The Penn & Teller Conundrum
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- Penn and Teller - magic’s legendary duo - have continued to defy labels over the past 45 years with their record-breaking Vegas show, creating hit magic TV show 'Penn & Teller Fool Us' and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
But by defining the genre of magic, and exposing some of their own tricks, they’ve been kicked out of the magic circle and have faced significant backlash from their fellow magicians. This is their story.
This is the genius of Penn and Teller.
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you have to talk about James Randi. You can't talk about Penn and Teller without mentioning James Randi. That whole idea of them being honest liars stems from The Amazing James Randi. You should do a long video about the life of "The Amazing Randi" James Randi.
Love that idea
The irony is that they were criticized for "ruining" magic, but with their show Fool Us, now in its 10th season, they have given hundreds of magicians national television exposure and have probably done more to promote magic and magicians than all of their critics combined.
They transformed magic, demonstrating that fooling you is neither necessary nor sufficient for being a good magician. The best magicians entertain you whether they fool you or not. Everybody now knows how Cups and Balls is done because of Penn & Teller. But people are still doing versions of Cups and Balls and the good ones are entertaining, either because of their patter or because of their skill at sleight of hand, or both. Nothing amazes me more than knowing how a trick is done, seeing through the misdirection, looking directly at them doing the magic bit, and still not seeing it. And some of the most entertaining magicians on Fool Us have done ordinary tricks, but in an extraordinary way.
Even more, Fool Us finally solved the problem of how to show magic in TV without the audience dismissing it as trick photography (cough, cough, Copperfield). They can’t use trick photography because there is a prize and rules-and then our inspectors to insure there is no trickery at Penn and Teller themselves. We see what they see. Great idea for a show, and I do love it when they are not fooled but they are nonetheless blown away by the skill of the performers
@@alexanderdgray Fool Us is not entirely clean in this regard. They film the in-person performances from multiple angles and typically show the angle most favorable to the performer. They avoid showing shots that expose the trick. In the extreme, there are times when they don't show the trick at all, they just show the misdirection.
To be fair, it's pretty much impossible to duplicate the experience of a live performance. And with slow motion and pause, you can see things that are impossible to see live. Sometimes, having an entertaining show and showing the performers in a good light wins out over showing everything.
Even the "Fool Us" gimmick is sometimes pushed to the limits. Whenever Penn says he's not speaking in code, that's code for, "We know this isn't how you did the trick, but we want to give you a trophy." And other times, they clearly know it's either A or B and it's random whether they pick the right one.
I think they do a pretty good job, but in the end we only have their word that they're being completely above board. Considering the reputation they've built over the years, I'm inclined to believe that it's mostly legit, aside from what I've said above, but you can never be quite sure.
@@jwolfe01234I’ve watched most of the acts on fool us, the fact that they aren’t allowed outside help or an accomplice already lends the show a lot of merit. From what I can tell, the editing definitely favors entertainment (sometimes they will edit out whole first attempts if the magician messes up a part of it) but that’s to be expected since the show is for entertainment first and foremost
@@Yurio Stooges aren't allowed, but there have definitely been acts that have used people other than those visible on stage.
Otherwise, yes, it's first and foremost an entertainment program.
@@jwolfe01234But the REAL magic is they give license to any performer to take that recorded media and repost it here on social media! No matter how nit picky you wanna get about no “camera ticks” getting a production to give up their product is hands down the greatest feat ever.
As Penn once said while critiquing someone’s trick, it’s the singer, not the song. So you know how the cups and balls trick is done. That doesn’t mean anyone can do it. And I’d argue it helps the audience appreciate a masterful performance even more.
not only that, but they do it so well and so fast, that in real time, you still miss moves. its like they're showing you how its done and u still feel bamboozled
I used to do magic shows and my job hired a magician once for us to watch just for pure entertainment. The trick we enjoyed the most was one that we did constantly but he did it so much more masterfully than the rest of us. It got the biggest applause of the night.
The crazy thing about Penn & Teller doing the cups and balls with clear cups, is that it still looks like magic.
As with learning the guitar or any other skill.. learning it, gives you more joy of how incredible something is.
You said it. Even with the clear cups, I had to watch it several times before seeing all the moves.
I have always loved and appreciated P&T's style of magic. Fool Us has been an excellent series as well as it showcases many new magicians from around the world who dazzle us even when they can't fool P&T. I also believe they both love it when they are actually Fooled. They are like big kids, still wanting to be mystified by the trade they know inside and out.
Felt like this entire video was an intro and I was waiting for the deep dive to start and then it just...ended.
yea I think it's all these jump cuts
For real bruh
Such a fitting tribute to a phenomenal duo of entertainers... and yes... they are genius at what they do !
I absolutely adore the fact that I have no clue who that dude is who was bitching and moaning about P&T’s showmanship. And I have absolutely zero interest in finding out who he was because Penn & Teller are the absolute pinnacle of magic, comedy, showmanship, and rationality, and there’s no one else who can top them.
They aren’t about tricking the audience, but more about entertaining them using the audience’s critical thinking skills. And I think that may be why some magicians have so much anger towards them because they don’t have respect for their own audiences. Granted, there aren’t as many people who are willing to engage their critical thinking wile being entertained, but it’s clearly enough to keep P&T going for decades now, and that makes me really happy. And I do have to admit that I have a bit of a crush on Penn because I’m attracted to his mind-John Cusack and him. I know I’m weird. 😹😹😹
Such a fedora tipping comment. So judgemental, so full of yourself. No wonder you are a Penn fan.
Ironically, he is (or rather, was) Nicholas Parsons - an English presenting legend, but it was a little sad to see him so vitriolic towards P&T in this way. In his own way, a very talented presenter, but nothing to do with magic and his own brand of comedy was very "straight down the middle" - as far from P&T as it's possible to be!
Having read Penn in the past, I feel he is one of the most irritating humans on the planet, but I simply cannot deny his brilliance in his field of entertainment, and you captured the genius of their pairing beautifully. Thank you!
He's a fedora-tipper for sure. I think he's kind of softening in his old age, which I think is a pleasant change.
@Arcessitor what does fedora tipper mean?
From what I've heard in interviews he said he's made a complete 180 on his worldview once he got older and slimmed down.
@@ajs787his current podcast is like a flipped penn. He's vegan now, socially progressive, supports an expanded welfare system...he's become a genuinely decent, thoughtful, open to new ideas, compassion and tolerant people I've ever followed the careers of. He's kinda become Hitchens if he was a nice guy.
Most people find objectivists extremely irritating, unless they get it. Most objectivists tend to realize as they get older, that the world is too far gone to actually implement their preferred policies, so content themselves with pushing the closest thing people might go for, or the thing that is best for the most people.
The greatest trick they ever pulled was making the audience think that Pen is smarter than Teller.
That’s not even close to being true.
Penn is an incredibly smart person.. wtf are you talking about?
@@nibiru379I don't think that is intended as an insult to Penn. Teller is exceptionally smart, even among smart people.
This is not an insult, at all. Penn is extremely intelligent. I also found Teller to be the smarter of the two. Nothing against Penn's smarts at all.
To those saying it’s an insult to Penn’s intelligence, it’s not.
He’s the first to point this out haha
They fixed magic. Magic is wonderful in this day because of them. Every popular magic act is only popular today because of Penn and Teller.
That's true, Shin Lim comes to mind.... and me.... they reignited my interest thanks to Fool us
Almost any famous magician today will definitely sight them as a huge influence
This is only true if you disliked magic as it was before Penn and Teller. If you liked it instead, suddenly this is a horrible tragedy.
@@MeepChangeling I liked Doug Henning, and I like Penn and Teller. They were-and-are good magicians. Penn and Teller very much represented the change from 'disco '70s' to 'sarcastic '80s' and they're great but I don't care about the whole 'rejecting the previous business of stage magic' thing. They're influential, but it's sure as hell a stretch when the dude said "every popular magic act is only popular today" blah blah blah, as though P&T invented sleight of hand.
@@MeepChangeling I thought that David Copperfield was amazing as a kid. Then I learned about P&T and that magic could be streets better
I saw them in 1992 at Michigan State. I remember Penn did a trick with a lit cigarette, and his warning to us college students: "Don't try this at home... unless you want to look *really* cool." LOL
I've always felt that a magician that reveals the trick, enhances the trick. It's a beautiful art.
What I always love is ye tricks where the magician reveals the trick, but in the process does something even cooler right in front of you without you even seeing
I like Penn and Teller and they make traditional average illusions more-entertaining by having a routine to explain them, but it's not 'enhancing the illusion' to find out how it's done.
Some tricks. Not all.. just the very good ones. If you learn how Dani Daortiz does his tricks.. every lesson will just blow your mind more.
@@PDeRopi agree with your first part, but honestly, not the second half. Yeah, not all tricks, but Dani Daortiz's tricks are more focused on incredible charm that man has than on a beautiful secret. Yeah, his tricks are great, but i don't think that they are the ones that should be revealed. The method should be revealed if it is better or is as impressive as the effect. No reason to reveal a double flip, but second deal is a whole other story. Sometimes the method is just much more impressive than the trick and that is exactly the moment that you should reveal it
@@DoubleSidedSpoon Dani has a video teaching you how he does his tricks. You have no idea, just how much skill is involved. Crazy.
What a heartfelt and sincere homage!
Penn & Teller are indeed a class act!
Superb tribute. Been a fan of theirs for decades now.
Regardless of whether you approve or disapprove of the tricks they revealed, there's no denying the massively positive effect they have had on the magic community, highlighted by their show, "Fool Us". With that show, not only do they give talented magicians exposure to a massive audience, but by framing the show as a challenge, it encourages magicians to innovate and come up with new approaches and methods for their illusions (since tried and true techniques would be recognized on the spot). I think they've done a lot of good for the magic profession and community, so I'd like to hope that overall the Circle/Castle would see them more for that at this point.
They boosted more magician's careers than anyone in history. No qualifiers required. :)
@@PDeRop Yes, but why say something in a dozen words when I can use a hundred? XD
@@illusion-xiiiThere is not a reason in the world. ;)
I still miss Bullshit, the show they did for Showtime years ago. Really got me to appreciate them as comedians and interested in their magic act.
The balls and cups trick with clear plastic cups is still amazing to watch.
Once a week I find a video that is perfect. It doesn’t try to be more than it is, the production is good, the editing is good, the flow is good and this was one of them.
This really should have 1M views
Wow, what a video. It was finished, I saw the outro, and I thought : what, it has been 9 minutes already ?!
So entertaining, dynamic, interesting, beautiful, I love it! You're really an amazing video creator! It made me see them differently! Thank you for that!
Teller not talking is such a bit of genius. We saw them in the 90s and after the show they were hanging out in the hallway just chatting with the audience, and that was the first time I heard Teller speak and it was so memorable and special.
The real secret is.. Teller is not subtle.. his words will destroy you. If you don't know about Piff's prayer yet.. I will tell you.
the theme of their show (in 2019 when i saw them at the rio in las vegas) was "juggling versus lying" - juggling meaning practising a skill for thousands of hours, lying meaning stage magic. penn explains that the line between those, where you aren't sure whether you witnessed extreme skill or deception, is where the delightful mystery lies for the audience. he says you don't want to be "too perfect" because then it could only be deception, and it's less enjoyable. they're real masters
Saw them in Vegas a couple years ago. They were really entertaining. They were intellectually stimulating and amusing. They also came out and met the audience afterwards, and were very gracious. They are two of the kindest people you will ever meet.
Went to see them live in London last night…they were just awesome!
Absolutely FANTASTIC! How do you not have more subscribers? Please keep up the terrific job you're doing, thanks so much for making my day with such fantastic story-telling.
Woah, what a comeback, and what a perfect video idea, and one very well executed! Clearly, many of your subscribers, myself included, found you through being fans of Penn and Teller (Still, I'm sure a lot of us haven't seen some of these clips from interviews and performances you've put here, I sure haven't, so nice digging). In this video you teach us about the history of Penn and Teller, the people who kinda got you where you are on UA-cam, as well as a thing or two about friendships and partnerships. It truly achieves its goal all the while clearly being a Jack Rhodes video. It is just wild how the editing keeps us invested and eggaged even while just watching an interview clip. Simply hats off to that! I really loved the clips cutting to themselves being on a little TV screen (which makes me think that might had been an attempt to avoid copyright issues with the videos 🤫).
Anyways, it is eggxtreamly nice to see you on UA-cam again, my friend.
Not going to lie, I've missed the chicken puns.
Next level editing. You should have a millions subs
What an amazing dedication to Penn & Teller!! Truly awesome video, great content Jack!
For me, knowing _how_ a trick is done only makes it _more_ impressive when it's done _well._ Their _clear_ version of Cups & Balls is the _best_ version I've ever seen because even as they _explain_ what they're doing _as_ they do it, it's so smooth that when the reach the end, I'm _still_ saying, "What the hell did I just see?!?!?!"
The greatest trick here is that this video is under 10min, yet it felt like a whole top tier documentary. High quality content here.
Additionally to my other comment, there's a poetic irony in Penn and Teller's clear cup routine as Dai Vernon, who created the routine also came under fire years before for revealing the false transfer and retention of the ball, to put back under the cup., I'm his own, original routine.
That was a great thumbnail!
After a year now in the magic world, I've gained a whole new appreciation for the magic and the tricks. It's been an amazing ride! Can't wait for what the next year brings me.
I saw Penn & Teller at the MT Baker theater in Bellingham WA .(Small city, small theater) They actually stood outside after the show and shook everyone's hand and thanked us for coming. How many big celebs do that?
This was about 2 hours too short. Haha! Incredible. Thank you!
Man I wish this was a 45 min full blown doc
Teller’s voice is great
The first time I heard Teller "speak", was him screaming the F word during a Fear Factor stunt. The second time was when I hung around after their Rio show and chatted to them both, they hung around for nearly 2 hours in the corridor outside so everyone could get a selfie or talk to them. I still have their steel copy of the Bill of Rights from the TSA sketch and their marked deck of cards.
At my point in Gen X, Penn & Teller were the most famous magicians in the world, but my slightly younger Millennial brother never heard of them and thought Criss Angel was the greatest magician of all time.
I'm new to the channel and I've just wanted to say that the editing is superb. Great work!
My favorite line from any P&T routine was, "Teller just walked through a g*dd*mned cow!"
I can't for the life of me remember which of their shows it came from, but it was great!
Gotta say, that was a fucking fantastic rendition of the Cups and Balls you did, all while working it into the commentary. Kudos, good sir!
This format is extremly underrated
WOAH dude, I don't know what I was expecting by clicking on this video, but it wasn't this incredibly high level piece I just watched! Amazing.
I've always had a love hate relationship to magic but Penn and Teller I will only love forever! " bullshit " the show is awesome
Penn & Teller didn't harm magic they protected its future. By allowing people to see how some basic tricks are done that allows kids to start a journey where they can do some simple tricks to their mates, after that it forces magicians to come up with new tricks to continue to fool the audience.
So tickled to see you back. Wonderful video.
They literally give away the tricks and they do it so well that it is still a mystery
As a magic lover who can barely shuffle let alone do a trick, what I enjoy the most is when I know exactly how a trick is done and I still can’t see how they do it. The skill of doing a trick right in front of someone’s face and still tricking them, that’s what impresses me the most.
A good example of this is Kostya Kimlat's first appearance on Fool Us. I know how he did the trick, but apart from the final flip of the bottom half of the deck I can't see him doing it. When I attempt to duplicate what he did, my fingers simply won't move that quickly and accurately; it's very slow and obvious what I'm doing while he does it at speed a few feet away from Penn and Teller while chattering away to them and they still don't spot anything.
The first time I heard Teller talk was 35 years ago when he came into the store I worked at and asked me for directions to the airport.
"The people who do the most interesting work in an art form - don't quite belong there." - Teller
what a lovely little clip about such interesting and cool dudes. wonderfully edited as well
I have always loved Penn and Teller aswell as the Masked Magician. As learning how some tricks are done makes other tricks all the more exciting when you can't figure out how every are done.
Plus if gets people to love the art of magic.
Great doc about an iconic duo! The content I didn't know I needed tonight❤ but relevant to my life
I don’t know why anyone else has commented on this but this might be one of the greatest UA-cam videos I’ve ever watched. The craft of this video was mesmerizing
As a magician myself, I always believed that if you want the art of magic to advance. Then you have to fill the audience in on a secret, and not dinky trick from a kids book. I’m talking from a glitzy Vegas show. Cuz it really drive the point home (to a child) that it’s a skills.
Very entertaining and insightful documentation of these legends!
You know what I appreciate here? Honesty, and not trying to hype it up, but still being interesting and entertaining.
And I'm talking about this video, as well as Penn and Teller's work. Subscribed
Very tightly edited! Good vid, very smooth, thoroughly entertaining. I'll be back for more :)
Welcome aboard my friend 🙌
they also say that they only reveal tricks that have been done for a while like sawing people in half, cups & ball & explaining how sleight of hand works
The quality of this video is unreal! Subbed
Love the new content! Great video, and it's lovely to see you again, Jack!
Here he is! Long time no see my friend
@JackRhodes Haha I'm honored you remember me! Still here, and still your biggest fan. Mad skills, mate. I wish I had half your talent!
Cheers brother, will never forget that name!
Cheers brother, will never forget that name!
It’s not as if Penn & Teller have revealed every trick they’ve ever performed. It’s more a case that they have a trick or two in their show that they let the audience see how it’s done, and in the show I saw many years ago, they “revealed” one trick, only to turn it on its head with another trick they didn’t reveal. It’s just a neat way to get the audience more invested in the show, and I think it’s brilliant showmanship.
It's great that magicians reveal the tricks. It forces others to come up with something better instead of relying on old forms.
Met Penn & Teller after their Rio show, Penn is definitely the polar opposite of Teller and their characters. Teller is nice, interactive, can really talk and like fans. Penn is quite "business" mode with everyone, not really caring much of other than "part of the job" attitude. Regardless, they are still my favorite tricksters.
The P&T version with clear cups is beautiful. Even if you see everything its still amazing
I remember when I was a kid and they came to Alaska for a show. One act had them call someone up from the audience, and they picked someone sitting in the seat right next to my dad. Then later in the bit, it was revealed that person was Teller in disguise. To this day it still blows my mind how Teller was able to somehow get to the seat right next to us without us being suspicious or even noticing there was someone we hadn’t seen before in that seat.
Holy fuck me, I've never heard Teller speak before but I ALWAYS assumed he had an English accent for some reason. I am just shocked. I have no idea why I thought that. My world has been shattered. Thanks for that Jack.
on the magic mystery tour was the first time i heard teller speak. "the sphinx is BIG" lol
I'm really digging your content. Your slight of hand stuff is great, obviously, but this kind of mini-doc is really well done, too. I thoroughly enjoyed the piece you did on Blaine. Thank you very much!
More Penn and Teller videos please!❤❤❤❤
Was suggested the David Blaine video. Loved it. Love Penn & Teller, so gave this a watch. I must say, I see a significant improvement between the two videos. It's not that this one is bad; it' actually very good. So, well done! I have subscribed and look forward to more of these video essays. One point of constructive criticism, and only one, is that you reused clips too much in this one. Not trying to be a common UA-cam commentor here, just a thought on what to avoid in the future, because these are both really great!!
What an amazing tribute! Thanks for sharing your impressions. Cheers.
Great segments, keep good work
the real trick to P&T was to make magic art without changing the art of magic
The real trick to making a meaningful statement is stating something meaningful
Beautifully written, thanks ❤
This was lovely, thank you so much for this!
I never understood why magicians were upset with Penn and Teller’s act. Magic is a stage performance. You go to see the performance of a work. To me, it’s the same as seeing a revival of a play or musical that you already know. The fun in it is seeing the live performance and the interpretation of the trick by the performers. It’s also to marvel at their skill.
One of my favorite P&T tricks is Blast Off to Love. It’s a corny trick. But the way they do it is entertaining as hell and it stands up to repeated viewing, even thought they show you exactly how it’s done. The sleight of hand smoking trick is absolutely as amazing the fifth time you see it as the first because Teller is so skilled at it. We’ve seen infinite variations on disappearing a person or dismembering them and we all know how it’s done. But it doesn’t make the performance any less entertaining.
It doesn’t spoil tricks to know they are using gimmicked apparatuses, or that the card selection is forced, or that it’s the assistant who does all the hard work, like in the appearing gorilla bit. If anything, knowing how the trick is done makes you appreciate the skill and story telling all the more.
I also enjoy the bit where they fold a flag and put it in a rolled up copy of the Bill of Rights and then appear to burn it. The bit is good even before they show you how it’s done. And they’re making a political commentary about the ideals of the bill of rights and how the flag represents them. It’s Constitution that is politically sacred, not the flag. And their reveal of how it’s done deepens their message by contrasting it to other countries. It’s a perfect P&T trick.
Saw them for my 40th birthday and it was friggin awesome!!
Damn, this is a good channel. GREAT production value and your narration doesn't miss.
My biggest surprise was learning how Penn Jillette narrates the beginning of The Residents' Mark of The Mole album. This was before he became a famous magician it seems. Wondering how that all happened.
Gosh, Teller's voice is Golden! Talk about a powerful orator.
P&T raised the bar. Forced their fellow magicians to work harder and be better.
Know how the trick is done doesn't mean you like it less. The skills are amazing, the science more so.
Great video mate, I can imagine how long it took to do!
Boy did I love seeing the same few clips over and over again.
That SNL story is amazing, but the question is, do we believe him? 😂😂
I only really like magic tricks that show how it's done because I know it's a trick and without revealing how it's done is like telling a joke without a punchline.
Knowing how it's performed enhances it to me and makes it much easier to appreciate the trick especially the hard ones where the finesse and skill to do it are a marvel in itself.
Great video. Saw them live tonight in Birmingham. Amazing guys
How was the show?
@@JackRhodes They were brilliant... couple of classic tricks with some new stuff sprinkled in. Penn did some fire eating to close the show..very cool
Class, I wish I could go and see them but won’t have the chance I’m afraid 😳
Beautiful! Thankyou for this video Jack!
"The people who do the most interesting work in an art form don't quite belong there."
Truer words may never have been spoken.
I definitely believe that a small part of the reason for the clear cups and balls was to get people to stop doing the same trick all the time.
I have to think the alliance is going to frown on this
Great video and brilliantly edited!
My father was a magician and I have watched magic my whole life. Even when I know how the trick is done I'm still amazed at the skill that's involved.
The cups and balls have been around for thousands of years. I think it was ok to not say Spoiler Warning about the method anymore. Knowledge wants to be free.
Nicely done. Good story. I appreciate the thought that went into this. :)
This is a fantastic video jack!!!!!!
Cheers big lad
I have loved P&T for years. I find them deeply fascinating as people and as performers. And Fool Us was a stroke of genius. Such a great show.
He's back!!
Guess who's back, back again...
After shows P&T come to the front of the house and meet the audience coming out. I shook Teller's hand and told him it was the best value I'd gotten for a Vegas show ticket, ever. They truly gave us a great show for the admission price. He seemed to appreciate that. They autographed a picture for us, too. (There was a porn convention in town, and some of the biggest names from adult movies were in the same audience.)
I love these guys)
Thanks for video)
What type of cup are you using here?
got a link?
thanks Jack
It’s a regular cup mate!
The live show at the Rio is so good.