Does My Bum Look Big In This..?

There are very few completely unique tricks that magicians perform. At the very least they will almost certainly have used a sleight - a practised move - that other magician’s already know. Then of course you have tricks that have been passed down through the ages. Magical perennials that we all love performing. But then there also are tricks that are completely pre-prepared. I don’t just mean that the special items or the method - the way the tricks works - isn’t original. I mean that the entire routine isn’t. From the moves to the script, everything you might see has been created and then sold to the magician performing it. These ‘ready made’ tricks make up a huge amount of the magic performed by people.

But what matters is that that shouldn’t mean anything to you, the punter. A trick doesn't have to be original and unique to be powerful and enjoyable. In fact, a well scripted, well worked in illusion is probably going to be a lot of fun for you as the spectator. The real trick that many magicians fail at is picking the right ones.

Think of it as assembling an outfit for a night out. You can’t just go into a shop and pick the five most popular items of clothing. You’ll end up looking like an idiot. It’s the same with off the peg tricks. A magician needs to take into account a lot of things. But the one I’m going to focus on is this: What suits you?

I’ve often been asked by people trying on clothes ‘does this suit me’. My usual response is to look a bit awkward and then reply honestly. (Which at times may not do me any favours.) Still, at least they ask. When we’re going out we try to put together the correct ensemble. Clothing and accessories should work together and, just as importantly, suit the person wearing them. We should think of magic tricks the same way, and yet no magician has ever asked me ‘does this suit me’ after they’ve performed something. Instead I’m asked ‘do you like this?’ or ‘what do you think of this trick?’

As a magician, if I am going to use something ‘off the peg’, it’s vital that it suits me. To make it work, at times it might be something as simple as changing the script, other times a change of handling, but a lot of the time it’s better to not do the trick it all, no matter how much I might like it. There are tricks that I love that I rarely - if ever - perform, simply because they don’t ‘fit’ with who I am.

As an example, when I perform I do tease my audience members. I get away with this because my tricks go wrong or, when they do succeed, it’s often thanks to a volunteer. They make the magic happen. Because I make myself vulnerable with my effects, the audience are more forgiving of my cheekiness. However, if I try to do a trick where I’m put in a position of power - for example the three card monty - it messes up my character. Suddenly I’m no longer a cheeky chappie, I’m an arrogant idiot picking on people. Though choosing the right magic to perform affects all choices, it’s the off the peg tricks where it’s easiest to go wrong. As it’s completely ready to go, a magician can be less likely to put the extra work in, and it can show.

When I watch performers one thing I notice is a lack of a sense of identity; a lack of their own voice. Without being able to put a finger on it, it’s this contrast between a performer who knows who they are and who chooses their tricks accordingly and one who doesn’t that can separate a good magician from a bad one in the minds of an audience. I am by no means perfect, but it’s something I try to remember when creating an act.