Mailbag #100
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I really enjoyed [a review I gave in my last newsletter]. When I was reading it I realized you’re one of the only magic reviewers who I actually believe is giving his genuine opinion. And it made me wonder if you had any go-to magic reviewers these days? And who is your GOAT magic reviewer?—JA
For me, the GOAT magic reviewer has got to be Leigh Pendleton.
Wait… sorry… I got that confused.
Leigh Pendleton is not the GOAT magic reviewer. Leigh Pendleton is a reviewer of The Magical Goat.
When I was younger, growing up, flipping to the review section in MAGIC or Genii was one of the first things I did when I got the magazine. I loved getting informed opinions on new releases. This was especially valuable because without the internet, there was no easy way to see what a trick looked like. You needed the reviewers to know if it was even close to the product description.
For me, and probably for many, Michael Close is the Greatest Of All Time magic reviewer. (And I recommend you buy his 1300-page e-book of all his magic reviews for just $6.) David Regal is another favorite.
These days, there aren’t really any online magic reviewers who are a “must watch” for me. I usually just find a trick I like, get the general consensus about it on the Magic Café, and see if there are any third-party performances of it on YouTube (Craig Petty is often good for this as he tends to perform the things he reviews).
Here’s the thing, a lot of these people reviewing products on YouTube aren’t anyone I’ve ever heard of. I have no sense of who they are or what they bring to the table. That doesn’t mean their opinion is invalid. But if I want a bunch of nobodies opinions, I can scan the Café for that in a fraction of the time.
On top of that, a lot of YouTube reviewers seem to be courting free products (leading to abnormally positive reviews) or they’re looking for more viewers (often leading to needless controversy).
I think the truth about magic products is that 10% are undeniably great, 10% are undeniably shit, and 80% are anywhere from bad to good depending on the performer’s abilities, performing environment, and goals. That’s the reason my review newsletter went from standard reviews of new releases to just talking about whatever tricks I’ve been getting the most out of the previous month. This way, I’m not forced to write about something I have no thoughts or opinions about.
I’m putting together some spooky magic for the halloween season and wanted to know if you have a version of the haunted key that you would recommend. —IL
I do not have a haunted key I would recommend.
In fact, I have bad news for anyone who is a fan of the haunted key…
A cylindrical object rolling on your hand is not a magic trick.
A cylindrical object rolling on a table might be a magic trick.
A cuboid object rolling on your hand might be a magic trick.
A cylindrical object rolling on your hand is not a magic trick. Because it’s cylindrical… and because it’s your hand.
“Yes, but the hand doesn’t seem to move.”
Okay, give your friend a pen, have them place it on their palm and see how little they have to move to make it roll, and report back to me.
How did they respond? We’re they like, “Oh fuck no! Help! There’s a ghost in this pen!!!”
I understand that the Haunted Key—in context—can be a somewhat spooky looking visual. But I don’t consider it a magic trick. I don’t consider it a magic trick because no matter how slow it rolls, or how invisible your movements are, people will come to the conclusion that it’s slowly rolling along on your palm.
If they don’t come to this conclusion, they’re actually not smart enough to be fooled by a magic trick. To be fooled, you have to have the capacity of some level of questioning.
Okay, so let me get this straight, Andy. You’re saying this trick that’s been around for decades and used by thousands of magicians isn’t actually deceptive? That we’re… what, exactly? Just deluding ourselves by being too scared to question what fools people, and instead blindly just assuming we’re smarter than our audience?
If you want to use the Haunted Key in performance, I would use it symbolically as a lead in to another trick with a ghostly theme—spirit slates, or the haunted deck or something.
You call on the spirits to arrive, and the key turning in your hand is the “sign” that they’re there.
This way, whether your friend finds it to be mysterious or not, it doesn’t matter. If they think, “Surely, that just rolled along his hand.” Then you’ve nicely lowered their expectations and can now hit them hard with something they can’t explain.