That was my FAVORITE review of yours, I’ve ever seen, David..... Thank you for being you. This was powerful stuff. Good for you. This book was something that I shan’t EVER forget. I am about to read it again. Just because it’s been a few months, and now, because my life just got flipped upside-down, AND finally, because i finally watched my first “review” about it. Heck yeah, David! Great, Great Work, Pal. I commend you. Best, -Mathias
I loved this book, i read it twice and listened to it twice, It was very inspiring to me as I began learning magic at 52 years old. I dig the 52 and what they stand for, and it is leading me to find out who I am as a magician, not just how to learn someone else's tricks
That was badass. All of your analogies were spot-on. I was a punk rock kid in the 80s and went to Art School in 1990. Even punk rock declared itself dead after dogmas started to develop in the hardcore punk scene. Which is what I loved about Black Flag. They rebelled against the music industry and then rebelled against the the priests of the rebellion. There are basically two rules in punk rock, be your authentic self and don't sell out. As a former art and philosophy student, I was especially attracted to the DaDa movement. Like everybody I was interested in Magic when I was a kid. Then as I got older and more cynical. I thought magic was cheesy and stupid. The Pendragons for example, there was absolutely no improvement when Criss Angel came along. If anything it made it worse. Until I accidentally stumbled upon Bizarre Magick. Which to me is the Deconstructivist/Dada/hardcore movement within the magic community, or more correctly in the dark recesses of the magic community. But even that is getting clogged up on stereotypes of Ouija boards, tarot cards and Edgar Allan Poe themes. Which is now bleeding into the mainstream as well. I love Daniel Madison because he is very authentic to himself and dedicated to the art. Which reminds me of some of my favorite people in hardcore and the art scene. If you've ever read Juxtapoz. Its an irreverent art magazine that started about 30 years ago. It has lost its Giest and has been pretty much eating its own shit for the last 15 years. I love your analogies though. I'm glad that you were unafraid to use Buddha or Jesus as examples. Only a handful of people will truly understand what you said but that's all that is necessary to keep the torch burning. Thank you for your authenticity and your courageous vulnerability to speak your truth.
Your anti review was very inspiring and filled my head with zillions of thoughts. I forgot to say that I am feeling the energy of the new Zeitgeist in magic. I've been trying to encourage newcomers to invest in books rather than individual secrets and gimmicks. I learned that many years ago when I started getting back into Magic. I have been at it now for 20 years.
This here is not a review this here is a call to action from a preacher for the art. Well said Sir. Brought me to tears just watching this video. Thank you.
Thank you Thank you Thank you for posting probably the most honest review of anything I've seen on RU-vid. You've provided an oasis in a desert of RU-vid trash. It's about unorthodxy (pun intended), having a new generation take magic to a whole new level, not relying or building on the old masters. Destroy old mores and ways of thinking so this art form can flourish again and create true wonder. In a world where so much information is readily available, we need a way to get back to that childhood yearning for amazement, a way to capture that moment when we say "that's impossible", and our minds do a little flip and make us aware that we don't know crap. Great review! BTW, loved the pseudo mike drop at the end.....
There is a very popular shtick in modern reviews when the reviewer takes some key elements from the reviewed media and adopts or maps them into their review. Thank you for doing something completely different.
I just now found this "review" ... a year after you presented it. I was given Magic Is Dead from my adult son and read it before you reviewed it. I didn't know why my son had given me this ... he's not particularly interested in magic, but he's a deep thinker. i like to think I helped instill that trait in him. I had earlier encouaged him to read Into the Wild, another book causing one to examine their life's direction. You are to be commended, even as Ian and David Madison ... and the "others" ... should be commended. From an "old man" to many who step away from "the norm" (you too, David), thank you. A job well done. A life well lived.
Finally got around to reading this while on vacation. My favorite part was where (I think it was) Doug McKenzie passes on induction because of the tattoo. I laughed out loud and said "yep, that's it right there". Personally, you couldn't pay me any amount of money to do magic differently than I choose to do it. And I was struck by the message of the book and the 'movement' in contrast to the light hypocrisy found in the exclusivity of its image bearers. Your review is spot on. I enjoyed the book as a great read and for the insight that it provides into the particular niche that it covers. But one read was wholly sufficient for me. Great review, as usual!
I couldn't have spoken about this book any better then you have sir! You were spot on in every single element about this movement! Well done! This book was phenomenal 10 out of 10 recommend!!!
HAHAHA, perfect review David...totally in sync with the vibe of the subject matter. mad love :-) The book was awesome as well, Ian is a talented writer
Interesting. At the same time this book is reviewed, some of us are reading Juan Tamariz's The Magic Rainbow, a book about magic as art. A book that challenges us to be artists and to express ourselves through our art. A book that operates under the premise that magic is very much alive, but that it requires courage to live it. A book that invites us to live as artists, not copycats. A book that dares us to be ourselves. A book that seems to scream that magic is far from dead, but that many magicians are comatose and in need of awakening. It seems to me, from not only this review but others, that this book, Magic Is Dead, is almost the opposite of The Magic Rainbow. And of the two, I see The Magic Rainbow illuminating darkened corners for decades to come, while Magic Is Dead will be a remainder within the year. Opinions? Everybody's got 'em. This one's mine. Thanks for the unique and artful review!
there is no comparison. One is an epic lifetime of work by one of the greatest magicians of all time... deep philosophy. the other is a book for laymen to more promote a product and market their brand. To be hip. To be fair Im only about 25% thru magic is dead and 60% through magic rainbow.
@@Coinmancer that's what you see from the surface, everyone I ask they all said DM is about product and marketing, because you don't know the flip side of it, dig deep into the story, only then commenting on it's all about marketing
Morris Chang marketing is selling you on an idea or product. The whole 52 and the supposed ‘new’ take on things is what is being marketed. The reason everyone is saying these things is not a vast conspiracy by people who have not read the book. It’s mostly from people who have read the book. I’m not saying it’s not an entertaining read, just that it’s full of a lot of fluffy bullshit to make an interesting story and it doesn’t do it well enough not to come off gimmicky and is transparent to magicians , but great for a causal reader. I look forward to reading the rest of it, but not expecting it to change my mind, we shall see!
@Anthony Vinson YOu like many others have misunderstood what "magic is dead"means. The other half of that sentence is...it's up to the performer to convince the audience otherwise. Contempt prior to investigation i guess.
I finally picked this book up and have started it reading it after finishing a book about a hacker named "Alien." This book is amazing so far. David's review is spot on, as are most of his reviews. This book opens you up to a little more than "Magic Is Dead." It, so far is also a few people's short life stories on how they got to where they are now and what they are doing with the knowledge and talent that they have. Once I finish the book, hopefully I will remember to come back here and add to this.
bad ass book and this review complements it, i'm loving magic more after reading this book , after this book i totally understand the "magic is dead" movement now, it's up to us to keep it going .
At first I was very skeptical about getting this book because I'm not a fan of the phrase "magic is dead" to be honest. However after watching your review I feel I have to pick it up now. My question is, why isn't this on penguin magic anymore?
""All magicians know that the more your mind is fixed on one thing, the easier it is to miss something else. So if you miss anything, you are not to blame. It only means that you have a mind of your own." Harry Kellar
David! That was deep. Your interpretation is on point. I'm 43 now. When I was 15, I tattooed Last of five. With the 5 of ♡ because I'm the youngest of 5 Brothers. The only one with heart. I really dont need a club. I'm simply just the last of five. Thank you David. Love the book.
I for one love the direction that this art form is taking. Like I always comment on Madisons page, Magic is a living dead girl in the hands of her soul mate. Good night my friend.
As a beginner in magic, i realized i need to be myself and create my own version of a trick. I dont wanna be another magician. I want to be me. #micdrop
i totally agree with how your view Madison's idea of magic is dead (he basically repeatedly said something like what you said in his earlier books with T11) sad thing many in the magician community dont see the same way. and the "i am better than erdnase" sales pitch he did with E last year has made him look more of a clown worse than criss angels.
It's not hard to iterate on something someone did over a hundred years ago and grow and be better than that. A hundred years is a long time to let an art grow stale as no one tries to iterate because their bible is set in stone and perfect. This is what Magic is Dead is about. Stop worshiping false gods if you can be better.
"Indubitably, magic is one of the subtlest and most difficult of the sciences and arts. There is more opportunity for errors of comprehension, judgment and practice than in any other branch of physics." Aleister Crowley
"Never ever doubt in magic. The purest honest thoughts come from children, ask any child if they believe in magic and they will tell you the truth." Scott Dixon
"Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” Pablo Picasso
The title feels like a reminiscent of Nietzsche's "God Is Dead" (thumbs-up) I also appreciate how you brought up the nature of religion as an example of the idea; the religious aspects you cover are absolutely true for religion's sake.
Great take on a „review“! I am only at chapter 12 yet, but I really love it so far. Ian did an awesome job writing and capturing the reader with his words.
magicorthodoxy so true! And it fits this Book so well. Ending it was like waking up. sad that you have to get back to the real world, but with a comfortable warm feeling.
"The Magicians brilliantly explores the hidden underbelly of fantasy and easy magic, taking what’s simple on the surface and turning it over to show us the complicated writhing mess beneath" Naomi Novik
Just the other day I thought of what Paul McCartney did with Wings. He brought in a bunch of unknown musicians who were still developing. Let's do something despite the status quo. Let's create our own thing and disregard the rest. It didn't matter how popular they became or how well they were liked. It's no longer about becoming reknown.
Just get me to the airport, put me on a plane Hurry hurry hurry, before I go insane I can't control my fingers, I can't control my brain Oh no oh oh oh oh - Ramones
Lol, loved the Madisonesque style. I'm halfway through the book, Ian is a good writer... I just have a hard time taking it as seriously as they all would like me to. Edit: your review is making me re-evaluate my take on what i'm reading. Well done, and powerful words.
The final sentence summarizes my feeling of studying Buddha. I have always rejected recommended books for this reason. Will try and find this one. Thx for this, especially the struggling start. poignant.
I thoroughly enjoyed Magic is Dead. If you follow Chris Ramsay, Daniel Madison, Xavior Spade, etc, or even if you are interested in magic in general then I would recommend this book. It's an easy read and I found it fascinating. Frisch writes about the new generation of magicians (who are blatantly different than stereotypical magicians from the past), and about how he fell in with them and came to be accepted into their tight-knit group. He covers a little of his life history, how he got to where he is today, and how he met Ramsay and Madison, and how they have changed/are changing magic for the better. Great book. Do recommend. It helps if you know a little about the main characters.
"Magicians disappear all the time, but as soon as a regular person does it, everyone is all scared. "Tom's gone!" "Is he a magician?" "No." "Then let's print up some flyers!"Mitch Hedberg
I am reading it now too. It is interesting and different. Also, can you review Red Medicine by Mark Calabrese please. Looks like an interesting effect. I just want to get the feel if it is a good fit for my level or not. Thank you. Keep up the great work!
I'm more confused now than before I watched the review! So if I read it I'm doing what "they" want and therefore going against what the book stands for,and if I don't read it I won't fully understand what that is?
Wow, David, what a revolution in your channel. Your interpretation matches perfectly with your manifest. It seems that new times are coming around here. I guess I can state: Magic Orthodoxy is dead!
Meh I liked the book ok, but I didn't get as much from it as you did, maybe it's because I've read most of Madisons stuff and whatnot, but I thought the books treatment of what you're talking about was kind of shallow. Granted of course, I'm somebody whose already knee deep into all of these ideas and this book is meant for a more general audience, but honestly I thought a lot of the book was kind of tedious. That being said, I think this book is a great eye opener for general audiences, even if I don't personally like the writers style all that much. Really like what you did with the review though.
"Most magicians consider the palm an easy move to make. They are inclined to believe that they are 'getting away with it,' when they are in fact fortunate enough to have a polite audience." Dai Vernon
Madison has begun to see himself as an artist, not a magician or cardist or sleightist. He doesn't like even that as a title. He is all about being a true to self artist. I think i will get this book when funds come about.
What is a review, really but a formal assessment or examination of something with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary? Be the change you want to see in the world. Translation: "Review? We don't need no stickin' review." ;)
You act like Madison is the kurt Cobain of magic sometimes but this is a contradiction to the principal be hind magic is dead cause madison sure likes to sell his magic acts
