There are things in magic we love and hate.
If there is one thing we cannot stand, it is trite or cliché opening sentences to rambling essays about personal likes or dislikes by someone hiding behind an artificially inflated pronoun choice.
But that is just us.
Other things that bother us include the following:
- Older magicians telling younger magicians that they have no future in the business.
- Younger magicians refusing to listen to older magicians when they are telling them how it is.
- The meaningless objectification of women as mere props for male mutilation fantasies poorly set forth as some sort of “illusion set.”
- Magicians explicitly or implicitly demeaning their assistants or any audience member.
- All one-trick DVDs – even if the DVD is free. Write it down, make a photocopy of what you wrote and wrap it around the trick, bundled with a DVD if you must. We won’t watch the DVD unless it is absolutely necessary to do so – perhaps because we are reviewing the trick as sold. If you cannot write the trick, chances are you cannot teach it on a DVD or at least teach it in a cogent, organized way.
- Theft of another magician’s bit, trick, flourish or act. Sure, if we could do all the moves and flourishes necessary to duplicate Lance Burton or Dai Vernon’s best routines, we wouldn’t.
- Mentalists who claim they have real supernatural powers.
- Jugglers who claim they do not, that it all comes from practice and skill.
- Magicians who perform whilst attending another magician’s show. If you’re not on the bill, keep you tricks in your pockets.
- Balloon sculptors who use pre-inflated balloons.
- Anyone who still uses the line “This silk is imported, I got it from a broad.” It is the modern era – we can call them by their proper name, handkerchiefs or pocket squares Continue reading “Our Award Winning List of Magic Loves and Loathes”
