What Attracts You to Magic?

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Leo Garet
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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Leo Garet » December 29th, 2019, 11:04 am

Incidentally, RRTCM was not published by Dover in 1949.

This snippet of twaddling malarkey postscript somehow slipped off the edge of the previous post.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » December 29th, 2019, 11:11 am

My take on Jack's comment was that it was tongue-in-cheek. Having nothing better to do today, I have been pondering whether "malarkey"(yes, that's the correct spelling) is a secret acronym for male cow excretions, and whether, since the word "dated" goes back to the year 1215, or before, the word, itself, is...
...dated.
This is clearly a case of having too much time on my hands, since last night, my girlfriend and my friends all left town to go to a music festival, which I chose not to attend, leaving me home to Faro shuffle a deck of cards incessantly - for about the 500th time today - very few of which shuffles have been "perfect." (Clearly, Paul Gertner has nothing to worry about from me).

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 29th, 2019, 11:39 am

Definition:
"According to Oxford Dictionaries, malarkey is 'meaningless talk; nonsense,' it came into use in the 1920s and its specific origin is unknown."

Twaddle sounds like malarkey to me.
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Leo Garet
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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Leo Garet » December 29th, 2019, 11:58 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:Definition:
"According to Oxford Dictionaries, malarkey is 'meaningless talk; nonsense,' it came into use in the 1920s and its specific origin is unknown."

Twaddle sounds like malarkey to me.

Not to me it doesn't. ;)

But that's the thing about dictionaries. There were always several in our house, (as there are today) but they don't listen. They don't absorb their surroundings and conversations. They don't even watch TV.

As for music festivals, who wouldn't prefer to stay at home rather than surround yourself with all that twaddle and malarkey.

Regarding Jack's comment, I was/am merely seeking information. If anyone has interpreted my comment on Jack's comment as being somehow critical comment, well, they're wrong.

And I'm sure no one has. Have they?

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » December 29th, 2019, 12:48 pm

Leo Garet wrote:[quote

As for music festivals, who wouldn't prefer to stay at home rather than surround yourself with all that twaddle and malarkey.

Regarding Jack's comment, I was/am merely seeking information. If anyone has interpreted my comment on Jack's comment as being somehow critical comment, well, they're wrong.

And I'm sure no one has. Have they?


Yeah, I am a home body, and like spending time alone. I like music, but these days, when I have free time, just put a deck of cards in my hands - maybe a few coins and a piece of rope - and I can entertain myself for hours on end. No need to get in a car, drive, somewhere, pay for gas and parking, and deal with crowds...

As for interpreting Leo's comment as "critical," I can only speak for myself, but I sure didn't.

I can be quite critical - but it's usually of myself...

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby performer » December 29th, 2019, 2:21 pm

Leo Garet wrote:Incidentally, RRTCM was not published by Dover in 1949.

This snippet of twaddling malarkey postscript somehow slipped off the edge of the previous post.


I didn't say that Dover published it in 1949. I was referring to Faber and Faber.

Anyway this entire conversation is turning into a whole load of malarkey with lots of people talking a load of twaddle.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » December 29th, 2019, 3:50 pm

Not to mention "old cobblers."

Ah, I feel like I have finally gotten to the bottom of it, :idea: and now know exactly what attracts people to magic: Magic is a magnet for malarkey and twaddle!

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby performer » December 29th, 2019, 5:02 pm

I strongly suspect that "twaddle" is the expression most used in the UK and "malarkey" is more in usage in the US. I have never heard of either expression in Canada. They are dreadfully polite up here.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Paco Nagata » December 30th, 2019, 10:01 am

Wouldn't be funny to use "Malarky" as a magical word?
I've never heard about both "Malarky" nor "Twaddle" words up to right now reading this thread, but "Malarky" sounds to me like a magical word.
Whereas, "cobblers"... well, isn't it something we have in between our both legs...?
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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Leo Garet » December 30th, 2019, 11:03 am

Paco Nagata wrote:Wouldn't be funny to use "Malarky" as a magical word?
I've never heard about both "Malarky" nor "Twaddle" words up to right now reading this thread, but "Malarky" sounds to me like a magical word.
Whereas, "cobblers"... well, isn't it something we have in between our both legs...?


I realise there may be a language problem here. Being from the North Of England I know that many otherwise (border-line) sane English people sometimes struggle to comprehend wot us Northerners sez, however, what it's worth.....

Cobblers make and mend footwear. I think it's tailors who work in the trouser department.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Leo Garet » December 30th, 2019, 11:10 am

performer wrote:
Leo Garet wrote:Incidentally, RRTCM was not published by Dover in 1949.

This snippet of twaddling malarkey postscript somehow slipped off the edge of the previous post.


I didn't say that Dover published it in 1949. I was referring to Faber and Faber.

Anyway this entire conversation is turning into a whole load of malarkey with lots of people talking a load of twaddle.


I know you didn't and I never said you did. It was an oblique reference to a magician who is forever preaching about credits and how it's important to get them right. I'm all for the credit where it's due outlook, but I can live without the preaching. And the incorrect crediting of book publishing-dates puts the boot into his otherwise noble message.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Jack Shalom » December 30th, 2019, 11:32 am

Re Malarky

It's a very old-fashioned word that folks of my Dad's WWII generation might have used in place of BS.

The word is a bit of a joke these days with younger people because one of the people running for President of the US whose initials are JB, thinks he's reaching out to the youth vote by literally having the words "NO MALARKY' on the side of his presidential campaign bus. But it just makes him seem that much more out of touch:

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/0 ... gan-074727

Anyway, I was just having a bit of a joke with Mark, suggesting that "twaddle" was even more out of touch than "malarky."

(And I love Mark Lewis--I even mentioned him in my Holiday Poem)

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 30th, 2019, 11:51 am

I think we can now move on from this discussion and get back to the point of the thread.
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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » December 30th, 2019, 12:51 pm

Yes. And, in that regard, let me pose the question in more pointed and specific ways:
When you perform your pet trick or routine (and I realize there may be more than one such trick or routine) for someone, what is it that you enjoy about it? Is it the sheer fun of just doing something you know is good (like maybe bowling strikes at the lanes, or hitting a nice drive right down the middle)? Or perhaps it is simply the fun of learning a new trick or routine? Or maybe it is the sense of accomplishment you feel in being able to present something you've worked hard on well? Or is it the look of astonishment and/or exclamations of amazement by the spectator(s). Or all of the above?

If you create magic and/or presentations for routines, or write about magic, perhaps it is just that you feel good and derive enjoyment both in the doing and pride in the product produced? Perhaps what you most enjoy in magic, is reading magic books as a form of relaxation, fun and/or enjoyment?

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby performer » December 30th, 2019, 3:47 pm

I do magic because I want to make people happy and more importantly make myself happy at the same time.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » December 30th, 2019, 5:25 pm

performer wrote:I do magic because I want to make people happy and more importantly make myself happy at the same time.


That's great! Sounds like a win-win to me.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Steve Mills » December 31st, 2019, 5:25 pm

OK, I'll say it. I enjoy fooling people. All the other touchy feely stuff is important, I guess, but I enjoy performing a good magic trick.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » December 31st, 2019, 10:34 pm

Steve Mills wrote:OK, I'll say it. I enjoy fooling people. All the other touchy feely stuff is important, I guess, but I enjoy performing a good magic trick.


Nothing wrong with that, Steve - love the candor - and you know what?
I think we all do...

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby performer » January 1st, 2020, 4:58 am

It may well be a matter of semantics but I prefer to use the word "mystify" "baffle" or if I really have to, the pretentious phrase "create wonder". The word "fool" has an awful sub text around it that makes me uncomfortable. It gives off a "vibe" of the performer being superior to the spectator which worries me a trifle. I suppose as long as the magician doesn't show the vibe, as too many do, it should be OK. I think the word may subconsciously affect the performance since the attitude of the word is still there. The mind affects actions sometimes.

There is nothing worse in magic than a performer looking smug and self satisfied at the end of a trick. Far too many magicians look too pleased with themselves when performing. The nitpicking part of me thinks that the word "fool" encourages this.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » January 1st, 2020, 10:55 am

CAUTION: Philosophical Ruminations Ahead

We must fool the spectator when performing a magic trick, or we have failed. But there is a world of difference between fooling someone and making a fool of them. As Performer points out, the distinction between "fool" on one hand, and "baffle" or "mystify," on the other, may be only semantical; however, the distinction between making a wonderful impact with a trick and receiving a delighted reaction, versus a trick that falls flat and creates a resentful feeling on the part of the spectators, lies, to a great extent, in the mind-set and attitude of the magician. Roberto Giobbi wrote: “The worst reason to do magic is the desire to display your superiority to your fellow humans.” If the spectator observes or even senses the smugness and self-satisfaction Performer has alluded to, then any wonder and delight at the experience the audience may have otherwise felt will be completely overshadowed by the feeling of being one-upped intellectually or, in baser terms, made a fool of. Nate Leipzig said, "They want to think they've been fooled by a gentleman" and Thurston said, “Make them think they’ve been fooled by a gentleman.” [or gentlewoman] [*edited by M by A to dispel even the suggestion of sexism]

I know I am getting into the turf of what Steve referred to as the "touchy-feely" part of magic here, but it is the desire to more deeply understand human psychology and apply it in performance to a positive effect -- not only in performing, but in life at large -- that fascinates me, and which is a huge element of what attracts me to magic. According to Robert-Houdin, “A fundamental understanding of the human psyche is the essential key to successful magic.”

I'll end wth quotes by three magicians who just may have learned a little bit about our art along the way. Tenkai Ishida: "Magic is not tricks; it is a way." David Copperfield: "It isn't just about doing tricks. It's about taking an audience to another place, a special place, so they can really suspend their disbelief. It’s about amazing the audience as well as moving them." Doug Henning: "The art of a magician is to create wonder. If we all live with a sense of wonder, our lives will become filled with joy."

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Steve Mills » January 1st, 2020, 11:48 am

performer wrote:....
There is nothing worse in magic than a performer looking smug and self satisfied at the end of a trick.


Especially if he mystified no one. I'm not sure the word "fool" is at fault. I've been involved with magic in one way or another over 60 years. That means absolutely nothing, except I am old. I have though, learned one irrefutable fact - this vocation / avocation attracts a disportionate number of world class dicks. I think it is the perceived low barrier to entry. Who knows!

I never hear the word "fool" without thinking of George Carlin that started a great routine with - "Welcome to my job. They used to call this job foole". As a matter of fact, the album was called "Occupation: Foole".

The magicians I most admire constantly fool people and will go to great lengths to achieve it. David WIlliamson - David Fricking Williamson - will not do a strike double lift for fear of being busted. Just think about that.

/Disjointed Ramble

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby performer » January 1st, 2020, 2:53 pm

[/quote]

The magicians I most admire constantly fool people and will go to great lengths to achieve it. David WIlliamson - David Fricking Williamson - will not do a strike double lift for fear of being busted. Just think about that.

/Disjointed Ramble[/quote]

This may have had something to do with that............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og6gVihE5uA

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Steve Mills » January 1st, 2020, 5:42 pm

performer wrote:



This may have had something to do with that............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og6gVihE5uA[/quote]

Actually, he had the grown up Murray at a recent show. Pretty cool.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby performer » January 1st, 2020, 10:08 pm

Actually I saw the clip where Murray had grown up. Alas I was shocked at the foul language used. I have always felt the second you use profanity in performance is the second you are automatically a bad magician. It degrades the art.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » January 2nd, 2020, 10:16 am

I had seen this clip quite some time ago of Tommy doing his routine. Personally, I think it exemplifies the T D G Theory. ("Too Damn Good").
I almost forgot how incredible it was. Whether the reactions of the paid shills were genuine or not, I think he genuinely deserves a standing ovation for that genuinely phenomenal performance.

Which reminds me of another thing that attracts me to magic - watching magicians, on any level, perform! There is always something to be learned from each (even if it's sometimes what not to do).

I was exposed to quite a few magicians who influenced me from very early on in my childhood -- the demonstrator at the magic store in Brooklyn, my Uncle Alfred, a skillful, charming and mystifying amateur magician, my cousin Gillie, who was performing professionally in his late teens, and Jack Adams, a magician who appeared every Friday and Saturday nights at the hotel we lived across the street from when we moved form Brooklyn to the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. I have had the privilege of learning from thee greatest close-up magician I have ever seen (first name, "Bill"). Tommy Wonder is definitely one of the greatest I have ever seen. He combines dexterity and skill, charisma, class, and showmanship, with an astute knowledge of human psychology, and his understanding and use of timing, misdirection and subtlety is exquisite. He sparkles as a magical entertainer, like few ever have...

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Leo Garet » January 2nd, 2020, 11:58 am

performer wrote:Actually I saw the clip where Murray had grown up. Alas I was shocked at the foul language used. I have always felt the second you use profanity in performance is the second you are automatically a bad magician. It degrades the art.


"And don’t swear, boy, it shows a lack of vocabulary.”
Alan Bennett: "Forty Years On".

Couldn't agree more.

In fact it degrades the speaker. All of which clearly demonstrates what a So-Yesterday hombre I am.

Mind you Bennett's gone down the tube in recent years. Seems to think nowadays that swearing somehow adds gravitas or somesuch to his efforts.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » January 3rd, 2020, 11:37 am

*!#&^!#*">*%~#*!!!!!

OK, now that I've gotten that off my chest, while I am a firm believer in freedom of speech and expression, I agree that vulgarity and foul language is detrimental to the image of magic. Many years ago, after hearing me use certain lines in a routine, a successful professional magician said to me, "Alfred, let me give you some advice. Never use blue humor. People may laugh and they may even like you, but they won't hire you." I took that advice to heart and I'm happy I did....

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby chetday » January 3rd, 2020, 12:27 pm

I've been pondering the question of this thread for several days now and coming up with a good answer has been difficult, even though I've been a nut about magic since I was six years old back in 1954. I think what attracted me then is the same thing that attracts me in 2020: I just plain love to see something impossible happen before my eyes.

I may be unusual in this respect: I love watching magic happen but 99% of the time I don't even want to know how the magic was done. I just want to revel in the "Wow" experience that I only get with one other human activity, which, because of my natural decorum, I won't reveal or discuss in detail, though I suspect most of you know what I'm referring to.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby RobFromNZ » January 3rd, 2020, 1:33 pm

In 1986 I was finishing my first year at school. At the end of the school year our caretaker was retiring (the caretaker is the person who mows the lawns, fixes things around the school, a handyman type). As a leaving gift our caretaker brought all of the kids into the hall and put on a magic show. The man who was usually wearing overalls and had grease on his hands was now dressed in a tuxedo, doing a stage act with doves, and silks, and candles. I thought it was amazing...not only the magic, but also the transformation of the man.

That Christmas I visited my grandparents in Melbourne, Australia. My Grandpa took me to Bernard's Magic Shop, where an old man behind the counter sold me a plastic egg in vase trick, and a set of plastic cups and balls. I put on my first magic show for my family that week.

This is how my interest in magic started. As I thought about this I realised that what attracted me to magic was more of a feeling than anything. A feeling of happiness and wonder, as well as the feeling that I was now part of something that these old men were part of - a kind of exclusive club.

Before I saw this post, I'd never really thought about it. Maybe this explains why I'm not as drawn to younger guys doing the finger flinging and card juggling. I appreciate their skill, but I don't get the same feeling from it.

I don't know who that caretaker is, but he must have died by now. My grandfather died a few years ago, and Bernard's Magic Shop (the oldest in Australia) has closed down. Perhaps I am becoming one of the old men...

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » January 3rd, 2020, 4:13 pm

Chetday Wrote: "I think what attracted me then is the same thing that attracts me in 2020: I just plain love to see something impossible happen before my eyes. I may be unusual in this respect: I love watching magic happen but 99% of the time I don't even want to know how the magic was done. I just want to revel in the 'Wow' experience that I only get with one other human activity..."

Great response! I enjoy that same experience watching other magicians artfully perform a trick, routine or show. But, at the same time, I always love it when I feel like a spectator watching my own magic - that awesome feeling you get when you know you have pulled it off well - the presentation, the moves (if any, and the fewer the better) the timing, misdirection and subtlety, and of course the effect, that moment of sublime surprise. I have a magician friend who says that every time he does signed card to wallet, the experience is almost as if he is astonishing himself. And when the spectators love it too, and express their appreciation, it is like the magic circle has been completed. It can be an electrifying feeling... [BTW, I am racking my brain trying to figure out what in the world that "other human activity" is that Chet has referred to -- Stamp collecting? Lawn Bowling? Playing with stuffed animals?]

RobfromNZ Wrote: "As I thought about this I realised that what attracted me to magic was more of a feeling than anything. A feeling of happiness and wonder, as well as the feeling that I was now part of something that these old men were part of - a kind of exclusive club."

Yes, a feeling of happiness and wonder. It is hard to put into words, but that describes how I felt at age 6 when I saw my first trick at the magic shop, and how I've been feeling ever since. (*So sad to see the classic brick and mortar magic shops fading away!) To share that sense of wonder with people, and to convey it artfully, and in a manner in which they will not perceive what we are doing as a puzzle, or showing off, or putting one over, or overly pleased with ourselves, is a beautiful thing. I have been greatly enjoying and learning from the deeply thought-provoking book, The Passion of an Amateur Card Magician, which Paco Nagata has written and so generously shared with us. One quote from the book (among many) that really struck a harmonious chord with me: "the magician opens a tiny door for a small fraction of time between the border of the real and unreal, thus allowing spectators to see
a bit of something unreal.” To this I would also add: "And the magician too!"

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby PavelTheGreat » February 8th, 2020, 12:23 pm

What I like the most about Magic is the way something simple and ordinary can be used to create a wonderful illusion. If I can take a length of rope and make it dance, this is enchanting. I like more complicated kind of Magic too, but simple transformation of lifeless object into something incredible is the most satisfying for me.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Joe Mckay » February 8th, 2020, 12:51 pm

We don't read magic books.

They read us.

One thing I like about magic is how different things will stand out from the same book as your interests change, and your experience and knowledge increase over the years.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » February 8th, 2020, 3:35 pm

So true. The value of concepts and ideas increases as our capacity to appreciate and understand them expands in the light of increased experience and knowledge.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Zig Zagger » February 11th, 2020, 7:08 pm

Here's my take:

I also don't know why, but from early on, long before books or magic sets, I have simply been fascinated by magic, mysteries, secrets, riddles, and unanswered questions. I begged my parents to let me watch every magic bit on TV. I once dived into every available bit on von Däniken's claims about alien astronauts, about Area 51, the Bermuda Triangle, the Philadelphia Experiment, secret societies, spies and agents, gamblers and cheaters, fake psychics and the afterlife. Basically everything beyond our sheltered daily life, our book learnings and our "known knowns," I guess. But magic struck the deepest and has stuck the longest. Something just clicked. Just a romantic thought: Maybe we are not discovering magic; maybe we are being chosen by our Goddess Maja, first as tried and tested disciples, later as conspired keepers of the secrets and worthy bearers of wonder and astonishment?

I don't need to see every show and trickster or the latest fad, but I'm fond of and grateful for many magic moments I have experienced (one being Copperfield's "Flying"). They felt warm and intense, and, for a moment, boundless. What a promise, what a sensation!
I also don't need to perform all the time, but I'm happy when I manage to create a small magic moment and see their eyes wide open and their minds racing.

I love the richness and diversity of magic, its global appeal and the human condition on which it thrives. History, culture, theater, technology, dexterity, psychology and so much more--it's all there, and I enjoy reading and discovering stories, principles, and effects. I love sharing and discussing these with other magic buffs on a non-competitive level. I love toying selfishly with props and ideas late at night, fiddling in front of the mirror, cutting and glueing cardboard stuff at the kitchen table, getting into the flow with nothing but my imagination and a pinch of woofledust. And, sitting in the huge library of the emerging Magic Arts Foundation here in Germany, or browsing through their breath-taking files and boxes of props, I feel happy, I take in the power and the beauty of our art and I feel I belong, at least like a small rhinestone in the twinkling firmament, the mighty magic universe we have to preserve and yet to explore further.

Ah, time to get some sleep now, I guess.
Tricks, tips, news, interviews, musings and fun stuff: Have a look at our English-German magic blog! http://www.zzzauber.com
Advancing the art in magic one post at a time (yeah, right!)

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » February 11th, 2020, 9:02 pm

ZigZagger, you have a gift for the art of magic and the art of expression; you are, at once, a giver, and a gift. Thank you for sharing that! Among your many eloquent sentences, let me quote one, short, three-word sentence: "Something just clicked." I would venture to say that, on whatever level, and in whatever way, each of us has been attracted to magic, that is likely to be the common denominator we share and that binds us all together,,,

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Jonathan Townsend » February 12th, 2020, 12:32 pm

MagicbyAlfred wrote:...Now, if you don't mind my asking, What attracts you to magic?
Several aspects. Here are a few: Perceptions presented on the slant. The facts slowed down by trickery until the very process of cognition becomes visible. Experimental metaphysics. Three card monte as epistemology.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » February 12th, 2020, 1:27 pm

Jonathan, I am fascinated by your response. I had to look up "epistemology," though. Out of curiosity, in presenting 3-Card Monte, do you invite spectators to choose which card they believe is the queen or ace or whatever the odd card of the three is? Personally, I do not because I don't want to prove them wrong, so I tell it as a story of how I got hustled. If they cannot resist pointing to a card (and, of course, they will sometimes point to one they know it's not "supposed" to be), and if they are right, then reluctantly, I feel I have no choice but to do a hype and show it is not the money card. But I will say that, judging from the diverse reactions from people for whom I've done the routine over the years, the routine does reveal a lot about an individual's personality and way of thinking. So perhaps epistemology is subjective. Psychology and conditioning also comes into play, because after two phases of the queen not being where she's apparently supposed to be, if I do a fair toss, they will often be surprised to see that she is, in fact, where she seemed to be. In the first couple of phases, their perception was "re-trained," in a sense, so reality then seems like the wrong choice to them.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Jonathan Townsend » February 12th, 2020, 1:42 pm

We can be sure of the card when face up. Turn it face down and things get interesting. Another magician likened it to watching a cat chase after the red dot projected by a laser pointer.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Dave Le Fevre
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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby Dave Le Fevre » February 12th, 2020, 1:58 pm

Thank you, Jonathan. Those three sentences sum up why it's such a great effect, and they do so succinctly. I shall be thinking of those points next time I'm performing a monte effect.

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Re: What Attracts You to Magic?

Postby performer » February 12th, 2020, 2:05 pm

When I do three card monte I try to avoid as much as possible the standard procedure of getting the spectator to pick out the card. The less of that the better. Same thing with the chop cup. I try to avoid the "is it in my pocket or under the cup" gambit. No need to make the spectators appear dafter than they already are.


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