Many ask me about the masked magician....
"Gee...doesn't it make you mad that he revealed all that stuff?"
My reply: ...well, not really.
Why? you ask.
Many magicians feel threatened by the "secret" being found out. My own opinion is that those that feel that way only consider the "secret" as being the crux of the entertainment value. I am of the belief that the entertainment of the trick comes not from the secret , but instead, from the performance itself.
Tricks and secrets will long be forgotten...but the performers (the truly good ones) are here to be remembered throughout time. How many effects can you name that Houdini performed (other than the water torture cell that so many believe he died from)....? Does it matter that you know he picked locks by hiding different picks in his mouth? Of course not.
Don't get me wrong. The mystery of the trick or effect is very important. It is what causes jaws to drop and creates gasps of surprise. But the true "magic" is not the secret.....it's the performer.
