What are your thoughts on the masked magician?

[MrLukeCarroll]

Simply what the title of the topic asks. There has been  a lot of discussion since this show premiered, especially with its recent revival. So what are your thoughts? Good or bad?


As Lance Burton says - "I Don't mind I've learnt a lot of new tricks", but in all seriousness, the show can be quite comedic when you know how illusions work and the way you are showed on the TV is such a difficult method that it would never work on stage (Due to reliability), and that the real method is nothing like the one shown on the show

[Kanped]

I think it's all a bit of fun and he's only revealing the really old stuff, anyway.  Most of the successful modern magicians have moved past those routines and it doesn't affect anyone who's just starting out much because the focus is primarily on stage illusions.

Personally, I like that he's putting a little bit of pressure on magicians to be more creative and at the same time, does drum up a lot of interest in the art.  It's pretty much a good thing, I think.

[Don Boyer]

There hasn't been a "Masked Magician" special on TV here in what, a decade?  More?

The tricks he revealed were old-school, and largely stage magic, if I recall.  Street magic didn't even exist as a category until after his last special aired here - he's pre-Blaine!

All that a reveal show like that does is raise the bar a little higher.  Magicians have been doing that with each other since the early days of stage magic.  Probably even longer, if you count "wizards" and "shamen".

Just how old are the shows you're talking about, anyway?  Maybe they're something that didn't air here in the States.

[MrLukeCarroll]

I think it's all a bit of fun and he's only revealing the really old stuff, anyway.  Most of the successful modern magicians have moved past those routines and it doesn't affect anyone who's just starting out much because the focus is primarily on stage illusions.

Personally, I like that he's putting a little bit of pressure on magicians to be more creative and at the same time, does drum up a lot of interest in the art.  It's pretty much a good thing, I think.

Yeah if you watch the last of the "specials" with Val talking about why he did it, this is the sort of thing he says, and I do tend to agree with him, good for the future of magic but not necessarily the present of when it was first aired.

There hasn't been a "Masked Magician" special on TV here in what, a decade?  More?

The tricks he revealed were old-school, and largely stage magic, if I recall.  Street magic didn't even exist as a category until after his last special aired here - he's pre-Blaine!

All that a reveal show like that does is raise the bar a little higher.  Magicians have been doing that with each other since the early days of stage magic.  Probably even longer, if you count "wizards" and "shamen".

Just how old are the shows you're talking about, anyway?  Maybe they're something that didn't air here in the States.

The show has the original 4 specials with val and the 1 special with the other un-named magician, the show then saw a revival complete series (13 episodes) in 08/09. The new series is the one still currently airing here in Australia as re-runs. The new series seems to have been broadcast on MyNetworkTV in the US, compared to the original specials airing on Fox.

[Don Boyer]

No wonder - MyNetworkTV barely even qualifies as a network here!  It appears to be made of the remnants of the dissolved UPN network, a collaboration between Universal and Paramount known largely for "Star Trek: Voyager" and little else worth remembering.  When that series ended, the network died shortly thereafter.  Since UPN was a pale shadow of a network, MyNetworkTV is a pale shadow of a pale shadow of a network - many basic cable TV channels rate higher than that network, and it's not even available nationwide.  I honestly can't remember EVER watching a single show on that new network since it's creation, and anyone writing about network TV generally counts only the big four - in order of creation: NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox.

It sounds like you're watching something new that hasn't really penetrated the US market at all.  But the same comments apply, I guess - it simply raises the bar for magicians performing those tricks.

[trasher]

here is a funny video of the masked magician messing up a card trick on a morning show.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v0wgEZoW2c

[moonexe]

Both the magician and the woman are wrong there.
He forgot a step in his explanations, and she didn't follow them correctly. If she had followed them exactly, all 4 aces would have been at the bottom of the last pile, but one of them was on the top of the first one.

Still, this guy managed to mess up a self-working trick.

[Don Boyer]

At least he worked out a nearly-passable recovery strategy.  But still, bad, bad, bad...  First rule of magic - practice the trick until you have it down COLD.  You want to expose magic, it helps to KNOW it first! 

[MrLukeCarroll]

No wonder - MyNetworkTV barely even qualifies as a network here!  It appears to be made of the remnants of the dissolved UPN network, a collaboration between Universal and Paramount known largely for "Star Trek: Voyager" and little else worth remembering.  When that series ended, the network died shortly thereafter.  Since UPN was a pale shadow of a network, MyNetworkTV is a pale shadow of a pale shadow of a network - many basic cable TV channels rate higher than that network, and it's not even available nationwide.  I honestly can't remember EVER watching a single show on that new network since it's creation, and anyone writing about network TV generally counts only the big four - in order of creation: NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox.

It sounds like you're watching something new that hasn't really penetrated the US market at all.  But the same comments apply, I guess - it simply raises the bar for magicians performing those tricks.

Ahhk well that makes more sense to me as why I'd never heard of it even on my trips over to the states. It makes it intereting though that it was on a major network here in Australia in a prime time slot when first screened, yet pushed right to the back in the States.

At least he worked out a nearly-passable recovery strategy.  But still, bad, bad, bad...  First rule of magic - practice the trick until you have it down COLD.  You want to expose magic, it helps to KNOW it first! 

Him and his assistants always had this sort of problem in the show, messing up tricks when showing them to the audience. The problem in the show comes from the fact that they would learn and film 5+ illusions in one day, any good magician knows learning 1 illusion in a month is an amazing achievement, shows you how little they care about the quality, but if he even fails this type of trick I just have to shake my head in disbelief

[Lara Krystle "Lane"]

I have no problems with the masked magician. I know a lot of people here where I'm from , specially some of those really cocky magicians who think that they are better than everyone, really hate the masked magician because they are claiming that it is a disgrace to be revealing tricks weather old or new. **sigh**

I agree with what most of ya'll say that the masked magician, in a way, raises the bar higher for other magicians (specially stage) to develop something new.

[Don Boyer]

I have no problems with the masked magician. I know a lot of people here where I'm from , specially some of those really cocky magicians who think that they are better than everyone, really hate the masked magician because they are claiming that it is a disgrace to be revealing tricks weather old or new. **sigh**

I agree with what most of ya'll say that the masked magician, in a way, raises the bar higher for other magicians (specially stage) to develop something new.

I can't say I had much respect for him before, but after seeing that video where he screwed up a trick live on TV, wow...  If you're going to expose magicians, it helps to BE a magician first!    I wouldn't hire him for a kid's birthday party, never mind a series of TV specials and shows!