Humor for Magicians Tips
Read these 3 Humor for Magicians Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Magic tips and hundreds of other topics.
Should Magicians Laugh at Themselves?
Nothing adds depth and interest to your performance like humor. As a magician, learning to make the audience laugh with truly take your performance to another level, a more professional level.
There are full books written with the intent of teaching magicians humorous lines. Some lines poke fun at the audience or your spectator, and others are strictly self deprecating. If you make fun of your audience or an audience member, you need to be extremely careful... Indicating that an audience member is, let's say, 'slow'... may get a laugh. But what about the audience member who has a child who is mentally challenged? Yes, you got a laugh from some, but you offended others in the process.
Think about your humor! Stay away from religious and ethnic jokes at all cost. The exception would be if you're performing for a specific religious or ethnic group, like a conference for Baptist Christian businessmen... Then, you might use a little humor about a Methodist or Presbyterian, as they all respect one another, but there is also a sense of 'I'm right.. and you're almost right' among the three. They appreciate a little humor about the other religions, as long as it's light.
Most importantly, be able to laugh at yourself, and let the audience laugh WITH you. If you have to target someone, let it be YOU. They will admire your ability to laugh at yourself.
Laughing at Yourself - Part 1
How can a magician make his audience laugh with him, and display a little harmless self deprecating humor? Easy really... Here are a couple of lines I've used :
"Do you guys know the difference between me and a large pizza? A large pizza can feed a family of four... "
"I told my wife one time I had a half a mind to become a full-time magician. She said “That should definitely do it”.
"Do any of you know the difference between me and my South American Macaw? One of us is noisy, loud, and obnoxious, and the other one is a bird."
Someone told me once that they didn't like magicians, because they seemed so smug and sure of themselves, almost as if they knew a secret you didn't .(duh)... I can see where a few spectators might feel this way. Thus, the ability to laugh at myself.
Whether or not you can use this type of humor depends on your style of magic as well. Certainly, if you're trying to project yourself as a mysterious stranger type, this might not work for you. On the other hand, if you want to perform more along the lines of Mac King or Michael Finney, this is perfect for your act.
A Few More Stupid Jokes
OK.. maybe I've offended everyone here. Seriously, we have to be able to laugh at ourselves sometimes, don't we...
How do you keep an illusionist in suspense?
What did the fisherman say to the table magician? ‘Pick a cod, any cod.´
What´s the difference between a close up magician and an Uzi? An Uzi only repeats 40 times.
Why did they put 200 corporate magicians at the bottom of the ocean? Someone heard they were really good people - deep down.
How did the childrens magician retire with a million dollars in his bank account? He started with two million.
Why do so many people take an instant dislike to restaurant magicians? It saves them time in the long run.
