Here's a little something I accidentally found at Huron's webbie, huronlow.com. It's not exactly written yesterday, but I just read it, and i thought it's funny to say the least so I'm putting up here.
You might like it, you might disagree, but it's food for thought.


Magic Sucks by Huron Low
Guess what? MAGIC SUCKS!! Here's a long rant to prove it. You'll never feel more enlightened.
Let's think about that prospect for a moment. Huron Low says that MAGIC SUCKS. Huron Low?!

Damn right I do. Well of course, not all magic sucks, but most of it does. Oh getting cocky now am I?

Let's consider this for a moment. When you think magician. You think "Dude in a black tuxedo with white gloves, silk, a tophat, and a high probability that a rodent with long ears might hop out of that hat and rape you." Well, you're right. That's what most magic is.

In fact, I feel that SPECTATORS have become the new magicians. We see a magician go on stage, and we can predict EXACTLY what he's going to do. Now concentrate on the annoying common things you always see. I shall read your mind.

Magicians takes a silk, waves it around ecstatically like he'd never seen one in his life, and it suddenly turns into a long stick. In magician terms, it is called a cane. Haven't we all seen that so many times that we wish that cane wasn't in his hands but was shoved up his-OR... or... let's try something else. Magician lures his skanky assistant into a little basket, and sticks swords through it via pre-cut holes one by one, dancing with each individual sword because his assistant is already in the basket. We hear a bloodcurling scream, or at least we wish we do, but NOOO, the assistant you wish was dead, has VANISHED! And then she gets re-appeared steps back out yadayadayada. What does he expect us to believe. That he commited first degree murder, blatant "woman-slaughter", in front of a LIVE audience? "Oh gee Mister Magician. You cleaned up the evidence so well I thought it was a trick."

How am I doing so far? Pretty damn accurate eh.

Do these magicians feel that they HAVE to do the same thing that everyone else is doing, because those routines and acts are tried and tested? Do they ever realise, that they have been so over tried and over tested that it does not bring ENTERTAINMENT to the spectators anymore? Entertainment is what counts. A good magician could pull off a "classic(The excuse for something old and overdone)" trick with great presentation. He could make it look refreshing. But what do we see? We see magicians using the same royalty-free music that ruins our ear drums before you can say 'abracadabra'(And what is up with this word anyway?!). Why can't the magician stab himself for once, or a school principal. Why can't the assistant NOT vanish at the end...Or for once, make him REALLY dead. I'd applaud you for that. The sad fact is that most magicians receive COURTESY applause. "Thank you mister magician, you may PLEASE get off the stage now."

I speak to magicians sometimes, and they ask me "How many tricks do you know?". Does your skill level or experience relate to the quantity of magic you do? I live by Ken Weber's words "The amateur performs different tricks to the same audience. The professional performs the same tricks to a different audience."

What is David Copperfield best known for? His FLYING effect. That's his signature illusion which makes him STAND OUT from the rest.

Tada. World fame, people love the guy. Then David Blaine does a similar illusion, but on the STREETS. Spectators SCREAM, die, runaway. That's practically all the talk about. I hear the words "No props!" spew out of their mouths.

Precisely. Magic shouldn't revolve around how big that wooden chest is, or how colourful your nice new illusion box is. The spectators DON'T usually see this in their homes, or in their offices. "Get up from that long coffin-like box Bob, and hand me that huge saw. Imma cut my fish up, and make it vanish." Yes, I hope you get my drift.

To the magicians out there who worry that you know the same effects that most other magicians know and nothing more, DON'T FRET. But remember, if you can present it DIFFERENTLY, it can be a whole new trick altogether. It doesn't matter if your magician friend isn't fooled. Does your typical audience consist of magicians? NO, and it shouldn't. It doesn't matter if you can't do the ridiculously difficult move they took 6 years to master. Most magicians are move monkeys. They can do this move and this move and that cool move. Not good. It's the PRESENTATION that counts! I used to be a move monkey, until I discovered that presentation could turn a trick in a kid's magic book into a MIRACLE. Now I just buy kids books. Nono that's not the point. You see, it's not about fooling the audience, it's about ENTERTAINING THEM. People want to laugh, people want to have FUN. They can't wait till you stop prancing around the damn basket and STAB THE ASSISTANT ALREADY.

Here's the sad fact guys. Most spectators find magic lame. Most stage acts are referred to as "cliche". Do you laypeople there around the world reading this agree with me? Damn right you do. Aren't you annoyed, that you KNOW a scissors that magician is about to pass to you isn't going to work, and that you have to pretend to be oh-so-shocked because he considers your reaction one phase of his routine?

Wow, some magicians are reading this, and are thinking to themselves "Hey, I do that cane effect all the time." Some magicians reading this are OFFENDED. I have one thing to say. If you're offended, you're guilty of all the things I've 'accused' you of. Yes, it's part of your daily stage act,but think about the reaction you got when you were on stage. Did they really freak out when you shoved long steel blades through a basket containing a well-asseted female? Were they afraid and preparing to call the ambulance? Or were they sitting in their seats, quiet, knowing what to expect at the end?

Here's a gauge. The quality of your reactions are garnered from the SCREAMS that you get. The LAUGHS that you get. The GASPS that you hear. NOT the claps you know you WILL receive at the end of your routine. Claps only truly count and mean something when, at the end,they all get up on their feet and give you a standing ovation(screaming,laughing and gasping at the same time). That's when you know you've done your job. That's entertainment. That's how magic should be, and that's when MAGIC DOESN'T SUCK. Wow, this guy is profound, this guy is good.

You can thank me later, but for now, enjoy this food for thought. It's free.

Huron

Hey Aloy,

Sorry to call you out, but knowing Huron, I think he can get a little sensitive about his material being replicated without his permission- A link to the page would just be fine.

Thanks!

-Kev

I did think of that and PMed him abt it to let him know when I put it up. Said I am doing it and that if he doesn't like it, i will take it off immediate.

You reckon he rather not?

Edit:
He thought it's ok. Cheers :)

Magic dosen't suck. It's just the magicians (majority) who suck. Using old school tricks. These are getting the audiences real bored.

Common rope tricks. Rabbit out of hat. Flying doves. Body seperation. Some illusions (always the same one). We have seen them all.

We need new entertainment. :mellow:

I believe a lot of our old timers here dare not even say they've seen all.

How about you providing some?

I knew someone is gonna attack you on that one.

People like Lance Burton, Copperfield are they boring to you?

I feel its very 'magician like' to think that such illusion sucks.

No, i'm not saying that their illusion sucks.

But, for "common magic", maybe, they can have a better way of presenting their magic to make it look different? Same Product, Different Packaging.

Don't you agree at most magic shows certain tricks are similar? Just as the article said. We can already anticipate what is going to happen.

Maybe i'm just not expressing myself well. Haha. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

Yay, Trix's gonna show us something NEW and FRESH to entertain us during the Jam Session at 25th.. :P

I didn't say i would. :P

i'm only suggesting ideas. LOL.

I used to adore stage magic when i was little.

Locals like Pastor Lawrance Khong has unique ways of displaying stage magic. He uses a theme ; (explain the theme and present it with magic.) And blending magic inside a musical. Which was pretty awesome.

Don't slam something blindly Trix :) As you can see, it can get you into rather awkward corners ;)
Agree or disagree constructively, and only do it within your capacity. B)

Right. I learnt my lesson. Sorry!

I seem to be having problems trying to express what i'm going to say. :(

What i'm trying to say turns out in another meaning. Gah.

I agree with Huron's "move monkey" part.

Skills, Presentation and Knowledge. Often, many people focus on the Skills because... that is what makes up a lot of the magic effect you are performing. Which is true.

But, magic is so much more then just a "routine" or an "effect". We magicians use such words because we KNOW more about the inner secrets to magic then others. To a layman, magic should not seem like a routine or a fixed effect. That's why, presentation and knowledge is what makes your skills (that you have practised) look like pure, true magic to your audience.

That is also why Huron talked about "kiddy magic". Some of the effects in such "amateur" books (they aren't amateur, by the way) seem so spontaneous and unstructured, they can be potential effects that will look like pure magic to the layman.

Copperfield's flying illusion on stage seemed spontaneous: Nothing strange or suspicious. He lay on stage. He spread his hands. He flew. Boom. Pure magic that what people around us like to see.

Move Monkeys may be the people who know every single move in the entire universe, but without presentation and magic knowledge... :unsure:

Moves aren't magic.

You guys should see Jerry Sadowitz...

His style is absolutely rude and annoying..

Best part is, people keeping watching even they are being dissed..

Stage Magic Cyril
http://www.youtube.com/?v=JspB7w2whz8

I couldn't have found this clip at a better time.
Cyril.
The latest poster boy for street magic.
Doing a stage manipulation act.

Nowadays street magic (or close up magic as the proper term) is all the hype. My opinion is because it is presenting an aspect of magic that has been largely neglected by public media before Blaine, and because it is reinventing the relevance of magic to the current times.
But it does not mean other genre of magic is dead or boring. It doesn't necessarily mean the classics are dead.
It doesn't mean "old school" is now a dirty word in magic.
It doesn't mean we must never use silk to cane anymore.

Yes, my original intentions in posting that article is because I agree with Huron's view on the reinvention of magic presentation.
But I was sian that the thread was turning into an old-school slamming session.
I know that Huron certainly did not mean for the article to be taken that way. Huron definitely doesn't think classic acts are boring. He was talking about how some people hide behind the excuse of something was previously done and do it the exact same way.
This is not unique to classic acts or stage act.
Anyone who still insists on doing a snap change as a stand alone effect and only do David Blaine's effect is just as guilty.

Yes, by all means, be forward thinking, be different, be "new school". But don't forget the basics, the fundamentals either.
"New school" is not the opposite of old-school. "New school" is a continuality of old school.

Yes, don't get so caught up with the "rules" and get stuck in a rut of ways done previously. But, by heavens, don't assume a "I can do it better" false assumtion.
Manipulation acts are about as old school as you can get. But it is still very much can be an entertaining classic.

Walk the middle path. B)

wow... i cannot agree more. What is seen i alot. and i mean ALOT. Are tricks that are bought of the shelfs. See a trick, like it, Buy it, Perform it.
But what makes people like cyril, Jeff McBride, Jonathan Pendragon, all stand out from the crowd, is because they internalise their magic.

Basically they like a trick and inject into it a little bit of themselves into it.
Whether it is your values, a different way of performing it, Be yourself.
Realli hear alot about sum1 trying to be a "David Blaine."

Would really hope to see more magicians be themself, and bring performance a higher notch. Beyond magic, Show the world who you are and what you stand for.

At the heart of the matter, is a matter of the Heart.
Where does the magic come from ?
Your Hands? or You ???

haah magic will never suck as long even if you do the same trick which has been done in doggone years...that where the patter comes in..you got to be creative and think of new patter..audience's thinking-new patter=new trick... ^_^ haha but magic does not sucks! it sucks when you decide you are good enough and stop learning..then you stop performing..that's where it seriously sucks! :lol:

One word: Respect. The article certainly was an eye-opener for me and I'm quite sure, for all of us. Haha. Just a needed call for creativity and diversity I think, before everything becomes too expected. =) The future of this art lies in all our hands...

Huron updateeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!1111

Chris

Looking at the state of things now...
Personally, I hate magic.
I hate magic for what it is. But I love it for what it can be.

~Nique

Its not that i'm slaming old school magic... in fact i respect them.They are the foundation for today's magic...

However the audience did not seem to have the same respect for old school magic.... Most of them i asked said that they don't like old school or even stage magic.... They think that those close up David Blaine stuff are SuperCOOL and they think that they're REAL MAGIC....

because it on stage, they think that alot as been set up and its fake but if it happen infront of your eyes on the street its is "real" magic...

that was what i felt also before i started magic

Just a sidetrack,

For anyone that likes such provocative articles, Look for this book called

"Shattering Illusions" by Jamy Ian Swiss or you can order from our dealers here too.

Great book with arguments on how to "Shatter" the illusion on what magic was and look to making what it can be

Only managed to read 2 essays from it and i have to say its an interesting read.

The first article is "Magic Sucks" and the other is "Mentalism Grow Up"

There are loads more and will try to post a review once i finish reading it.

Cheers!