Suspension of Disbelief

Dovetailing off of the last blog, I have found a conflict among magicians. After viewing a trick, spectators often ask, how'd you do it?

Some magicians say something along the lines of "magic" or "very well", etc. I understand the "Don't reveal how it's done" philosophy. But Penn and Teller have a different philosophy.

Are you sitting down? There is no such thing as magic. Magicians are regular joes who know a few cool tricks.

Now that the line is drawn in the sand, we can focus on entertaining you. I am still advocating doing magic with everyday objects. But under the guise of "magic" most people will watch a trick, knowing that what they are seeing is a trick. It might be a great trick, but it's still a trick.

To convince people otherwise is insulting. In the age of Harry Potter, if what you are doing is REAL magic, why does it involve cards and spongeballs? In the realm of anything is possible, the performer settled for changing the color of a scarf?

My point is, more magicians need to accept that it is a trick, and focus on the entertainment aspect.

Lesson: Magicians are among all walks of life, they just know a few cool tricks.