Entertainment...

[William Draven]

I was reading a MuM magazine today and saw something I thought I'd share with everyone.

MuM incase you didn't know or aren't familiar with the publication is the Society of American Magicians magazine.

There was a couple of quotes that caught my eye. They were:

"Only magicians care about secrets. Everybody else just wants to be entertained." - Regina Reynolds

The other quote was from Albert Einstein who said: "Mankind's greatest problem is a perfection of means and a confusion of ends."

Isn't that just the problem we face in magic? We convoluted ourselves with intricate methods, knuckle busting sleights, and needless politics when at the end of the day all our audience wants is a good show, a happy memory and a positive experience.

Where did we miss the ship on this concept?

[mikkparg]

Originally Posted by William Draven

I was reading a MuM magazine today and saw something I thought I'd share with everyone.

MuM incase you didn't know or aren't familiar with the publication is the Society of American Magicians magazine.

There was a couple of quotes that caught my eye. They were:

"Only magicians care about secrets. Everybody else just wants to be entertained." - Regina Reynolds

The other quote was from Albert Einstein who said: "Mankind's greatest problem is a perfection of means and a confusion of ends."

Isn't that just the problem we face in magic? We convoluted ourselves with intricate methods, knuckle busting sleights, and needless politics when at the end of the day all our audience wants is a good show, a happy memory and a positive experience.

Where did we miss the ship on this concept?

Excellent!

You know i think its happening due to the "new age". Which began in the last century or so. When people really wanted to break out of texture and begin making new concepts. To this day everyone wants to make something new and apparently be unique. This has lead to people to making new ways of achieving an effect. But due to the rain of the same type of effects people wanted to make theirs new, fresh and with that had to make new ways to accomplish it thus bringing different sleights of different calibers out.

Also the kind of distancing from the theater and bringing magic to every household idea has a lot to do with it.
In the 1900's people literally had to leave their home to see magic, it was a big event to see it. Now we can watch it from our computers and taking a simple walk in the city will get you a magician.

The important thing tho is to be smarter and use this knowledge. If you can entertain then you are better than any other magician who has a ton of sleights. I can have a warehouse full of effects, that does not mean im the best magician.

M.

[Alex Hess]

Originally Posted by William Draven

There was a couple of quotes that caught my eye. They were:

"Only magicians care about secrets. Everybody else just wants to be entertained." - Regina Reynolds

The other quote was from Albert Einstein who said: "Mankind's greatest problem is a perfection of means and a confusion of ends."

Good choices for a good topic.

I think this runs parallel to your threads in the Academy you posted. Magic is an art, and act of entertainment for an audience. The person is the magician, not the cards, not the stage, not the tricks.