Michael Jay: Julie, your answers so far in this forum have been amazing in the depth that you've given us...No quick answers, only good wisdom and insight. Thank you so much.

I'd like to ask, how do you feel about exposure? Now, I don't mean as in classes where there is an amount of work put in to get something out of magic or in hitting the books and honestly studying this art, but rather, the exposure programs on the television where you only need to click your remote and learn more than you'll ever care about with no invested interest other than to learn "how it's done."

What about exposure on the internet? How do you feel that such things affect us, as magicians and the overall attitude of the laymen to magicians as a result?

While we do have a restricted area on this site, where we try to teach each other and learn, there is a requirement to get inside this area to view these things. However, other sites simply open up and tell the mechanics without getting into the psychology and true depth of what we, as artists and magicians, do.

Further, do you feel that there are any easy answers as to how to stop this, if we should even be worried about it at all?

Julie: I'm not really put out by exposure television shows or internet sites. If some one wants to know how it's done, they will find a way. What is stopping someone from walking into a magic shop and buying the latest DVD on coin sleights? If they have the means, then they have the opportunity. But don't forget that they are only buying information, not rehearsal nor skill. The latter two only come from investing time and effort. And, once someone invests time and effort, they begin to appreciate what a magician goes through during a performance.

I think that the “exposure” phenomenon has actually reaffirmed how skilled one needs to be to pull off sleight-of-hand. I've had people tell me “I've seen how that's done on TV” and I ask them “Oh really, how?”. They proceed to tell me whatever method they've seen so I simply work around that information to recreate the same effect with a different method.

I love it when their jaw drops. And, that is when I really get credit as being a magician.

To reiterate, if someone wants to know how something is done, they will find a way! But information is only one part of magic: performance style, presentation, sleights, handling…there are so many other aspects to consider. Sure they will know how, technically, to do a coins across routine; but I'd like to see what happens if you hand them a few coins to demonstrate.

Do we need to worry about exposure? If you want to. But I don't think I'd recommend losing any sleep over it.

walshab1: Hi Julie,

I'd just like to ask what is the worst/most embarrassing thing that has happened to you during a performance?

Julie: You mean you expect me to admit to one!

walshab1: lol.. ok, how about something that was completely out of your control.. a streaker running through the theatre for a wacky example!

Julie: OK Ben, here is an example of something that was completely out of my control during a show…

A few years ago, I was entertaining at a garden party at a private residence – a large estate surrounded by farmland. I was doing a parlour-styled show and was about three-quarters of the way through when it got interesting: the audience didn't know it but in a large field, a considerable distance behind them, I could see parachuters landing, aiming for a target. It was kind of distracting for me, but they were landing out of the audience's view and far enough away…or so I thought.

But then....yes, you guessed it…right in the middle of the Linking Ring routine (my penultimate effect) the wind picked up and, an off-course parachuter sailed over our heads, landing right beside the garden party! I should be thankful that he managed to sail over and not on us.

I must admit, that was a pretty hard production to top!

MagicSamX: If money and method etc were no object what is the one effect you would love to perform?

For example one of our previous guests said he would like to steal the crown jewels (not to keep of course)

Julie: There are too many! If I had to choose ... and if money and method were not an issue ... I'd love to perform the ultimate levitation. It would happen indoors or outdoors, of course in full lighting, with no covering of any kind -- just an effortless floating that moves right over top of the audience. Actually any kind of "perfect" levitation...of objects, people. I remember watching Bewitched and how Samantha could make anything float or appear with sly, dimpled twitch. Now that was magic!

Mistress of Magic: What is the best reaction you've ever had from someone?

Julie: The best reaction…there have been a lot of great ones!

One of my favorites was written up, recently, in the Linking Ring...

A few years back, a magic enthusiast visiting from San Francisco stopped into my father's (Tony Eng's) magic shop and watched quite a few sets of my father's demonstration pitches. He was particularly intrigued by Tony's handling of the Elmsley Count. After the demonstration, we got quite busy selling. The magic enthusiast leaned over and hinted to Tony that he would like to learn this version of the count, to which my father replied he was busy but would get his daughter (me) to show him. His crestfallen face said it all … “Eh? A little girl to teach me the Elmsley count? As if!”

My father insisted that I show him anyway, so I did. Immediately after I executed the count, he cried, “You see! That's not the Elmsley! She's only showing me four cards face down!! Look, the proper way to do it is to show three face down cards as four face down, but in reality the fourth one is face UP…” he stopped short and his face went a shade of purple-red, when I spread the cards to show that, indeed, three cards were face down and the fourth was face up