Would you be more inclined to watch a male or female

[ChickMagic]

magician? And by that, I don't mean dove bowls, but real, gritty
street magic kind of stuff. What's your preference and why? I
have a personal stake in this. If you don't like illlusions at
all, that's perfectly fine.

[MrCoffee]

1. Sparkly outfits are better in bikini form.

But, as long as the magician knows their stuff, I don't care either way. Ricky Jay is the shiz-nits as far as illusionists go (IMHO), but he's a bit rough on the eyes.

[ChickMagic]

2. Ah, I see what you mean.

I guess my male assistant will have to wear a bikini. :P
I haven't seen many women doing street magic, so I'm
curious.

[MrCoffee]

3. go for it. street magic is cool. unless you're david blaine...

which i don't get. he's got some cool tricks.

[ChickMagic]

4. I admire his ability, for the most part

but he's offputting. Pretty soon, I'll pretty much have
him bettered, I think. But it's stuff traditionally
done by men - gory, penetrating fists through guts, that
kind of thing. That's the exception rather than the rule.
I think I'm slightly more likable than Blaine.

[MrCoffee]

6. Fists through guts? Huh?

I have no idea what you mean. I've never seen a trick like that. Must be my sheltered upbringing.

[ChickMagic]

7. It's called "Gutbuster"

and you reach through a confederate and show that you've gone
completely through their body. It's an awesome effect. But,
it's aggressive.

[MrCoffee]

9. If you can pull off the gutbuster, then more power to you.

That would be really cool to see.

[ChickMagic]

10. I'll find out this weekend.

It is REALLY cool. Maybe because what I do is so aggressive,
it seems funny coming from a female. How does that strike you?

[MrCoffee]

15. I think it might make for a bigger shock factor...

which would probably increase the impact (no pun intended) of the performance. tape it and post it online. I wanna see!!!!

[Kickoutthejams23]

5. Penn and Teller are my favorites

but for entertainers in general I prefer an attractive female.

[ChickMagic]

8. I like them too

We've had dinner with them on a couple of occasions.
Teller, in particular, has some of the most elegant
illusions I've ever seen.

Is just female close enough? I don't know whether
I register on the attractive meter. Derby thinks
so, but I guess I should defer to his sense.

[Kickoutthejams23]

16. Yeah they are great.

had a chance to break bread with them a few times in the early nineties when they were still doing the NJ,NY,CT circuit. Next time you eat with them make sure to bring a hidden bag of parsley. :popcorn:

[ChickMagic]

21. You nut.

:rofl:

[trof]

11. Absolutely no preference

I enjoy seeing a good magic act no matter what the genderal persuasion.
:-)

[buddhamama]

12. either gender is fine with me

the personalty of the performer is key, imo.

David Blaine is the exception, because he's a hottie.

[ChickMagic]

22. Really? You like Blaine?

I think that's the first time I've ever heard that.
I agree with you though. Personality means a lot.

[Nicole]

13. Female just for the novelty factor

I've never seen a female magician. Male magicians are a dime a dozen.

[ChickMagic]

23. That's true

I've seen female magicians, but they all have that showgirl
quality that I avoid like the plague. I'm pretty much like
Blaine or any host of street magicians, except I have a
ponytail and a higher voice.

[Rude Horner]

14. I like Criss Angel

I love the street magic stuff. MUCH more than the traditional magician in a tux, assistant in sparkly bikini type stuff.

[ChickMagic]

24. I like it too

My magic is pretty aggressive, so that style appeals to me
tremendously.

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. It's funny, but as I think about this, I realize that I could not

take a woman magician seriously, at least upon initial reaction.

Of course, I know intellectually there is no difference, and that any prejudice is asinine and illogical. But when I think of watching a female magician, I discover that my mind's first reaction is "Well, maybe as a warmup show or something, but not as the main show."

Hmmmm.... how odd.

Must meditate on this.

[ChickMagic]

25. This is exactly what I wanted to know

I believe this is a very common reaction, but nobody will admit to it.
I hope I can change that. I don't use the sexy/showgirl vibe at all and
that in itself is different from most female magicians.

I've also learned that the more I can let men think they are directing
the illusion, or that they are actually responsible for it, the better.
I find that odd, but I can work with it.

[petronius]

18. I wouldn't have a preference, with one caveat:

It seems that very often when women perform something that is more commonly done by men there is an attempt to add a sexy/erotic element. I think I would be very disturbed by a super-sexy 'fist through gut'...

[MrCoffee]

20. You *think* that might be disturbing??? LOL

that's too funny.

[ChickMagic]

26. Um, yeah, okay.

I don't in any way put off a sexy vibe. Nuh uh. Aggressive
magic is no place for that in my opinion.

[nosillies]

19. The illusion matters most to me

I saw a guy at the Magic Castle once who I really enjoyed. But I remember thinking, this would be so cool done by a female. I think because it was very up-close, intimate, and he was soft-spoken. He did card tricks.

[ChickMagic]

27. That's my very favorite thing

James Randi and I were sitting together at dinner one night
and sure. I knew how he was doing table magic, but I'm like
a little kid. I absolutely love that stuff. The closer, the
more subtle the better.

I hope I can go to Magic Castle before I die.

[nosillies]

32. I try to go whenever I'm in L.A.

It's an amazing experience.

[ChickMagic]

33. Are you a member?

I've got a non-resident application I haven't filled out yet.
I've also got a standing offer to visit from a producer friend.
I just need to get to LA. :)

[nosillies]

34. No, I can hardly tie my own shoelaces,

let alone be a prestidigitator! I'm slow, too. I'd suck. Just a major magic fan! But I have my sneaky ways of getting passes. Fill out your application and get there!

[seemunkee]

28. I think it would be great

A real differentiator for you. Comedy or straight?

[ChickMagic]

29. Mostly straight

I like the aggressive intensity of straight street magic.
I always tell people that the whole sugar and spice
thing escaped me. I hope it's great.

I just put a signed quarter through a soda can out of
a vending machine for my coworker. He's baffled but
his ego will not allow him to act like he's seen a
miracle. He did say, as I was leaving, "You've become
a pro."

[seemunkee]

30. I think it will really screw with some men's minds

Their ego's won't allow them to admit having been fooled by a woman.

I used to go to the World Magic Summit conventions when they were in DC. Loved getting blown away by the pros. One of the funniest things I have ever seen was a video they did as a spoof of Blaine's street magic. David Williamson did a video called Road Magic were he went around DC doing hilarious stuff in town and showed it at the dinner that night.

[ChickMagic]

31. That's really funny

I'd love to see that! To this day, I absolutely love watching the pros.
I have the same feeling of wonder I did as a kid.

With men I often have to let them think they are responsible for the
outcome. I have one trick I call Human Divining Rod. It's a card trick
with ribbons/reverse ribbons and the whole time I'm telling them that
they are performing this, not me. No matter what I've done before, that's
the one where they start bringing their friends around.

[gmoney]

35. This thread must include this video...

http://www.unlienparjour.com/

Note: not safe for work, but pretty tame...