Reponses to "Do that again," "How did you do that," and Hecklers

DrugFreeAlcoholic · 14th June 2008, 02:04 PM

What are some cool responses to "Do that trick again!" or "How did you do that?" Perhaps this thread should just be a compilation of lines.

Do that again.
- "I have no idea how that's done." (Amazing Randi)

How did you do that?
- "I did it very well, I thought." (Amazing Randi)

Heckers that think they know how a trick is done
- "This isn't a contest, magic is entertainment."

As you can see, I mostly just know the ones I've heard from Randi. They get old after a while, esp. if you put on an hour long show.

FM21.105 · 15th June 2008, 12:06 PM

Many of my tricks are done in spectators hands (Spoon bending, some card stuff) and when they ask "How did you do that" I reply "It wasn't me, you were holding it the entire time. How did YOU do it?"

Bob Klase · 15th June 2008, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by DrugFreeAlcoholic

As you can see, I mostly just know the ones I've heard from Randi. They get old after a while, esp. if you put on an hour long show.

If you're doing an hour long "show" and you're getting a lot of comments like that during the show, you're doing something(s) wrong.

If you do a regular show, everything gets old to you. It doesn't get old to the audience unless you're keep doing it for the same people.

Do that again.

- "Why?"

- "Once is a show, twice is a lesson. Lessons are very expensive."

- "Let me show you this, I think it's even better than that."

How did you do that?

- "Very well."

- "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

- "I'm not sure, but I think it could be a trick."

Heckers that think they know how a trick is done

- Ignore them.

- Listen to how they think you did it. Next time you do the trick, cut off that line of reasoning before the trick is over. If they're right, try to determine how they figured it out and stop that from happening next time.

- Most people that think they know how a trick is done are not actually hecklers.

- "Of course", or "How else?"

Most of those are so old that it would be difficult to credit them to the originator. For example, both of the ones you attribute to Randi were likely around long before he used them.

DrugFreeAlcoholic · 15th June 2008, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by Bob Klase

If you're doing an hour long "show" and you're getting a lot of comments like that during the show, you're doing something(s) wrong.

Why is that?

Could there be a problem in pausing too long between routines? I never know what I'm going to do next. The whole show is improv'ed.

Quote:

- "Once is a show, twice is a lesson. Lessons are very expensive."

I like this one. I'll start using it.

Loss Leader · 15th June 2008, 07:55 PM

The first book on magic I read said to answer, "Let me show you another one."

Cain · 15th June 2008, 10:07 PM

In Scripting Magic Pete McCabe (a screenwriter of some sort) argues vehemently against the quip "Extremely well." He says if he were writing a movie that called for an a-hole magician and somebody screeched, "how'd you do that?" the magician would invariably reply "Judging by your response, quite well." He claims it's better to ask, "did you like it?" Spectator says yes. "OK, let me show you an even better one." (echoing the advice above).

I think it rather depends on the situation and your personality, but McCabe's response indicates the idiosyncracies of "right and wrong" on these matters.

If you prefer, the self-deprecating route:
How'd you do that?
Slightly wrong, but no one noticed.

A topical response a few years ago would have been: "I don't know, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night." (Because they had those stupid commercials, maybe they still do, where people performed extraordinary things and explained it by simply staying over at the hotel.)

Just don't use the following:
"How'd you do that?
Can you keep a secret?
Yes!
So can I.

You also should not be doing these tricks by the seat of your pants. Have a set routine. At least script your tricks.

There is also widely varying advice for dealing with hecklers, but I think it largely depends on your character/personality, not to mention how quick you are on your feet. I mean, you can do the whole "there's two theories to arguing with women... neither one works." "I don't go to your job, stand at the end of the bed, and tell you how it's done." blah blah blah I like one-liners, and I have culled a couple hundred of them, but it depends on the situation, and these situations should not arise. Here's another situation mentioned in McCabe's book. An actor/magician -- I forget his name -- begins his show and notices a man sitting with his arms, a stern expression on his face. The performer says, "Man, you look pissed." And the guy just laughs and was firmly on the performer's side for the rest of the show. That's just being observant and forward thinking, and it does not affect one person: it sets a tone. In another case (same performer) a drunk female spectator started getting grabby, morphing into a heckler on stage. At one moment he pauses and says, "Samantha, you are SO drunk." And everybody laughs, including her. Not exactly Seinfeldian, but original to the show.

Bob Klase · 15th June 2008, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by DrugFreeAlcoholic

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Klase
If you're doing an hour long "show" and you're getting a lot of comments like that during the show, you're doing something(s) wrong.

Why is that?

Because if you were doing everything right you wouldn't get comments like that very often. Perhaps you're relying on the trick to provide the entertainment and not providing any context/entertainment/presentation other than whatever occurs to you while you're doing the trick.

Originally Posted by DrugFreeAlcoholic

Could there be a problem in pausing too long between
routines? I never know what I'm going to do next. The whole show is improv'ed.

If it's a "show" (by any common usage of the word) and the whole thing is improvised then you'll always be doing different things wrong. Never knowing what you're going to do next could mean you're probably busy thinking about what to do next when you should be concentrating on what you're doing now.

Maybe you should define what you mean by "show". It would be pointless to give you advice on doing shows if you're doing improvised performances for friends and family or random strangers in the street.

DrugFreeAlcoholic · 15th June 2008, 11:23 PM

When I say "show," it has been at most 5 people so far (with 1 exception) who were friends and/or people I met at a small gathering that night.

Now that I think about it, since everyone else knew each other except for me (I was invited by a friend to come there) and it was a small group, they were probably more likely to speak their mind than if it were a large group and nobody knew each other.

My biggest audience was around 10 people. I was the President of the "Secular Skeptics" Club at my college and I did the sealed envelope trick, and the trick where someone wrote the names of 6 people, one of which who was dead and I figured out who the dead person was. Afterwards I showed them the 14min video of Randi on PBS NOVA.

*Ahem* anyway, only 1 person, an English professor asked me how the tricks were done after I had finished both tricks. If she wasn't there, I don't know if anyone else would have asked due to the social conformity.

My biggest audience will be around 15 people next month. I told my friend I'd do a few tricks for her daughter's birthday who loves card tricks. She made a big deal about it and told all her friends, so now I'm nervous about it. I wasn't planning to be the main event. -_-;;

Originally Posted by Bob Klase

Because if you were doing everything right you wouldn't get comments like that very often. Perhaps you're relying on the trick to provide the entertainment and not providing any context/entertainment/presentation other than whatever occurs to you while you're doing the trick.

I don't know what order I'll do what trick, but I always know what story and jokes to tell with each trick. And I'm not repeating any tricks either.

DrugFreeAlcoholic · 16th June 2008, 01:30 AM

Originally Posted by Cain

Just don't use the following:
"How'd you do that?
Can you keep a secret?
Yes!
So can I.

I think this might actually work and not come off as cocky or antagonistic if said in a playful way, and after you've already made myriads of playful jokes throughout the night. I'll field test it at least once to see for myself.

NobbyNobbs · 16th June 2008, 07:57 AM

When someone says "Do it again", particularly when I'm doing card tricks, is shuffle the deck, have the pick a card....as if I'm doing it again. But, in reality, I do an entirely different trick, with a different effect. Usually, this gives them too much more to think about.

On the occasion where, after this, they say, "No, do that first one.", I'll either answer, "I forget how to do it." or, quite simply, "No, thanks."

Peter S. · 16th June 2008, 03:41 PM

For "do it again", I like "Once is entertaining, twice is educational.

As for hecklers, be very careful. Many years ago I saw a magician at a showcase. He had a few hecklers and used some of the same heckler lines that I use, but there was something different about his delivery that wasn't quite right. Instead getting a laugh and turning the audience against the heckler, he turned the whole audience against him. It was a real eye opener for me. Make sure when you use heckler lines you say them with a smile and do not look annoyed.

My favorite heckler line was one I saw Lenny Clarke use, (he could get away with it, but I don't think I could). He said to a drunken woman heckler, "Do I come over to your place when you are working and knock the **** out of your mouth?"

14th June 2008, 02:04 PM	#1
DrugFreeAlcoholic Student Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: $1 reject store Posts: 48	Reponses to "Do that again," "How did you do that," and Hecklers What are some cool responses to "Do that trick again!" or "How did you do that?" Perhaps this thread should just be a compilation of lines. Do that again. - "I have no idea how that's done." (Amazing Randi) How did you do that? - "I did it very well, I thought." (Amazing Randi) Heckers that think they know how a trick is done - "This isn't a contest, magic is entertainment." As you can see, I mostly just know the ones I've heard from Randi. They get old after a while, esp. if you put on an hour long show.

15th June 2008, 12:06 PM	#2
FM21.105 Thinker Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 156	Many of my tricks are done in spectators hands (Spoon bending, some card stuff) and when they ask "How did you do that" I reply "It wasn't me, you were holding it the entire time. How did YOU do it?"
FM21.105 Thinker Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 156

15th June 2008, 07:55 PM	#5
Loss Leader Opinionated Jerk Tagger Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New York Posts: 6,253	The first book on magic I read said to answer, "Let me show you another one."
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15th June 2008, 10:07 PM	#6
Cain Contrarian Join Date: May 2002 Location: S. California Posts: 3,958	In Scripting Magic Pete McCabe (a screenwriter of some sort) argues vehemently against the quip "Extremely well." He says if he were writing a movie that called for an a-hole magician and somebody screeched, "how'd you do that?" the magician would invariably reply "Judging by your response, quite well." He claims it's better to ask, "did you like it?" Spectator says yes. "OK, let me show you an even better one." (echoing the advice above). I think it rather depends on the situation and your personality, but McCabe's response indicates the idiosyncracies of "right and wrong" on these matters. If you prefer, the self-deprecating route: How'd you do that? Slightly wrong, but no one noticed. A topical response a few years ago would have been: "I don't know, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night." (Because they had those stupid commercials, maybe they still do, where people performed extraordinary things and explained it by simply staying over at the hotel.) Just don't use the following: "How'd you do that? Can you keep a secret? Yes! So can I. You also should not be doing these tricks by the seat of your pants. Have a set routine. At least script your tricks. There is also widely varying advice for dealing with hecklers, but I think it largely depends on your character/personality, not to mention how quick you are on your feet. I mean, you can do the whole "there's two theories to arguing with women... neither one works." "I don't go to your job, stand at the end of the bed, and tell you how it's done." blah blah blah I like one-liners, and I have culled a couple hundred of them, but it depends on the situation, and these situations should not arise. Here's another situation mentioned in McCabe's book. An actor/magician -- I forget his name -- begins his show and notices a man sitting with his arms, a stern expression on his face. The performer says, "Man, you look pissed." And the guy just laughs and was firmly on the performer's side for the rest of the show. That's just being observant and forward thinking, and it does not affect one person: it sets a tone. In another case (same performer) a drunk female spectator started getting grabby, morphing into a heckler on stage. At one moment he pauses and says, "Samantha, you are SO drunk." And everybody laughs, including her. Not exactly Seinfeldian, but original to the show.
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15th June 2008, 11:23 PM	#8
DrugFreeAlcoholic Student Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: $1 reject store Posts: 48	When I say "show," it has been at most 5 people so far (with 1 exception) who were friends and/or people I met at a small gathering that night. Now that I think about it, since everyone else knew each other except for me (I was invited by a friend to come there) and it was a small group, they were probably more likely to speak their mind than if it were a large group and nobody knew each other. My biggest audience was around 10 people. I was the President of the "Secular Skeptics" Club at my college and I did the sealed envelope trick, and the trick where someone wrote the names of 6 people, one of which who was dead and I figured out who the dead person was. Afterwards I showed them the 14min video of Randi on PBS NOVA. Ahem anyway, only 1 person, an English professor asked me how the tricks were done after I had finished both tricks. If she wasn't there, I don't know if anyone else would have asked due to the social conformity. My biggest audience will be around 15 people next month. I told my friend I'd do a few tricks for her daughter's birthday who loves card tricks. She made a big deal about it and told all her friends, so now I'm nervous about it. I wasn't planning to be the main event. -_-;; Originally Posted by Bob Klase Because if you were doing everything right you wouldn't get comments like that very often. Perhaps you're relying on the trick to provide the entertainment and not providing any context/entertainment/presentation other than whatever occurs to you while you're doing the trick. I don't know what order I'll do what trick, but I always know what story and jokes to tell with each trick. And I'm not repeating any tricks either.
	Last edited by DrugFreeAlcoholic; 15th June 2008 at 11:29 PM.

15th June 2008, 12:36 PM	#3
Bob Klase Master Poster Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,445	Originally Posted by DrugFreeAlcoholic As you can see, I mostly just know the ones I've heard from Randi. They get old after a while, esp. if you put on an hour long show. If you're doing an hour long "show" and you're getting a lot of comments like that during the show, you're doing something(s) wrong. If you do a regular show, everything gets old to you. It doesn't get old to the audience unless you're keep doing it for the same people. Do that again. - "Why?" - "Once is a show, twice is a lesson. Lessons are very expensive." - "Let me show you this, I think it's even better than that." How did you do that? - "Very well." - "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." - "I'm not sure, but I think it could be a trick." Heckers that think they know how a trick is done - Ignore them. - Listen to how they think you did it. Next time you do the trick, cut off that line of reasoning before the trick is over. If they're right, try to determine how they figured it out and stop that from happening next time. - Most people that think they know how a trick is done are not actually hecklers. - "Of course", or "How else?" Most of those are so old that it would be difficult to credit them to the originator. For example, both of the ones you attribute to Randi were likely around long before he used them.

15th June 2008, 06:46 PM	#4
DrugFreeAlcoholic Student Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: $1 reject store Posts: 48	Originally Posted by Bob Klase If you're doing an hour long "show" and you're getting a lot of comments like that during the show, you're doing something(s) wrong. Why is that? Could there be a problem in pausing too long between routines? I never know what I'm going to do next. The whole show is improv'ed. Quote: - "Once is a show, twice is a lesson. Lessons are very expensive." I like this one. I'll start using it.

15th June 2008, 10:30 PM	#7
Bob Klase Master Poster Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,445	Originally Posted by DrugFreeAlcoholic Quote: Originally Posted by Bob Klase If you're doing an hour long "show" and you're getting a lot of comments like that during the show, you're doing something(s) wrong. Why is that? Because if you were doing everything right you wouldn't get comments like that very often. Perhaps you're relying on the trick to provide the entertainment and not providing any context/entertainment/presentation other than whatever occurs to you while you're doing the trick. Originally Posted by DrugFreeAlcoholic Could there be a problem in pausing too long between routines? I never know what I'm going to do next. The whole show is improv'ed. If it's a "show" (by any common usage of the word) and the whole thing is improvised then you'll always be doing different things wrong. Never knowing what you're going to do next could mean you're probably busy thinking about what to do next when you should be concentrating on what you're doing now. Maybe you should define what you mean by "show". It would be pointless to give you advice on doing shows if you're doing improvised performances for friends and family or random strangers in the street.

16th June 2008, 01:30 AM	#9
DrugFreeAlcoholic Student Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: $1 reject store Posts: 48	Originally Posted by Cain Just don't use the following: "How'd you do that? Can you keep a secret? Yes! So can I. I think this might actually work and not come off as cocky or antagonistic if said in a playful way, and after you've already made myriads of playful jokes throughout the night. I'll field test it at least once to see for myself.

16th June 2008, 07:57 AM	#10
NobbyNobbs Illuminator Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: The Mended Drum Posts: 4,976	When someone says "Do it again", particularly when I'm doing card tricks, is shuffle the deck, have the pick a card....as if I'm doing it again. But, in reality, I do an entirely different trick, with a different effect. Usually, this gives them too much more to think about. On the occasion where, after this, they say, "No, do that first one.", I'll either answer, "I forget how to do it." or, quite simply, "No, thanks."
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16th June 2008, 03:41 PM	#11
Peter S. Magician Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Arlington, MA Posts: 847	For "do it again", I like "Once is entertaining, twice is educational. As for hecklers, be very careful. Many years ago I saw a magician at a showcase. He had a few hecklers and used some of the same heckler lines that I use, but there was something different about his delivery that wasn't quite right. Instead getting a laugh and turning the audience against the heckler, he turned the whole audience against him. It was a real eye opener for me. Make sure when you use heckler lines you say them with a smile and do not look annoyed. My favorite heckler line was one I saw Lenny Clarke use, (he could get away with it, but I don't think I could). He said to a drunken woman heckler, "Do I come over to your place when you are working and knock the **** out of your mouth?"
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