Unneeded Technology

Sometimes technology seems so…unnecessary.

The picture at the top of this week’s newsletter is of our new garbage can. It’s got a sensor in it so you can just wave your hand over it, and it opens.

Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I hate the thing.

When my wife mentioned needing to get batteries for the new garbage can, I didn’t even know such a thing existed.

Then there’s our Smart Stove. You can use your phone to turn it on or get notifications that your temperature is set for baking.

Maybe I’ve just seen too many “Terminator” movies but it just feels like we are using technology for technology’s sake and not to make our lives easier.

Granted, I don’t expect everyone reading this to agree or care. But there’s one area I think technology is often overused.

Magic.

(Considering this is a magic-based newsletter, that’s hardly a surprise.)

Now let me defend my point of view.

Technology in magic allows us to create wonderful miracles. My favorite stage trick of all time is Sean Bogunia’s Dancing Hank and all of its iterations and add-ons.

As a solo performer, I could never have performed this effect before Sean’s innovation. Back in the day, you had to have multiple assistants pulling threads backstage.

I remember either right before or right after Sean’s product came out, the legendary magician John Calvert released his own Dancing Hank. The ads proudly proclaimed you “only need one assistant.”

Because I’m a solo performer, I never bought John’s creation, even though it was less expensive than Sean’s release.

Over the years, at various points, I have owned dozens of electronic effects. Many of them were exceedingly clever. And at some point, all have failed during a live performance.

Well, everything except Sean’s Hanky products. In my opinion, he’s the gold standard when it comes to electronic magic.

These days, I want as close to 100% reliability as possible.

My basic guiding principle in magic is to buy tricks that rely on as simple technology as possible.

If there are two ways of doing an effect, I’ll pick the simplest way more often than that.

And this extends beyond just electronic tricks, too.

I recall a conversation with a fairly well-known mentalist 15 or so years ago. We were discussing Banachek’s wonderful “PK Touches” effect.

For my money, I think it’s one of the best effects ever released to the magic community.

I’ve performed the effect thousands of times for paying gigs, dating back to at least the year 2000.

I’ve used it for private parties, stage shows, and everything in between.

The best part? It’s completely prop-less. All you need to do the effect is a volunteer (well, two volunteers the way I do it) and an audience.

That’s it.

Totally impromptu.

Well, this other mentalist told me all about the big innovation he’d added to the effect. It was using invisible thread loops to accomplish the touch.

To me, this was a major step backward.

Now you’re adding a gimmick to the effect. And you have lighting conditions you have to worry about.

Another supposed innovation to “PK Touches” are electronic effects. Created by multiple people to have a truly ‘hands-off’ presentation, these effects read as very cool.

One effect, put out by a good friend of mine, allowed you to include a bunch of other effects during the PK Touch routine. His innovation was probably the best of the electronic options.

Although I liked it, I wound up selling it because I was admittedly too lazy to carry the fairly large prop to my gigs.

Another innovation, highly touted by many, simply did not work for me. I found the method too ‘iffy’ and worrisome. And it flat-out didn’t work as I saw it fail with my own two eyes during a live show.

To ‘save’ the effect, I had to jump into Banachek’s original method.

Years ago, I gave this particular product a negative review in my old Hocus Pocus review blog.

The creator personally contacted me and read me the riot act, accusing me of not rehearsing enough before using the effect, and on and on.

I also recently bought a very cool-sounding effect for my seance shows. But after receiving it, it has some severe flaws that make me regret my purchase.

My point of this article?

When you’re considering adding an effect to your professional shows, scour the internet and your magic library. Try to find the version of the effect that has stood the test of time.

When I perform professionally, I want to concentrate on connecting with my audience and not worry about whether or not a prop is going to work when I push that button.

The longer you are a professional performer, the more you’re going to want strong, reliable methods.

And if the only way to accomplish an effect is with technology, try to stick to creators and dealers who have earned a stellar reputation.

For my money, Sean Bogunia is the best electronics guy out there. Peter Loughran also sells some electronic props, and they’re great.

And the electronics are created by Sean Begonia, so there are two votes for Sean, technically.

Nick Wenger also produces great electronic stuff that’s reliable. His Bell From Hell spirit bell is the stuff of nightmares in the right hands.

Electronic tricks are fun to play with. But make sure whatever you’re using in a paid show is reliable.

You’ll go into your shows with greater peace of mind.

Until next time, have a great week!

--Cris

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