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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Quickchanging

When I was a kid I saw a quick change artist. I don't know who. But I remember part of the act. He had some costume, then went behind a curtain and then had something different. I thought it was a real skill. Like a really skilled person, that is able to pull off his clothing and then get dressed. Part of the illusion was the speed. BECAUSE HE WAS NOT FAST AT ALL. It took 8-9 seconds.

I really believed the skill, because it took longer than an instant. Now compare that with today's way of doing it. Now it is obvious that it is a trick. No real skill involved.

3 comments:

  1. Michael JayJuly 19, 2014 at 6:28 AM

    Yea, that's kinda what everyone figures about magic, isn't it? Some kind of trick - no skill involved. Of course, we as magicians know better...But I don't understand why you'd attack another art form using the same disparaging remarks that are used against us, as magicians.

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  2. anonJuly 19, 2014 at 7:56 AM

    isn’t rolands‘s point that something that could be amazing to spectators is rendered banal and boring by the presentation - or lack of it - as sometimes too in magic. granted the blonde chanteuse pictured is prob striving for different fx. presumably image was illusration only. that was my take anyway...

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  3. Michael JayJuly 19, 2014 at 8:10 AM

    That young female is Tailor Swift and she is a country and western singer, not a quick change artist. What you are seeing is that she showed up on stage wearing her t-shirt and jeans because she was baiting the crowd. They expect her to be sharply and provocatively dressed. So when she took off the shirt and jeans to reveal that she was wearing something they expected, the crowd exploded. Nothing whatsoever to do with quick change or magic.

    Quick change is called quick change and not somewhat fast change for a reason - because it's quick. The quicker it happens, the more impressive it is. In the finale, quite often, you see confetti thrown over the performers head and when you can see the performer, merely a second or two later, they have changed yet again. It is a magical effect, but of course it's skill.

    If it's not your cup of tea, that's fine. But to claim that it's somehow a lesser form of art because you think it should go slower is one of the most ignorant things that I've ever heard. Quick change - it's right there in the name. Is it really that hard to understand?

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