August 6th, 2001, 12:19 pm

One of the reasons that I like magic is that it keeps me humble. In effect, it is a constant reminder that our perceptions are fragile indeed.

Guest

Re: simple question

Postby Guest » August 6th, 2001, 2:42 pm

I like magic because it constantly redefines 'their' world creating a new reality.

It allows me to touch people in a way that no other art form, or even activity, can.

Tom Cutts

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Doug Conn
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Re: simple question

Postby Doug Conn » August 6th, 2001, 3:15 pm

In another (more serious (a bit longwinded)) attempt at answering my own question:

In short: I think the main reason that I "like" magic is the constant source of "brain food"

In long:
No matter how much I search for the perfect: move, method, effect, presentation, (etc.) there always seems to be room for improvement.

I think about magic while walking to work, while taking a crap, as I do daily chores, as I lay in bed before sleep, etc...

I can't live without passing a deck (vanishing a coing, etc.) over and over (each time, thinking what would make it better.)

I can't live without the latest 'book.'
(Though I can usually live without the latest vids :)

I think the 'brain food' is why the craft (art?) attracts so many great minds (thinking of magi like: Houdin, Hofzinser, Elmsley, Andrus, Green, Maven, Blomberg ;) Etc, etc, etc, there's so many.

A few random thoughts:

I could exist without performing magic.
I do perform... because If I didn't, then the 'food' might not appeal to the laity and without performance, there is no magic.
Sometimes I like performing, sometimes I don't. Side note: I've learned to despise "strolling" (but that's another post for another day.)

Thoughts Cont:

I could live without the praise (of Magi and Laymen.) I have managed to attain a (small) amount of recognition (due-to publication of my material (mags and books.) My goal in having such notoriety is mainly to break the walls that exist between the 'amateur' and 'the pros' (as well as "the insiders" and "the outsiders.") Having a name/book is helpful in meeting some of those 'great minds.' A selfish reason perhaps, but (sometimes) when ya meet the 'good guys' you get good recipes! (Of course sometimes ya get sauerkraut.)
Another sidenote: I could certainly live without all the magi-ego-tists that waste my time.

Anyway, I'll just bet I'm overstaying my "bandwith welcome.'
Is that the kind of answer ya had in mind Richard?

in pursuit of the illusive miracle,
Doug Conn
Learn more bout me: http://www.connmagic.com

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Re: simple question

Postby Guest » August 6th, 2001, 3:28 pm

Magic is a very rewarding art form that allows me to be creative as well as to experience something truly wonderful - the sense of awe and amazement. My goal as a magician is to hopefully be able to have others experience the same feelings of wonder when I perform.

Guest

Re: simple question

Postby Guest » August 10th, 2001, 11:24 am

I like magic because it makes me feel like a kid again.
The wonder of learning a new trick or routine.
The joy in seeing someone enjoy your performance.
The pleasure in reading about some of the past (and present) greats, hoping to learn something.
The satisfaction of knowing that my hobby is totally harmless to myself (except for when it comes to spending money) and others.

Good health to all,
TiJean

Jim Morton
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Re: simple question

Postby Jim Morton » August 10th, 2001, 2:28 pm

I've thought about this one for a few days. My initially response would have been something along the lines of: "When I was a kid, I liked magic because it offered me power at a time in my life when I felt powerless. Then as an adult I appreciated magic because of how it revives a sense of wonder in people."

There is certainly some truth in those answers, but I think the biggest reason I like magic is because it's one of the few things I do that seems to have no plateau to its learning curve. Also, each new thing I learn offers me both immediate gratification, and a whole new area to explore.

I guess the other reason I like magic is my interest in the demimonde, and a life-long fascination with card sharps, con men and colorful criminal characters. I tend to gravitate towards tricks involving these elements.

Jim

Harp
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Re: simple question

Postby Harp » August 10th, 2001, 6:06 pm

jim kind of nailed it for me, the "sense of wonder" when people are so caught up in there so called life. creating something for them so totally unexpected that for a moment they are a kid again absorbed in that "sense of wonder." especially close up. i respect the illusion guys, but the one on one stuff is what does it for me.

harp

Adam Brooks
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Re: simple question

Postby Adam Brooks » August 18th, 2001, 7:53 am

I like magic because, in general, people are taking their age for granted. I know too many adults who have lost that spark, that sense of total freedom they once felt because they feel that time is behind them. And I know children who are already so deadset on being as organized and professional as they can be, that they give themselves precious little time to be, say, 18 or 20.

Somehow, being an adult and being a child are taken as being opposites by some. An adult is everything a child isn't: mature, knowledgable, professional.

I like magic because it can bring those potential opposites together into a single moment of pure astonishment (yet more thanks to Paul Harris).

-Adam

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Re: simple question

Postby Guest » August 19th, 2001, 1:51 am

Magic, wow, yes I love magic. I think the reason i love magic so much is beacuse i hate rules! Anyone who knows me knows that I hate being told that i cant do something, and magic is all about breaking the rules of reality, and what could be cooler than that?
:cool:

Bill Duncan
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Re: simple question

Postby Bill Duncan » August 20th, 2001, 12:20 am

Well I was gonna say because Magic is yummy but I don't want to get in trouble...

Seriously? One of my core beliefs is that my species as a whole is far too sure of what it knows. The old saying:
"Some people are surer of everything than they ought to be of anything." seems to sum it up pretty well.
Magic is the theatrical art that represents itself as an honest attempt to deceive. I like showing people that what they perceive isn't always true. Perhaps I believe that in doing so I'm inspiring them to be a bit more skeptical of the snake oil they're sold every day.

[ August 20, 2001: Message edited by: Bill Duncan ]

Jeff Hinchliffe
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Re: simple question

Postby Jeff Hinchliffe » August 20th, 2001, 3:27 am

I love magic, because of the sense of wonder it brings to people. It feels so good to make a sad child smile, or to make a grumpy old man laugh with joy. It's rewarding to see the jaw-dropping reaction of a businessman, when his signed card ends up in your wallet.
I also love magic because of the challenge. I love the amount of skill, effort, and practice that go into a performance. Not just technically, but from a presentation standpoint as well. I love the thought that goes into a presentation, the motivation for something, or the creativity that goes into a story.
Finally, i love to read about the past greats. About those pieces of magic which to this day, we can't even understand.

Last but not least, I love magic because it is yummy (lol).

Jeff Hinchliffe

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Joe M. Turner
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Re: simple question

Postby Joe M. Turner » August 22nd, 2001, 10:15 pm

Why do I like magic?

As an observer of a magical effect, I enjoy the momentary disconnect between cause & effect that I feel when I see something impossible take place. I get an adrenaline rush from having my experience of the real world contradicted by the performance of a magic trick. It gives me the feeling of being out of control, but in a completely controlled and ultimately unthreatening manner.

As a performer, all my theatrical involvements have their root in a need for self-expression. Acting, singing, magic... each has its own combination of attractions. In magic, the feeling I get when my reality is tampered with is multiplied when I'm the one doing the tampering.

And as any actor will tell you, applause is yummy. Please don't look at the enjoyment of applause as an automatic negative, either. There is something about applause that goes beyond mere ego gratification. Yes, some actors crave the attention that they can't get in other places, or that they didn't get from their mommies, etc. But there is something psychological about the connection between the performer and the audience that goes beyond simple affirmation. I don't pretend to know exactly what it is, but it is certainly addictive.

So, I enjoy magic because it allows me to pretend to go awol from physics, and it allows me to help other people experience that disconnect from reality while connecting with me as a performer and as a person.

Best,
JMT

Gordolini
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Re: simple question

Postby Gordolini » August 26th, 2001, 3:59 pm

When I started performing magic it was because I loved watching peoples faces when I pulled off the final move. We all experience "that look" and it is an amazing feeling to know that it was your months of practise and skill that caused it. I get a tremendous buzz watching a spectator's face at the crucial moment. I seem to go on auto pilot. My hands are performing but my eyes are watching the reaction. There is nothing in this world beats that split second when the spectator's mouth falls open and they have a look of total disbelief on their face!

However, I also still do magic for the never ending challenges that lie within our art. No sooner have you perfected a move, sleight, trick, then someone out there adds a change and makes it even better. No matter how many tricks you learn, there are still another million out there to learn. I thrive on the challenge.

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Re: simple question

Postby Guest » August 28th, 2001, 6:42 am

I like magic because it gives me the opportunity to express myself. similar to poetry,there are no limits, and no rules. anything is possible, anything can be done. they are both channles of expressing onesself.

pip

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Re: simple question

Postby Guest » August 29th, 2001, 2:01 am

Two reasons:

1.) My Kids

2.) Physics

Actually, the reasons are related. A few years back, I ran across my childhood magic stuff and, as a lark, did a few tricks for my kids. They have been demanding additional "performances" ever since. It reminded me of why I was drawn to magic in the first place. Science!

I have always been facinated by the physics that underlies magic illusions. Certainly, there is a lot of art involved in magic. I would not want to under sell the theatrical aspects of magic, but even mis-direction is an exploitation of nature.

Magic makes my kids think. Amazement is cool. But what drives me forward is watching the little wheels turn in the heads of my children, either trying to figure out the "trick" or contemplating other possibilities.

PS. There is a third reason that I do not admit to ... I love the paraphernalia!
;)

Guest

Re: simple question

Postby Guest » August 29th, 2001, 2:01 am

Two reasons:

1.) My Kids

2.) Physics

Actually, the reasons are related. A few years back, I ran across my childhood magic stuff and, as a lark, did a few tricks for my kids. They have been demanding additional "performances" ever since. It reminded me of why I was drawn to magic in the first place. Science!

I have always been facinated by the physics that underlies magic illusions. Certainly, there is a lot of art involved in magic. I would not want to under sell the theatrical aspects of magic, but even mis-direction is an exploitation of nature.

Magic makes my kids think. Amazement is cool. But what drives me forward is watching the little wheels turn in the heads of my children, either trying to figure out the "trick" or contemplating other possibilities.

PS. There is a third reason that I do not admit to ... I love the paraphernalia!
;)

Guest

Re: simple question

Postby Guest » September 4th, 2001, 11:47 pm

When I was a kid, I believed Superman could fly, that it was possible to twinkle your nose and magic happened, and that gorgeous blondes lived in bottles and did the bidding of their master (no offense, "I Dream of Jeannie" reference).
The point is the same as everyone else. When I got older, I didn't believe anymore. Magic and mentalism brought me back to having an imagination; becoming a kid again in how I view the world (even though I have 3 kids and a job and a life outside magic).
By the way, Superman stopped by the other day...says he likes magic, too.
Rick

Guest

Re: simple question

Postby Guest » October 5th, 2001, 1:23 pm

I love Magic. It goes beyond a like for me.
The reason? It is real and viceral. I love magic because I have met some of the nicest people in the world and I may not have done it without magic. It goes beyond the feeling of elation I get from applause or the look of astonishment on the faces of my audiences. It is the interaction with people and knowing that I have made new friends.
I also enjoy learning new things and constantly striving to find better methods
and presentations for the things I already know. That is why I love magic.


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