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I read an interesting statistic this morning. According to some study, only 17 percent of magicians admit to using their magic skills to bilk money from unsuspecting saps. The study didn't say "unsuspecting saps" but my word processor suggested "unsuspecting saps" when I typed in "innocent victims."
I spoke with a magic friend of mine about this statistic and his reaction was contrary to mine. He thought the figure was too small and I thought it was too high. He reasoned that every time a magician does a show without adequate practice that is using magic to take money from their clients.
Oh, I said, if you're going to interpret it that way, I agree. If you mean that you are using sleight of hand or faux-psychic powers to take money outside of a show, I think it is much lower than 17 percent.
My friend reminded me of a mutual friend who used her mentalism tricks to make money doing Psychic House Parties (this was before they invented Botox and the Botox House Party concept).
Technically, a house party psychic isn't "duping any saps," just providing entertainment. Our friend went a little further than just entertaining tarot readings, though. She would sell subsequent one-on-one sessions to some of the guests that appeared wealthy and gullible.
This line of work became so lucrative that she quit her law practice and just worked the house party circuit. None of her private clients objected to her bills and they all seemed to find the readings accurate enough to refer her to other clients.
On the other paw, there are plenty of magicians out there would never use the faux-psychic routine because they would recognize it as unethical or close to fraud. I say close to fraud because there has to be some latitude on the issue of fraud versus entertainment.
I know I am defensive on the issue because of my recent past of entertaining on ships. I just got done with two months on the water; performing three times a day, six days a week. Now, to get additional bookings, I told customers that I was performing on ships but I didn't tell them the whole truth.
I couldn't get on any of the cruise lines – because their cruise directors are all snobs hooked into the old-boy's club famous for demanding that a performer have what they call an "act." You have to perform magic in the same way each show to prove you have an act and not just a collection of tricks.
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Anyway, so I performed on barges in the Great Lakes shipping channels. I worked from Lake Michigan to Lake Ontario on barges hauling coal, ingot, scrap steel, heating oil, and trash. Because the crew of a Great Lakes Barge is usually no more than 25 men, doing three shows a day for six days a week can get boring.
If you do the same tricks each time you perform like the so-called "professionals" with their "professional acts," the guys will burn out. You could take T. Nelson Downs and shove him aboard of the Lady of the Lakes (coal tender) and after the second show, the boys would toss him…
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