I spent some time as a magician when I was younger. I really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun making people laugh. I always was amazed at there inability to see what I was actually doing. I used to do a lot of childrens nursing homes. It was great fun and very satisfying to put smiles on the faces of these children. I also did a few nursing homes for the elderly. It was very much the same experience. I wanted to make it my career but I had to give it up. There was one trick I could never learn, how to make food appear on the table.
Magician I’d rather watch than any other: David Blaine. Wow. (I don’t mean his dumb stunts like staying inside a cake of ice for a long time - I mean his on-the-street card tricks.)
Wow, that’s a bit harsh, no? I mean, I’m not particularly a fan, but the “devil?” If that’s proven, then does also prove there is a god?-
Oh, wait, wrong thread. Sorry.
I have a good friend who’s very good at magic. He showd me how various tricks worked and I got to the stage where I could figure out roughly how the next trick worked, even if I was a bit vague on specifics. I think it would take a lot of practice to get very good at it.
Crucial to a lot of card tricks is distracting the audiences attention at just the right time and in just the right way. But once you know that you can train yourself not to be distracted. Street hustlers have to work in full knowledge that someone might come along as good at the game as they are. So not only do they have to be very good at the tricks and have a lot of subtle variations available; they also have to assess the punters very quickly and know when and how to extricate themselves from a potentially tricky situation.
I had a friend who was absolutely astounding with a deck of cards. My favorite was when he’d make an entire deck disappear, and then come pouring out of his mouth, like a waterfall. Even standing just a few feet from him, I couldn’t spot the trick. He moved back to Las Vegas many years ago.
Just received “Hamster?” today. Realistic and excellently made. About twice as big as Golden Hamster, but smaller than Cavy. I’d say the look is the offspring between a hamster and a cavy, and it’s got a long tail like that of a gerbil. This would definitly be my favourite; it’s much portable than a Magical Pet.