XCM: Good or Bad?

Liam · XCM: Good or Bad?

Do you think XCM (extream card manipulation) makes card effects more or less powerful?

Do you think it adds to a trick to put the jackson 5 in the middle?

I think this depends on how you preform.

I also think it will drastically change how your audience precieves it.

I think that using XCM shows your audience that your great at handling cards. Wich you probably are if your a card magician. But is it good to portray this? Will your audience be more impressed with two cards transposing if they know you can handle card well, or if you dont seem increadibly skilled with cards.

David Blaine, for example, never does XCMs. Or anything fancy with cards. But any magician knows he is great at handling them. This is because in one of his early street specials he tried some XCMs before his actual trick and it practicly killed the effect. Not only because they knew he could handle cards increadibly, but also because it changed the atmosphere of the presentation off of magic and onto skilled card handling

Now this brings me to another point. Just because someone doesnt do XCMs doesnt mean they shouldnt practice handling cards. No one will be impressed if half way through the cards telliporting you drop the deck. Any card magician should be good at handling the deck, cutting the deck, and shuffling the deck, very cleanly.

Michael Kras

To me, it depends on what you are performing. I personally don't often mix the two but as seperate arts they are both wonderful.

MH

'Good or Bad'

That's too black and white.

That's like saying, "Mentalism, good or bad?", with no other option. I suggest that, at the minimum, you remove the 'poll' on this thread.

XCM, the way the person who crowned the art intended, is separate from magic. The discussion on whether XCM is good or bad, therefore, should have nothing to do with magic or Blaine. Blaine doesn't do XCM. He does magic.

To mix FLOURISHES with magic is the real issue here, and again, there is no 'good or bad' to it. It's all about how you want to affect the audience. If you want them to be impressed at your talent and skill ALA Martin Nash, Harry Lorayne, or Ricky Jay, then flourishes, at the right times, may help the effct you wish to have on your audience. On the other hand, if you're attempting somber, psychological or supernatural acts, fancy displays might not be so great for it. It's all about the desired effect.

"Any card magician should be good at handling the deck, cutting the deck, and shuffling the deck, very cleanly."

Lennart Green, if I'm not mistaken (I may well be) gets a lot out of apparently being somewhat clumsy with a deck of cards. He appears, to lay audiences, to have the card handling skills of an average play-for-fun-at-home card dealer. We as magicians, should know better.

[edit] He DOES act like it. And in fact, he is a brilliant card handler.

Liam

BrianMillerMagic

Liam

neverland

xcm is good because people lkike flashy tricks and it makes boring simple tricks look good like when dynamo does it.

Ethan the Emazing

XCM can hurt, or improve your performance. It all depends on how you present it and your timing.

BrianMillerMagic