From: pbaker@tbag.tscs.com (Pete Baker)
Newsgroups: alt.magic
Subject: Re: On discussing how tricks are done
Date: 12 Sep 92 12:41:23 EST
Organization: Tampa Bay Amiga Group

On Sat 12-Sep-1992 12:21p, Alvin Valentine wrote:
AV> I hear time and again people saying it's not the "how it was done" but 
AV> "how it was performed" that was important.  I can't say I really agree
AV> with

Lee, I post to this base with some regularity.. and as a matter of fact, I seem to have the inate ability to rile up the masses (chuckle).  I was taught that there are three phases to being a magician.
Phase one: DUH, How'd he do that?  This encompases the majority of the lay audience and most of the DC questions.
Phase two: If I wanted to do an effect and have it look like that, WHAT WOULD I DO?  This is the true test of being a magician.. It has nothing to do with how someone else did the trick or effect.. they provided you with an idea and a look and feel to the effect.  You can work out a way to make the same effect and might do it a completely different way!
Phase three: Gee, I KNOW how he did it, I still didn't see it,  He sure did that well!  This is the appreciation stage.. I watch other magi perform and am thrilled to death when they whisk me away into the world where the impossible happens.

AV> 
AV> I like to know how the trick was done, 'cause I like to watch a magician
AV> whose good at presentation, but I like to see just how good.  
Sounds like a combo of phase 1 and 3
 
AV> I saw Jeff McBride back palming decks of cards and producing them one at
AV> a time.  One at a bloody time.  Then fans, then more fans.  He was
AV> AWESOME.
AV> It was great knowing what he was doing and how (or at least going under
AV> the assumption that he was back palming, due to the maneuvering of his
AV> hands through textbook back palm angles), because I didn't sit there and
AV> think, "Neat, but he must have used mirrors or trick cards." Instead I was
AV> flabbergasted by the man's dexterity and the # of hours of practice that
AV> he must have put in to do that one effect.
This is Phase 3! The question now becomes, did you pick up any pointers watching him perform?

AV> Darn, folks, you have to learn magic from somewhere to be a magician.
AV> I think a mailing list is a good place.  Still, although I'm not a part
AV> of the list there, the person who said you had to prove a magician to get
AV> in....   Please, how the hell are the new kids supposed to learn
AV> everything.
Easy!  they need to show that they have passed into stage 2 and are making an attempt to learn how to do it for themselves. 
I have people ask me "how'd you do that?" all the time.  But every once in a while I'll have someone come up to me and say "I saw you do such-n-such effect and I have been working on it.. is this how you did it ?"(and they show me what they are working on).    Tell me Lee, who would you be more inclined to help?

AV> I think the spirit of the magician's code is very important.  The letter
AV> is another thing.  There must be some format for learning.  Books are
AV> fine,
AV> but discussion with another human being always works better for me and I 
AV> learn in half the time. 
You have the floor, the next move is yours

AV> Lee Valentine
Regards;

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