The Real Secret of the Masked Magician

What did the Masked Magician really teach us about magic? Brian discusses how he avoids a cynical approach to his own magical lessons!

Follow Brian online!

This video made by:
Brian Brushwood
Bryce Castillo
John Rael

#ScamNation #MaskedMagician #Mailbag

Music:
Direct - Lark
Nigel Good - Space Plus One

[randymonster]

Actually, all that Masked Magician did was clean the slate of old tricks and setups. Now we have new and different tricks.

[shawnmcdowell]

For me the masked magician got me interested back into magic after my favorite magician, Doug Henning, passed away.

[niful]

I love how passionate you are about this. You've been in this industry for so long, it's weird to think about but I've been watching Scam School since like middle school, and to see how much you still love it really means a lot

[camejko]

Scam school got me a job. I performed simple, simple a card trick in my sales jobs interview and my now boss was impressed with my communication skills.

Thanks Brian brushwood

[nertia]

Knowing how a trick works always made the trick more interesting to me, not less

[mollycblaeser]

I disagree. Valentino himself said he wanted to inspire a new generation of magicians. Personally, I appreciate a magic trick twofold when I know how the illusion works.

[mojo]

I love you magic videos, but I only pay so much attention. I like seeing how you do it, but I'm happy to forget it. One year later, I'm watching your old videos and love it. I go to click "like" and realize I've already done it. Love you guys!

[TokyoXtreme]

Masked Magician has a perfect formula: informative absurdity with Mitch Pileggi doing the best narration of all time. I love that show and rewatch it often.

[JustinMyOpinion]

When I was younger, the masked magician was something that made me realize that I could perform magic as well. Breaking down that wonderment with cynicism made me - as a child - realize that I too could learn how to do whatever I wanted in the magic world.

Admittedly, it wasn't something I ever continue with or pursued, but there were man years of my life that I spent in front of a mirror practicing tricks because of these shows. Shows like this also to a degree forced more and more innovation and probably inspired a younger generation of magic creators to go out and improve on the old and exposed methods for bits that were in these shows.

I agree with a lot of what you said, I just don't think that they presented these shows in a negative manner. Killing wonder was inspiring.

[Beep_Beeps]

I remember when I started magic and I saw an episode of the masked magician, and it made me want to do magic more. 10 episodes later I don't know why but I stopped doing magic... And then years later I found scam school with your spikey hair, watching every day after school and learning tricks to impress my friends. Thx for keeping that magic spark in me alive. <3


Btw I just realized I've been subbed for 4 years now(from 2015), so almost my entire high school time, and I'll be taking everything I've learned from this channel to my adult life. Thx for helping me through high school and to not be that lame kid in a corner but the interesting magic one :D

[loganeasley]

Holy crap! I’ve been watching for about 4ish years! I started way during the summer between 4th and 5th grade because I wanted to impress this girl I had a crush on.I watched throughout middle school, and now I’m a Freshman in high school. It’s been amazing watching this channel change and grow. Thank you Brian, from the bottom of my heart, for this beautiful channel and everything it represents.

[illivanilli]

I mean I didn’t get that gatekeeping vibe at all from the show… it seemed like they knew magic was dying and wanted to teach a new era some tricks.

[BlakeBlackstone]

I loved that show. I don't think it was meant to be against magic. It helped inspire me.

[Portal]

Same thing i also started watching masked magician then i came to know criss angel and it all started for me in magic

[FourSuits]

It's been a while since I first watched this and I'm still thinking about it! Great work.

[zona]

3:24-3:51 I love this part bc it is so truth. I know a lots of tricks and I love when someone tricks me, and his performanse was too good that I didn't saw any mistakes. If it is something I never saw before, I am suprised that trick was not done the way I was thinking it will be done when it is revealed to me.

[Vidar]

god you speaking about all of this is one of the things i love most in life. someone who is passionate and loves a topic speaking about it is just one of the most beautiful things in the world. I do understand what you mean about it being a bit cynical but like many others it was one of the first things that got me into magic, it helped to sharter the illusion of magic, not in the beauty of it but in the you have to be someone special and have to be taught by someone where it like scam school showed me that i can learn and practice things on my own and can implement my own takes and ideas on things to change them and improve or just make them unique. I think magic of that era was very big and over the top and it had a physics type of effect to where in the 2000s it became very street and close up magic and rebelled against the big acts of the 70s/80s i feel like we are now getting to a point where people are becoming very good at blending the two and able to tell incredible stories with their magic and personally shows like yours or Fool Us being able to watch a trick and break down the beauty of some methods is the greatest thing only seccond to seeing that look of sheer amazment on someone's face when a trick goes in the exact opposite way of what they think and it absolutely blows their mind. im very happy you shared your take on this and i totally get how you and the masked magican may technically be doing the same thing jn teaching people tricks but do it in very different ways :)

[ShortJ]

I remember being in grade school when the masked magician originally aired. Begging my parents to let me stay up to watch it. They let me and it is what inspired me to learn magic. Those specials are what led me to find Scam School back when it was still Revision 3 (10 ish years ago?). Been subscribed and learning ever since. Now I'm a school teacher and I bring out tricks for students to inspire them to be themselves and to learn what interests them.

[lisagillum-wells]

Val went to great lengths to reveal the best illusions in a grand way. He himself said he hoped these shows helped to make magic fun again and bring more illusionist to the world. I NEVER felt like a dummy, as you claim Val did. I have more respect for the talent and hard work that illusionist put into these.
Thank you, Val!!!

[mikeylambda]

Watching masked magician when i was a kid with my brother was awesome, good times