The Greatest Magic Advice in the History of the Art

Yes!

Fuck yes!!!!!

Finally somebody is saying it. Finally someone has the balls to say it.

That first fan looked like disgusting hot dog-shit.

The second one was a stunning display of refined beauty, like the wings of an angel gently unfurling under the shimmering radiance of a full moon.

Any questions?

Look… he’s right. He’s so god-damned right. Some of you are just too afraid to admit it.

Let me reiterate it for those of you too dense to open your ears when faced with THE TRUTH.

What 👏people 👏want 👏from 👏magic👏 is 👏to👏watch 👏you 👏spread 👏every 👏single👏card 👏equally👏.

That’s it, baby. Everything else is superfluous.

The Surprise Fizzle

Today I’m going to share something you hardly ever see captured on camera.

Last year around this time I did a seven part series about concepts I use to generate the strongest possible magic.

In the first of those posts I introduced the idea of “Contrecoup Astonishment.” That is, the residual astonishment that is there after the spectator has had a moment to absorb the initial surprise.

I also talked about a spectator’s response to a trick going through three phases.

Surprise: Immediately after the climax of the trick.

Astonishment: If they’re still fooled after they’ve had a moment to process the initial surprise.

Mystery: If the astonishment doesn’t dissipate over time because there are no solutions to be found. Mystery isn’t an immediate feeling, it builds in the long-term when the spectator can uncover no satisfying answer for what they saw.

Think of an averagely executed french drop. There may be a moment of surprise when you open your hand to show there is no coin, but within seconds the audience will often focus on the dirty hand that holds the coin and realize that’s where it must be. The surprise doesn’t turn into astonishment.

Now think of the recently released Metal Phone trick. A card penetrates through a phone which turns out to be a solid block of metal. That will generate surprise. Without any immediate “easy answers” that surprise may morph into astonishment. But in the long-term, it can’t become a true mystery because when the spectator googles the only possible thing they could google after seeing that trick—metal phone magic—it leads them directly to where they can buy the trick. Mystery eliminated. I’m not suggesting they would buy the trick to find out the secret, but knowing they could buy the trick to figure out the secret is enough to destroy the mystery.

(And as I said in the last newsletter: “Yes, with certain effects you can get your audience to be so charmed that they won’t want to spoil the magic [buy googling it]. But, ‘I can shove a credit card through my metal phone,’ is not the sort of premise that is going to charm anyone.” That’s strictly puzzle magic. And what you don’t want is a puzzle magic trick that can be uncovered with the most obvious google search.)

But let’s go back to the initial response to an effect. The path from Surprise to Astonishment. Today I want to show you a video of the most pure example of a trick failing to make that leap. You will see the Surprise hit hard, and then you will see it fizzle out in the moments right after the trick. You rarely see this captured on film, because most people recording a performance of magic would cut it after the initial strong reaction.

This comes from Justin Flom’s Magic Mixtape, which I’ve mentioned in the past.

Here we see him vanish a coin for his daughter. Look at the Surprise on her face.

If this was a demo for a magic product, that is where they would cut the clip. And magicians would be fooled. “Hey, this gets great reactions. I need to get it.”

It’s not just an issue with demo videos. A lot of magicians—even when performing a trick themselves—block out anything after the initial moment of surprise. If a trick gets a gasp, they’ll ignore the spectator’s reaction seconds later. It’s a form of self-preservation because often the spectator’s demeanor towards an effect is significantly diminished within moments.

But to create really strong magic, it’s those moments after the Surprise that you need to pay attention to.

Often, the way it plays out is like this:

Now, with any luck, Justin spanked her very hard and she learned a lesson about respecting Daddy and his magic tricks.

But for the rest of us—a lot of the time—we don’t have the luxury to be able to spank our spectators to get them in line. And with an adult, the way surprise fizzles is usually much more subtle. They probably won’t just reach over and expose your trick like some naughty little girl. They’re more likely to just give you an initial “Wow,” and then relatively quickly they’ll switch their focus to something else. That’s why it’s important to not tune out and be satisfied with the “wow.” Instead, watch to see if the reaction lingers.

A couple years back I was dating this girl. She liked to see tricks, but even more-so she liked to watch me perform for others and watch their reactions. She worked in theater/performing so she had a good eye for that sort of thing and I would ask for her input from time to time. She once said something like, “I can tell which tricks are are the strongest by how people are reacting 30 seconds after the trick.” Meaning, that first moment of surprise doesn’t tell you too much. It’s only when you get a sense that the surprise has taken root that you get a real feel for how the trick will impact them.

With the exception of quick, off-hand visual moments of magic, the rule I use now is this: If I don’t get the sense that they’re still processing the trick a minute after I show it to them, then it either didn’t fool them or didn’t interest them (or both), and it needs to be worked on or discarded.

Check out the posts from last year—June 24th to July 8th—if you want to delve deeper into exactly how I suggest you construct a trick and presentation in a way to make that moment of surprise last long enough to transform into Astonishment and, eventually, Mystery.

Book Advertising

Since I put out the offer for people to advertise their magic products for free on this site, I’ve received some interest from people who want to advertise their book or ebook. Unfortunately, to do that in the manner described in that post (where I tell everyone the worst thing about your product), I would have to read an entire book and carefully consider everything in it. That’s not a fun blog post. That’s homework. And I have no interest in that.

So here’s how the advertising will work for books and ebooks if you want to advertise them here.

You send me the chapter or trick that you consider to be the second best thing in your book. That will be posted here and any comments I have will be based on that excerpt.

“I’m not going to give you the second best thing from my book to post for free!”

Good! I don’t get anything out of it. I have plenty of posts to make regardless. I’m just saying if you want to capitalize on the readership here, that’s the price to pay. It’s a win for you and if what you’re offering is good it’s a win for the readers.

“What’s to prevent me from giving you something that’s not actually the second best thing from my book and getting the exposure regardless?”

Well, good sense should prevent that.

If you give me something that’s just okay and I post it saying that you consider it the second best thing in your book, it’s going to make your book look not very good. On the other hand, if your excerpt is really strong it will reflect well on the book and you and people will say, “And it’s not even the best thing in the book!”

See guys? I’m smart.

If you want to take me up on this to promote your book (I’ll do something similar for multi-trick DVDs/downloads), just get in touch.

Mailbag #23

I just finished a 3-week class with Danny Garcia, about creating magic. It was really fascinating to get some insight into his approach for generating ideas and effects. 

It got me wondering if you had much to say on (or had previous written about) that topic. 

As an extremely prolific creator of very unique magic, and someone who seems quite procedural/regimented in how they get work done, it seems possible you have some kind of framework for developing material. I'm curious if that's the case and if you have any broader thoughts on "creativity" —LH

I wish I was smart enough to have an answer for this. I don’t really have a process for such things. My only process is “spend a lot of time on it.” Which is kind of the opposite of what people want to hear. I haven’t found a shortcut that works for me yet.

The only real bit of practical advice I can offer is to have a system for collecting your ideas—whether that be a notebook or a note taking app or something—regardless of how small the idea may seem. I think the mistake people make is that they think they’re going to just spontaneously get good ideas. That’s not true with the creative people I know. Yes, occasionally you’ll get a huge strike of inspiration and a great idea will come to you fully formed. But that’s the exception. More often a good idea comes from thinking about a small dumb idea and building on it and exploring it over time. Small dumb ideas are like seeds that grow good ideas every now and then. You plant these seeds by capturing the ideas on paper, and then you water the seeds by revisiting them every couple weeks. The likelihood of any one particular seed sprouting into a good idea is low. But the likelihood of at least one good idea sprouting from amongst all the seeds is high.

Now you might say, “But how do I even get small dumb ideas?” If you’re asking that question, then I don’t think creativity is probably your strong suit. Maybe there is some way to go from nothing to something creatively, but I have no idea what that process would be. If you figure it out, let me know.

You once told me in an email that you went to Bloomfield College. You mentioned to a friend of mine in an email that you went to San Diego State University. Did you go to both schools? Or is there more than one person behind the site? —FN

Hmmm… I went to neither of those schools. Without looking it up, I don’t even know if I could tell you where Bloomfield College is.

There was a time when I would throw in fake biographical details into emails (and into posts) every now and again. Like, if someone wrote me from a University of Minnesota email address, I’d say something like, “You go to U of M? My high school girlfriend went there. I visited a few times before we broke up. You all still party at Stub and Herbs?” I would do, like, 8 seconds of research and name a local place.

I don’t really do that anymore. Save that email, it’s a collector’s item.

This just crossed my radar. It's probably the best corporate promo magic video I've ever seen, just beautifully put together and perfectly executed. And yet...

There's something in how this kind of thing fundamentally shifts the relationship of magician to audience that seems to be unexamined in the magic world. We act like trade show magicians are an integral part of the magic space. But this kind of "promotional" magic is the only kind where the magician specifically does NOT serve the audience. The magician properly serves his or her Master, which is the person or corporation paying the check. And the magician's job is to lure people in using nice tricks and then turn them into leads. In other words, it's a form of using "dark patterns" to manipulate your spectator towards a goal of some unaccountable third party.

That Jackson promo is quite straightforward. But because its focus is on pitching Four Seasons hotels it's weirdly detached from the kind of lived experience the best magic can give you. But you can't deny it's precision and eloquence.

Trade-show magic is gospel magic but for Pringles.

I would agree with you that it seems artistically unsatisfying. But it’s also one of the better paying gigs in magic. It’s one of the better paying gigs because it’s artistically unsatisfying.

But I would disagree with this point:

“[T]his kind of ‘promotional’ magic is the only kind where the magician specifically does NOT serve the audience.”

Would you prefer that video if there wasn’t magic? Probably not. So the magic does serve the audience, in a way. Assuming you have to sit through a promotional video, you’d probably take the one with magic over the one with a guy just flipping through a power-point presentation.

And at least everyone is on the same page with a trade-show magician. His purpose is clear. He’s a hired gun, there to sling a product. I don’t see an issue with that. I find that far easier to deal with than the magician who is performing solely in service of his own ego.

Now shouldn’t you be out somewhere throwing a brick through a Starbucks window or something?

About That 5-Year-Anniversary Post

So here’s what was supposed to happen.

On May 24th, people were supposed to come to this site to find my five year anniversary post. They were supposed to read the first couple of paragraphs and think, “Wait… is he really going to reveal who he is?” Then they were supposed to start the video and hear a strange voice and wonder, “Hmm… is this really happening?” And then the video would reveal…Derren Brown! And everyone would go…

And that was meant to be the end of it.

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When I pitched the idea to Derren I wrote…

BTW, the five year anniversary of my site is coming up later this month. I was wondering if you'd be willing to record a video where you "reveal" yourself as the person behind the site. (People would get that it's a joke.)

That last point, as it turns out, wasn’t accurate. A lot of people didn’t get that it was a joke. A lot of people thought it was likely a joke, but that maybe there was some chance it was true. And even most of the people who were certain it wasn’t true still wrote as if I had intended for it to be believed, but they just weren’t falling for it.

But I wasn’t trying to fool anyone. i wasn’t even trying to raise the question that maybe, just maybe, I really was Derren Brown. I was just trying to make an amusing post.

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One email I received said:

I can’t wait to see what the punchline is to this “I’m Derren Brown” gag. 

My response was:

I thought "I'm Derren Brown" was the punchline.

Now, I’m sure most regular readers of this site took that post in the spirit it was intended. I’m not suggesting everyone believed it. But I was honestly surprised that there was even a question about the nature of the post.

I think the reason the reaction caught me off guard was because, in order to believe it was possibly true, you would have to disbelieve almost everything else I’ve told you about myself for five years.

If I wrote a blog about my attempts to make it in stand-up comedy and I detailed my open-mic night performances and then five years into it I said, “Okay, here’s the truth. I’m Bill Cosby.” I feel like I wouldn’t have to come back later and let people know I was just kidding.

And yes, Derren Brown is to magic what Bill Cosby is to comedy. They are perfectly analogous in every single possible way.

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Derren seemed to get a kick out of people believing it was really him. I told him he should have been insulted. I mean, I was flattered that anyone would think maybe the blog was written by one of the finest performers and minds in the history of the art. But to even consider that possibility, you would have to assume he was a psychopath, verging on schizophrenic, to devote five years and millions of words to creating this fake persona.

Personally, I put all the blame on Derren for how things went. He came off too sincere. (Adeptness at feigning sincerity. Another sign of psychopathy.) I gave him two potential scripts. One was pretty much the straightforward one that he did. And then I had a more “jokey” version.

But even with the non-jokey one, I thought having him say, “My name is Derren and I’m a magician from England,” would be enough of an understatement that even people who didn’t know this site would realize it must be a joke..

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Here was the other script:

Surprise. Yes, it's me, Derren Brown. Famed mentalist, magician, raconteur. Twice as many twitter followers as Criss Angel.

And yes. I'm the man behind The Jerx empire.

I know you have a lot of questions, and I'm sure we'll get to all of them in time. But today I'll answer the main two.

Why the name Andy? Well obviously if I used the name "Derren" that would have been too much of a giveaway. So the name Andy was used to protect my identity but also as a nod to a dear friend, and someone to whom I feel I owe much of my success... Andy Schlomowitz, the sensei at my dojo.

Why start an anonymous blog at all? The truth is, I just needed a place to be me. The real me. For almost 20 years now I've been living a sort of Chung Ling Soo scenario where I've been forced to play a part. The BBC wanted an effete, homosexual, mentalist "character" in order to push whatever sick agenda they have. So that's the role I've been playing. I sold my soul for success. Starting the Jerx was a way to speak my true voice.

Of course, coming out like this may destroy what I've built both as Derren and Andy. Which is why I've loaded this video with neuro-linguistic-programming to make you forget you ever saw it.

[Slowly]Forget

[snap your fingers] you ever

[snap your fingers] saw it.

[snap your fingers.]

In closing, I just want to thank all of the people who have supported The Jerx these past five years. It's been said that genius isn't usually recognized in its own time. But I think you all are showing that not to be true. Thank you.

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Now, you might ask why I didn’t just let people think whatever they wanted. Regardless of what my intentions were, why not just let them believe it was true if that’s what they were inclined to believe?

Well, there are a few reasons. One philosophical and three practical.

The philosophical one is something I’ve talked about a lot on this site: the idea that I’m not into fooling people into genuinely believing something that isn’t true. To me that’s the opposite of magic.

And while this wasn’t a magic trick, it had similar elements.

I think the people who probably enjoyed the reveal the most were those who knew there was no chance it was real but still allowed themselves to indulge the idea a little.

One email I got echoed this:

I get it now. You’ve talked about feeling vs belief a lot and it was so great to finally experience it. I’m 100% certain you’re not Derren Brown but the fanciful part of my brain keeps thinking, “But what if he is?”

The three practical reasons for not just letting people believe it were these:

1. The site was getting too much traffic. I’ve always wanted a small site with a small audience.

2. People were buying more stuff from the site, and I would have to reach out to them and be like, “You do know I’m not Derren Brown, right?” Because I didn’t want someone buying something because they thought I was.

3. I was getting way too many genuine, heartfelt emails from people writing me as if I was Derren. (Likely because Derren ad-libbed the line that they should “say hi if our paths have crossed.” Well…who are they going to say hi to? Not him. They don’t have his email. So they came to me. I should have just run with it and tried to get them to send me nude photographs and make Derren seem like a real creep.)

That’s why I pulled the Mac King ripcord. I hadn’t planned on doing another “reveal” but I wanted to put an end to it, and that was my solution. And I’m glad it worked out that way because Mac’s delivery in that video cracks me up.

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Of course, then people wanted me to do more videos with more magicians claiming to be the person behind this site. The concept of “diminishing returns” is not something a lot of magicians have a firm grasp on.

In my opinion, the joke would have quickly worn itself out. Derren and Mac are a good 1-2 punch. I didn’t want to keep it going and eventually I’m stuck with some guy who lasted two episodes on America’s Got Talent in 2017.

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The idea of doing a fake reveal on this site was one I had for a long time. A couple years ago I asked Steve Brooks if he would record a video revealing himself to be the person behind the site. He told me he was “too busy.”

So… think about that. Derren Brown was able to squeeze it in, but Steve was a bit too busy to record a 45 second video. Hey, good for him. He put me in my place. He’s too busy for my foolishness. He’s got a lot on his plate (and not just at the Hometown Buffet).

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And, I guess I should have anticipated this, but the whole situation also led to greater inquiry about who I am. This is a little strange to me. What’s the goal there? “I need to find out who this random guy is!”

It would be one thing if I was writing this blog from a position of authority, and doing so anonymously. If I said, “I won’t reveal who I am, but I’m a well known magician and this is how magic should be performed,” or if I said, “I won’t reveal who I am, but I’m actually a very successful gambling cheat and here are my secrets,” well, then I would sort of understand the inclination to uncover who I am. But all I’ve ever said is, “I’m an amateur magician, performing for friends and family. Here are some ideas I’ve had success with.”

“C’mon…Let’s get this guy!!!!”

Now, I know numbers-wise it’s only a small percentage who are actively interested in uncovering who I am. But it’s still annoying.

If you read this site regularly, and especially if you’re a supporter who gets the books, you know I share personal performing experiences. But it’s only by being anonymous that I can afford to be so open. Do you think if I was writing under my full name I would be willing to detail the real interactions I have with people? Of course not. When I can maintain my—and my friend’s—anonymity, I can be more candid.

And, of course, if I wrote under my own name eventually it would get around to the people in my life and then every time I show them something they’d think, “Oh, is he going to write up my reaction for his blog?” And I’d never get a genuine response from anyone again. So the site can really only work if I maintain some anonymity.

And trust me, your searching wouldn’t lead to any satisfying answers. I already have people who handle the logistics of the site who are happy to take credit for it. So if you do a little bit of digging you’ll find someone who says, “Yup, it’s me. You figured it out.” And if you do a little more digging you’ll find another person who tells you, “Okay, you did it. You found the real me. Please don’t tell.” And if you waterboard that person, they’ll give you a name and that person will say, “I never thought the day would come. Yes… you’ve finally found me.” But they’ll be lying too. So it’s just a series of dead ends disguised as answers that you can never really be happy with.

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I’m not famous. I’m not someone you’ve heard of. I’m just a random guy who does a lot of performing for people in amateur/social situations. That’s all. I promise you.

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Or, maybe I’m Derren Brown and I regretted coming clean and now I’m trying to play it off as if it was all a joke.

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No. Seriously. I’m not him.

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Also, if you didn’t hear. My tour has been rescheduled for 2021

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Sorry. Mistyped there. Derren’s tour has been rescheduled for 2021.

So Here's Something I Never Thought I'd Need To Say

I’m not Derren Brown.

Ok, everyone? Please, go back to ignoring this site.

Hopefully this video clears up my real identity.

See you in June.

The Jerx Revealed

Today marks the five year anniversary of this site’s existence, as you can no doubt tell from all the fanfare across the world of magic.

I never thought I would still be writing this site five years after I started. I don’t walk around thinking, “People really need to hear my take on things!” But the enthusiasm and support for the site from others has continued to grow year after year and that has kept the momentum going in a way I couldn’t have predicted.

Today I’m doing something I had never really planned on doing: revealing my identity. It wasn’t an easy decision to make. I know some people want to know. And I know others prefer the mystery. (If you don’t want to know. Don’t watch the video.) For me the time felt right. And yeah, I’ll admit it would be nice to get some actual recognition from people in the real world for the work I’ve done. But that can’t happen if I don’t step out from behind the mask.

So… thanks for the five years of continued support. And here we go…