Just did my first "show."

tsw7521 · 16th January 2008, 01:16 PM

Wow. I've been fiddling with cards and magic on and off, since I was a kid (I think my first and maybe only post here was about false card cuts), but because I grew up in nowheresville, usa, I never really was able to get "around" it enough to really be exposed to how tricks are done, etc., outside the occasional magic book being perused at the library or something.

But, I've been (lately) watching the "Turning Tricks" with Justin Kredible series on lifeskooltv on my cable tv system, and just performed five tricks for a couple coworkers at lunch, and I can't believe how much fun I had. The constant "begging" me for the secret of the tricks, is worth the effort I've put in alone, several times over.

I did 4 simple (probably nothing to get all jazzed about to you more experienced "conjurors") card forces (with the last one being the one where their card ends up in a piece of fruit - I tried the actual preparation for the trick for the first time last night, and was amazed at how easy it was), and one little "gimmick" referred to by the name Double Jointed.

The others were Fantastic Five, Criss Cut, and One Ahead. Pulled them all off without a single hitch. Again, these are FAR from anything to write home about, but for someone's first "real" performance in front of live peeps, I thought I did ok. The "card in the fruit" trick really freaked them out. Like I said, the constant begging for the secrets is WAY more fun than I thought, and makes it all worth it.

Garrette · 16th January 2008, 02:35 PM

Excellent. Congratulations. It is a great feeling to accomplish this.

Don't keep downplaying what you did because you believe the effects to be technically easy. It is not the difficulty of the effect that matters; it is your ability to present it in a magical and entertaining fashion. The times I kick myself the most for not being a wealthy and famous magician are when my friends and family watch something on television and get floored by the tricks that I know are simple and that I can do.

AgeGap · 17th January 2008, 12:36 PM

Well done! Hope you go from strength to strength.

alfaniner · 17th January 2008, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by Garrette

... The times I kick myself the most for not being a wealthy and famous magician are when my friends and family watch something on television and get floored by the tricks that I know are simple and that I can do.

I wouldn't be too regretful. There are far fewer wealthy and famous magicians than there are actors. Both occupations are fairly difficult to be successful at. (Except that being a great magician requires talent!)

Garrette · 18th January 2008, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by alfaniner

I wouldn't be too regretful. There are far fewer wealthy and famous magicians than there are actors. Both occupations are fairly difficult to be successful at. (Except that being a great magician requires talent!)

Great. In another Conjuror's Corner thread I learned I'm inferior, unloved, and technically inadequate. Now I find out I lack talent both as a magician and as an actor.

This is not a good day...

AgeGap · 18th January 2008, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by Garrette

Great. In another Conjuror's Corner thread I learned I'm inferior, unloved, and technically inadequate. Now I find out I lack talent both as a magician and as an actor.

This is not a good day...

Poor Garette, There is always someone worse off.
That is unless you are on the internet and everybody will tell you how much you suck.
Do a trick and put it on YouTube! No matter how good it is you will be amazed at the amount of people who claim to do it so much better.

tsw7521 Don't put stuff on YouTube.

tsw7521 · 18th January 2008, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by AgeGap

Poor Garette, There is always someone worse off.
That is unless you are on the internet and everybody will tell you how much you suck.
Do a trick and put it on YouTube! No matter how good it is you will be amazed at the amount of people who claim to do it so much better.

tsw7521 Don't put stuff on YouTube.

I don't think there's any worry of me being on youtube.

If I did, it would be under the heading, "How NOT to do trick X."

I'm strictly, strictly, small time, and have absolutely no delusions of grandeur, or desire to show anyone outside my close friends, famly, and acquaintances, my (seriously short repetoire of) tricks.

Garrette · 18th January 2008, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by tsw7521

I'm strictly, strictly, small time, and have absolutely no delusions of grandeur, or desire to show anyone outside my close friends, famly, and acquaintances, my (seriously short repetoire of) tricks.

Perhaps you should. And having a small repertoire is probably better than having a repertoire too large.

The cliche has truth in it (though I am certainly misquoting it):

Magicians perform the same few tricks for lots of different people. Amateurs perform a lot of tricks for the same few people.

DrugFreeAlcoholic · 12th May 2008, 11:54 AM

This post is 3 months late, but I know exactly how you feel.

I've started a club on my campus called the "Secular Skeptics." My first "show," even though I only did two (one ahead, and the one where they write the names of 6 people on paper, 5 who are alive and 1 who is dead, and you figure out who the dead one is) tricks amazed an English teacher who was in the room and sparked a huge discussion for the whole room about the fraudulent psychic industry, paranormal phenomeon, and faith healing. I followed that up by showing them the 14minute James Randi video where he debunks Uri Geller, Peter Popoff, and psychic surgery.

Later in the semester I was at a gathering with friends and did a 45 minute show. The shock and amazment was well worth all the effort I put into magic. I was a dorky kid in high school, but for once I was leading people and the center of attention.

16th January 2008, 01:16 PM	#1
tsw7521 New Blood Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4	Just did my first "show." Wow. I've been fiddling with cards and magic on and off, since I was a kid (I think my first and maybe only post here was about false card cuts), but because I grew up in nowheresville, usa, I never really was able to get "around" it enough to really be exposed to how tricks are done, etc., outside the occasional magic book being perused at the library or something. But, I've been (lately) watching the "Turning Tricks" with Justin Kredible series on lifeskooltv on my cable tv system, and just performed five tricks for a couple coworkers at lunch, and I can't believe how much fun I had. The constant "begging" me for the secret of the tricks, is worth the effort I've put in alone, several times over. I did 4 simple (probably nothing to get all jazzed about to you more experienced "conjurors") card forces (with the last one being the one where their card ends up in a piece of fruit - I tried the actual preparation for the trick for the first time last night, and was amazed at how easy it was), and one little "gimmick" referred to by the name Double Jointed. The others were Fantastic Five, Criss Cut, and One Ahead. Pulled them all off without a single hitch. Again, these are FAR from anything to write home about, but for someone's first "real" performance in front of live peeps, I thought I did ok. The "card in the fruit" trick really freaked them out. Like I said, the constant begging for the secrets is WAY more fun than I thought, and makes it all worth it.
tsw7521 New Blood Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4	Last edited by tsw7521; 16th January 2008 at 01:18 PM.

16th January 2008, 02:35 PM	#2
Garrette Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 7,926	Excellent. Congratulations. It is a great feeling to accomplish this. Don't keep downplaying what you did because you believe the effects to be technically easy. It is not the difficulty of the effect that matters; it is your ability to present it in a magical and entertaining fashion. The times I kick myself the most for not being a wealthy and famous magician are when my friends and family watch something on television and get floored by the tricks that I know are simple and that I can do.
Garrette Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 7,926	__________________ My kids still love me.

17th January 2008, 12:36 PM	#3
AgeGap Graduate Poster Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,719	Well done! Hope you go from strength to strength.
AgeGap Graduate Poster Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,719

17th January 2008, 01:41 PM	#4
alfaniner Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Sorth Dakonsin Posts: 7,399	Originally Posted by Garrette ... The times I kick myself the most for not being a wealthy and famous magician are when my friends and family watch something on television and get floored by the tricks that I know are simple and that I can do. I wouldn't be too regretful. There are far fewer wealthy and famous magicians than there are actors. Both occupations are fairly difficult to be successful at. (Except that being a great magician requires talent!)
	__________________ It's pronounced "alpha-nine-er".

18th January 2008, 10:24 AM	#5
Garrette Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 7,926	Originally Posted by alfaniner I wouldn't be too regretful. There are far fewer wealthy and famous magicians than there are actors. Both occupations are fairly difficult to be successful at. (Except that being a great magician requires talent!) Great. In another Conjuror's Corner thread I learned I'm inferior, unloved, and technically inadequate. Now I find out I lack talent both as a magician and as an actor. This is not a good day...
Garrette Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 7,926	__________________ My kids still love me.

18th January 2008, 11:29 AM	#6
AgeGap Graduate Poster Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,719	Originally Posted by Garrette Great. In another Conjuror's Corner thread I learned I'm inferior, unloved, and technically inadequate. Now I find out I lack talent both as a magician and as an actor. This is not a good day... Poor Garette, There is always someone worse off. That is unless you are on the internet and everybody will tell you how much you suck. Do a trick and put it on YouTube! No matter how good it is you will be amazed at the amount of people who claim to do it so much better. tsw7521 Don't put stuff on YouTube.
AgeGap Graduate Poster Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,719

18th January 2008, 02:17 PM	#7
tsw7521 New Blood Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4	Originally Posted by AgeGap Poor Garette, There is always someone worse off. That is unless you are on the internet and everybody will tell you how much you suck. Do a trick and put it on YouTube! No matter how good it is you will be amazed at the amount of people who claim to do it so much better. tsw7521 Don't put stuff on YouTube. I don't think there's any worry of me being on youtube. If I did, it would be under the heading, "How NOT to do trick X." I'm strictly, strictly, small time, and have absolutely no delusions of grandeur, or desire to show anyone outside my close friends, famly, and acquaintances, my (seriously short repetoire of) tricks.
tsw7521 New Blood Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4

18th January 2008, 02:30 PM	#8
Garrette Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 7,926	Originally Posted by tsw7521 I'm strictly, strictly, small time, and have absolutely no delusions of grandeur, or desire to show anyone outside my close friends, famly, and acquaintances, my (seriously short repetoire of) tricks. Perhaps you should. And having a small repertoire is probably better than having a repertoire too large. The cliche has truth in it (though I am certainly misquoting it): Magicians perform the same few tricks for lots of different people. Amateurs perform a lot of tricks for the same few people.
Garrette Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 7,926	__________________ My kids still love me.

12th May 2008, 11:54 AM	#9
DrugFreeAlcoholic Student Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: $1 reject store Posts: 48	This post is 3 months late, but I know exactly how you feel. I've started a club on my campus called the "Secular Skeptics." My first "show," even though I only did two (one ahead, and the one where they write the names of 6 people on paper, 5 who are alive and 1 who is dead, and you figure out who the dead one is) tricks amazed an English teacher who was in the room and sparked a huge discussion for the whole room about the fraudulent psychic industry, paranormal phenomeon, and faith healing. I followed that up by showing them the 14minute James Randi video where he debunks Uri Geller, Peter Popoff, and psychic surgery. Later in the semester I was at a gathering with friends and did a 45 minute show. The shock and amazment was well worth all the effort I put into magic. I was a dorky kid in high school, but for once I was leading people and the center of attention.