Pretty much everybody that experiences a good illusion, like the ones in this video, will ask, “how did they do that?” It seems a lot of people get caught up in the secret of the illusion. As if that’s what magic about — knowing the secret of an illusion. But it’s not. It’s more about the skill of influencing people. Perhaps in that way, the appeal of magic is an act of misdirection in itself.
This is why I appreciate stage magic now. Sure, it’s entertaining to be tricked and to see something that seems impossible, but it’s more interesting that the performer has a strong enough power of persuasion that the audience does exactly what he wants without them even knowing.
In one interview with a magician on NPR, the topic of bar magic was brought up. This is where bartenders would also perform magic. The host asked if it was easier to pull off illusions in front of people that were drunk. Intuition might make you think that if a person is less attentive, they’re easier to trick. The magician said no, it’s actually harder because performing magic is about controlling their attention, which, obviously, is harder when they’re drunk.
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