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riki
Magician
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Posted: 03-31-2009 07:38 |
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Thats my trick(sleight)
There are so many people out in the magic field claiming to be the owner of a trick or sleight. Can they all be right? Or are they stealing?
Card tricks are by far the most popular when it comes to the world of magic. For several reasons. For one, you can carry them in your pocket and perform a trick on demand. Most places you visit usually have a deck of cards laying about (hey I've done some with an old maid deck), and they have a gentle learning curve. Almost all aspects of a card trick from simple, to very complex, can be made to amaze - with a little acting of course.
In an ideal world where magicians guard their magic, and only pass down secrets to their apprentice who then become a master and continues the chain, everyone would have a pretty good idea where the origins arise. Or do they?
Two aspect of magic that is inescapable is greed and arrogance. It is an infectious disease in the world, and the realm of magic is no exception. Somewhere along the way, magicians (very powerful ones) found that while they can make money doing "shows" for the masses, they could also make even more money SELLING THE SECRET. Thus breaking the golden rule of "Never tell". For some reason they believe that the SALE overrides this rule. But therein lies another problem. Because it is "their" secret (so they think, see below), they can do with it what they wish. That they have the RIGHT to sell the secret. Without a care in the world that now the secret has been made available to ANYONE, magician or otherwise. David Garcia Created (supposedly, I say supposedly because of how cheap he sells it) a phenomenal illusion with a card. The ability to take solid mater and restore it WITHOUT cover. Right in front of a spectators eyes. signed even. Just left me speechless. Truly magical!!! Now anyone can learn it on youtube in less than five minutes!!! Why, because Garcia insulted the magicians code by selling a beautiful creation for a lousy thirty three dollars and fifty cents!!! Something any 12yr old with an allowance can buy. Is he the only one? No! All magicians that sell their secrets are a danger to me. Permission was never granted to sell the secrets. Magic secrets should NEVER be sold. Its the prostitution of all magic. It can only be surmise that he and other magicians that sell their magic cheap, lack the confidence that they can make money performing it. for some reason, the forgot that it is the SECRET itself that magic ANY trick magical in the eyes of a spectator. And once that secret is out, it is no longer a piece of wonderful magic, but a cheap trick. And now they feel cheated and insulted - they've been fooled! NOT entertained.
But now we are in the crossfire of arrogance and "creator". A bigger problem arises when a magician believes that they are the sole creator of a sleight(illusion etc..). Lets take the double lift(DL) for example. Most magicians (and wikipedia LOL) know, that is a popular way to perform a certain effect. Its pretty much the only way in millions of tricks. With this in mind, regardless to race, and location (where on the planet you are from), are we to assume that one person from the 14th century is solely responsible for the creation of the DL? Ya right. All sleights that are "recorded" in one form or another, are the ones that we remember. What about the countless people that are not in the public eye? What about those that just "fiddle" with cards? If a trick is created that needs 2 cards from the center of a small packet of cards - guess what BJ, someone is gonna figure a way to do it (such was my case in 1974 - 1976 tinkering with a weird color change, I didn't want people to think I used the bottom card nor the top card. It wasn't until almost 20 years later I saw a film clip of Brother John, but at the time I did not know how he did what he did. He sells his secrets too, and it was then I saw that it was similar to what I did. The handling was different, but the mechanics were the same as was the end results. There were many sleights I had already known over the years before I became and adult and saw what others were selling)
This actually pissed me off. Took me a frickin long time to figure sleights out, only to come across someone who wants to make a quick buck and selling the secret!!! Why?? How can someone stake claim to any type of magic sleight (routines and XCM excluded) knowing that there are millions upon millions of people out there that either do this as a hobby or professionally that may have found a way to do the same sleight the same or differently and the so called "owner"? The secrets to magic were NEVER made to be marketed. And if that is an option (I don't see how), then price it accordingly. If you can make a card change right in front of someones eyes without cover - hell $500 bucks or more. With a price like that, its doubtful the person paying will let that secret out. All secrets are sacred. How many of you performed once or twice and some kid goes ".. I know how you did that. you just bla bla bla ..." kinda sickening huh? Thats what happens when tricks are sold cheap!!
Are those of you who are reading this, are to accept that if you are put in a room by yourself, and had to come up with three new routines - that you are not skilled enough, creative enough to make your own sleights? And do you think that when you are done, that it is possible that someone on the outside has a slieght similar to yours? Food for thought huh?
Here is a story (rough) to emphasize the message:
A farmer tinkering with cards one day found a way to make one card change into another - by using the widget turn-over(wto). He got so good that at the weekly poker game he would perform it for his friends. But being a farmer he never got famous or well known for doing the wto, and as far as everyone was concerned, farmer Brown was just a good ole' farmer,friend and neighbor that had a knack with cards.
somewhere across the world another person found a way to change a card into another, and he decided to label it after himself - "the johnny move" (tjm). He decided to improve his impromptu routines and got very popular at all the local bars and hotels. He even joined a few magicians clubs. Many people were so impressed with what he could do that they told him he should market it. He does.
this goes on for sometime and farmer brown see the young man on a talent show somewhere. Performing the same move and blurts out - "HEY!! that's my move!!!".
As you can see, this story can expand to different continents, and different people of all races. No people meeting but finding that "special" way to make something happen magical. There are many sleights that, to be accomplished, require one type of mechanical move to make it work. And because of this, many people who study card magic WILL FIND THIS METHOD.
So the question comes to, do you give credit to the person smart enough to market it, or do you say, "...oh you figured that out too". I believe only the arrogant believe that ONLY they can come up with a sleight across this planet. another example of this on a more simpler level - a very popular 25 year old magician comes up with a new sleight and a 55 year old comes along and does it well, as he says he's done that move for years. Why would the 25 year old stake claim to it as a sole creator? Because he marketed it? Magic is not about money or profit. But creativity and skill.
Now are there people out there who are blatantly plagiarizing? Of course. And are there truly those who have the ability to create sleights as well as the household name magicians? ABSOLUTELY. The only way to truly tell who gets credit - if indeed this needs to be an option, is it must first be established that the individual doing a "the" sleight has had no contact with another person doing the same sleight - either by video, books or any other medium. Is this possible to define by a standard? Probably not. so it is then left to old fashion honesty of "... here is a trick i learned from so and so, that i used a sleight that I learned from this guy..." because if they say ".. here is a trick I created", we have no other recourse other than to accept this as fact. That even though a popular magician might have marketed it, the john doe might have also figured it out on his own.Last edited on 03-31-2009 07:41 by riki
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TylerErickson
Wizard
| Joined: | 08-15-2004 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 801 |
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Offline
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Posted: 04-01-2009 07:43 |
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R,
I'm just curious what kind of response(s) you are looking for. This post reads more like venting than anything else, so I don't really know if you want someone to discuss this with you.
I agree that magic marketing is out of control and is having some negative effects on the world of magic, but I don't know if I am prepared to follow you all the way down that road, as per your examples.
Is there any particular instance or experience you are drawing from that would help clarify things for me?
Best,
T
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riki
Magician
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Posted: 04-02-2009 14:27 |
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Hi.
that was more of an attention getter. But in todays society, we look for the bad in people. But you're right. marketing is out of control- Magicians sell their effects TOO cheap which not only lessens the value of it, but in turn makes it available to the masses that either purchase it because of the "... how did they do that" mentality or those that just want to perform it them selves. This in turn gets in to the hands of ameratures (or children) who quickly run to youtube to post their greatest effect! (you can tell becaue they dont rehearse its one shot - foo bars and all)
- There is no way to prove otherwise that if a performer does a sleight (if it can even be caught) that it necessarily has to be credited to someone else. Why is it assumed that a sleight is credit to someone else and that the performer just didn't figure it out on his own? How many ways can you do a double lift? With the double lift, how many routines can you create with it? There is only one way to do the snap change (well I found 3 different versions, but the mechanics are still the same). Are you saying that only one person get credit for it, and all others who do not know the individual (I don't know who invented it, yes I can look it up but why - I've been doing that since I was 17 - - its not hard to figure out which is why there are so many variations on youtube ) STILL has to give him / her credit EVEN THOUGH they figured it out on their own?
Thats the two points. Stop selling effects so cheap. Show some pride. And that this mentality that one person is responsible for the discovery of a slieght is ludicrous. There has to be a standard that allows someone that ALSO figured out - say snapchange - to be able to announce that "..hey look what i can do" without fear of someone saying "... o thats so and so's trick"
No its not
ps:
snap change used above is just an example, double lifts, second double lift, top change the list is endless...
Riki
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