I have a friend who is a card purist, he simply refuse to do any other kinds of magic except cards.

When asked why, he said that coin magic and mentalism are pretty meaningless compared to card magic.

His view are pretty contrary to what many others are saying. Many people are moving away from cards because "there are just too many card tricks."

So what do you guys think?

Hmm... That's interesting. I've come across many people who say that: "Wow! You're a real magician, not just those playing with cards!" when i do some non-card stuff (more parlor style kind), but I've never come across the other way round. So i guess the laypeople don't find it that way??? (That only card magic is meaningful)

To me personally, mentalism is quite a very 'cheem' magic. (I have not gotten to a stage where I'm interested in it yet) I used to think that mentalism is kind of boring and 'useless' but not after thinking through carefully after some time.

I believe Mentalism is very strong to laypeople because mentalism seem to hint that what they are thinking cannot be controlled by themselves, or what they are thinking can be 'seen' by the mentalist. Instinctively, everyone likes to be in control (even of their thoughts and especially of their thoughts), hence to me, mentalism can really fascinate, astonish and even scare the heck out of some people. So no, mentalism is not meaningless.

Besides, some card magic like card prediction kind of borders on mentalism isn't it? (Depending on how you present it of course)

I think that whether the type of magic is meaningful or not, really depends on how much meaning you decide to give to your magic. I mean, a King changing to an Ace has not much meaning either, if you choose not to give it any meaning... Its afterall, just a transformation.

As for moving away from card magic because there are too many card tricks, its a different thing from whether the magic is meaningful. That's more like for a differentiating factor from everyone else.

I hope what i wrote is understandable! Huge chunks of words here... :P

Ade. ^_^

Eh Shade, he talking about you.... =)

On a more serious note, I am starting to morph into something like that. Except that I'm more strict about my material.

My card magic aims to be highly visual. It must contain ostentatious, extravagant displays of skill. It need not be technically challenging, but the spectator must walk away feeling like he has witnessed a staggering feat of dexterity.

It has been said that card magic is the poetry of conjuring - Derren Brown states in his book 'Absolute Magic' that the strength of card magic is in its elegance. I wholeheartedly agree. To put it simply, card magic in the hands
of a master is inherently beautiful to watch.

I must admit that my entire performing model is lifted from these few sentences. In a nutshell, I want to be very good at what cards are good for. Of course this means going the whole 9 yards - Topshot, instant replay, diving board double, and other bast**d hard moves. Also, flourishes are critical in my performance model.

Of course, the above is simply my opinion and my performance persona. I'm definitely not there yet, but I know where I want to be.

On an unrelated note, it may interest some of you to know that the debate of flourisher's vs. classic card magic has been raging since the days cards were invented. On the flourisher's side: Thomas Nelson Downs, Paul Le Paul, Cardini. Classic card magic: SW Erdnase, Jean Hugard, Frederick Braue, Dai Vernon.

(BTW its also worth stating that the majority of David Blaine's repertoire when he first appeared consisted of card magic. Yet people were happy to believe that he sold his soul to the devil and drinks the blood of virgins. )

Whew. Been wanting to rant about this for the longest time. Thanks for taking the time to read.

Ciao

I think it's pretty much like art... as an artist, your journey (a very personal one!) is to find that "perfect" medium that you're best able to express yourself with :) There is no just one singular "correct" way. Some artists are traditional despite their different styles (linear expressionalism, cubism, etc.) and only paint on stretched canvas, while others are bolder and use many different mediums, like Salvador Dali for instance - who's dabbled with sculpture, film and more ...besides painting ^_^

At the end of the day, it's really just about preference. I really don't believe there is a wrong or right ...or "best" or even "meaningless" for that matter. While your card purist friend might think other forms of magic are "meaningless", it just means it's not his cuppa tea. He's probably best able to express himself through cards & everyone's entitled to their different preferences ;)

As a student of magic, the intimate journey's all about finding what suits you.

My 2cents...
Ning

Haha, I am exactly like that. Why move away from cards just because it's too popular?

I'm like mattlee too. Dexterity and all.

- harapan. magic!

Haha. I guess I'm different. I'm getting bored of card tricks.

Each to their own, I would say. If a person likes doing card stuff, let him do it. No harm done.

I tend to zone out after watching more than 5 card tricks in a row, so I do other stuff instead. That being said, my main base is still in cards, just that I intersperse them with other forms of magic as well.

Also, as Ning said, doing magic is all about finding yourself, doing what you are comfortable with. Matt prefers performing with lots of flourishes etc. I prefer doing them with minimal movements as I think it looks more magical. As long as the audience is entertained by both versions, who am I to complain?