Probably the last on this theme for a while, but that doesn't mean forever.
An author named Michael Penkas wrote a story called "Coffee with Count Presto". It's probably hard to find because Penkas is a newish, mostly uncollected author. But anyway, it's about a man who receives an invitation to a private show with a magician named...well, you can guess. Presto is persona non grata among his colleagues because he's revealed his secrets. In fact, the other magicians track him to his coffee shop sit-down with the narrator and wreak terrible vengeance.
The story is funny and maybe a little creepy. But it's very much fiction. Magicians don't want some snot jumping in front of the stage and pointing out where they hide the rabbits, but in principle they're not bothered by you understanding how they do what they do.
This has become clearer to me recently as I've been reading Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday Deceptions by Stephen L. Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde. The book breaks down some common stage illusions and explains how they relate to our senses and perception. The short version is that in most cases, the "secrets of magic" come down to the limits of the human nervous system and the fact that you can't pay attention to absolutely everything.
As to why magicians―and a lot of them talk to the authors―don't mind their secrets being revealed, it's a matter of personal pride. They don't need or want to hide behind a cloak of mysticism. They're not court wizards. The thrill is in getting past the guard. They want you to understand the rules, to know that a trick is coming, and still be fooled.
2 comments:
Although there doesn't seem to be a copy of the story posted online I can see what you mean about a likely sad fate befalling Count Presto. The idea of somebody jumping up in front of an audience to describe how a trick was done is amusing yet horrible.
Sleights of Mind sounds fascinating but I wouldn't read it for the simple reason I prefer not knowing. We've watched a lot of closeup magic in particular these past few years and every so often we do catch the sleight but usually not. There are a number of internet videos showing how tricks are done as well as books of methods sold by magicians - all of which we avoid. Of course if I wanted to learn how to do magic tricks that would be a different story. Meanwhile, the delight is in being fooled by the grace and charm of the performance.
In time I might be able to provide a copy. It's somewhere around here. Children's magicians have kind of a challenge to begin with because the capacity to be surprised by magic is learned. You have to build up expectations before they can be broken. So in some cases not everyone will be on the same page.
I read the book more for insight into general principles than for secrets of how illusions work. The authors put spoiler warnings around the parts that do give away secrets, and those sections I tended to skim, at best, so as not to commit them to memory. Like if a magician is juggling three balls and they all disappear, I know he's hiding them, but that's obvious. I couldn't tell you where or how. But yes, style is everything for those performing magic.
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