Its a bright New World....

Annoying things, that annoy me, a lot. No really I am very annoyed:

The standard of effects that is coming out on DVD and downloads just amazes me. I think my problem is that I still cannot get used to the number of magicians out there who need to be spoon fed the simplest of ideas. So, unfortunately for my ulcer, there is a market for magic for morons out there. A really good case in point is a free video from Jay Sankey which essentially points out that, instead of a mismade bill you could essentially make a prop you can give out if you mismade some monopoly bills on your computer. This idea is greeted with rapture by several on the Cafe - Are they telling me that,as magicians, with their own computers and no social life, that they have never experimented themselves with a mismade bill type prop ! Of course its then pointless trying to get into the debate that says if they can make a mis-printed monopoloy note then so can most spectators - somewhat dulling the effect of the trick.

The fact that there is an audience for the most basic of ideas explains to me why there is so much tat sold, its sold because most magicians deserve everything they get. ( Another good example of this is evident if I ask you this question - ever tried to make your own fake coin for magic tricks ? - what did you use ? - chances are that your first step was obvious but then you scrapped the idea as being just not quite there in how real it looked. Like me therefore you may have been somewhat amazed by somebody flogging this idea recently as one of their products - amazing !)

And then the biggest annoyance is the so called pro's who advise that so and so piece of new tat is going into their set immediately. Well you know what, I have deliberately gone to restaurants and functions with walk araound magi in them over the last twelve months, and have not seen a sight of this new tat. Its all unfortunately very traditional and quite tired but still a million times better than the dross that is being churned out today for the insatiable appetites of idiots.

Rant over