Had a great evening of magic geekery with Harvey this week. It was nice knowing we both have the same aims and goals when it comes to magic. My re-jigged 'Four Sight' again went down well so I think I could work on a 'Gambling Expose' routine do go along side my more mentalist style set and the classic card manipulations for walk about magic.
After chatting for a while about party magic ideas we decided a cup and balls routine could be a nice touch. One man's classic trick is another's old a and boring routine, BUT if set in 'brief history of magic' routine I think it could go down well. Also much like my beloved 'Ambitious Card' I hope this set will teach me some nice slights and moves for other non-card based close up magic. I've found a set on-line that also comes with a 'Chop Cup' that come in a lovely copper colour for around twenty pounds so I hope to pick it up early next week.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Accidental Magician
I didn't mean to do much magic today. I was at an event making bunting for the Colchester Free Festival and took my Invisible deck and a pre-stacked Vanilla deck just to try out a few tricks during tea breaks. However half way through the day I needed a break from sewing and sat on the floor propping the wall up. Suddenly I had 10 kids or so gathered around me so I pulled out the vanilla deck and started doing tricks. I was amazed how well the kids paid attention to everything as none of the tricks were really aimed at kids. They loved visual magic, snap changes, colour changes, ambitious card, card in hand and my Invisible Deck. Mind reading seemed to confuse them, at least in the 'Derren Brown-isque' way that I present it. I was amazed to discover even the youngest of the children (around 5 or so) did not believe in Magic, and I have to admit, a little disappointed. However the adults were amazed. Some of the ladies there worked in schools either as teachers or assistants and they commented that they had never seen a magician hold a crowd of kids interest so well and for so long. This adds weight to the theory that I could make a sizeable amount of cash doing grown up parties at the weekend and the odd kids show mid week. Just as importantly (and in the long run, more so) I thoroughly enjoyed having kids as an audience as I did with grown ups.
Four Sight in the Wild
Yesterday I tried 'Four Sight' in the wild at work and at a party. The response was overwhelmingly positive. One spectator actually pointed out that he had free choice of a card, so my new version with a riffle force does appear to be a hit. I'm spending today at a charity event so I'll take my Invisible Deck and a vanilla deck stacked for 'Do as I do', 'Here then there', and 'Out of this World'. I'll also group some cards together so I can re-jig for 'Four Sight' quickly
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
I am a Magician
I've been working through more of Street Magic by Paul Zenon and have found a few new nice quick tricks.
Jack Sandwich from Street Magic by Paul Zenon This is a generic version of Harvey's most wonderful 'Stolen card'. A card is selected and returned to the pack. then the pack is spread t reveal the two jacks are now face up. The deck is cut again to reveal the jacks either side of chosen card.
Reaction A nice trick however one that will not make my repertoire. It's simply too similar to 'Stolen Card', and Harvey does that trick superbly well. That said the method is a good one to sit down and learn.
Dead Man's Hand from Street Magic by Paul Zenon Based on the legend of Wild Bill. A poker hand is shown a royal flush in spades. A spectator is asked to pick on of the cards and the magician shuffles the deck. He then starts pealing cards off one at a time. One card for each letter in the phrase "Wild Bill Man's hand" to reveal the chosen card. The Magician then deals out 5 hands of poker and it is revealed that the person with their back to the door has been given Wild Bill's royal flush.
Reaction The method here works much like that of 'big deal' with the initial card discovery as a cover for stacking the deck. As a rule I'm not overly fond of spelling out words to reveal a card. It's almost like a give away as to the fact the deck has been stacked. however with the extra touch of someone getting Wild Bill's hand make sme warm to this trick. I'll certainly be using it in the wild over the coming weeks.
Four Sight from Street Magic by Paul Zenon Another 'how magicians can cheat at cards' trick. The spectator selects a card (the example given is the 10 of diamonds). The magician cuts the deck to reveal that the pair of the card (the 10 of hearts) is now face up. The cards are hen shuffled and tossed from one had to the next and suddenly the remaining two 10's are in the magician's hand.
Reaction The initial force for this trick is the 'Henry Christ Force'. I found it vary clunky and disjointed. The card selection process simply didn't make sense to my muggle friends. it instantly aroused suspicion. However I re-jigged the stack and managed to make the trick work with a Riffle Force (from Penguin Magic). I am now MUCH happier with this trick and look forward to adding it to my 'Magicians can cheat at cards' pitch.
Jack Sandwich from Street Magic by Paul Zenon This is a generic version of Harvey's most wonderful 'Stolen card'. A card is selected and returned to the pack. then the pack is spread t reveal the two jacks are now face up. The deck is cut again to reveal the jacks either side of chosen card.
Reaction A nice trick however one that will not make my repertoire. It's simply too similar to 'Stolen Card', and Harvey does that trick superbly well. That said the method is a good one to sit down and learn.
Dead Man's Hand from Street Magic by Paul Zenon Based on the legend of Wild Bill. A poker hand is shown a royal flush in spades. A spectator is asked to pick on of the cards and the magician shuffles the deck. He then starts pealing cards off one at a time. One card for each letter in the phrase "Wild Bill Man's hand" to reveal the chosen card. The Magician then deals out 5 hands of poker and it is revealed that the person with their back to the door has been given Wild Bill's royal flush.
Reaction The method here works much like that of 'big deal' with the initial card discovery as a cover for stacking the deck. As a rule I'm not overly fond of spelling out words to reveal a card. It's almost like a give away as to the fact the deck has been stacked. however with the extra touch of someone getting Wild Bill's hand make sme warm to this trick. I'll certainly be using it in the wild over the coming weeks.
Four Sight from Street Magic by Paul Zenon Another 'how magicians can cheat at cards' trick. The spectator selects a card (the example given is the 10 of diamonds). The magician cuts the deck to reveal that the pair of the card (the 10 of hearts) is now face up. The cards are hen shuffled and tossed from one had to the next and suddenly the remaining two 10's are in the magician's hand.
Reaction The initial force for this trick is the 'Henry Christ Force'. I found it vary clunky and disjointed. The card selection process simply didn't make sense to my muggle friends. it instantly aroused suspicion. However I re-jigged the stack and managed to make the trick work with a Riffle Force (from Penguin Magic). I am now MUCH happier with this trick and look forward to adding it to my 'Magicians can cheat at cards' pitch.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
and he's back
I've finally started practising again. I've also down some research at Molly's on the Electr[o]cracy night. As well as working out a running order for a few effects I took he opportunity to practise some tag team magic with Harvey. A simple case of myself forcing a card and himself revealing it in his own rather unique and down right creepy manor. It was great fun being back in the magic saddle as well as good fun doing it with Harvey again.
New Stuff
Slights- The Classic Back Palm Picked up from the video demonstration of KAOS which in itself is a trick I'm working on. Kaos is a card through window effect which uses the classic back palm. The back palm is a system where a card in the hand (of the magician) can instantly vanish and be made to reappear.
Big Deal - from "Street Magic by Paul Zenon" A trick portrayed as a lesson in card cheating. The magician explains about the principles of 'Dealing from the bottom'. He places four kings on the bottom of the deck and proceeds to deal 5 hands of 5 card stud poker. He starts with the player to his left and deals from the top, when he gets to himself he deals slowly and deliberately from the bottom of the deck. He does this for four rounds of dealing, so everyone knows he has four kings in his had and on the fifth round does a very deliberate top deal (the four kings being already there) everyone then looks at their hands and judges what they have. The magician reveals his four kings, the cards are then placed back on the deck and the magician states the problem lays in bottom dealing fast enough that it goes unnoticed and yet making sure you grab the correct card. He then deals five cards each and this time people notice he has made a mistake because they have one of the kings in their hand. The magician reveals his hand to contain four aces.
Reaction This trick went down very well, possibly because it initially didn't present itself as a trick but more as a lesson and a challenge. "Can you spot the bottom deal the second time around?" I think the next time I perform this trick I'll ask people to look at their own hands the second time around and not to say anything. Then I'll ask the participants if they think I succeeding in my bottom dealing ways, before I reveal my cards. Maybe as if they would like to make a small wager on weather my hand obtained with my own magical powers could beat their hand obtained by chance. They may notice that they hold one of the kings, hence believing that I have failed in bottom dealing. This I feel could add a new element of fun to the finally reveal.
I am rather happy with my current introduction as well. I approach the group (ideally of four people) And start chatting about being a magician. When I first started card magic I used to say "And this is why you never want to play me at poker". I then make up a fictitious friend who told me that this was a rather bold statement, and could I REALLY use my skills to cheat without people spotting it. I then say that it made me sound like somone who has had 2 lessons in karte who the went on to proclaim they are the worklds hardest man/woman/chicken. And thus the challenge is set.
Aces High - from "Street Magic by Paul Zenon" Another aces trick. The spectator cuts the cards into four piles. Then they are invited to pick up each pile in turn and to mix things up a little. This is achieved by dealing 3 cards to the bottom of the pile and then one card onto the top of each other pile. When this is repeated for all four piles the top cards are revealed and show an ace on the top of each pile.
Reaction I was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the reaction to this trick.I have seen it before with subtle variations and clocked a rough method after a demostration of it. Hwoever this trick builds on principles of other tricks I already know and thus I've been given a head start on working it out. Everyone else (both lay people AND fellow magicians) were left stumped. It has an intresting peice of misdirection in it, in the form that the specator cuts the cards as roughly as they like thus adding an element of randomness. This reaction really shows the method is hidden in my view.
Conclusion of the night and thoughts on where I'm going
Both of these tricks are self working and from the same book, "Street Magic by Paul Zenon". This same book also taught me "Out of this world" as well as a few hints for "Ambitious Card". I know it's common practise to recommend "Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic" to any budding Harry Potter want to be, and it does have a lot going for it. The book is HUGE and covers practically all arrears of the magical craft. However the first tricks in the book are very basic and don't pack much punch. Overall you should get a copy and read it for the ground work BUT I think the Paul Zenon book is great if you want people to have quick results to keep their interest alive. I'm continuing on my pledge to by no new magic for a while, but to go through what I have here. Some tricks which i thought too basic or clumsy are turning out in fact to be very powerful. Even if I eventually shed these tricks later on in my development as a magician I do believe they are giving me a good grounding knowledge of what gets people excited. So I shall continue to learn some of the tricks I discarded in the past just in case there is a great understanding to be had through them.
On a final note. I was practically overpowered by how good it felt double teaming some tricks with Harvey, I want to think about more tricks where we could apply our own specialities. Also a very nice lady was totally overcome by my abilities and insisted I was as good if not better than a magician hired by her family for a birthday. This magician charged £300 for 2 hours or close up work. Now it is dangerous to succumb to flattery on this level but on the other hand it does lend a certain encouragement to keep going with the practise.
New Stuff
Slights- The Classic Back Palm Picked up from the video demonstration of KAOS which in itself is a trick I'm working on. Kaos is a card through window effect which uses the classic back palm. The back palm is a system where a card in the hand (of the magician) can instantly vanish and be made to reappear.
Big Deal - from "Street Magic by Paul Zenon" A trick portrayed as a lesson in card cheating. The magician explains about the principles of 'Dealing from the bottom'. He places four kings on the bottom of the deck and proceeds to deal 5 hands of 5 card stud poker. He starts with the player to his left and deals from the top, when he gets to himself he deals slowly and deliberately from the bottom of the deck. He does this for four rounds of dealing, so everyone knows he has four kings in his had and on the fifth round does a very deliberate top deal (the four kings being already there) everyone then looks at their hands and judges what they have. The magician reveals his four kings, the cards are then placed back on the deck and the magician states the problem lays in bottom dealing fast enough that it goes unnoticed and yet making sure you grab the correct card. He then deals five cards each and this time people notice he has made a mistake because they have one of the kings in their hand. The magician reveals his hand to contain four aces.
Reaction This trick went down very well, possibly because it initially didn't present itself as a trick but more as a lesson and a challenge. "Can you spot the bottom deal the second time around?" I think the next time I perform this trick I'll ask people to look at their own hands the second time around and not to say anything. Then I'll ask the participants if they think I succeeding in my bottom dealing ways, before I reveal my cards. Maybe as if they would like to make a small wager on weather my hand obtained with my own magical powers could beat their hand obtained by chance. They may notice that they hold one of the kings, hence believing that I have failed in bottom dealing. This I feel could add a new element of fun to the finally reveal.
I am rather happy with my current introduction as well. I approach the group (ideally of four people) And start chatting about being a magician. When I first started card magic I used to say "And this is why you never want to play me at poker". I then make up a fictitious friend who told me that this was a rather bold statement, and could I REALLY use my skills to cheat without people spotting it. I then say that it made me sound like somone who has had 2 lessons in karte who the went on to proclaim they are the worklds hardest man/woman/chicken. And thus the challenge is set.
Aces High - from "Street Magic by Paul Zenon" Another aces trick. The spectator cuts the cards into four piles. Then they are invited to pick up each pile in turn and to mix things up a little. This is achieved by dealing 3 cards to the bottom of the pile and then one card onto the top of each other pile. When this is repeated for all four piles the top cards are revealed and show an ace on the top of each pile.
Reaction I was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the reaction to this trick.I have seen it before with subtle variations and clocked a rough method after a demostration of it. Hwoever this trick builds on principles of other tricks I already know and thus I've been given a head start on working it out. Everyone else (both lay people AND fellow magicians) were left stumped. It has an intresting peice of misdirection in it, in the form that the specator cuts the cards as roughly as they like thus adding an element of randomness. This reaction really shows the method is hidden in my view.
Conclusion of the night and thoughts on where I'm going
Both of these tricks are self working and from the same book, "Street Magic by Paul Zenon". This same book also taught me "Out of this world" as well as a few hints for "Ambitious Card". I know it's common practise to recommend "Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic" to any budding Harry Potter want to be, and it does have a lot going for it. The book is HUGE and covers practically all arrears of the magical craft. However the first tricks in the book are very basic and don't pack much punch. Overall you should get a copy and read it for the ground work BUT I think the Paul Zenon book is great if you want people to have quick results to keep their interest alive. I'm continuing on my pledge to by no new magic for a while, but to go through what I have here. Some tricks which i thought too basic or clumsy are turning out in fact to be very powerful. Even if I eventually shed these tricks later on in my development as a magician I do believe they are giving me a good grounding knowledge of what gets people excited. So I shall continue to learn some of the tricks I discarded in the past just in case there is a great understanding to be had through them.
On a final note. I was practically overpowered by how good it felt double teaming some tricks with Harvey, I want to think about more tricks where we could apply our own specialities. Also a very nice lady was totally overcome by my abilities and insisted I was as good if not better than a magician hired by her family for a birthday. This magician charged £300 for 2 hours or close up work. Now it is dangerous to succumb to flattery on this level but on the other hand it does lend a certain encouragement to keep going with the practise.
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