New Year

I hope you had a great year.

It is so interesting to run such a blog. You get to learn so much about magicians and the magic world. Each month I get about 20 suggestions for a weekly magic failure. Most often it seems to be a personal thing between the one suggested and the one suggesting the magician in question. I generally tend not to use those.

Also I get a lot of requests to make certain human failures known. I do know of magicians who are facing charges about theft, rape and pedophilia, yet I choose not to publish this, even though I do have legit proof. Because those people are human failures, not magic failures. So unless it has something to do with the magic world, I am not interested.

As strange as it sounds I do not take joy in making certain people a weekly magic failure, by pointing out their flaws. I certainly don't publish a post saying to myself "ha ha, now he got what he deserved"

So why am I doing it? I gain nothing. No money, no fame, no knowledge, not even wisdom. I cannot answer this question. But I do have one question for you.

How come you don't stand up for it?

Let me explain. I learn about a lot of magicians doing this blog for almost two years now. I learn about what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong.

And I understood that magicians are average humans, so the same "fail/winner - rate" applies as with an non magic crowd.

So when you see an doctor messing up, you don't say "oh come on, give him a break, we all make mistakes"

If an architect messes up you wouldn't say "You can fail once, just build another house"

You would say something. Even if that doesn't change anything.

I hear see you saying: "Roland, doctors and architects? The stakes are much higher with those. We are magicians, bad magic doesn't endanger human lives."

Well yes. But it endangers "Magic as an art." It is my firm belief that if magic isn't treated well and if we as a community of a shared interest do let bad magicians go loose our beloved magic will suffer. The image of magic will suffer. And by that the magicians will suffer. By getting less bookings, as more and more people don't even think of "perhaps hiring a magician"^

So again:

How come you don't stand up for it?

So this is to another new year. Goodbye 2010 and Hello 2011.

Let the failures go wild.

On A Lighter Note

I want this fact to sink in:
SOME OF THE GREATEST TRICKS AND ILLUSIONS ON THE STAGE ARE UNBELIEVABLY SIMPLE.

Don't forget that you were once one of the spectators and believed these tricks to be almost superhuman feats. Now, when you learn how very simple they are, remember that to those who are not "in the know," they are still deep mysteries.

Harlan Tarbell

Hello Rob Matthies!

You wrote:

Racist anti-semite blogger Roland Henning of Germany wants Rob Matthies of Vancouver to stop offering Matthies' $75 Family Magic Shows so that Professional Magicians can charge more $$$ for their services

What the fuck is wrong with you?

I never said or wanted you to stop offering your cheap ass magic shows. I wrote:

You can be a Birthday Rescuer, you can do as many shows as you want to. But leave other magicians out of this.

Where does it say that I want you to stop offering cheap shows? It says, LEAVE OTHER MAGICIANS OUT OF YOUR ADVERTISEMENT!

Read the last line carefully. READ it, don't interpret it!

And what makes you think, that I am racist anti-Semite? That is extremely offensive here in Germany, considering the German history. Call me an asshole or a dumb piece of shit, but don't you dare to call me a racist anti-Semite.

First it is not true and second: Where the hell do you get that from? I never wrote anything even remotely going into that direction.

You said that you googled "Russian", "Munich" and "Busker" and found links to three performers who happen to be Jewish. Well do a search for "München", "Russisch" and "Straßenkünstler" and you will find something different.

If intended to be racist, I would say so and not be fucking cryptic about it, by making sure that everybody would do a Google search first to understand what the bloody hell I am talking about.

But aside from that I suggest you take it down a notch.

You clearly are reading something into my little words that isn't there and you a convinced enough to openly call me a racist anti-Semite, which I find both offending and untrue.

And such behaviour is pathetic.

You claim that I started a "hate campaign" against you. I don't hate you. I pity you.

But I am afraid, you won't READ THIS either, you will probably just interpret this as some sort of attempt to weasle my way out of this trap you have set up.

Oh, Happy New Year everyone!

Btw: Rob! Speaking of yourself in third person could be a sign of hubris!

Possible Failure?

Thanks to Cardman to let me find it: ÜBERAWESOME LINK

[...] but by promising to assist children's charities, I do not believe this is something he can wheedle out of. [...]

What are your thoughts on Kreskin?

Just A Sunday Post #76

It's on. It is time for Magic Failure of the Year. In fact I'm a bit late, so the poll will go on until the end of January. I included even those who were not part of the election last year. They are in order of appearance. If you forgot what they did, here is a handy LINK.

The three winners will go to the WMF Hall of Fame which already include last year's winners Criss Angel, Shawn Farquhar and Steven Youell.

You can select multiple answers.

Did I tell you it's on?

It's on!