For the most part, magic secrets are available on a level that's overwhelming and frightening, and they are very accessible if you do the tiniest bit of digging. But, that said, there's a certain group of individuals, in which I am included, who are very tight about secrets and don't share them with anyone.

Ricky Jay

Categorized in : You I Am Secrets Magic

The pain is bad magicians ripping off good ones, doing magic badl... by Ricky Jay

The pain is bad magicians ripping off good ones, doing magic badly, and making a mockery of the art.

magic pain art

One of the reasons I don't like to use the word "tricks" , I do think of them as theatrical pieces, and as pretentious as that might sound, there's a real reason for it. It's not the idea of tricking you; it's the idea of taking you along on this particular journey the way you would in any other theatrical situation. But, hopefully, you're going to be fooled at the end.

real journey thinking

For me, the most exciting thing is to create good magic that's entertaining for an audience, and it would be lovely if a magician was fooled as well.

lovely magic would-be

I wouldn't want to try to make a living as an actor. I think actors... I give them a lot of credit for what they go through, but putting myself on the line like that would make me crazy.

crazy giving thinking

Every acting gig isn't the same, every writing job isn't the same, every live performance isn't the same - the challenge is the level of difficulty or ease, and that may vary.

challenges writing jobs

Not only do I lie, I take real pleasure in lying, in the transmis... by Ricky Jay

Not only do I lie, I take real pleasure in lying, in the transmission of magic effects.

magic real lying

I love amazing people. I love dazzling them. That's why I think performing magic is one of the greatest things a person can do.

magic people thinking

I'm pretty fortunate that I'm in the films I'm in largely because the directors have asked me to be in them. I'd love to do more of them, but the writing and historical stuff I'll probably always do.

film historical writing

The book says we may be through with the past but the past ain't... by Ricky Jay

The book says we may be through with the past but the past ain't through with us.

may book past

My father was the Formica King of Long Island, and my mother was the daughter of a Bengal Lancer in India.

daughter kings mother

I never talk much about my family, but my grandfather was friendly with these guys, with magicians and ventriloquists on the highest levels, and I was just interested.

guy grandfather friendly

There are people who try to figure things out. Often, magic is presented in a way that sets up a challenge that I actually find kind of appalling. You know, "I'm clever, I can do something, and you don't know what it is." And that instills in the audience the idea that, "Yes, I do. You're not that clever."

challenges clever people

I suppose that if I could only do one thing, a solid card effect would be pretty high on the list. That's the root of it all, sleight-of-hand. It's certainly the thing I feel most comfortable with.

roots cards hands

I certainly was performing before my writing was published, because I was performing when I was very young. And the thing is I'm very comfortable on stage, so a large portion of my act did come from ad-libs.

stage young writing

If it sounds too good to be true, it always is. by Ricky Jay

If it sounds too good to be true, it always is.

truth sound reality

I like being fooled. When I watch someone who does sleight-of-hand and fools me, it's a great feeling.

fool-me fool feelings

Theft annoys me more than anything else. The purloining of effects from another magician. Some people think it's massive to steal the secrets of nuclear reactors, but to steal a card move is trivial. They're wrong.

people moving thinking

I'm probably the only kid in history whose parents made him stop taking music lessons. They made me stop studying the accordion.

lessons parent kids

Dai Vernon, the greatest sleight of hand figure in the history of the art, rarely performed. But he invented magic and had an enormous influence on the whole range of sleight of hand. And so often the magic he was doing was to fool other magicians.

magic hands art

It probably is harder to fool people when they know they're going... by Ricky Jay

It probably is harder to fool people when they know they're going to be fooled.

fooled fool people