I spend a lot of time performing close-up magic at events and as a result, a lot of time talking to a lot of different people.
And as much as I love doing it, there’s a handful of questions and phrases that crop up at every event. Without fail. Ever. And always.
I’ve put together a list of my 5 most common to give you a bit of an insight into the day to day performing of a professional magician,
Can you make my _________ disappear?
My wife, my mother-in-law, my bill, my belly; you name it, i’ve heard it! Even Greg James from BBC Radio 1 agrees that this joke is old hat!
What are next week’s lottery numbers?
Easy, they’re 4, 12, 18, 21, 24 and the bonus ball is 41…
I’m joking! If I could really predict the lottery numbers, do you think I’d be performing card tricks?! I’m a very accomplished magician but I’m not a real life miracle worker!
You should be on TV!
“You should be on BGT!” This is a lovely compliment and in fact, I often get approached by the likes of bgt to enter. However, for a number of reasons, it’s not for me at the moment and so I always politely decline. TV often isn’t the “goal” for many performers. I much prefer performing on stage in front of a live audience than on video or on TV!
I’ve seen this trick before….
For some reason, as soon as a magician pulls out a deck of cards, there’s always some smart-Alec who pipes up with this phrase. Chances are; they haven’t! There are literally thousands of card tricks and although many of them stat the same way : with someone picking a card; they almost all finish in different ways. So trust me when I say; you haven’t seen this trick before!
How did you do that?!
This is the one question I LOVE hearing! It means that I’ve done my job properly and you’re all amazed!
However, try not to think of it as a trick or a puzzle and think of it just as more of an amazing moment. This way, you get to keep the magic rather than ruin it for yourself!