Culture

Cheap Trick: Most Magicians Are Lazy Hacks

Abracadabra!

There’s nothing wrong with recycling the tried-and-testeds of magic. Most magicians do. But it’s time to shock and delight audiences anew.

articles/2014/08/19/cheap-trick-most-magicians-are-lazy-hacks/140818-lax-magician-tease_jamslk
Everett

Ninety percent of magicians perform other magicians’ material. They don’t just take the tricks; they take the whole routines—the lines, the timing, the movement. Sometimes they steal proprietary illusions like Losander’s Floating Table or Piff the Magic Dragon’s Fireball Sneeze (which isn’t OK), but usually they just perform the classics....

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