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April/May 2013

International Magic Magazine

STREET THEATRE
BY KYLE RAVIN

ALAN WATSON
INTERVIEW
HANGING OUT WITH
THE STAR OF NEW
ZEALAND MAGIC

this edition

STREET PERFORMING
KEITH FIELDS SHARES HIS
EXPERIENCES ON THE STREET

editio
n

Alan
Wats
on

MAGIC TRICKS
LEARN MAGIC - FROM MENTALISM TO
CLOSE-UP TO STAND-UP ROUTINES

07
3

THE DAY EVERYTHING


CHANGED
JEFF MCBRIDE ESSAY

The Biggest Latex Specialized


Store in the M agic Bussines
Black
Sausages
Endless Bananas
Bunch
of
Bananas

The Shovel
Orange

Endless Carrots

Brown Egg

Coke 500ml.

Big
Thumb

Lemon

Coke Mix
500ml.

White Bulb
Billiard
Ball 1

Clay Vase
Beige

Fake Feet

Pear
Dove
with feet

Billiard
Ball 8

Fake
Hand

Sausages

Dove to Flowers

Coke 1,5 lt.

White
Egg

The
Magic Walnut

Magic Apple
Juice

Banana
Canary
with feet

Big Eyes
Hammer
Clay Vase
Terracotta

Tongue

info@magiclatex.com - SPAIN

WWW.MAGOFELIX.COM

INFO@MAGOFELIX.COM
Paid Advertisement

Paid Advertisement

April/May 2013

VANI SH

Internatonal Magic Magazine

CONTENTS
FROM THE EDITOR

MAKING NEWS

BAMBOOZLERS12
STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

14

EDITOR
Paul Romhany

CHOOSING THE MATERIAL FOR YOUR ACT

15

CO-EDITOR
Chipper Lowel

WEIGHT-A-SECOND18

PRODUCT REVIEWERS
Paul Romhany & Friends

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO BE COPPERFIELD? 

22

COVER PHOTO SUPPLIED BY


Alan Watson

IMAGINARY CIRCUMSTANCES

26

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR,
Paul Romhany

MAGICIANS CROSSWORD PUZZLE

28

SENIOR MARKETING SPECIALIST,


Harry Monk

ALAN WATSON FEATURE STORY

30

SLIP SLIDING AWAY

46

DIVING CARDS

50

THE SUCCESS SERIES

52

SOUND ADVICE

54

BEHIND THE ADVERTISEMENT

58

FINDING YOUR FITNESS SECRET

62

A TRIBUTE TO JAKS

64

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Paul Romhany / Harry Monk
ART DIRECTOR
Paul Romhany/Chipper Lowell
PROJECTS MANAGER
Josh Miles
PROOF READERS
Richard Webster, Mick Peck
E-READER VERSION
www.revizzit.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Chipper Lowell, Magic Babe
Ning, Diamond Jim Tyler, Tony
Chris, Paul Romhany, Nick Lewin,
Wayne Rogers, Cris Johnson, Keith
Fields, Lee Alex, Richard Webster,
Bizzaro, TC Tahoe, Danny Archer,
Kyle Peron, Charles Bach, Steve
Spill, Jeff McBride, Chase Hasty,
Bill Warren, Ben Robinson, Joe
Gold, Paul Alberstat, Gwyn Auger,
Anders Hansen, Felix, Leif David,
Banachek, Kyle Peron, Balu the
Magician, Joe Pipia, Peter Mennie
TO ADVERTISE IN MAGAZINE
Contact Paul Romhany for more
information at:
info@paulromhany.com

ITS CHILDS PLAY66


OMGNAACAAN70
ROUTINING YOUR ILLUSIONS: EMOTIONS

72

IN YOUR HANDS

78

THE MAGIC ASSISTANT

80

LESSONS LEARNED86

10

28

BAMBOOZLERS

Diamond Jim Tyler teaches


another cool bar effect

ALAN WATSON INTERVIEW

One of the worlds most successful working


magicians - find out his secret to longevity.

94

STEVE SPILL - THE JOLLY JESTER90

THE DAY EVERTHING


CHANGED

Jeff McBride on using Video


screens in magic

THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED94


STRIKE DEBT MAGIC

98

STRIKING A CHORD

102

YOUNG MAGICIANS CORNER

106

WITCH QUEEN(S) OF NEW ORLEANS 109


MAGIC REVIEWS110
MILLY, DIOP, BABY!

126

FROM THE DESK OF KEITH FIELDS

128

NICK LEWIN PRESENTS ...

130

128

STREET MAGIC PART 3

Keith Fields final story as a street


performer

ONE WORD OFTEN FORGOTTEN132


BAG OF TRICKS MOVIE

136

A SNEAK VIEWING

138

JOKERS WILD144
5

132 FORGOTTEN

ONE WORD OFTEN


Chipper Lowell on responsibility.

FROM THE
EDITOR
Its important to acknowledge
our mentors ...
Its been an incredibly busy month
as we prepare to move from New
Zealand back to live in Vancouver,
Canada this month. While packing
boxes, selling our house and clearing out my magic storage unit, and
travelling for shows, I have somehow
managed to put out another issue of
VANISH MAGIC MAGAZINE on time!
This wouldnt happen without all
the support of the contributors and
advertisers, so thank you all.
This issue is a special one for me as
I finally get the chance to feature
a New Zealand magic icon, Alan
Watson. Its been a long time coming
but am happy that I was here to do
the interview and put this feature together on one of my closest friends.
I think younger magicians forget
to acknowledge those who have
helped them along the way, and for
me it has been an opportunity to say
thank you and to acknowledge one
of my mentors.
There is a theme in this issue on
health. In March we lost a dear friend
to many magicians, Hal Spear. Hal
and I worked on several books and

projects and it was very sad to hear


of his unexpected passing. With the
amount of travel many performers
do, we often neglect our health and
wellbeing and the effect it can have
on our body. I became aware of taking care of myself a few years back
when I collapsed on stage from dehydration. I had been traveling back
and forth each week flying 14 hours
every four days. After a month my
body couldnt cope and I collapsed.
Since then I have taken my health
very seriously and make the effort to
do the right things. I certainly hope
the articles in this issue will hit home
to many hard working performers.
VANISH has some really exciting
news that will be released to those
who subscribe to the newsletter on
the website. I dont want to give too
much away now but its been my
goal since I started VANISH MAGIC
MAGAZINE to get it to a level that
competes with other trade magazines, and we are a few weeks away
from getting to that point. To be
the first to get the exciting updates
visit www.vanishmagazine.com and
join the newsletter. You will also get

Paul Romhany

info@paulromhany.com
www.vanishmagazine.com
updates telling you when each issue
is ready to download.
I always enjoy hearing readers views
on articles, good or bad, so please
do drop me an e-mail with your
thoughts. Id like to start up a section
where we print a few e-mails that
come in, so get your fingers typing.
Another new section I have started
is introducing readers to our advertisers. This is a little feature on them
and how they got into the business.
Its always nice to know who you are
buying products from.
With all the attention Burtwonderstone movie has gained over the past
month, I felt it important to feature
other films that are being produced
by magicians. These arent done on
big budgets with major movie stars,
but are just as important, if not more
so, to our magic community. In this
issue youll find two stories on two
very different types of films that is
worth everybodys support.
Enjoy this issue and stay tuned for
some very exciting and amazing
news coming VERY SOON ...
Paul Romhany

Paid Advertisement

MAKING NEWS
If you have a story or a news related item please e-mail
the editor at info@paulromhany.com
We try to keep the news as current as possible and
generally this is the last piece we work on prior to the
magazine going live.
Hal Spear Remembered
By Nick Lewin
There was very sad news
on the Internet about the
passing of Hal Spear. Hal was
a long time magician and
comedian who was a creative
and delightful force in both
areas. Born in Livingston, New
Jersey he was now living in
Las Vegas, Nevadalike so
many other magicians and
comedians. An avid magician
from an early age, Hal was
creative and persistent
in his approach to magic.
Ultimately he moved more
into the comedy sphere than
the magic world. However
he never lost his interest
in magic and brought his
encyclopedic knowledge of
comedy to bear on his first
love.
As a comedy writer Spear
wrote for such shows as,
The Drew Carey Show, The
Tonight Show, The Arsenio
Hall Show, The Howie
Mandel Show and many
others. He also wrote
for comedians such as
Rodney Dangerfield, Jay
Leno, Howie Mandel,
Rosie ODonnell, Tim
Allen and Rich Jeni. He
was one funny guy. As a
performer Hal (Chickie
to his friends) was seen
on numerous TV shows
and appeared in every
kind of live venue. His
comedy was always
fresh and smart. He
was a true comedians
comedian. However, he

never forgot or abandoned


his magical roots.
The last full day I spent with
Hal was in Victoria BC when
we visited Murray Hatfields
magic store and had a
delightful lunch with Murray
and Eric Bedard. You can
share some of Hals talents in
three excellent releases he
has recently made via Paul
Romhanys online magic
store. They are The Amazing
Twenty Dollar Bill Trick, CSI
The Case of the Half Died
Hanky, and his superb book
of comedy routines Extreme
Magic Makeover - Comedy
Classics. It is an education
to see what a real comedy
writer can do in routining
magic. They are highly
recommended. Check out
details at:
http://www.halspear.com
It is amazing how many
brilliant minds are fascinated

by magic at an early age, and


how often they retain that
interest. Hal Spear was a true
lover of magic and one of the
most friendly and generous
people you could hope to
meet. He is the kind of person
that magic needs more of. I
dont claim to be one of Hals
closest friends but I wish I had
of been, he enriched my life
immensely by the contact we
had. If you want to watch Hal
perform comedy then look
him up on YouTube, where he
is well represented, and settle
back to laugh. The comedy
and magic world are both
smaller and less interesting
places with his passing. I will
miss him.
He had a heart attack while
away working and returned
home, only to pass during
the next night. I am not sure
of all the details exactly.
However, it is worth passing
on to our fellow entertainers

the incredible benefit of


taking out travelers insurance
while working overseas or
on a cruise ship. You can
get full coverage, including
emergency evacuation,
for about $5 a day. This is
about the cost of a Latte at
Starbucks and could mean
the difference in saving you
a great deal of money or
possibly your life. I never
work an overseas or cruise
gig without it. Ever. It is
easily obtainable from an
independent agent and can
be set up with a phone call. At
the very least make sure you
are traveling with chewable
aspirin with you at all times
they too can make a life or
death difference.
Click here to watch Hal live in
various venues:
Stand Up:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=_unJvTt7YR0
Stand-Up:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=WuQ0z5lczc4
CSI Color Changing Hanky
Routine:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=n9stinxjMck
Unpublished Routine:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=y9B9MYMCIHo

McBride Magic & Mystery School Adds Two


New Scholarships
Jeff McBrides Magic & Mystery School just announced the
creation of two new scholarships. The SARMOTI Legacy
Scholarship was founded and funded by a generous grant
from the Siegfried and Roy North American Fan Club. The
Magic & Mystery School Scholarship is supported through
donations of magicians and fans of magic from around the
world.
McBrides school in Las Vegas has achieved global acclaim.
The BBC termed it the worlds most prestigious school
for magicians in a recent broadcast, and both MAGIC and
Genii magazines, have profiled the school. The Society
of American Magicians and Londons Magic Circle have
both provided past scholarships for students to attend the
school, and the new scholarships will supplement those
continuing programs.

RICHARD WEBSTER AWARDED


THE GRAND MASTER OF MAGIC AWARD
The Brotherhood of Auckland Magicians
and The Shore City Magic Club honored
Richard Webster recently by awarding him
their highest accolade for any New Zealand
magician - The Grand Master of Magic.
Richard was recently a feature artist in VANISH
MAGIC MAGAZINE and his years as one of the
worlds leading hypnotists, mentalists and
magicians was finally acknowledged by the
magic community in his home country New
Zealand. Richard has been a supporter of
VANISH Magic Magazine since the first issue
and continues with his regular columns. On
behalf of the VANISH family we congratulate
Richard on this well-deserved award.

Scholarships provide aid to students who need help


closing the financial gap to get the magic education they
need. Magicians must apply for a scholarship, says Dr.
Lawrence Hass (Associate Dean of the School), and the
process is competitive. We do not have enough funds to
meet all the requests we receive. Even so, we are committed
to awarding these scholarship dollars and we encourage
anyone who qualifies to apply.
For that purpose, the school has set up a special web-page
application at www.magicalwisdom.com/scholarships.
Dr. Hass says: In 2012 we awarded three scholarships to
wonderful, talented, highly motivatedmagicians, and that is
only the beginning of our efforts to help people make their
magic education goals a reality.
Dr. Hass continues, Both of the new Scholarships are
funded through the generosity of people in the worldwide magic community and our Magic & Mystery School
community. Donations are gladly and gratefully accepted
and can be made if you will go to our web-page for the
scholarship program at www.magicalwisdom.com/
scholarships.
The McBride Magic & Mystery School has been offering
high-quality, high-impact magic education in live classes
and events for over twenty years. Interested students can
visit www.magicalwisdom.com to see the full slate of its
live classes in Las Vegas and recently added online learning
experiences.

HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME


CELEBRATES PENN & TELLER
The Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce is prepping for a
magical day on the Walk of Fame
when magicians Penn & Teller will
be honored with the 2,494th star
on the famed Walk of Fame. We
selected the perfect spot for the
star, stated Ana Martinez, Walk of
Fame Producer. It will be unveiled
at 7003 Hollywood Boulevard
just steps away from the star of
legendary Houdini and right down
the street from the historic The
Magic Castle!
The Magic Castle, which is
celebrating its 50th Anniversary this
year, will be honoring Penn & Teller
the following day on Saturday, April
6th with the coveted Magicians of
the Year Award.
Gubler and guest speakers David
Copperfield, Trey Parker and Matt
Stone will help the duo Penn &
Teller unveil the 2,494th Star in the
Category of Live Performance at
7003 Hollywood Boulevard down
the street from the historic The
Magic Castle.
Fans can watch the thrill LIVE
on www.walkoffame.com! said
Martinez.
For more than 35 years, Penn &
Teller have defied labelsand at
times physics and good taste-- by
redefining the genre of magic and
inventing their own distinct niche in
comedy.
The duo have been performing
together since the late 1970s. With
sold-out runs on Broadway, world
tours, Emmy-winning TV specials,
and hundreds of outrageous
appearances on everything from
Letterman to Leno, Friends to The
Simpsons, Chelsea Lately to Top Chef.
This comedy team show no signs of
slowing down.
With an amazing six wins, as Las

Vegas Magicians of the Year, Penn


& Tellers 10-year run at The Rio
All-Suite Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
makes them one of the longestrunning and most-beloved shows in
Las Vegas history, outselling every
other resident magician on the
Strip.
Their acclaimed Showtime series,
Penn & Teller: BS! was nominated
for 13 Emmys and is the longestrunning series in the history of
the network. The show tackled
the fakes and frauds behind such
topics as alien abduction, psychics,
and bottled water. Their newest
television venture, Penn & Teller
Tell A Lie for the Discovery Channel
premiered in October 2012. Penn
is currently showing his businesssavvy on the new season of NBCs
Celebrity Apprentice.
In the UK, Penn & Teller have
recently completed the first series
of their highly-lauded return to
British television, Penn & Teller: Fool
Us! The show is about up-andcomers and magic veterans who try
to fool Penn & Teller for a chance to
star in the duos hit Las Vegas show.
Along the way, Penn & Teller have
written three New York Times bestsellers; hosted their own Emmynominated variety show for FX;

starred in their own Emmy-winning


specials for ABC, NBC and Comedy
Central; and produced the criticallylauded feature film documentary
The Aristocrats.
As individuals, they are just as
prolific! Teller directed a version
of Macbeth which toured the east
coast to raves from the New York
Times and Wall Street Journal. He
has also written two books. Penn
has written three books, including
the 2011 New York Times best-seller,
God No!hosted the NBC game
show Identity, and donned his
ballroom shoes for the 2008 season
of ABCs Dancing With The Stars.
With such inclusions as in the New
York Times Crossword Puzzle, as
answers on Jeopardy and Who
Wants To Be A Millionaire, Penn &
Teller have sealed their status as
cultural icons and the preeminent
duo in the history of comedy. Their
well-deserved acclaim was once
again reinforced when singer Katy
Perry asked them to co-star in the
video for her No. 1 song, Waking
Up in Vegas.
Thank you to David Hartnell and
MagicNZ for the above news item.

DONT TRY TO ESPACE THE FIRST


ANNUAL HOUDINI FESTIVAL
March 24 was the 139th anniversary
of the birth of Harry Houdini the
great magician and escape artist.
To commemorate this birthday,
Americas only World Champion
Illusionist, Wayne Alan, and his
theatre, The Historic North Theatre
in Danville, VA, announce the First
Annual Houdini Festival to be held
at the theatre June 21-22, 2013. The
event is open to the general public
as well as magicians.
Friday, June 21 in the evening,
the theatre will host some of the
countrys top sleight of hand
experts for an intimate show of
close-up magic in the Balcony
Mini Theatre that only seats 100.
Saturday, June 22 during the day
there will be a display of Houdini
memorabilia, viewings of two of his
famous movies, plus lectures and
demonstrations (two are Top Secretfor magicians only). The Halloween
attraction, Houdinis Haunted

House, in the theatres basement,


will also be open during the festival.
Saturday evening there will be a
gala stage show featuring some of
Americas top magicians and variety
performers.
Tickets for the festival are $75.00
for magicians and $55.00 for the
general public. Tickets for individual
events may also be purchased.
Students and children are half price
for the Saturday night gala stage
show. To reserve tickets, please call
434-793-SHOW (7469) now or go
online at www.TheNorthTheatre.
com The Historic North Theatre
is a beautifully restored 1947, 500
seat Vaudeville theatre with a full
balcony. It is located at 629 N. Main
St., Danville, VA 24540.
WATCH TRAILE FOR NEW MAGIC
MOVIE NOW YOU SEE ME
Described as Robin Hood meets
David Copperfield this new main
stream movie is about magicians
who rob a bank then give away the

money. The movie features Jesse


Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody
Harrelson, Melanie Laurent, Isla
Fisher, Dave Franco with Michael
Caine and Morgan Freeman.
MAJOR NEWS REGARDING THEFT
The BBC picked up on my recent
situation with the recent copy act
and how I handled it gracefully as a
magic teacher.
The story breaks today! You have
the scoop!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
magazine-21861418
And even though it hasnt aired, the
radio story is up on The World if you
want to share a sneak preview
theres a webified text of the radio
story, but its much better if you
click the play button to listen to the
audio:
http://www.theworld.org/2013/04/
magician-jeff-mcbride/

BAMBOOZLERS
DIAMOND JIM TYLER
www.djtyler.com

CARD CONUNDRUM

BRAIN TEASER: Using two Aces, two Kings, two


Queens and two Jacks one must lay out the cards so
that:
Each Ace borders a King.
Each King borders a Queen.
Each Queen borders a Jack.
No Queen borders an Ace.
No two cards alike border one another.
Finally, the eight cards are positioned as in (Fig. 1).

SECRET: See (Fig. 2).


You should clarify that bordering in this case means vertically and horizontally, but not diagonally. What stumps
most people is that they when they hear the rules they
assume that both Kings border Aces, both Queens border Kings and both Jacks border Queens, when you can
see by looking at the solution in (Fig. 2) that they do not.
Any of the cards used for this puzzle would make a great
poker hand. I remember playing poker once with a
gypsy and we used tarot cards. I got a full house and four
people died!

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

12

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Brian Cook

MagiCrafter was created


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with exceptional products
that are made from superior
materials which will
hold up under heavy use.
Www.MagicCrafter.com

13

Briancookmagic@msn.com

Standing on the
SHOULDERS of giants
By Kyle Peron

STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

14

CHOOSINGTHEMATERIAL FOR YOUR


ACT

Take time out to NEVER stop learning ...


I first want to personally thank my
good friend Steve Friedberg for
coming up with the idea for this
article. As we talked recently, he
brought this topic up as well as the
perfect title for what it should be
called. I thank you my friend and
hope my words do the topic justice
and inspire others along the way.
Time is a very funny thing when you
think about it. As a child you can not
wait for time to go fast and you are
older. As an adult you pray that time
would simply slow down and that
you could be a child again. But time
also has a way of suddenly making
us realize that it is a very precious
thing not to be taken lightly.

15

This could not be made any clearer


when we look back on the past
several years and the many magicians
who have passed away and the
wands that have been broken in
their honor. Magicians such Martin
Nash, Roger Klause, Presto, Mahka
Tendo and the legendary Ali Bongo
are just but a few that have gone to
a much greater stage to perform.
They will be missed and they will be
remembered.
So in many ways we stand on the
shoulders of these giants that have
come before us. We can not and
should not forget what they have
done for magic and what they have
done for many of us. But it seems

time rolls on and we forget the


lessons we should be learning from
these giants.
The loss of these greats should get
us thinking about our own magic. It
should get us thinking about how
we act and react to our magical
brethren. To honor those that have
come before us, we can stop for
a moment and just remember a
few very important things. If these
giants could speak to us now, I think
it would be safe to say they might
just agree with what I am about to
tell you.
Take time out to NEVER stop
learning. The giants upon whose

shoulders we stand never stopped learning. They strived


each and every day to perfect their art and to learn as
much as they possibly could.
But as much as they learned from magic, they also knew
the importance of sharing the magic with others. To have
this vast knowledge and never share it is such a waste,
and they all knew it. This is why I can clearly remember
spending time with both Mahka Tendo and Mr. Bongo.
I was very young and inexperienced but they both not
only MADE time for me, but listened to my questions,
answered them and spent countless hours showing me
moves and sharing with me the values of what makes
magic great. Did they have to do this for me? No they did
not. They could have told me they did not have any time.
But none of these giants ever did that. They knew that
for magic to be a higher art form, one must be willing to
share with those who seek the knowledge.

an amazing craft not to be taken lightly and to be shared


with others. We need to be aware that helping others
improve their magic is not a bad thing and it is certainly
not a waste of time.
If we each would remember these simple things, I think
these giants that have passed on before us would be on
that stage in the sky and smiling ear to ear knowing that
magic is in very good hands for years to come.
As always, I encourage you the readers to let me know
your thoughts. So if you have any thoughts on my articles
or suggestions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me
directly at magic4u02@aol.com. I would love to hear from
you.

They made me realize that ALL of us can take their lead by


having the willingness to ALWAYS help another magician
regardless of what level they are at. They made me realize
to not be afraid to ask the old guy in the back of the room
for his advice. They made me realize that the old guy may
just know a hell of a lot more then you think.
Most of all they made me aware of not taking anything
for granted. They made me realize just how special the
art form of magic really is. Magic, and calling yourself a
magician, is a privilege that should not be taken lightly.
These giants would not settle for second best. They
would not settle for only giving 80% because they were
tired or too hot or just not in the mood to perform. They
knew always that the audience DESERVES your very best
each and every time you walk out on that stage. They
realized that being a professional does not start when the
curtains open or end when they close. You are always a
professional.
They knew that to call yourself a magician means giving
to the art what it deserves. As Steve reminds me, It is
not good enough to have this idea of not caring if you
flash because you are an entertainer. We both agreed
that we have a responsibility to do that which we do as
seamlessly as possible. The giants always knew this and
always practiced countless hours to ensure perfection of
the craft.
So we do stand on the shoulders of giants. We stand there
each and every one of us. Because we are there, we need
to realize that none of us are too great to forget where we
are, where we came from or the folks who helped us out
along the way. We need to realize that the magical arts is
Paid Advertisement

16

17

WEIGHT-A-SECOND
An impossible estimation effect by Stefan Olschewski



No questions
No fishing
No calculating
Nothing to remember

The Secret
If you expect the super-duper-freaky-high-skill-sleightsolution for the effect described above, I am sorry to
disappoint you. I still think the most straightforward versions are the best. Why do a fancy knuckle buster when
the same effect can be achieved a lot easier with gaffed
cards? Its the impact on the audience that really counts.
That is why I simply use a cleverly marked deck. Please
dont yell at me! I really do!

The Preparation
There is just a little preparation to be done before you
can start and that is secretly mark a deck of 52 poker
cards. I prefer Bicycle brand. The cards are deliberately
shuffled and then marked on the back with the numbers
from 1 to 51. One card remains untouched.

The Effect
A spectator is asked to freely cut a shuffled deck of
playing cards and hide the cut-off portion in his pocket,
while the magician is standing far from the table with
his head turned away.
The spectator puts the remaining cards back into the
case and hands it to the magician. Without even looking
at it, the magician weighs the card case in his hands. He
is immediately able to tell the spectator the exact number of cards that are in the spectators pocket.



18

Can even be done blindfolded


The case is not gimmicked
No force of any kind
No stooges

You can use your favorite way to secretly mark a deck.


However, it is important that you can tell the number
on the back immediately and from a distance. That is
why I use the rub-on stickers that come with Ted Lesleys
Working Performers Marked Deck.
As an alternative, you can also use the tip of a scalpel to
carefully scratch the numbers into the back of the card, a
method that works really well (Ill. 1).
Usually, when marking a deck, you would put the name
of the card on the back using for example QS for Queen
of Spades. To prepare the deck for Weight a Second you
only need the numbers.
The advantage of this kind of mark is that people can
directly look at the marked back without noticing anything, but if you know what to look for, you will be able
to tell the card (or in this case the number) even when
you are standing a couple of feet away.
You might also want to use The Juice or Luminous to

portion of the deck. The packet you


cut off can be small or large; it is your
free choice. Once youre done please
hide the cut-off cards in your pocket.
O.K. then, go ahead!
Take the empty card case from the
table and turn away as far as you
can. You only need to make sure that
you will be able to recognize the
secret mark on the deck when you
turn back without moving closer or
intensely staring at the cards.
Are you finished? Good, hide the
cards you cut off! Lets make this
even more difficult.

mark your cards, which is also a


great way to gimmick the deck.
Just use the system you feel most
comfortable with.
Arrange the deck in numerical
order so that the card marked 1
is on top of the facedown deck,
51 at the bottom. Take the ungimmicked card and place it on
top of the 1. Slide the deck into
the case and you are ready.

The Performance
Take the deck from the case and
casually spread it face up to show
that the cards are in no particular
order. Give the deck a few false
cuts or shuffles and place it facedown in front of a spectator.
Do you know how much one
of these playing cards actually
weighs?
Hand the top card to the spectator and let him guess.
What do you think? An ounce? I

19

will tell you. An average playing card


weighs exactly 0.063 ounces which
equals 1.8 grams. A full deck of 52
cards thus weighs 3.276 ounces (93.6
grams). Good to know, isnt it? It
actually is, because if you know this,
you will know exactly if you have a
complete deck in front of you just by
weighing the cards in your hands.
Take the deck and hold it in your
hand, apparently weighing it.
Hm... this deck is not complete. I
would say, there is one card missing.
Look at the spectator. Oh, yes, its
the one you are holding!
Take the card back from him and put
it back on top.
Ah, this feels much better. Ladies
and gentlemen, this deck is complete!
Dont mind the amused expression
on the spectators faces and carry on
with your presentation.
In a moment, I am going to turn my
head and I would like you to cut off a

Turn your head towards the table


just for a brief moment and throw
the card case on the table. Immediately turn back. Later, nobody will
remember that you even came close
to the table.
During the action of throwing the
case you can get a glimpse of the
mark at the top card of the deck. Due
to the stack the number you read off
will exactly be the number of cards
the spectator hid in his pocket. Keep
on talking during this action.
Please slide the remaining cards
back into the card case, close it and
hand it back to me.
Still with your head turned, hold
out your hand and let the spectator
place the case into it. Keep looking
away and carefully weigh the case
in your hands. Concentrate and tell
them:
Well, I am not sure, because sometimes the weight of a card case can
differ and I need to subtract that
from the cards still inside to calculate
the number of cards in your pocket
Hmm I would say your pocket
contains exactly 35 cards (or whatever number you read on the back of
the card).
This is a nice situation because the

audience thinks you are just joking around. But you will
now prove your statement. Have the spectator take the
cards from his pocket and deal them into your hand one
at a time. The audience will be amazed that your apparent guess is absolutely correct.

LAWRENS GODON

Final Thoughts
I like to present the trick as a demonstration of estimation, which fits perfectly in a mentalism set. You might
as well have the spectator hide the rest of the cards,
too, once you got your glimpse. In my opinion, this
would make the effect too perfect. I think it is better to
announce to try to feel the number of cards that are
taken away, thus giving the audience something to think
about. You present a task that is highly improbable but
not impossible. And it may even be done blindfolded, if
you know how to get the glimpse along your nose.
If you have the spectator deal the cards he cut off from
the back and turn each card face up during the counting,
you can just take the complete packet, turn it face down
onto the cards in the box and you are reset to perform
again.
The Credits
Baker, Al: Weight Trick in: The Secret Ways of Al Baker,
The Miracle Factory - Todd Karr, 2003
Elmsley, Alex: Weight in: Minch, Stephen: The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley - Volume 1, L&L Publishing,
1991
Erdnase, S.W.: Weighing Cards in: The Expert at the
Card Table, 1902 (2002 facsimile edition)
Vernon, Dai: The Weight Guesser in: Cervon, Bruce:
Bruce Cervons Castle Notebooks - Volume 1, L&L Publishing, 2007

20

Moneypulation
www.lawrensgodon.com

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Terrific readparticularly
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Frankly Disillusioned is the mad and wondrous, rats an all tale of thirty years of mystery,
magic and mayhem. It is funny and honest, just like the magician himself it will make you
laugh, it will make you seethe and then laugh all over again. It will take you in leaps and
bounds through the years of Dean & Claudines life but this glamorous(!?) life took them, at
times, to the edge of their endurance and had them dropping through the skies, plunging over
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21
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WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO


BE DAVID COPPERFIELD?

BIZZARO
Television can be
a magicians best
friend and their
most damning
decision.
22

Seriously? Why do so many magicians want to be Copperfield? I sort


of get it. Back in the day he had the
looks, the money and the girls. Thats
the problem of course. HE had all of
that. Trying to be someone else who
has the things in which you covet
will not get you said things.
Let me ask you this: If he hadnt been
on TV and you saw him live would
you have still wanted to emulate
DC? If you saw him live would you
have just watched the show and

thought Well that show didnt suck


at all? I dont think it was the magic
that drove/drives so many magicians to worship the graven image
that is Copperfield. It was TV.
Television can be a magicians best
friend and their most damning decision. After Worlds Greatest Magic
aired back in the 90s how many
people were doing Hobsons egg
bag routine or Finneys card on forehead? It got them good exposure to
non-magicians but the trade off was

their routines were badly ripped off by hack


magicians everywhere (And if you are one
of those reading this, shame on you).
I understand the appeal of course. In the
wake of the colorful hippy wave that was
Doug Henning, Copperfield gave the television watching public something new:
Magic Vignettes. Others had done it of
course but mostly in theaters and little to
none at that time had the corporate backing. His specials were filmed like movies
with a sound track to match. Much like
Robert Houdin changed the way magicians
dressed in formal shows, DC showed that
magic could be dramatic and artsy.
However without TV behind him, his emulation would be much, much less. It would
still happen because many magicians are
lazy and want to take the easy I know this
works so I will just do this route. However
it would have been in much smaller numbers had he not been Pillsburys bitch back
in 1977.
It happened with Blaine, it happened with
Angel. Once one person gets a good idea,

Ask yourself,
Why do
I want to
be David
Copperfield?

23

everybody wants that same good idea.


Thusly send in the clones. Any stand up comedian will tell you that having TV specials
is a double edged sword. Once that material
has made it on the boob tube you have to
do new stuff because unlike a band, people
want to hear new stuff not the comedians
hits.
So ask yourself, Why do I want to be David
Copperfield? Is it him or what you think is
him? I firmly believe that you should be inspired by a performer and never imitate
them. Instead of being the next so-and-so
why not be the first YOU!? Just remember
this: its a different era and what worked
then may not work now.
Send all angry emails to someone else. I
dont wanna hear it.

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IMAGINARY CIRCUMSTANCES
My experience
in theater has
taught me
valuable lessons
about what is
missing from
many magic
shows.

26

JOEY PIPIA
Motivate Yourself
(Its What You Think!)

ets begin by remembering that


great magical theater requires
us to live by a new definition:
A magician is a person who
lives truthfully under imaginary
circumstances.

your performance to new heights.


That sounds clich, but its true.

Motivation Not Just For


Corporate Speakers

Motivation has been the butt of


countless jokes through the years.
This is especially true of this subject
My last two articles (VANISH Five, in movies and TV from the early and
and VANISH Six) explained this new middle parts of the last century, as
definition in detail. This regular acting underwent a revolution.
column, Imaginary Circumstances,
is devoted to elements of acting Early American theater was
and theater that you should include populated by actors doing
in your creative process to take inventive, if not truthful, things to

convey a plays story, or what the actor was


feeling on stage. Putting the back of your
hand to your forehead and taking a deep
breath let the audience know you were
sad.
This was dogma, and taught by respected
acting teachers of the day. In fact, it goes
back centuries. Around the turn of the last,
last century (1900s), however, a Russian
thespian named Constantin Stanislavski
changed acting forever by suggesting that
an actor should be truthful on stage. And,
he said, that truth would transcend to the
audience, making for compelling theater.

The First Flower Children


Several young American actors went to
Russia to learn from this master, and they
returned with ideas that radically changed
American acting; their brainchild was the
Group Theater. In the 1930s it included a
groovy, way before the sixties, commune in
upstate New York where acting and theater
suddenly became hip, real, and relevant.
Theater became alive.
Marlon Brando, the great American actor,
was a product of the Group Theater. Their
original Broadway shows in New York
City soon sold out, as everyone flocked
to experience this new phenomenon.
Motivation, became a mantra for thinking
actors. And as much praise as they received
for their performances, they were also
teased about this radical new process.

People are
compelled
to watch
when they
feel something. Magic
is theater.

27

Whats my motivation? became the joke


du jour as actors asked their directors
in comedies and parodies across media.
Laughs aside, motivation is the ingredient
needed to create believable drama, and is
crucial to great magic performance.
Without honest motivation, the actor is
left to do silly actions like touch the back
of his hand to his forehead and sigh to let
the audience know hes sad. The magician?
Purse his lips and raise an eyebrow to let
the audience know something magical has
happened. There is a better way to make
the moment fresh, original, and engaging
for the audience. Its not hard to do either.

Think And Amaze


Successfully fooling your audience depends
on well thought out motivation. Each action
you take a reach with your hand, a turn
of your body must be justified by a clear
motivation.
This motivation comes from thoughtful
analysis of your effect. Asking why you do
this, or do that. Why pick up a coin with your
right hand and put it in your left hand, when
picking it up with your left hand would be the
simple, natural thing to do?
Acting is not making faces, it is thinking, and
feeling what you think, said Tommy Wonder
in book II of, The Books of Wonder, by Tommy
Wonder and Stephen Minch. These feelings,
from your thought process, will create
moments of believable wonder onstage.
(Tommy also lauds truth in acting, but we
went down that road in the last two issues of
VANISH.)
Thinking about what motivates your actions
whether the effect is self-working, or one
that requires manipulation is a valuable part
of your magic process. Including thoughtful
motivation improves your performance.
*Imaginary Circumstances is a VANISH feature
dedicated to your success as a wonder worker.
The focus of each column will be a different
aspect of theater, drama, acting, and how to
incorporate it into your magic performance.
Imaginary Circumstances, comes from Joey
Pipias definition of a magician: A magician is
a person who lives truthfully under imaginary
circumstances.

MAGICIANS CROSSWORD PUZZLE


BY BALU THE MAGICIAN

28

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ALAN WATSON
A Lifetime of MAGIC

By Paul Romhany & Friends

31

The STAR of New Zealand Magic


Introduction by Richard Webster

lan and his wife Michele are without a doubt


one of the busiest show business teams around
the world. On a typical day, the Watsons may
start at a childrens birthday party, then entertain at
a corporate function and he regularly finishes his day
performing close-up magic in a restaurant.
It is this versatility that provides the Watson family
with a good living in New Zealand, a small market

An early photo Nicole Watson, Oswald Ashton and Alan

32

of only four million people. Alans consummate


professionalism, coupled with a background in sales and
marketing, has enabled him to break long established
records, set new standards, and, in the process, generate
valuable publicity. He is also an expert at the computer,
and constantly keeps up with leading technology to give
him a winning edge over his competitors.
For five years Alan was resident close-up magician at

the renowned Fishermans Wharf


restaurant, where he performed
for an incredible 1,423 nights. This
is a record for any New Zealand
magician. Originally, he was booked
for one week at Fishermans Wharf,
but ended up performing there five
nights a week for five years. For 26
years he was the resident magician
for New Zealand largest theme park
Rainbows End where he presented
the Alan Watson family magic and
illusion show. Alan deserves his
success, because he works hard at
every aspect of his magic business. I
witnessed an example of this when I
saw him performing his close-up act
in a restaurant. At one table, all the
diners were Japanese. This made no
difference to Alan, because he was
able to present his entire show in
broken Japanese!
All this hard work pays off with
lucrative bookings. In the 1992 1993 financial year Alan presented
a staggering 1,005 shows, including
close-up, childrens birthday parties,
trade shows, strolling magic, and
performances at shopping malls
and corporate shows. Alan does not
perform that number of shows a year
these days, as he now specializes in
more lucrative bookings.
Michele and Alan work well together.
Michele is skilled and relaxed on
stage, and is totally professional.
She is an excellent assistant and a

ALAN & MICHELE


RECEIVE THE
DRAGON AWARD
PRESENTED
BY PAUL AND
DEBBIE DANIELS

33

strong performer in her own right.


The family prefers working together,
but work singly when required.
Many magicians wives dislike magic,
but Michele loves every aspect of
it, including keeping up to date
with what is going on in the world
of magic. Not long ago, I enjoyed
dinner with Alan and Michele and a
couple of overseas magicians. I was
impressed at Micheles knowledge of
magic, and was delighted to discover
her passion for magical history.
Alan and Michele Watson were
recognized internationally by the
J. Marberger Stuart Foundation
who presented them with the 2002
DRAGON Award before an audience
of more than 1,400 magicians at the
100th year anniversary of the Society
of American Magicians in New York.
The DRAGON Award is presented
in recognition of outstanding
teamwork in the art of magic, and
is the highest international award
that has ever been presented to a
New Zealand magician. The award
was presented to Alan and Michele
by the previous years winners, Paul
and Debbie Daniels. The DRAGON
Award name is an acronym for
Drama, Romance, Artistry, Glamour,
Originality and Necromancy. The
winners have to demonstrate
outstanding ability in each category.
In 1995, the legendary Magic Circle
in England presented Alan with their
highest degree of which he is most

proud: Member of The Inner Magic


Circle - M.I.M.C. with Gold star. One
year later, Alan showed the New
Zealand public why he deserved
this award, when he performed the
close-up magic section in The Great
Kiwi Magic Show on TV3.
Alan Watson has also been
recognized by the entertainment
industry in New Zealand. The
Variety Artists Club of New Zealand
presented Alan with New Zealands
leading entertainment award,
The Benny Award - a lifetime
Achievement Award, in October
2006. Less than one week later, the
magicians of New Zealand presented
him with the Grand Master of
Magic Award - The Supreme Award
for excellence for a New Zealand

Performing at The Magic Castle

Right: Alan in the


early days with a pet
monkey at The Lion
Safari Park.
Below: Melanie, Nicole
and Larissa Watson

magician. Alan has been recognized


by the Variety Artists Club of New
Zealand five times in the past: four
times for being the top magician
in New Zealand, and once because
of his dedication, professionalism,
achievements and excellence in the
field of magic.
One of the highlights of Alans career
came in 1987 when he was invited
to perform at Hollywoods famous
Magic Castle. Alan and Michele were
the first close-up magicians from
New Zealand to appear at the Magic
Castle. With his typical marketing
flair, Alan promoted New Zealand
and its products, including Kiwifruit
and Kiwi Lager, as part of his closeup routine.
The late William Larsen, then
President of the Castle wrote,
He delighted our audiences with
his unique technical skills. They
are at once astonished and well
pleased, a rare combination for any
professional to master. His act is of
the highest quality and he is one of
the finest talents to appear at the
Magic Castle in a long time. Alan
and Michele visited the Magic Castle
again in 2002, and have performed
in both the Close-up Gallery and the
Parlour of Prestidigitation.
Alan Watson has always believed
in giving back to the magical
community, and has a deep passion
to promote New Zealand and
New Zealand magicians. He is a
Past-President of the New Zealand

34

Society of
Magicians and
Ring 160 of the
International
Brotherhood
of Magicians.
He co-founded
the MagicNZ
bulletin board in
the early 1990s,
introducing
New Zealand
magicians to
the Internet.
Incidentally,
this was the
first magic
bulletin board
in the world to be connected to the
Internet. Alan is possibly best-known
to international magicians for his
weekly Magic New Zealand e-zine,
which is read each week by over
17.000+ magicians, in more than 78
countries.
Alan Watson is the International
Deputy for the Society of American
Magicians for New Zealand. He
also acts as the New Zealand
representative for The Magic
Circle. Over the years, he has
organised more than 70 lectures by
international magicians to educate
and benefit NZ magicians. In
addition to all this, Alan has served
on the committee for three national
New Zealand conventions, and at
two of these, was responsible for
publicity and marketing. Alan is one
of the very few Kiwi magicians listed
in the International Whos Who of

Magic. In his limited free time, Alan


works tirelessly to prevent exposure
of magic tricks and methods.
Typically, Alans fondest memories
relate not to his achievements, but
to the times when he was able to
help others. One special moment
occurred some years ago when he
was performing strolling magic
at the Lynn Mall shopping centre.
During the afternoon, Alan made
balloon animals for a group of four
special needs children and their
caregivers. He made a teddy bear
for the last child. When he asked her
for her name, one of the caregivers
said, Im sorry, she doesnt talk,
shes autistic. Alan wrote the girls
name on the teddy bears arm and
then handed it to her. To everyones
amazement the little girl said
thank you. Alans eyes glisten as
he recalls the moment. Everyone
broke down, he told me. Even the

Right: Alan has


performed his magic
for many celebrities,
politicians and
industry icons - this
one is with Phyllis
Diller

caregivers cried with joy and one


of them told me that it was the first
time she had spoken. That was a
truly magical moment that I will
treasure always.
Alan and I have been friends for
almost thirty-five years now, and
I have watched him progress
from a part-time entertainer
to an international performer
who is recognised around the
world. I am in awe of his talent,
professionalism, business acumen
and determination. I am not alone
in this. The late J. Marberger Stuart,
founder of the DRAGON Awards,
considered the Watsons to be
amongst the top magicians of the
world. After seeing Alan performing
at the Magic Castle, Mr Stuart was
motivated to write the following
letter:
Dear Alan
Congratulations on your marvellous
success at the Magic Castle in
Hollywood, California. My wife
Marjorie and I thoroughly enjoyed
your show, which we saw many
times. We were especially delighted
by the style and charm, which shone
throughout your entire performance.
As a judge of many magic
competitions in the United States and
Europe, including the most recent
FISM, I have been privileged to see
many fine magicians. I can honestly
say that I consider you to rank among

35

the top magicians in the world.


I envy the people of New Zealand who
have an opportunity to see your world
class magic on a regular basis. Please
come to the United States more often.
New Zealand should share its star
performer with us all.
Best wishes for your continued success
Sincerely [signed] J Marberger Stuart
Unsolicited letters of this sort, and
Alan has many more, demonstrate
more convincingly than anything
else that Alan Watson is New
Zealands leading magician. The
Magical Watson Family has done
more than anyone else to promote
New Zealand and New Zealand
magicians internationally, and every
Kiwi magician receives
the benefit of this.

the Avengers), Raymond Burr (Perry


Mason, Ironside), Sir Peter Blake,
Whoopi Goldberg, Lynda Evans (of
Dynasty), Dane Te Atairangikaahu
(the Maori Queen), Elle McPherson,
and numerous TV, radio and political
personalities.
We are fortunate that one of the
worlds leading magical families
chooses to live here. There cant be
too many people in New Zealand
who havent been entranced by
this talented family. If you have not
yet seen New Zealands favourite
magicians - the Magical Watson
Family - in performance, I guarantee
you will be captivated by them too,
just as soon as you see them live on
stage.

Over the years, the


Magical Watson
Family has performed
before hundreds of
celebrities. The list
includes: Sir Edmund
Hillary, Sir Robert
Muldoon, Phyllis Diller,
the Sheik of Bahrain,
Taufaahau Tupou
IV (King of Tonga),
Jackie Chan, Denzel
Washington, Patrick
Macnee, (John Steed of
Alan with the New Zealand Prime Minster Sir Robert Muldoon

ALAN WATSON INTERVIEW


by Paul Romhany
36

rowing up as a kid in New Zealand in the 80s was a real blessing


if you wanted to be a magician. While it was frustrating to have to
wait months to get books, tricks or magazines the upside was it
forced you to be creative and gave you the opportunity to really get to
know the local professionals. I was incredibly lucky to be surrounded by
some of the best magicians New Zealand had to offer, and a few took me
under their wings. Even today after being a professional for over 25 years
myself, I can tell you that I am still learning from my Kiwi mentors.
Without a doubt, one of the most successful of those magicians who
I consider one of my mentors was Alan Watson. I remembered once
when I was in my teens and he judged a magic competition I was in,
he made the comment to always make sure your shoes are clean. That
has lived with me forever and as a working professional I know what he
meant. That comment really wasnt just about my shoes, but it was about
the overall look and feel of a professional, it was the full package. Its
the small details such as clean shoes that makes somebody stand out
amongst others. This has been Alans real key to his professional success,
the fact he takes the time to look at the small details and has always
stood out amongst others.
Alan is still one of the busiest performers working, but he doesnt do the
volume of shows he used to, but rather does higher paid gigs and works
less. If I had to sum up Alan I would say he is one smart guy with a big
heart. Im honored to call him one of my closest friends and even more
honored he was able to take time out and do the interview for this issue
with me. As editor of VANISH I give no limit to the amount of space for
any article I feel deserves it - and this one on Alan certainly warrants as
much space as it needs. Hes made his sole living from magic and has
done it all. He also has given back so much to the magic community
both nationally and internationally. He rightly deserves the title New
Zealands Ambassador of Magic.
Paul - Going back to your start in magic - where did the interest all start for
you?
Alan - At the age of 7 years the wand of magic was passed to me by
my great great Uncle Oswald Ashton who started performing during
the First World War. He was one of the founding members of the New
Zealand Society of Magicians back in 1920.
P - Your family was a large part of your career. Your twin daughters Larissa
and Melanie, and your eldest daughter Nicole have their own major
achievements including being the youngest magicians to perform at The
Magic Castle back in July 1991.
My daughters are third generation magicians and Nicole my oldest
daughter performed at the Magic Castle Palace of Mystery when she
was 13 years old and went on to compete at the Society of Magicians
Convention held in Las Vegas in 1991 and was awarded the Kleinman
Incentive Award, being the first time this award was presented. In 1994
she won the Pat McMinn Rising Star Award from the New Zealand Variety
Artists.
10 year old twins Larissa and Melanie were at that time the youngest

37

in Vanuatu as The Wizard

In China with Fukai

magicians in the world


to perform at the Magic
Castle at the Palace of
Mysteries. They also went
on to win the Pat McMinn
Rising Star Award from
the New Zealand Variety
Artists in 1997.
My daughters reputation
spread nationally in
New Zealand and
they appeared in TV
commercials and in-store
promotions using their
magic abilities. As a family
Michele and I along with
the girls appeared on
centre stage weekly at
New Zealands largest
theme park, Rainbows End.
P - It must be very pleasing
to see granddaughter
Aleshia, a fourth generation
magician, following in your
familys footsteps? Tell us
more.
Unrehearsed, Aleshia
walked out on stage at
Rainbows End with my
wand much to the delight

38

of the audience. This bit


stayed in our family show.
I then introduced over
the years illusions that
she could be part of. Her
love for magic rapidly
increased. At the 31st New
Zealand International
Magicians Convention at
the age of 13 years she is
now the Under 17 Close
Up Champion for New
Zealand and also winning
the adult competition
for the Funniest Routine
for the convention in
Christchurch 2012.
P - Youve had one of the
most successful careers of
anybody in this business
I know. One of the things
Ive noticed is longevity in
your work - years in a theme
park, several years in various
restaurants, etc. What do
you attribute this to?
A - I have always analysed
the customers needs in
every situation, keeping
my magic fresh and I am

never satisfied - always


keen to seek improvement,
make changes, reinvent
myself, and looking for
ways that my performance
is way beyond the
customers expectations.
P - How has a background in
marketing helped you stay
on top and how important is
it to have an understanding
of marketing?
A - I could write a
book on this subject
Paul! I originally had a
background in sales,
marketing and business
management. If you want
to have a successful career
in this magic business
marketing is paramount.
Readers if you havent
already done so, Paul
interviewed me on my
Seven Secrets of Success
and Ive since broken
them down and uplifted
them onto YouTube; and
have since gone viral with

just under a quarter of a


million hits, go to: http://
www.youtube.com/user/
AlanWatsonMagician
P - Versatility seems to have
been a key to your success,
from childrens parties,
shopping malls to trade
shows and corporate shows.
Do you feel with todays
market it is important for
any performer who wants
to make a good living to
be able to do all facets of
magic, or is it possible still to
just focus on one skill?
A - Each market is different,
New Zealand has a
population of million 4.5
and Auckland where I live
only has a population of
1.4 million. I identified my
markets and to make a
good living I found that I
needed to diversify. I have
made a very comfortable
living over many years
performing at special
family events which has
given me a good cash flow.

Early promotional photo levitating Michele

While the corporate, close


up and strolling magic has
generated me with the
other fifty per cent of my
income.
P - I wonder if you can
elaborate on the idea of
sponsorship with magic.
I know you used sponsors
for years with your magic
- can you explain how that
worked and the benefits for
you as a magician?
A - Back when I was
doing between 800
and 900 shows a year, I
found that the only way
I could generate further
income was through
sponsorship. For 18
years I was sponsored by
Mars International. They
gave me a retainer, plus
products, 70,000 business
cards, 500 posters, and
advertising support every
year. This only comes
about when both parties

39

are in a win: win situation,


as I was able to give their
products major exposure
in a subtle way.
P - What are the three major
highlights of your career?
A - Michele and I being
recipients of the DRAGON
Award in 2002 and being
presented with it at the
Centenary Society of
American Magicians
Convention in New York.
Being presented New
Zealands supreme
award for magicians Grandmaster of Magic.
The Magic Circle in London
- Member of the Inner
Magic Circle with Gold Star.
P - I know you were heavily
in to mentalism long before
it became popular like it
is today. Its interesting to
see how peoples attitudes
towards mentalism have

changed over the years.


How was it accepted when
you were doing it?
A - Back in the seventies
when I was performing
mentalism, it was frowned
on by the mainstream
magical fraternity. Its
funny how things come
full circle, and now they
legitimize it by calling it
Magic of the Mind, or NLP.
A number of professional
magicians use mentalism
in their acts because it
plays big and packs small.
P - Youve been a mentor to
younger performers in New
Zealand, including myself.
Mentoring was a way magic
was handed down in the
past. Did you have a mentor
when growing up in magic?
Would you like to see more
mentoring in the magic
community?

A - John Booth had a major


impact on my thinking
and I found his book John
Booths Classics inspiring
which was printed and
published by the Supreme
Magic Company. Its very
important that we all help
and encourage the young
ones coming through
because they are the
future of our art.
P - You were one of the
first magicians to get on
board way back in 1993
with a fully graphical
interface bulletin board
called MagicNZ which was
connected to the Internet.
I remember the first Magic
Chat group you set up for
magicians worldwide. Im
sure our readers would like
to know the background on
how Magic New Zealand
started and developed over
the years?
A - I had a long time

the bulletin board had


had its day and in 1999
started the mail list, Magic
New Zealand ezine. It soon
became a huge success
and today has 17,000+
subscribers worldwide.

Key and Spoon Bending years before it became popular

passion in helping
promote New Zealand
magicians internationally.
Along with my close
friend Chris Parkinson we
established a computer
bulletin board called
MagicNZ. Over that time
it allowed New Zealand
magicians to communicate
with each other using their
personal computers. We
then took a major step
forward by connecting
MagicNZ permanently to
the Internet. Back then it
was looked upon as being
very innovative to the
magic world. It was the first
magic bulletin board in the
world to be connected to
the Internet.
I foresaw patterns of
change and realised that

40

A - It is very disappointing
to see that some young
magicians are trying to
run before they learn
to crawl! It gives magic
a bad name and harms
professionals. Personally I
think it is very important
At present there are
that we encourage
17 other electronic
young magicians into
publications that have
magic clubs. This will give
permission to reproduce
items from the Magic New them good ethics and
guidance in all matters of
Zealand ezine.
performing and promoting
their current level of
P - What are the positive
expertise. Just because
aspects of magic on the
internet and what do you see you can put up a website
as negative aspects since the with glowing material and
false claims this can hurt
use of magic online?
our industry and magicians
working in your local area
Positive aspects are
who have paid their dues.
that you are able to
communicate in real time.
P - You had a great job in
Promote your business
marketing in your early
through websites,
days, at what point did
YouTube, Facebook,
you decide youd become
Twitter and many other
a full time magician and
ways. All in turn generate
what advice would you give
bookings; researching
anybody who is thinking
for new material and
of making that big career
products; communicating
move to magic?
through Skype with other
professional magicians.
A - I suggest you read as
many books, CDs, DVDs on
Negatives are exposure
marketing and publicity.
and poorly presented
performances on YouTube. Surround yourself with
people who are experts in
People selling rip-offs.
their own field. Probably
Magicians who are
more importantly you
misleading the public on
have to have a great love
their capabilities on their
for magic and be willing to
Websites.
make sacrifices to succeed.
P - An observation I have
made recently is that the
Internet seems to have
produced a lot of younger
magicians who havent put
in the time to develop their
craft, yet expect to play on
the same playing field as
pros who have been in this
business for years. What
seems to have changed?

P - Are there any stories


youd like to share about
performances that have
stuck with you after all these
years?
A - As professional
magicians we all have our
stories and one that comes
to mind I was on tour with

Michele and her incredible balloons


The girls with Billy McComb

broke both his legs. Years


later I returned to the
same bar and they told me
what had happened. So I
threw another card to the
ceiling and it has become
a local legend and to my
knowledge its still there.
I thought to finish off this
feature story on Alan I
would ask a few friends to
say a few final words ...

Chuck Jones in Australia


and the tour manager and
I were having a drink at
the local bar when one of
the patrons asked me to
do some magic. I ended
my routine by performing
Michael Ammars Card on
Ceiling, I told the publican
never to take the card off
the ceiling as it was stuck
there by good luck.
A year later the ceiling was
to be painted and one of

41

the painters went to peel


the card off the ceiling, I
was told that the publican
yelled at the painter not
to take the card from the
ceiling. He then proceeded
to paint around the card.
The following year a new
painter went to paint the
ceiling and before the
publican could tell him
not to take the card from
the ceiling, he pulled the
card off, slipped and fell
down off the ladder and

A note from Paul Daniels:


In my lifetime in magic
I have met more nice
people than nasty but
amongst all those nice
people Alan Watson has
to stand out as the nicest.
Nobody has worked harder
at the magic game, both
in performance and in
publicising our magical
art. How he fits it in I dont
know. Alan... you are a
helluva good guy.
Alan Watson: my brother
from another mother.
By Nick Lewin
I wasnt much of a magic
magazine reader for most
of my life, then something
changed. I gradually
realized that my wife Susan
knew a great deal more

about what was going on


in the magic community
than me. I was quite
taken aback by this turn
of events and decided I
had better look into it. The
answer was that she had
become a devoted reader
of Magic New Zealand, I
followed her example and
became rather addicted
to this lively, topical and
time efficient magic
journal. That was how
I first discovered Alan
Watson and since then he
has turned into one of my
closest friends in magic.
About six years ago I
was finishing a cruise
gig in Christchurch, New
Zealand and in a very
uncharacteristic manner
told Susan that I wanted
to stay an extra few days in
New Zealand and lecture
in Auckland--could she set
it up. My normal reaction
was to try and get the
heck home as fast as
possible from an overseas
gig, before you could say
Kiwi, Susan and Alan had
it arranged. I was staying
with Alan and Michele in
their home and lecturing
to the local magicians. Alan
and I were close friends

within ten minutes of my


arrival and have become
closer with each year that
has passed since.
If you havent met Alan
in person it is almost
impossible to convey his
totally contagious love of
all things magical. Talking
magic late into the night
and drinking red wine and
vodka he took me back to
my early love of magic, the
way it had been before I
lost some of my enthusiasm
by making it a livelihood
instead of a hobby. The
care, ethics and selfless
devotion he lavished on
producing his non-profit
e-zine was very refreshing
and a re-inspiration to me
as a magician. I also saw
him perform his show at
Rainbows End and was
highly impressed by what
a really excellent family
entertainer he was, his
commitment to performing
was just as wholehearted
as his commitment to
publishing.

42

Alan and I spent a


delightful morning during
my stay visiting Richard
Webster and somehow
for some unknown reason
Richard told me I should
be writing. I was a little
surprised because in spite
of having edited Sleight
of Crime in 1976, a book
of murder mystery stories
involving magicians I
had shown little interest
in following up on this
area of my talents. The
moment Richard said it,
Alan responded If you
write it then, I will publish
it. We shook hands on
it, then finished our tea
and biscuits. It was a very
fateful day for me and
with few exceptions I
have published a weekly
column in Magic New
Zealand ever since. It
started a whole new era
in my life and I have much
to thank both Richard and
Alan for getting me started
on a new journey.
I could spend a lot of
time telling you all

the great things I have


since discovered about
Alan---what a kind and
thoughtful person he is,
what a great family man
he is and how much he has
contributed to the magic
world. However, I think
there will be plenty of
people saying these things
in this issue of Vanish. Let
me keep it very personal
and just say that Alan is a
dear and true friend who
inspires and helps me
enjoy magic through his
own enthusiasm, if you
havent met Alan in person
then try and do so, he will
do the same for you and
you will become a better
person for it.
Finally, it would be
impossible to correctly
write an appreciation of
Alan without mentioning
his lovely wife Michele.
They are a perfect
combination, creating a
synergy that seems to fuel
the energy that propels
their non-stop magical
mission. They were lucky

With Celebrity Columnist David Hartnell, MNZM

Alan, Gene McCarthy, Paul Daniels, Michele, Steve Valentine, Debbie McGee

enough to find the perfect partners in life, and we can


enjoy the result on a weekly basis in Magic New Zealand.
It takes a true magical skill to take a small country, that is
physically far from anywhere, and place it smack dab in
the middle of the magic universe. Alan has done so and I
am proud to be his friend, fan and colleague.
Ken Ring writes:
I owe a special debt to Alan. When, about 25 years
ago, I started my school shows as MATHMAN the
mathemagician I joined the local magic clubs, and knew
no one, but it was Alan and only Alan who immediately
made himself available for friendship and advice. I have
never forgotten that. Alan rose miles above the petty
professional jealousies that such clubs all periodically
endure, and through the years our friendship has
consolidated. I am still proud to call him one of my closest,

Granddaughter Aleshia
dearest and most supportive of friends. Alan is one of
those rare individuals who tirelessly encourages, coaxes
and coaches, simply because he loves the art and he
loves sharing. If it was not for Alan Watson the countrys
largest junior magic club would not exist today and
consequently neither would the careers of many
national and even some international performers. Alan
has dedicated his whole working life to magic and it is
thrilling to see how his marketing and networking skills
have become internationally valued. Because of him our
magic world is closer and more connected today than
ever before. We dont often get a chance to express our
thanks and this is mine thanks Alan, you are a rare and
wonderful man.
Michael Finney writes:
When I made my first trip to New Zealand for a magic
convention, I did not know anyone there. I was
delighted they had invited me, but when you go some
place for the first time youre a little unsure of yourself.
Well it all went away when Lori and I arrived. Who was
waiting for us in the lobby of the hotel? The one and
only Alan Watson, and at the time I did not know him
from apple. Just a big smile and a friendly face. Needless
to say we have been friends now for quite some time.
Alan has done it all at every level. Youd never know it
because of the humble manner in which he presents
himself. Not being the mental magic giant myself as
most of you know, I felt very comfortable with him and
his lovely wife Michele. Yes they are a couple. In magic,
I have found so many magicians with great partners.

Alan and Nick Lewin

43

I would never have gone this far


without Lori and I know Alan feels
the same way about Michele. In
his visits to the USA and mine back
to New Zealand a few years ago
nothing has changed except hes
like fine wine and gets better with
age. He has done things in magic
and for magic I could only dream
of. If you ever get the chance to
meet Alan and Michele, you will
never forget them. Lori and I hold
them dear to our hearts and look
forward to seeing them again soon.
Wayne Rogers from New Zealand
writes:
Alan and Oscar Munoz

With Paul Romhany, Richard Webster, Ken Ring

I have known Alan for the best part of


40 years. He has managed to combine
his background in sales with marketing
skills and a love of magic, to create
one of the most successful magic
performance based business in New
Zealand - ever.
Along with Michele he has also given
back so much to magic through
Magic New Zealand and their other
mentoring pursuits.
In show business, your friends are also
your competitors. Alan Watson knows
this business inside out. If he was not
an active magician himself, he is the
sort of friend I would love to have had
as my agent!
From Oscar Munoz:
The first time I met Alan was the first
time I was invited to perform at the
New Zealand Magic Convention. He
instantly came across as a guy that
I had know for ever and we became
instant friends. The second time was
in New York at the S.A.M. convention
where he was honored with The
DRAGON Award.

Photo Above Top Row: Alan and Tara Okan


Middle: Ken Ring, Richard Webster and Tony
Wilson
Bottom: Wayne Rogers and Paul Romhany

44

Recently on a tour in Australia I was


able to stop in New Zealand, and Alan
was kind enough to put me up in his
house. It was such a joy to stay with
Alan and Michele and their generosity
showed no bounds. I was treated like
part of the family. What stands out
from that trip the most was when we
went around town buying gifts for my

wife and kids, but what was nice was


watching peoples faces when they
saw Alan. We were buying coffee and
the lady behind the counter instantly
had a great big smile on her face,
and said, Youre the magician Alan
Watson. I remember you when I was
a child. Thats when I knew I was with
a legend. That really speaks volumes
about a performers career when
they are recognised throughout their
country.
What I also admire about Alan is his
wealth of magic knowledge and the
number of people that know him
throughout the world. Before I left on
my last trip, he had the Berglas book
sitting on top of the kitchen table. So
I asked him what he thought about
the book. He said, I love it mate.
Then he performed the Berglas Effect
for me, and fooled me like there was
no tomorrow. Now Alan knew I had
a long flight home but did not tell
me how the trick was done, which l
admired because he knew I still loved
to be fooled. Alan Watson is true friend
for life.
FINAL WORD:
You can see how influential Alan
has been in the New Zealand and
International Magic Scene. With an
incredible career he is one person
who has made, and continues to make
a great career from magic. With the
incredible support and assistance
from his amazing wife Michele, the
Watsons continue to be a strong force
in the world of magic.
Nobody has done more to promote
New Zealand magicians than Alan,
both in various trade magazines and
through the internet.
THANK YOU Alan and Michele
- without your support and
encouragement over the past thirty
years I would not be where I am and
VANISH would not exist!

PAUL ROMHANY

45

LONG FORCE CARD GOES ON TOP


Begin with cards face down and the force
card on top of the pack.

AUTOMATIC DOUBLE LIFT


Because of the long card the double lift
becomes easy.

CHOSEN CARD PLACED ON TOP


Spectator chooses a card and it is placed
on top of the deck.

LOOK AT THE FORCE CARD


A little glimpse of the force card

SLIP SLIDING AWAY


BY WAYNE ROGERS
An effect by Wayne Rogers that is a perfect trade-show routine where
the sponsors name is promoted in an entertaining way.

46

his routine was inspired by Andy Nymans Dice Man


and Night out With The Girls or A night out in Paris,
however my handling is different from these marketed tricks. It is very direct and no table is required. I will
describe the effect as I made it up for a recent job at the
Hilton Hotel in Auckland. You will see that the basic effect
can be adapted for many commercial applications. The title
pretty much describes the method.
EFFECT
The performer approaches a spectator and spreads face
down in his hands 10 to 12 laminated cards.
These cards depict a few of the accommodation options
available in (Insert name of local city). Just touch the back
of one of the options and that will be your choice.
The spectator indicates one card and the performer moves
it to the top of the pile where he openly peeps at the selection before separating it from the remaining cards and
holding it face down.
Hold out your hand, says the performer. He retains the
selection in one hand while gesturing to the spectator with
the hand holding the balance of the cards. The spectator
extends his hand and the selection is placed face down
on his palm.

47

Dont look at the one you have chosen just yet, but lets
see what options you missed out on.
The faces of the remaining cards are shown one at a time
and all are pictures of run down hotels, motels, haunted
houses etc. Wow, you missed out on all these establishments. Just as well, they dont look very welcoming. Now
lets see where you have chosen to stay tonight.
The spectator turns over his selection and finds he has
chosen the Hilton Hotel.
THE SECRET
The force card is a long card, about 2 mm longer than the
other cards. I have the pictures printed then laminated
with a heavy clear laminate. Photo 1. Trim the laminated
cards and round the corners. It is a simple matter to leave
the force card that little bit longer.
HANDLING
Commence with the cards face down, and the long (force
card) on top Photo 2. Spread the cards between your hands
and have the spectator choose any card by touching its
back. Transfer the chosen card to the top Photo 3, square
the cards and double lift the top two cards to openly look

at the selection.
Due to the long card the double lift is automatic. The stack
lies on your left hand palm. Photo 4. To execute the double
lift grip the long card with the thumb (nearest you) and
second and third fingers of the right hand. Do not lift the
top two cards clear of the stack. Just lift the leading edge
with your thumb, look at the force card Photo 5 then lower
the card(s) again. Keep a grip on the long card.
The next action is executed in one fluid motion. Photo 6
Your left thumb swings over and makes contact with the
unknown top card. The right hand holding the long card
remains perfectly still as you gesture to the spectator with
the left and ask him to, Hold out your hand. Photo 7

The left hand in making the gesture slides the top card off
the long card, and back onto the stack.
The left hands movement is on a slight diagonal, and I
swing my whole body a little to the right as I make the move.
Photo 8 The long card is ready to be dropped onto spectators palm. From the spectators point of view you have
merely taken his chosen card, moved it to the top of the
stack, looked at it, and dropped it onto his hand.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS
If you need to change out the set of cards on a regular
basis, a good idea is to laminate a series of blank cards and
glue the pictures onto the laminated surface with rubber
cement. You can easily remove the pictures later and glue
on different set for the next client.
To try the routine without going to the trouble of making
a special set of cards, take some long and short cards from
a Svengali Deck and try it out. I have used this system for
a number of different clients and it never fails to make an
impression.
SLIP SLIDING AWAY copyright Wayne Rogers 2013
chicane@nzmagic.com

48

49
Paid Advertisement

RICHARD WEBSTER

DIVING CARDS
BOOK TEST

This is the easiest book test I know. The magician starts by


freely showing a book (any book, but a novel is probably best)
and a deck of cards.
50

After mixing a pack of cards the magician asks a spectator to deal as many cards as she wishes into a pile. The
remaining cards are placed to one side.
We need to choose a page in this book. As we
want a page somewhere between say one and a hundred,
please deal the cards youve already dealt into two piles.
The magician then asks the spectator to turn over
the top cards in the two piles. Lets assume they are an
8 and a 5.
Thats good, the magician says. Youve chosen
page 85. We now need to select a specific word in the first
line on that page. He picks up the balance of the deck
that had been placed to one side, mixes them again,
and hands them to another spectator.
Would you please deal as many cards as you wish
into a single pile.
After the spectator stops dealing, the magician
asks her to turn over the top card. Lets assume it is a 7.
Excellent, the magician says. He places one hand on
the book that is sitting on the table. Im going to try to
divine the seventh word on the top line of page 85.
After a few seconds of intense concentration, the magician declares that he has it. He quickly scribbles a word
down on a pad of paper which he places face down on
the table. He asks one spectator to look for the seventh
word in the first line of page 85, and to say it out loud.
Lets assume the word is running. The magician then
asks the other spectator to turn over the pad to reveal
what you wrote. Naturally, it is the word running.
METHOD
Choose a suitable book and decide which page
you are going to force. If possible, choose a page that
has about ten words in the first line. Memorize this line.
Place two cards that indicate your chosen page number
at the top of a face down deck of cards. In the example
above, my force page was 85, which meant I needed
to place an 8 and a 5 at the top of the deck. The first
number of your chosen page needs to be second from
the top of the facedown deck, and the second number
should be on top.
Shuffle the cards, keeping the two cards on top
of the deck. Ask the spectator to deal as many cards as
she wishes, and then to deal those cards again into two
piles. Your two force cards are now the top cards on
each pile. These cards are turned over and indicate the

51

page number of the book. So far, so good.


Now comes the part that makes this effect seem impossible. The cards are mixed again, and another spectator
deals as many cards as she wishes into a face down pile.
Obviously, she can stop anywhere, which means her
choice of the word in the line is totally random. As long
as she stops on a card from ace to ten, the effect will
work, and you simply write down the word, which you
know as youve memorized the entire line. If the spectator stops on a court card, point out that this doesnt
indicate a number, and ask her to deal a few more cards,
or to take a few back. Once the number of the word
has been chosen, use your acting abilities to divine the
actual word.

THE SUCCESS SERIES ... CRIS JOHNSON

THE SUCCESS SERIES

Scripting Your Show


I would be hard-pressed to find many, if any, magic performers out
there who do not believe in a specific structure for their show by that,
I mean in most cases, theres a set list of effects and a script that goes
with each effect.

Jon Archer is one exception he


admits when hes breaking in a new
routine, he will have a rough outline
of what hes going to say and then
he will find comedic bits over the
course of several performances and
those bits will stay in each effect.
While that approach may work
for him, I submit most of us are
not as gifted comedically as John
Archer. Most of us, who wish to do
this strange business professionally, benefit from having a script
in place one weve written ourselves or perhaps purchased such

52

as the Mind-reading Goose or The


Incredible Suitjacket Escape and
we learn the script as well as the
technical demands of the routine
and when its show ready we put it
in front of an audience and perform
it, taking notes, making adjustments, etc until weve honed it to a
finished piece.
I know for myself that when Im
breaking in a new routine, my ideal
scenario is to perform it several
times over the course of a month
or so so that after all of those
performances, Ive got the timing,

delivery and everything nailed down


fairly tightly.
Of course, for each performer, its a
different process, but regardless, once
a routine is fairly fine-tuned, those of
us who value a polished routine know
that now something wonderful can
take place whenever we perform this
polished piece
Ad Libs!
I believe that to get to the point where
we can do a routine on auto pilot is a
point where a routine is most valuable
you have your set list and its full of
nothing but winners. Youve got your
material down so well that you could,
as my friend Doc Dixon says, do your
taxes in your head while you perform.

If youre
struggling to
remember
your lines,
your focus is
going to be
so strong that
you will miss
out on terrific
opportunities
for
personalizing
your show.

53

Its at this stage we can come up with


some wonderful bits of business or
beautiful ad libs that can really connect with an audience. If youre struggling to remember your lines, your
focus is going to be so strong that you
will miss out on terrific opportunities
for personalizing your show. On the
flip side, if something goes wrong, it
can really throw you if you dont have
a routine nailed down tight.
Ill share a personal example that
happened to me last week. I was in
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada performing a mid-day corporate luncheon. I
was in the middle of my blindfold act
(which is really John Archers blindfold
act with some adjustments for my
personality) and something wonderful
happened.
I was in the process of handing out
two quarters which were eventually
going to be duct taped over my eyes
(one quarter handed to each of two
volunteers up on stage with me) and
as I handed a quarter, a U.S. quarter
mind you, to the lady on my left, she
reaches out to take the quarter, stops,
looks at it, and recoils as she says, Oh,
thats an AMERICAN quarter! and she
had (I swear Im not making this up)
this expression on her face that looks
as if she caught me skinning a kitten
alive!

A performer less prepared may have


been rattled. Not me! I looked at this
rather rude behavior as a glorious gift!
I attacked her very tongue-in-cheek
and very hammy so everyone knew
I was kidding.
I said, in response, Oh dear ME, Im SO
SORRY I dared offer you an AMERICAN
quarter! Geez, its not liked theyre
covered in FECAL matter!
This exchange between the two of
us brought the house down! Was it
the best response? Naw, Im sure a
100 people couldve come up with
something better, but the over-thetop way I acted offended rather than
legitimately getting pissed or acting
hurt really kept the audience on my
side.
It was a glorious moment and one I
took full advantage of.
The reason why I bring all of this up
for todays article is this: I was driving
along recently and I thought back to
a conversation I had with a part-timer
around 10 or 12 years ago. This guy is
a great friend, came to my wedding,
and so on, but he doesnt have the
mind of a professional magician nor
does he even WANT to be a full time
guy.
He said, Hey, if you ever want a RUSH,
just set a new trick out that you have
no presentation for in the middle of
the show! Something will hit ya!
As I said, I love the guy, but this is one
reason why our art suffers!
Scripting your shows tightly will allow
you to go off script and take advantage of those wonderful moments
that arise and allow you to connect
with an audience in a way that feels
vibrant and alive rather than a robot
reciting his lines at an Avis counter!

SOUND ADVICE

Now that you have your own mic and stand (I hope), Id like to
discuss your choice of speakers, mixers and amplifiers. If you
thought picking out a mic was a bit overwhelming, the various
combinations in this chapter are almost endless, but like learning
a new move, if you break it down to the various parts, its much,
much easier.
SPEAKERS
Years ago, when I was touring with a night-club show, there was
a notion that bigger was better and at the time that was probably true. The look of the speaker was as much part of the overall
professional look of the show. So as a result, we toured with two
of the biggest speakers we could find and they were a pain in
the rear to haul around - they weighed 120lbs - each! Thankfully
today, such is not the case. Audiences (I truly believe) dont care
how big the sound equipment is, only how good it sounds.
Speaker choices, comes down to two main categories - Powered
and Un-powered.
POWERED
A powered speaker has a built-in amplifier (and usually a small
mixer as well) and requires direct A.C. power in order to function.
This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage because you

54

will need to have a supply of power for each speaker you plan
to use. If you are using two speakers, you must have two plugs
available nearby (or a lot of extension cord). Personally, I dont like
to run extension cords more than I need to but about two years
ago I sold my older (unpowered) speaker/mixer/amp system and
went exclusively with powered speakers.
I like them because they are really easy to
set up and the built-in amp ensures that
I cant overdrive them with an external
amplifier (hence, you cant really blow
them up!). These speakers do tend to be a
bit heavier and more expensive because
of the built-in amp but an added bonus is
that if you are using only a mic then you
wont need any other equipment since
the mic will plug directly into the back of
the speaker.
UN-POWERED or PASSIVE
With un-powered (or passive) speakers you will need an amplifier
and a mixer in order to broadcast your sound. This is a greater
expense overall. However the speakers themselves are less costly
and you have much more flexibility as to where they can be
placed. In addition, unpowered speakers (of comparable size)

weigh less but the amp to drive them


usually is very heavy!
Again, the choice is ultimately yours, but
I strongly recommend go with powered
speakers because for the solo or small
stage act, they are much easier to set-up
and operate.

One final note on speaker placement: This


idea came from Ken Webers great book
Maximum Entertainment (available from
your dealer and a MUST for ALL stage performers, by the way). Place your speakers
in the back corners of your stage, pointing
to the diagonally opposite back corner of
the audience. This allows you to hear the
sound of your voice and the mix of your
music with your voice. Dont worry about
feedback, with todays high end systems,
it rarely happens, and if it does, then you
have the volume up too loud for the room
and your audience anyway.
MIXERS & AMPS
Your choice of which mixer, mixer + amplifier or mixer/amp combination you select
will be determined by which speaker(s)
you have.

WHAT TO USE
Here, again the choice is really up to you.
However, when choosing your speakers,
make sure that you listen to their sound
quality using a piece of music from your
show (or your own voice). In other words,
just like with buying a car, you should
test-drive a full range of speakers. Every
speaker sounds different!
As a general guide, if you are regularly performing for groups no larger than 400-500
people then get speakers in the 250-300
watt (program) range. These are speakers
that will handle, continuously, 250 watts.
Most of the major companies have them
and they are reasonably priced and relatively easy to carry. Start by checking out
Mackie, Wharfedale, JBL, Roland & Yamaha.

STANDS
For sake of completeness, I thought Id
include a paragraph or two about speaker
stands. Luckily the speaker market has
done a wonderful service for us in making
the mounting bracket on the bottom of
their speakers a universal size (at least in
North America), and most, if not all powered speakers have the mounting flange
built in! Bonus!

necessary.
As for which mixer to go with there are,
again, a number of reasonably priced,
quality brand you can try. Mackie & Behringer both make excellent, small mixers.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED IN THE MIXER
Make sure, though that the mixer has the
following features before you buy it:







At least one XLR input


At least two Line In inputs
At least two additional inputs than
what you need right now - for later
use
Equalizer
Two Main Out jacks (Speakers)
At least one Line Out (so you can
patch into a larger P.A. system if you
need to)
Independent Channel Faders (volume)
Master Volume Fader

These should be your minimum requirements. Some units will have more toys,
but they are not necessary.
Most small mixers are set-up the same way
as here.

UNPOWERED MIXER
If you have chosen to go with powered
speakers then you will only need a mixer.

PLACEMENT
NEVER PLACE ANY SPEAKER ON THE
FLOOR
Regardless of which style of speaker you
choose, make sure when placing them
on stage that they are ABOVE the heads
of your audience. Human bodies absorb
a great deal of sound and if you put your
speakers below the head-level of the first
row, the back rows wont hear anything. Always get the appropriate stands when you
buy the speakers. Even placing the speakers on a chair and tilting them slightly back
is better than directly on the floor.

55

Also, since the ultimate goal in series is to


get you up and running with your own,
easy to operate sound system, Im only going to write about Unpowered Mixers and
Powered Mixer/Amp combinations (and
only touch on the latter). You can set-up a
system with a Mixer, a separate Amplifier
and separate Speakers but it starts to get
a bit complicated and for us, its not really

The above example is for a small, Unpowered Mixer. These mixers are meant to plug
directly into powered speakers.

POWERED MIXERS
WARNING!!!
NEVER USE A POWERED MIXER WITH A POWERED
SPEAKER. IT WILL OVERDRIVE THE SPEAKER AND BREAK IT
Powered Mixer/Amp combinations are set-up the exact same
way as Unpowered Mixers. The only difference is that they are
generally larger and heavier (in order to house the amplifier),
and therefore will have more channels and more bells and
whistles. There are a number of fine Powered Mixers on the
market through Mackie, Behringer, Yamaha and others but
their downside is their bulk and weight. Most of the 6-8 channel units are box-like and thus not very practical for our style
of performance. Plus, I could only find powered units with 6
or more channels so half of the available channels will go unused.

end of a short, shielded, to inch patch cable into the back


of the receiver and the other end into a Line In jack on the
mixer.
7.
Make sure all of the levels on your mixer are at 0.
8.
Plug the mixer/amp into an A.C. outlet.
9.
Turn the mixer/amp on.
10.
Set the Master volume at about 7 and slowly bring up
the mic channel volume while at the same time speaking into
the mike. NEVER BLOW INTO A MICROPHONE. It can break it!
Besides, it sounds unprofessional.
11.
Walk around the stage testing the various areas for
feedback and to generally hear the sound quality. If you have
one, ask your assistant speak into the mic while you go into the
audience to listen to the sound quality. If you are alone, step
into the audience with the mic. Adjust the volume and equalizer accordingly from the audiences perspective. Never set your
levels from the stage only and as a general rule, the Channel
level should never be higher than the Master, it will distort the
sound. When you are happy with the sound, mark the volume
setting and turn the mic down.
Note: Dont walk around the room saying Testing 1, 2, 3. Use a
speech from your show and speak at show level. You need to
know what your show sounds like when it comes time for your
performance.
12.
Turn up the master level 10% higher (to about 8). Human bodies absorb a lot of sound and when the room is full,
you will need that extra boost to be heard in the back of the
room.
Next time, Ill discuss adding music playback to your act, how
to play it through your system properly and some accessories
for your kit you shouldnt be without.

HOOKING UP YOUR SYSTEM (Unpowered Mixer with Powered


Speakers)
1.
Place your speakers in your performance area (hopefully on stands).
2.
Uncoil the speaker cables and plug one end of each
cable into each speaker.
3.
Connect the other
end of each speaker cable
into the back of the mixer.
The jack will be labeled
Speaker Out or just Speaker. There should be two.
Either jack will do.
4.
Put your mic into
the stand.
5.
Uncoil the mic cable
and connect it into the back
of the mic. Connect the other end into one of the mic
channel inputs in the mixer.
There is only one way to do
this. The choice of channel is
yours.
6.
If you are using a
wireless mic, connect one

56

Once again, if you have any comments or questions or you


would like a copy of the entire e-book, please feel free to contact me anytime at petermennie@gmail.com.
I only offer my opinion on items herein as a place to start your
research. Ultimately the choice is up to you which brand and
retailer you decide to patronize.

What I Use: Wharfedale Titan 12 Active Speaker


website

For larger groups and for outdoor use I use two of the Titan 12 Active
2-way Bi-amplified speaker system
Built in 2 channel mixer with microphone and line level
inputs Balanced XLR line output for connections to subwoofers
or daisy-chaining units together
XLR and Line inputs via convenient 'combo' jacks
Two band master EQ controls

What I Use: Roland CM30 Cube Monitor website

For smaller groups (and most of my corporate shows) I use two


Roland CM30 Cube Monitors. They are versatile and very portable.
30 watts of punch through a rugged, high-quality 6.5" coaxial two-way
speaker. You may not think the 30 watts is enough however the
design of the speaker pushes the voice through the crowd and for
groups of up to 150, two of these speakers is plenty.
30-watt 6.5" coaxial 2-way speaker with stereo preamp
Three input channels, one XLR input for mic/line and two additional Aux
inputs
Stereo Link function for stereo connection between two units, which allows a
total of eight stereo inputs and two mono mic/line inputs
Metal grill cover, corner protectors, and handle grip for carrying the unit
safely
Plus, the CM30 mounts on any mic stand (with a special adapter).
I absolutely LOVE these speakers! They go to EVERY show.

What I Use: Yorkville Sound - Aluminum Speaker Stand

These may or may not be available outside of Canada, however


speaker stands are universal and you will be able to find comparable
units in your area.
website

What I Use: MACKIE 402-VLZ3 website


Ultra-compact 4-channel mixer
2 studio-grade XDR2 Extended Dynamic Range mic preamps
4 high-headroom line inputs
2 selectable Instrument inputs no Direct Box box needed
2-Band Active EQ
Phantom power for studio condenser mics
Dedicated Stereo Line Input and Tape Input
High-resolution 8-segment stereo meters
Sealed rotary controls to resist dust & grime
Sleek, rugged steel chassis
57

FELIX
BEHIND THE ADVERTISEMENT

PAUL ROMHANY

58

elix The Magician was recently in New Zealand for a n


international magic convention. The real accolade for
his work came at the end of his performance when
he received a standing ovation.
In magic magazines we always read the advertisements
but never really know much about the person behind the
business we are buying products from. In this new series of
articles I will be running a story about the advertisers who
support VANISH MAGAZINE. This first person to kick off this
series is Felix fromMagicLatex.com
For over 18 years, Felix the Magician has been fascinating and
entertaining audiences of different ages and nationalities.
Former gym class teacher, magician, clown, lecturer and
curious by nature Felix was born in Argentina and is now
based in Spain where he has performed at the most
prestigious locations, halls, auditoriums and theatres. He is a

59

specialist in magic for children, grand illusions


and stage magic, including both styles of
spoken and musical shows. Currently, and for
eight years now (over 900 shows presented
in hotels) he surprises the most demanding
European public with his international 50
minute show filled with musical magic. He
presents his show in the most prestigious
hotels in Mallorca (Spain) during the summer
season, the favorite vacation place for the
upper social classes in Europe.
Each year he is hired to perform at private

parties for politicians, actors,


singers, athletes and businessmen
who rely on his experience and
professional responsibility. From
the tennis player Boris Becker to the
owners of multinational companies
such as the airline Air Europe,
Lidl (supermarket chain largest in
Europe) and hotel chain Sol Meli
(the worlds largest operator of
holiday resorts).
Five years ago, along with his partner
Claudio Casagrande, Felix created
Magiclatex, which today is the
largest store specializing in latex
products for magicians. Thousands
of artists from around the world
and many of them internationally
renowned use their products and
routines in their shows.
Felix creates effects in which he
combines the properties of the
latex with powerful neodymium
magnets. The study of magnets and
his great curiosity led him to modify
and refine classical techniques and
systems in order to create new
effects. From this the new, varied
and dynamic lecture was created:
Magnets in stage magic and close up, where as a bonus, he shows and

Photo: Felix
live on stage
in Spain. His
high energy
performances
have taken
him around
the world
and is now
lecturing with
his Magnets
in Stage magic
and Close-up
Lecture.

60

explains his most impressive routines


made with his own latex creations.
This lecture was presented at the
New Zealand Magic Convention last
year to huge success.
This is a new and very interesting
lecture with new concepts and
principles. It is a lecture for Stage
, Parlour and Close- up magic.
Different effects, ideas and routines,
for appearances of doves, coins, silks,
sponge balls, etc. He also shows
card effects and routines with poker
chips. A lecture for all ages and very
easy to understand. Classic and
modern effects, updated with new
techniques and systems. He uses all
kind of magnets and teaches the
potential of this material. A very
commercial lecture which is 100%
useful.
Felix continues to keep working
hard in Magiclatex, in the same
honest and responsible manner
so far, always with the sight in the
future and providing the best quality
and service to fellow magician
colleagues.
Even though many of their products,
routines and ideas have already
been copied by other less honest
entrepreneurs, they have lots of
energy and power of will to continue
and improve what they already have.
Magiclatex is a Company created

by two friends, who know who they


are and with the common goal of
making their own path without
harming anybody. They want to put
a drop of good water in the magic
community.
Felixs business partner, Claudio C.,
has dedicated the last 20 years to
developing latex products, and he
has over 50 customized models in his
resume. He is a true pioneer in many
models, such as the legged latex
dove. This mold was made by his
own hands in 2002. They have many
new products in the manufacturing
process!
As an artist Felix wants to keep
working on different magic shows
in Mallorca, but with his mind set
on enjoying his work, what he does.
Felix says, Im happy if people are
happy with my magic. Being able
to think, create, and build my own
routines, is a lifestyle that suits me
very well. I really enjoy it. Im always
grateful for making a living from what
I love the most. Im a 24/7 magician,
and I love it! I want to start doing
charity magic for several NGOs and
my next goal is to surprise and make
laugh kids in Africa. A life goal that
Im determined to achieve, but my
schedule always stood in the middle. I
hope that in the near future I will make
it real.

I will keep on going perfecting my magnets conference,


in order to bring new and useful ideas to the magicians
around the world.
The main goal of this conference is to open doors
towards new concepts, and giving freedom to the
attending magicians to develop them by themselves.
Not only to teach effects, but teasing the creativity.
But, my main objective and real project is. to be
HAPPY.

61

FINDING YOUR FITNESS


SECRET

LEIF DAVID

Working out and eating healthy is important.


Youre probably wondering why Im talking about working
out in a magic article in the first place. How is fitness related
to magic? It becomes crystal clear when you realize that the
single most important aspect of your performance is your
body. Audiences enjoy watching sexy assistants on stage,
but you should also look as good as possible too. Working
out and eating right will keep you in peak performance
shape. That means youll be presenting the best possible
version of YOU for your audiences.
Working out never really seemed important to me. It wasnt
until I made the distinction that my success in magic was
also related to my health and fitness level. I didnt want to
end being one of those old magicians with the big belly
that you see sitting in the back row at a magic lecture.

62

I believe that if you have to use your will-power to force


yourself to workout its never going to become a lasting
part of your life. Just listing the facts about how being more
active will improve your life isnt going to change your
behavior. Instead you need to find a workout routine that
you enjoy enough to turn into a habit. That could mean
joining a soccer team, finding a gym buddy, or perhaps
marathon running like my friend (and fellow magician)
Scott Burton.
Click the link to watch a video http://youtu.be/-MHGR4RwoN0
I tried running but I found it boring. I hated using equipment because I didnt know what I was doing. I was intimated with classes. And I hated going to the gym because
I didnt like wasting all that time driving to and from the
gym. For me the secret was working out at home to the
Beachbody Insanity program.
Watch another video - http://youtu.be/ZLK28BHJDd8
Scott and I have talked about this and he thinks Im
nuts! Working out at home in front of a TV set?! But I
think hes nuts too, running in an ultra marathon in the
WINTER?! Youve got to
be kidding me The
important part is that
you find something that
you enjoy enough that
when you eventually
slip up and stop youll
have enough motivation
start up again. Life gets
busy and youll stumble
with anything that takes
so much time out of a
day but if you enjoy the
process as much as the
results youre more likely
to continue.
Ill be honest, I feel like
a hypocrite writing this
because Im not the
most dedicated workout junkie. Ive quit the
Insanity program many,
many times over the
past 3 years that Ive
been doing it. Ive even
tried other at home DVD
programs like Insanity
Asylum Volume 1, Asy-

63

lum Volume 2, and even P90X, but I keep coming back to


the Insanity Program.
Right now Im attempting to complete the entire 9 week
Insanity program all the way through again without missing a day. Wish me luck!
How I finally started drinking enough water:
Drinking a lot of water is an important part of any workout
routine as well. I really struggled to drink as much water
as Im supposed to until I discovered how to trick myself.
If I have a bottle of water within arms reach of me Ill drink
it without even consciously thinking about it. Once I discovered this it was simple mater of making sure I have a
bottle of water in my magic show case, bottles of water in
my car, and a big glass of water next to me while I work
on the computer. Now I drink tons of water without any
conscious effort at all.
I hope this post inspires you to make some healthier
choices. Your success in life depends on it.

A TRIBUTE TO JAKS

A TRIBUTE TO JAKS

BANACHEK
From the vaults
of Stevens Magic
Gemini comes a
series of articles
by prominent
magicians.
The first is a great
routine by Banachek.

his is an effect I used to use for walk around. If you


are interested in a Dr. Jaks type effect that uses a very
beautiful looking prop, read on.

Im not going to give you my exact patter but this is how


the effect usually looks:
Performer starts out. I have been reading thoughts since
the age of 16. I never knew why I started using my abilities
to entertain, but recently my mother told me something
interesting. She asked me if I knew who Joseph Dunninger
was. Of course I did, you see, Joseph Dunninger was and
is my idol.
He was the first psychic entertainer to take the stage alone.
In his time he was the second best known voice on radio,
the other was Theodore Roosevelt. Well my mom told me
that when I was very young, about two years old, she and I
met Joseph Dunninger at one of his live tapings. My mom
said, that a few weeks later, on my birthday, the most amaz-

64

ing thing happened, Joseph Dunninger showed up on


my doorstep. He did not come in but handed my mom
a package. His parting words were Your son will some
day be the most famous thought reader on the face
of the earth. When he is old enough to understand,
give him this package. Of course mom opened it and
found this brass card case inside with these three
symbol cards. Now I dont know if it was because my
subconscious remembered meeting Dunninger or if it
is just coincidence but I do know that these cards have
a strange effect upon me. Let me show you.
With that, the mentalist shows the five ESP cards or
symbol cards or Tarot cards or playing cards or ....... He
tells the spectator that he is to mix them face down,
then place one inside the brass case without looking
at it or the other cards. The other cards are to be placed
in a pile on the table. The case is then to be held by the
spectator by a gold chain and swung back and forth.
The mentalist turns around, slips the other cards inside

a leather case and stares at the swinging case. He then secretly draws a symbol on a pad. Turns to another spectator
and asks name a symbol out of * * * * * . ( naming the five
symbols). DO you know why you said that? I will tell you
why! You chose that symbol because that is exactly what I
drew. Even more amazing, I am sure that is the symbol in
the case.
The case is opened and sure enough inside is the drawn
symbol.
Method:
Before I tell you the method I must describe the working on
the case. It is a brass business card case. Have your initials
engraved since Dunninger was a mind reader and it was a
gift to you or you could have his initials, J.D. These cases are
available at any engravers shop for around $15 or you can
find them at the dollar store for a buck. Now you will need
a gold chain with a large ring (not huge, just large enough
to stop it going through the hole you are going to drill in
one of the ends of the case.) Now drill a hole in the end
of the case just large enough for the chain to go through.
When you start the effect the chain should be inside the
case, you pull on the small wire ring or bead on the outside
to pull the chain into swinging position.

65

These brass business card cases always come with a small


slipcover. You will use this slipcover for the case and the
symbol cards. These cards are edge marked. They should
be edge marked on both long edges. This means to take
a pen and put a mark on the edge. It will not be seen unless you know what to look for. If you do not know how
to edge mark a card, email me! You will only have to edge
mark four cards.
Now if you follow the routine you will find it easy to know
which card has been removed, all you have to do is pick up
the pile and look at the edge as you place them fairly into
the slipcover. Nothing could be simpler.
What about the other spectator getting the symbol you
ask? Two things from my Psychological Subtleties posting
come into play here. One a voice force and two the fact that
if you make it obvious the spectator will pencil read what
you write, usually without realizing it. If he does not, all you
have to do is show your symbol as you say, You said ** I
say it is a ** Lets see then when the symbol is shown you
end with that is why I am the performer or some such.
Banachek
http://www.banachek.com/

ITS CHILDS

PLAY

Performing
for Kids with
Special Needs

heres a word burning through parenting circles


these days, and it is gaining momentum. It is
discussed at schools, daycares, swimming pools
and backyard barbeques. If you entertain children,
the word should mean something to you. It is Autism.
Youve seen or heard about that kid. She pokes her
neighbor randomly, or silently wanders into your case
while you are setting up. He rocks instead of sitting
still, and the other kids leave him alone. He may look
unexcited about your performance, though you have
his rapt attention. Other kids push at her, and she is
either oblivious or screams until a parent intervenes.
He sits quietly in a corner during your show, stacking
blocks or spinning the wheels on toy cars. You may
ignore them because they seem more comfortable
out of the spotlight. These are the kids that you know
instinctively are not neuro-typical.
Then theres the kid you may dread. She jumps up
while the other kids stay seated. He cries because he
wasnt picked. She interrupts constantly. He points to
the trick in your hand and say, I can see your thumb!
You may not be hiding your thumb, but he lets you

know he sees it.


All these kids may have autism.
April is World Autism Awareness month, or as we like to
call it at our house, everyday. We have a teenage daughter
and a pre-adolescent son, both on the autism spectrum.
Yet even sharing a diagnosis, they are completely different.
In 2002, our daughter was diagnosed as being the one in
500 kids with autism. When our son was diagnosed in 2007,
he was one in every 150. Last year it was one in 88. Today, it
is one in every 50. You can bet that somewhere, somehow,
you will perform for a child with autism.
Our daughter was the quiet type, the first sort of child I
described. She loved my show, but might suddenly tune
out, or laugh at an odd time. On a day-to-day basis she had
to be watched constantly, because like many children with
autism, she would quietly wander off, straight into traffic
given half a chance (she never got that chance, but the
constant monitoring was exhausting). She falls between
mild and moderate autism.
Our son is that second type I described. Hes a hyper boy.
We prep him that other kids will be picked to volunteer.
He laughs loud and often, and is distracted by everything.
Hell get in his neighbors face if he wants to play. He and
others like him appear to be a bad kid spoiled, bossy, an
attention hog, and maybe even a bit of a bully thrown in.
The reality is, hes just really happy and excited, and is trying
to pull everyone into this mood because he cant contain it.
Im pretty knowledgeable about autism. Im not an expert

67

because I dont think anyone can be an expert in autism.


Ive met plenty of professionals over the last 10 years who
specialize in autism, who get these kids, guiding them to
be the best they can be. We share knowledge, trials, and
discoveries.
My experience with special needs goes beyond my family.
Ive done many shows for support groups and organizations
for autism and Downs syndrome. If you perform magic for
children, you will definitely be performing at some point
for children with autism or other special needs. What I have
here is a list of tips and tricks to help you interact with a
child these kids, keep him engaged and behaved. Happily
enough, many of these tips will apply to children with a
different diagnosis or even too much caffeinated soda
before showtime.

As policy, have another adult in the room or stationed close enough to know if the kids are behaving. This
is always a good idea, in case you need reinforcements.
Remember, you are an entertainer, not a babysitter. Tip:
invite parents to watch how their kids enjoy the show.

Lose the loud noises. If you use loud sound effects,
music, or use a loud voice in your performance, turn down
the volume. That may seem strange coming from me, because if youve seen my kids show DVDs you know I love
to get the kids playing loud. Believe it or not, screaming
on cue burns up their excited energy and keeps everyone
seated, plus its a group activity. But if one kid is covering
their ears and trying to crawl into themselves, pull back.
Autism comes with sensory processing challenges. Sounds

like sirens and screaming will register louder to their brains


than yours. Tip: you can ask them if it is too loud. You will
make them feel better by recognizing their challenges.

One trick at a time. The only prop you should have
visible is the one(s) you are using, to avoid distractions in
my opinion. I know that some performers like to display all
their props or some of them on a table during the show but
I only like to have one at a time in my hands and in their
view. (I keep a rubber chicken out for a bit longer as a running gag, but its supposed to be a little distracting.)

Watch your angles even more! Contrary to popular
belief, people with autism see minute details. They just see
the details you and the other children miss (and miss the
details you see). And they might blurt it out. Autism brings
challenges to self-regulation, that piece of you that edits
what you say and do. Itll just pop out because that is what
is in his head at that moment. Or, shell think shes being
helpful or smart, two traits they may feel they lack. Tip: face
them directly at key moments.

Correct their behavior with simple words and
gestures. Remind them to sit like their friends, hands to
themselves. Autism has marked social challenges, and
protocol is less automatic and easily forgotten. Tip: they are
accustomed to being gently corrected. If they do it again,
say it again.

If they leave, shrug and move on. The show might
be too much for their minds, and they need a calming break.
Tip: they may return. Welcome them with a hello again
and carry on with your show.

Let them stim as if you see it every day. Stims are
repetitive behaviors, like hand flapping, which has a calming effect. Tip: people stim all the time. Pacing, nail biting,
pen chewing, leg bouncing these are all stims we accept
as normal. So you actually do see it every day.

If you correct their behavior, stay in character. Are
they chattering with or distracting the kid beside them?
Tell them to keep watching you or they will miss something
amazing. Tip: the kids think you are your character all day,
every day. They will all get confused of you switch it off.

If they are squirmy, move them to the edge. They
need extra room because autism causes confusion with
body awareness. They literally dont know exactly where
they are in space. The squirming is their brain demanding
spatial input. Tip: to be subtle about moving a squirmer,
make a game of shuffling several kids around, sorting by
shirt color, or something only you can see (okay, thats
better, now the magic is balanced). This can also break up
problem pairs, kids who encourage each other into poor
behavior.
This month, instead of offering up a trick, I will be sharing
a different kind of magic. It is a wonderful story that happened to me last summer at a childs 8th birthday party in
West Vancouver. I know that all childrens entertainers have
stories that mean the world to them. This is one of mine.

68

I am truly grateful to be a childrens performer because


sometimes, the magical moments are given to me by the
kids. This is one of those stories.
As I mentioned, I was performing a midsummers evening
birthday party. It was a great show, great kids, and the
wonderful parents even gave me a huge tip.
There was a particular little girl there who acted a little
different. No kids hung around her, and to my eyes she
seemed so alone as the other kids played. When it was her
turn for a balloon animal after my magic show, she wouldnt
voice out which animal she wanted. She looked lost and
so very far away. Finally, she softly whispered for a teddy
bear balloon animal.
I smiled at her because I already recognized she had autism.
As a father of two young kids with autism myself, there
was no doubt in my mind. She reminded me so much of
my daughter. A little boy nearby quickly informed me that
she had autism and didnt talk much. I nodded and thanked
him for letting me know.
I felt so sad for her. I have lived this scenario so many times
with my own autistic kids and have done many shows for
kids with autism, but for some reason this particular little
girl really pulled on my heart strings. My eyes welled up as I
handed her the teddy bear balloon and it was hard to hold
back the river of tears. For the first time, I glimpsed what
it was really like for my daughter who had been through
this at every birthday party she was invited to until Grade
3. She is in Grade 9 now and not a single birthday invitation
has been given to her since she was nine years old. But she
doesnt seem to mind. It is I and my wife who shed tears
over this fact.
As I handed the little girl her teddy bear balloon, she smiled,
looked into my eyes a major accomplishment for autistic
people and said, Thank you for making me happy. It is
a moment I will always cherish. I have performed around
4000 childrens shows in 20 years but this one will never be
forgotten. I always considered it to be my job to give the
children an everlasting, childhood magical memory, but
on that day I was the one that was touched by a beautiful
and real kind of magic.
I came home and gave my kids a big hug and just held on a
bit longer than usual. What a lovely midsummers evening
that had been. Sometimes the most amazing things in life
come when you least expect them and for that I, too, am
happy.
This is just the tip of the autism spectrum. There are books
and websites galore for more in depth information. Search
Facebook for autism and you will be amazed at the number of parents posting about the trials and tribulations of
their kids. Like all parents, we love it when people take

an interest in what makes our kids special. Ask any of us.


Youll hear, Oh, youre a childrens entertainer asking about
autism? Well, sit down while we talk your ear off.
Well, Ill happily answer questions. Talking your ear off is
more my wifes department.
I suppose every childrens entertainer has their own reason
why they focus on doing magic, music, or whatever their
talent is, for kids. For me, it was because I have always loved
the innocence of youth. To this day, I can close my eyes and
wander off to the days where I was a six year old growing
up in a small Alberta, prairie town with my brothers and
best friends. We would have to rely on our imaginations for
entertainment. No Wii systems, Xbox or handheld electronic
games to spend three hours a day on. No cable TV (only
2 channels on the tube back then) and not a whole lot of
extracurricular activities after school. We didnt even have
organized sports in our small town.
We had to entertain each other. We rode our bikes out to
a field, frog pond, or the woods. We built tree forts and
defended them like they were castles. We played hide and
seek, kick the bucket, and hours of tag, youre it. We flew
kites. Even rainy days had us outside. We built little boats
out of twigs and raced them down sidewalk gutters turned
into mini rivers that gurgled towards the drainage gates.
We would catch tadpoles and chase field mice (note we
didnt catch field mice, but we tried). Childhood was and
is a magical time for me.
A real treat was the traveling carnival. Out of all the acts my
favorite was the magician. Most kids I knew felt that way.
I think this is why I became one when I grew up. Those
magical days were some of the best of my life.
Remember, that most kids with special needs love to watch
magic. They just do it in their own way. Sometimes you
just have to readjust your show a little for them but it is so
totally worth it. Especially when they tell you straight from
the heart, they liked you!

Populate - An illusionary appearance of a small crowd.


Introduction by Eric Olsen of EDF Magic
This is the first in a series of single illusion publications
by renowned Illusion designer Mark Parker, author of
illusion books 'Vivify' & 4E Illusion Design.
Populate is Parkers take on the Guy Jarrett 21 person
cabinet.
In this version an elevated framework structure,
screened with fabric is shown completely empty & revolved 360 degrees. In an instant the fabric is stripped
away revealing the surprise appearance of 26 people.
The illusion is self contained, performed away from any
backdrops and requires no black art.
A stunning and surprising appearance of a small crowd
of people.
The illusion is described in detail complete with dimensions and construction notes. The apparatus required
is designed to break down into individual sections for
easy transport
Printed in glorious full color throughout, complete with
detailed 3 dimensional illustrations.
"Mark has a devilishly creative mind that scares me!"
-Lu Chen
"Populate is a wonderful & surprising illusion. Mark's
elegant design solution to this plot is a must read."
- Charles Bach - Las Vegas
"Mark Parker is an explosive creative genius of illusion
design! Fascinating excellence!"
- Brett Daniels - USA
Available from all major magic dealers.

69

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PAUL ALBERSTAT
CARD ROUTINE

OMGNAACAAN
(Oh My God, not another Any Card at Any Number)
Since everyone is different I will just explain that for
me, I discuss the spiderweb theory of the universe
that if you give a twang to a single thread that it eventually resonates throughout the entire web. Even now
as we search for the Higgs Bosson particle to show how
every atom in the entire universe are in constant contact instantly no matter how far apart they are and as
such we are going to try to do something similar today.
I place two decks of cards on the table and ask someone to push a deck forward so that I have one to use and
one to stay in full view at all times. I ask another person
to cut a small portion of cards from the top of that deck
and to turn them face up and replace them on the deck
followed by asking a second person to cut deeper than
the first cut was and to also turn it over before they replace it on top of the deck. (This is the Cut Deeper Force).
I remove the other deck from the case and ask another
person to give me any number between 1 and 52 BUT
I do ask that they try to keep from calling out 2 or 48,
something that is in between to at least give a small
challenge to what is about to occur. Now as an example suppose this person called out 22. I then deal cards
from the face down deck, counting as I do until I get to
21. I place the deck to the side for a moment and spread
the first deck along the table and ask someone if they
can estimate how many cards are face up on the deck.
I pick up the tabled deck and deal the next card (22nd
card) face down and in front of the first deck, then replace the deck to the table. I remove all the cards face up
from the first deck and move them to the side. The card
that was cut to in the first deck is then flipped face up
followed by the 22nd card you dealt and the two cards
match. There are NO sleights and everything is done at
the finger tips so there are clearly no secret moves done.
All you require is a double backed card that matches the
second deck you are going to use. Place that double backer card on the bottom of that deck..Decide on what card
you want to force and place it face up on the bottom of the
deck and place in the card box. On the other deck, place
the force card on top of that deck and replace in the card
box. So you have a regular deck with the force card as the
top card of it's deck AND a second deck which has from

70

Spiderweb Theory
An

alternative

yet

practical

ACAAN routine

the bottom up the force card and under that (51st from
the top) the double backer. You are now set to perform.
Ask someone to choose a deck (forcing the 1st
deck) and you perform the Cut Deeper Force.
Ask someone to cut a small portion from the deck and
to turn them face up and replace them. Then a second person is asked to cut deeper and to turn that entire packet over and replace on top of the deck. (When
that deck is spread, you will have face up cards on the
top and the first face down card will be your force card.
Remove the other deck and hold in your hand to begin
dealing cards. The two bottom cards remain hidden on
the bottom of the deck. You deal cards from the deck
until you get to the card before the number called for
and very casually your hand turns palm down as you
table the deck so that the card showing on the top of
that deck is the force card. So when you go back to take
the deck to deal that next card, you can even do so at
the finger tips so that it is very clearly the next card being taken with no funny business. Now when you place
the deck back to the table your palm revolves once
more when replacing the deck to the table. The double
backed card that is on the bottom of the deck allows
you to spread the cards face down and it is invisible as it
too appears face down. Reveal the two matching cards.

LEEpresents
ALEX
THE ULTIMATE QUICK CHANGE DVD

TIME FOR A

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COLOR CHANGE VEST

71
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ROUTINING YOUR ILLUSIONS:


EMOTIONS
Part three continues with the series on
routining your illusions. In this issue, Im
going to add a chapter to the Routining
Illusions series by talking about EMOTION

hat do you feel when you


perform an illusion? Empowered?, Romantic?, Nostalgic?,
Sentimental?, Amazed?
Does that feeling change with
the mood of the illusion, the music, or the theme of the routine?
Does that feeling change over
the course of your show? Do you,
as the magician, go through an
emotional arc that changes over
the course of your time on stage?
Now, how do you want the audience to feel when watching your
magic? Think about this for a moment. Try hard to give an answer

72

other than the now unfortunately


clich, I want them to experience
that child-like sense of wonder.
Dont get me wrong, I am a big
fan of the experience of wonder
(I named my show after it). I love
how it inspires the young minds of
future magicians and brings joy to
all members of our audience. I do,
however, believe that we need to
add more feeling to our routines if
we want to touch the audience in
a more personal way. For magic
to be considered and appreciated
as a true art form, it must move the
viewer to feel something inside.

Has a book, a play, a movie, an opera, all magic and illusion could be consida ballet, a painting, ever moved you ered intellectual. This mind area is the
emotionally? Has a magic show?
dreams, fantasies, and ideas center. It
is also is the morality area where the
It may be a pretty big project to really audience thinks about the right or
create an emotionally moving magic wrong of cutting a girl into pieces.
show, but there are plenty of uses for
emotion in our own shows. Uses that Finally, the audience has an emotional
will not only enhance the routine, but area. This is where feelings reside.
make the overall illusion stronger.
How we ourselves feel, how we feel
about others, and how we feel about
HOW AUDIENCES EXPERIENCE ART how they feel about us. Creating
magic that plays these harp strings can
There are 3 ways to experience art of really be powerful.
any kind. Instinctually, Emotionally,
or Intellectually. Each one of these Tap into all 3 and you have really got
is a way to reach our audiences. A something, Mister Magic.
concept brought to us a while back by
the clever mentalist, Sigmund Freud. EMOTIONAL MIRRORING

neck of your assistant or happy to see


the spikes missed impaling youwe
feel it too.

Take a look at the Zig-Zag with a heart


on the chest. The bodies lower region
is the pleasure center, the instinctual
area that looks for gratification (Freud
called it the Pleasure Principle). A
magic illusion presented with pulsing
music, colorful boxes, bright lights,
flashes of fire, and beautiful assistants
satisfies this desire. A feast for the
senses.

The additional performer/audience


member becomes a subtle and effective APPLAUSE sign for the crowd. To
put it simply, Monkey see, monkey
do. Which is a bit ironic since Cirque
doesnt use animals in its shows.

By the nature of a puzzle to figure out,

What you feel, we feel.


You are the lead character in this magical play and we are looking to you for
guidance on how we should respond
to your show. By using your own
emotional reaction to situations, the
audience responds by experiencing
whatever feeling they see the magician having. If you seem uncomfortable that there is a sword stuck in the

If Robert Houdin taught you anything,


its to be a believable actor. If you believe its real, they will believe its real.
Cirque du Soleil uses Emotional Mirroring to enhance the interest and
audience response in many of their
shows. Extra characters are added to a
scene as if watching from the outside.
These characters react to everything
happening on-stage and guide the
response of the audience. This is a very
useful tool that enhances the scene
and lets the people know how and
when to respond.

I use this principle when training


the assistants for my show. They are
taught to react to the magic as if

How about
approaching the
creation of a routine
with the emotion of
the audience as the
end goal?

73

Zig Zag picture from MagicTrickCollection.com

they are seeing it for the first time. Even for a quick cut &
restored bit in a routine, as part of the choreography, they
are told when to act excited, happy, confused, surprised,
and satisfied.
EMOTIONAL HOOKS
When putting together your show, you choose a variety of
effects from appearances, to vanishes, to transpositions,
etc. When creating individual routines, you choose a variety of musical styles, themes, and storylines. How about
approaching the creation of a routine with the emotion of
the audience as the end goal?
An audience can experience many different emotions: Joy,
Amazement, Suspense, Fear, Nostalgia, Love, Loss, Pride,
Hope, Sentimentality, Arousal, Sadness, Anger, Humor
(expressed as laughter), Belonging, and more. They can
also experience one emotion that we should try to avoid
Boredom.
Copperfield, more than any other illusionist in history has
made creating memorable illusions into a lifetime career.
The magic, methods, staging, story and emotion are equally
strong. He and a brilliant team focus on all these elements
to build each routine. For example, some routines that
show the emotional hooks in Copperfields story-telling
that I know youll probably recognize: Grandfathers Aces
Nostalgia, Love, Sentimentality, Honor. Straightjacket
EscapeSuspense, Fear, Hope. And, an older one: The
Dancing HandkerchiefLove, Loss, Loneliness, Sadness,
Joy, Romance.
Another example of strong emotional effect is Penn & Teller
who use the American Flag (a flag is a powerful emotional
symbol) in a beautiful routine that always brings a very
personal response from the audience. Feelings of Nostalgia,
Pride, and a range of emotions are brought out based on
the viewers own experiences.
And best of all, the magic is the vehicle that gets us there.
Take a look at your own illusions and what emotional hooks
can be added to involve the audience more.
MIXED EMOTIONS
You and the other performers on-stage with you can use
your own emotional responses to create tension and interest in your illusions. Maybe your audience likes you, but
dislikes your assistant who constantly tries to upstage you,
screw with your props, etc. Or maybe you are the evil one
and the assistant is overly sweet and innocent. Through

74

the course of the routine, you bring her to the dark side or
she turns your evilness into goodness.
The audience will build an emotional attachment to either
character and will respond with enthusiasm to the exciting
struggle between the two. If you remember my previous
articles on routining with character and story, you will
understand how effective conflict and resolution can be
in making a stimulating performance.
EMOTIONAL MISDIRECTION
Since we are the storyteller and the audience has trusted us
with their emotional journey, we magicians have a responsibility to use it against them to create ever better effects.
We are in fact deceivers, are we not? So lets take them on
an emotional roller coaster, using what I call Emotional
Misdirection.
Humor is one of the best ways to get the dirty-work done
in a routine. When the audience is laughing, they are letting
their eagle-eyed guard down for a moment and we have
time to do that top-change or load the elephant. Taking
advantage of these moments and looking for opportunities
to create them in a routine will give you the cleanest way
to make a steal, load the box, or whatever you happen to
need done without detection.
Heres a very simple example with the classic thin model
sawing. Girl gets in and the prop is spun so the feet are
downstage. When you put the stocks on the feet, you tickle
them with a feather. Then, spin the prop so the feet are
upstage and the head is downstage ready for the stocks.
Now, you tickle her nose with the feather and give a wink
to the audience. They laugh and whatever heat there was
on the feet is gone for long enough to get the job done.
Planned accidents can be the perfect misdirection to get
something done and can play the audience emotion like
a fiddle to create an even bigger reaction. Greg Frewins
bird act includes a dove production followed by him laying
an egg (the bird, not Greg). The audience laughs. The egg
falls to the floor and Greg looks around as if something
has gone wrong. This is the perfect time for doing what is
needed as the eyes fall to the egg and the audience reacts
with uncertainty and even some suspense wondering how
our magician will get out of this predicament. Greg uses
his foot to crack the egg and out flies a dove. The audience responds with joy and amazement. Hes taken them
through a multitude of emotions in a very short time and
they love it.
A good story or romantic scene that unfolds continually can
draw the audience into the relationship of the performers.

The audience will empathetically experience their feelings.


For example, if an Asrah Levitation or Artists Dream illusion had a great story about two lovers that hooked the
viewers, the effect of the levitation, vanish, or appearance
is strengthened by the emotional investment of the spectators. Much more than just a presentational version of these
illusions could achieve.
Using emotion can be a powerful way to lead the audience
in one direction and then use that control to surprise them
at the end. We give them an unexpected twist that gives
them a jolt and creates a bigger reaction. Surprises keep
interest and heighten the energy. Kalin & Jinger had a
Stripper Illusion where Jinger, teasing Kalin, climbs a set of
stairs to a platform with four poles at the corners. Curtains
are lowered creating a mini changing room and we see
the shadow of her taking off her clothes. Pieces from her
costume fly over the top of the cubicle. The audience and
Kalin aroused by this erotic display and since they saw no
clothes hanging in the cabinet, they expect that the next
time she is seen, she will be in her birthday suit. Kalin can
contain the excitement no longer and rushes to pull away
the curtain. Standing there in her place is Jeff Hobson. The
surprise twist instantly changes the emotional response to
laughter, surprise and amazement. The characters, story
and emotion combine to create the best magic possible.
EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE
By tapping into the emotions of the audience, we touch

75

them in a personal way that sticks. Its like mind-glue that


keeps the experience of the magic locked in memory. Think
about your favorite routines or any artistic experiences.
They probably touched you impulsively, meaningfully, and
mentally in some way.
Take advantage of the opportunity to use your own emotional responses and those of all the performers in your
show to influence the audience. The one thing we never
want in our routines is boredom. Adding other layers of
interest through conflict and tension will draw the audience
into the moment and keep their attention. When the audience can correctly predict what is going to happen once
the prop gets wheeled out, we have a problem. We need
to do something they dont expect or even do exactly what
they expect, but finish with a surprise twist.
Thanks for reading. Its been emotional.
Charles Bach
charlesbach@gmail.com

76

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77

Jeff McBrides

Magic & Mystery School

in YOUR hands

George Parker

IN YOUR HANDS

his is the second essay in a series by the faculty of


Jeff McBrides Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas.
Last issue, Eugene Burger discussed how our work
in magic gets sidetracked by seemingly important, but
ultimately irrelevant things. This month I will talk to you

about creating a masterpiece.


Kellars Rope Trick

Back in the 1990s, when I performed a lot of restaurant


magic, I always included a wonderful close-up Cut and
Restored Cord routine by Harry Kellar (The Tarbell Course
in Magic, volume 1, page 145). I turned it into a two phase
Cut and Restored Cord. In the second phase an audience

78

member takes the cord and really cuts it in the middle. I


take it back and Im able to restore it, almost instantly. A
normal cord is used and there are no switches. It is a very
clean and very deceptive effect and Ive had a lot of success with it.
Still, I would have loved to witness Kellar perform his effect. Why?

In His Hands...

This is what Tarbell wrote as an introduction to the trick:


Harry Kellar was a great magician. He ranked among the
worlds best. A masterpiece in his hands was a cut and
restored cord trick that baffled even magicians.

To me, the key phrase is in his hands. Im pretty sure


that Kellars version differed from my version, and
chances are that it looked better. Not only because he
was the great Harry Kellar, but because he invented
the piece. The effect, therefore, was an extension of
who he was, and must have felt entirely organic to
him. Consequentially, the method was hidden better
and thus the magic was stronger.

Masterpiece

My point is that a masterpiece in one magicians hands


can be an average effect in another ones hands. Try to
learn ten minutes of Robin Williamss LIVE on Broadway
performance (from 2002) and then deliver it. Im sure
you wont get the same laughs Mr. Williams got. Its a
masterful show in his hands, but the same golden
material can turn into lead when I deliver it.
Im not saying that you should always invent your
own material to create a masterpiece. Im saying that
we should be very careful about falling in love with
an effect simply because another magician has a lot
of success with it. We should be very cautious about
ads that claim something is the ultimate floating card
or the best coin trick ever invented. Whether some
routine is ultimate or the best ever is all going to
depend upon what happens in your hands.

Chemistry

What must we do to create a masterpiece? For me, it


is essential that there is a chemistry between me and
the routine. Sometimes I love the prop. Sometimes I
get excited by the rhythm of the piece. Sometimes Im
deeply impressed by the method. And sometimes I
like the plot or the magic effect very much. Whatever
it is, there needs to be something other than the hype
or another performers success for me to fall in love
with an effect. I need to have a healthy, sustainable
relationship with the routine itself if I am to have any
hope of creating a masterpiece.

Five Star Effects

I have found two other things that are important for


creating a masterpiece. Apart from the chemistry, I
need to completely master the effect and it needs to
get great audience reactions. I regularly look through
my repertoire and rate the routines I have created on a
one-to-five star scale. An effect gets five stars if:
-
theres a lot of chemistry between me and the
effect,
-
I completely master it, and
-
it gets great audience reactions.
Sadly, when I do this exercise I end up having few five

79

star effects. However, having performed for so long, I know


what I need to work on and that it often takes longer than I
anticipated. Recently, when I was in Los Angles to perform
at the Magic Castle, I spent time with a Hollywood character
actor working on one of my effects. He helped me upgrade
my delivery, because even after seven years of work, it still
was a four and a half star act. He gave me several great tips
and now I am sure I can get it to five stars.
After that, the challenge will be keeping it there!

George Parker, a Dutch performer in great demand, is


on the faculty of Jeff McBrides Magic & Mystery School.
For full details about the Schools live learning and
online classes please go to: www.magicalwisdom.com.

THE MAGIC ASSISTANT

JARRETT
&
RAJA
Illusion designer Mark Parker
discusses his recent help in
working with AGT duo
Jarrett & Raja

THE MAGIC ASSISTANT

Gwyn Auger
Melanie Giles is a striking beauty haling from the beautiful

By Gwyn Auger

Island of Puerto Rico. The music, dance, and cultural arts of her
enchanting country inspired Melanie from an early age. Her
young life was filled with classes in modern dance, acting and
ethnic dances.
In college, she majored in
theatre, studying with the top
names of the local industry.
Her creative drive flourished
and soon she discovered the
interesting art of belly dancing.
Melanie had found her niche
and became lead dancer soloist
and inevitably, the best in this
competitive genre. Her career
soared, placing her in the top
ranking venues and events in the
industry including appearances
on television, casinos and major
productions. Melanie Giles was
also featured in major corporate
events for such notables as Sir
Richard Branson, founder and

CEO of Virgin Records.


In 2007 she was featured in a
mega production in San Juan.
It was there that she met world
class illusionist Michael Giles and
for the first time, experienced
the magic that changed the
course of her life. Becoming a
Magic Assistant has been the
most exciting and challenging
role in Melanies career. By
incorporating all of her artistic
skills, Melanie generates new
dimensions to the magic. Her
acting experience excels during
each character she portrays
while her dance background

adds sensuality and grace to the


fabulous act. Michael and Melanies
chemistry brings sparks and romance
to the stage making them one of
the most dynamic acts in the magic
industry today. She was kind enough
to take some time out of her busy
schedule to chat with me and be
interviewed for VANISH. I can only
hope next time I am in Vegas we can
meet face to face.
As always if you have any questions
youd like to ask me or youd like me
to ask the future assistants in these
articles or if you have ideas of magic
assistants I should be interviewing
please e-mail me at magicgwyn@
gmail.com or feel free to connect
with me on Facebook or Twitter.
How did you get started in magic?
I married into it..LOL. I grew up
watching David Copperfields TV
specials but had never witnessed
magic live until I started working in
the show where I met Michael. The
first time a saw him perform I was
blown away.
At first Michael had no desire in
us working together knowing the
difficulties of a personal/business
relationship. It wasnt until he
decided to comeback on stage full

82

force when he gave me a chance to


be part of his journey. Since then,
magic has taken over my life and I am
loving every second of it.
Was it love at first sight when it came
to Michael?
It was an experience. I remember
when I first saw him backstage I
thought he was handsome. Then
I saw him perform and I was in
awe. And later on when he found
out I spoke English (laughs) we
started talking and getting to know
each other and I just felt a huge
connection that I have never felt
before. Early on I knew he was The
One.
I have noticed a lot of magicians will
try to propose in a magical way, or
use a magic trick. Did Michael use
magic to propose?
No magic on that one! Actually, we
were house hunting and we found
this beautiful home and as we are
looking at it he goes: I think we could
get married in here. So I guess we
could say that he didnt give me a
ring when he proposed, instead he
gave me a house. That closed the
deal! LOL
Did you have magic at the wedding?

No, we did buy the house, and had a


small intimate wedding with family and
close friends. Something really cool, for
those of you that remember Caesars
Magical Empire; Tony Arias, who played
The Sultan, was our minister. So you bet
there were funny moments during our
ceremony.
How many magicians were in
attendance?
Joaquin Ayala couldnt make it but his
magical partner Tanya did. Roy Shank
was there and we also invited Chipper
Lowell and his wife Lisa, but they
couldnt make it either.
If you and Michael have children, do you
think they will be involved with magic
as well?
It would be up to them. I wouldnt force
it. Michael does have a son from his first
marriage and he didnt get in to magic.
He is an amazing musician/singersongwriter.
What is your role on stage with
Michael? Are you more of a partner or
an assistant?
This is an interesting question.Am I a
partner or am I a magicians assistant?
I guess both. It really depends on
who you ask and in what aspect. For

example, most of the time when Im


referred to as a partner is by people
that are in the magic business/
community. And the other times, like
when we are doing a meet and greet
with a lay audience ,they see me as a
magicians assistant.
I feel that I am a partner in the
sense that not only do I wear the
flashy costumes and try to look
pretty on stage but I also work hand
in hand with Michael in all aspects
regarding the act. For example, I am
involved in all business decisions
and we collaborate with new ideas. I
also am part of developing the look,
choreography, music, editing and
marketing of our act.
When it comes to performing on
stage, my role is to make Michael
look good and help make the magic
happen effortlessly. I bring a lot of
personality and sure, the eye candy
factor. LOL. I dont have any dialogue
in the act nor I perform a magic
effect myself.so, does that make
me a magicians assistant????
WHATEVER, the title doesnt define
me (laughs). What matters to me is
that Michael makes me feel that my
role is as important as his.
I understand you are starting to

83

learn some magic tricks of your


own? What is it like transitioning or
blurring the line between assistant
and magician?
Nerve wracking! (laughs). Ive been
bugging Michael into bringing back
the dove act for a few years now, and
he finally agreed. The act requires me
to learn some dove manipulations,
so Ive been having lots of fun
with that. Cant wait to perform it
on stage! I feel like Im not really
blurring the line per se. What I do
in the dove act looks like Im doing
the magic without looking like Im
doing the magic. The moves that I
do are subtle and magical, but the
moving force of the magical moment
is driven by Michael. So I feel that to
the lay audience I would still come
across as an assistant.
Do you think your background in
dance and theatre has helped with
being on stage as an assistant?
Absolutely! It just helps with the
overall performance calibre. Im
a firm believer that anyone who
is considering on going on stage
should get some sort of training to
do so. Or at least, read up on it. Its
not just about the trick, its about
how you present it and how you
present yourself.

What is your favorite illusion to


watch, and to perform?
This is a tough one! I would have
to say that my favorite illusion to
watch is David Copperfields Water
Levitation. Now, to perform.I cant
pick one! I love all of our illusions.
Each one has its own charm, energy
and character. But I have to admit,
I have a soft spot for the Subtrunk.
Just because that was the first one I
learned.
What is it like working with your
husband? Have you ever had to go on
stage angry?
Working with Michael is really great.
Anyone that knows my husband will
agree when I say that he is the nicest
guy. We started working together
two years into our relationship. To
me, that was a big plus, because
it allowed us to build a great
foundation in our relationship by the
time we decided to add the business
aspect to it.
For us is really important that
whatever happens at home, it stays
at home. We keep it professional not
only on stage but off stage as well.
After we are done performing, we go
over the show, we give each other
notes and thats it. It ends there! If we

had a mishap on a performance, we leave


it in the theatre and it doesnt come home
with us.
Ive never performed angry. And I have to say,
Ive seen performers do that and they dont care if
they are projecting their anger on stage. I find it very
disrespectful because the audience pays their ticket to
be entertained, not to watch a temper tantrum. LOL.
How do you feel about the touring? How is it decided
whether you join the tour or not?
I love touring! Dont get me wrong, it is super tiring and
its hard work. But I love the adventure! I love seeing
new places and getting the opportunity to perform to
all kinds of audiences. We get to meet new people and
make new friends. I always wanted to see the world, so
when its time to go.Im ready!
Whether I go or I stay depends on the gig. If we are hired
to do our act Im definitely going. But Michael has also
gone out on other gigs as a Stage Manager, Consultant,
or Animal Handler, etc. When that happens, I stay home
and work at my normal job. LOL
What has been your favorite place to perform so far?
Ive yet to seen the whole world but Im working on
it. But at this moment, my ultimate favorite place has
been Greece. I felt a strong connection with the people
there and they LOVE magic. So far, they were the best

84

audience I ever
performed to.
What would you say has been the best experience youve
had as a Magicians Assistant?
The best thing for me is that I get to travel and see the
world with my husband while we work. We get to meet
new people and experience different cultures.
What has been the funniest or most embarrassing thing to
happen to you on stage?
Well recently, while on tour, we were at this huge venue
and they had a live video feed on two huge screens.
Later, after the show, I found out that after I appear on
the Instant Babe and give my back to the audience to get
off the prop, the camera man decided to zoom in on my
butt. So a full house of 5,000 people got a close look of my
puertorricaness. LOL.
What advice would you have to any females getting into
magic?

Like anything, just love what you do. When you are
passionate it will transpire on stage and people will feel
it. And also, us Magicians Assistants should take our role
seriously as the Magician takes his.
What did you think of the portrayal of assistants in Burt
Wonderstone, and how easily replaced they are?
I think we are all replaceable! Even magicians. (laughs).
Thats what keeps us humble and grounded, and
therefore working. No one wants to work with Divas, LOL.
What do you do when youre not busy with magic?
I was not made to be the housewife type, so I always stay
busy and work. I work in a lounge as a cocktail waitress.
I still feel like you are entertaining people in this type of
environment and I really do enjoy it. On my free time I
like to workout and be at home, put some music on and
cook, while sipping some wine.
What was it like moving to Vegas?
Crazy, but in a good way! I was born and raised in Puerto
Rico, so coming from a tropical paradise to live in a desert
was a little bit of a SHOCK. Let me just state the fact that I
moved to Vegas without ever being there before. CRAZY!
So when I was on the plane looking out the window and I
saw all that red rock I thought I was landing on Mars. LOL.
The other crazy part is that Michael and I had only been
doing the long distance relationship for three months.
We knew right away that we couldnt live without each
other, so I packed my bags and started a whole new life
with him. Its been awesome!
Would you ever want to move back to Puerto Rico, or is
Vegas home now and forever?
As much as I love my little island and my family that lives
there, Vegas is definitely home now. I have to say, Ive
been in Vegas for five years now and I have been blessed
with lots of opportunities that I would have never even
dreamed of in Puerto Rico. It has been an amazing
journey for me.
And of course I have to ask what is your favorite type of
cupcake?
Funny enough, while on tour Farrell Dillon found this
place in New Jersey called the Cupcake Magician. I had
the best cupcake EVER. It was a maple pancake and
bacon one. I think it was called the Breakfast Cupcake. It
was AMAZING!

85

Originally from
Denmark Anders
has quickly become
an international

YIF - ART OF MAGIC


magic star having

both television and


major stage credits
to his name.

BY ANDERS HANSEN

LESSONS
LEARNED
My lessons learned by using the unknown as an ally, instead of a
fictional self-made enemy.

The possibilities are


nu m e ro u s o n ce we
decide to act and not
react
- George Bernard Shaw

Starbucks Sunday - my weekly time for reflection. As I look back on


my career in magic, theres something profound I realize today while
feeling a certain responsibility if you will to share some thoughts on
this with my colleagues in magic.
Theres a tendency to look at the unknown future, the yet to be
determined possibility, as potentially negative. When the road ahead
is to be defined, the dots are to be connected, things can seem
overwhelming. However, looking back into the past and observing
the way things happened and why they happened as they did; more
often than not, makes perfect sense. With that thought in mind, why
not place the same trust in the future?
On top of that, if youre open to change, to keep an objective mind
mainly towards your character and material - then my claim will be
that it WILL take a miracle to stop you!

86

Working with my former


stage partner for over
12 years producing
live shows, TV and
corporate events mainly
in our native Denmark,
we developed many
original effects as well
as tweaking time tested
classics. An example
of this would be our
take on the classic
substitution trunk.
Throughout our career
we had 3 different
models built, all based
on the same principle,
but gradually elevating
the effect, making
it significantly more
impossible, ending up
doing so in a clear plexi
trunk. Going from a 1:20
min. effect entirely to
music, we ended with
a 5 min. high energy
routine, and were later
invited to perform
at the Magic Castle
where we made this

87

illusion our finale. What


we did in essence was
very simple: We took
an objective look at our
presentation and asked
ourselves how we could
make the core of the
effect MORE impossible.
We always had a killer
visual switch, which it
obviously comes down
to in the Substitution
Trunk. However we
realized thats all our
effect had. A fast
switch. So we decided
to add several layers
of impossibility to it.
We started by having
2 audience members
(not stooges) examines
the box AND the bag
on stage, with one of
them tying my hands
on my back with rope.
I get in the bag, box is
closed and secured with
lock and leather straps.
My partner would then
jump on top of the box
and NOT COVER IT, so

the audience still would


be able to see the bag
moving with me inside.
He would throw the
cloth in the air and I
would catch it and throw
it aside. Bag still moving.
Box opened, bag
opened with him inside
tied on his back.
Performing it at The
Magic Castle, hearing
other magicians gasp in
disbelief was a highlight
of our career. Something
I will never forget.
Im sure you get
my point by now.
We werent afraid
to experience with
alternative options or
to let voices of advice
from colleagues be
heard. What we ended
up having, was a
completely different
take on a classic.
Something original

and new! In essence


we only posed a simple
question: Why would
you ever cover a clear
substitution trunk in the
first place? All it takes is
a bit of rational thinking
and soon you have
something that YOU
shaped and is unique.
Something that makes
perfect sense when you
look back at it, trying to
connect the dots.
In 2009 I stopped
working with my former
stage partner for 12
years and immediately
after moved from
Denmark to America.
Shortly after my arrival,
I reentered into a
dialogue with a US
network weve worked
with before. Univision
TV a large national TV
Network and among

the top 5 in the US. One of the producers in the special event
department asked if I would be interested in designing and
performing the opening of the season finale in the networks
annual beauty pageant. I asked 2 questions: When- and
whats the budget? 7 days was the answer to the first
one, going live on air following Sunday and yet to be
defined to the second. My rational mind told me to
decline. Simply too many risk factors. It was either a hit or
a gigantic miserable miss. I contemplated the last part
for quite a while, all the dangerous unknowns; the
unconnected dots. Followed by what then seemed like
a moment of insanity I called them back and accepted.
In the same instant I felt my pulse in my throat as I
was staring down onto an empty drawing board. I
had decided to challenge my own self made doubt
and take some active steps towards at least trying
to define a self made success. The routine HAD to
involve all 6 finalists, and since they were competing
they all had to do something on an equal level. So I
designed 3 illusions from scratch involving 2 girls
each. For us magicians, changing methods
is obviously important in a routine like
this, so the measurements of the
girls (incl. their slightly altered
chest sizes) had to be taken
into heavy consideration when
designing the props. Monday
and Tuesday was spent in
the company of a measuring
tape, drawing board and 6 of
the most beautiful women
Latin America could possibly
produce. Wednesday to
Friday, we had 18 hour days
in the workshop building
the props with Univisions
carpenters. Rehearsal and
staging of the routine
with the choreographer
and director of the show
took place Saturday.
Sunday began for me
at 5AM, doing my own
final adjustments for the
evenings broadcast. The
winner of the competition
from the previous year
was going to assist me,
and I planned for her to
disappear on stage and

88

reappear by the judges with an


Asrah levitation hookup by the
end of the routine. However I
ended up deciding that I didnt
want to depend on anyone else
in operating the magic. Especially
not with this short of a notice. So
I came up with an ending using
the European Asrah Version and
a ditch that made sense to me
(which to me that illusion never
had in the past). Sunday night
we went LIVE on-air to entire
North- and South America. All of
a sudden, my work was viewed by
15 million people, at least. As I ran
off-stage afterwards, my producer
came jumping towards me
screaming, waving and throwing
papers everywhere. At first I
couldnt tell by his expressions
wether it was a hit or miss since
nothing was prerecorded or even
shown to me on the monitors
during rehearsals. Judging by his
high pitched voice and numerous
hugs though, I realized he was
excited. Very excited. I was later
told it was the most dynamic and
original opening theyve ever had.

89

A week after, I got a call from


a very well respected and
successful cruise ship show
producer offering me to perform
14 shows on a cruise ship. The
producer had seen the opening
on Youtube and liked it. They
looked for an illusionist based out
of Miami to perform a larger scale
illusion show on a cruise ship
in the Caribbean. What initially
was only 14 set dates, has now
developed into a longer time
engagement and kept me busy
for the last 2 years, also paving
the ground for my US work visa
(O-1). Looking ahead Ill be flying
to the ship every week for the
time to come performing the
show.
So as I take the last (now cold)
sip of my latte on this beautiful
sunny Miami Sunday, Ive come
to the realization, based on my
own experience that we as artists
needs to use the unknown factor,
the undefined future as our ally
instead of our enemy. Undefined
means all possibilities and

potentials exists. There are literally


no limitations of any sort.
Had I not taken a gamble back
in 2010, the dots would have
for sure connected themselves
differently. Wether thats positive
or negative is of course unknown,
however I just appreciate every
day the way they linked and are
connected now...
Good luck on your journey, bring
the new effect youre working
on with you out into the world
and let the symphony of the dots
connect themselves. Youll never
know in which way strangers you
meet might have an impact on
your direction.
Cheers to connecting the dots
and filling the unknown with
possibilities!
Youtube clips for this story
Trailer: https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=yh2Xjsk5y1o
Univision: https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=3w9qxqJ3Woc

The Jolly Jester

STEVE SPILL
Aspen, at the top of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, is an internationally famous ski resort
and glitzy playground for the affluent. But in 1976 the Aspen vibe was not unlike the frat boy
atmosphere depicted in the film Animal House. I was twenty one years old when I started a
four year plus tour of duty working for Bob Sheets as a magician/bartender at The Jolly Jester.
Bob is a hilarious comedy magician with a round face, thick neck, twinkly eyes, big moustache and a gap-toothed smile,
known as the Jolly Jester... hence the bars name. In 1975, Bob had been hired as a bartender just outside Aspen, in
Snowmass, at country-pop singer John Denvers Tower Restaurant.
Sheets quickly became a successful local legend behind the bar, mixing drinks and merriment with his comedy and
magic. So much so, that the following winter a patron sponsored Bob and he opened his own bar in Aspen. That place
in Aspen, The Jolly Jester, was so singular and unique, so specific to its time, its almost impossible to describe this insane
fun saloon. Nothing could mess with what was going on at The Jolly Jester.

90

times a week. By trial and


error my sleight-of-hand,
timing, presentation, and
other elements improved.
Bob also trained me as a bartender and taught me how
to use magic to sell more
cocktails. The more you
drink, the better the tricks
look. One strategy, never
perform a trick until all the
drinks are half full. That way,
when the trick is over, everyones ready for a new round.
Patrons were unconsciously
trained now its time to
watch a trick, now its time
to buy a drink Pavlov
would have loved it. Dont
applaud, keep on drinking.
Bob was, and is, also an
amazing street magician.
In the early days, Bob stood
in front of The Jester and
performed his street act.
Instead of passing the hat,
he pied pipered folks into
the bar. Once inside, Bob
introduced me. I sold drinks
and did tricks, while Bob
went outside and gathered
another group. In an hour,
a big crowd pressed around
the bar. Word got around
and after a few days Bob no
longer needed to work the
street, from then on things
just exploded.

One of the great educational


benefits from the work was
a practical understanding of
the art and science of audience management. Drinkers
are not shy when they see
how a trick is done and its
a great help to know where
corrections are needed. The
crowd changed five times a
night which enabled me to
perfect tricks by doing them
over and over, forty or fifty

91

The bar had about thirty


stools, and four feet behind
were long benches to sit on
with a ledge that ran atop
the benches that was just
wide enough, if you were
young and a little athletic,
to stand on. People sitting
at the bar, standing on the
floor, sitting on the benches
and standing on top of the
benches from one end to
the other. And the crowd
was wired. Crazed. Insane.
The lights were low, the
rock and roll was loud, and
we would announce were
about to do some magic

and therell be no drinks for


ten minutes so get em now.
To serve everyone would
take twenty to thirty minutes, but serving the drinks
was a show in itself.
Want a lime in that gin &
tonic? I pretended to take
a lime out of a waste basket,
wash it off, and drop it in
the drink. Dont worry, the
alcohol will kill any germs.
When someone ordered a
beer we didnt have, like,
say, Moosehead Ale, Bob
responded, no problemo.
He opened and poured a
bottle of Budweiser then,
with a felt tip pen crossed
out the word Bud and
wrote Moosehead. One
Moosehead, drink up.
We did a substantial business serving upside down
margaritas. No glass necessary. Customers laid their
heads on the bar, mouths
open. With a bottle of Triple
Sec in one hand and Rosess
Lime in the other, I poured,
then, quickly switched the
two bottles for sweet & sour
and tequila, and completed
the task until mouths were
overflowing. Customers
just had to sit up and swallow.
Regulars brought friends in
from far and wide for our
margaritas. If they winked
and tipped in advance, the
newcomer would get a special upside down margarita.
When they sat up their face
was met with a cream pie...
actually it was a coffee filter
filled with whipped cream.
This is the craziest bar in
town. At least thats what
one smartly dressed young
man told his equally deckedout friend. They ordered
Heineken drafts and the first

guy secretly let me know his buddy was a first time visitor.
Just as the beers were served, I accidentally knocked one
over. The stranger jumped to his feet to avoid ruining his
clothes while his friend burst into uproarious laughter.
The knocked over glass was a fakeroo with solid contents,
a means of initiating newcomers to the fun at The Jester.
The gag over, I removed the fake glass and served real beer.
The instigator didnt notice the switch. Look, its a fake
beer, so saying, he grabbed the newly served glass and
threw the contents into his friends face.
Suddenly the music stopped, the lights went up to last call
brightness and the magic show was on. Bob and I would
do a total of about ten minutes of our best stuff, the crowd
would cheer, the lights would go down, the rock music
cranked up, and wed be back serving drinks. Thats how
it went from early evening until 2AM night after night. To
us it was slick and choreographed and the crowds went
ballistic. Customers were just as wild, raw, and often more
spontaneous and ridiculous than we were.
In the winter knit beanies and ski caps were popular and
I had a trick where I asked to borrow one. A finely built
young lady put her lacy red bra on the bar, will this work?
and then she kindly showed everyone where it came from.
No, not Victorias Secret, her chest.
One summer we had a bowl of goldfish sitting on the back
bar. Now and then, we apparently grabbed a live one outta

92

the water, popped it in our mouth and chewed it up. In


reality, we just pretended to eat the live sushi. Actually we
ate carrots cut to an approximate goldfish shape.
People started to hear about the goldfish eating and
wanted to see it done. A regular customer brought in
a younger brother on holiday from college. The young
brother was impressed with the fish stunt and I let him
in on the carrot secret. I told him, In the next hour were
going to ask for volunteers, raise your hand and Ill put a
carrot in your mouth, youll be a hero. When the time came,
I put a real live wiggling goldfish in his mouth. Everyone
cried laughing.
We had a unique introduction service. A guy threw a five
on the bar and said Id like to meet that blond with the big
smile on the other side of the bar. Apparently at random,
the regular and the blond were selected to participate in
a magic trick. If it was a match meant to be, theyd forget
about the trick and focus on each other.
Our famous tiny single throne bathrooms had no signs for
men or women. If asked which was which I always said, it
doesnt matter just lock the door. Well the first bathroom
locked most of the time. Customers might open the door
and a couple would be caught in flagrante delicto with the
oh my god scream and, oh sorry, and quickly closing the
door. Sometimes a couple would come out and the guy
would be all disheveled, sweaty, the girls hair messed up

and literally everyone in the bar knew what just happened


behind the closed door.
The laughter sometimes was through the roof because
if Bob or I saw a couple go in, we would announce, with
tongue in cheek and a roll of the eyes, the nature of the
event to the whole bar. The couple would think they were
getting away with something until theyd realize there was
only one way out theyd be completely surprised by
eighty or ninety people screaming and applauding their
triumph.
One night I opened the bar and the first person through
the door was an attractive young girl. She asked, Are you
into yoga? In a fraction of an instant she was on the floor
going through various contortions. I excused this rather
bizarre behavior as part of the phenomenon of people
saying strange things and behaving even more strangely
at The Jester. Why dont you get up on the bar so we can
get a better look at what youre doing? She swiftly stripped
down to a sheer leotard and happily continued her exercises right there on the bar.
Her legs were knotted behind her head intertwined with
mangled arms. The growing audience applauded, she
raised both legs straight up on either side of her head, then
went into a human crab position. Thereafter she visited The
Jester every couple weeks. Her many bar-top performances
never failed to be crowd pleasing events.
We made magic for people from all segments of society at
The Jester. Ted Kennedy, Cheech & Chong, Jimmy Buffet,
Hunter Thompson, Farrah Fawcett... A number of wellknown names of the time got into the spirit of the place
and surprised us. Bob and I often witnessed the questionable, inappropriate, and embarrassing antics of captains of
industry, movie actors, and sports stars.
A place like The Jolly Jester could never exist today with cell
phone cameras and the whole run and tell mentality. Ooh,
look what so and so is doing. Lets take a picture and sell it
to a magazine. Lets post it on Facebook, YouTube, call TMZ.
It is one thing to read what Ive written here, but its another
thing entirely when youre living it. The environment ran
the gamut from bad taste and outrageous behavior to a
twisted sense of humor that was anything but universal.
Certainly nothing that ever happened in that saloon had
any socially redeeming value. But I feel very fortunate that,
at that moment in time, I was young, with my eyes open,
and lived to experience The Jolly Jester.
www.magicopolis.com

93

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The Day Everything


Changed - Jeff McBride
94

The earth shook. My heart skipped a beat. I knew in


a flash, that magic, as I had known it, had changed
forever. There was no going back.
Its not the fact that Im on the road with the worlds
largest touring magic show, The Illusionists. Its not
a new revolutionary principle, illusion or technique.
Its not something esoteric or bizarre. What changed
magic forever is something that is so commonplace
its perhaps invisible to you, and I even bet that you
have it in your pocket, or close at hand.
Lets talk about...THE SCREEN!
A few months ago, I was in Mexico; we were playing
a 6,000 seat theater. During one of the segments,
Dan Sperry performs his very bizarre razor blade
routine, by sitting in the audience, about a third of
the way back in the theater. Dan is surrounded on
all side in the audience, and has a camera-man with
a light to film this sequence of the show.
Heres where everything changed for me. Night after night, I was amazed to witness audience mem-

Night after night, I was amazed


to witness audience members sitting two feet away
from Dan, watching the giant
screens that were hundreds of
feet away.

bers sitting two feet away from Dan, watching the


giant screens that were hundreds of feet away.
Thats when it hit me, audiences are so accustomed
to watching screens that even live performance
pales in comparison to the camera-enhanced high
definition virtual experience.
What is remarkable is that given the opportunity to
choose, the viewer will take the screen image most
times over the live image, and if you dont believe
this, you havent been to a multimedia theater show
recently. Not too long ago, I put myself to the test: I
attended a concert at the Las Vegas Hilton, by one of
my favorite comedians, Steven Wright. Before and
during the show, I promised myself I would not get

95

kind of camera work is a delicate and demanding task,


but makes The Illusionists stand out from every other
magic show in the world.
Brett Daniels can perform his cups and balls with live
baby chicks; Dan Sperry can do the lifesaver (Sean Fields
SAW); Kevin James can perform his delicate snowflake
routine, and my card manipulation routine can hold its
own with any of the largest illusions in the show.
Think about it, we have screens everywhere. Theyre in
the back of taxis, surrounding us in pubs and restaurants,
installed in the back of every airplane seat, electronic billboards are giant screens, not to mention how much time
each day we spend looking at our computer screens or
phone screens and are always just a click away from
every youtube clip on earth.
Dont get me wrong, Im not saying that screens are bad,
and that live performance is good. Im saying that in just
the past decade, the live concert game changed. Now
that I realize this, and I hope you do too, how can we as
magicians utilize this to our advantage? Here are a few
thoughts.
*Modern masters, like Juan Tamariz and Rene Levand,
regularly use cameras to magnify their more intimate
mysteries. Ive seen both of these masters play audiences
upwards of a thousand people with a pack of cards, oh,
and a good camera-man.

Years ago, magicians that were making the leap from parlor to big stage
would save up thousands of dollars
to add illusions and assistatns to their
act.
sucked into the screen, that I would do all I could to fix
my eyes on the live performer. I failed, and I would bet
Las Vegas money 10 to 1, that you would fail, too, given
the same test.
The producer and the director in our show know the power of the screen image. They use this power to magnify
the medium size magic, and to make it play larger than
life. Many of the most compelling magic moments in our
show dont happen with the larger illusions, but are audience participation or manipulation routines that have
emotional and artistic appeal. The only way that these
pieces can be enjoyed in huge theaters is to have them
expertly magnified and projected on huge screens. This

96

*Years ago, magicians that were making the leap from


parlor to big stage would save up thousands of dollars to
add illusions and assistants to their act. Today, perhaps
a wiser investment is to purchase a high quality camera
and versatile projection system and screen, and work
with a camera operator as your assistant.
*Realize that it doesnt need to be bigger to be better. If
you get comfortable working with a camera, projector
and screen, all of your smaller and medium size magic
can now be enhanced and magnified.
*TV magic legend Paul Daniels told me years ago that a
close up of a mouse is the same screen size as a full grown
elephant. Its not the size of the prop you use, but how
it is framed by the camera that makes for a compelling
image.
*iPad screens are popping up in many magicians repertoires: Marco Tempest, Paul Gertner, Simon Pierot, and
many others are using these everyday objects. You can
see how they use them on youtube.
*Fancy cameras, screens and effects still will not make up

for substandard magic. In fact, they may magnify


weaknesses and flaws in your presentation and
technique. Remember to polish and practice all of
the areas your magic demands.
*Magic travels at the speed of light. Youtube and
easy access to cameras has changed the way we
consume magic. Newcomers to magic digest visual material at an astonishing rate. We are living in a
new era of media magic. Those who embrace the
technology will become market leaders. Those
who reject it will fall behind.

Screens have changed the way I teach magic. Most of my students met me first by watching me on a tv screen, either on a
magic show, or a teaching video. Almost every day, I am meeting new students online via Skype or through my 24 hour a day
virtual classroom, at our online magic school. Every Monday,
I meet with hundred of magicians just like you, to explore the
many faceted art of magic. Screens are bringing us closer than
ever before. I hope to continue my relationship with you, dear
reader, and we can continue to grow in the art of magic. . I
hope to see you on the screen, online at http//www.magicalwisdom.com

Photos: Page one top: Paul Romhany as Chaplin using a screen, The Illusionists screen, Shawn Farquhar with his
FISM card routine on screen and Charles Bach performing his Sand Routine.
Middle page: Chipper Lowell using a video screen
Below: Shawn Farquhar performing at a corporate event.

97

Ben
Robinson

STRIKE DEBT MAGIC

One of those gigs that will


live with you forever.

Ben Robinson is an internationally known writer and performer. His


accompanying book Magic & The Silent Clowns done for his lecture
at The Museum of the Moving Image was the largest attended noncelebrity event ever held at the Museum. His new show MYSTERIUM
opens April 6, 2013 at the new Suffolk Theater in Riverhead, New York.
Tickets: www.suffolktheater.com. He and his wife An are owned by a
20-year-old parrot Stubby. They live in New York.

t has taken me more than 2 months


to get my head around one of the
most special gigs Ive ever been
involved with. As a professional
magician I am invited to do a lot of
shows for good causes. In this case,
I was called by a pal I have run into
through the years, mostly in the
avant-garde music scene, where I
hang my hat often. While I dont play
a musical instrument, I am frequently
found gigging with experimental
musicians. The fellow who called me
in September, 2012 was a journalist
who had been in a punk band called
The Monads back in 1977.
Michael Azerrad had since gone on to
prove that you could be a drummer in
a current band (King of France), and
also write hit books such as Come As
You Are, written about the grunge
musical group Nirvana. (Michael hit
a jackpot very unexpectedly. Nirvana was famous, and the book was
green-lighted, but, no one could have
foreseen that Kurt Cobain, the lead
of Nirvana, would commit suicide
just a short time after the book came
out. Consequently, Michael became
known, in 1994, as we already knew
in 1977, as the hip cat with his ear to
the track, as pianist/composer Bill

98

Photos of the Teletheon Booth

Marx says, So hip, he was hip, when to aiding methadone rehab centers for
hip was Hep.)
heroin addicts to get clean, this call had
the ring of something very special. My
Hey, do you know anything about instincts proved correct.
Occupy New York? my friend began. I
did. Id circled the grounds of the mas- The evening was set to raise money
sive crowd of those sitting in the Wall and then purchase huge debt at
Street area letting their displeasure be roughly twenty cents on the dollar.
known (for nearly a year) about the Or, for 20% of a full debt, be able to
very questionable lending practices literally buy debt away. Except, that
of major banks. Old established in- reduced debt was NOT passed on to
vestment houses such as Bear Sterns the initial debtor. Instead, we at Strike
and Lehman Brothers went out of Debt, simply agreed to give those in
business in the early 21st century be- suffocating debt the surprise of their
cause of reckless financial practices; lives. The undertaking by Michaels
some downright illegalthough none friends, whom he said, ran with my
have been prosecuted, just as assault idea were led by: Ann Larson, Thomas
weapons are still common. If money Gokey, Christopher Casuccio and Laura
can not be used an assault weapon, Hanna.
then the rest of this article may not
interest to you.
The well-known comedian Janeane Garafolo, a group of radical nuns, former
While Michael Azerrad was not the Sonic Youth member Lee Ranaldo, hupoint man to the press, his friends morist David Rees (author of Get Your
were, and on November 14, 2012, The War On) a mariachi band, Lizz WinNew York Times, ran a quarterpage stead (a co-founder of the Daily Show
story titled Occupy Wall St. Offshoot with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central
Aims to Erase Peoples Debts:
cable TV) physical comedian Peter
Straus (formerly a Ringling clown),
Ariel Kaminer wrote:
rappers, columnists, and your scribe,
a master magician, all participated in
A group of professors, documentary what was termed a Rolling Jubilee on
film makers, corporate drop outs and the evening of November 18, 2012 at
others had spent months protesting Le Poisson Rouge, formerly the famous
Americans debt burden when a novel Village Gate Theatre. For all you magic
idea arose: What if they could just fans, this is where Richiardi famously
wave a magic wand and make some played his 1975 Evening of Magic and
of the debt disappear?
Illusion splattering his severed victims
so close to the audience that many left
The group named themselves Strike the theatre with bloody clothing.
Debt and the idea (Azerrads initially)
was this: Collect as much money as Our evening was not bloody at all. The
you could, seek those with burden- show began promptly at 8pm and was
some debts mostly the result of preda- broadcast live over the Internet, foltory lending, and then tear up the lowed by thousands in what I heard
balance sheet. In other words, make were at least 40 countries. In the club,
the debt(s)disappear.
averages of attendees ranged from
700 to 1500. It was hard to get at a
Thats why Michael was calling me.
real number because the crowd was
massive, loud, involved every step of
While I have certainly done benefits the way, and had one of the greatest
ranging from children born with AIDS communal vibes I have ever been in,
sponsored by Hoover vacuum cleaners anywhere from Pete Seegers famous
in England, attended by Princess Anne; Clearwater Festival that succeeded in

99

cleaning up toxic dumping in the mighty Hudson River,


to the environmentally conscious Wetlands music club,
sadly shuttered by landlord greed in the late 90s. Yes,
indulgences wafted in the air and Security guards smiled;
all were involved in a real humanitarian effortstrangely
enough, something selfless. This was not self-promotional
show business. Laura Hanna and Christopher Casuccio
said in the Times article, This is our coming out party
to transform the economic system.
You see, just as Jerry Lewis made his televised Muscular
Dystrophy Telethon an important event by inviting all his
Vegas pals such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin to sing,
dance and tell jokes, and simultaneously raise millions
for fighting the disease, while occupying the airwaves for
more than 24 hours, ours was a modern version of that.
Two hours into the evening we were assured wed raised a
whopping $230,000! Confetti flew from the hands of those
manning the laptops collecting the cash via the Internet,
and our global audience celebrated with us from Trenton,
NJ to Prague to Paris to Zurich, San Paolo and Leningrad!
At the time of this writing, Strike Debt has raised more than
$500,000 and it is still growing; other telethons are being
organized around the globe.
When I was graduated from college, like everyone else
in my class, I was offered an application for an American
Express card. I promptly tore it up and laughed as I deposited the application in the trash bin saying to myself, Why
would I ever need that? (I had been working and making

100

money since I was 14, so knew that if I did not make the
money, then it was not mine to spend. Credit was for other
people.) However, some recent grads did not know better,
and were suckered into the world of supposed free credit,
convenience cards. At a young age, they got in deep; just
as you would to a loan shark. Now, imagine having a personal debt of over $250,000, being 21-years-old, having
just finished college, planning on attending medical school
that youve struggled for four years to have the grades
and talent to enter, and soon your debt will be over half
a million dollars with an interest rate that will never allow
you to get out from under unless you win the lottery or
someone lends you a pile of cash as high as an elephants
eye? Enter Strike Debt.
Predatory lending to those without the means to possibly
repay the loan is a rampant global practice (Im being polite)
whitewashed by those who say they are helping others,
when in reality, they are doing the exact opposite. I realize
my opinions may offend and that banks make money by
lending money. Im all too aware of that. I am also aware that
when I finally did clear my credit rating of a debt I personally carried for a decade, that the fine print interest rate
changed yearly, and is now under Federal investigation in
the US, for possibly illegal practices.
I was third on the bill that night of about 22 acts. I did my
signature invented routine set to music to capture attention. Then I said, I come from a long line of revolutionaries. My mother for one. She was a copywriter on Madison

Avenue since the 50s. She created the line GIVE UNTIL IT
FEELS GOOD. So thats what we at Strike Debt intend to do.
Were going to take some money, change it, and then give
it away. I borrowed a dollar bill, changed it, and then threw
it back into the ocean of smiling faces and received a cheer.
Mother was right. (I came home to 136 emails from all over
the world asking me to make money for them. I could do
it once, why not again?)
My whole time on stageabout 4 minutes. Walking off
stage, pain seared through my body. Luckily my old clown
student Peter Straus was there to catch me. It was adrenalin
hitting, fast and hardsometimes a build up of energy to
a performance that doesnt happen on stage. Backstage it
vanished. And then I spent the next 3 hours working the
crowd and I can tell you, the joy in that room was palpable.
The actor from DIE HARD (With a Vengence) Justin Long
(famous from the Apple Computer TV commercials in the
US) came up to me and spun me around, telling me that he
made his way through the crowd to see my outstretched
fingers adorned by silver rings. He said, Dude, that had
meaning! I mention the above to give a flavor of who was
there and what happened to me.
Given New York City had just been slammed by Hurricane
Sandy, and left 60,000 homeless, all New Yorkers felt like
they needed help. My question is: Who rescues the rescuers? Well save that for another time.
I urge you to go to: Strikedebt.org or RollingJubilee.org to
find out more and how you can be involved in a philanthropic effort that will use your talents, and help change
the structure of a system that has become perverted. If
Republics stand by the backbone of its populace, then
all deserve a fair shot. The greedy few who think it is fair
and rightful to get rich quick because someone else was
ignorant of what was REALLY happening to them thats
a reality we can change. Strike Debt proves that.
Ideally, the magician is a problem-solving icon. I posit that
the Strike Debt model, created by a small group, fostered
by two creative kids from Briarcliff Manor, NY, both of whom
went to the creative work camp called Bucks Rock, founded
by Jung-contemporary Dr. Ernst Bulova (brother of the man
who started the watch company!) is a model of the future
that sets up a win-win-win scenario:
People under crushing financial burden receive partial
relief, banks still make money (just not as much) on their
loans, and audiences helping through generous donation
are entertained by some of the most talented people alive.
The single greatest cause of bankruptcy (and resultant
homelessness) in the US is a health emergency. What happens if you cannot afford or are not eligible for health insur-

101

ance, your living rent is sky high, and suddenly you contract
a virus that requires a lengthy hospital stay? One magician
I know of was literally left to die in a hospital Emergency
Room because he did not have Health Insurance. His name
was Tony Blanco. Had Tony survived, and received care,
would the cost of his hospital care have stacked the deck
against him during his recovery; as it has for millions? DO
NOT think you are immune from this discussion. It affects
everyone.
If all of this sounds odd and freaky to you, but you get
celebrity culture, then look at a gent also asking for Debt
Relief for nations such as South Africa. He does it by picking
up the phone and talking to world leaders, as he flies on
his own plane to his worldwide concerts.
His name is Bono and his band is called U2-nest-ce pas?

STRIKINGACHORD
LEE ALEX

Magicians and Musicians

etween 2005 and 2009 every


21st November No Music Day,
was held at various events around
the globe. The concept of No Music
Day comes from South African born
Scot Bill Drummond (of K.L.F. fame).
The idea of the concept can be
viewed on the website: http://www.
nomusicday.com/about.php
In Drummonds words the idea of
No Music Day is to create some
space in your listening so that you
can do nothing but think what it
is you want from music, and develop ideas of how that could be
achieved. November 22nd is Saint
Cecilias Day, the Patron Saint of
music.
I consider myself lucky to have been
invited to participate in an event
for No Music Day here in Istanbul,
staged at the Yeni Melek (New Angel) theatre and gallery with different artists taking part: video artists,
disc jockeys, a rock group, a modern
artist and myself, contributing with

103

a short illusion performance.


Performing illusion without music
took some courage, and was a
strange experience both for the
audience and myself as a performer. I am so used to performing the
illusions according to the music.
The choreography is all planned
to the music; actions and cues are
made in accordance with the music; the audience takes applause
cues from highlights in the music.
During a normal performance of
illusion, the music somehow justifies the fantasy of the happenings
on the stage by working in harmony with the performance.
I wonder would you be just as
frightened if you were to watch
the scariest horror film without any
background sounds. Would that
car chase be as exciting, or appear
as fast if there was no score to accompany it? Suspense, anxiety,
A patter magician most probably
does not use any music in a per-

formance, but instead relies upon


the intonation of the voice to create the required atmosphere. The
voice is the patter magicians tool to
put across the personality that the
audience will perceive, and through
this perception the artist will be
accepted or rejected. If the patter
magician is working in a theatre, it
is the overture that brings him on to
the stage that sows the seeds of his
character in the audiences mind (i.e.
There would be a huge difference
between a performing stepping on
to the stage to the tune of Carmina
Burana and the opening tune from
The Muppet Show!!).
A close-up magician or restaurant
worker works almost in the same
way, relying upon the voice to portray a character. Whilst strolling,
the magician may be unaware of
the background music playing in
the restaurant which will assist to
cover any gaps in the performance,
whether consciously or inadvertently. So-called piped music is one of
the things taken for granted in our
modern lives. It is everywhere; in the
supermarket; in the waiting room; in
the restaurant. Take it away and feel
the silence. Only then do we realize
the existence of such music.
The weekend before No Music Day
also saw the Fifth Balkan Magic
Festival here in Istanbul. A miniconvention drawing magicians from
Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey
together for two days of competition. Nothing like the grand scale
of FISM of course, but most of the
competitors tried their best.
I noticed a trend in the Close-up
and Card Magic sections of the
competition (both performed in
close range to the audience on a
table top). The majority of performers did not patter, but instead chose
to use music of some kind or another to accompany their act. I use the
word accompany lightly as some
seemed to get the formula correct,
whilst others were way off with their
choice of music.

Whichever way, I could see a cause


for the music performing for an
international audience where language was a problem (the majority
of performers and audience only
spoke their mother tongue and
there was no common language,
not even English). At the same time
however I felt a great loss of intimacy between the performers and
the audience. I noticed a couple of
frightened rabbits who stealthily
took their seat at the performance
table, without so much as an acknowledgement to the audience
and burst into a performance of
self-satisfaction. There was no contact, no glance, no sympathy and no
rapport simply put, no magic.
Likewise there were many acts in
the stage competition that simply
had music playing in the background. One of the most memorable performances (but unfortunately not for positive reasons)
had to be a rendition of the Fan

Illusion. This middle-aged magician


complete with obsolete poses had
chosen Can-can and the theme of
Cabaret to perform this single illusion, a far cry from the show that we
are used to see Hans Klok perform.
With the right costuming, staging
and dcor there may actually be an
argument for using the above pieces of music for the Fan Illusion at
present I cant actually think of any,
however my point is that the music
is just as important as anything else
in your show. Creating a harmony
gives a greater pleasure for the audience and makes it easier to relate
to and comprehend what is happening on the stage. Can-can only
conjures up images of a chorus-line
of girls in frilly knickers kicking their
legs up and doing the splits. If I were
to say slow-motion, you would
most probably think of the title
score from Chariots of Fire, Mission Impossible likewise has almost
become an anthem for some illu-

sionists. Certain music creates certain


perceptions of visuals, and if the one
does not work in coordination with
the other, then the music becomes
irrelevant. I guess that is why a score
of a film is always synchronised after
the film has been edited.
As a performer who uses very little
speech to contact with the audience,
capturing emotions with music is
the spine of my performance. The
majority of my music is composed
specially for my shows. This is not a
cheap venture, but it is a great selling point if you have the luxury. One
of the reasons I am particular about
music is because it allows for a certain standard of performance to be
maintained. Just as a dancer learns
the steps of a dance (according to
the music) my music is composed
according to certain actions. These
actions are choreographed and
memorized, thus the performance is
the same every time. The music aids
the performer in his actions. It is a
common exercise in acting classes
for a piece of music to be played and
for the students to act according to
the emotion aroused by that music.
Likewise the support that my composed music gives me allows a certain attitude to be maintained during
the performance. The music allows
the audience to sense the emotion portrayed, very much like the
score of a movie. The music is also a
memory aid; certain performances
require me to be on stage for a great
length of time, sometimes up to 50
minutes without a break. The music
and choreography become second
nature, yet it is harder to learn the
choreography without the support
of the music.
Getting back to my performance at
No Music DayThankfully I was
performing with an assistant who
has been with me for a good number of years. As if by magic, we were
able to get into the atmosphere of
the performance and moved at the
same speed as if the music were

105

playing. We performed a routine


which comes as second nature to us.
During the performance however I
felt extremely empty, and was unsure of the reaction of the audience:
stunned silence.

mance. There was also no lighting,


the only light source coming from
various video apparatus and projections. All in all a great experience that
I am pleased to have lived through,
and some fantastic reactions!

Performing without music was like


losing one of the five senses for both
the performer and the audience. As a
performer I felt handicapped without
the back-up of the music; my enthusiasm seemed challenged. For the
audience it seemed the absence of
the music made them look upon the
illusion with a different point of view
no longer was this a conventional
piece of entertainment, but a piece
of action that could be witnessed
first-hand as it happened without
any frills.

Music adds a quality to a stage performance, bringing the total experience to a higher level for both the
performer and the audience. Choose
your music carefully just as any other
element of a performance. Use the
music as a tool to reflect your style
and as an enhancement to your actions. In the words of Shakespeare If
music be the food of love, play on!
Choose your music with the utmost
care music, and your audience will
love you!

During other events spectators were


chatting, laughing and enjoying a
drink together. I was faced with a
motionless, entranced sea of people
and an eternal silence. I was relieved
when various cues throughout the
performance still bought the applause with them - it was only then
that I felt that I had achieved my
goal. The audience was affected by
the show, and not by the padding
that accompanies a stage perfor-

YOUNG MAGICIANS CORNER

YOUNG
MAGICIANS
Chase Hasty
CORNER
Entering the Field of
Sleight of Hand

Sleight of hand, in my opinion, is one of the most useful


pieces of magic knowledge a magician can have. Why?
Because, it can be done at a moments notice (Impromptu magic) with almost anything a person would have on
them, such as a quarter, dollar, or hotel key card. Most
people, such as I did, start out wondering how they can
enter the field of sleight of hand. Well, it is actually easier
than you think. Read on to find out what steps
many magicians took to learn some amazing
sleight of hand magic.
1.
The first step is simply picking a category. There are many categories in sleight of
hand but, we will break it up into three. These
categories are card sleight of hand, coin
sleight of hand, and we will also have a misc.
category. The categories are explained below.
a.
Card Sleight of Hand: Sleight of hand
using a deck of cards is generally where

everyone starts their journey. Effects in this category


include making a card disappear in thin air then having it
appear right back at your fingertips or doing more complicated moves such as a pass or charlier cut (if you dont
know what some of these terms are, I promise upon you
looking into sleight of hand magic you will know of and/
or learn them) Some good references to sleight of hand
with cards is Expert Card Technique by Jean Hugard and
Frederick Braue or Expert at The Card Table by S.W. Erdnase. The good thing about card sleight of hand is that

it can be done with business cards, credit cards, and


any other type of card you can think of, not just playing
cards. That is good because it opens up so many opportunities and when somebody wants to see a trick, all
you have to do is find some type of a card.
b.
Coin Sleight of Hand: Sleight of hand using
coins is most likely the next step a person takes. You can
take a coin, any coin, and make it appear, disappear, or
change into another coin. Those tricks are done with
moves called the French drop, a classic palm, or finger
palm. (Those, in my mind, are some of the simplest
and most useful moves in coin magic but there are
literally thousands of different moves and techniques)
Some really good references in coin magic are Modern
Coin Magic by J.B. Bobo and Coin Magic by Richard
Kaufman. I like coin magic because no matter where in
the world you are at, you have very easy access to a coin
of some sort. Another thing to remember is that if you
borrow somebody elses coin, the magic is 10x better
because of the fact that it is their coin!
c.
Misc. Sleight of Hand: The reason that this
category is called Misc. Sleight of Hand is because there
are so many different items you can perform sleight of
hand with. If I were to make a couple more categories
they would be ring sleight of hand, thimble sleight
of hand (something I have found is that most all the
moves in ring sleight of hand can be incorporated
with thimble sleight of hand), rope sleight of hand, silk
sleight of hand, and the list goes on! A book that covers
most of the principles in sleight of hand, my personal
favorite, is Now You See It Now You Dont By Bill Tarr.
No matter which professional you ask, 95% of the time,
this book will be brought up as the best guide in Sleight
of Hand Magic.
2.
Once you have selected the field you want to
begin with, you need to find material that teaches and
talks about it. I listed above some of the best materials
that I know of but, I would encourage you to find some
materials on your own. That is truly how you are going
to learn.
3.
The third and final step is to PRACTICE. You will
not get better if you just read the books and watch the
DVDs. Some ways to practice are infront of a mirror,
video camera, or infornt of your BEST friend, that way
you know they are being honest! Once you get really
good, you might even try doing it blindfolded! I have
been happy with the results of that because then, when
you are performing it infront of an audience, you feel
comfortable looking at them and not your hands!
If you ever have any questions or suggestions for future
articles, feel free to email me at chasty@magicmafia.
com

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WITCH QUEEN(S) OF
NEW ORLEANS
TC TAHOE
The participant is asked to touch the
back of a card. The card they touched
is turned face-up and left in its place
in the spread. The card is, lets say the
7 of hearts.
would they would meet was
named les Caf Sept Curs or in
The performer sets the deck down, and English, The Sevan Hearts Cafe
spread slightly with the chosen card
slightly up-jogged.
The performer points to the
card the participant had touched
That is odd. The performer says to moments ago.
himself.
Odd things always happen around
Sorry, before we go on, I would like to the 7 of Hearts.
tell you something interesting about
the 7 of hearts. But I am getting ahead The performer spreads the cards
of myself. I am sure some of you have slowly on that table.
heard of Marie Laveau. For those that
have not, Marie Laveau lived in New I should have mention Marie Laveau
Orleans in the 1800s, there are many and Agnes Turnbull were nicknamed
legends surrounding her. One of the The Red and Black Queens of New
things she was known for was fortune- Orleans.
telling. People came from far and wide
to seek her advice.
The performers turns over the cards
on either side of the 7 of hearts, they
There was another fortune-teller at the are the Queen of Spades and Hearts.
time named Agnes Turnbull. She had
fiery red hair and a great talent with The Red and Black Queens of New
Tarot cards.
Orleans still sitting at the Seven
Hearts.
Marie Laveau and Agnes Turnbull had
a friendly rivalry. The would meet once THE HOW?
a week, each with their Tarot cards and
sat at the back table of a caf and tried The how, is Bill Simons Prophecy
to outdo each other.
Move. Queen of Spades starts on the
They would try to divine who would top of the deck, the Queen of Hears
come in the caf next, on what people on the bottom. Do not flash these.
would order and even on the next days Spread the cards face down and
obituaries.
allow a spectator to freely touche
the back of a card.
Now why in the world am I telling you
this? Because they caf they where Outjogged the card the spectator

touches, right hand takes cards above


it, turning them over as you take front
end of outjogged card beneath them.
Immediately, right hand turns palm
up- turning outjogged card over, and
returns below pack held in left hand.
This cuts the deck, while apparently
just turning the outjogged selection
face up.
Name the chosen card and lay the
deck, with the spectators face-up card
outjogged, and begin your story.
The really fun part of performing this,
at least for me, is that the participant
has a free choice.
Which means the name of caf changes
every time. It also means that its not
always a caf. If a Jack or a King is
chosen then the story becomes about
lovers triangle.
I really enjoy the improve nature of this
effect. I hope you do too.

MAGIC
REVIEWS
PAUL ROMHANY & FRIENDS
Based upon top selling products
from magic retailers and
wholesalers, as well as consulting
with over a dozen professional
magicians, Paul Romhany reviews
tricks, DVDs, books and Apps.
110

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With an audience of over 30,000 readers your
product will reach a wider audience than any
other trade magazine.
To have your product reviewed post the item to:
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PLEASE NOTE: We are currently relocating to
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you a postal address to send product.
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For more information e-mail at:
info@paulromhany.com

FLOWN AWAY
By Jasper Blakeley

Review by Harry Monk

in this commercial mentalism routine. While Jasper plays


this routine for comedy, it can be performed and adapted
to suit your own style and personality yet still have the high
impact he gets from it.
You receive a book and a bonus DVD with three live performances of Jasper as Kockov performing the effect, and
each time there is a variation in his presentation. You can
see how strong it is from his performances and the audiences reactions. Its the perfect pack small play big routine.
The book describes in detail the method used, but more
importantly Jasper goes in to detail on other aspects of the
effect that really make it a winner. This is the first product
Ive looked at that does more than just explain the method.
In here he discusses staging, routining, and how to really
sell the effect to the audience. This is obviously from his
own working repertoire and hes worked it a long time to
get it every great reaction he can from it. Personally, for
me, this was GOLD and I wish more performers would talk
share this when releasing effects.

Take someone on an unforgettable plane journey across


the world in their imagination and reveal their chosen
destination under seemingly impossible conditions. From
the mind that brought you mentalist effects Dial-abolical
and Plunge of Death, comes Flown Away, a truly practical
and real-world mind-reading miracle.

The routine Jasper does is a mind reading/confabulation


type trip to a country, but this can be used with any theme
as suggested by Paul Romhany who has contributed some
bonus routines and ideas. One of those ideas is a murder
mystery type routine based on the board game Cluedo.
There is so much scope that I think it will have a wide appeal to mentalists and magicians.

With a fool-proof invisible method, Flown Away can be


played for laughs or for serious. This effect has not been
created just to sell, it is part of Jaspers everyday stand-up
comedy act.

The props used are things you can buy for a few dollars at
any stationary shop, and wont take you long to make up.
In 15 minutes youll have a routine that you will want to
use in every show!

Watch covert footage of actual stand-up comedy-club performances of Flown Away, done by Jaspers Russian-esque
comical mind-reading character, Kockov.

Heres what OTHER top mentalists are saying about this


routine:
Not only does Flown Away provide a great routine used by
two working professionals,it allows you to adapt and theme
it, Ill use it for sure! - Marc Spelmann

With several different performances to work from, you have


a unique opportunity to see how this effect plays out in
the real world.
THE EFFECT:
A volunteer is called to the stage, they secretly choose any
one of fifty popular world-wide destinations from a stack of
cards, they place one of the cards into a separate envelope
and the performer reveals the destination they chose.
MY THOUGHTS:
Ive been fan of Jasper Blakeleys work every since I saw his
Kockov DVD. His thinking is out of the box yet very practical
and designed from working under every condition. What
makes him different than most mentalist is his background
as an actor with a deep understanding of staging, theatre
and what it takes to entertain and understand an audience.
Its his skill as an actor and his creativity that comes through

111

This is a very entertaining routine for working performers,


plays huge and the method is really clever! Perfect for cruise
ships and very flexible for corporate shows! bravo! - Luca
Volpe
Not only is the method designed to be simple and powerful,
the presentation alone is worth many times the amount of
this product. Simple, Impressive and utterly hilarious. - Colin
McLeod
VIDEO LINK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiiCEkMB35Y
Cost: $39.95
Available from all magic retail stores
Wholesale: Murphys Magic Supplies

SNAPPED
Piccard

The quality of the special FX finger is very high and will last
a lifetime if you look after it. Piccard suggests keeping it in
a box to protect it as it is slightly fragile.
DIFFICULTY:
Anybody can use this, from beginners to professionals. If
you can slip something on your finger you can do it!

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.


COST: $17.50 includes shipping
Available direct from PICCARD E-mail: piccardmagick@gmail.com

EFFECT:
If you want to freak people out then this is the PERFECT effect you for. The basic routine is after you shake somebodys
hand you come away showing they SNAPPED your finger!!
They see blood and bones popping out of your finger - you
WILL get a reaction from this. This can be treated as a gag
or as a magic effect where you restore your snapped finger.
MY THOUGHTS:
This is a very UNIQUE item because each one is hand made
by Piccard and he meticulously spends time on each finger
to make sure they look perfect. You can only buy them
through him personally as he does not wholesale to magic
dealers.
Ive used this quite a few times now and the reaction is
jaw dropping. If you are after screams then this will do it!
It works really well in bar type situations but I wouldnt use
it myself for kids because you would freak them out too
much. Teenagers get a real kick out of this and it would
make the perfect video reaction shot seeing a bone popping out of your finger.
This is a quick visual gag that youll probably carry with
you and at the right moment perform it. The handling is
super easy, the gimmick just fits over top of your finger and
one size fits all. Im sure if you have any specific coloring
Piccard would be more than happy to talk to you about a
custom version.
For the bizarre performer you could work a strong routine
around this. Your finger is SNAPPED in half and then visibly
restores itself. While it is intended perhaps more of a jaw
dropper gag, it could easily be incorporated in to an overall
effect or longer routine.

112

The photo below shows Piccard with a few of them on his


fingers.

A TASTE OF CHAOS
Loki Kross

MY THOUGHTS
Here is another evolution in the long line of TNR card
routines, and this one has aspects that make it superior
than many that have come before. There are two versions
taught on this DVD, one that a beginner could handle called
Mythos, and the other is Legacy, which is definitely for the
more advanced card handler.
Personally I like effects that require work on my part, especially if the pay off is an effect that is as visually strong
and clean as this one.
If you want to get your head around Legacy then watch
it through TWICE to digest what is happening, and THEN
take your cards and start working on it. Its definitely NOT
going to happen overnight, but if you are already familiar
with some of the other methods such as Hollingworth and
Garcia then youll have an idea of what is going on. Having
said that, many of the moves are original to Loki, but the
inspiration from other versions is there. Having worked
through almost every version available I would say this is
definitely one of the most visual and cleanest.

THE AD COPY:
The TNR Debate Is Over!
Two TNRs that range from beginner to expert.
Legacy: A Hyper-Visual, 4-Piece, Signed TNR.
No Prefold
No Gimmicks
No Sticky
With restorations that happen with no cover, and it can be
shown on both sides, hands empty, after each phase.
Mythos: This is not just a Signed TNR, it is a performance
piece that can be done for up to two spectators.
It can be done from a sealed, or borrowed deck.
Begins and ends clean, with a restoration that they feel
happening in their own hand. With a 5-6 minute presentation that will leave them remembering you for a long time.
With A Surprise Ending...
Featuring: Kross. Rose. McBride.
Loki is devilishly clever. And the carefully thought out
Mythos is no exception. Any close up performer will gain
insight, techniques, and excellent presentational points
from this release.- Ben Seidman

113

After watching it with a deck of cards in hand I was able


to do most of the routine, its the final restoration that requires more handling to make it look natural. I found the
over the shoulder shot the best way to learn the routine
as I was able to follow with cards in hand more easily than
the face on view.
The only downside is I would have liked a little more production with the video and quality of sound in some places
was low. It would have been nice to have had professional
sound throughout, especially when talking to Jeff McBride,
but at the end of the day I was able to learn the effect.
One of the highlights is that you start clean, without any
pre-folded card finger palmed in your hand.
Definitely worth pursuing and putting in the required
practice to get this looking as good as Loki.
While Legacy is a quick visual restoration, Mythos is story
based where cards change places under impossible conditions. In the right setting this would get strong reactions
and could really draw people in to the plot.
For anybody who already performs a TNR youll definitely
want to check this out, and like me, will probably start using
this version once youve mastered it.
COST: $35.00 US
WATCH DEMO HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWRyGdvRxOY
Available from magic shops world wide
Wholesale: http:// www.murphysmagic.com

CRIMENTAL
By Harrismatic

story line plot.


The effect is divided in to four phases and each explained
in detail. The first is finding out which spectator takes on
the role of victim, murderer and eyewitness. The method
used requires a bit of thinking and remembering on the
part of the performer, but it does work and through deduction the mentalist is able to know who chose what
role.
The second phase is where the victim chooses a murder
weapon. There are two different forces explained. One
using a gimmick envelope and the other a verbal force.
Both are practical and work well in the structure of this
routine. In both cases the performer has predicted the
outcome.
The third phase is where the murderer chooses where on
the body the victim was murdered, and this is my favorite
of all. Its a very easy, yet clever idea which fits in to the
story well. The
In the final phase the eyewitness calls out any time and it
matches a prediction inside an envelope. The prediction
is a watch with the correct time. The method might seem
incredibly simple but again, within the structure of the
routine it fits in perfectly.

DIFFICULTY:
The great thing about this is the routine. The methods
THE AD COPY:
Three spectators are called on stage and they are asked are all fairly easy so the performer can concentrate on
to participate in an imaginary case of crime. Each one will the story line.
have to play a specific role; the victim, the murderer or
the eyewitness. Depending on their role they are able to BONUS:
correctly determine important clues of the story after the You are also supplied with templates that you can used
for each phase of the routine. These can be printed off.
mentalist manages to accurately find their identities.
The gimmick envelope needed in phase two is easy to
If you are searching for fully built routines, if you want to make up and even easier to use.
dress your act with interesting puzzling and mysterious
stories. If you are looking for effects that bring audiences FINAL THOUGHTS:
participation into the highest possible level, then you are There is nothing new in methodology but that should
not deter you if you are looking for a great themed menalso searching for CRIMENTAL!
talism routine. With the popularity of mentalism crime
CRIMENTAL is not just one more mental routine, but is a shows on television this particular theme would be a
story created on stage in which the participants play the great addition to any mentalism or magic act.
most important role. And while CRIMENTAL is a fully built
routine, the techniques and ideas included can even be 20 pages
COST: $30
used individually as small miracles!
Available from magic dealers worldwide
Wholesale: Murphys Magic Supplies
MY THOUGHTS:
DOWNLOAD - $18 from www.yourmagistry.com
This is a full length mentalism routine that can play for
almost any situation from intimate parties to theatre
shows. While the plot is not new in mentalism, Cris Johnson released a full hour show based on the idea of solving a crime, this still offers a good story line with strong
effects. The methods used are workable and several
options are explained in each scenario. You could also
use the methods for other routines or develop your own

PROFILE/SKEWER
by Garrett Thomas

MY THOUGHTS:
Garrett has produced two very visual effects with these
two gimmick coins. Each one is made to last and will
work with a Kennedy half dollar. If you already use halfdollars then this can be added in to any part of your routine, or as a stand-alone effect. You are supplied with an
instructional DVD and two special coins.
INSTRUCTIONS:
The value of this DVD is not only the gimmick coins, but
also the excellent instructional DVD that comes with it. In
here Garrett shares many methods for various switches
which range from very easy to hard. The harder version is
a roll over coin switch which is great if you are looking to
do a quick switch. Under most working conditions where
you would perform these miracles I would say any of the
easier methods would be all you need.
There are studio performances as well as live performances and Garrett has included a lot of material on
here. If you watch the entire routine you will have everything you need to give you a clear understanding of how
this works. It just requires a little work and confidence in
handling the coins.

AD COPY:
As the art of magic evolves, we find that a single amazing
moment is often strong than an entire entertaining act.
Coin magic, focused almost entirely on transpositions,
is in particular need of something to make it stand out
and give it more depth.
With PROFILE and SKEWER world-renowned sleight of
hand expert, Garrett Thomas bring you two amazing
moments of strange that will give your audiences something very different to talk about.
PROFILE
In Garretts new coin concept, you slowly press your
finger into a Kennedy half-dollar that amazingly melts,
shaping a deep impression into the metal of the coin.
PROFILE includes an optional twist ending, as the portrait of the president can be shown to have been pushed
out in 3D.
SKEWER
Garrett has reworked the classic Karate Coin into an illusion that allows you to slowly push your finger completely through a half-dollar and make it look as though it is
melting in every direction through the face of the coin.
This is definitely NOT your Grandmothers finger through
coin trick.
INCLUDED with PROFILE and SKEWER are two amazing
new tools, made from Kennedy half-dollars.

I did find I needed more time with the Skewer coin to get
my finger in the right position so as not to expose the
effect too early.
Some of the switches taught include; The Fake Take,
Spellbound, Snap Change, and the Rollover Switch.
I found Garretts take on The Finger Palm very useful and
made a lot of sense, it certainly made me change what
I was doing to his method. Its these little nuances that
make an effect like this really look amazing in the eyes of
the spectator.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The coins are extremely well made, and this is a very
commercial routine. I feel the Karate coin needed a
re-working and certainly this could be the new coin
through cigarette especially with fewer and fewer people
smoking. You no longer have to borrow a cigarette, but
can now make a coin literally melt. Both are just as strong
as the other, and having two options is really a great idea.
If you are working a bar or restaurant and people ask to
see the melting coin trick, you could easily use a different
coin and its a different effect but same concept.
Great value for money and something I would imagine
is easily within the handling range of most magicians. If
you can switch a coin you can do this! Very strong and
visual coin magic.
COST: $39.99
AVAILABLE FROM ALL MAGIC DEALERS
WHOLESALE: www.murphysmagic.com

This review appeared in Edition 4 and has been paid to be placed again.

SEX TEST
Carl De Rome

begin to laugh, until it gets too hot of course, in which case


you can tell them they must have a very vivid imagination!
Performed with a cheeky smile and not with a perverse,
drooling leer this can be a very funny routine!
Also included;
Bottle of special solution.
Full handling instructions.
Great routines covering handlings for Close-up Magic,
Bizarre Performances, Comedy Magic, Cabaret and
Stage Shows.
The bottled HEAT solution should LAST HUNDREDS OF
PERFORMANCES, roughly one bottle may last the average
magician ONE YEAR.

MY THOUGHTS:
I started performing a version of this in my mid teens,
that is over 30 years ago. I never left home without it until
I could no longer find a supplier for the necessary gimmick. Imagine my great surprise when Carl sent me this for
review!! It is probably the strongest effect anybody could
hope to perform. When I performed it all those years ago
it involved a powder chemical, but Carls version is much
more practical because it uses a very special liquid solution. What makes this far superior is that at no time do
you need to do any dirty work to get the trick to work. You
do it once prior to your evening and it will last. This really
makes the trick perfect for anybody working walk-around,
THE AD COPY:
A small ball of tin foil becomes red hot in the spectators close-up, bars, etc. where no set-up is needed between
performances. It is so easy to perform and the instructions
hand!
are clear and precise, including some great routines.
Sympathetic Heat
The magician takes some tin foil and rolls it into two small There are lots of ways to present this, and Carls own rouballs. He gives one to the spectator to hold. He then holds tine is a cheeky but fun way using a woman, and involves
the remaining ball with some tweezers and places it in the a sex test. For the single magician this should definitely
flame of a candle to heat up. The ball held in the hand of the be in your repertoire. Actually its a fun routine that any
spectator will also heat up, as if the heat from the magcians magician, both male and female, could perform and get
great reactions from. I can tell you from experience that
ball transfers to the spectators ball!
people WILL want you to repeat it, and YOU CAN.
Voodoo Heat
This performance is very simple, perform the routine as What makes this such a powerful piece of magic is that
taught but ask a second spectator to hold out their hand you borrow the silver paper that is needed. It also lends
palm down. Hold a lighter about 10 inches beneath their itself to stage as well as close-up performances. You can
hand and light it. Tell the first spectator (the spectator play this for comedy or serious.
holding the foil) that they will feel the heat from the flame
and the second spectator with the lighter underneath their There is enough of the special liquid supplied to keep
you going for a few hundred performances. Another
palm will feel nothing.
important point of this routine is that you can repeat it
and nobody will be the wiser. I am so pleased to finally
Hot Spot - Sex Test
This is the preferred routine of the creator - Carl De Rome. find another source so I can start performing this again.
Ask the spectator whether they have ever taken the Sex Perfect for the mentalist, magician and even a hypnotist.
Test. This usually gets a good laugh, although it tends to
get a better reaction from a group of women rather than a COST 28- Including Worldwide Shipping
group of men! Proceed with the method we teach you, as AVAILABLE FROM www.cdrmagic.com/heat.html
usual and as you hand the balled up tin foil to the spectator
ask them to imagine what it feels like to have really good
sex. Naturally the foil will heat up and the spectator will

DVD
REVIEWS
HAND PICKED ASTONISHMENTS - CARD
FORCES by PAUL HARRIS & JOSHUA JAY

Personally my favorite was the handling on the Split-Cut


Force, which Ive been doing for over thirty years. The handling taught on here is far superior to any other split-cut
force Ive ever seen and Im now using it. This version does
away with all unnecessary movements and looks exactly
like it should if a spectator were to stay stop and look at
a card. This is one you WILL WANT TO LEARN!
One of the key points of this is that as magicians we need
to start thinking about our magic, whether its forcing or
controlling a card in terms of pictures, and pictures we
paint in the minds of the audience.
If there is ONE force on here everybody should know or
learn it is the Riffle Force. It can be performed anywhere,
without a need for a table and the working conditions are
perfect for every performing situation. This will take you
step by step through the CORRECT way to do this force
so it looks natural and go unnoticed by your audience.
There are also live performance shots so you can see Jay
in a bar situation performing the forces in the real world.
One of the highlights is the work on The Classic Force. This
force is dissected and every nuance discussed to give you
a more successful force each time. Just as important as
the force is an out should you miss so you never look
bad should you miss with The Classic.
Every major force is taught on this as well as some you
may not be so familiar with, such as Feilders Flyer using a
drivers license which is demonstrated with a very strong
card to wallet effect. The secret is diabolical.

Professionally shot and edited footage that makes learning the classic forces taught in this DVD easy and fun,
and will change the way you view many of the standard
forces. Joshua Jay is the perfect person to host and teach
this as he explains both the technical and misdirection
aspect of each force.
It is obvious the research behind this has been very
involved with twists on every force by some of the top
card workers in the world. This is what makes this such
a great DVD, because even if you already know how to
force a card, you will want to learn the subtleties and
many variations that will take your card force to a higher
level. One example is the Cross-Cut Force if you thought
it was just for amateurs then this will change your mind!
There is a great idea by Jon Armstrong where the spectator can shuffle the cards yet you can still perform a
Cross-Cut Force.
Paul Harriss cell phone Cross-Cut Force makes this a modern miracle, especially if you use the spectators phone.

To ad to the mix there are some highly commercial routines taught by Jay, which involve the force, and again
performed in a live bar situation. The reactions are real
and not staged.
This DVD is one every performer would get benefit from
including both amateurs and professionals. There are nuances and twists in here on every major card force that
make this very highly recommended. Every single person
who calls themselves a magician should know how to
do one good force and with this youll have plenty to
choose from.
Total Running Time Approximately: 55 min
COST: $19.95 Retail
ALSO AVAILALBE AS A DOWNLOAD
Available from magic supply stores worldwide
Wholesale from www.murphysmagic.com

HAND PICKED ASTONISHMENTS - THUMB


TIPS by PAUL HARRIS & JOSHUA JAY

be said with the thumbtip.


There are many facets of thumbtip techniques taught including thumbtip management and how to look and feel
comfortable wearing one, as well as the importance of
relaxing while wearing one. Its these small nuances that
make this such a powerful tool if used properly.
The section on stealing or loading the thumbtip in to an
empty hand is one of the highlights it enables you to
cleanly load a thumbtip in to your hand without any suspicious or awkward moves. By using these techniques youll
even fool those who know about thumbtips. I LOVE the
David Williamson steal of the tip its typical Williamson and
I can see this becoming the standard move used by many.
As well as technique youll also learn some highly commercial and strong tricks. Theres a real variety of magic from
a bent coin in a spectators hand routine, a super powerful
sugar packet routine based on a David Williamsons routine,
Garret Thomass bill to sugar packet, and a routine called
Salt and Pepper which offers something new in the world
of thumbtip technology as well a very clever idea incorporating a fortune cookie.

PAUL HARRIS HANK PICKED ASTONISHMENTS


Volume 1 THUMB TIPS
Duration 36 minutes
Forget everything your granddad taught you about thumbtips (unless he was Dai Vernon). This DVD should be considered THE MASTERCLASS with a thumbtip, and will elevate
any performers ability using this secret weapon. It features
some of the most astonishing magic from magicians around
the world, using one of the best tools a magician could own
and taught by one of the best teachers, Joshua Jay.
Like other DVDs in this series the quality of filming and visuals are of the highest quality making it easy and fun to learn.
The material covered is hand picked to provide the viewer
the best of the best when it comes to effects you can perform with a thumb tip and there is something for every
type of perform the beginner to experienced.
As Joshua explains, a thumbtip is a secret pocket that is in
plain sight and if used properly can take a piece of magic
to a higher level. He makes a great point when he says,
Having a thumbtip is like a golf club. Just because you
have the best golf club doesnt make you the best golfer.
Its how you USE the club that counts, and the same can

118

This DVD covers all the basics plus a lot of extra work that
will make both the amateur and professional want to rethink the way they use a thumbtip. There is no reason
why you should ever feel conspicuous when you have the
thumbtip on after watching this.
This is VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Total Running Time Approximately: 35 min
COST: $19.95 Retail
ALSO AVAILALBE AS A DOWNLOAD
Available from magic supply stores worldwide
Wholesale from www.murphysmagic.com

BUILT TO LAST
By Doub Conn

now Im telling everybody about him. On my first watch


of this I just didnt want to know how to do the effects, I
enjoyed being fooled and charmed by Dougs magic.
If somebody were to ask me what DVD to buy to learn
loads of great material they could perform under real
world conditions, I would recommend this. The magic
on here is not only strong, but it offers unique twists on
standard plots. Just when I thought an effect was going a
long a certain path, BAM, Doug does something and Im
completely thrown off my logical thinking. I felt like a kid
again enjoying being fooled.
The first DVD are all cards and the methods are all easy
to do. His Chameleon Sandwich was a real highlight, and
anybody who performs any type of sandwich routine
should check this out for a kicker ending you wouldnt
see coming. A few effects use gimmick cards such as Pip
Trip, but these can be made up on your home computer.
Its obvious Doug has performed these pieces for a long
time and worked them so you get maximum impact with
as little effort in the handling. He also shares some bonus
moves including Double Play, Tic Tac Turnover and various Triumph Tools. There are eight solid card routines on
here, and all of them super strong.

AD COPY
TRCKY.COM is proud to bring you 3 hours of the underground legend, Doug Conn. Many of his most popular
items, and a few new things, have been captured on
video for the first time. 24 effects and more!
Doug performs each gem in his own stylists and beautiful manner. Prepare to be fooled by these routines. Each
trick is then explained simply and clearly, leaving no detail unmentioned. These are neoclassic, and built to last.
Doug Conns magic is that rare combination of creative
ideas, technical innovation, and smart presentations.
Joshua Jay
I strive to be as original as Doug Conn. Thats why I uses
so much of his material, Tyler Wilson
QUALITY OF DVD:
This is a professionally produced DVD with different camera angels enabling learning a breeze. Dougs manner is
laid which makes learning easy and fun.
MY THOUGHTS:
I had never heard of Dougs name prior to this DVD, and

119

Disk 2 is a real variety of close-up from coins to rubber


bands and even sponge rabbits, but my favorite on here
is a routine called Scramble. It is a coins across but using
four different scrabble pieces which, at each phase, spell
a word. Its very clever and would be perfect if you dont
want to use coins but still perform a coins across routine.
Actually I think this is much stronger as you see the different letters throughout each phase.
I tend to judge effects on whether or not I could use
them in the conditions I work, which like most are varied. If you took the time to learn a few of the routines on
here you will have magic you will continue to perform
for life. Dougs thinking behind the effects and methods
are certainly outside of the box, yet he remains focused
on keeping them entertaining and strong. This is what
makes this such a great product.
Whether you are new to magic or a seasoned pro I think
everybody will get A LOT from this DVD set.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
WATCH PROMO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6JmjbEPSx0
Running Time Approximately: 3hr - 2 DVD set
COST: $50.00US
AVAILABLE FROM www. TRCKY.com

The Linking Rings


By Al Schneider

purchase. There are two routines performed by Al Schneider, and while he talks his way through them in a studio,
you can easily adapt both to suit your own style. You could
easily learn either routine from start to finish, or ad some of
the moves and concepts in to your current routine.
The Solo Linking Rings routine is a solid five ring routine
but with the addition of an amazing fake count. Learning
this count alone will help any performer. The moves are
easy to do but Als thinking really makes it look as though
you have shown five separate rings.

AD COPY:
The goal for these experiments was to push the envelope
of existing Linking Rings technology far beyond its normal limits. We believe these goals have been realized in
the Quantum Rings project.
Youll find two Linking Ring routines demonstrated and
explained on this DVD. The first utilizes five rings and is a
shorter routine suitable for use in a parlor show or as an
opener for a larger stand-up show. The other is a six-ring
routine intended to be a featured item in a very formal
stage show. This routine utilizes several people from the
audience to come up on stage to assist the magician.
Both of these routines serve to introduce several new
bold and original ring concepts. The first is a five-ring false
count that, while fairly easy to do, really appears as if you
are fairly counting five separate rings. The other concept
is a keyless ring routine. In the six-ring routine, the performer links the rings and gives them to audience helpers
to examine. Please keep in mind that the helpers have all
the rings and each and every one of them is completely
solid. This is accomplished by clever switching, creating
the appearance that single rings are linked together.
MY THOUGHTS:
If you are looking for new and innovative ideas for a
Linking Ring routine then this is something you should

120

The Full Stage linking Rings routine involves a box which


is not only used to hold the rings, but also for several well
thought out switches that would go unnoticed by the audience. If you have ever wanted to let the volunteer handle
ALL of the rings then the second phase does exactly that.
Its an incredibly clean way to link and unlink rings and then
hand them out. Having nothing to hide is such a strong addition to The Linking Rings. This is definitely worth leaning,
there is no excuse now for people to suspect a gap in a ring,
even after The Masked Magician exposed it on television.
The final phase, there are clever moves that allow the rings to
link and unlink until, finally, they are shown to be separate again.
This routine has a nice flow and the bonus that it involves
a spectator on stage who has examined the rings. The gimmick box is easy to make and can be adapted easily using
your standard performing table.
The box actually has another reason, which is the opening
effect using a flame idea. I wasnt too crazy about that but
as I said, take what you want from this routine and use it
in your own.
WATCH:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0bVWKQHmZI
COST : $34.95
Available from magic shops world wide
Wholesale: Murphys Magic Supplies

PINKY SWEAR
By Doub Conn

Legendary Ace Cutting again uses the pinky count to cut


to the aces in a borrowed deck. This is an in the hands version that is easy once you know the pinky count. Its a very
direct ace cutting routine.
Artistic Application is a Gary Kurtz idea but uses freely chosen colors that appear on a card, which acts as a canvas. Its
a very interesting card routine that could easily be brought
in to play during other card routines. The idea of having a
color joker helps when the spectator chooses a color to
use for this effect. This is a really clever application of the
pinky count to end up with a highly unusual card routine.

AD COPY:
A collection of miracles utilizing the Pinky Count and Pass.
Runtime: 45 minutes
MY THOUGHTS:
I think every single person who uses cards should know
how to Pinky Count cards. Just as they should know basics
such as a double lift or pass, the Pinky Count is a technique
you will use all the time once you get the hang of it.
I learnt the Pinky Count after reading Ortizs work on it,
and was one of the best moves I could have learnt as a kid.
In this DVD Doug teaches how to pinky count and then
applies it in various effects. You will also learn the pass, and
in this case it is based on the Derek Dingle Pass.
Once you have mastered both of these techniques you can
then set to work on some really amazing card routines by
Doug Conn.
The first effect is Coincidice which is an original idea using
dice and cards. It has a follow up moment with a nice punch
finish making this a fun card routine. Its a new plot for me
with a deck of cards which really appealed.
Magic Spell is a nice four ace routine where cards are freely
placed back in the deck and you find them by spelling to
them. This could be a great addition to any find the ace style
routine and uses techniques already taught. As a bonus
Conn also explains a slight of hand version for finding the
aces. What is clever about Dougs handling is that while
you are doing moves such as a pinky count other things
are happening, which takes all the heat off your hands. If
you have mastered the pinky count then this trick is very
easy to do.

121

The final piece taught on this DVD is how to combine the


pinky count and a pass with a memorized stack. There are
a lot of applications by using these two tools. For anybody
who uses a stack you will want to learn the pinky count
and a good pass which will enable you to do more with the
selected card. To get to any card from any position you will
need to learn how to pinky count thirteen cards, but with
practice it can be done.
This DVD has great production quality and at the end
there are some extended teaching where Doug performs
at various speeds to really help you understand the best
way to do the moves. It also includes other tools that any
card magician will want to learn such as the tilt set-up, a
riffle pass, and a classic pass.
Ive become a huge fan of Doug Conns and for those who
love cards will definitely want to get this DVD. The magic on
here is original and can be used by themselves or combined
with other routines.
WATCH:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JsaLuYW4M
COST: $12.00 Instant Donwnload or $15.00 for DVD
AVAILABLE FROM www.TRCKY.com

Salt & Silver


by Giovanni Livera

It is such a beautiful routine to watch and even more fun


to learn. This has obviously been honed over a number
or years and through countless performances so every
detail, every movement and nuance is worked out to get
the most impact.
The routine works incredibly well as a silent piece, with or
without music and is the perfect table routine using nothing more than a salt shaker and three coins and napkin.
This is a routine I liked so much I have now added it in to my
repertoire. I perform it silently as Charlie Chaplin and have
a video camera on me making it ideal for a larger venue.
There is something very poetic about this and it is a rare
routine that makes magic an art.

AD COPY:
Seasoned to Perfection!
Beautiful productions, smooth vanishes, and impossible
appearances, Salt & Silver has all of this and more. Not only
is Salt & Silver a polished, show ready signature routine
from one of magics greatest innovators, Giovanni Livera,
it is also the perfect thing to sharpen your sleight of hand
and master your misdirection. With this DVD you will learn
every detail of this time tested audience pleaser. Seasoned
to perfection, this is Salt & Silver.
It is surprising, amazing, humorous and very magical. I was
both fooled and delighted. - Eugene Burger
As good as I have seen. His timing and misdirection are perfect. Go for it! - Dean Dill
Unlike most table tricks this one is sophisticated and magical enough to include in a formal performance. Dinner and a
show. - Eric Mead
This routine is subtly seasoned to please. It is Tommy-Wonderful. Malini would have swooned. Vernon would have wept.
- Jon Racherbaumer
I watched Gio do this routine three times and each time I saw
it, I shook with my head with how magical and amazing it is.
One of the most entertaining and mystifying effects I have
seen in years. - Barrie Richardson
MY THOUGHTS:
This is one of most elegant pieces of magic I have seen.

122

INSTRUCTIONS
Very precise and clear. The routine is broken down in to
segments making it much easier to follow with the coins
in hand, then stop and work on that part then move on to
the next. Practicing like this I was able to get the routine
down within a few days. I would NOT suggest performing
it in public after a few days practice, but you can certainly
master the moves.
The production of the DVD is of the highest quality with lots
of different angle shots. Giovanni takes his time making sure
the viewer can follow and understand each of the moves
and shares techniques and advice on getting the most out
of this routine. Timing and misdirection are important but
its all covered. If you follow what he says youll have no
problem getting the same response he does.
There are several performance shots both live and in studio which is great because when you do master it you can
follow along with the props getting a feel for his timing.
DIFFICULTY
This routine is for a person who is comfortable with coins.
You need to be able to palm three coins, and drop a coin
from a hand but that is probably the hardest thing to
learn. Because of the structure of this routine the moves
themselves arent difficult. Because this routine is such a
masterpiece of magic it would be worth putting in the
time and effort because youll end up with a piece that can
play anywhere.
It comes with the DVD and an ordinary salt shaker. You
supply your own coins.
WATCH:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbrtSeAOqv8
COST: $50.00 US
AVAILABLE FROM ALL MAGIC SHOPS
WHOLESALE: http://www.murphysmagic.com

E-BOOK
REVIEW
FRANKLY DISILLUSIONSED
by Dean Metclafe

This must-read book also offers a revealing insight into the


secret world of magic and raises a colossal question mark
over the curious and intriguing issue of life after death.
MY THOUGHTS:
This would definitely have to be one of the best books
about somebodys career in magic I have read in a very
long time. This is a true account of the good, bad and ugly
of show business from a husband and wife who have entertained around the world.
There were stories in here that made me question how
they could carry on in this business, but Deans passion for
magic just kept pushing them to the next job. Having been
in the business myself full time over 25 years I can relate to
all the moments of horror and the good times they had.
They both became well known after their appearance on
Britains Got Talent, but not for the right reasons. In here you
will finally read their account and how they were treated
and lessons we can all learn about putting ourselves forward for these type of shows.
It was so refreshing to read something that explained exactly how this business is, warts and all. Far too often we
only get to hear all the glamour, which gives the wrong
impression of what we as magicians go through. This is one
book I would like to see do well not only with magicians
but also the public. It would be a real eye opener for them
as to what artists go through to do something they have
spent a lifetime working on.

AD COPY:
Frankly Disillusioned is the crazy, rats an all tale of master
magician, Dean Metcalfe and his sometimes hilarious, often
chaotic, globe-trotting adventures with his glamorous assistant and wife, Claudine.
Dean explains with honesty and humour, how his and
Claudines lives turned from a world of dazzling illusions to
a world of bitter disillusionment. He candidly tells how their
glamorous (?) lifestyle took them at times, to the edge of
their endurance and had them sleeping with rats, dropping
through the skies and plunging over ravines.
The magician exposes how he and Claudine were deliberately set-up and cruelly humiliated by the production
company behind Britains Got Talent. All in the name of
light entertainment!

123

This is an easy read and once you start you wont want to
put it down. Its the perfect book to read on your Kindle or
iPad, but is also now available as a paperback.
When I finished reading this I was compelled to write to
Dean and thank him for sharing his stories. If you are new
to magic then this is A MUST READ to find out what life can
be like if you one day choose to become a full time professional. As Dean says, it isnt all glamour. The professionals
out there who have their own experiences will LOVE this
book because you will relate to what they went through.
There are stories in here that really made my hair stand on
end and I wondered how I would react if I were in the position. From stories about working cruise ships to strip night
clubs and television shows this book covers it all.
EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
E-BOOK COST: $4.99
Printed Version: $15.99
AVAILABLE FROM: http://franklydisillusioned.com/
Contact: sam.baker@franklydisillusioned.com

THE REAL THING


by Atlas Brookings

AD COPY:
When this routine was first released in the Pyscrets publication Liber Mentis, it created quite a stir. It offered a
means of performing both a lie detector type routine as
well as an incredibly clean and direct mind read, devoid
of any standard form of method. At the time, the text was
only available through the Psycrets publication, but, after
the widespread approval it received, the text has been reworked and dramatically extended, offering 22 more pages
of additional material. This new material not only contains
another means of performing a clean, impromptu, and
apparently impossible mindread, but it contains instructions for a book test that is unlike anything you have ever
seen before!
Imagine being able to have someone choose a word from
a book, close the book and set it aside, and then change
their word to any other word they can think of (and Im
not talking about a different word from the book, but any
other word they can think of ) - only to have the performer
subsequently reveal their new word with NO fishing!

MY THOUGHTS:
Is it really possible to read minds? After reading this e-book
I believe I can, at least thats how I felt. Inspired by Jon
Thomspons Naked Mentalism, Atlas has taken the method
to another level. I have been doing this and it really works,
so its not some pipe dream. It is very easy to understand
and this book is well written so you dont have to be afraid
of psychological thinking. I couldnt wait to try it out on
friends after reading and it blew them away. The great thing
is once you have learnt this youll have some incredibly
powerful impromptu mentalism that will fool people badly.
The method can also be applied to a book test. There is a
gimmick book involved which is described how to make, or
you can order one online from the author. I would probably
just order one because its not expensive and save yourself
a lot of time and trouble. I would say its easily one of the
strongest book tests Ive seen in some time.
For close-up performances there is a great routine with
business cards using the method. You can perform this on
one person or several. There are a lot of variations explained
in this e-book. Its the method that really impressed me
because I hadnt come across it before, and my mind was
alive with ideas on how to apply to other effects.
This is some of the best psychological thinking Ive read,
because its not hard to understand and even easier to put
in to practice. If you could really read minds this might be
the way to do it.

40 Pages
Price $32.00 for INSTANT download!
For the first time, this extended version of The Real Thing Available at:
teaches you how to do this and much more!
http://www.atlasmentalism.com/AtlasProductsCatalog.
html
Released publicly through this site for the first time, this
text contains an astonishing array of impromptu routines!
Any time you are asked to perform a feat of mind reading,
all you need is a pen and something to write on.
For example:
On five (or more) different pieces of paper (business cards
work well) you write a unique sentence, folding each card
as you finish.
The participant takes all five pieces of paper, and while you
turn around (or leave the room), opens one and reads it.
Once this is done, the Mentalist has a short chat with the
spectator, and then tells them the sentence they were
thinking of. The papers stay in the participants possession
the entire time.
No peeking, no confederates, no dirty work - Just REAL
psychological Mentalism.

124

125
Paid Advertisement

MILLY DIOP, BABY!

ow, this is one that if understood, can change


MUCH of what is created in the micro show
(1-5 member teams) design today. Basically, if
you have a budget of $5.00 or a budget of $5,000,000 to
accomplish a project / new routine / marketing campaign, etc., your audience does not know this information. So Make it Look Like You Did it On Purpose
and work with in your means in a creative way. Here is
an easy example:

Suppose you have to decorate your Childrens Show


Fundraising Event (your school client / sponsor wants to
help fund water wells for kids in another country in this
example), where you anticipate having 50 - 100 kids in
attendance at your show that only holds 100. You have
3 weeks lead time, a budget of $50 for this additional
branded effort (fundraising for the water wells
remember?) event, and only 2 friends (er volunteers)
that have offered any pre-event help. Your theme for
the event is Helping Hands and you are focusing on
the subject of helping your fellow planetary neighbor
as our main focus, with a short fundraising call to action planned towards the end.

As you sit down to brainstorm, you remember that you


are not much of an artist (and neither are the 2 volunteers.) As you have a limited budget you really cant
buy many decorations, or you wont have a budget to
cover a few snacks, some flyers to be made, and a gift
for those that DO offer to support the cause after your
time with them. What are you to do?

Make it Look Like You Did it On Purpose is the key.


You quickly take an inventory of your bed sheets at
home, and find that there is that older semi-white twin
sheet that you hardly ever use for your guest room anymore. (you get permission to use this, or ask forgiveness
later, depending on your household practicesgrin.)
Next youre off to the garage to see if the spray paint
you used to repaint your mailbox bright purple (there is
no accounting for taste here) is still around and guess
what, it is. Taking these prizes with you, you hurry on
down to the school to raid er borrow supplies
from one of the sponsors classrooms crafts stash
looking for construction paper, crayons, scissors, tape,
etc.

With all your goodies in hand, you and your assistants


get cracking at trying to make something out of all this.
Fortunately, you had an idea all along that included
tracing your hand, and those of your volunteers on the
different colors of construction paper (and depending
on how much you ummm borrowed you can
figure out how much of the room to decorate starting
with your focal point (the yet to be decorated sheet)
and move out evenly on both sides from there.) Next,
you take one of those traced hands, and slowly draw
in light pencil an artistic (read: the best that you can
do this) large hand on the sheet as large as it can go. (if
you have access to an overhead projector, one of the
volunteers can hold their hand on the screen, while the
other 2 of you TRACE it on the large sheet). Now you
draw / trace up the words Helping Hands on the sheet
and then use the markers / spray paint you found to
paint it all.

OK, back to the theory you can see that with a little
bit of searching, and minimal artistic talents, you have
created a very nice focal point for the event AND kept it
in budget (next to nothing!)
Nuff said on the theory so how do you apply this
to your performing work, you ask? (good and valid
question) Simply put, remember that your audiences
DOESNT KNOW about your resource limitations / experience level / trial of a new routine so (all together
now) Make it Look Like You Did it On Purpose
NOTE: thank you to all of you who offered your own insights to our last BIZofSHOW insights and this is your
invite to chime in again at: www.facebook.com/BIZofSHOW and click on the MESSAGES button! See you next
month with more insights into using Show Business to
Grow (Your) Business.

FR

BACK ON THE STREET


PART THREE

OM

Regular
readers
who have
followed my
exploits thus
far will know
that Sunday was
an interesting day! If
you are a new reader
maybe you should
download the last two
months of Vanish Magazine
for parts one and two. You
might as well because it is the
best free magic magazine in the
world.

TH
ED
ES
KO
FK

Sunday has arrived and with it day


three of my foray back on the street. The
successes and failures of the first two days
are behind me, lessons have been learned
and my faded memories have been rekindled
and I am looking forward to another fun day of
busking.

EIT

Today is already different as one of our intrepid trio has


backed out. It is Jeremys daughters birthday, a feeble
excuse but we all understand. This means that the old
street hierarchy rears its head and the various pitches get
to be reassigned for the day. Emmett gets in first and decides
he is going to work Jeremys pitch on the East side. I am quite
happy with this as I was watching him yesterday on his pitch and it
seemed that every time I looked up he had a huge crowd - his pitch
was obviously better than mine. However the best laid plans are often
scuppered by the actions of other people, in this case there is a classical
guitarist who has beaten Emmett to his spot. And worse... he is using an
amplifier!

H
FIE
LD
S

As I mentioned in my last piece amplifiers are not allowed in Chicago but for
some reason the police today do not seem bothered by that infringement. The volume is low but carries across the whole area meaning that the East side pitch is not
going to be workable. Emmett, being a man of peace takes the pitch I was working
instead, and he is quite happy about it. Unbeknownst to me at the time he had spent
the whole of yesterday looking at my pitch and seeing me with big crowds. He was thinking that my pitch was better than his!
Truth is that I only looked over to see how he was doing when I was struggling to get my next

128

crowd, and he was doing the same to me. A lesson there


for all of us. We should concentrate on our own game,
work our own ground, and not worry about what others
are doing. Time spent jealously looking at others is time
that we will not get back.
Before I tell you what actually happened that day I want
to give you some thoughts on what I call the money
trick. This is not necessarily a trick with money. It is the
trick, or maybe routine would be a better word, that
will make people reach for their wallets rather than their
spare change.
Any study of the art of the street will quickly show that
some tricks come up time and time again, and they are
often what we refer to as the classics - The cups and balls,
A routine with a borrowed bill or ring, card to impossible
location, strait jacket escape, any trick that seems fraught
with potential danger to life and or limb.
In my case my money trick is a trick with money. I call
it the bill in banana but that is not what actually happens, the banana is merely comedy by-play. I also have
a chop cup routine with large loads from my hat which I
also close with. Both those tricks become openers if I am
doing bigger circle shows and in that case I close with a
strait Jacket escape. Today I am doing a sidewalk semi as
there is not really enough space or big enough crowds
for the strait jacket. And besides that... its hot!
The key to getting money out of an audience however
is not the trick. The key is in your relationship with the
audience. Any trick will do as long as it is a good one. You
will make a lot more money if you find ways to make the
audience like you and care about you. You should not be
just a guy or a girl doing tricks, if you are they will watch
and walk away, you need to somehow cross over into the
personal space of the audience and become their friend.
It is very hard to describe exactly how to do this. You
need to experiment and try different attitudes. Part of it
is a twinkle in your eye, another part is your easy and likeable manner, still another is your ability to say stuff that
others wouldnt get away with. Ask yourself this question.
How much do you care? What do you think about the
audience? What are you really doing? If you really want
to give them your best then they will want to share what
they have with you.
On a less esoteric note there are things that you can actually do to draw people in and the biggie is to involve
them. Give them stuff to hold and examine, ask their
names and make them the stars of the show. Be generous and share the stage. See yourself as the enabler,
someone who is there to release the child in each of your

129

audience. Find ways to let your audience get the big


laughs.
But none of that stuff did me any good at all on Sunday!
I was smiling and talking, my eye was twinkling, I was
juggling and joking, trying every trick that I knew and
yet I could not stop a single sole. Even the children were
ignoring me! A couple of times I managed to get a rolling crowd (see last month) but never got a show going
before they evaporated.
This curse lasted for the first hour and well into the second, at last I managed to get something started. The
crowd started to build and I had an amazing show. By
this time I was sapped of energy as it takes more effort
to pull a crowd than it does to do a show. Somehow I got
through it and with a sense of relief hatted the crowd
and that one show was my biggest hat of the weekend.
Having broken the curse I had a short break and went
for a coffee to recharge my batteries. Returning twenty
minutes later with renewed energy from the coffee and
counting the previous hat I ended up exactly where I was
an hour earlier - unable to stop a single person! The only
crowd I had in the next hour was when Jeremy arrived
with his family and offered to seed my crowd (it only
takes a couple of people to get things going). Besides it
was his daughters birthday and she deserved some magic other than that on offer from her father. Twenty minutes later my audience still consisted of... you guessed it...
Jeremy and his family. They were a great audience. They
laughed and clapped and I think that they genuinely enjoyed the show. But try as hard as I might I could not get
anyone else to join the fun.
At this point I decided to pack up and go home. Not
defeated as I had a great weekend. I relearned some forgotten techniques and even learned some new ones. If
you want to learn how to be a great performer you need
stage time, something that you can only get in a place
where you can do several shows a day.
Working as a street entertainer is the most fun you can
have with your clothes on - even on a bad day.

NICK LEWIN
PRESENTS ...

Health Tips for the Road Warrior


The recent death of comedian/
magician Hal Spear, courtesy of
a heart attack, was just another
reminder about how entertainers
have become front of the line in
regards to getting sick, and worse,
as they travel the world to ply
their trade. It is with this in mind
that I write this short column
containing a few useful and possibly life saving ideas about how
to stay healthy on the road. I have
spent most of the last 30 years as
a road warrior and believe me I
can pass on a tip or two.
Lets begin with the big one, if
you are going on an extended
road trip or cruise gig you should
think very carefully about purchasing travel insurance for the
journey. It doesnt matter what
insurance you have (or do NOT
have) in your home country,
travel insurance can be a life saver
when you are traveling. It is also a
bargain, especially if you need it.
Every overseas trip I make I take
out travel insurance from my local
State Farm Insurance agent---it
costs me about 5 dollars a day.
This insurance covers the cost of
evacuation to a hospital if needed
and means you get attention immediately if you need it. Not bad
for the cost of a Starbucks latte.
The process of flying, and travel
in general, has become more
and more complex and frustrat-

130

ing and I know many people who


had their first indication of a heart
problem when they had an attack,
and you can do a great deal to help
yourself from being a statistic. If
you are over 45 you should be taking a baby Aspirin everyday as a
matter of course. You should also
carry chewable or dissolvable Aspirin with you, that you can munch
on if you suspect you are having a
problem. If you are having a heart
attack this can save your life or at
the very least vital heart tissue.

Above: Hal performs his CSI


color change hanky routine and
below is the effect sold today.

A common misconception is that


a heart attack causes great pain,
well it isnt always that dramatic,
David Bowie had a heart attack
onstage and just thought it was
his guitar strap weighing heavily
on his shoulder. Watch out for any
unusual pain around your upper
chest, shoulders or arms. The key
phrase here is unusual. If you feel
it---pop those chewable or dissolvable Aspirin. Another key tip
is not to lie down if you are not
sure whether you have had a heart
attack--it pays to keep upright and
standing.
Of course there are many other
lesser problems that can hit you on
the road than a heart attack, but it
is a great place to start our discussion. Another key piece of advice
is to make sure you keep moving
when you are on a long flight. You
must keep that blood circulating

and try and cut down the chances of blood clots in your
body. Walk around the plane a little and do some knee
bends in the galley, at least you will keep the flight attendant amused.

cian and I share it hoping that it can be of help. Traveling


is part of what we do in our business, whether across
town or across the world, and certain precautions just
make sense.

Germs are everywhere and we get used to most of them,


however there are some very nasty new variations out
there scattered around the place. Constant hand washing with soap and hot water is great but not always
practical, so make sure you have Purell or another high
quality hand disinfectant with you at all times---and use
it. When you have shaken hands with someone, dont be
obnoxious, but do try and free yourself from acquiring
their germs as soon as socially possible.

Oh, if you want just one magical note in this column--pack an extra thumb tip too, if you use one in the show.
Some precautions just make sense.

I dont want to make you paranoid (I probably have


already) but hotel rooms, airplane seats and ships
cabins are a hotbed of potentially nasty germs. I carry a
package of antiseptic wipes with me and the first thing I
do on entering a hotel room is hit the danger spots and
swab them down. What are the danger spots? I would
suggest starting with door handles, headboards, light
switches, remote controls, phones and table-tops. I could
go on but I think you get the idea.
If you feel a little silly taking these precautionary measures when you enter an apparently clean hotel room do
what I do and pretend you are James Bond checking
out the room for hidden microphones! You have no
idea if the last person staying in that room was
healthy or sick as a dog! It is also a pretty safe
assumption that who ever cleaned the room
did the most minimal job they thought they
could get away with. Nobody cares about
your health as much as you should.
I also carry a small but important mini medicine kit with me on the road and suggest
you do too. I carry cold capsules, antiseptic
throat lozenges, immodium, triple strength
antibacterial cream and band aids. Most
important of all I carry a really powerful
course of antibiotics that was prescribed by
my doctor for potential strep throat or upper respiratory problems. If you really need
them on a road trip, you may not have the
time or opportunity to visit a Dr, who may
or may not have the slightest idea of what
you are saying! Plan ahead.
I suspect many of you reading this will just think Im a
hypochondriac and wish we hadnt wasted the space
on this information, when we could have published
another cool double lift. Well this is some of the best information Ive learned in my years as a professional magi-

131

AND ANOTHER
THING
ONE
WORD
OFTEN
FORGOTTEN
Rantings of

a
Comedy Magician
132

Responsibility. Its a big word. Six syllables.


Unless youre from Kentucky and then its
seven or eight. And when it comes to
performing, you, the entertainer up on
that stage, are 100% percent responsible
for making the show work. There. Thats
all there is to it. My entire column is now
done.
Except that there are far too may
performers out there who are, lets say,
consistent. Not consistent in the quality
of their shows, but consistent in placing
blame on everything under the sun as to
why their show sucked. Sad, but true.

he Number One thing that most


entertainers usually put the
blame on is the audience. Ive
always found this sort of interesting
in that an audience is made up
of hundreds or even thousands
of individuals and yet, somehow,
performers will coalesce them into
a single entity when it comes to
pointing the finger at them for a bad
show.
Guess what? The audience is not only
NOT to blame, but they are actually on
your side and hoping beyond hope
that youll succeed in creating
an
entertaining
evening.
Whether they know it or not,
they are secretly rooting for you
because without a good show,
they can only imagine how
painful the next hour or two
might beRight up there with
sitting through a sales pitch to
buy your very own timeshare.
Yep, downright painful.

private or corporate event, you do


have the ability to strongly advise
your client how the seating should
be arranged for your show. That
there shouldnt be a 50ft. dance
floor acting as a wide moat between
you and your audience. That you
need the spectators to be close and
directly in front of the performance
area in order to connect with them
during the show. That a wide seating
arrangement will spoil some critical
sightlines and unintended viewing
angles which might expose some
magic to them.

... there are far too


many per formers
out there who are,
lets say, consistent.

A close second to blaming the poor


audience is blaming the venue. And
yet, if you think about it, that venue,
be it a ballroom, comedy club,
theater, backyard patio, restaurant,
etc., has been exactly the same since
it was first built. There really are
no surprises when you really think
about it when it comes down to the
performance space. The only new
factor in this equation is YOU. Not the
venue. You.
So, again, we come back to that pesky
word: Responsibility.
Ultimately,
after all is said and done, you are
responsible. For everything. And
you should be. You are not only
responsible for the show, but also
for all the research needed for you to
succeed with your show.
So, lets tackle a few topics regarding
taking responsibility and what you
can do about each situation. Come
on! Itll be fun!
1.) AUDIENCE If youre working a

133

Will some clients or party planners


complain if you try to move the
chairs? Yes, but only a few. The thing
is, youre selling not only your show
to these clients but also your valuable
expertise in entertaining people in
these unusual situations. So, who best
to know how to set up an audience
for maximum entertainment value?
Im not only concerned with the
placement of the audience, but also
who makes up that audience. Are
they blue collar, white collar, young,
old, married, single, religious, hip,
conservative, etc. Did they have to
deal with bad weather in order to
make it the event? Are they dead
tired for an entire day of talks and
lectures before stumbling into the
evening festivities? It all matters,
and every little details about the
audience, individually and as a
whole, will determine how I approach
performing my show for them.
2.) PERFORMANCE AREA If you
dont research the location of where

your gig is, then youre really leaving


quite a lot to chance. Granted, if the
show bombs, you have something
cool to blame, like the audience
couldnt see your show beyond the
second row of seats because there
wasnt a raised platform, or the band
took up most of the stage and didnt
leave you any room to perform your
favorite Steinmeyer illusion when
it was your turn. Boo-hoo With
every corporate event I do, I have a
detailed Tech Sheet which offers up
examples of a perfect stage set-up
for them to follow as closely as they
can. I explain why I need a riser and
why I need it to be a certain width
and length. I explain where I need
audio connections to be, and where I
should have an extension cord sitting
and ready to plug in my own show
equipment.
But I also go a step further. I will
often bring my own mic system
just as a back-up, just in case theirs
is inadequate or rinky-dink. I also
bring my own spike tape (thin stage
tape for marking on the floor where
props will be positioned.) in order
to mark off the boundaries I need to
perform on the riser supplied. This
informs the band, the speaker with
a podium stand, the organizer who
also wants a table full of awards up
on the stage, etc., what area must be
kept completely clear in order for my
performance to go off smoothly.
And what if theres no riser? No
stage? Then you adjust accordingly,
knowing long beforehand what the
circumstances will be. For instance,
if I know Im outdoors, I will purposely
change up the routines that work
best in an outdoor situation. Again, I
leave nothing to chance. As with any
other business out there, the more
prepared the better.
3.) THE INTRODUCTION More often
than youd think, a client has done
their homework and copied literally
everything off your website in order
to give you a wonderful 10-page

introduction. Nothing can kill a show more than an overly


flowery intro that makes people think you have a huge
ego even before you set foot onto the stage. Long before
the show even starts, I do one of two things: A.) Take a
look at the clients script for the evening (if they have
one) and edit my introduction down to just two to three
sentences, or B.) Simply hand them a large print version
of my introduction written by yours truly. Its quick, has
just a few credits mentioned and gets the audience in the
right mood and mindset for the show theyre about to see.
4.) THE PERFORMANCE Along with the magic effects I
already have planned for a particular show, I also carry
anywhere from two to five additional routines with me.
This way I have several options to choose from for my
performance, based upon the type of audience, the type
of event, and the venue limitations that may wind up
surprising me once I arrive at the location. A great example
that has happened to be three times now, is arriving at
the ballroom only to find that the stage riser has been set
up against a large wall of mirrors. Not the best situation
for a magic show. I quickly had to cut any routines which
couldnt be done in the round and replace them with
new ones on the spot. Failure averted. Always better to
be prepared and safe than sorry.
5.) VOLUNTEERS Okay, this one is probably another
common complaint from magicians. They love to say,
If only I had a good volunteer up onstage with me, that
show would have killed! Well, like a broken record, let me
bring up that almighty word again: Responsibility. (Sick
of it yet?)
Before any of my shows, I am studying the audience like
crazy thru a side curtain, or standing along the edge of
a ballroom or meeting room to check everyone out. Im
looking for the well mannered, happy people, who seem
to be a good cross section of the audience in attendance.
Im studying them to see how they react to the speeches
given before I go up onstage. Or how they converse
with others at their table during dinner service. If youve
noticed by now, I tend to leave nothing to chance.
The same goes for when a volunteer is invited up onstage
to join me during a routine. At this point in my career, my
volunteer success rate is about 99%, based on knowing
who to choose from years of experience and knowing
how to manage them onstage should they get a little
out of hand. But what about those volunteers that get
up to help and suddenly like Jekyll turning into Hyde,
they morph into a crazy personality you hadnt counted
on? Were not talking wacky here, but bad, evil people
who you realize want nothing more than to destroy the
moment, your show, your magic and your reputation.

134

What to do? Why dismiss him, of course! Send him (or


her) back to their seat and find someone else. Plain and
simple. And yet, Im surprised by how many performers
out there feel it would be too awkward to do this, so
they struggle through their routine using the Spawn of
Satan, and the show dies a horrible death. My thinking
is this: 10-30 seconds of dismissing the troublemaker and
finding a better volunteer will only lead to a great routine
enjoyed by all, while holding onto the bad guy will only
affect the entire rest of your routine, overall performance,
and your reputation. Fear of dismissing the bad apple
will inevitably mean that you lose, the audience loses,
and the entire evening is shot. So, do the right thing. Be
responsible.
Ive only touched upon a few topics here, but you get
the idea. Dont placate yourself into thinking that other
factors are to blame when it comes to a bad performance.
With that logic, you might as well also praise everything
OTHER than yourself when you have a good performance.
So, do the right thing. Be responsible.
As always, please feel free to email me with your questions,
suggestions, etc., any time. Would love to hear from you!
CHEERS! Email: chipper@chipper.tv

135

BAG OF TRICKS

By Bill Warren

Just as Spencers Theatre of Illusion is not your typical magic show, Kevin
Spencer is not your typical magician. Over the course of his decades
long career, he has left a trail of accolades in his wake including 2009
International Magician of the Year and six-time recipient of the Performing
Arts Entertainer of the Year title. But perhaps his most cherished honor
came when he received the Harry Chapin Award for Contributions to
Humanity.
Spencer has a passion for helping individuals with learning
and developmental disabilities. In addition to touring the
world 40 weeks of each year with one of the largest theatrical
illusion productions in the U.S., he also has a certification in
Autism Studies, is a Qualified Autism Services Practitioner, and
is Adjunct Faculty in the Occupational Therapy Department at
the University of Alabama in Birmingham. His ground breaking
research on the benefits of teaching magic tricks to people
with special needs has been published in leading international
education and healthcare journals. He has presented papers
at a dozen international education conferences. His work
has taken him literally around the world 26 countries on 6
continents.
Spencers current project needs your support. He is working

136

on a documentary called BAG OF TRICKS


(http://BagOfTricksFilm.com). This film will
share the real stories of real people from all
over the world and their efforts to overcome
what others might consider impossible odds.
Most importantly, this film is about hope the
hope and confidence they gain by achieving
the impossible. Their stories are phenomenal,
encouraging, and life changing!
Why is this film so important? Simply put
- because the future of individuals with
disabilities is determined by our attitudes
and perceptions about them. In spite of
international laws and policies, many people
with disabilities still find themselves pushed

to the margins of our societies. And


almost all encounter prejudice,
bullying, insensitive treatment, and
discrimination. These attitudes and
actions cause their world to become
smaller. Their opportunities become
more limited, and, ultimately, they
withdraw from the wider community.
Thats not acceptable and that has
to change. Kevin can think of no
better time than now to confront
these attitudes in a positive way and
jump-start the change that can make
a difference in their lives.
The international conversation about
disability issues has been taking place
for years but real change must happen
in the hearts and minds of ordinary
people, not merely in policy and law.
You cant legislate change in the way
people think and feel.
Almost every person in every society
around the world has been touched
in some way by a person living with
disability. Fathers, mothers, brothers,
sisters, extended family, and friends
all have been impacted by the life
of someone with a developmental or
intellectual disability, including the
almost epidemic explosion of autism
spectrum disorders.
In the United States, 1 in 7 children are
born with a developmental disability.
Around the world, there are more than
110 million children and 650 million

Photo:
Kevin with
some of the
students who
appear in the
movie.

137

adults living with a disability. And


those numbers are going up every
year.
In a recent conversation with Kevin,
he said, As a society, we have to
stop focusing on peoples disabilities
and start appreciating their abilities.
This film will allow some amazing
individuals to tell their stories in
a compassionate and captivating
way. Their experiences can move us
one step closer to transforming our
attitudes and fostering hope. If you
agree that we cant stay where we
are on this issue, then I hope you will
be a part of looking for a better way
forward. Once we make this film,
I plan to submit it to international
film festivals including the United
Nations Enable Film Festival. But we
also want to get this message to the
world by showing it in community
theatres, on college campuses, in local
churches, on television, and anywhere
else people gather. Everyone who
supports people with disabilities is, in
some way, an advocate for their best
interests. I can only make this film if
enough of you join us in this effort. I
hope you will.
You can find out more information
about this film and how you can
support these efforts by visiting www.
BagOfTricksFilm.com.

1. All contributions made to the film


are tax-deductible in the USA. This
is being produced by a non-profit
corporation.
2. VIDEO LINK - https://vimeo.
com/58494303

A SNEAK VIEWING ....


BY JOE GOLD
138

Desperate Acts of Magic is a new independent


feature film comedy about magicians coming
to theatres this May. We will be screening at the
Quad Cinema in NYC from May 3-9, 2013, and
the Laemmle NOHO 7 in North Hollywood, CA

Our official website is http://www.desperateactsofmagic.


com and facebook page is facebook.com/desperateactsofmagic
The cast is mostly comprised of professional magicians
performing real magic without special effects.

from May 10-16. If those screenings go well, we

Our first shoot day was at the 2010 IBM convention in San
Diego. We then shot one or two days a month for the next
eighteen months.

hope to be able to bring the film to other cities.

Here are some behind the scenes highlights from our shoot:

1
1

Our first shoot day in July, 2010 at the IBM convention in San Diego. This is magician, Michael E. Johnson pulling a coin from Sascha Alexanders ear. We had never met Michael before the convention, but we
loved his costume and fun personality. Many months later, we asked Michael to join the cast in a bigger scene.

Our 2nd day of shooting in October, 2010. This is the first of several guerilla shoots. Its a quick shot of my character getting gas after a magic show. We shot this at a gas station without getting permission. It was a Sunday morning. The gas station opened at 8am. We got there at 6:45am, started shooting as soon as the sun came
up, and got out before the first employee arrived. You can see the Open sign in the background is not lit up.

139

Photos by Christopher Jackson

140

On our 4th day of shooting in


November, 2010, Valerie Dillman
works on her card throwing skills
as the crew sets up the shot. Casting the lead role of Stacy Dietz, the
female street magician, proved to
be challenging. Sadly, there are not
many female magicians in the world
and even fewer who have an acting
background. And due to the budget
constraints and the long drawn out
schedule, it was challenging to cast a
magician outside of the Los Angeles
area. Ultimately we cast Valerie Dillman, an accomplished actress that I
was thinking of when I wrote the role,
but who had no magic background.
She was excited to learn and practiced
diligently for each shoot.

On our 6th day of shooting in


January, 2011, Magician Brian Gillis
came to our rescue and let us shoot in
the Redondo Beach Castle (his home).
This location became the main headquarters for the convention. Shooting in an actual convention hotel
might have been more realistic, but
would have been far more expensive,
and would have provided a far less
interesting backdrop for our scenes.
Luckily, Brian was available to be oncamera in a couple of scenes as well.

On our 9th day of shooting in


February, 2011, we shot a scene
that takes place in a halfway house
for magicians. William Draven and his
freak show stunts made a great addition to this scene.

On our 12th day of shooting in May, 2011,


we were back at the Redondo Beach Castle.
Jethro Alcuaz performed some ball and card
manipulation to dress up one of the scenes

On our 15th day of shooting in August, 2011, we shot at Prestos Magic


Shop in Long Beach, CA. During these later
shoots, we always used two cameras in order to shoot more footage in less time. In
this photo, Hiawatha Johnson, Jr. and Jonathan Levit (both of whom I met at Tannens
Magic Camp) wait for action to be called.

On our 19th day of shooting in February,


2012, we shot Farrell Dillon performing the
opening credits sequence back at my apartment. We had all the credits printed onto playing cards, and Farrell performed tricks with the
cards making the credits appear and transform
one into the next. This was one of the toughest
sequences to shoot because we had to get in
really tight to see the writing on the cards and
be far enough back to appreciate the magic.
Farrells manipulation of the cards had to be
flawless to endure extreme close-up scrutiny..

141

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mental
JOKER

DANNY ARCHER

I thought I would take a break from the stories and tales of my previous
columns and teach you an easy yet baffling card trick. Joker Mental was inspired by a trick I read in John Lovicks excellent Skinny lecture notes called
I Dream of Mindreading.

WILSON MEETS
WEBER

The math was more complicated than I could handle and


the trick ended with all the cards shown to be blank, and
at that time I was avoiding using gimmicked cards (not
so now). I was working on Johns original version and I
showed it to Lee Woodside who simplified the math. I
changed the climax to Jokers and refined a presentation
where the audience assumes that what they are watching
is a mathematical trick with a stacked deck. The all Joker
climax hits all the harder. This version appeared in my
second set of lecture notes Still Working Alone.
What: The spectator merely THINKS of any card. The performer hands the deck to the spectator. Following the magicians directions, the spectator move cards around and
then hands the deck to the magician. Running through the
faces he removes a single card and states Would you be
impressed if I was holding your card? Jokers are wild!, he
exclaims as he turns the card over showing a Joker. Now
the magician names the thought of card and then reveals
that the deck is comprised of 52 Jokers.
When: You will need a deck of 52 Jokers with two Jokers
pencil dotted on the face at the index corners (these
dotted Jokers will be called the key cards).

How: Start with the two key cards as the top two cards of
the face down deck. Depending on your presentation, you
can false shuffle retaining the top two cards as you ask the
spectator to think of any card. Hand the person the deck
and have them hold it face down.
I usually turn my back back or even better have the spectator stand behind me as they follow the three simple tasks
I will ask them to do. I firmly believe that if the spectator
makes a mistake it is not their fault. I picked that person
and I told them what to do. So that means that I try and
pick an intelligent looking person and my instructions are
carefully scripted. I also ask for conformation after each step.
1) If your card is a black card, do nothing. If it is a red card,
take the top card and place it in the middle of the deck.
2) Double the value of their card (J=11, Q=12, K=13) and
without reversing the order of the cards (see THIS), transfer
them from the top to the bottom.
3) If their card is a Club or a Heart, do nothing. If it is a Spade
or a Diamond, transfer ONE card from the top of the deck
to the bottom. After they have finished, turn around and
take the deck back.
The position of the key cards will tell you the name of the
selection. My patter at this point is that the spectator is
thinking the name of their card and as I spread through the
face up pack I will spot it. This allows me to spread slowly
and not talk and concentrate as I begin counting every card
up to and including the first pencil-dotted joker(s). If the
two key cards are next to each other, end the count on the
last key cards. Remember that number.
If you only see one key card, the selection was a red. If the
two keys are next to each other you know it was a black
card. Dont stop looking at the spread after the count, but
continue spreading the cards as you do the final two steps.

144

If the total of counted cards is even you know it was a Club


or a Heart. If the total of counted cards is odd you know it
was a Spade or a Diamond.
If the total of counted cards is even you divide by two to get
the value. If the total of counted cards is odd you first minus
one from total and then divide by two to get the value.
A few examples will help clarify the above. You take the deck
back and as you spread and counted, the count ended on
six and the two key cards were together. Since the two keys
were together, you know it was a black card. The number of
counted cards is even so you know it was a Club. You divide
the total in half which yields 3. So its the 3C!
Suppose the total was 6 cards and you only saw one key
card. Then you would know it was a red card. The number
of counted cards is even so you know it was a Heart. Divide
the total in half which yields 3, so the card is the 3H.
One more example with an odd total. You count over 9
cards and see two keys together. Two keys are next to each
other, so you know it was a black card, an odd total means
it is a Spade. You cant divide nine in half, so you subtract
one from nine which equals eight. Divide 8 in half and the
card was the 4S. If the count was nine and there was only
one key seen the card would have been the 4D.
The math is very easy to do and you have plenty of time
to do the calculations as you scan through the faces of the
deck.
THIS (Tips, Hints, Ideas & Subtleties)
As I mentioned, you can present this as a special deck that
can read minds. That way it can be worked in at any time,
otherwise you would have to open with this effect or do a
deck switch. One of the weak points is that the spectators
must count the cards a certain way for the trick to work.
Heres what I do to turn this weak point around.
I begin with the key cards 5th and 6th from the top. I start
by casually shuffling the deck retaining the top stock (Jog
or Hindu shuffle) as I explain what I want the spectators
to do. I demonstrate how they think of a card, say a two,
double the number and then I show them how to transfer
four cards to bottom. I noisily straight count four cards to
the table and tell them that if they count like this, some
people will think I am listening and counting the cards as
well. I replace the four cards on top and spread and count
them silently and then transfer them to the bottom without reversing their order. I explain the reason they should
count like this is that there is no way I can listen and count
along. The deck is now set with the two key cards on top.

145

I hand them the deck, turn around and talk them thru the
procedure. When I take the deck back, I push cards off and
count them in twos and count past the key card and upjog
any non key card. I gaze at it for a moment, as I figure out
the name of their card. I remove the upjogged card and ask
if they would be amazed if I was holding their card. I turn
it around and show it and say Jokers are Wild! Do you see
the King on the Bicycle? He has a teeny mouth, (I hold the
card up to my ear), you have to listen really hard because he
has such tiny lips he said your card was black... a number
card... he just told me you card was the 5S!
They confirm. When he gets that right, it makes all the
other kings laugh and laugh, said as I turn the cards face
and spread through showing a full deck of Jokers. If working at a table I like to let the Jokers spill from my hands and
cover the table.
Well there you have it. If you are like me (and most other
magicians I know) you have a lot of stacks of rubberbanded
Jokers just sitting there. Try this out and I think you will be
please with the reactions you will get with Joker Mental. As
always your bricks and bouquets are welcome and encouraged. dannyarchermagic@gmail.com.

146

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Starting with the nuts & bolts of
improvisation, and how to apply the
techniqes on stage as well as in rehearsal to
expand your creativity and writing skills.
Ryan shares the specific steps he takes to
choose the best audience volunteers, and
work with them to allow them to shine on
stage.
Ten years of practical, applicable advice
that can help you be a fearless and funny
entertainer.
70 pages, Paperback

Order online, or ask for it at your local magic shop

www.PlayingBigMagic.com
150

making magic out of tricks.


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ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD FROM FEBRUARY/MARCH ISSUE

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There is a door that continues to conjure up amazing possibilities in my mind throughout my


entire life. As we left the theater tonight, after our performance in front of a packed house, I turned
around and realized I had to grab my camera and capture the very thing that fills me with expectation every time I walk through it. The lighting, the brick wall, and the fading red letters of STAGE
DOOR were just all too perfect. I love theater, and that wonderful feeling of being, in the moment,
live and onstage. There is simply nothing in the world more exciting, dangerous, or fulfilling. You
walk thru that door, and you take the leap. Chipper Lowell 2013

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