Want to perform the same tricks as those big-name magicians on television? Seemingly all you have to do is pull out your credit card. Heck, if the tricks were good enough for Criss Angel and David Blaine to perform on TV, just imagine the impact that these same effects will have on your friends. But in the end, a celebrity's endorsement is more likely an efficient way to separate you from your money and provide effects that you don’t need or won’t use.
Last season, my jaw dropped when I watched Criss Angel: MINDFREAK. While said jaw-dropping sometimes occurred because of Angel’s magic, I was most shocked when in one episode, he announced before a trick that he was going to sell it on an upcoming DVD.
The Blaine Factor
And more recently, to strike while the iron was red hot, David Blaine’s consultant, Paul Harris, announced a line of tricks that were or associated with Blaine’s recent “Drowning Alive” special. It seems that anyone with a credit card can perform the very same tricks that the stars are presenting on their shows (operators are waiting...).
Of course, celebrities have long been used to sell products. In modern times, celebrities and endorsements have sold tons of products, whether it was cars, cologne, motor oil, makeup and just about anything else. But this is the first time that I’ve seen well known magicians hawking their secrets to the public. And I think that magic deserves more consideration and respect.
Entertainment, Not Secrets
Magic is all about entertaining and creating wonder and awe in our lay spectators. We want our audiences to not only enjoy our presentations, but talk about our effects long after we’ve performed them. Often times, the fun for spectators lies in speculating how something was accomplished-a reason why magicians are so successful at “breaking the ice” at parties. But when a spectator finds out that they can learn a trick and secret by simply purchasing it, the mystique disappears in a flash.
Even more damaging, letting the lay public know that an amazing effect can be purchased cheapens the image of magic in their minds. Now, instead of thinking of magicians as artists who study magic for years and constantly practice and hone their art, we become untalented geeks who purchase tricks from magic stores to fool our audiences.
To lay spectators, it seems that magic becomes all about the secrets and tricks and not the skill and performance art. It’s not all that long ago that the Masked Magician depicted all magicians as sneaky guys who thought that they were smarter than everyone else and were simply trying to con the public.
Performing the Trick Again
Another consideration when buying a well known celebrity effect is the deja vu/repeating-the-trick factor. There’s a certain cache in being able to say that you’re performing a trick that so and so did on television.
On the other hand, if a trick has been broadcast on national TV, lots of people have already seen it and many know the end effect. You’ll be at a disadvantage when performing the trick. Also, you won’t be able to use the limits of a camera’s view or stooges to cover your angles and such, as television magicians do.
