"I acquired this while exploring an abandoned cathedral in rural Germany."
"I got these coins from my great uncle Les."
"I found this in a haunted house down the block from where I grew up."
"I learned this after the gypsy curse took hold."
No you didn't.
If there's one thing that makes my blood boil, it's the stupid excuses magicians dress their effects up in. We all need to motivate our effects, obviously, but my disbelief can only be suspended so much. Hearing ridiculous crap like that takes me out of the experience so fast it creates a sonic boom.
I have a theory that this is a call back to the golden age of magic near the turn of the century. The Mystery of the Sphinx! The Chinese Linking Rings! The Princess from the Temple of Love in India! All worked fine for their time, but these days the ease of world travel and global communication just makes it sound ridiculous.
As for the heirloom plot, let's be honest: that one is trite and played out at this point. These folksy, homespun stories had their time, but today they sound like a Family Circus comic took a crap. It just adds to the stereotype of magicians as a bunch of cheesy losers who specialize in bad puns.
So what's the answer? As I've said before, stop calling so much attention to your props. Stop explaining things to us. Just let everything be smooth, natural, and most importantly incidental.
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Its wonderful advice for a regular magician. But for the bizarre performers our props tend call attention to themselves, not to mention that a great many bizarre routines are centered around a prop and it's story. I'd go so far as to say that any haunted key or similar effect is prop driven. Without a story surrounding the key you do not have an effect.
ReplyDeleteIf you're just doing sponge balls or card tricks theres no need to say much. But if you're doing a spirit bell, hauntique, or you happen to have these dyed bone rings then you need to speak on them and answer your audience's questions before they're asked. Your answers need to be strong and fit well with the character that you have presented to your spectators.