rope tricks should just die now... while there are some good tricks, is very difficult to make spectators relate to the props.. same with silks....
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Unpopular opinions
- Thread starter C J
- Start date
In my humble opinion, it is never about the trick or the prop, and always about the presentational skills of the magician. The 21 Card Trick is as old as the hills, and a self-working trick that a 5 year-old could do, but in the right hands...
For example:
For example:
Or quite simply Penn and TellerPerhaps you should watch this version by Yann Frisch
The Classic Pass is a waste of time
Shin Lim is pretentious and boring
Mentalism and magic are really just the same thing. And yes, with some thought than can be mixed.
On a similar note, playing cards are more than acceptable for a straight mentalism show
Rev
Shin Lim is pretentious and boring
Mentalism and magic are really just the same thing. And yes, with some thought than can be mixed.
On a similar note, playing cards are more than acceptable for a straight mentalism show
Rev
When it comes to unpopular opinions, we must remember that it is indeed an opinion. That in itself means that the statement made is subjective. I have quite a few unpopular opinions about magic. Feel free to agree or disagree:
1. You DON'T need to know a bunch of tricks. The magic industry breeds this mentality that you should by putting out 30 or more tricks a week. While that is great, you really ONLY need to know about 3 good tricks and build a small presentation around it. You'd be amazed that you can switch the presentations and still come off as doing more than 3 tricks.
2. Your magic DOES NOT speak for itself. Don't get me wrong, being technical and doing the right moves and knowing the choreography is fantastic, but your magic does not speak for itself. You need to be a likable person. Be relatable. Talk with people. Get to know them. Let the magic be something you can bring out when you have their attention. I think we look at magicians and we like them for their skills. What makes a magician known is being a genuine person. When I say that, am I saying that he/she must bare their soul? No! I mean that person must be liked before showing their magic.
{Picture Superman: But as a jerk} I know he's not a magician, but he can do really awesome things. But what makes people love him is that he is grounded. He can be a god if he so wanted to, but he fits in. The fact that he can save people makes him that much more relatable. General Zod can do all the stuff Clark can do, but no one likes him, lol.
Trust me, the worst thing you can be known as is "The magic man". That sounds awesome to some, but when all that there is to you is "a skill", people will only see you as a sideshow and not a person they can actually be around. That's a lonely way to live life.
3. Jibrizy IS NOT a bad magician. Yes, he can get under people's skin. He's cocky. He's confident. There was a thing a while back that got him into some hot water, but the dude is technically sound. He has an IT factor. He's relatable. And he's an absolute showman. He fooled Penn and Teller. How many of our favorites did not?
4. Criss Angel IS more well rounded than David Blaine. Wow! I know, I can't believe I said it, either. Criss get's a bad wrap for doing some over the top super stuff that he can't replicate in real life. And that gets him burned at the stake by magicians. But I believe he's more well rounded than Blaine. Yes, Blaine has the endurance stuff and is more technical with a deck of cards than Criss. But I think Criss can pull off more than Blaine. I've seen Criss do some stuff that I have not seen David do. I'm not saying he can't do it. I just haven't seen it.
1. You DON'T need to know a bunch of tricks. The magic industry breeds this mentality that you should by putting out 30 or more tricks a week. While that is great, you really ONLY need to know about 3 good tricks and build a small presentation around it. You'd be amazed that you can switch the presentations and still come off as doing more than 3 tricks.
2. Your magic DOES NOT speak for itself. Don't get me wrong, being technical and doing the right moves and knowing the choreography is fantastic, but your magic does not speak for itself. You need to be a likable person. Be relatable. Talk with people. Get to know them. Let the magic be something you can bring out when you have their attention. I think we look at magicians and we like them for their skills. What makes a magician known is being a genuine person. When I say that, am I saying that he/she must bare their soul? No! I mean that person must be liked before showing their magic.
{Picture Superman: But as a jerk} I know he's not a magician, but he can do really awesome things. But what makes people love him is that he is grounded. He can be a god if he so wanted to, but he fits in. The fact that he can save people makes him that much more relatable. General Zod can do all the stuff Clark can do, but no one likes him, lol.
Trust me, the worst thing you can be known as is "The magic man". That sounds awesome to some, but when all that there is to you is "a skill", people will only see you as a sideshow and not a person they can actually be around. That's a lonely way to live life.
3. Jibrizy IS NOT a bad magician. Yes, he can get under people's skin. He's cocky. He's confident. There was a thing a while back that got him into some hot water, but the dude is technically sound. He has an IT factor. He's relatable. And he's an absolute showman. He fooled Penn and Teller. How many of our favorites did not?
4. Criss Angel IS more well rounded than David Blaine. Wow! I know, I can't believe I said it, either. Criss get's a bad wrap for doing some over the top super stuff that he can't replicate in real life. And that gets him burned at the stake by magicians. But I believe he's more well rounded than Blaine. Yes, Blaine has the endurance stuff and is more technical with a deck of cards than Criss. But I think Criss can pull off more than Blaine. I've seen Criss do some stuff that I have not seen David do. I'm not saying he can't do it. I just haven't seen it.
Massive Chan Canasta fan here so no arguments from me.
He used playing cards almost exclusively and yet everyone thought he was the real deal and had genuine ability to make people do what he wanted.
It's not the prop, but the way you use it.
Rev
I disagree personally.
I find rope tricks to be both entertaining and fun. You don't need your spectator to relate to a rope
And if you're doing something where it seems unnatural to have a rope (pretty much everywhere), rope tricks can pretty much be applied to any loose object. Shoe laces, necklaces, hoodie strings, those bungie cord like things that everyone wears as a bracelet, etc.
Plus, rope magic is fun. I'd take Mat King's rope routine over someone trying to convince me it's natural to have a deck of cards anyday.
I use kleenex / napkins in exchange for silks. But I will never stop doing haunted hanky or silk to egg! Silk thru pole is also a go to for stage
that is way better... when a magician takes out a red silk and pretends that people is related to it... I stop watching
@Luis Vega... good to see you. I've never been able to get a good rope routine but I do like Vanni Bossi's Rope Through Neck from Aretaology of Vanni Bossi. Also, Grandmother's Necklace (see Tarbell Volume 1) and Cords of Phantasia (Tarbell Volume 4).
I do like them for kids magic. I have a fun Mismade Zebra routine. I also like 20th Century Silks and Baffling Bra (and actually have presentation that is neither cheesy or creepy).
Amen to that @Rev
That too.
1. Yes
2. Yes
I would agree in a heartbeat, if it weren't for the fact that it was a rope trick that got me into magic in the first place... haha.
I like VERY few rope tricks out there. They don't generally seem magical to me. That said, I recently watched Mac King at a show out here in the PNW. While his rope routine isn't what I would call revolutionary, his performance sells it so well I forgot how much of a bore these tricks usually are. Was I fooled? No, not technically. But I was ABSOLUTELY entertained.
If only everyone could make their rope tricks work as well as Mac...
// L
I absolutely LOVE a packet trick called Eye Exam by Danny Archer. It's so so strong I've been using it for about 10 years straight now in my strolling set. It hits them over and over and over again. They spectators are left speechless.
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magic/card-magic/eye-exam/
I'm not sure who the magician was that I saw, but dude kept taking the knot on and off. Kept cutting it. And at the end, it was a whole rope. I thought I hated rope tricks, but that killed me.
You will not see me perform them, but I can watch them all day.
I Guess you never did a show for young kids! The props are great to draw their attention...add some balloons, some ropes and needles and please leave out the cards...until they are 11 or 12...or you will lose them for sure! You have to understand, young kids still believe in magic....if you don't believe that, you haven't done a show with kids
I think you can do a 1 hour show without ropes and ballons... I normally don`t do show for kids... but this one was well paid and I wanted to do something more fun and playful...
