More Magic Exposed

As I have trolled around the Net I've found a disturbing trend. Disturbing, at least for magic creators. Several sites have young teens (12-15?) exposing how to do tricks that are currently on the market. One site had a (poor) video on how to make the self-tying shoelace. Several others were blatant- one kid who looked like the offspring of refugees from Haight- Ashbury openly admitted that he had bought a penguin magic trick that featured a billet switch the day previous. Now he was recording the method for curious viewers on the net.

If you've ever created a magic trick and labored over it for hours, days and perhaps years, you'll understand why this is so disturbing. Young wannabees are more interested in getting their faces on the internet than they are in learning what magic is really about. And it isn't the secret. One of the most intriguing card effects I've ever seen was by Dai Vernon and the methodology is so well disguised that its simplicity will fool you and fool you badly. (You can find it in More Modern Card Secrets). But the magic is not the secret. The magic is the experience that you, and the audience experience in the effect.

Several years ago I published in the International Brotherhood of Magicians Linking Ring Parade a color changing CD routine. Shortly thereafter there was a major magic dealer selling it wholesale to fellows on Ebay. I wrote the dealer and threatened legal action as well as informing Ebay. I have just noticed my same effect being touted on a mini-CD DVD by the same magi or publisher who ripped off Murray, the magician who manipulates CD's etc. Changing the size of the cd does not justify the theft. Had I actually been asked, I would have given permission as long as the credit was posted.

I heartily encourage magicians to NOT go down this road but to keep what you do and what you know among those who are ethical.

Best of Friends III Review

Harry Lorayne's "Best of Friends VOL 3" is now out. Bottom line up front: BUY THIS BOOK!!
Here's some of the contributors: Allan Ackerman, Richard Vollmer, Max Maven, J.K. Hartman, Peter Duffie, Michael Ammar, David Regal, Martin Nash, Joshua Jay, Howie Scharzman, Bob Farmer, Simon Lovell, Aldo Colombini, Doug Edwards, Jeff Altman, Nick Pudar, Sol Stone, Paul Gordon, Kostya Kimlat, Gregory Wilson, Ian Baxter, Bob King, Joe Rindfleisch, Justin Higham, Michael Vincent, Steve Cohen, Tony Noice, Tom Craven, Randy Wakeman, Harry Lorayne…and more!

Harry decided to go with photographs in this volume since it went so well with his Personal Collection (ANOTHER GREAT BOOK). The format is the same as the other two in the series with a brief bio and Harry's teaching of the effect, along with his personal touches. I went immediately to the end of the book to read what Harry had to say, since he tends to tuck gems away there. Funny: He says Don't just read this BOOK!!. I think he knows I peeked. There are card effects (the bulk of the book), a spooky cork trick by Sol Stone and much more.

I honestly can't say enough good about Harry Lorayne. His magic books occupy an entire shelf in my office and his was one of the first magicians' books I purchased as a budding sleight of hand artist (Personal Secrets). I've written Harry on several occasions and he kindly replied to each and every letter. A signed copy of Genie magazine adorns my magic den- with Harry on the cover. In our day where guys in jeans act as Blaine-wannabe's Harry still stands out as a class act and teacher. I think this is because he is a) A classy guy and b) He really cares about the quality of the material he produces, rather than doing a kamikazee book; those who swoop in, dump bad routines, and then leave.

You can buy it from me at my Ebay Store or email me (magicetc@comcast.net) and it is yours for $77.00 plus 7.50 postage (US). International orders email me first for postages.

Dead Silence- the Movie

Dead Silence is a creepy movie about a creepy ventriloquist with a creepy vent figure named Billy. From the opening credits to about half-way through the movie it keeps your interest. It does bog down in the middle but picks up in a predictable but satisfying ending for horror movie fans. The plot is simple. A young fellow, Jaime, receives a package on his doorstep- it is an old vent figure named billy. Jaime goes out for dinner for him and his wife and he comes back to find his wife slaughtered. When he goes to his (dying) home town he speaks with his rich father to uncover why this dummy is now his. The cop following him wants to know who killed the wife and dogs Jaime through the movie. The pre-ending is great: 100 plus vent dummies all inhabited by a spirit. I did NOT see the ending coming.

All round, it was an entertaining flick if you like horror and vent dummies. The best movie to date though still remains Magic, with Anthony Hopkins and Fats. Interesting for ventriloquists who know their history: in the scene where all the figures are discovered one can note that several of them are "Danny O'Day" Juro "dolls" that are still sold today. There is at least one Charlie McCarthy doll. Why is this significant? It is obvious that the prop people took the low road because the movie supposedly is about a vent lady who made her dolls at the turn of the 20th century and Danny O'Day dolls were not made until the 1960's.

Dave Allen and Duck Blunder

Britain has a similar show to America's got talent: It is (duh) "Britain's got talent." British "magician" Dave Allen managed to get on but the effect doesn't work. I mean it DOESN'T work; i.e., both in execution and in showmanship.It is interesting to watch the audience's reaction from the beginning. They are not with him in any way and he flubs the trick. The Duck canon inadvertently opened and the first duck flew out exposing the use of two ducks and clunky apparatus. It just goes to show you that either one has to get new equipment or a new persona. Sorry Dave...

Sleight of Mind and NLP

Many of you may have heard about NLP- Neuro Linguistic Programming. At first glance it seems implausible but it is based on strong research and its application to magic is just now blooming.

Richard Bandler and fellow researcher Grinder had heard about therapists who apparently did "magic" with their words. These were Virginia Satyr and Milton Erickson. What Bandler and Grinder did was to create a model of their tools in therapy and it came to be known as NLP. Neuro- applies to the brain, Linguistic- applies to words and Programming- applies to its application. In brief, people have an internal map or model of the world. The model is not the world itself but an interpretation of the model. Through their body language and words they reveal to the therapist their model of the world. The therapist then creates a model of that model- a "meta-model" as it were. There are plenty of training opportunities available but the problem has been that Bandler and Grinder couched the NLP training in difficult to understand language such as "nominalizations," etc.

In relationship to magic you may have heard of Derrick Brown from his books Pure Effect. Brown does not explain his use of NLP very coherently. Kenton Knepper has done extensive work to apply NLP to magic, but again, uses quite a bit of techno-jargon. But the authors of Sleight of Mind have brought to the average non-therapist a good treatment of NLP and basic explainations. There are other books out there but this one is a keeper. It is available through me at my ebay store, magic etc. Just click on the link or send me a note to magicetc@comcast.net and its yours for a measly 35.00 plus 4.90 postage (US)

Roman Garcia

Here is the video of Roman Garcia. He starts with a nice cigarette trick followed by a punched card. I know the switch, but I'm not familiar with the moving holes. I know that Mike Powers had a trick called Holy Terror some time ago. Nice magic.

Roman Garcia

In my daily search of the net for new magic I came across the following video of Spanish Magician Roman Garcia. He has a nice manipulation act- one of the moves fooled me- he holds his hand out, fingers splayed and then produces a ball at the tip of his fingers. NICE move. His is a pleasant act. Later I'll post his close-up with a nice moving holes routine.

Stargate and McGyver

This has absolutely nothing to do with magic but I thought it was hilarious nonetheless.